Churchill's Pirates


Book Description

The Royal Naval Patrol Service, or Harry Tates Navy as it was commonly known, was a unique service with its own rules and regulations. The officers and seamen were mainly ex-fishermen who had manned trawlers in Icelandic waters. The service was armed mostly with obsolete weaponry and suffered heavy casualties in the early stages of the war. The service was not confined to the seas around Britain and their small trawlers, drifters, paddle steamers, yachts and tugs saw service as far away as the Mediterranean and Newfoundland coast. Their main tasks included convoy escort duties, mine sweeping and anti-submarine work. Many awards for bravery were won including a VC.




Churchill's Navy


Book Description

In this remarkable book, now reissued in paperback, Brian Lavery examines every aspect of the Royal Navy, both ashore and at sea, during the Second World War, and casts a lucid eye over the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation that was put under acute strain during the period, yet rose to the challenge with initiative and determination. Divided into twelve sections, the book delves into the structure of naval power from the Board of Admiralty and shore commands to officers and crews, their recruitment and training, daily life and discipline. The roles of the Reserves, Merchant Navy, Royal Marines and Wrens within this structure are also explained. Developments in ship design and technology, as well as advances in intelligence, sensors and armament are all discussed and set in context. The different divisions are dealt with one by one, including the Submarine Service, Fleet Air Arm, Coastal Forces, and Combined Operations. The text is complemented by over 300 illustrations and the personal accounts of those who served.




Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare


Book Description

Six gentlemen, one goal: the destruction of Hitler's war machine In the spring of 1939, a top-secret organization was founded in London: its purpose was to plot the destruction of Hitler's war machine through spectacular acts of sabotage. The guerrilla campaign that followed was every bit as extraordinary as the six men who directed it. One of them, Cecil Clarke, was a maverick engineer who had spent the 1930s inventing futuristic caravans. Now, his talents were put to more devious use: he built the dirty bomb used to assassinate Hitler's favorite, Reinhard Heydrich. Another, William Fairbairn, was a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing, hired to train the guerrillas being parachuted behind enemy lines. Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men—along with three others—formed a secret inner circle that, aided by a group of formidable ladies, single-handedly changed the course Second World War: a cohort hand-picked by Winston Churchill, whom he called his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a gripping and vivid narrative of adventure and derring-do that is also, perhaps, the last great untold story of the Second World War.




In Churchill's Shadow


Book Description

With In Churchill's Shadow, David Cannadine offers an intriguing look at ways in which perceptions of a glorious past have continued to haunt the British present, often crushing efforts to shake them off. The book centers on Churchill, a titanic figure whose influence spanned the century. Though he was the savior of modern Britain, Churchill was a creature of the Victorian age. Though he proclaimed he had not become Prime Minister to "preside over the liquidation of the British Empire," in effect he was doomed to do just that. And though he has gone down in history for his defiant orations during the crisis of World War II, Cannadine shows that for most of his career Churchill's love of rhetoric was his own worst enemy. Cannadine turns an equally insightful gaze on the institutions and individuals that embodied the image of Britain in this period: Gilbert & Sullivan, Ian Fleming, Noel Coward, the National Trust, and the Palace of Westminster itself, the home and symbol of Britain's parliamentary government. This superb volume offers a wry, sympathetic, yet penetrating look at how national identity evolved in the era of the waning of an empire.




The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet


Book Description

Unexpected tales of the fantastic, & other odd musings by Nalo Hopkinson, Karen Joy Fowler, Karen Russell, Jeffrey Ford, and many others Contains stories by the amazing Jeffrey Ford, the fabulous Karen Joy Fowler, the unlikely Kelly Link, the thrilling Nalo Hopkinson, the shockingly good Karen Russell, the unnerving James Sallis, and dozens of uncanny others, as well as useful lists of many kinds and straight-shooting advice from Aunt Gwenda. Edited by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant Introduction by Dan Chaon Contents include: “Travels with the Snow Queen” by Kelly Link “Scotch: An Essay into a Drink” by Gavin J. Grant “Unrecognizable” by David Findlay “Mehitobel Was Queen of the Night” by Ian McDowell “Tan-Tan and Dry Bone” by Nalo Hopkinson “An Open Letter Concerning Sponsorship” by Margaret Muirhead “I Am Glad” by Margaret Muirhead “Lady Shonagon’s Hateful Things” by Margaret Muirhead “Heartland” by Karen Joy Fowler “What a Difference a Night Makes” “Pretending” by Ray Vukcevich “The Film Column: Don’t Look Now” by William Smith “A Is for Apple: An Easy Reader” by Amy Beth Forbes “My Father’s Ghost” by Mark Rudolph “What’s Sure to Come” by Jeffrey Ford “Stoddy Awchaw” by Geoffrey H. Goodwin “The Rapid Advance of Sorrow” by Theodora Goss “The Wolf’s Story” by Nan Fry “Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland” by Sarah Monette “Tacoma-Fuji” by David Moles “Bay” by David Erik Nelson “How to Make a Martini” by Richard Butner “Happier Days” by Jan Lars Jensen “The Fishie” by Philip Raines and Harvey Welles “Dear Aunt Gwenda, Vol. 2” by Gwenda Bond “The Film Column: Greaser’s Palace” by William Smith “The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend with an Account of the Yeti’s Birthday Party” by David J. Schwartz “Serpents” by Vernoica Schanoes “Homeland Security” by Gavin J. Grant “For George Romero” by David Blair “Vincent Price” by David Blair “Music Lessons” by Douglas Lain “Two Stories” by James Sallis “Help Wanted” by Karen Russell “’Eft’ or ‘Epic’” by Sarah Micklem “The Red Phone” by John Kessel “The Well-Dressed Wolf: A Comic” by Lawrence Shimel and Sara Rojo “The Mushroom Duchess” by Deborah Roggie “The Pirate’s True Love” by Seana Graham “You Could Do This Too” “The Posthumous Voyages of Christopher Columbus” by Sunshine Ison




