Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Tracing your family history using the census : a guide for family historians /Emma Jolly. "The census is an essential survey of our population, and it is a source of basic information for local and national government and for various organizations dealing with education, housing, health and transport. Providing the researcher with a fascinating insight into who we were in the past, Emma Jolly's new handbook is a useful tool for anyone keen to discover their family history. With detailed, accessible and authoritative coverage, it is full of advice on how to explore and get the most from the records. Each census from 1841 to 1911 is described in detail, and later censuses are analyzed too. The main focus is on the census in England and Wales, but censuses in Scotland, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are all examined and the differences explained. Particular emphasis is placed on the rapidly expanding number of websites that offer census information, making the process of research far easier to carry out. The extensive appendix gathers together all the key resources in one place. Emma Jolly's guide is an ideal introduction and tool for anyone who is researching the life and times of an ancestor." --Provided by the publisher 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 929.1072041

Captain Oates : soldier and explorer /Sue Limb and Patrick Cordingley. A biography of Captain Lawrence Edward Grace Oates, covering his childhood and service with the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons in the Boer War, Ireland, Egypt and India. The final chapters deal with the formation of the 1910-13 Terra Nova Antarctic expedition led by Captain Scott, its voyage, the journey to the pole and Oates' death. The authors' sources include Oates' letters and journal entries. The text is illustrated with photographs. 2009. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92OATES

Captain Kidd : the hunt for the truth /Craig Cabell, Graham A. Thomas and Allan Richards. A re-examination of the life of Captain Kidd focusing on the ambiguities surrounding his final voyage, and subsequent trial for piracy. Officially made a privateer by Royal Commission in 1696 and charged with capturing and plundering pirate ships as well as French ships, Kidd is said to have turned pirate himself. Following his arrest, Kidd maintained his innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence against him and a changing political climate. Kidd was found guilty and executed by hanging in 1701. Includes a list of some crew members who served with Kidd on the Blessed William, Adventure Galley and Adventure Prize. 2010. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 341.362.1:92KIDD

British light cruisers : town, colony and later classes /Les Brown ; colour illustrations by George Richardson. Brown, Les, 2024. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.82/01530941

Arms Fair 1973, Stockport Stockport and District Arms Collectors Society 1973 • PAMPHLET • 1 copy available. 623.444.2

The hunt for Blackbeard : the world's most notorious pirate /by Craig Cabell, Graham A. Thomas, Allan Richards. "Edward Teach - 'Blackbeard'-is one of the legends of the so-called 'golden age of piracy'. There have been so many accounts of his short, bloody career that it is hard to see him and his times in a clear historical light. This new study looks for the man behind the legend, and it gives a vivid insight into the nature of piracy and the naval operations that were launched against it. The narrative focuses on the roles played by the Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood who masterminded the pursuit of Blackbeard, and Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl who led the pursuit and finally cornered Teach and his crew and, after a vicious fight, saw him killed.In vivid detail it reveals how the hunt for Blackbeard was orchestrated, how he was tracked down, and the parts played in the drama by the larger-than-life leading characters in this extraordinary story. This freshly researched study of the pursuit of the notorious pirate and his crew - and of the final fight in which Blackbeard lost his life - makes compelling reading."--Dust jacket. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 341.362.1

Anzac : the landing /Stephen Chambers. The Anzac legend was born on the shores of Gallipoli during the historic morning of 25th April 1915. Landing on a hostile beach, under the cover of darkness, the Anzacs moved inland rapidly, but the response of the Ottoman forces was equally quick. The outcome of the campaign was arguably sealed during the first day, when the door for an Anzac victory was closed. With the order to dig, dig, dig and to stick it out, a stalemate was secured from the clutches of almost total disaster. After the Australians and New Zealanders received their baptism of fire, they became a stubborn thorn in the sides of the Ottoman army. Futilely after eight gruelling months of fighting, the campaign came to an end with the complete evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Failure did not mar the actions and sacrifice of the Anzacs who bestowed a powerful legacy, as well as being a landmark in the birth of modern Turkey. Almost a century later, with all the veterans now sadly gone, their legacy still survives in Anzac Day and with the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims who visit the battlefield today. 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.455(496.1)

