Campbell McCutcheon

The biggest shipping loss of both world wars was the hospital ship Britannic, at almost 50,000 tons. Supposedly safe to travel the seas, many hospital ships were lost in both wars. From the smallest of motor launches through steam yachts and converted ocean liners, Campbell McCutcheon tells the story of the First World War hospital ships. Many succumbed to accidents, mines or German submarines but many also faithfully provided a vital service without loss of life or accident. Troopships were also vital right from the very first days of the war, when ships carried the BEF across the English Channel in August 1914. Meanwhile, convoys that included many great pre-war ocean liners pressed into service were bringing Canadian and Australasian troops to the UK and France, and later American troops as well. Many would continue in service until long after the war had ended, repatriating soldiers well into 1919, and their story is also told in this beautifully illustrated book.

Two weeks before Dunkirk, Anthony Eden, Minister of War, announced to the nation on BBC radio his concept of a Local Defence Volunteer force. The Germans were routing the French and British in Belgium and France, Norway was already lost, and within two weeks the cream of Britain’s fighting forces would be weaponless and kitless, seeking rescue from the beaches of Dunkirk. Eden’s words echoed around every living room in the country: ‘In order to volunteer, what you have to do is give in your name at your local police station; and then, as and when we want you, we will let you know.’ The motley assortment of men, most either too old or too young to join the Army, became the nucleus of the Home Guard. Untried and without weapons, they would be called upon to halt the invasion that Hitler planned as he stood on the cliffs near Calais, eying Britain and its populace as his next conquest. Over a period of a few months, this rag-tag group was armed, uniformed and trained, using the Home Guard Manual. Learning how to construct booby traps, destroy tanks, ambush the enemy, survive in the open, basic camouflage, read maps and send signals, the fledgling volunteer was turned into a veritable fighting machine, leaving the Army to retrain, re-equip and fight elsewhere. In May 1945, as the Home Guard were stood down, a booklet of cartoons about them was published: Home Guard Humour. In this light-hearted history we find many of the jokes that would appear in Dad’s Army. In this volume, Home Guard Humour and The Home Guard Manual appear together, in the ideal 1940s guide to the Home Guard, official and otherwise.

1945 was the meeting point of two eras. It marked the end of the Second World War, a conflict ushered in by the lightning strikes of the Blitzkrieg and characterised by the brutalities inflicted by the Nazi regime. It concluded with the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – events that shaped the course of post-war history. After six long years of war, the Allies’ inexorable push into the heart of Germany brought the conflict in Europe to an end in the spring, but not without incident. The fire-bombing of Dresden in February destroyed a city and killed an estimated 130,000, and the final days of Hitler’s Reich saw bitter battles in the streets of Berlin. It was only once the fighting was over that the world became aware of the horrors of the concentration camps and the systematic attempt by the Nazis to wipe out an entire section of the human race. In the Pacific the fighting continued into the summer until the Allies, faced with a prolonged campaign to take each and every island stronghold, dropped the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing the war to a sudden end in August 1945. Yet even before the dust had settled, the victorious nations were carving up the conquered territories to create a new world order in which the Cold War era saw former Allies turned into enemies. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1945 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the conclusion of the conflict and the dawn of the Cold War.

1944 saw the largest seaborne invasion ever staged in Operation Overlord. The Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, opened the way for the thrust into the occupied countries of northern Europe, in particular France, with the Allies liberating Paris in August. This was the first major milestone in the eastwards drive into the heart of Germany. Other triumphs in the sixth year of the war included the Red Army regaining Leningrad on the Eastern Front, defeats for the Japanese in the Battle of the Philippine Sea as well as the British advances in Burma, and there were the American landings in Anzio, the taking of Rome, and further landings in Greece. Victory was almost within sight, but it couldn’t be taken for granted as the war was entering a new phase and the Nazi war machine still had a sting in its tail. Infuriated by Allied gains, Hitler unleashed the long-promised Vengeance weapons, in particular the V1 flying bomb and the V2 ballistic missile, in the belief that they would turn the tide of the war in Germany’s favour. There was also the question of whether Nazi scientists were developing an atomic bomb. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1944 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict.

