The History of Britain Magazine
Welcome to the History of Britain! The home nations share a varied and shared history unlike anywhere else, so we thought it only right to create a section dedicated to our mutual heritage.
Albert Ball, First World War Fighter Ace
The remarkable Captain Albert Ball VC, MC, DSO and Two Bars was a World War One fighter ace. His daring exploits set him apart from other pilots…
Barnbow Lasses
The story of the Barnbow lasses, workers at the munitions factory at Barnbow, Leeds and the explosion in 1916 that killed 35 women outright, maiming and injuring dozens more…
The History of Firearms in the British Police
The image that springs to mind of the British Police is that of a bobby swinging a truncheon, chasing down criminals and sending them away in handcuffs. However, there was a time when several branches of British Police were armed and…
Robert Owen, Father of British Socialism
Known as the ‘Father of British Socialism’, Robert Owen was a textile manufacturer turned social reformer, and an early advocate of utopian socialism…
Sir George Cayley, The Father of Aeronatics
Wilbur Wright commented in 1909: “About 100 years ago, an Englishman, Sir George Cayley, carried the science of flight to a point which it had never reached before and which it scarcely reached again during the last century.” Despite being widely regarded as ‘The Father of Aeronautics’, Cayley remains one of the little-known pioneers of aviation…
Fighting Jack Churchill
John Churchill, also known as “Mad Jack” or “Fighting Jack” Churchill, fought heroically during World War Two, armed with a longbow, arrows, and a Scottish broadsword…
The Loss of the Princess Victoria
The car ferry Princess Victoria, one of the latest drive on/drive off vessels, was lost whilst travelling from Stranraer to Larne on Saturday January 31st 1953 during ‘the great storm’…
The Gurkha Rifles
The Gurkhas are a regiment within the British Army quite distinct from any other. Their name can be traced to the Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath…
Rainhill Trials
Five locomotives, including Stephenson’s’ Rocket, were entered into the Rainhill Trials in October 1829…
The Constitution of the United Kingdom
Many nations around the world govern through a written constitution, which lays out the fundamental laws of the land and rights of the people in one single legal document. So why doesn’t the UK have a written constitution? The answer can be found in our history…