The Great War at sea : the opening salvos :contemporary combact images from the Great War /[Bob Carruthers]. "This powerful collection, depicting the events of the Great War at sea, showcases the work of the contemporary combat artists and illustrators from the Great War era. The result is a stunning and vivid graphic record of life and death on the high-seas from 1914-18, as reported to contemporary audiences at a time when the events of the Great War were still unfolding. During the Great War artists and illustrators produced a highly accurate visual record of the fleeting moments the bulky cameras couldn't reproduce. These works form a body of war reportage that are as valid as the written word. Today, the work of the combat illustrators and the official war artists from the Great War era is overlooked by historians in favour of photographs, but these illustrations are nonetheless important, as they provide a contemporary record of hand-to-hand fighting, trench raids, aerial dogfights, sea battles, desperate last stands, night actions and cavalry charges."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 7.044"1914/1918"

Skagerrak : the Battle of Jutland through German eyes /Gary Staff. "In January 1916 Vizeadmiral Scheer took command of the High Sea Fleet. This aggressive and pugnacious leader embarked upon a vigorous offensive program which culminated in the greatest clash between dreadnought capital ships the world had seen. Although outnumbered almost two to one, Vizeadmiral Scheer conducted a provocative operation on 31 May 1916. Who would prevail: the massive preponderance of British heavy calibre cannon, or the aggressive tactics of the street fighter Scheer? Manning the ships of both sides were the technically skilled and talented seamen who were prepared to carry out their duties loyally and courageously until the very end. Over 8,500 men perished in less than 10 hours of fighting, a horrendous loss, even by World War One standards. This book gives voice to many of the German Navy participants, from a German perspective, on this tumultuous battle fought over 100 years ago. These men gave their all and are gone now, but not forgotten."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.456(489)

The sailors behind the medals : Waging war at sea 1939 - 1945 /Chris Bilham "The story of the Royal Navy in the Second World War is an epic, consisting both of dramatic battles such as the River Plate and Matapan, and drawn-out campaigns such as the escort of convoys to Malta and northern Russia. The author examines the careers of twenty-three sailors who took part in these actions which resulted in the award of their medals. He illustrates a cross-section of the war-time Navy long-service regulars, volunteers, recalled veterans of the Great War, Hostilities Only ratings. They served in nearly every kind of warship and in all the main theatres of the war and their individual acts of gallantry under extreme conditions make for inspiring reading. The author also examines the medals that were awarded for gallantry."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.134.2(42)

From hunter to hunted / Bernard Edwards. "In the early stages of the Second World War, Donitz's U-boats generally adhered to Prize Rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims' crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning. So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the Nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships. The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May 1943 out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic. Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.451.6"1939/1943"

The Kaiser's U-boat assault on America : Germany's great war gamble in the first World War /Hans Joachim Koerver. "A deeply researched and engaging account of the use of U-Boats in the First World War. The focus touches on both diplomatic and economic aspects as well as the tactical and strategic use of the u-boats. The book also examines the role played by US president Woodrow Wilson and his response to American shipping being sunk by U-boats and how that ultimately forced his hand to declare war on Germany."-Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.451.6(43:73)"1914/1918"

Depth charge : mines, depth charges and underwater weapons, 1914-1945 /Chris Henry. "The history of weapons and warfare is usually written from the point of view of the battles fought and the tactics used. In naval warfare, in particular, the story of how these weapons were invented, designed and supplied is seldom told. Chris Henry, in this pioneering study, sets the record straight. He describes how, to counter the extraordinary threat posed by the U-boats in the world wars, the Royal Navy responded with weapons that kept open the vital supply routes of the Atlantic Ocean. He also celebrates the remarkable achievements of the engineers and inventors whose inspired work was essential to Britain's survival."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545941

