Elgin Staples, serving as a Signalman Third Class on the USS Astoria in the Pacific, carried the weight of war after Pearl Harbor. His mother, Vera, poured her heart into letters from her job at the Firestone plant in Akron, Ohio, where she labored for the war effort. Her

England's first, and often forgotten, civil war: The Anarchy (1135-1153). Following Henry I's death, a brutal 19-year conflict erupted between his daughter, Empress Matilda, and his nephew, Stephen of Blois, for the throne. It was a period of chaos known as "when Christ and his

This has been dumped on my farm. Police Scotland told me the van isn’t registered (are any?) and so not interested. Perhaps if they had visited site they could have worked out the owner from the letters left inside. No wonder rural communities feel unsupported.

Arriving in classic Cornish mizzle this morning into A&P Falmouth. Dock master says we’ll be on the blocks dreckly — proper job! ⚓🌧️

HMS Sutherland leaving New York for Halifax 1757. Painting by Robert Wilkins (c.1740–after 1799). Government Art Collection

Private Jonathan Van Skiver (also spelt VanSkiver) of Co. H, 161st New York Infantry Regiment, in uniform with his wife, Charity [between 1864 & 1865]. 📸 • Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress).

The Miraculous Defence of Rorke's Drift: A thread

1/10 It's one of history's most extraordinary last stands. Fewer than 150 British and colonial troops, many sick or wounded, defending a tiny mission station against an army of 4,000 Zulu warriors. This is the story of Rorke's Drift, a tale of desperation, discipline, and almost

2/10 The date: 22nd January 1879. Hours earlier, a British force of 1,800 had been annihilated at the Battle of Isandlwana by the Zulu army. The garrison at Rorke's Drift, a small supply depot and field hospital, was now directly in the path of a wing of that victorious Zulu

3/10 Command fell to two junior officers: Lt. John Chard of the Royal Engineers & Lt. Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment. They were an unlikely pair—Chard an engineer, Bromhead known for being hard of hearing. Yet, they had mere hours to turn a vulnerable outpost into a

4/10 Their ingenuity was remarkable. Using what they had, the men frantically built a defensive perimeter out of heavy 200lb bags of grain (mealie bags) and large biscuit boxes. They created a network of walls, linking the storehouse and hospital, creating a kill zone within.

5/10 Around 4:30 PM, they arrived. Not in a trickle, but as a vast, disciplined force—the uDloko, uThulwana, and inDlu-yengwe regiments. A lookout on the roof simply yelled, "Here they come! Black as hell and thick as grass!" The assault began.

Gandalf at the Gate of Moria

River class frigate HMCS Beacon Hill (K 407): Laid down 16.07.43.

Castle class corvette HMS Rushen Castle (K 372): Launched 16.07.43.

Modified Black Swan class sloop HMS Lapwing (U 62): Launched 16.07.43.

S (2nd Group) class submarine HMS/m Salmon (N 65) Lt. Edward Oscar Bickford, RN: Lost 16.07.40. Patrolling off Skudesnes on the SW coast of Norway from 04.07.40. Ordered home from 9th, presumed lost on a previously unknown minefields. All 41 of the crew were sadly lost.

Destroyers DD #HIJMSKatsura R (1915-1932) Kaba Class 📷 #WW1 #Brindisi #Italy 防衛省 海上自衛隊 🇯🇵

#OTD 1945 Tug HMS ATHLETE is mined & sunk off Livorno, Italy with the loss of 3 crew. Also in the Med, Liberty Ship JOHN H HAMMOND (type pic) is mined off Elba. She’ll be towed to port, but declared a total loss #Sweepers80

Aircraft carrier CVL #HNLMSKarelDoorman R81 (1948-1968) ex #HMSVenerable R63 Colossus Class 📷 #Tenerife #Spain 1967 Koninklijke Marine 🇳🇱