Churchill's Unexpected Guests


Book Description

During World War II over 400,000 Germans and Italians were held in prison camps in Britain. These men played a vital part in the life of war-torn Britain, from working in the fields to repairing bomb-damaged homes. Yet despite the role they played, today it is almost forgotten that Britain once held PoWs. For those who worked, played or fell in love with the enemies in their midst, those times remain vivid. Whether they took tea on the lawn with Italians or invited a German for Christmas dinner, the PoWs were a large part of their lives. This book is the story of those men who were detained here as unexpected guests. It is about their lives within the camps and afterwards, when some chose to stay and others returned to a country that in parts had become a hell on earth.




Churchill's Unexpected Guests


Book Description

During the Second World War over 400,000 Germans and Italians were held in prison camps in Britain. These men played a vital part in the life of war-torn Britain, from working in the fields to repairing bomb-damaged homes. Yet despite the role they played, today it is almost forgotten that Britain once held POWs at all. For those who worked, played or fell in love with the enemies in their midst, despite restrictions and the opinions of their peers, those times remain vivid. Whether they took tea on the lawn with Italians or invited a German for Christmas dinner, the POWs were a large part of their lives. This book is the story of those men who were detained here as unexpected guests. It is about their lives within the camps and afterwards, when some chose to stay and others returned to a country that in parts had become a hell on earth.




Heritage and Memory of War


Book Description

Every large nation in the world was directly or indirectly affected by the impact of war during the course of the twentieth century, and while the historical narratives of war of these nations are well known, far less is understood about how small islands coped. These islands – often not nations in their own right but small outposts of other kingdoms, countries, and nations – have been relegated to mere footnotes in history and heritage studies as interesting case studies or unimportant curiosities. Yet for many of these small islands, war had an enduring impact on their history, memory, intangible heritage and future cultural practices, leaving a legacy that demanded some form of local response. This is the first comprehensive volume dedicated to what the memories, legacies and heritage of war in small islands can teach those who live outside them, through closely related historical and contemporary case studies covering 20th and 21st century conflict across the globe. The volume investigates a number of important questions: Why and how is war memory so enduring in small islands? Do factors such as population size, island size, isolation or geography have any impact? Do close ties of kinship and group identity enable collective memories to shape identity and its resulting war-related heritage? This book contributes to heritage and memory studies and to conflict and historical archaeology by providing a globally wide-ranging comparative assessment of small islands and their experiences of war. Heritage of War in Small Island Territories is of relevance to students, researchers, heritage and tourism professionals, local governments, and NGOs.




Magnificent Devices: Manor House Quartet


Book Description

This quartet collection features four novellas set in the Magnificent Devices world, an edition of more than 400 pages. Home may be where the heart is, but sometimes it is also where the greatest danger lies … Married eight months, Lady Claire Trevelyan and Dr. Andrew Malvern are blissfully working together on a new invention, and providing a home for a collection of street sparrows. In Carrick House, they escape an onslaught of unexpected guests and sleep aboard Athena. The last thing they expect is to have their airship hijacked ... with Claire’s little brother Nicholas still aboard. In Selwyn Place, Lady Emilie Selwyn invites Andrew and Claire to her very first country house party. There, they meet a guest with violent connections to an old crime in Claire’s past. She will not allow anything to chill dear Emilie’s first foray into society—even if it means that the Lady of Devices must come out of retirement once again. In Holly Cottage, Maggie Polgarth astonishes everyone by buying her own home near Vauxhall Gardens. But the south bank gangs have not forgotten her connection to the Lady. Jake Fletcher McTavish will not allow anyone to harm a hair on Maggie's head. But how can he show her that his feelings run deeper than those of a brother? Lastly, in Gwynn Place, eight-year-old Nicholas departs for his first year at Eton—and does not arrive. As the danger mounts, can this small member of an ingenious and courageous family tip the balance between power and love, and save more than one life? If you like old-fashioned adventure, brave women, clever children, and strong-willed chickens, you’ll love this quartet of novellas set in the Magnificent Devices world. Fangs for the Fantasy says Claire is “a wonderful main character (one of my favourites in the genre)” and the series has “a great sense of Victorian style and language that’s both fun and beautiful to read.”