Bradshaw’s Guide of 1863 was the staple book on what’s what and where’s where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth-century railway travellers. The guide introduced the notion of seaside holidays to the general public and thanks to the railways it became possible for a town or city dweller to catch a train for a day-trip to the coast and still be home in time for supper. ‘Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea! I do like to stroll upon the Prom, Prom, Prom! Where the brass bands play: Tiddely-om-pom-pom!’ Using Bradshaw’s Guide illustrated with contemporary images and seaside postcards, John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon take us on a tour of Britain’s Victorian resorts.

Bradshaw’s Guide of 1863 was the staple book on what’s what and where’s where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth-century railway travellers. Built primarily to provide a passenger service, the railways of Ireland would go on to open up the country to tourism in new ways. They also brought communities closer together and many journeys that once took days to complete could now be undertaken in hours. This illustrated guide records the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the various routes. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon take us on the railways of Ireland, using contemporary Victorian and Edwardian photographs and postcards to illustrate the scenes that the readers of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways would have experienced. This volume covers several of Ireland’s railways at the time, including the Great Southern Railway, the Dublin & Kingstown Railway, the Great Southern & Western Railway, the Midland Great Western Railway, and including those of Northern Ireland.

1943 saw the Allies on the offensive, with victories in North Africa followed by the invasion of Sicily and landings in Italy establishing a foothold on mainland Europe, while on the Eastern Front the Red Army was making gains, and in the Pacific the Japanese-held islands were falling. The change in the Allies’ fortunes had begun the previous year and now they were building on those successes, paving the way for the major return to Europe with D-Day planned for 1944. The 8th Army’s successes in the Tunisian campaign pushed the German Afrika Korps out of North Africa. This was followed by the invasion of Sicily in May and landings on the toe of Italy in September, resulting in the ousting of Benito Mussolini. Other Allied successes came in the Pacific with the taking of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, together with British and Chinese advances in Burma, putting the Japanese onto the defensive. The conflict in Russia saw the key tank battle at Kursk and the subsequent retaking of some German-held territory. Other events included the Dambuster raids, an attack on the Ploesti oil refineries and the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1943 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict.

1918 was the fifth and final year of the Great War. With thousands of fresh American troops heading across the Atlantic to fight on the side of the Allies, Germany’s High Command knew it had to strike a decisive blow to turn the course of the war in its favour. With revolution in Russia a peace treaty was agreed on the Eastern Front, enabling General Ludendorff to transfer seventy divisions to the west for a Spring Offensive that was intended to drive the French back to Paris and the British to the Channel ports. The Allied counter-offensive on the Marne began in July and, with the Americans joining the fighting, the Germans were forced back to the Hindenburg Line. Starved of food and supplies, Germany faced inevitable defeat and sought terms for a peace settlement. The Kaiser abdicated on 11 November 1918 and the guns become silent with the signing of the Armistice. In defeat Germany was humiliated and economically paralysed by the demand for war reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed in June the following year. But for both sides the real cost of the war was measured in human lives. Twenty million were killed and the participating European nations all but bankrupted. The political map was irrevocably changed and the so-called ‘war to end all wars’ was the harbinger of an even greater conflict yet to come. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1918, the final year of fighting, and also the immediate post-war period, using many rare and often unpublished images.

1942 was the turning point of the war. In the words of Winston Churchill, it was ‘not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’ In the Pacific the Japanese had been soundly defeated at the Battle of Midway, with the loss of four valuable and irreplaceable aircraft carriers, while the Allied landings in North Africa had been a complete success, and the rout of the German and Italian soldiers in the desert war had begun in earnest. Fortress Britain saw the infamous Baedeker raids on English towns and cities, but also the build-up of American troops and material in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe, of which August’s costly raid on Dieppe was a precursor. Despite some setbacks, the war had changed and the Allies were on the attack on all fronts. In Russia, the German 6th Army spent the New Year surrounded in Stalingrad, the Germans and Italians being squeezed in North Africa, and the Japanese were suffering defeat after defeat. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1942 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

Bradshaw’s Guide of 1863 was the staple book to what’s what and where’s where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth-century railway travellers. Built primarily to serve industry and the mail packets to Ireland, the railways of Wales would go on to open up the Principality to tourism for the first time. They also brought communities closer together and many journeys that once took days to complete could now be undertaken in hours. This illustrated guide records the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the various routes. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon take us on Brunel’s broad gauge lines in South Wales, before joining the central and northern railways, using contemporary Victorian and Edwardian photographs and postcards to illustrate the scenes that the readers of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways would have experienced. This volume covers the South Wales Railway, the Great Western Railway, the Cambrian lines and the Chester & Holyhead Railway as well as the many branch lines.

