Pen & Sword Books

Barbara Villiers was a woman so beautiful, so magnetic and so sexually attractive that she captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain. Her beauty is legendary: she became the muse of artists such as Peter Lely, the inspiration of writers such as John Dryden and the lover of John Churchill, the future great military leader whom we also know as the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her greatest amorous conquest was King Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with whom she had a tempestuous and passionate relationship for the better part of a decade.But this loveliest of Stuart-era ladies had a dark side. She hurt and humiliated her husband, Roger Palmer, for decades with her unashamedly adulterous lifestyle, she plotted the ruin of her enemies, constantly gambled away vast sums of money, is remembered for the destruction of the Tudor-era Nonsuch Palace, and was known to unleash terrible rages when crossed. Crassly lampooned by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and subjected to verbal and written assaults, she was physically abused by a later, violent spouse.Barbara lived through some of the most turbulent times in British history: civil war, the Great Plague of London, which saw the deaths of around 100,000 people, the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the medieval city, and foreign conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Williamite wars, and the War of the Spanish Succession.An impoverished aristocrat who rose to become a wealthy countess and then a duchess, taking her lovers from all walks of life, Barbara laughed at the morals of her time and used her natural talents and her ruthless determination to the material benefit of herself and her numerous offspring. In great stately homes and castles such as Hampton Court Palace, her portraits are widely seen and appreciated even today. She had an insatiable appetite for life, love, riches, amusement, and power. She was simply ‘ravenous’…

A detailed account of British intelligence operations in Cold War East Germany, revealing Soviet and East German military secrets from 1946 to 1990.The German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, was the frontline in the Cold War, packed with hundreds of thousands of Soviet and East German troops armed with the latest Warsaw Pact equipment, lined up along the 1,400 km Inner German Border. However, because of the repressive East German police state, little human intelligence about these forces reached the West. Who were they? Where were they located? What were they doing? How were they equipped? What were their intentions? NATO was lined up in West Germany to face these forces and relied on getting up-to-date intelligence to warn of any threat, ‘Indicators of Hostility’ that could be a precursor to an invasion.BRIXMIS, the British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, was on hand to provide that intelligence. Thanks to an obscure 1946 agreement between the British and Soviets that established ‘liaison missions’ in their respective zones of occupation, the British were able to send highly qualified military ‘observers’ into East Germany to roam (relatively) freely and keep an eye on what was going on. What started as ‘liaison’, a point of contact between the British and Soviet occupation forces, developed into a very sophisticated intelligence collection operation, sending ‘tours’ out every day of the year, between 1946 and when the Mission closed in 1990. These tours were undertaken in high-performance, highly modified marked vehicles, with personnel in uniform and unarmed, apart from professional photographic equipment and occasionally some top-secret gadgets from the boffins back in the UK. They joined their French and American colleagues in snooping around the opposition, photographing military bases, equipment, and maneuvers, and trying to evade capture by the secret police and counterintelligence units. They faced danger and violence daily, but thanks to their bravery and professionalism, the West had accurate and up-to-date information on what was happening in East Germany which helped keep the peace all that time. This is the story of this little-known unit and their exploits behind enemy lines.

Captures the transformation of America during WWII, highlighting daily life, wartime economy, and the profound patriotism that united the nation.Don’t you know there’s a war on?!Use it up… Wear it out… Make it do… Or do without!Loose Lips Sink Ships!Any Bonds Today?Remember Pearl Harbor!Those were the slogans Americans called out to each other on the home front during WWII. They forged their days surrounded by fellow patriots sharing in the greatest endeavor of their lives: winning the war.The American Home Front in WWII presents the striking story of those times starting with little-known events well before Pearl Harbor — the clashes between isolationists and those favoring intervention and America’s first peacetime draft.The shock of Pearl Harbor transformed America from a peacetime country to a full wartime economy. Factories produced an airplane every sixty-one minutes. Women and Blacks entered the workforce as never before bringing about earthshaking changes.Americans describe in their own words the rigors of everyday life: rationing, air raid drills, rigging up black curtains and scrap drives.But Americans found ways to enjoy themselves— movie attendance swelled with films such as Casablanca while Broadway brought audiences Oklahoma. The music of Glen Miller and the voice of a skinny newcomer named Frank Sinatra had Americans swinging and swooning.The American Home Front in WWII brings this story to life to capture the extraordinary level of patriotism and teamwork on the home front. It truly was a time when there were no strangers.

