Earlier this month I spent a weekend much like any other during this past year and half, meandering around Edinburgh and exploring its many nooks and crannies. On this occasion, I found myself in Portobello, located in the north east of Edinburgh on the coast. While walking along the beach I recalled seeing peculiar photographs … More Fire in the Skies Above: The Battle of the River Forth, 1939
Scottish history is rich, vibrant and littered with colourful tales of bravery, deceit, violence and lust. It is no surprise that George RR Martin drew some inspiration from it.
There are many tales from Scotland’s past that aren’t immortalised in fantasy fiction, however, yet they are every bit as brutal and harrowing. … More Fact or Fiction? 5 of the Darkest Events in Scottish History
Every year on 5th November, the skies above Britain are awash with colour as thousands of fireworks let out their brief, explosive bursts of light. Bonfires burn and Brits young and old recall the rhyme, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot”. The Gunpowder Plot reads like your quintessential Hollywood blockbuster; a … More Kings, Queens & Treacherous Schemes: The Gunpowder Plot
On the 26th October 1859, one of the fiercest storms of the 19th century raged in the Irish Sea, leaving behind a trail of destruction stretching from Devon to the west coast of Scotland. The Royal Charter Storm, also known as the Great Storm of 1859, claimed the lives of more than 800 people, twice … More The Royal Charter Storm: The Storm That Transformed Weather Forecasting
On the morning of the 21st October 1966, the Welsh mining town of Aberfan was bustling with activity. Schoolchildren hurriedly took their seats as classes began while life in the village carried on as usual.
Then disaster struck. … More Aberfan Disaster: 55 Years Since Tragedy Struck
For a period of around 100 years from the mid-18th century onward, the Scottish Highlands changed dramatically. The Highland Clearances in the wake of the ’45 Jacobite Rebellion prompted vast cultural changes throughout the region. With a rising population toward the end of the 18th century, this (traditionally) sparsely populated area was booming. Although a … More Power to the People: The Battle of the Braes, 1882
The Battle of Glen Shiel, fought on the 10th June 1719, is as a key moment in the protracted struggle to restore the Stuart dynasty, yet it still remains largely unacknowledged. … More Through the Smoking Heather: The Battle of Glen Shiel, 1719
The invasion and capture of Singapore by imperial Japanese forces in February 1942 was a failure of cataclysmic proportions. … More The Battle of Singapore: A Nail in the Empire’s Coffin
On the 17th October 1346, Scottish and English forces clashed outside Durham in one of the key battles of 14th-century British history. The Battle of Neville’s Cross was a disastrous military failure for the Kingdom of Scotland which led to the capture and humiliation of King David II. Embroiled deep in the Hundred Years War, … More Defeat and Humiliation: The Battle of Neville’s Cross
It was a warm July day as they clambered to plug gaps in the walls; flesh and bone replaced their bricks and mortar. They had endured much already, yet with every slaughtered horse they piled up, the grotesque stench grew in severity, permeating the humid air and lingering in their nostrils. Guy, Count of Namur … More The Battle of Boroughmuir : Desperation in Defeat
RAMBLING HISTORY 