Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 11 z 40

The murder of Emily Beilby Kaye in 1924 was a crime of shocking brutality. Her body, having been dismembered, was found scattered, and her killer’s capture and subsequent trial unraveled under the glare of public scrutiny. Despite its notoriety at the time and its role in shaping modern forensic investigation, this case has been largely overlooked in dedicated true crime accounts. This book investigates the infamous ‘Second Crumbles Murder’ with fresh eyes, drawing on archival material, trial transcripts, memoirs of investigators, and contemporary press reports. It explores the intense human drama, involving an apparently charming male protagonist, along with the gruesome details that captivated the nation, and the forensic breakthroughs – including the introduction of the ‘Murder Bag’ – that left a lasting legacy. For true crime enthusiasts and history buffs alike, this is the definitive account of a crime that shocked 1920s Britain and continues to fascinate today.

When the American War of Independence broke out, the American, British and French intelligence agencies were particularly well structured, but it soon became apparent to all involved that victory hinged on sound political and military intelligence. While Britain and France had a tradition of conducting espionage, the Americans struggled with an intelligence service that was almost always markedly inferior. Even so, despite this disadvantage, it was they who prevailed. Right from the start, General George Washington had been keenly aware of the importance of the espionage and counterintelligence roles. Under his supervision, several networks of spies operated in both close-knit circles and far-reaching societies. The undercover agents were merchants, tailors, farmers, and other extraordinary patriots with ordinary day jobs. Benjamin Franklin took responsibility for covert action, while John Jay oversaw the counterintelligence work. All three men were all honoured by the CIA in 1997 as the Founding Fathers of the American intelligence services. The British, in particular, required information about geography and terrain unfamiliar to their forces. The British, for example, conducted a campaign of trying to win over the American public and especially the enslaved people of African descent. They also relied in part on spies such as Benedict Arnold, whose name later became synonymous with treason and betrayal. Discounting technology, there are few differences between modern espionage and the techniques and methods of 250 years ago. Double agents, secret writing, dead drops, clandestine meetings, code-making and breakings, sabotage, bribery deception, signals, propaganda, and partisan warfare were all very much in evidence during the revolution. Both sides also mounted disinformation campaigns to confuse and mislead. In no small part, the outcome of a number of Civil War battles, such as Lexington, Concord and Yorktown, owed much to the use of intelligence and the work of America’s spymaster, Agent 711 – General George Washington.

From the flamboyant preacher accused of forgery to the fourteen year old burned at the stake for coining, the eighteenth century was rife with financial crime. This book outlines the stories of men and women accused and convicted of coining and forgery at a time when the death penalty was used for over 200 crimes and society was unforgiving. When the British government decided to produce low value paper currency in 1797 to pay for the war with France they had overlooked the consequences of a population unfamiliar with banknotes. From 1797 to 1812 over 300 people went to the gallows. This book tells the story of some of these people. The schoolmaster pressed into the Royal Navy who turned forger on discharge. The exciseman who found himself out of pocket when whisky production was regulated and forged money to pay his bills. A coining gang holed up on a farm in Birmingham who ran a successful monetary enterprise until the law caught up with them. Finally, there’s the architect who was transported to Australia for forgery whose face ended up on a (legal) banknote. All these characters and more give an insight into the crime of forgery in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. When Rachael Rowe discovered a forger in the family, her research took her on a journey to find out more about the crime and why people in the eighteenth century were intent on breaking the law. Using original records, the book highlights the scope of the crime and shows how national and global events combined to fuel an increase in forgeries with devastating effects for the criminals and their dependants.

The work of the Military codebreakers at Bletchley Park is now rightly and justly celebrated for its contribution to the Allied victory in World War Two. The ability to read enemy communications allowed strategic and tactical information to be understood and utilized. However less attention has been given to a range of other non-military codes, and the organisations involved with them, yet their significance on the development of the war is profound. This account outlines how these other areas functioned, who was there and what was achieved. In particular it covers the working of the Diplomatic and Commercial section of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), which was evacuated to Bletchley Park in August 1939 with the military codebreakers as war loomed, and remained there until early 1942 when the section went back to London to be housed in Berkeley Street and other nearby buildings. The section did not handle military material except where military matters appeared in diplomatic communications (which by their nature were more strategic than combat in nature). This book sets the scene for the economic, diplomatic, sociological and even psychological struggle which was part of the war, including raw materials, food, power supplies and transportation. Neutral countries, by their very status still able to interact with belligerents on both sides, also played important roles, as did the information that could be drawn from them. The ability to read many neutral messages between representatives gave valuable indications of enemy intentions, issues and conditions. This new account of the ‘other’ codebreakers draws on original documents in the National Archives and from Bletchley Park to describe fully how the breaking of non-military codes revealed the activities of diplomats, commercial groups, espionage rings, financial and business interests, traders and smugglers, all locked in a battle of wits. It will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about codebreaking, the second world war, and the economics and politics of nations.

