As the men clambered over the top the average British Tommy was hauling sixty-six pounds (almost 30KG) of equipment over with him. Basic assault gear included (but was not limited to) the [...]

The main thrust of the British attack on the Somme on 1st July 1916 was to be carried out by eleven infantry divisions from General Rawlinson’s Fourth Army. However, two miles to the north, a [...]

Progress is coming along nicely with regards to my latest Layman’s Guide which will cover the 1916 Battle of the Somme. There will be a few new things in this Layman’s Guide which [...]

It’s been almost two years since I published my last book Invasion! But I am kicking off 2021 in style with the launch of a brand new WW2 Factbook – 1001 Sensational Second World War [...]

Millions of people choose to wear a poppy on Remembrance Day as a show of respect and commemoration of the millions of people who have died fighting for freedom in two world wars and dozens of [...]

I have been busy of the last few weeks blowing the dust off of one of my old books and giving it a bit of a refresh. Heroes of the Line is a short book that is part diary, part pilgrimage and [...]

If you are a reader of history books on e-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle then you may already have heard of Digital History Books – the email service that delivers cut-price digital [...]

It’s only taken me four years, but I have finally got round to producing a paperback version of Waterloo: A Layman’s Guide. At around 150 pages it is not the mightiest book in the [...]

Today is #VE75 where we remember the 75th anniversary of the signing of the definitive Act of Unconditional Surrender in Berlin by Germany and the Allies. Here is my take on the run up to that [...]

It’s been a while since I wrote a Layman’s Guide. My last few writing projects have been for traditional publishers (Reaching for the Sky & Invasion!) so I haven’t really [...]

Actually, there are not 10,000 reasons to say thank you. There are, as of yesterday, 10,240 reasons to thank you. That’s because I am delighted, staggered and humbled to announce that WW1: [...]

It’s a weird time at the moment, and I hope that you and your family are able to stay safe and out of the reach of this nasty COVID-19 virus that is causing such havoc to our daily lives. I [...]

I find myself in Newcastle airport a lot – it’s a work thing that means I have to go up there a number of times each month. When I am there I tend to browse the book shop that [...]

I went to see ‘1917’ earlier this week. I thought it was epic – cleverly written, wonderfully produced and very atmospheric. It really did transport you right into the middle of [...]

This week numerous commemorative events will be taking place across Southern England and France to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. On 6th June, 1944, tens of thousands of men [...]

“Shell Shock” is a play that tells one soldier’s story of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tommy Atkins’ observations on life on [...]

My latest book – Invasion! – is out very soon. It covers Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings by focussing on 100 key ‘moments’ that made up the invasion. Here is a [...]

I must have annoyed the chaps at Unicorn Publishing somehow. This is the only reason I can think of as to why, after already giving me one seemingly impossible task (coming up with 100 defining [...]

I have not blogged much recently, that’s because I have been really busy on my latest book project – Invasion! D-Day & Operation Overlord in One Hundred Moments. In essence this [...]

This year, in the run up to Black Friday and Christmas, I am having a big clear out of the book stock that I am holding in my study – this means that I have a limited number of books and [...]

Last week I was very fortunate to have the opportunity of speaking during two days of the 2018 War and Peace Revival show. One of the largest living history events in the country. I talked about [...]

I need your help. Next week I am talking at the War and Peace Revival, one of the biggest living history fairs in the country. The subject of my talk is going to be ‘The Ten Greatest [...]

This is a strictly limited offer, but I am putting aside a limited number (100) of my WW1 Battles infographic postcard sets so I can give them away to school history departments. They currently [...]

This week I launched a new book on Amazon Kindle, however it is not my usual attempt at telling history. Office Days (Volume One) is a collection of illustrated short stories which follow a [...]

With the anniversary of the D-Day landings upon us, many thoughts and much attention (quite rightly) is directed to the seaborne assault onto the five invasion beaches (Juno, Sword, Gold, Utah [...]

Hot on the heels of Reaching For The Sky, I have now launched a special Kindle ‘box set’ featuring three WW2 themed Layman’s Guides – namely WW2, D-Day, and The Third [...]

The Royal Air Force has been at the forefront of aviation innovation since its inception in 1918 and during the subsequent one hundred years has enjoyed many hundreds of defining moments. Moments [...]

Today is International Women’s Day which provides me a fitting opportunity to talk about a remarkable lady who was one of the leading pioneers of women in aviation. Pauline Gower gained her [...]

As we head into December I wanted to let you know about three special deals I am currently running that may help you fill stockings or treat the history lover in your life this Christmas! Not [...]

On 23rd October 1917 the US Army fired its first shot in anger on the Western Front. One hundred years on and the field gun that did the shooting is on display at the US Army Military Academy [...]

With the deadline for spending the old round pound coins looming large (officially the coins will no longer be legal tender from Monday 16th October) the Bank of England estimates there are still [...]

It has been a long time since I did a free book promotion, but this weekend WW2: A Layman’s Guide is free to download on Amazon Kindle. As with all of my Layman’s Guides this one has [...]

I am currently working on a new Second World War fact book to run along side my 1001 Fantastic First World War Facts that is currently on sale. It will be imaginatively titled 1001 Sensational [...]

Today is the 100th anniversary of the start of the Third Battle of Ypres. The press are giving it a lot of air-time today, which is always good but the general mood of the commentary has been [...]

Oxford University is launching a crowdfunding campaign for Lest We Forget (LWF), a project that will support local community endeavours to digitise memorabilia and personal accounts of World War [...]