The Royal Marines on the Western Front / Daniel J Mclean. "From the mud of the Somme to the raid on Zeebrugge, the Royal Marines fought in almost every element of the Great War on the Western Front. Today they are known world-wide as an elite commando fighting force, but that has only been their role since 1940, a fraction of their period in existence. Until 1923 they existed as two corps - the Royal Marine Light Infantry and the Royal Marine Artillery - and both served with distinction along the western front in the great war. This book examines and explains the engagements in which they were involved, the equipment used and the organisation and training undertaken in hitherto unseen detail, drawing on a wide variety of sources to give an accurate picture of their contribution to the war in France and Belgium."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.41241

Alistair MacLean's war : how the Royal navy shaped his bestsellers /Mark Simmons. "It is no coincidence that many of Alistair MacLean's most successful novels were sea stories. In 1941, he was called up after volunteering for the Royal Navy and served as Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, and Leading Torpedo Operator. For the majority of his service, he was on HMS Royalist, a modified Dido-class light cruiser, seeing action in the Arctic, and operations against the German battleship Tirpitz. The ship then deployed to the Mediterranean taking part in Operation Dragoon the invasion of the South of France and later in operations against German occupied Greek Islands in the Aegean. After which MacLean and Royalist were deployed to the Indian Ocean and operations against the Japanese in Malaya, Burma, and Sumatra. His wartime experiences coupled with exceptional literary skill resulted in the runaway success of his first novel HMS Ulysses (1955) followed by The Guns of Navarone (1957) and South by Java Head (1958). These three blockbusters cemented his position as one of the most successful and highly paid authors of the era. While not a whole life biography, Mark Simmon's book provides a fascinating insight into Maclean's war service and subsequent works, which deserve enduring popularity."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Hellenistic and roman naval wars, 336 - 31 BC / John D. Grainger. "The period covered in this book is well known for its epic battles and grand campaigns of territorial conquest, but Hellenistic monarchies, Carthaginians, and the rapacious Roman Republic were scarcely less active at sea. Huge resources were poured into maintaining fleets not only as symbols of prestige but as means of projecting real military power across the Mediterranean arena. Taking the period between Alexander the Great's conquests and the Battle of Actium, John Grainger analyzes the developments in naval technology and tactics, the uses and limitations of sea power and the differing strategies of the various powers. He shows, for example, how the Rhodians and the Romans eschewed the ever-larger monster galleys favored by most Hellenistic monarchs in favor of smaller vessels. This is a fascinating study of a neglected aspect of ancient warfare."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 930

Torpedo bombers, 1900-1950 : an illustrated history /Jean-Denis G. G. Lepage "The torpedo-bomber was a very short-lived weapon system, operational for scarcely half a century from just prior WWI to the 1960s. Yet during its brief existence it transformed naval warfare, extending the ship-killing range of ships and coastal defences to hundreds of miles. The Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm led the way, recording the first sinking of a ship by aerial torpedo in August 1915 but all major navies eagerly developed their own torpedo bomber forces. The torpedo-bomber reached its zenith in WWII, particularly from 1940-42, with notable successes at the Battle of Taranto, the sinking of the Bismarck and Pearl Harbor. It was the weapon of choice for both the US and Japanese in the big Pacific battles such as Midway. In the latter stages of the war, increasingly effective anti-aircraft fire and interceptor aircraft started to render it obsolete, a process completed post-war by long-range anti-ship missiles."--Provided by the publisher. 2020 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.74632

Artists and authors at war Covers a generation of artists in the broadest sense of the word, including painters, architects, writers, poets, sculptors, designers, musicians and others who served during World War Two. It includes a brief biography for each of the artists featured. This includes their principal artistic achievements, some background historical information, and articles written by the artists which describe their military service and the art they produced.The contributors include: Bruce Allsopp, Sir Martyn Beckett, Edward Hollamby, Claude Harrison, Arthur Hackney, Anthony Eyton, A Stewart Mackay, Richard Seddon, John Napper, Leonard Rosoman, Eric Taylor, William Gear, Laurence Whistler (Rex Whistler), Kenneth Armitage, Franta Belsky, William Maving Gardner, Sir Hardy Amies, Andrew Grima, Bill Ward, David Langdon, James Bostock, John Hawkesworth, Shaun Sutton, George Macdonald Fraser, Michael Gilbert, Ralph Hammond Innes, Richard Hough, John Prebble, Nigel Tranter, George Lloyd, Paul Griffin, John Press, Gavin Ewart, Randle Manwaring, Robert A Strand. 1999 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 7:82"364"