This book concentrates on the aftermath of Peter Sutcliffe’s murderous campaign, including the trial, his ‘hearing voices’ defence, his life in Broadmoor Hospital and prison, the continued police investigation into further crimes he may have committed, and a look at ‘Wearside Jack.’The trial is covered day-by-day, including Sutcliffe’s own testimony and that of the doctors he had spoken to who had diagnosed him as mentally unwell. Expert cross-examination by the Attorney General Sir Michael Havers, QC, and Harry Ognall, QC, of these doctors showed that their diagnosis was based solely on what Sutcliffe had told them. As the trial was drawing to a close, Sir Lawrence Byford, who wrote the most comprehensive report on the Yorkshire Ripper investigation, began gathering evidence as to the overall efficiency of the police inquiry. He could not understand why the investigation had focused so much on the letters and tape that had been sent in purporting to be from the perpetrator. The man who sent these letters and tape was identified much later as an alcoholic called John Humble. For the first time, we take a look at his life, what made him an alcoholic, and potentially why he sent the tape and letters. Using Home Office files that the author had released under the FOI Act at the National Archives, this is the true story of what happened to the Yorkshire Ripper after his arrest.

For centuries, the lives of medieval women have been overshadowed by queens, saints and warriors, their stories of power and defiance celebrated while the voices of ordinary women have faded into obscurity. Women of the Middle Ages challenges this narrative, shedding light on the everyday experiences of those who ploughed fields, healed the sick, and sought refuge in religious life. From the Beguines, who defied convention to serve their communities, to the midwives, nuns, and traders who shaped medieval society, this book reveals the resilience and determination of women who lived beyond the pages of history. Meticulously researched and richly told, Women of the Middle Ages uncovers the realities of life for the women who made the medieval world turn.

The village of Givenchy-ls-la-Basse sits on a small rise in the Pas de Calais Department in northern France. One hundred years ago it was overtaken by the First World War. The fighting there was intense eleven Victoria Crosses were won in this tiny locality between 1914 and 1918. Phil Tomasellis in-depth account shows what happened at Givenchy when it became a battlefield, and the story here was repeated in the other villages and towns on the Western Front. Givenchys key position made it the target for crushing bombardments, infantry assaults and subterranean warfare. The landscape was pulverized by shellfire, the ground beneath was honeycombed with tunnels. Mining operations, shelling, sniping and trench raids took place around the remains of the village even when this stretch of the front line was relatively quiet. The gruelling struggle of attrition that characterized the fighting on the Western Front continued here throughout the war. Phil Tomasellis gripping narrative makes extensive use of war diary extracts, personal stories, official and unofficial histories.

‘He who holds Hill 112 holds Normandy’ seemed an unlikely maxim when the hill is viewed from a distance, but on reaching its plateau, the vistas unfold in every direction across a huge swath of Normandy. For the Germans it was their vital defensive ground, but for the British it was an essential steppingstone en route to the River Orne and access to the open country south to Falaise. The Hitlerjugend SS Panzer Division lost Hill 112 to 4th Armoured Brigade when the Scots captured the Tourmauville Bridge intact, but the essence of Hill 112’s tactical problem soon became clear. It was impossible for armour to survive on its broad plateau, while the infantry could only hold the skeletal orchards and woods at the cost of crushing casualties. With II SS Panzer Corps preparing to attack the British, the toe hold was given up and 11th Armoured Division was left holding a bridgehead across the River Odon. Ten days later, 43rd Wessex Division was ordered to resume the advance to the Orne with Hill 112 its first objective. As the west countrymen and tanks rose to advance, they met withering fire from the stronghold that Hill 112 had become. The scene was set for one of the grimmest battles of the campaign. For six weeks from the end of June into August, when the Allied advances finally gained momentum, Hill 112 was far too important to let the opposition hold and exploit it. Consequently, it was regularly shelled and mortared, and shrouded with smoke and dust, while soldiers of both sides clung to their respective rims of the plateau. By the end, Hill 112 had developed a reputation as evil as that of any spot on the First World War’s Western Front.

