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 Edward VIII
King Edward VIII was the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson…
Burrator Reservoir and the link to the Dambusters
Using some of the latest technology, Prof. Bob Stone of the University of Birmingham and his team have surveyed an anti-torpedo net at the bottom of a reservoir in the SW of England which may shed light on the origins of Operation Chastise, the famous Dambuster Raid of World War Two…
Rorke’s Drift – Private Hitch’s Story
Private Frederick Hitch was just 23 years old when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. The 1964 epic war film ‘Zulu’ is based on this battle…
Bruce Ismay – Hero or Villain
Chairman of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay survived the sinking of the company’s ship Titanic in 1912. He became one of the most hated men in America, deemed to be responsible for giving the ship just 20 lifeboats…
Zulus Victorious at the Battle of Isandlwana
An embarrassing defeat for Great Britain. the Battle of Isandlwana was the first major engagement of the Anglo-Zulu War…
A World War Two Christmas
Today it is hard to imagine, with the conspicuous consumption and commercialisation of a modern Christmas, how families coped during World War Two. Presents were often homemade and as wrapping paper was scarce, gifts were wrapped in brown paper…
The Sinking of the Lancastria
On 17th June 1940, the requisitioned Cunard cruise liner Lancastria came under attack from enemy aircraft while evacuating troops from St Nazaire after the fall of Dunkirk…
HMS Warspite – A Personal Account
Chief Petty Officer Fred Jones was in charge of ‘B’ Turret aboard the ‘Grand Old Lady’ HMS Warspite during the Second War War. His memoirs give us an idea of what war was like at sea…
