On 1 September 1939, with war imminent, the government had initiated Operation Pied Piper, which would see the evacuation of over 1.5 million people from urban 'target' areas, of whom 800,000 were children. What were the consequences of this massive scheme, both short-term and long-term?
The National Health Service (NHS) is seventy years old today. Founded on 5 July 1948 by Clement Attlee’s Labour government, the NHS is now the most celebrated welfare institution in Britain. It regularly tops polls of what makes people ‘most …
To begin this blog, I am going to set the scene and ask a few hypothetical questions. Imagine it is the height of summer, 1917. The Great War has been raging for almost three years, and there is still no …
Gifts to the State can present interesting challenges, particularly if they are alive and quite possibly kicking. For whom, ultimately, is the gift intended? And, who is responsible for looking after the gift and ensuring that it delivers the anticipated …
‘In an office like ours, which is engaged solely on war work, it is often a matter of extreme difficulty to decide whether a man’s duty is to remain in his present post or to join the Army’ (National Archives …
The First World War changed women’s lives in profound ways as they entered occupations previously reserved for men. Mrs Edith Smith was one such pioneer. She was the first woman to be sworn in as a police constable with official …
On 20 February 1913 The Times reported: ‘An attempt was made yesterday morning to blow up a house which is being built for Mr Lloyd George near Walton Heath Golf Links’. One device had exploded, causing about £500 worth of …
When Parliament met on 10 April to pay tribute to Baroness Thatcher, Prime Minster David Cameron observed that, ‘at a time when it was difficult for a woman to become a Member of Parliament, almost inconceivable that one could lead …