David Killingray

This book offers a fresh perspective on British history in the long nineteenth century through the lens of a study of Sevenoaks and the surrounding area of West Kent. It considers, in particular, how the risks faced by the people of this region, and the choices they made to try to mitigate them, shaped their lives and relationships. During a period of often dramatic change, the economic, social, political, religious and cultural interests of individuals were subject to different risk factors; the responses they made (and the reasons for those choices) provide valuable insights and enable the writing of highly nuanced local history. The authors pinpoint the fundamental risk factors affecting the lives of West Kent’s inhabitants (especially the poor): the struggle to obtain the four bare necessities of shelter, food, fuel and clothing, without which their survival was threatened. Other risks abounded too, from abysmal sanitary conditions and the dangers of giving birth, to industrial injuries and being a victim of crime. Secure work and strong family networks were essential to limiting risks – often forming part of the ‘makeshift economy’ – as well as charity, education, health insurance and access to medical care. For many, not all these options were available – or not until much later in the period. Choice was central to religious and political struggles. The examination of beliefs and values reveals the immense impact such issues had across West Kent society, and how and why it divided as a direct result. Finally, the authors consider the advent of motor vehicles, which combined both risk and choice in exciting but potentially dangerous ways. This innovative approach provides a fruitful new way of writing history and offers a model for future local history studies.

The first major study of the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of African soldiers who served with the British army during the Second World War. During the Second World War over half-a-million African troops served with the British Army as combatants and non-combatants in campaigns in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Italy and Burma - the largest single movement of African men overseas since the slave trade. This account, based mainly on oral evidence and soldiers' letters, tells the story of the African experience of the war. It is a 'history from below' that describes how men were recruited for a war about which most knew very little. Army life exposed them to a range of new and startling experiences: new foods and forms of discipline, uniforms, machines and rifles, notions of industrial time, travel overseas, new languages and cultures, numeracy and literacy. What impact did service in the army have on African men and their families? What new skills did soldiers acquire and to what purposes were they put on their return? What was the social impact of overseas travel, and how did the broad umbrella of army welfare services change soldiers' expectations of civilian life? And what role if any did ex-servicemen play in post-war nationalist politics? In this book African soldiers describe in their own words what it was like to undergo army training, to travel on a vast ocean, to experience battle, and their hopes and disappointments on demobilisation. DAVID KILLINGRAY is Professor Emeritus of History, Goldsmiths, and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London.

Kent can probably claim to have more unique features in its history than most other counties, all fully reflected in this Atlas. The Cathedral at Canterbury with its medieval shrine to St Thomas Becket requires the general subject of pilgrimage to be covered in detail; the Cinque Ports - the echoes of their ancient privileges still apparent by the early 19th century - are another Kentish phenomenon; Romney Marsh, although not quite the separate continent that some claim, is nevertheless well worthy of the detailed account of its medieval history; Kent's perennial role as a gateway is perfectly illustrated by the 'Strangers' from the near Continent who settled widely here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Kent's industrial history is dominated by the unique concentration of royal dockyards; while the story of Kent's coalfield, isolated from its cousins in the North and Midlands, is yet another remarkable chapter. Finally, being located between the Capital and the shortest crossing to the Continent, Kent's relationship with London has been exceptionally close since medieval times and is a recurring theme in this Atlas. This comprehensive, new Historical Atlas, based on current research, fills a notable gap in the published histories of the County and will serve for many years as an important work of reference for the history of Kent. The 250 newly-drawn and reader-friendly maps cover topics ranging from the earliest Stone-Age occupation to such modern developments as the growth of leisure industries. Several topics not usually covered in county historical atlases are included, for example the introduction of public water and gas supplies in the 19th century, together with the expansion of banking services and the local press. Virtually every aspect of Kent's history is clearly mapped and explained in this remarkable new work. Though Kent has seen much in its time, it has never before seen a book like this, which will be welcomed well beyond the Kentish borders.

Through the lips of Black British Christians, we hear the stories and experiences first hand. Hostility, prejudice and cruelty were not uncommon, but there are also many glimpses of welcome and acceptance as they arrived in a foreign land. Black people of African origin and descent have lived in Britain for man centuries. By the late eighteenth century an increasing number were active Christians. Long before Empire Windrush arrived in Tilbury in mid-1948, black Britons worked as doctors, ministers and political activities, as well as in non-professional roles. They are little known and largely forgotten. Here they touchingly describe their lives, faith, work, families, hopes and ambitions, part of a rich and fascinating seam of British history that has been generally ignored. This intimate portrait will inform black Christians of their heritage, while helping white Christians to understand more about the diversity of Britain's cultural background.

A history of Sevenoaks people and faith

Drawing upon a survey of former police officers in the six British colonies of Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi, Clayton and Killingray examine the work of colonial law enforcement during the last years of British supremacy. In addition to such basic institutional information as the development of police forces from local militia, the training of African recruits, and the africanization of the police forces, the authors examine the typical activities of the colonial police. From investigations of stabbings and theft, to deportation of prostitutes and concern with smuggling, to enforcement of unpopular policies, the authors offer a profile not only of the institution of colonial law enforcement but also of the daily life of the village and the business activities which brought people into contact with the police.