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Journeys Home: Indian forces and the First World War
Historian article
This article examines the importance of understanding the experiences of the Indian Forces during the First World War and how that can affect young people today.
One hundred and four years ago the British Empire was one of the largest global operations in existence. Roughly a quarter of the world’s population...
Journeys Home: Indian forces and the First World War
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A tale of two Turings
Historian article
Among the posthumous attempts to celebrate his scientific importance, alongside recognition of the unwarranted injustices to which he was subjected, two important statues to Alan Turing are highlighted by Dave Martin.
A tale of two Turings
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Rotha Lintorn-Orman: the making of a fascist leader
Historian article
Stephen M. Cullen draws out the influences and events that shaped one of Britain’s most significant fascist organisers and leaders.
Rotha Lintorn-Orman: the making of a fascist leader
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My Favourite History Place: Keswick
Historian feature
Adventure is a buzz word in the tourist trade and this old market town with under 5,000 residents advertises that it is the Lake District’s Adventure Capital. There is plenty to justify the title – the challenges of mountaineering on foot, bicycle or climbing-rope, swimming, canoeing, sailing, dragon-boat racing, hang-gliding and...
My Favourite History Place: Keswick
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The initial impact of the Battle of Jutland on the people of Portsmouth
Historian article
This local study by Steve Doe draws together the human effects of what happened at the Battle of Jutland in June 1916 with accounts of how the families of those who fought in the battle and the wider local community dealt with the tragedy.
The initial impact of the Battle of Jutland on the people of Portsmouth
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A fit country for heroes?
Historian article
In this article Steve Illingworth explores the conditions for returning British servicemen at the end of the First World War in relation to the promise by Prime Minister Lloyd George about creating ‘a fit country for heroes’. In particular, it looks at the experiences of former soldiers in Salford, a...
A fit country for heroes?
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The LGBT civil rights movement in Britain
Historian article
This article has been created from the podcast of the same name on this website by Professor Sally R. Munt, University of Sussex. It has been put into article form by Paula Kitching, and the factual and arguments of the piece are those of the original author.
The LGBT civil rights movement in Britain
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English first-aid organisations and the Provisional IRA mainland bombing campaign of 1974
Historian article
Barry Doyle reveals how the devastating Provisional IRA bombing of two Birmingham public houses in 1974 led to a resurgence in first-aid training and preparation, on the scale with which we are familiar today.
English first-aid organisations and the Provisional IRA mainland bombing campaign of 1974
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The End of Germany’s Colonial Empire
Historian article
Daniel Steinbach asks why the loss of the German colonies in Africa was perceived as a powerful symbol of Germany’s deliberate humiliation at the end of the First World War.
Famously, Germany’s first and last shots of the First World War were fired in Africa. From its beginning to its...
The End of Germany’s Colonial Empire
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Home Rule for Ireland - For and against
Historian article
At a time when the United Kingdom continues to review its internal constitutional arrangements, Matthew Kelly explores how this constitutional debate can be traced back to Gladstone's decision to promote Home Rule for Ireland and how these proposals evolved over time and were challenged.
Irish political history decisively entered a...
Home Rule for Ireland - For and against
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Paris: 50 Years on from the Great War, 2 August 1964
Historian article
Just over 50 years ago, Chris Wrigley, a past President of the Historical Association, while a sixth-former, witnessed a highly significant historic re-enactment in Paris to mark the anniversary of the start of the Great War.
Paris: 50 Years on from the Great War, 2 August 1964
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A tale of two statues
Historian article
Dave Martin relates how the statue of one of our imperial ‘heroes’ prompted a campaign to have it taken down while the statue of another imperial ‘hero’ prompted a fund-raising campaign for its repair.
As the tide of Empire ebbed across the globe vestiges of British rule remained, some great,...
A tale of two statues
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Homosexuality in Britain Since 1967
Historian article
Harry Cocks marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act with an examination of what has happened since this crucial piece of legislation.
Homosexuality in Britain Since 1967
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Out and about in Zanzibar
Historian article
Joe Wilkinson takes us on a tour of the island of Zanzibar, where the slave trade continued long after the British abolished it.
