27th July 1908. In Chelmsford, Essex, a girl was born to Ettie and John Coombe (a prison warder). Cora’s middle…
Today is Queen Victoria’s birthday. We think of her as round and grim, the symbol of empire and the Victorian…
22nd May 1910. Having travelled from Forçados, Nigeria via the African Steamship Company, Gaudah Singh arrived at Liverpool, England. He…
I didn’t actually exist in 1979 to 1982 but I seem to remember those years quite well, due to the…
Harry Gordon Selfridge (1856 – 1947) was a fascinating man. Excellent at business, ambitious, he led an extravagant lifestyle. He…
10th December 1840. William Smith was transported to Van Diemen’s Land on the ship ‘Duncan’ for a fourteen year sentence.…
11th November 1918. Charles William Scott, a Private in the 1st Kent Cyclist Battalion (British Army Cyclist Corps), died in…
Vaccination has saved millions, possibly billions, of lives. This fascinating book by Professor David Isaacs, a consultant paediatrician, tells the…
10th June 1793. Norris Scully married William English in the Parish of St Marylebone, Westminster. Norris made an ‘x’ in…
On this day in history, billions of events occurred. Some of these turned out to be important in the grand…