Tag: history
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Publication day! For Those In Peril
Publication day!!! The first of my new Second World War naval adventure series, For Those In Peril, is out now! Liverpool, 1939. Twin brothers Romulus and Remus Hutchinson (Rom and Remmie) grew up in a proud seafaring Liverpool family. So when war breaks out in Europe, they are both keen to sign up and do…
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Scapa Flow’s unique role in the Second World War
Tucked away in the windswept Orkney Islands, Scapa Flow is more than just a natural harbour – it is a place steeped in maritime history, a silent witness to the tides of war and peace. While its strategic importance dates back centuries, it was during the Second World War that Scapa Flow truly cemented its…
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Guardians of the Convoys: The Royal Navy’s Destroyers in the Second World War
In the vast and perilous theatres of the Second World War, the Royal Navy’s destroyers stood as vigilant sentinels of the sea. Agile, heavily armed, and endlessly versatile, these ships were the backbone of Britain’s naval defence – protecting convoys, hunting submarines, and engaging enemy forces from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. In my…
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Six Key Moments in the Norwegian Campaign of WW2
In the spring of 1940, the quiet fjords and rugged mountains of Norway became the stage for one of the Second World War’s earliest and most dramatic campaigns. The Norwegian Campaign was a bold and complex operation involving land, sea, and air forces – but it was the Royal Navy that bore the brunt of…
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Six curious facts about the Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War, lasting from 1939 to 1945. While most people know it involved German U-boats and Allied convoys, there are some fascinating details that rarely make it into the history books. In 2024, I signed a five-book deal with historical fiction specialist…
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The role of the WRNS – the Women’s Royal Naval Service
The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), affectionately known as the Wrens, holds a distinguished place in British military history. As the women’s branch of the Royal Navy, the WRNS played a vital role in both World Wars and continued to serve with distinction until its integration into the Royal Navy in 1993. As I discovered…
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Operation Dynamo: The evacuation from Dunkirk, 85th anniversary
In the annals of British military history, few events have captured the imagination and spirit of resilience quite like Operation Dynamo. Referred to by Churchill himself as a “Miracle of deliverance,” this audacious evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches of northern France in 1940 turned what could have been a catastrophic defeat into a…
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The Wavy Navy: Seven key things to understand about the RNVR in World War II
The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) played a pivotal role during World War II, contributing significantly to the Allied war effort. But the initials might mean nothing to some people in the 21st century. The RNVR was established in 1903 to supplement the Royal Navy with trained volunteers. By the time World War II erupted,…
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Mersey memories breathed life into my novels
Author David Clensy on how decades after their deaths, the lives of both his grandfathers continue to echo through his writing One of my earliest memories is of getting my head stuck between the railings on the Pier Head in Liverpool. I must have only been three or four years old. My grandad would often…
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Liberation of Auschwitz 80th anniversary
January 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Back in 2009, as a regional journalist on the Bristol Evening Post, I travelled to the site of the former concentration camp with a group of West Country students as part of a project to ensure the horrors of the holocaust do not get…
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