William and Mary, Britain’s most mysterious monarchs, were married for reasons of dynastic convenience. Their union gradually developed into a happy and successful one, despite William’s frequent absences on military campaign. They shared interests such as art and gardening, both of which they practised at their palace retreat, Het Loo. Despite the fact that Mary was heir presumptive to her father, the Duke of York, they might have expected to remain in the Netherlands for the rest of their lives.Midway through their marriage, their way of life changed substantially when Mary’s father, now King James II, was rejected by his English and Scottish subjects because of his fervent Catholicism. William, a foreigner, was accepted as a replacement primarily because of his British queen. The couple had Kensington Palace built, to a design by Sir Christopher Wren, and their renovations at Hampton Court Palace, also by Wren, gave the palace much of its present character.The monarchy was now fully answerable to Parliament, but wives were still generally subservient to their husbands. William and Mary ruled jointly for only seven years, with Mary working conscientiously to maintain order in the country during her husband’s absences. William continued to reign alone for only a further seven years after Mary’s death. Their fourteen years on the throne were critical ones in the history of the British Isles, and the world of William and Mary was one that in many ways would be recognisable to us today.

Examines the rise and fall of Tudor nobles and the actions leading to the demise of the Tudor era.The Tudors as a dynasty executed many people, both high and low. But the nobility were the ones consistently involved in treason, either deliberately or unconsciously. Exploring the long sixteenth century under each of the Tudor monarchs gives a sense of how and why so many were executed for what was considered the worst possible crime and how the definition of treason changed over the period. This book examines how and why Tudor nobles like Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham; Queen Consort Anne Boleyn; Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey; and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, fell into the trap of treason and ended up on the block under the executioner’s axe. Treason and the Tudor nobility seem to go hand in hand as, by the end of the sixteenth century and the advent of the Stuart dynasty, no dukes remained in England. How did this happen and why?

Anne Neville, often seen as a victim depicted by Shakespeare, was a powerful and influential figure in medieval England.Daughter, Wife, Princess, Widow and Queen: Anne Neville had many faces.Shakespeare presents her to us as a woman consumed with rage, bitterness and grief. He has her cursing the killer of her husband and father, before marrying him and condemning herself to despair. She rages, screams and weeps but ultimately she is shown as nothing more than a passive victim of the men who used and exploited her.This could not be further from the truth. Born into one of the most powerful dynasties in medieval England, Anne knew her worth, and her power. She was a great survivor escaping the tide of blood that consumed England not just alive but emerging with a crown on her head.Tragedy would untimely engulf her, the death of her son ended all her hopes for a lasting legacy and her premature death was subject to rumour and speculation. But there is undoubtedly more to Anne than her marriage and her end.She is fascinating, elusive, a powerbroker and very much her father’s daughter.This is Anne’s story.

A rip-roaring gallop through the lives of the Royal Flying Corps air crew in the Great War. They lived their lives amidst a strange dichotomy as they moved from safety to dire danger, and back again in a matter of hours. This created a dreadful strain that could soon shred anyone’s mental health. On the ground they were cloistered in simple but adequate accommodation several miles behind the lines. Farmhouses, barns and huts were used, but they were all far better than the squalor faced by the infantry scurrying in their muddy trenches. Flying personnel were blessed with beds and blankets. They could set up a decent mess and socialise to their heart’s content. A smorgasbord of entertainments, with perhaps an old out of tune piano, access to drink and occasional vigorous games of mess rugby. There were visits to local towns which offered tantalizing glimpses — and sometimes more — of the female of the species. A glimpse was probably never enough for most of these very young men. What more could a chap want?But when they were flying over the front it was no laughing matter. Death lurked in the skies, zooming in its ‘winged chariots’ out of the sun, or bursting from the clouds. A moment’s loss of concentration, or tactical blunder, could consign them to being shot down and falling thousands of feet until the crunching impact of terra firma brought a terrible relief. But better that than a punctured petrol tank, the first flickers of flame, then the roaring inferno and the agonies of incineration.There was little or nothing for them to laugh about in the air. But when back on the ground they tried to put aside their fears.

An analysis of Operation Bagration, the 1944 Russian offensive in Belorussia, highlighting key tactical errors and its connection to Operation Overlord.Operation Bagration analyses the great Russian offensive in Belorussia in the summer of 1944 covering the planning of the operation as well as the German plans of the summer campaign of 1944. In depth research sets out to determine the real ratio of the Soviet and German forces as well as their actual losses during the operation.As well as some good decisions, command on both sides made some crucial mistakes as well as main tactical errors all of which are studied in this book to produce a fully rounded view of the campaign and highlights a connection to Operation Overlord by proving that it was only due to the landing at Normandy that the Soviet forces were able to destroy the German Army Group Centre while the elite mobile forces were concentrated in France.

