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.
Interned by the Japanese in World War Two
88-year-old Ian Gedye was just 10 years old when he was interned with his family for 3 years in a Japanese camp. Here he shares his experiences with us…
Sir Ernest Shackleton and Endurance
A legendary figure in the history of polar exploration, Ernest Shackleton led three British expeditions to the Antarctic including the ‘Endurance’ expedition of 1914-16…
VJ Day
There was much joy and celebration around the world when on 15th August 1945 US President Harry S Truman declared the day as Victory over Japan Day…
Angela Burdett-Coutts, Philanthropist
“After my mother, she is the most remarkable woman in the kingdom”. This was how King Edward VII described Angela Burdett-Coutts, an outspoken and dedicated philanthropist…
Left Behind After Dunkirk
After the Dunkirk evacuation, pockets of military personnel were left behind in France who had to make their way to the French ports for evacuation as best they could. These were dangerous journeys, along roads blocked with refugees and under bombardment by enemy aircraft. Some of those left behind were women of the ATS…
William Knibb, Abolitionist
“The cursed blast of slavery has, like a pestilence, withered almost every moral bloom”. The words of William Knibb, an English Baptist Minister who would make his mark in Jamaica…
The Wardian Case
The Wardian Case was an early example of a terrarium, a glass case with plants inside. However this humble portable glass case would come to play a huge part in the success of the British Empire, facilitating the transportation of commodities across the globe, changing fortunes of nations and influencing the palates of a generation…
