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Symbol of Courage: A History of the Victoria Cross

November 30, 2009

More of a book for dipping in and out than for reading cover to cover. The background to the battles during which VCs were awarded is enlightening (although I picked this up somewhat annoyingly just weeks before Private Beharry’s latest medal). The dispatches notes themselves are surprisingly ordinary and although a fantastic collection overall, can […]

The Land that Never Was: Sir Gregor Macgregor and the Most Audacious Fraud in History

October 28, 2009

Ah, this should have been so much more interesting and enjoyable than it turned out to be. How could a man persuade a whole host of settlers to follow him half way across the world, raise an extraordinary amount of funds and give up all their worldly possessions in order to build a new life […]