A memoir challenging false international narrative about Pakistan, offering insights from four decades of counterintelligence experience.The author believes that all international strategic manoeuvrings in the region, mostly rely on information that is entirely fabricated and portrayed by Pakistan’s adversaries to harm its national interests. In his opinion, knowing a realistic picture of Pakistan and the Pakistan army in its true perspective, is important not only for people inside the country but also for the international community, so that they may pursue their relationships and cooperation in the region based on ground realities.Considering his personal experiences in security and counterintelligence operations during last four decades, he thought of writing this book. He believes that his narrative provides a virtuous material for analysts to ponder history through an authentic premise and predict futuristic security scenarios based on a realistic perspective.To present his arguments with facts and figures, in a cohesive manner, the author has presented the narrative in shape of a memoir of his lifelong experiences in a cohesive manner, taking full measure of the individuals, institutions and organizations that made a strong impression on his life. During the process, an effort has been made to take the readers along the same curve he followed so that they can clearly grasp the dynamics that drives the life of a Pakistani soldier.

Late Roman Combat Tactics by Dr. Ilkka Syvänne is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand land combat in the period from the Tetrarchy to the death of Heraclius, a period when the Romans faced serious and growing military threats on many fronts. The author’s detailed analysis provides the reader with a complete understanding of the combat equipment worn by the soldiers, types of troops, tactics, different unit orders and formations used by the late Romans and their enemies. Importantly, he lays out the developments and changes in these aspects across this critical period, assessing how the Romans adapted, or failed to adapt to the varied and changing array of enemies, such as Persians, Avars and Arabs.The discussion examines how the Romans fought at every level, so that it covers everything from the individual fighting techniques all the way up to the conduct of large-scale pitched battles. There is an immense amount of technical detail but the human element and the experience of the officers and ordinary soldiers is not forgotten, with such factors as morale and the psychology of battle (the ‘face of battle’) given due consideration. The thoroughly researched text is well supported by dozens of diagrams and illustrations. A thoroughly illuminating read on its own, Late Roman Combat Tactics is also the perfect companion to Dr Syvänne’s eight-volume Military History of Late Rome.

Since virtually its first moments as an academic science, women have played a major role in the development of psychology, gaining from the outset research opportunities and academic positions that had been denied them for centuries in other branches of scientific investigation. Look wherever you will, in any branch of psychology or neuroscience in the last century and a half, and what you will find are a plethora of women whose discoveries fundamentally changed how we view the brain and its role in the formation of our perceptions and behaviors.A History of Women in Psychology and Neuroscience tells the story of 267 women whose work opened new doors in humanity's ongoing attempt to learn about its own nature, from Christine Ladd Franklin's late 19th century studies of how the brain perceives color to Virginia Johnson's pioneering studies of the human sexual response, and Augusta Dejerine-Klumpke's early association of neurological conditions with their underlying brain regions to May-Britt Moser's Nobel-winning discovery a century later of the grid cells that allow us to mentally model our surroundings.Here are the stories of when and how we learned how memories are formed, what role an enriched environment plays in mental development, why some individuals are better able to cope with chronic stress than others, how societal stereotypes unconsciously feed into our daily interactions with other people, what role evolution might have played in the formation of our social habits, what light the practices of sign language might shed on our brain's basic capacity for language, how children internalize the violence they experience from others, and hundreds of other tales of the women who dug deep into the structures of the human mind to uncover, layer by layer, the answers to millennia-old questions of what humans are, and why they behave as they do.

Tracing your Yorkshire ancestors using the internet has never been easier, with literally millions of records available to explore. But with so much material available, it can be difficult to know how to get started and what records to use. Rachel Bellerby's brand new guide is a follow-up to the best-selling Tracing Your Yorkshire Ancestors and is packed with up-to-date information on finding your Yorkshire forebears online.From the basics of birth, marriage and death, through migration and education, and looking at the tough times such as poverty and ill health, Rachel Bellerby guides us through the thousands of websites available, with tips and advice from family history professionals around Yorkshire.The themed chapters make it easy to decide what information you would like to find out and the best websites to use. With step-by-step guidance on smart searching and time saving tips, this guide has everything you need to enjoy the journey of tracing your Yorkshire ancestors on the internet, wherever in the world you live.

