New Zealand has been at war with rather a lot of nations over the years. Most of them declared war on us, not the other way around (we’re the good guys). But there are a few that New Zealand took on. Including – wait for it – wait for it. Finland. Yup. Finland. It was … More Countries on which New Zealand has declared war
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II after 70 years on the throne is extraordinary in some ways. Certainly she could not go on forever; but few alive today remember a time when she was not Queen of England – and, incidentally, Queen of New Zealand among a few other places – and she was one … More The end of an era: Queen Elizabeth II
Although I can’t spill too many beans just now, as it were, I can tell you that 2020 is going to be a bumper year for me. My book Living On Shaky Ground was reissued in new and updated form a few weeks back. This week there’s been another new issue. Back in 2018 I … More A bit of publishing news
On 8 December 1941, Japan raided Singapore from the air. Their bombers were engaged by the new British battleship Prince of Wales and the elderly battlecruiser Repulse, which were in the naval base at Sembawang on the northern side of the island. What isn’t usually realised is that this basically happened at the same time … More Where to find out about the loss of Prince of Wales and Repulse
All empires, it seems, decline and fall, often disgracefully. The one exception is the British Empire, which faded away in a quite civil manner by comparison with the usual way these entities collapse. It happened during the twentieth century, largely on the back of two world wars that effectively bankrupted Britain. By 1945 – when … More Britain’s last battleships – at last
Back in the 1950s the British rocket programme – revolving partly about their ‘Blue Steel’ missile – was in a bit of trouble. This Mach = 3 stand-off weapon was designed to arm Britain’s V-bombers but had a repute as the ‘public servant’ of missiles. You know, it didn’t work and couldn’t be fired. This … More I want some British MUSTARD with my rocket
Matthew Wright 
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