Ernie Hoblyn

Plymouth’s history has been strongly defined by its position on a natural harbour on England’s south coast. It was a trading port before the Romans arrived, defended by forts on the shoreline and inland. French raiders attacked the town in the Hundred Years’ War and Plymouth Castle was later built to defend the English fleet in Sutton Pool. Drake famously played bowls on Plymouth Hoe awaiting the opportune moment to attack the Spanish Armada and the then town was later under siege during the English Civil War. Naval docks began to be built at Devonport in the seventeenth century, later protected by the Breakwater, and inland a ring of Palmerston forts were constructed. The port was a major embarkation point for British forces in both the First and Second World Wars, including flying boats from Mount Batten, and was heavily targeted by the Luftwaffe with huge destruction of swathes of the city. Although Plymouth is no longer in the front line of war, Devonport is still a major naval dockyard and although many army barracks were demolished post-war, it is still home to the Royal Marines, Royal Artillery and the Royal Navy at HMS Drake and nearby HMS Raleigh. Plymouth’s Military Heritage will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about the city’s remarkable military history.

The city of Plymouth, on the south coast of Devon, has been a maritime settlement since its earliest days. A trading port in Roman and Saxon times, fishing and boatbuilding have also been mainstays of the local industry for centuries. The original town of Plymouth was historically the commercial shipping and passenger port - the Pilgrim Fathers left for the Americas from Plymouth in 1620 - and the neighbouring town of Devonport, which has now merged with Plymouth, has been associated with the Royal Navy for the last three centuries. This era saw a massive rise in the dockyard, probably peaking during the Second World War when it became the target for heavy aerial bombardment. Although it is now in decline, Devonport Dockyard is still a major naval shipyard and the only naval base in Britain that refits nuclear submarines. Today, although many of the traditional industries have declined or closed, Plymouth is home to severalhigh-tech industries, including Plessey Semiconductors. Plymouth at Work explores the working life of this city in Devon and its people, and the industries that have characterised it. This book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this city.

The Great War Display Team was founded in 1988 and has since gone on to become one of Britain’s premier display teams, with a wealth of talented pilots passing through its ranks and amazing crowds with a variety of recreated aircraft including Fokker Dr1s, Royal Aircraft Factory S. E.5s, a Sopwith Triplane and an Avro 504. Having built a replica Sopwith Triplane and flown it for more than a decade as part of the team, taking part in choreographed dog fight routines, Ernie Hoblyn is uniquely positioned to offer a fascinating insight into the construction of these aircraft and the realities of flying in the First World War – including the vast differences between the handling of modern aircraft and that of machines used during the war. With unprecedented access and a range of interesting photography, this is a fascinating look at what it takes to construct, pilot and display a vintage flying machine.

The story of a local Workhouse and how it fitted in with the local community. It also gives a view on the place of Workhouses in the society of the time.

In this new look at the Plym Valley, local author Ernie Hoblyn looks at the ruins of the industrial past and asks, 'Why did they build that here and what is it for?' Covering the valley running north from the Laira estuary to Clearbook, Industrial Archaeology of the Plym Valley describes the railways, quarries, mines, mills and clay works that once operated there, looking at both the physical remains and the memories of those who once lived in the valley. Most of the industries in the Plym Valley existed during the period from the mid-eighteenth century to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, roughly from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the late Victorian era. Few survived very far into the twentieth century and today little apart from ruins of buildings survives as witness to all the hard work done by many people over many years. This book aims to bring a few of these ruins to life and tell their story.