Kent VCs
Kent VCs

Author: Roy Ingleton

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2011-12-01

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1844685209

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As one might expect from a county with the motto 'Invicta' (Unconquered), Kent has produced her fair share of military heroes. Here Roy Ingleton honors 50 of those who have been awarded the nation's highest decoration for valor in the line of duty.The book is divided into sections according to the conflicts in which the awards were earned, each beginning with a concise historical overview to set the context for these acts of heroism. From the Crimea (thus some of the earliest VCs ever awarded), through to the Second World War, the entries encompass many of the most famous episodes in British military history and are drawn from all three services. Meet heroes such as Sergeant Major Wooden of the 17th Lancers and surgeon Sir James Mouat who were granted VCs for their part in the Charge of the Light Brigade (Battle of Balaclava, 1857); Captain Walter Norris Congreve who helped to save the guns at Colenso (1899); Lieutenant Philip Neame, scion of Kent's famous brewing family and the only man to win both an Olympic gold medal and a VC (Neuve Chapelle, 1914); Major James McCudden, the leading British fighter ace of WWI and probably Kent's most famous VC winner (France1917/18); Lieutenant Commander George Bradford RN (Zeebrugge Raid, 1918); Sergeant Thomas Durrant, No 1 Commando (St Nazaire, 1942) and Lance Corporal John Harman (Battle of Kohima, 1944). The nation holds a special place in its heart for winners of the Victoria Cross and this book is sure to inspire not only those who are lucky enough to call Kent home, but anyone interested in British military history.

VCs The Sideshows
VCs The Sideshows

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-08-01

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 0750957654

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The thirteenth and final volume of the ‘VCs of the First World War’ series features the lives and careers of forty-six servicemen who won the coveted Victoria Cross in theatres of war – or ‘Sideshows’, as they became known – beyond the Western Front and Gallipoli.Opening with the stories of four VC winners who took part in the prolonged struggle to drive the German Army out of East Africa, VCs of the First World War: The Sideshows goes on to tell the stories of the two Indian Army winners of the VC defending the North-West Frontier. Finally, it covers the campaigns against the Austro–German forces in Italy; securing the oil wells in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); defending the Suez Canal and attacking the Ottoman Army in Palestine and lastly serving in Salonika in the Balkans.Each VC winner’s act of bravery is recorded here in intricate detail, together with the background of the men and their lives after the war – if they survived.

VCs Air VCs
VCs Air VCs

Author: Peter G. Cooksley

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-04-07

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 0752493922

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Of more than 600 Victoria Crosses awarded to British and Empire servicemen during the First World War, nineteen were awarded to airmen of the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Of these, four were posthumous awards and all but one of the total were to officers. Some of these valorous airmen were from humble backgrounds and with limited education, others were collegiate men from wealthy families, but in the words of one senior officer they all had in common ‘the guts of a lion’.

Midget Ninja & Tactical Laxatives
Midget Ninja & Tactical Laxatives

Author: Philip Sidnell

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2013-01-19

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 178159595X

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Which army used camels disguised as war elephants? Which illustrious warlord was killed by a midget ninja hidden in his latrine? How was a Japanese vessel sunk by live cows dropped by the Soviet air force? And just what kind of weapon was the Bohemian Ear Spoon? These are just a few of the important questions of military history answered in this book. Midget Ninja and Tactical Laxatives is a light-hearted look at some of the most bizarre incidents, weirdest weapons and strangest stratagems to be found in the annals of warfare. Drawn from all periods of history there is something here for every reader with an interest in military history and/or a sense of humor. Some of the sections included: War Elephants and How to Stop Them (including the infamous blazing pigs) Ignominious Deaths (e.g. the midget ninja in the latrine) A Misplaced Sense of Honor (e.g. the sniper who let George Washington live) Suicide Missions (e.g. mass suicide as a diversion tactic and a case of self-decapitation) Weird and Wonderful Weapons (such as the WW2 bat bomb -with real bats) Stranger things happen at Sea (e.g. million-ton ice ships and death by blocked toilet) God is on our side (of omens, oracles and the ancient battle stopped by a UFO) An Army Marches on its Stomach (e.g. the tactical use of laxatives and the Greek army immobilized for 3 days by hallucinogenic honey) “Entertaining, informative, and funny.” —Ben Kane, author of the bestselling Spartacus novels

The Victoria Cross at Sea
The Victoria Cross at Sea

Author: John Winton

Publisher: Frontline Books

Published: 2016-07-31

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1473876141

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Naval VCs have been won in places as far apart in time and distance as the Baltic in 1854 and Japan in 1945, in the trenches from the Crimea to the Western Front, in harbours from Dar es Salaam to Zeebrugge, from the Barents to the Java Sea, from New Zealand to the North Atlantic, and from China to the Channel. They have been won in battleships and trawlers, in submarines below the water and aircraft above it, on horseback and on foot.Age and rank meant nothing. Boy Cornwall was not seventeen at Jutland, and Frederick Parslow was in his sixtieth year when he earned his VC on board a horse transport ship. William Hall was the son of a freed slave; Charles Lucas, awarded the Royal Navys first VC, became a Rear Admiral. Neither were all the recipients of Britains highest gallantry decoration British, and men from Canada, Australia and New Zealand were included in those whose actions were recognised by the awarding of the VC. Yet every one of them had one thing in common uncommon valour.