Mention Zanzibar and most people will think of an Indian Ocean paradise, perfect for honeymooners, relaxing on the popular pristine white north-eastern beaches of Bwejuu and Paje,...
Out and about in Zanzibar
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Terriers in India
Historian Article
Peter Stanley is working on the largely unexplored history of the thousands of British Territorial soldiers who served in India during the First World War using their letters and diaries. He is trying to discover what happened to these men when they returned to Britain. Did their service in India...
Terriers in India
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The development of the Department of Health
Historian article
Health as a specific feature of central government strategy is a relatively recent phenomenon and Hugh Gault identifies how this feature of everyday headlines in our newspapers has been managed until the present time.
At the start of the twentieth century Lord Salisbury’s Cabinet comprised four Secretaries of State –...
The development of the Department of Health
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The Lady of the Black Horse: Mabel Stobart (1862–1954)
Historian article
Peter Down takes us on a winter retreat over snow-covered mountains.
Mabel St Clair Stobart was born into a wealthy Victorian family and enjoyed an idyllic childhood. She was gifted academically and excelled at sport. Married at 22, she had two sons. Unfortunately in 1903 her husband lost his fortune and...
The Lady of the Black Horse: Mabel Stobart (1862–1954)
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The spy who never spied
Historian article
Claire Hubbard-Hall takes us on a wartime journey across the Atlantic.
On 30 June 1942, the Swedish-American liner SS Drottningholm docked in New York Harbour. As a diplomatic ship it had just completed its run from Lisbon (Portugal) to America. Standing at 538 feet long and 60 feet wide, painted white...
The spy who never spied
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The Great Yarmouth Suspension Bridge Disaster of 1845
Historian article
Many communities have cataclysmic disasters which tend to dominate or define their local history. Gareth Davies reveals that the sudden collapse of the Great Yarmouth Suspension Bridge is a telling example of this trend.
Beside the waters of the River Bure in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk stands a shiny black memorial...
The Great Yarmouth Suspension Bridge Disaster of 1845
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Social Unrest in the Isle of Man in 1916
Historian article
The Isle of Man played a remarkable role during the First World War. Over 8,000 men enlisted, which was 82.3% of the island’s men of military age. Even by the standards of the time this was high. Over 2,000 were either killed or wounded and two Victoria Crosses were awarded....
Social Unrest in the Isle of Man in 1916
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Folkestone in World War One
Historian article
Grahame Jones contributes to our determination to explore the wider involvement of the community in responding to the challenges of the Great War, in this case two inspirational women who provided refreshments for soldiers en route through Folkestone harbour.
A fading Edwardian resort and handy for that trip through the...
Folkestone in World War One
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The Somme: a last innings for Yorkshire and England
Historian article
Ronan Thomas explores a tragic sporting outcome of the Battle of the Somme.
At the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the losses suffered by the British Army still have the power to shock. On 1 July 1916 alone nearly 60,000 men became casualties, of whom almost 20,000 were...
The Somme: a last innings for Yorkshire and England
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Recorded webinar series: The Olympic Games
Culture and political impact across the twentieth century
2024 was an Olympic Games year. Held every four years (with the exception of during the World Wars and Covid-19 restrictions), the modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event in the world. However, historically it has not always been just the sports that are played and the athletes’ performances...
Recorded webinar series: The Olympic Games
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Recorded webinar series: Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the UN Convention on Genocide
Multipage Article
9 December 2023 was the 75th anniversary of the passing of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (known as the UN Convention on Genocide). The convention was a clear statement by the international community that crimes of that nature should never happen...
Recorded webinar series: Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the UN Convention on Genocide
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Berlin and the Berlin Wall: on-demand short course
Online self-guided short course for lifelong learners
The Berlin Wall became a symbol of a time in history, and a physical defining point in an otherwise covert series of battles. To study and explore the Berlin Wall is to explore how the Cold War manifested itself in Central Europe and the impact it had on one nation...
Berlin and the Berlin Wall: on-demand short course
