This book explores the Wolseley helmet from its origins in the late 1890s until it fell out of favour during WWII. The book contains numerous excellent colour photos of original helmets, many with their puggaree flashes and other embellishments. It also contains many period photographs and prototype helmets never put into production. The book covers not only British use of the helmet but also its adoption by Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa as well as its influence on helmets of other countries such as Italy, Greece and Portugal.
The new paperback edition of Khaki Drill & Jungle Green offers the most detailed examination ever published of the tropical uniforms issued to all three services in the Mediterranean theatre and in South-East Asia during World War II. The evolution of tropical uniforms under the pressure of campaign experience between 1939 and 1945 is traced in Martin Brayley's nearly 300 striking color photographs, showing live models wearing rare original uniforms and equipment, and carrying period weapons, in authentic settings.
'May the eyes of Canada never be blind to that glorious light which shines upon our young national life from the deeds of those "who counted not their lives dear unto themselves"'. When World War I broke out in the summer of 1914, the Canadian chaplain Frederick George Scott volunteered for service despite his fears. He spent four long years in the trenches on the western front, where he developed close bonds with his fellow soldiers and sought to maintain his faith while the world around him collapsed into chaos. In evocative language befitting his background as a poet, Scott lays bare the horrors of modern warfare. Filled with heart-wrenching descriptions and tragic detail, The Great War as I Saw It is a powerful meditation on the Canadian experience during World War I and an important look into the life of the ordinary soldier.
Equal parts adventure and STEM, Rebecca E. F. Barone's Race to the Bottom of the Earth: Surviving Antarctica is a thrilling nonfiction book for young readers chronicling two treacherous, groundbreaking expeditions to the South Pole—and includes eye-catching photos of the Antarctic landscape. "Riveting! I raced to the end of this book!" —Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee In 1910, Captain Robert Scott prepared his crew for a trip that no one had ever completed: a journey to the South Pole. He vowed to get there any way he could, even if it meant looking death in the eye. Then, not long before he set out, another intrepid explorer, Roald Amundsen, set his sights on the same goal. Suddenly two teams were vying to be the first to make history—what was to be an expedition had become a perilous race. In 2018, Captain Louis Rudd readied himself for a similarly grueling task: the first unaided, unsupported solo crossing of treacherous Antarctica. But little did he know that athlete Colin O’Brady was training for the same trek—and he was determined to beat Louis to the finish line. For fans of Michael Tougias’ The Finest Hours, this gripping account of two history-making moments of exploration and competition is perfect for budding scientists, survivalists, and thrill seekers. "A nail-biting tale of adventure, tragedy, and superhuman determination—and also a luminous example of how our present lives are shaped by our immeasurably deep connection to our past." —Elizabeth Wein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity "A huge treat for adventure story fans—not one, but two incredible races across the fearsome and fascinating Antarctic!" —Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling author of Bomb and Undefeated
This is the first full-colour history of the world-famous toy soldiers to chart the whole story of their development from Victorian table toy to 21st Century collectable. Prior to 1893 the family toy business of the Britain family was struggling as the toy industry was dominated by German manufacturers and importers. Then came the fateful decision first to import, then to design and manufacture, toy soldiers, an area the German firms were particularly strong in. Britains Toy Soldiers were born and soon their boxes stamped with the slogan 'Best Quality English Make' were being eagerly opened by little boys across Britain and then around the world. The rest, as they say is history and it is all captured here by James Opie, the world's leading expert on the subject, as he lovingly traces the varying fortunes of arguably the most famous British toy company. Illustrated with lavish colour photographs, many of them featuring items from the author's own collection, the book includes feature sections such as collectors' favourites and prices, high-value and famous sets, artistic highlights, quirks and mysteries. It is without doubt the most authoritative book on the subject and will be welcomed by the thousands of devoted collectors world wide as well as many more with fond memories of childhood battles with these beautiful toys.
Orde Charles Wingate. Winston Churchill thought him a military genius; others considered him greatly over-rated; a few even thought him mad. His overriding passion was for Zionism, a cause which he embraced when posted to British-ruled Palestine in 1936. There he raised the Special Night Squads, an irregular force which decimated Arab rebel bands and taught a future generation of Israeli generals (including Moshe Dayan and Yitzhak Rabin) how to fight. In 1941, Wingate led another guerrilla-style force into Italian-occupied Ethiopia and was instrumental in restoring Emperor Haile Selassie to his throne. But his most famous campaign was conducted behind enemy lines in Burma, where his Chindits shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility in jungle fighting. A brilliant maverick, Wingate was a difficult if not impossible subordinate. He was also - as this riveting new study reveals - an inspiring leader.
