Mark Simner's Blog, page 3
February 7, 2018
Avro Lancaster KB889
Avro Lancaster KB889, on static display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. There are currently only two airworthy Avro Lancasters in the world. These include: PA474, operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in the UK, and FM213, flown in Canada by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. However, a number of other ‘static’ survivors also exist, including KB889, which is currently on display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
KB889 was built in Canada in 1944, being the first of a b...
February 1, 2018
New Article by Mark Simner | The Extraordinary Life of Pauline Gower in The Armourer Magazine
The Extraordinary Life of Pauline Gower, The Armourer Magazine, March 2018 In the latest issue of The Armourer Magazine, Mark Simner examines the extraordinary life of Pauline Gower of the Air Transport Auxiliary, a female aviation pioneer who defied criticism and helped Britain win the Second World War.
The post New Article by Mark Simner | The Extraordinary Life of Pauline Gower in The Armourer Magazine appeared first on Mark Simner.
January 26, 2018
New Article by Mark Simner | Sir William Peel VC in History of War Magazine
History of War, Issue 51 In the latest issue of History of War Magazine, Mark Simner explains how Captain Sir William Peel of the Royal Navy got his Victoria Cross for three separate acts of valour during the Crimean War.
January 21, 2018
Napoleon’s Continental System
Napoleon Bonaparte Great Britain was never able to field an army that could match in size most of those that fought for or against Napoleon on Continental Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. She did, however, gain mastery of the seas that, particularly following the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, remained largely unchallenged until the First World War over 100 years later. Britain also had enormous wealth – thanks to well-developed trade with her colonies abroad and elsewhere – which ena...
I was Monty’s Double: Meyrick Edward Clifton James
Meyrick Edward Clifton James In April 1944, Lieutenant-Colonel John Jervis-Reid was perusing the News Chronicle newspaper when he came across a photograph of Meyrick Edwards Clifton James dressed as Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. James had been briefly appearing in a stage show as the famous British military commander, a late addition to the production which had not proved overly popular with the public. However, what struck the colonel was the incredible resemblance between this amateur...
January 20, 2018
The Angels of Mons
The Angels of Mons There are numerous myths that have developed about the Battle of Mons, the first major clash between British and German forces on the Western Front during the First World War, since it was fought on 23 August 1914. However, perhaps one of the most well-known is the so-called ‘Angels of Mons’, a myth that quickly appeared in the British press shortly after the battle. The legend has it that on that fateful day the men of the British Expeditionary Force, who were heavily outn...
The Observer Corps: The Forgotten Civilian Volunteers of the Battle of Britain
A spotter in the Observer Corps on a rooftop in London Ask any British person what they know about the Battle of Britain and you will almost certainly receive answers that include references to the Spitfire, Hurricane or ‘The Few’. However, there were many others who played an important role during the summer air campaign of 1940, whose less glamorous efforts have sadly been largely forgotten by many today. Such an example – and there are many – are the members of the Observer Corps, a civili...
January 19, 2018
Wing Commander James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC
Wing Commander James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC Despite the length and ferociousness of the aerial combat, Flight Lieutenant James Nicolson was the only RAF pilot to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Battle of Britain. Indeed, he was the only member of Fighter Command to receive the prestigious award throughout the whole of the Second World War. So who was James Nicolson and what did he do to earn his VC?
Eric James Brindley Nicolson was born in Hampstead, London in 1917. He received a f...
Commander Loftus Jones VC
Commander Loftus Jones VC A total of four Victoria Crosses were awarded for the Battle of Jutland, fought near Denmark on 31 May-1 June 1916. Several of them are well-known, including those to Jack Cornwell of HMS Chester and Francis Harvey of the Royal Marine Light Infantry. However, few today are aware of Commander Loftus Jones and his actions that led to the posthumous award of Britain’s highest award for valour ‘in the face of the enemy’.
Born on 13 November 1879, Loftus Jones was the sec...
January 17, 2018
Pathan Rising Nominated For An Award
Pathan Rising: Jihad on the North West Frontier of India 1897-1898 is a nominee for the Military History Monthly Book Awards 2018.
MHM has curated a list of 2017’s best military history titles: the nominees for this year’s Military History Monthly book awards. The selection includes some of the best-researched, most-insightful, and most-readable titles reviewed and featured in the magazine over the last year.
The winners will be announced at Senate House in London on 23 February as part of Cu...