The Wives of Henry VIII: Rethinking the Stories Behind the Symbols examines some of the small details about the six wives of Henry VIII that are often overlooked. This book is a revisionist close study that moves beyond the traditional narratives to present fresh, more nuanced perspectives. Focusing on significant moments and aspects that inform and showcase who these women were. Throughout these chapters, new research, fresh analysis, and remarkable discoveries come together to offer a deeper understanding of the women we know as the Six Wives of Henry VIII. We begin with a re-evaluation of Catherine of Aragon’s name through the lens of her family history and how it shaped her life, followed by an analysis of Catherine’s financial situation after the annulment. Anne Boleyn is considered in relation to her role in the Chateau Vert pageant, followed by an analysis of her use of French and English gable hoods, which includes a discussion of an incredible, newly discovered contemporary image of Anne. Jane Seymour’s religion and unpopularity are each examined in turn to uncover fresh perspectives on Henry’s third queen. Anna of Cleves’s adaption to life in England is discussed, followed by her life and status under Edward VI and Mary I. Katherine Howard’s performance of queenship is re-evaluated, as well as the connections between herself and and her cousin, Anne Boleyn. Finally, apocryphal tales of Kateryn Parr’s rise to the throne are reassessed, followed by an examination of how close she came to arrest and execution.

No Exit from Vietnam is a subversive, issue-driven memoir of the US-Vietnam war and its aftermath. In 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs discontinued a prescription for Vicodin that Bob Armstrong had been taking for a back injury he sustained in 1976, ten years after he left the US Marine Corps. What began as an appeal to the VA to reverse this decision became this memoir, weaving together meditations on war and its social ills with a searing portrait of America in these perilous times. Drawing on his personal experience, the author recounts his time serving as a photographer in the 3rd Marine Division. Told with thrilling tension, his words and his photos, a selection of which are featured in the book, paint a vivid picture of combat in Vietnam's jungles. Alongside gripping tales of action, the book offers a larger social commentary on the treatment of veterans and their healthcare. The VA reduced opioid pain medicine prescriptions from 679,000 vets in 2012 to 247,000 in 2020. Armstrong recognizes the dimension of the drug crisis, yet also believes an untold number of responsible veterans have been deprived of pain medicine they need. With humor and cynicism, the author shares his insights into living with pain and his frustration with the bureaucratic system that controls access to medication. He admits his opinions at times seem perverse and twisted, but only because he is "off his med."

How did a petite dancer from a Welsh mining town become a killer in wartime London? Set against the chaos of the Second World War, Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde' unravels the gripping true crime story of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, whose crime spree led to tragedy and infamy. Betty’s life, shaped by poverty, upheaval, and trauma, took a dark turn when war erupted. After surviving assault, rejection, and a violent marriage, she fled to London from Wales, seeking glamour but found herself ensnared in a shadowy world of striptease dancing, black-market dealings, and fleeting romances. In 1944, she crossed paths with Karl Hulten, a charming yet volatile American deserter, and together they embarked on a reckless spree culminating in the fatal shooting of a taxi driver, a case that would be dubbed the 'Cleft Chin Murder.'Drawing from newly uncovered evidence, police records, court transcripts, and first-hand accounts, this narrative delves into Betty’s transformation and the media frenzy that followed. Was she a cold-blooded killer or a pawn in a destructive partnership? And what became of her after she narrowly escaped executio? artime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde' is a haunting tale of crime, justice, and redemption, exploring gender roles, societal attitudes, and the profound impact of war on those living in its shadow. It challenges readers to question how far circumstances and choices shape those who kill, and whether justice was truly served in a case where all were victims.

The Avro Vulcan, arguably the best known of the British ?V-Bombers?, was an integral part of Britain?s nuclear deterrent. During the Cold War, several RAF squadrons were equipped with Vulcans, including some assigned to Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) sorties to counter immediately any threat launched by the Soviet Union. The Vulcan was also suited to conventional bombing missions. In 1982, in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War, Vulcan B.2s carried out the longest-ranged bombing raids in history up to that time, targeting the Argentine occupation of Port Stanley airport.

People have always imagined that human history has an end point. The way this has been imagined has varied according to time, place, and culture. In medieval England people lived in expectation of the Biblical Day of Judgment, when the world would end and people would be judged by God according to their sins. In art and literature from the early modern period onwards, the most frightening scenes from the Bible were depicted to warn people of the dangers of sin. As the power of the church waned and society became more secular, “new” threats emerged such as pandemics and otherworldly beings which threatened to destroy humanity, and whose tales were told time and again in popular culture. This book examines stories of the apocalypse in popular culture from the medieval period to the twenty-first century; it is a history of the end of the world.