Chasing Churchill


Book Description

Illustrated with photographs from the private family album, this book follows in the footsteps of some of Sir Winston Churchill's famous trips to the four corners of the world, by his granddaughter Celia Sandys. She visits South Africa, Morocco, France, the USA - amongst others - and recounts how Sir Winston's trips not only changed the course of world history, but helped to shape the man who has come to be known as 'our Greatest Briton'.




Mr Churchill's Profession


Book Description

In 1953, Winston Churchill received the Nobel Prize for Literature. In fact, Churchill was a professional writer before he was a politician, and published a stream of books and articles over the course of two intertwined careers. Now historian Peter Clarke traces the writing of the magisterial work that occupied Churchill for a quarter century, his four-volume History of the English-Speaking Peoples.As an author, Churchill faced woes familiar to many others; chronically short of funds, late on deadlines, scrambling to sell new projects or cajoling his publishers for more advance money. He signed a contract for the English-Speaking project in 1932, a time when his political career seemed over. The magnum opus was to be delivered in 1939, but in that year, history overtook history-writing. When the Nazis swept across Europe, Churchill was summoned from political exile to become Prime Minister. The English-Speaking Peoples would have to wait.The book would indeed be written and become a bestseller, after Churchill left public life. But even before he took office, the massive project was shaping his worldview, his speeches and his leadership. In these pages, Peter Clarke follows Churchill's monumental quest to chronicle the English-Speaking Peoples - a quest that helped to define the enduring 'special relationship' between Britain and America. In the process, Clarke gives us not just an untold chapter in literary history, but a fresh perspective on this iconic figure: a life of Churchill the author.




Victory in the Kitchen


Book Description




Carrick House: A short steampunk adventure in the Magnificent Devices world


Book Description

Who said life is but a dream after the wedding? Married eight months, Lady Claire Trevelyan and Dr. Andrew Malvern are blissfully working together on a new invention, and providing a home for a collection of street sparrows. Then Claire’s mother, the redoubtable Lady Jermyn, arrives with her family in tow and expects to stay indefinitely ... Peony Churchill turns up on the doorstep with valise in hand ... and raffish cousin Claude comes for a visit ... While separately any of these would be most welcome, together they are overwhelming. Claire and Andrew flee to Athena for a bit of breathing room. But the last thing they expect is to have their airship hijacked ... with Claire’s little brother Nicholas still aboard ... Carrick House is the 13th book in the Magnificent Devices steampunk series. Books 13-16 are short reads in the “Manor House” miniseries and can be read separately. No strong language, just a very proper kiss or two and a satisfying solution. If you like books by Gail Carriger, Lindsay Buroker, or Emma Jane Holloway, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!




Wartime Captivity in the 20th Century


Book Description

Long a topic of historical interest, wartime captivity has over the past decade taken on new urgency as an object of study. Transnational by its very nature, captivity’s historical significance extends far beyond the front lines, ultimately inextricable from the histories of mobilization, nationalism, colonialism, law, and a host of other related subjects. This wide-ranging volume brings together an international selection of scholars to trace the contours of this evolving research agenda, offering fascinating new perspectives on historical moments that range from the early days of the Great War to the arrival of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.




Secret of the Dragon's Scales


Book Description

Secret of the Dragons Scales continues the adventures of Gavin Kane, Emily Scott, and Bunty Digby, fifteen-year-olds who make the best of their young lives in England during the autumn of 1943. World War II rages on, but the tide seems to have turned in favor of the Allies. Three times previously, the teens have defeated Nazi plans to defeat England using evil magic, and three times, there have been new alliances formed with creatures from the hidden worlds of legend and fable. Yet once again, Heinrich Himmler is determined to unleash another strange and horrible weapon from deep within Nazi Germany, while halfway across the world, Allied armies are now tenaciously fighting the Japanese Empire. Secret of the Dragons Scales continues to develop the ongoing influence of Thaddeus Osbert. The dragon has become indispensable in assisting his teenaged charges, as they inadvertently aid the Allied efforts against Nazi Germany. However, the dragon also takes quite seriously his responsibility to instruct Gavin Kane in the ways of justice, honor and above all - compassion. Sir Osbert manages to negotiate a steady source of sugar for his persistent sweet tooth, in exchange for supplying something Winston Churchill needs as well. Once again faced with danger and intrigue, the teens call upon their dragon friend to help them battle the Nazis, who finally commit their own winged monstrosity, with unexpected results.