Posts Tagged ‘war’
The capital’s courage and life during wartime
Edinburgh at War 1939-45 gives an in-depth glance into wartime Edinburgh, depicting the Second World War year by year. No one could escape war in Edinburgh and this book commemorates the workers and families torn apart and the people who survived the countless horrors the war yielded. This book is packed full of historical images…
Read MoreA Scots division and their role in the Great War
Historian and author Colin Campbell has sewn together an expert guide to the role of the 51st (Highland) Division who ended the First World War. It was one of the best and widely recognised divisions on the Western Front. This book is perfect for those interested in the lives of Scottish soldiers as it details…
Read MoreA girl’s battle with anorexia told with honesty
Tina McGuff’s life was perfect – or so she thought. Living in Dundee with her devoted parents and three younger sisters, she was a happy, healthy and confident thirteen-year-old. When Tina’s mother attacked her father in a premeditated act of revenge, Tina’s life changed forever. As her family fell apart at the seams, the weight…
Read MoreThe tragic story of a World War I Scots soldier
Two siblings made a fascinating discovery when they opened a chest in their mother’s loft, which they found to be full of an Edinburgh soldier’s writings from World War One. The chest, which had lain unopened for 100 years, contained diaries, letters and poetry from the late Hamish Mann’s time in the trenches. Robert and…
Read MoreHow Britain created an army from volunteers
Lord Herbert Kitchener’s actions as the Secretary of State for War in 1914 have forever immortalised him in the pages of history. By predicting that the war would last for at least three years and require huge new armies, he campaigned for and organised the largest volunteer army that Britain had ever seen. Doyle and…
Read MoreTragedy of the Iolaire at the heart of new novel
Donald S Murray is known for breathing life into the history and culture of Scottish islands, and this book does just that. It is centered on the Iolaire tragedy in 1919 when over 200 people died after a warship sank in Stornoway harbour, with the men returning after the end of the Great War. Told…
Read MoreTwelve real life stories of Scots in the Great War
Historian Walter Stephen reflects on the centenary of the end of World War I in A Dirty Swindle. This is a collection of 12 stories of Scottish soldiers from the Great War. A World War II veteran himself, Stephen tells the often neglected accounts of Scotland’s involvement in the conflict. Stephen provides a level of…
Read MoreA sentimental journey from Italy to Orkney
The Highland Games Ambassador by Jackie Roy sees Luca travel from his home in Italy to Orkney, where his father was interned as a prisoner of war in World War II, to fulfil his father’s dying wish. Attracting media attention by financing Scotland’s first Highland Games Ambassador leads to secrets of his past being unravelled. This…
Read MoreScots are the fastest readers in Great Britain
New research has shown that Scots are Britain’s fastest readers. Lenstore developed a test to measure the speed you read, and participants from Scotland boasted the quickest average time. The quiz gives you a passage to read, followed by questions about the passage to check your understanding. The results show how many novels you could…
Read MoreLove and war during the Jacobite risings
When her beloved husband decides to join the Jacobite cause – one that destroyed her family due to their support for the Catholic king, James II – Lady Winifred is left with a difficult choice. How much can she risk to keep her family together? Edwards gifts us an intricate story where love is pitted…
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