Alphabet Of The War
This little article by Aubrey Ford was first published in the London Opinion and was subsequently republished in the Kildare Observer. Penned in the first few months of the war,…
The Gargantuan Appetite of Edward VII
King Edward VII appetite for food was on a gargantuan scale. In her book ‘Edward VII and His Circle’ from 1956 Virginia Cowles informs the reader: ‘Although King Edward ate…
English Archers
An Italian cleric, Dominic Mancini, visited England in 1482-3. What impressed him during his visit were the archers. “Their bows and arrows are thicker and longer than those used by…
Remembering The Titanic
It was 11.40 pm , on April 14, 1912, when the warning call came from the crow’s nest of the Titanic. Immediately, the liner swung to port – but not…
The Suffragettes attack London
The have been a few attacks on the Houses of Parliament, this one was one of the less threatening. Helen Atkinson describes how the pre-war suffragettes took their cause to…
Dinner Parties and The Brothers Egbert
Not all the hosts of Edwardian parties belonged to the ‘haut ton’. What matter, if they had money to burn? There was never a lack of ‘convives.’ In ‘The Melodies…
Cnut the Great
Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995 – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death…
Charles Rolls Tragic Accident
The early aviators – or aeronauts, as they were called – certainly took their lives in their hands, The Bournemouth meeting of 1910 was marred by the death of one…
The Advent of the Aeroplane
In his wonderful book, ‘Before the lamps went out’, Wingfield Stratford describes the early days of aviation from his unique view point. Charles Rolls “In 1908, the long expected advent…
The Death of William Rufus
William II (1056 – 2 August 1100), the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100. William is commonly known as William Rufus,…