How did WW1 air pilots became ‘Aces’? How many shells were fired by the British during the Battle of the Somme? Why were trenches built in a zig-zag and who was the youngest winner of [...]

This week I have put together a number of heavily discounted signed book bundles on sale through Ebay (UK) – with 10% of the proceeds going directly to the Royal British Legion’s [...]

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited up to Liverpool to witness a demonstration of a remarkable new innovation that could potentially revolutionise the way we teach the First World War in [...]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and the UK government have announced that descendants of those who fought at the Third Battle of Ypres will be invited to CWGC Tyne Cot Cemetery in [...]

At the time of writing it seems that FIFA is refusing to allow the England and Scotland teams to wear printed images of poppies on their shirts when they play each other in a World Cup qualifier [...]

This year you can purchase my WW1 infographics book: The Great War 100 direct from the Official Poppy Shop ebay shop knowing that all profits from the sale go directly to The Royal British [...]

A few years ago I had the honour to help out the La Boisselle Study Group (LBSG) with an archaeological dig at The Glory Hole – a small but incredibly dangerous sector of the Somme front [...]

77 years ago today German forces commenced an invasion of Poland that would herald the start of the most destructive conflict in history. Here is my take on how it all kicked off on 1st September [...]

I am delighted to announce that my latest book on the First World War: Heroes of World War I was published yesterday by The History Press and is now available on Amazon and all good bookstores in [...]

It is not often that my day job allows me to come face to face with some proper history, but today it did exactly that. This morning I was at a site visit at the National Motorcycle Museum in the [...]

Recently, I have been flicking through a great little book from Amberley Publishing called ‘The Best 500 Cockney War Stories’. The book is chock full of little tales and stories from the front [...]

Horace George Angier was born on 23 October 1894 at 12 Vansittart Street, Deptford, south-east London. He was the third son of Frederick William and Keziah Jane Angier. His elder brothers were [...]

There is a lot of stuff flying around regarding the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at the moment – and quite right too as it was (and still is) a momentous day in the [...]

Last week I sent off a random message to author and historian Mark Simner asking if he would be willing to take part in a short interview for this blog – amazingly he said yes…   [...]

12th June, 1942. Anne Frank receives a diary for her 13th birthday. The Diary of Anne Frank, posthumously published in 1947 and eventually translated into almost 70 languages, is one of the most [...]

The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle of the First World War and has recently been described as the battle that won the war. This may be a bit over-optimistic but there is no doubt [...]

I am delighted to announce that The Pitch Pack – a global leader in interactive video brochures – have agreed to sponsor ten (10) copies of ‘The Great War 100′ infographic books as [...]

Synonymous with any campaign are the medals they men who fought proudly wear on their chest. The medals of the Great War are varied and numerous (although not as numerous as the Second World [...]

I am delighted to announce that Huson International Media,  one of the foremost global lead generation, advertising and media organisations, have agreed to sponsor four copies of ‘The Great War [...]

I am often asked how members of the public can find or source the actual war medals that their family ancestors won, especially during the First World War. The blunt truth is it is difficult. [...]

This is a strictly limited offer, but I am putting aside a small number (20) of my new WW1 Battles infographic postcard sets so I can give them away to school history departments. They currently [...]

Throughout the whole of April all of the Kindle versions of my Layman’s Guides are reduced to just 99p! That means you can discover the who/why/what/when/how of WW1, WW2, the battle of [...]

I am delighted to announce that my newest book –  WW2: A Layman’s Guide – is now available to purchase on Amazon Kindle worldwide for a special intro price of just 99p (UK) and [...]

There have been a gazillion books written on the First World War, and over the last decade or so I read hundreds of them. I have started a Pinterest Board onto which I plan to ‘pin’ [...]

I am delighted to announce that Hennik Group, one of the country’s foremost media, research and events organisations, have agreed to sponsor ten copies of ‘The Great War 100′ infographic [...]

I have a few review copies of some new First World War infographic postcards  I have just produced that cover ten of the biggest battles of the First World War. It is aimed at children/teenagers [...]

One hundred years ago today the Battle of Verdun started. It would turn out to be one of the biggest, baddest and most costly battles in the history of battles. Here are twelve tremendous facts [...]

I must say I am very happy that I have finally finished the first draft of WW2: A Layman’s Guide, it has been a tough, tough project to finish. The Second World War as a subject is so vast, [...]

Today it has been reported that Hubert Zafke, a 95-year-old former SS medic at the Auschwitz death camp, will go on trial next month on at least 3,681 counts of accessory to murder. According to [...]

Progress on WW2: A Layman’s Guide is coming along nicely – I am probably 80% done and am hopeful of it being launched before Easter 2016! This is the first book I where I have [...]

Today, 9th January, a new ‘critical edition’ of Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ hit the bookshops of Germany. It was an instant sell out. This new edition is [...]

Waterloo: A Layman’s Guide Completely free on Amazon sites worldwide until New Year’s Day.   First of all I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Personally I would like to [...]

I am delighted to announce the launch of a very special set of infographic postcards that will help children, teenagers and adults alike learn facts and stats about some of the deadliest battles [...]

To many people history is a bit… well, dull. Having taken the time to speak to hundreds of people up and down the country on the matter, there seems to be a general perception amongst the [...]

Kids and families all over the world love to play Top Trumps! In my house there are dozens of packs all over the place and I am sure it is the same story in millions of houses up and down the [...]

Today is the 100th birthday of ‘Little Willie’ – the world’s first tank. During the First World War the tank made its operational debut – those first tanks were [...]