Our sergeant: The story of the Corps of Commissionaires

Engineering & Transportation

Reese, Peter

Engineering

L. Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg

Following the Armistice of 1918 the British Air Industry, including the newly founded RAF, held a low place in national priorities. The RAF was rapidly run down with the infant airlines being given the least possible help. Such neglect continued during the 1920s. The RAF’s role was questioned and civilian air travel remained the province of the well-heeled few. But the breakdown of the Geneva Disarmament Talks led to renewed interest in the National Air Force and the rise of the European dictators brought calls for rapid modernization and interceptor aircraft, together with the development of further European civilian air routes. This important study investigates the rapid changes in the interwar period in the realm of aviation, revealing the transformative last-minute preparations for defence in a world where much depended on the contributions of some outstanding individuals.

Transforming the Skies: Pilots, Planes and Politics in British Aviation 1919-1940

History

Europe

The History Press

IN 1945 confidence in British aviation was sky-high. Yet decades later, the industry had not lived up to its potential. What happened?The years that followed the war saw the Brabazon Committee issue flawed proposals for civil aviation planning. Enforced cancellations restricted the advancement of military aircraft, compounded later on by Defence Minister Duncan Sandys abandoning aircraft to fixate solely on missiles. Commercially, Britain's small and neglected domestic market hindered the development of civilian airliners.In the production of notorious aircraft, the inauspicious Comet came from de Havilland's attempts to gain an edge over its American competitors. The iconic Harrier jump jet and an indigenous crop of helicopters were squandered, while unrealistic performance requirements brought about the cancellation of TSR2.Peter Reese explores how repeated financial crises, a lack of rigour and fatal self-satisfaction led British aviation to miss vital opportunities across this turbulent period in Britain's skies.

In Turbulent Skies: British Aviation Successes and Setbacks - 1945-1975

Business & Money

Industries

The life and genius of Henry Royce, the outstanding, retiring, and often tyrannical founder of Rolls-Royce\nHenry Royce was born in 1863 in most modest circumstances when the internal combustion engine was yet to be invented and 40 years were to pass before mans’ first powered flight. Despite having just two years’ formal education, supplemented at 14 by three years’ apprenticeship at the Great Northern Railway Works before being curtailed by lack of funds, in 1881 he succeeded in finding work in the infant electronic industry. By 1884 this brilliant, committed man had branched out on his own, with just £20 capital. From there on, his ferocious work schedules and unbending urge for perfection led to the establishment of Rolls-Royce and the design of superlative cars, followed by aero engines, which would be the finest of their kind in two world wars and set a gold-standard for future aspirants.

Sir Henry Royce: Establishing Rolls-Royce, from Motor Cars to Aero Engines

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

This book tells the story of Samuel Cody, who in the late 19th century experimented with manned flight and created the Cody War-Kites, which were used as a smaller alternative for balloons in World War I.

The Flying Cowboy: Samuel Cody: Britain's First Airman

Historical

Tempus

'I have brought you to the ring, now hop if you can.'
Wallace's famous injunction before the battle of Falkirk is still remembered today. The first section of this major new biography deals with the history of Wallace and his time. According to legend, born and brought up in Elderslie, Wallace's courage and heroism during Scotland's darkest days were instrumental in creating a sense of national identity. From the early killing of the Sheriff of Lanark, Sir William Haslerigg, through his crowning triumph at Stirling Bridge to his terrible end, Wallace was unswerving in his devotion to the cause of Scottish freedom. The brutality of his end is a testament to the fear and humiliation his name inspired in Edward I.
The second section of the book studies the impact of the man and the myth on later generations. The guerrilla tactics initiated by Wallace were later used by Robert the Bruce to great success. Blind Harry's epic poem (1478) personifies the will and desire of Scottish people for independence in the figure of Wallace. Over 200 years after his death Scotland's greatest knight continues to inspire nationalists in this country and throughout the world.
Peter Reese's objective and lucid text concludes with the judgement that Wallace's martyrdom was a greater legacy to the Scots than even the achievements of his lifetime. While he was alive, the power of his personality galvanised a nation. Since his death, the memory of William Wallace has endured as an inspiration for unity.

Wallace

This exciting book by the bestselling author of Wallace assesses the merits of different biographies such as Wallace, the Bruce, the flamboyant Montrose and many others and brings to the fore the distinctive qualities of the Scottish commander, their personal bravery, fighting spirit, maverick qualities and outstanding battle craft.

The Scottish Commander

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

Canongate U.S.

This publication takes a foray into Scottish history, looking at the Battle of Bannockburn, at which Robert the Bruce's army vanquished Edward I. It begins with the military clashes during the initial stages of the Wars of Independence, culminating in an assessment of the Scottish victory.

Bannockburn

Canongate UK

The Men Who Gave Us Wings: Britain and the Aeroplane, 1796–1914

Pen and Sword Aviation

Drawing together the political, military, and historical background of the battle of Flodden, this book examines the Scottish and British armies and their leaders and explains the crucial tactical moves both before and during the battle Scotland has tried to forget. Before Scotland’s disastrous defeat at the hands of the English under the Earl of Surrey, the proud country under its dynamic Stewart king, James IV, had begun emerging as a distinct and flourishing nation within Europe. With defeat, however, the inevitability of Scotland’s Reformation and union with England was hard to deny. Flodden was an ignominious and disastrous moment for the Scots, all the more so for being a largely unnecessary encounter, fought with superior numbers and arms, which left the country weak, exposed, and leaderless. In this bestselling study of one of the most famous battles in history, Peter Reese recreates the drama and calamity of the battle fought just south of the River Tweed on 9 September 1513.

Flodden: A Scottish Tragedy

Birlinn

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Books by Reese, Peter