Victoria Crosses on the Western Front
Victoria Crosses on the Western Front

Author: Paul Oldfield

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2022-12-29

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1526788101

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In the past, while visiting the First World War battlefields, the author often wondered where the various Victoria Cross actions took place. He resolved to find out. In 1988, in the midst of his army career, research for this book commenced and over the years numerous sources have been consulted. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: Battles of the Hindenburg Line - Havrincourt and Epehy is designed for the battlefield visitor as much as the armchair reader. A thorough account of each VC action is set within the wider strategic and tactical context. Detailed sketch maps show the area today, together with the battle-lines and movements of the combatants. It will allow visitors to stand upon the spot, or very close to, where each VC was won. Photographs of the battle sites richly illustrate the accounts. There is also a comprehensive biography for each recipient, covering every aspect of their lives warts and all: parents and siblings, education, civilian employment, military career, wife and children, death and burial/commemoration. A host of other information, much of it published for the first time, reveals some fascinating characters, with numerous links to many famous people and events.

Hesperidae - Nymphalidae
Hesperidae - Nymphalidae

Author: John Langmaid

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-11-27

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 9004627138

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Each volume in the very well known series The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Irelandcontains special introductory chapters on important aspects of the study of British Lepidoptera; keys to families and species; a systematic section consisting of a full description, details of the life history, and a distribution map for each species, as well as structural drawings where nessesary. In addition, all species and significant variants are illustrated in colour. Also available in paperback (ISBN 978-09-46-58937-1).

The Victoria Crosses of the Crimean War
The Victoria Crosses of the Crimean War

Author: James W. Bancroft

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2017-09-30

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 1526710633

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The Crimean War saw the introduction of the Victoria Cross, which was awarded to 111 men. Whilst the history of the Crimean War has been related many times, never before have the stories of those individuals who were awarded the VC been told. In this, the result of four decades of accumulated research, renowned historian James Bancroft describes who the men were, how they gained the Victoria Cross, and what happened to them afterwards. Great attention has been given to checking the correct spelling of the names of people and locations, burial places and new memorials, and dates of awards and promotions. The author has made every effort to contact museums and other establishments to get up-to-date information on the whereabouts of medals and their accessibility. The men recorded here displayed valor and determination resulting in many deeds of exceptional courage which became a regular occurrence in the illustrious annals of the British Army. Among them are heroes who had the guts to put themselves in mortal danger by picking up live shells that could have exploded and blown them apart at any moment, gallant troopers who took part in a cavalry charge that they knew was doomed before it began and they were about to be cut to pieces, and valiant individuals who had the audacity to sneak into unknown territory to take the conflict into the enemys back yard and risk capture and ill-treatment. This account of the fascinating lives of these heroes is accompanied with forty-five portraits.

The Great Redan at Sebastopol
The Great Redan at Sebastopol

Author: James W. Bancroft

Publisher: Frontline Books

Published: 2023-04-06

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1399060562

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On 18 June 1855, the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, British assault troops moved out of their trenches before Sebastopol in the Crimea, and attacked the formidable Russian bastion known as the Great Redan. They came under such a murderous fire from the Russian defenders that the attack faltered, and the British were eventually forced to fall back. As they did so, they left over 1,000 comrades dead and dying out in the open and at the mercy of enemy snipers. The Siege of Sebastopol saw the development of trench warfare for the first time. Using eyewitness accounts and unpublished letters, the author tells the story of how the men coped with the terrible conditions as they prepared for the assault – as well as the events during and after the fighting. Among the anecdotes is an officer who had the ingenious idea of warming up cannon balls in the camp fires and taking them into the tents at night to keep warm; and he went on to live for over a hundred years! Well-known for his depth of research, the author questions a number of points regarding the Great Redan that are commonly believed to be historical fact. Quoting the father of Alexander the Great, it was the Russians who, soon after the assault on the Great Redan, first referred to the British as, ‘An army of lions led on by donkeys’. For over 100 years it was stated in many publications that the most Victoria Crosses awarded for a single action was the eleven presented for actions during the defense of Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu War in 1879. However, as the author reveals, twenty of the lions who fought at the Great Redan received Britain’s highest gallantry award, in whole, or in part, for their actions on 18 June 1855. The book includes biographical tributes to many of the men who were killed in action, gives details of the places where they are commemorated, and provides biographies with all the up-to-date information concerning the twenty Victoria Cross recipients.