The Day the Raj Died

Posted on by Tom Fleming

The Amritsar Massacre was the biggest and bloodiest blot on the generally benign record of British rule in India, and by its long-term results effectively doomed that rule – indeed, arguably, the British Empire itself. Amritsar was a watershed: before it, imperialism was broadly regarded as a good thing by the British public, and even […]

Dispatches from the Valley of Death

Posted on by Tom Fleming

Alma Place, Cardigan Street, Raglan Road, The Redan – most British cities and towns boast at least one street or pub named after the heroes and battles of the Crimean War, a lasting reminder of its impact. For the first time civilians could follow events at the ‘seat of war’ day by day. In previous […]

Very Gallant Gentlemen

Posted on by Tom Fleming

Courage is not a virtue much valued today. Although the word itself is widely bandied about (as in, ‘Courage of Young Mum in Cancer Battle’), it is usually in connection with situations not of the courageous person’s own choosing. The acts of courage described in this enthralling book are of a kind so rare in […]

Bellicose and Brave

Posted on by Tom Fleming

Readers of Max Hasting’s most recent book, Armageddon, will not need reminding that long before becoming a newspaper editor he was a remarkably fine military historian. Having laid down the editorial red pencil he has returned to his first love, and we should be grateful for it. Warriors, as he declares at the very beginning, […]

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