Category Archives: History

State Sponsored Kidnapping: Britain, Israel and the USA

Posted on August 2, 2018 by

1 Britain: Conscientious Objectors1 The British army was a volunteer force in 1914 until the war lost its popularity. The actuality of slaughter reduced the numbers of men volunteering. The government passed the Military Service Act in January 1916 to … Continue reading →

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Bertrand Russell in Brixton prison, 1918

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

For the first two months of his sentence, life at Brixton prison suited Russell perfectly. Freed from the demands of both political campaigning and romantic attachments,* he was able to live precisely the kind of cloistered, contemplative life he craved. … Continue reading →

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Henrietta Maria: the Heretic Queen of England 1625-49

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

When Henrietta Maria married Charles the First, England’s vicious anti-Catholicism made her a hate figure. She was a child-bride of fifteen when she married the 25 year old Charles. Her brother, Louis XIII, agreed marriage articles with Charles, which were … Continue reading →

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The Anatomy Act, 1832: the Criminal Antecedents

Posted on June 28, 2018 by

Prior to 1832, dissection used corpses direct from the gallows. These corpses were the only legal supply of bodies for medical schools. Dissection of executed murderers was uncontroversial as they’d lost all of their rights. Britain’s ferocious penal code provided … Continue reading →

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About the battle of the Somme before it began June 1916

Posted on June 26, 2018 by

“The nation must be taught to bear losses. No amount of skill on the part of the higher commanders, no training, however good, on the part of the officers and men, no superiority of arms and ammunition, however great, will … Continue reading →

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Book Review: John Bew ~ Citizen Clem: a biography of Attlee

Posted on June 26, 2018 by

Bew hasn’t made this colourless, dour, uncharismatic and secretive man interesting, which is disappointing with 564 pages to read. Endless remarks about Attlee’s shyness, “He was painfully shy and modest and kept up his guard at all times, ‘lest strange … Continue reading →

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Women of the French Resistance 1940-45

Posted on June 15, 2018 by

After France was crushed, resistance to the German conquerors came from two principal sources: Communists and the Gaullist Free French. French women were critical to the entire resistance movement as they exploited their femininity. Women moved messages and small arms … Continue reading →

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