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Since deregulation Merseyside has seen its fair share of independent bus operators come and go. In recent years Arriva and Stagecoach have been the dominant operators with the greater market share but look closely and there are plenty of buses running round in different liveries, mainly on tendered work. These independent operators play their own important part within the Merseyside bus network. Simon Ackers presents a profile of the independent operators in recent operation, with a short and insightful introduction to each and a collection of photographs detailing their fleet and range of work. A colourful journey around Merseyside, this book illustrates the variety in an industry all too often dominated by the big groups.

The Black Country in the West Midlands was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. The area became known for its intensive heavy industries and a unique identity developed around the densely populated towns of the Black Country. Over the years a host of strange and unusual tales have grown up around the Black Country, from remarkable historical happenings and stories of the supernatural to more recent documented cases. Curious beliefs and customs were once widespread in the area’s towns and villages, some of which still flourish today. The fascinating and quirky stories include the building of the world’s first successful steam engine by Thomas Newcomen, celebrated today by Black Country Day, and the manufacture of the anchor for the Titanic, the largest ship in the world at that time. A replica of Newcomen’s engine can be seen today at the Black Country Living Museum and a replica of Titanic’s anchor stands in Netherton town centre. Holbeach House near Dudley was the site of the last stand of the Gunpowder Plotters and Dudley Castle is known as one of the most haunted castles in the country, its many ghosts including the Grey Lady. Fully illustrated throughout, Illustrated Tales of the Black Country explores these stories and others of local historical importance.

The Imperial War Museum archived Anthony Smelt’s personal papers because he spent three years of the Second World War interned in Batu Lintang, a camp in Borneo. He had been working as a civil servant in British North Borneo until the Japanese invaded at the beginning of 1942. In those years of captivity, he was an active member of the camp, documenting the diet of his fellow internees and contributing to various aspects of their lives. He was later awarded an OBE for his services during internment, when POWs and civilian internees alike endured food shortages, disease, forced labour, brutal treatment, and lack of adequate clothing and living quarters. Of the approximately 2,000 British POWs held at Batu Lintang, over two-thirds died during or as a result of their captivity.An additional cruelty was enforced boredom. With so many types of recreation forbidden, however, a dozen of the men – all identified by the author from an encoded list in her grandfather Anthony’s papers – decided to invent a magical library.Offering short biographies of the main protagonists, descriptions of their experiences in camp and a concise examination of the ‘library’ itself, Lucy Alexander has revealed an astonishing exercise in mental survival under the most appalling circumstances.

Wallington village in Hampshire lies adjacent to the town of Fareham, but its rich history and heritage goes back millennia. Despite encroaching development, the heart of the village remains strong, with its large water meadow and the picturesque river that snakes through it, past two ancient village pubs and a host of historical cottages and listed buildings.In Wallington: History of a Hampshire Village author and local historian Danny Glavin has unearthed a wealth of information, oral histories, and images to reveal Wallington’s past, which spans back to the Mesolithic and Neolithic dwellers, through the Bronze Age and Iron Age, Roman farmsteads, Anglo-Saxon settlements and the medieval period all the way to the modern era. The village’s industries stocked the Naval fleet for over three centuries and later helped the development of the building industry during the Industrial Revolution in Britain and abroad, as far away as South Africa. In the twentieth century the village fort was home to the first wave of soldiers to fight in France in the First World War, and Wallington played an important part in the D-Day operations during the Second World War. The lives of inhabitants of the village who played their part in all these stories are also revealed and historical buildings that have been lost today are also remembered. This fascinating history of Wallington will be of interest to all those who have lived in the village or know it well.

The market town of Beccles lies on the River Waveney, close to the Norfolk Broads, and floods have been part of its history. Once a river port, it is still a boating centre. Its Saxon and Norse origins can be seen in many of the street names, as can its wealth in medieval and pre-Industrial Revolution times with its numerous historic buildings. More recent industries included printing, tanning and a corset factory, and the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin was educated in Beccles.A–Z of Beccles reveals the history behind the town, its streets and buildings, businesses and the people connected with it. Alongside the famous historical connections are unusual characters, tucked-away places and unique events that are less well known. Fully illustrated with photography, it will appeal to all those with an interest in this historic Suffolk town.

