Trafalgar : The Royal Navy’s Greatest Ever Victory ?
The Battle of Trafalgar was to witness both the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s plans to invade Britain, and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson. It was never going to be any ordinary battle, and quickly acquired a heightened, almost magical, reality.
The Guernseymen at Trafalgar
Tucked away in the corner of Guernsey’s Priaulx Library is a framed plaque, written in ornate gothic script that lists the names of 29 Guernseymen. Not just any Guernseymen but men who were there at the possibly most famous naval engagement in history. It’s a list to make you stop and wonder what deeds these men performed that day, what horrors and what acts of courage they witnessed. We may never know for sure but in this article we dig into some of the details of these men that we do know. Men who, that day of days, served their beloved Admiral Nelson and the hungry guns.
Alderney Invasion – The night 4 Alderney Militiamen Repelled 200+ Frenchmen
4 Alderney Militiamen Vs 200+ Frenchmen : Conclusion = obvious – the French lost
The Boreas Disaster
On the night of 28 November 1807 as a terrible storm lashed the west coast of Guernsey the warship H.M.S. Boreas, with one hundred and ninety-five officers and sailors on-board, found herself powerless to change course as she headed for the Hanois reef.
Local Historic Figures and Celebrities – Can you name them ?
Moores Hotel has a rather curious mural on the wall of it’s upper level – a pantheaon of Baliwick historical figures and modern day celebreties (including a rather curious cat) … but can you name them ?
A Close Run Thing – England’s Lucky Escape from the Spanish Armada
We like to think of the Royal Navy, led by the likes of Drake & Raleigh, as plucky little fighters whittling down the Spanish leviathan as it chugged up the English Channel on its inexorable path of conquest. However the truth is a little different and if it weren’t for some key items of luck, 1066 wouldn’t be the date that British schoolchildren remember as the last time England was invaded but 1588 (and we’d all probably be speaking Spanish as well).
Some D-Day Factoids
The 6th of June 1944 is one of those pivotal dates in History that will always be remembered as a turning point in human history. 2014 will be the 70th anniversary of this “day of days”. In this article we look at some D-Day Factoids.
April 28th 1943 – The Start of the most important WW2 battle you’ve probably never heard of: Atlantic convoy ONS 5
On April 28th 1943 one of the greatest Atlantic convoy battles of the Second World War tool place. It was a pivotal moment on the road to allied victory and one of the important WW2 battles that you’ve probably never heard of.
Pykrete – Aircraft Carriers made of Wood & Ice
Pykrete is a real substance made from wood chips and ice with strange and fantastical properties that were actually considered for use in building Royal Navy aircraft carriers during World War II.
