"Reveals the extent of MI5's methodical and implacable investigation into the lives of such people as the writer George Orwell." — UK HistorianDuring the 1930s, the British intelligence agencies became increasingly concerned about Communist influence in the country. They reacted by spying on thousands of ordinary British citizens. Amongst them were many artists and writers who, in tune with "the spirit of the times," had become sympathetic to left-wing caus...

"I am not pressing you to fight the weather as well as the Germans, never forget that." So wrote Winston Churchill to Arthur Harris, the Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command, after the terrible events of 16 December 1943. In the murky dusk almost five hundred heavy bombers, almost entirely Lancasters, set out for Berlin from their bases in eastern England, from north Yorkshire to southern Cambridgeshire. They lifted off at around 4 pm to bomb the target four hours later and were expect...

The Second World War saw many people consigned to long periods of exile, far from home. How did the exiled keep in touch with home? Why were some exiles silent when others wrote frequently and at length? Posted in Wartime explores the nature of such exile and considers what could be written in diaries and letters, given that letters were censored and diaries were, at best, frowned upon. At the books heart are the stories of three very different exiles: a Liberty Ship captain; a doctor in t...

All-India and Down-Under is the dramatic story of two cricket tours undertaken in the aftermath of the Second World War. For seven years the war had put the careers of England' s cricketers on hold. Then, in 1946, England played three Tests against ' All-India' . However, it proved to be the last such tour: by mid-1947, Indian partition had cut the country in two, a process that was violent and bloody. While the tourists were in England, struggling in a cold, wet summer, their own...

The Trio tells the story of three war correspondents, two Englishmen and an Australian, all in their 30s, whose friendship was forged during the Second World War. They became so close that their colleagues dubbed them ' The Trio', sometimes out of disgruntled rivalry. Alan Moorehead, Alexander Clifford and Christopher Buckley worked for the Express, Mail and Telegraph respectively. Clifford and Moorehead lived together more closely than most married coupl...

During the Second World War, British artists produced over 6,000 works of war art, the result of a government scheme partly designed to prevent the artists being killed. This book tells the story of nine courageous war artists who ventured closer to the front line than any others in their profession.Edward Ardizzone, Edward Bawden, Barnett Freedman, Anthony Gross, Thomas Hennell, Eric Ravilious, Albert Richards, Richard Seddon and John Worsley all travelled abroad ...

She stepped to the front doors and tried the door. It swung open as a look of surprise overtook her. "Did you leave the place unlocked?"Malachi looked a little surprised too. "No. I locked it, just a couple of hours ago." He walked over to the door, a little perplexed. He inserted his key in the open door and inspected the lock. It seemed to work perfectly. "Well, that's odd."She tentatively walked into the foyer and stopped looking around when a smell of cat urine and dust...

Great Escapes of World War II Tom Dick and Harry to Stalag to Colditz Contents Introduction; The Laufen Six; Slawomir Rawicz: Hero or Hoaxer?; Airey Neave and Norman Forbes Escape from Thorn; Dulag Luft Tunnel; The Colditz Canteen Tunnel; The Theatre Bust: Airey Neave and Anthony Luteyn; The Medium-Sized Officer; Pat Reid Escapes from Colditz; The Wooden Horse; The Great Escape More than 170,000 British prisoners of war were ...

A first-hand account of World War I by a nineteen-year-old Englishman who led a platoon into the carnage of the Battle of the Somme.While researching his excellent earlier book: Veterans of World War I, author Richard Van Emden encountered a fascinating personality of that long-ago conflict. After witnessing German naval attacks on British civilians, Norman Collins enlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders of the 51st Highland Division, even though he was under ...

The real story of how Winston Churchill and the British mastered deception to defeat the Nazis - by conning the Kaiser, hoaxing Hitler and using brains to outwit brawn.By June 1940, most of Europe had fallen to the Nazis and Britain stood alone. So, with Winston Churchill in charge the British bluffed their way out of trouble, drawing on the trickery which had helped them win the First World War. They broadcast outrageous British propaganda on pretend German radio stations, broke G...

Six gentlemen, one goal: the destruction of Hitler's war machineIn 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 w...

WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEARThis is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their sto...