This book tells the largely untold story of WWI's Volunteer Training Corps, the forgotten equivalent of World War II's Home Guard. Self-financing and training in their spare time they developed as an effective anti-invasion force. Alongside VTC were the many medical, transport, police and youth organisations which also kept the home fires burning.
The book offers a comprehensive exploration of 20th-century military structures, detailing their design and functions, including anti-invasion defenses, airfields, naval installations, and barracks. Richly illustrated, it provides insights into the historical significance of these sites. Additionally, a gazetteer at the end highlights surviving examples across Britain, encouraging readers to visit and appreciate these remnants of military history.
Joins the Circus
Emphasizing the significance of believing in one's dreams, this story captivates young readers with its engaging rhyming text and imaginative illustrations. It encourages children to pursue their aspirations in a fun and relatable way, making the message both enjoyable and memorable.
The book explores the defensive structures established in Hampshire to protect its residents from various threats, including both domestic and foreign adversaries. It delves into the historical context and significance of these fortifications, highlighting their role in safeguarding the community throughout different periods. Through detailed descriptions, the narrative reveals the strategic importance of these defenses in shaping Hampshire's history and security.
Defence Against a German Invasion of Britain in the First World War
The book explores the British military's evolving strategies in response to the looming threat of war with Germany before 1914. It details the skepticism surrounding reliance on the Royal Navy and highlights the formation of a substantial Home Army alongside the enhancement of fixed defenses to protect the British Home Front from potential invasion. Through this examination, it sheds light on the societal and military preparations that shaped Britain's defensive posture during a time of escalating tensions.
For 2,000 years Essex, the county with the longest coast-line in England and dominating the eastern approaches to London, has been in the front-line against foreign invasion, from the Romans to the Spanish Armada to the two World Wars.
Throughout history, Cambridgeshire (including Huntingdon and Peterborough) has figured in many of the conflicts which have shaped our nation. Doomed Roman legionaries marched from Longthorpe to defeat by Boudicca's Iceni; Saxons and Danes fought over the edges of the Danelaw; the Normans came this way to crush Hereward's Fenland resistance; in the Civil War it provided the defended frontier between Parliamentarian and Royalist; in Napoleonic times French prisoners of war were incarcerated here; and in the twentieth century its flat expanses were home to numerous airfields and missile bases.This book describes the function and purpose of these defensive structures and reveals the evidence which many of these major events left on the ground: the earthworks of hill forts, medieval castles and moats; the masonry of later forts and strong-houses; drill halls and militia barracks; and the lines of anti-invasion defences from 1940.
Leicestershire and Rutland's position astride some of England's major routes made them the scene of decisive battles, skirmishes and sieges, all of which have left their marks on the landscape. This book covers defensive sites, ranging from castles to missile bases, and places them in their social, political, historical, and military contexts.
Northamptonshire's central position astride some of England's major routes made it the scene of decisive battles, skirmishes and sieges whose evidence is reflected in the landscape. Visible defensive sites, ranging from castles to missile bases, are described in this book and placed in their social, political, historical and military contexts.
Bedfordshire has always been strategically important. From Iron Age hillforts to medieval sieges and battles it has seen significant military action. In WWI the county contributed to the birth of the RAF. In WWII its bases despatched RAF and USAAF bombers over Germany, but the major activity was the secret war associated with the Bedford Triangle.