In the past, while visiting the First World War battlefields, the author often wondered where the various Victoria Cross actions took place. He resolved to find out. In 1988, in the midst of his army career, research for this book commenced and over the years numerous sources have been consulted.Victoria Crosses on the Western Front - The Final Advance in Flanders and Artois is designed for the battlefield visitor as much as the armchair reader. A thorough account of each VC action is set within the wider strategic and tactical context. Detailed sketch maps show the area today, together with the battle-lines and movements of the combatants. It will allow visitors to stand upon the spot, or very close to, where each VC was won. Photographs of the battle sites richly illustrate the accounts. There is also a comprehensive biography for each recipient, covering every aspect of their lives, warts and all, parents and siblings, education, civilian employment, military career, wife and children, death and burial/commemoration. A host of other information, much of it published for the first time, reveals some fascinating characters, with numerous links to many famous people and events.

WW2 Codebreaking People and Places is the first volume of a series on a glossary of codebreaking, ‘People and Places’, brings to the reader an easily understandable account and listing, of those involved in collecting and analysing military intelligence, principally during the second world war. while some will be well known, such as Alan Turing, many others have made significant contributions to codebreaking but fail to attract the attention of the media for the most part. From an individual named ‘Wren’ who worked at a codebreaking outstation supporting Bletchley Park, to a mathematician who modified a codebreaking machine just prior to D-Day, to a ladies foundationwear factory in Hertfordshire that helped make machine components, these people and places now can be appreciated as to where they fitted-in within the overall picture of gathering, and processing enemy intelligence in wartime.The entries are cross-referenced to enable the reader to research as much or as little as they want, to dip-in to the glossary, to use it as a basis for further study, or just to learn a little more about the people that helped us win the war with our allied friends. .

When Patrick O’Connor went missing in August 1849, his friends were suspicious. The London dock worker was last seen in the company of Swiss-born Maria Manning and her husband in Bermondsey. By the time police officers discovered his remains under the kitchen floor, the couple had fled.This shocking crime sparked a race against time to bring these cold-blooded killers to justice. After almost a decade of unsolved murders in the capital, could Scotland Yard detectives find the murderous pair and restore public confidence in their sleuthing skills?The search for the Mannings spread beyond England and was closely followed by the Victorian public, including prominent writers such as Charles Dickens who was haunted by the case and later immortalised some of the key characters in Bleak House, which was published just four years later. To this day, the Bermondsey Murder remains a legendary crime in the history of Scotland Yard and mid-nineteenth century London.Using primary source material, this book delves into the background of the Mannings, including Maria’s link with royalty and Frederick’s previous criminal activities. It also offers a full biography of the victim, Patrick O’Connor, and his shady past, as well as presenting the original court documents which shed further light on the case and the Mannings' relationship.

‘By focusing attention on a poorly understood but vitally important aspect of Churchill’s career, Tucker-Jones has performed an important service. Churchill Cold War Warrior should be read, not only as a commentary on the ironies of history, but also as an essay on the potential and the limits of power.’ - PROFESSOR RICHARD TOYE, AUTHOR OF WINSTON CHURCHILL: A LIFE IN THE NEWS‘In Cold War Warrior, Anthony Tucker-Jones has excelled again. Building on his ChurchillMaster and Commander, he brings us Churchill the prophet, sage and tireless fighteragainst Communism. With Russia and China again threatening the world order, this timelyaccount of Winston's post-war life is essential reading for any student of the Iron Curtainera.’ - PETER CADDICK-ADAMS, AUTHOR OF 1945: VICTORY IN THE WEST‘Anthony Tucker-Jones’s CHURCHILL COLD WAR WARRIORis a fascinating and highlyworthwhile addition to the well-worn sub-genre of Churchilliana. Intricately researched andpacked full of revelation and incident, it is an invaluable book for any aficionado oftwentieth century military and political history.’ — ALEXANDER LARMAN, AUTHOR OF THEWINDSORS AT WAR: THE NAZI THREAT TO THE CROWNIn Churchill Cold War Warrior, renowned military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones reassesses Winston Churchill’s neglected postwar career. He explains how in an unguarded moment Winston inadvertently sowed the seeds for the Cold War by granting Stalin control of Eastern Europe. Famously Churchill, at Fulton, then warned of the growing danger created by this partition of the continent.Winston after the Second World War wanted to prove a point. Shunned by the electorate in 1945, instead of retiring he was determined to be Prime Minister for a second time. Biding his time he watched in dismay as Britain scuttled from India and Palestine and weathered the East-West confrontation over Berlin. He finally got his way in 1951 and took the reins of a country with drastically waning powers.Churchill was confronted by a world in turmoil, with an escalating Cold War that had gone hot in Korea and an unravelling British Empire. Communism and nationalism proved a heady cocktail that fanned the flames of widespread conflict. He had to contain rebellions in Kenya and Malaya while clinging on in Egypt. Desperately he also sought to avoid a Third World War and the use of nuclear weapons by reuniting the 'Big Three'.