From 1100 Lynn’s prominence as an English port town depended on an extensive hinterland embraced by the Great Ouse river system. This privileged geographical position was reinforced by its location on England’s east coast, facing Europe across the North Sea. The Wash haven experienced relative decline after 1750 due to the absence of an expanding industrial hinterland; however, Lynn’s international and coastal trades (grain, coal, timber and wine) remained considerable into the nineteenth century. The coming of the railways in the 1840s robbed the Norfolk town of its geographical advantages. It was rescued by the construction of two enclosed docks linked to the national railway network which sparked an industrial revolution led by engineering factories. The town’s population was growing by 1900, but Lynn’s late Victorian economic growth was not sustained into the 1920s and 1930s. The council sealed an overspill agreement with the Greater London Council in 1962, which heralded a second industrial revolution. Suburban industrial and housing estates were built, though parts of the historic town were also redeveloped. Yet Lynn retains an exceptional historic built environment which connects us with what was for centuries a premier English maritime community.Illustrated throughout, this accessible historical portrait of the transformation that King’s Lynn has undergone through the ages will be of great interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the town.

The Wirral peninsula encompasses a fascinating diversity of places. Bounded by the River Dee to the west and the Mersey Estuary to the east, this unique area includes urban and industrial centres such as Birkenhead and Wallasey, built around the docks, the towns of Hoylake, West Kirby and Heswall, the faded seaside resort of New Brighton, rural hinterland and the unique Port Sunlight model village.In Wirral Pubs, author Les Jones takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the area’s watering holes, many of which have retained features and traditions of previous ages. Brimming with quirky tales and fascinating facts, this carefully crafted guide initiates readers into the fascinating history of the Wirral’s pubs.

The campervan came to prominence in the 1950s and remains hugely popular today. Starting out as converted commercial vans, such as those produced by Commer and Austin, campervans developed further with the likes of Westphalia conversions of the VW Kombi, Ford Transits and Toyota Hi Ace vans in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the decades, the campervan has become more sophisticated with comprehensive layouts and extra features, such as internal heating, double-glazed windows and even solar panels. Caravan makers also became involved with conversions, as did individuals, creating their own bespoke vehicles as well as following manufacturers’ plans. In the 1980s, companies such as Hymer and Trigano entered the British market alongside established makes such as Fiat, Peugeot and Talbot. More recent times have seen the rise of the luxury campervan, but the vehicle faces new challenges with radical changes in the way all vehicles are powered.Recognised expert Andrew Jenkinson explores the evolution of the campervan and its enduring appeal through his personal archive and company images. Having received a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, the campervan continues to be regarded as a practical, enjoyable and liberating alternative for self-catering holidays and breaks.

Growing up in north-west London in the 1950s and living alongside a busy freight line, the seed for a fascination with steam was firmly planted in the young Geoff Barker’s head. Later in life he was able to visit Barry Scrapyard and recorded the locos seen there over a seven-year period from 1977 to 1983. He then went back in the early 1990s to photograph every last remaining locomotive. Those holiday stop-offs at the famous scrapyard created a wonderful photographic record of a unique place.Through this selection of striking images and informative captions, Geoff Barker and David Holland celebrate this long-gone but much-cherished scrapyard.

Who Betrayed the Jews? is a groundbreaking study that examines the various ways Jews were betrayed by their fellow countrymen during the Holocaust. In many cases they regarded themselves as a person of their nation first and a Jew second, so persecution came as a terrible shock to them. Many had fought for their country in the First World War, but this offered very little protection - not even for those awarded Germany's Iron Cross. They were forced out of their professions and universities. Their neighbours and school friends betrayed them to the authorities. The authorities 'legally' withdrew their rights and stripped them of their businesses under Aryanization policies. Many who professed to be Christian were affected by the Nazis' racial laws and found themselves and their children categorised as 'halfbreeds'. Bodies such as the police and railway companies co-operated with the Nazis in transporting Jews to their deaths or to be subjected to unspeakable medical experiments. The betrayal did not end in 1945 as there is evidence of Holocaust survivors being attacked as and when they returned home. Agnes Grunwald-Spier MBE reveals, among other accounts, the story of the slave labourers who toiled for German firms and international companies like Ford; the fate of Jewish Olympians who were murdered; and the impact of Nazi policies on figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Coco Chanel.