The History of Britain Magazine
Welcome to the History of Britain! The home nations share a varied and shared history unlike anywhere else, so we thought it only right to create a section dedicated to our mutual heritage.
King George VI
George VI became King unexpectedly, after the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, in December 1936, the year of three kings…
King George V
King George V’s reign, from 1910 to 1936, encompassed the Great War, the Great Depression and witnessed the rise of Fascism. It also saw the fall from power of five emperors and eight kings…
King Edward VII
King Edward VII was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When Prince of Wales, he was nicknamed ‘Edward the Caresser’ on account of his mistresses…
Elizabeth Marsh, Female Captive
In July 1756, 20-year-old Elizabeth Marsh was travelling alone from Gibraltar to England when her ship was captured by Barbary pirates…
Memories of the World War Two Victory Parade 1946
On 8th June 75 years ago, thousands of people lined London’s streets to see the triumphant Victory Parade celebrating the end of World War 2 – and I was among them, with my parents and younger brother…
King William IV
King William IV was the third son of George III and Queen Charlotte. Nicknamed ‘The Sailor King’, he did not succeed to the throne until he was 64 years of age…
King George II
The second Hanoverian monarch, King George II ascended the British throne on his detested father’s death on 11th June 1727. His reign saw wars at home (Jacobite Rebellion of 1745) and abroad…
The ‘Scarce Heard’: The Deaf Experience of War
The V sign was seen right across Europe during World War Two. On the radio the BBC’s V For Victory campaign used the opening four notes of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, since known as the Victory Symphony, composed between 1804 and 1808 – by which time Beethoven himself was deaf…