This book gives the most up-to-date story of the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, AKA the Yorkshire Ripper. His confessions to police in 1981, and his later confession in 1992 to two further attacks, are gone into in greater detail than ever before, as are attacks on women that the police later felt they had enough evidence to charge him with.We also delve deep into the police investigation and highlight the many failings of the West Yorkshire Police Force and the many times Peter Sutcliffe should have been caught.Using Home Office files that the author had released under the FOI Act at the National Archives, this is the true story of the Yorkshire Ripper — and the 32 girls and women whose lives he affected forever.In researching this book, the author contacted some of the those whose lives were affected by Sutcliffe. One of those, Mo Lea, kindly agreed to write the foreword for the book having read it in full:This book is a very valuable contribution, knocking all the other books out there about Sutcliffe well off the shelf!This is a very thorough and incredibly well researched account of the murders and attacks of Peter Sutcliffe. Chris has produced a comprehensive report that is the best reference book on Peter Sutcliffe’s killing spree. Aspects of the consequences of the investigation are laid bare, clearly underlining where procedures went wrong, especially relating to how the police took John Humble’s hoax seriously.Chris provides insight with an intelligent overview of how the findings of the Byford and Sampson Reports show how the West Yorkshire Police mishandled the investigation.Compact, condense and a valuable read to anyone interested in his crimes.* Mo Lea, survivor of an attack by Peter Sutcliffe

Situated in the Welsh borderland to the West of Oswestry, the scenic Tanat Valley reached westwards into Wales, its Llangynog terminus nestling where the road starts the climb over the Berwyn mountain range towards Bala. It was a lightly populated area that sustained agriculture and some mineral extraction whose residents struggled to get their produce to market. During the 19th Century there were several schemes for a railway that failed due their inability to raise sufficient capital.The Tanat Valley Light Railway is, therefore, a true child of the 1896 Light Railways Act, promoted by the Oswestry Urban District Council the following year to take advantage of the grant-making facilities of that legislation.Because it took so long to obtain powers, and it was not opened until 1906, the Light Railway never really fulfilled its potential. Operated initially by the Cambrian Railways, it was not heavily worked, although it benefited from pipe traffic generated by renewals of Liverpool Corporation’s Vyrnwy reservoir pipeline. Although closure came in stages during the 1950s, and was deemed to be complete in 1960, a short section of track remains in situ at Porthywaen.Author Peter Johnson has drawn on the material available at the National Archives at Kew and the Parliamentary Archives in the House of Lords as well as conducting extensive research in digitised newspapers to tell the Light Railway’s story, producing the first in-depth account of its development, operation and closure.Peter Johnson is also the author of The Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway — the rise and fall of a rural byway, published by Pen & Sword Transport in 2024. The two railways were connected at Blodwel Junction and the surviving section of the Tanat Valley Light Railway thence to Porthywaen enabled stone traffic on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire’s Nantmawr branch to continue until 1971.

Margaret More Roper may be remembered as the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas More, but she was much, much more.Well-educated, loyal, passionately pious, and a skilled writer and translator, Margaret inspired a generation and proved to Tudor England and beyond just how accomplished a woman could be. Her life provides a window into the turbulent times of the English Reformation and life at the court of King Henry VIII.In this biography, Margaret is presented in her own right and given the attention and acknowledgement she so richly deserves.

The British Railways ‘Pilot Scheme’ orders of 1955 included six North British Type 2 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, these being introduced during 1959 for use on the Western Region. Without operational experience, a further fifty-two locomotives were delivered between 1959 and 1962. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when half of the class was withdrawn due to declining traffic levels across the UK, with successive National Traction Plans progressively selecting the less successful, non-standard and ‘numerically-challenged’ classes for removal from traffic. All fifty-eight locomotives were withdrawn by New Years Day, 1972.This book, the second of two, builds on the overview of the class provided in Volume 1, and makes extensive use of available archive material and the personal observations of numerous enthusiasts. Previously unpublished information, covering the performance issues of these locomotives, form a central focus, together with details of fire incidents and accidents. Liveries and detail differences are given in-depth treatment to illustrate that there really were reasons and a logical progression behind the complicated series of design modifications applied to the Class. Volume 2 concludes with sections on storage, withdrawal and final disposal.