1917, the fourth year of the Great War, saw another year in the trenches for millions of troops mobilised in Europe. Apart from short patrols in the North Sea, the ships of the Royal Navy and Germany’s imperial navy remained in port. However, the enemy submarines were in operation intensively. In March, three American ships were sunk in one day, finally bringing the United States to the brink of war. President Woodrow Wilson made an impassioned speech to Congress, which voted for war. At the same time, Russia was in turmoil, with revolution breaking out in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities. While the Russians sued for peace with Germany and Austria-Hungary, from June onward, American soldiers began to flood into France at the rate of 300,000 a month. The Austro-Hungarians ended the year almost defeated, while the Germans knew that they had the opportunity for one final push for victory before they too would have to succumb to the weight of numbers of American troops landing at Brest and St Nazaire. The year also saw Lawrence of Arabia help the Arabs attack the Turks, the life-sucking mud of Passchendaele, the massed tank battle of Cambrai and multiple battles of the Isonzo on the border of Italy and Austria-Hungary. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1917 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the full horror of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

1941 At the beginning of the year, Britain stood alone against Germany and Italy. The war in Africa dominated the headlines, with huge swathes of the North African desert changing hands continually. At sea, Germany’s Bismarck sank HMS Hood, but was soon sunk herself, while Fortress Britain endured night after night of heavy Blitz and the horrors of the Luftwaffe’s incendiary bombs. The first turning point of the war came in June, with Operation Barbarossa – Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union – opening up a second front in the east. The next would not come till December, when the war moved from beyond its European and African front lines to become a truly global conflict. Japan awoke the sleeping giant that was the USA with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Simultaneous attacks on Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines and Indonesia saw huge parts of Asia firmly under Japanese control by the end of the year. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1941 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

1916, the third year of the Great War, was to see the introduction of conscription for the first time in Britain to feed the insatiable demand for men at the Front. It was just as well, as the spring saw the launch of the German offensive at Verdun and the British counter-attack, but neither side achieved any significant gains. On 1 July the Allies experienced the bloodiest day of the war at the start of the Somme campaign with some 60,000 men killed in a single day. The British Mark 1 tank also made its combat debut at the Somme, heralding a new era of mechanised warfare. 1916 was also the year of the Battle of Jutland, which was the greatest naval encounter of the war but resulted in an inconclusive outcome with both sides losing many ships. Shortly afterwards Lord Kitchener died when HMS Hampshire hit a mine. Kitchener had become the iconic figure of the First World War, appearing on countless recruiting posters. On the Eastern Front the Russian forces pushed forward to draw the Germans into pulling their troops away from the Western Front. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1916 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the full horror of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

The East Coast Main Line – going from London to Edinburgh – remains one of the most important routes in this country. It was built by a number of separate companies and by 1863, when Bradshaw published his guide, the section from York to Berwick was operated by the North Eastern Railway, and onwards into Scotland by the North British Railway. This guide covers that final section of the ECML, including the important locations and branches encountered along the way. In the 1930s the LNER captured briefly the world record for a steam locomotive on this line, with Gresley’s streamlined A4 Pacific Mallard, as represented by David Mach’s brick sculpture at Darlington. ‘Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.’ Punch, in praise of Bradshaw’s publications. Bradshaw’s guide was published in 1863, not that long after most of Britain’s railway network had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. Campbell McCutcheon and John Christopher present Bradshaw’s original text accompanied by contemporary images to bring the ECML journey to life for the modern reader.

The West Coast Main Line – going all the way from London to Glasgow – remains one of the most important railway routes in this country. It was built by a number of separate companies and by 1863, when Bradshaw published his guide, the section from Manchester was operated as far as Carlisle by the London & North Western Railway, and from Carlisle onwards into Scotland by the Caledonian Railway. This guide covers that final section of the WCML, including the important locations encountered along the way. In the 1930s the LMS captured briefly the world record for a steam locomotive on this line. ‘Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.’ Punch, in praise of Bradshaw’s publications Bradshaw’s guide was published in 1863, not that long after most of the railway network had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. Campbell McCutcheon and John Christopher present Bradshaw’s original text accompanied by contemporary images to bring the journey to life for the modern reader.