Lord Churchill's Coup


Book Description

In LORD CHURCHILL’S COUP, Stephen Saunders Webb further advances his revisionist interpretation of the British Empire in the seventeenth century. Having earlier demonstrates that the Anglo=American empire was classic in its form, administered by an army, committed to territorial expansion, and motivated by crusading religion, Webb now argues that both England and its American social experiments were the underdeveloped elements of an empire emerging on both sides of the Atlantic and that the pivotal moment of that empire, the so-called “Glorious Revolution,” was in fact a military coup driven by religious fears. In a vigorous narrative, Webb populates this formative period of the Anglo-American past with colorful and commanding characters. At the center is John Churchill. We see him rise from page boy to earl of Marlborough, winning battlefield glory, influence, and promotion; and his corresponding rise from ensign of the English army taking control of the destiny of the later Stuart monarchs of Britain and America. Webb shows us Churchill increasingly alarmed by the Catholicizing course of his patron, James II, and becoming instrumental in the organization of a successful coup to protect Anglicanism and the constitution. We see the resulting alliance with William of Orange, the Protestant champion of Europe, quickly turn sour as William makes himself king; and we see Churchill, now transformed into imperial politician, once again in power—able to secure the succession of Queen Anne and negotiate the terms of resumption of war against France. Throughout, Webb makes it clear that at the heart of Churchill’s ascent and actions is his vision of America as a decisive factor in the world war between England and France for impersonal supremacy. As the book ends, Churchill’s American agenda thus becomes central to the war aims of the Grand Alliance.




1960 Pittsburgh Pirates


Book Description




The Words of Winston Churchill


Book Description

This book focuses on a close analysis of selected speeches of Winston Churchill in the House of Commons and some of the responses from fellow MPs from 1933-1940 in peace and war, during the rise of Hitler, and concentrates on foreign affairs. The study will appeal to those interested in Churchill, freedom, tyranny, diplomacy, war and conflict, democracy, politics, the 1930s, the Second World War, Britain, the English-speaking world, Canada, the United States, the British Empire and Commonwealth, Europe, France, Asia, Germany, totalitarianism, Parliament and legislative assemblies, rhetoric, language, style, speech-writing, oral and written communication, literature, history and other areas. The debate between autocracy and the tyrannical totalitarian on the one hand and democracy on the other is the debate of those times and ours. The reader will find many parallels, some chilling, with our own times. Churchill and his contemporaries have much to teach us.Churchill was key to our world history and is a key to understanding what is at stake in the world now.




Churchill Comes of Age


Book Description

Churchill's 21st birthday and baptism of fire both took place in Cuba in 1895. This was the year he went on his first international adventure, wrote his first military and political analyses and engaged in his first dicey diplomatic mission. Finding his footing as a journalist - and indeed a war correspondent - he also became the centre of controversy in the American and British press and, while shamelessly exploiting his connections and developing the famous 'Churchill style' became known as a public figure in his own right. Attention has previously focused on Churchill's Indian frontier and Boer War experience as the most formative moments in his youth. But now, with original research through untapped access to Spanish and Cuban archives and interviews, this book shows that his much earlier Cuban trip was really the moment when he 'came of age' and started down the path to become a man to be remembered throughout history.




The Greatest Works of Winston Churchill


Book Description

In 'The Greatest Works of Winston Churchill', readers are treated to a collection of the most notable speeches and writings from the esteemed British statesman. The book showcases Churchill's eloquent literary style, filled with powerful rhetoric and profound insights into key historical events. From his wartime speeches that rallied the British people during World War II to his reflections on politics, leadership, and modern society, this compilation offers a comprehensive look at Churchill's masterful storytelling and persuasive abilities. This book serves not only as a historical account but also as a timeless piece of literature that continues to inspire readers today. Winson Churchill's background as a politician, military leader, and prolific writer undoubtedly influenced the creation of this remarkable collection. His firsthand experiences in shaping global events and his passion for language and communication are evident in the compilation of works presented in this volume. Churchill's dedication to his craft and his unwavering commitment to his beliefs shine through in each piece, making this book a testament to his enduring legacy. 'The Greatest Works of Winston Churchill' is a must-read for history enthusiasts, political scholars, and anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Churchill's timeless words are sure to captivate and inspire readers, making this book a valuable addition to any literary collection.