Scott of the Antarctic : we shall die like gentlemen /Sue Blackhall. A biography of Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) concentrating on the 1910 Terra Nova British Antarctic Expedition to reach the south pole and which led to the death of Scott and the polar party. The author uses diary extracts to describe the expedition's progress. At the time Scott became a national hero, but later became a figure of controversy with questions raised about his competence and character. This book's later chapters focus on the aftermath of the event, exploring and reassessing Scott's character, and recounting the fortunes of the survivors of the expedition who had not formed part of the polar party. The book also includes a short anthology of poetry written to celebrate their endeavour. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92SCOTT:910.4(99)"1901/1912"

Athenia torpedoed : the U-boat attack that ignited the Battle of the Atlantic /Francis M. Carroll. "This book is an account of a disaster at sea, the sinking by a German submarine of the passenger liner Athenia sailing from Liverpool to Montreal, loaded with Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, attempting to cross the Atlantic before the outbreak of war. For Britain, the sinking of the Athenia was seen as both a violation of international law and a return to the kind of total war Germany had waged in the Great War."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 656.61.085.3ATHENIA

Tracing your British Indian ancestors : a guide for family historians /Emma Jolly. "Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors gives a fascinating insight into the history of the subcontinent under British rule and into the lives the British led there. It also introduces the reader to the range of historical records that can be consulted in order to throw light on the experience of individuals who were connected to India over the centuries of British involvement in the country. Emma Jolly looks at every aspect of British Indian history and at all the relevant resources. She explains the information held in the British Library India Office Records and The National Archives. She also covers the records of the armed forces, the civil service and the railways, as well as religious and probate records, and other sources available for researchers. At the same time, she provides a concise and vivid social history of the British in India: from the early days of the East India Company, through the Mutiny and the imposition of direct British rule in the mid-nineteenth century, to the independence movement and the last days of the Raj."--Provided by the publisher. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 929.1072054

Aircraft carriers of the United States Navy : rare photographs from wartime archives. "In 1922 the US Navy commissioned its first small experimental aircraft carrier. This was followed into service by two much larger and capable carriers in 1927 with five more being built prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor including three large Yorktown class. To take the offensive against the Japanese Navy, the American Congress funded by far the largest carrier building programme in history based on the Essex class, a larger version of the pre-war Yorktown vessels. Of the twenty-six ordered, fourteen were commissioned in time to see Second World War service. These were joined by many smaller classes of carriers, including light carriers and escort carriers. Post-war ever larger and more capable carriers were commissioned. Since 1975, when the first of a fleet of ten nuclear-powered Nimitz class carriers was commissioned, they have epitomized United States superpower status and worldwide power projection. These are due to be replaced in the decades to come with the even more sophisticated nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford class. Compiled and written by Michael Green, Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy contains superb images of all the different types of classes of carriers employed by the US Navy since 1922. These and its highly informative text and captions give the reader a broad overview of this fascinating subject."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.822.7(73)"19"

The U-boat war in the Atlantic / ed. by Bob Carruthers. Carruthers, Bob 2013. • BOOK • 3 copies available. 940.545.1(43)"1939/1945"

The war of the gun boats / Bryan Cooper. "This book traces the history and development of the gun boats from their first limited use in World War I to the fast motor boats designed in the 1930s for wealthy private clients and water speed record attempts. With account of the battles which took place during the World War II, when the vital importance of coastal waters came to be recognized, it captures the drama of this highly individual form of combat."--Provided by the publisher. 2009. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.824"19"

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