1940 As the period of the ‘Phoney War’ came to an end, the Nazis unleashed their Blitzkrieg tactics, which saw the rapid mobility of the ground forces closely supported by superior air power. The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway fell in the spring, and the British Expeditionary Force made a hasty retreat from the beaches of Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo. Winston Churchill, the new Prime Minister of the coalition government, described the evacuation of thousands of troops by an armada of little vessels as a miracle. But, following the fall of France in June, he issued a sombre warning that Britain now fought alone. The nation’s fate was in the hands of the ‘Few’, the men of fighter command who fought to hold back Göring’s Luftwaffe in its bid to gain superiority in the air as the prelude to a German invasion. This was the Battle of Britain, and as the Spitfires and Hurricanes jousted with enemy fighters and bombers in the late summer of 1940, the ordinary people of London and many other cities and towns came to know the terror of the air raids. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1940 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the rapidly changing nature of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

Bradshaw’s Guide of 1863 was the staple book to what’s what and where’s where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth-century travellers. The railways themselves opened up Scotland properly to tourism for the first time, and many journeys that once took days to complete could now be undertaken in hours, bringing its many attractions within the reaches of the masses. This illustrated guide records the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the route. ‘Bradshaw’s Guides were invaluable in their time and they provide the modern-day reader with a fascinating insight into the nineteenth century rail traveller’s experience.’ Campbell McCutcheon takes us up the eastern side of Bradshaw’s Scotland, using contemporary Victorian and Edwardian photographs and postcards to illustrate the scenes that the users of Bradshaw’s Guide to Scotland’s Railways would have experienced. This volume covers primarily the lines of the North British Railway and the Great North of Scotland Railway.

1915, the second year of the Great War, was to see the failure of the Dardanelles landings and the sinking of the Lusitania, shown below, with the loss of 1,198 people, as well as the first bombing of mainland Britain by Zeppelin and the entry of Italy into the war. Huge battles would be fought at sea and on land, while the fledgling air forces of the fighting powers clashed in the clouds. 1915 will be remembered not just for the Lusitania but also for that most inhumane and indiscriminate weapon, poison gas, its first use being against the Russians on the Eastern Front. The Western Front was in stalemate, with the troops entrenched and little in the way of advance or retreat to counter the thousands of lives being lost on a daily basis. War in the east and in Mesopotamia was more fluid, with the armies of Germany, Turkey, Russia and Austria-Hungary moving over huge swathes of Central Europe and the Middle East. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon tell the story of 1915 at war using many rare and often unpublished images, showing the full horror of the conflict, as well as its impact on the everyday person.

Seventy-five years ago, on 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. With political agreements in place to come to Poland’s aid, Britain and France both declared war on Germany within two days. It was the start of a conflict that would erupt over every continent and see the deaths of tens of millions of people, with much of central Europe destroyed. It would also see the development of jets, intercontinental missiles, computers and the Atomic Bomb. 1939, in particular, saw the sinking of the passenger ship Athenia on the first day of the war, the evacuation of children from Britain’s population centres, the daring attack by U-49 on the Royal Oak at Scapa Flow, air raids on Wilhelmshaven and on Shetland and the Forth Bridge. It also saw the development of the Blitzkrieg tactics that were to prove so successful in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in 1940.

1914: the first year of the 'war to end all wars', documented through old photographs. In 1914, after more than a decade of sabre-rattling, arms races and localised wars, mainland Europe erupted into the greatest war man had ever seen. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand saw the beginning of a conflict that was, according to some, going to be over by Christmas but which, in reality, lasted over five years. With battles on all fronts, from Russia to the Falklands, West Africa to China and the Middle East, at sea, on land and by the fledgling air forces of the world, 1914's war culminated in the famous football match on the Western Front on Christmas Day, but also saw the invasion of neutral Belgium, the Battle of the Marne and the sinking of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. The photographs tell the story of the world at war in a graphic and telling way. The First World War changed the art of war forever, and not in a nice way. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon document the horrors of war in the photographs of those times.