Bob Davy and Keith Wilson have been combining their respective talents for more than twenty years, flying and photographing a variety of aircraft for flight test features, and having their work published around the world. This lavishly illustrated book represents the first opportunity to prepare a wide selection of their combined work in hardback form.Warbirds featured include the venerable North American P-51 Mustang (on which Bob gained a Type Rating), the UK’s last remaining airworthy and historically significant de Havilland Vampire T.11, and Bob’s own Yak-3 UTI. Also featured is the Stinson AT-19 Reliant I, often referred to as the ‘Gull Wing’.At the Workhorse end of the scale is the Helio Courier, an aircraft possessing amazing STOL performance, that later became infamous during its clandestine operations in Laos with Air America, often referred to as the CIA’s ‘Most Secret Airline’. Also featured is the Cessna Citation Mustang business jet, and the eight-seat Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain.For the floatplane enthusiasts, there is an article on flying a Maule M-7-235B Rocket Amphibian on and off a lake in Essex. Aerobatics fans can enjoy the articles on the Pitts S-2A Special and Slingsby T.67M-260. For the airline enthusiasts, Bob takes you on a commercial flight in a BAe 146 from Paris to Dublin (he was a captain on CityJet). And much, much more. Then there are features on the ‘Flying Egg’ – the Questair Venture, the Aviat Husky Pup, and the capable and occasionally aerobatic Vans RV-4. Finally, and for something completely different, join Bob inside Spitfires.com’s Spitfire simulator at Goodwood.Each of Bob Davy’s carefully crafted and occasionally, hard-hitting features is superbly illustrated with a range of dynamic air-to-air photographs, almost exclusively from the lens of Keith Wilson, a practitioner of air-to-air photography, with almost forty-five years’ experience. Whatever your specific taste in aviation, there is something for everyone to enjoy within the lavishly illustrated pages of this book.

The greatest naval conflict in history was unquestionably that which took place during the Second World War. The geographical spread was global and involved dozens of nations, and it was a conflict that involved more than 15,000 ships and 43.7 million tons of shipping, while some 570,000 lives were lost at sea. Vince O’Hara captures every aspect of that vast naval conflict and provides a complete and panoramic single-volume history. The naval action begins in the Baltic Sea before dawn on 1 September 1939, when a German battleship opened fire on Polish troops barricaded in a fortress in the port city of Danzig, Poland. Over the ensuing nine months, the conflict spread into Great Britain’s home waters of the North Sea, the English Channel, and the eastern Atlantic; and in that theatre the battle against the U-boat grew into one of the most epic aspects of the whole war. One of the most remarkable naval achievements of the war occurred in 1940 during the German invasion of Norway when the Kriegsmarine’s successful attack in the face of immensely superior Allied naval forces signalled the advent of large-scale amphibious operations. As naval activities in Europe expanded into the Mediterranean, the war in the Pacific ignited with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, an assault that led to a series of critical naval battles between Japan and the United States, including Wake Island, Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. O’Hara not only deftly examines all the major naval contests in the European and Pacific theatres but also offers detailed analysis of secondary navies such as France, Italy, and the Soviet Union. He explores little-known, smaller engagements such as the campaigns between Thailand and France or Perú and Ecuador. He also connects this broad range of naval action by focussing on recurring themes such as technological innovation, command and control, logistics, and intelligence. And he shows that the most significant naval platforms to emerge from the war, and which gave the Allies victory, were the oiler, the Landing Ship Tank (LST), and the Liberty ship—not the aircraft carrier, the submarine, or the battleship. And, finally, he demonstrates to readers how the impact of the naval battles won by the Allies still reverberates today.

Wyndham Ward grew up with a determination to fly whatever the odds. Starting out as boy mechanic in the RAF, he progressed to being a ‘Junior Joe’ fighter pilot in the iconic Hawker Hunter, despite making almost every mistake possible during air combat training. The Cold War threat loomed large, and Ward was transferred to operating high-speed low-level Buccaneers—a dangerous job—flying with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm on board HMS Ark Royal, where he eventually mastered hair-raising catapult launches and the art of shaky recoveries. Following active duty, Ward received an unexpected posting to the Red Arrows aerobatic team in a significant year—1979—when the Gnat was replaced by the Hawk. This is the story of a lifetime in aviation, from eager youngster to strike formation leader, with an insider’s view into squadron life, the camaraderie of the mess, the howlers committed during training and the tensions of frontline duty during the Cold War. It reveals the inner workings of the Red Arrows during a year of exceptional pressure when, with new jets and a redesigned display, the nation expected something truly groundbreaking. Through it all, and onwards into an extraordinary career in civil aviation, Ward’s boyish enthusiasm never faded; this book is, above all, a testament to the joys of flying.