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  Wirral in the Great War

  Stephen McGreal

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  On 4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. Originally perceived as a short campaign to curtail Germanic imperialism, it developed into a four-year long war of attrition. The Great War is justifiably associated with the horrors of trench warfare and the death of a generation but history has overlooked the home fronts' colossal contribution to victory.On the outbreak of war thousands of troops arrived in Wirral to defend the coast from invasion and guard the docks and shipyards under the watchful eyes of the gunners of the Bidston Hill artillery batteries. The transition to a military garrison also led to the conversion of schools to military hospitals, predominately financed by the community. Thousands of wounded service men arriving at Woodside station were dispersed and administered to by a plethora of military or auxiliary hospitals. Voluntary organizations also procured funds for ambulances and comforts for those at the front. At the beginning of hostilities, the Government swiftly introduced draconian regulations to restrict liberty, particularly for those of foreign extraction. Following the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania, the xenophobia vented itself in Wallasey and Birkenhead where riots resulted in the destruction of German owned business premises. The resentment was further fueled by the German submarines attempt to destroy the British merchant fleet and starve Britain into submission  they almost succeeded. As vital cargoes plunged to the sea bed, food became the latest rationed commodity; consequently unused tracts of Wirral land were turned over to food production and German prisoners of war helped clear the river Birkett. The local shipyards and factories came under the control of the Ministry of Munitions and unlikely companies were involved in the national preoccupation of producing artillery shells. Following the 1916 introduction of compulsory military service, female workers increasingly replaced the men thereby making undreamed of advances in female emancipation. Also involved in the war effort were school children who collected food for wounded soldiers, boy scouts patrolled the coastline, 'sister Susie famously sewed shirts for soldiers' and a Dad's Army was established to repel invaders. Their activities and others are generally overlooked by twentieth century chroniclers.This is the fascinating, but forgotten story of how Wirral provided the sinews for war, and made a significant contribution to the comprehensive defeat of Germany.

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  The Grubby Little Men Who Raped...

  Stuart Lloyd

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  "At bayonet point, the tall sister and the short officer headed for the mortuary where the prepared body lay.“If you lived in England, you should know how civilized people behave,” said Sister Mary Curry.The officer looked into the eyes of Sister Curry: “Do English women never cry?”“Not when we have work to do,” she replied.This is a short, sharp, punchy treatment of what happened that dreadful Christmas Day. It touches on expat eccentricities, over-sexed Scottish soldiers, altruistic nurses answering the call of their country, and Japanese infantry caught up in the red mist of battle.The Battle for Hong Kong seems lost in the shadow of other battles in Southeast Asia, such as Malaya, Singapore, Burma, and the Philippines. But while the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong Island lasted just one week from 18-25 December 1941, it was highlighted by horrific atrocities involving wounded Allied soldiers, and medical doctors, nurses, orderlies and patients.None worse than the massacre at St Stephen's College, which had transformed into a makeshift hospital.The Grubby Little Men Who Raped Hong Kong re-opens these wounds and explores who was really responsible for these outrages, and what became of them and their victims.A surprising twist in the tale links the St Stephen's College Massacre to the Alexandra British Military Hospital in Singapore in a very direct unexpected way.The page-turning style of this short ww2 book is full of humanity and human spirit.Key events, characters and places in this story (in order of appearance):The Gin Drinkers LineTerritorial Army Nursing ServiceSt John’s Cathedral, Hong KongJapanese 23 ArmyWar Memorial HospitalRoyal Hong Kong Yacht Club2 Bn Royal ScotsWinnipeg GrenadiersRoyal Rifles of Canada 229 Tanaka Regiment IJAVyner BrookeSS KualaMata HariMassacre at Radji Beach, MuntokCapt Orita MasaruTokyo War Crimes Tribunal 1948Hong Kong War Crimes Trials 1946IJA 38 DivisionVivian Bullwinkel

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  The Birds of Pandemonium - Life...

  Michele Raffin

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  Aviculturist Raffin introduced us to Sweetie, a special breed of quail with an outsized personality; Oscar the inspiring disabled Lady Gouldian finch; Victoria, Wing, and Coffee, sibling crowned pigeons ecstatic in reunion; and other rescued feathered friends that have been her life's work. Along the way she teaches us how conservationism is as much about saving ourselves as these rare birds. 
  Eighteen years ago, Stanford MBA Michele Raffin pulled off the road to help an injured dove, a momentary impulse that ignited in her a fervent commitment to saving vulnerable bird species. Today, her suburban home plays host to Pandemonium Aviaries, one of the largest avian rescue sanctuaries and endangered breeding facilities in the country, with a maze of fifty-four individual aviaries that house over forty species, fourteen of which are listed as threatened with extinction. Since its founding, Pandemonium has been savior to over one thousand birds from eighty-nine species. 
  The Birds of Pandemonium blends the remarkable tale of Raffin’s transformation from MBA/soccer mom to certified aviculturist with the stories of her amazing feathered charges, movingly revealing their unique personalities and complex social systems as they fall in love, mourn, sacrifice, and celebrate. Ultimately, The Birds of Pandemonium tells of one woman’s crusade to save precious lives, bird by bird, providing a rare insight into how rescuing others, regardless of species, can lead to true happiness.

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  Humanology - A Scientist's Guide...

  Luke O'Neill

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  Discover the answers to 20 burning questions about life and our amazing existence with Ireland's most exciting scientist, Professor Luke O'Neill.Taking us on an incredible journey across centuries and galaxies, accompanied by his characteristic wit, Professor Luke O'Neill explains how it all began, how it all will end and everything in between. Readers will benefit from Luke's insatiable curiosity for life when they dive into this ultimate journey through life and death.Among many fascinating facts, you'll discover the science behind how we got to be so smart, why sex with a caveman was a good idea, the science of finding love, why we follow religions, and how robots will become part of everyday life. Humanology is a humbling reminder that we're just a small speck in a big universe – so sit back and embrace the adventure.'A man who can explain 4.2 billion years of life on Earth and make me laugh at the same time – sheer genius.' Pat Kenny, Newstalk

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  COVID: The Politics of Fear and...

  Marc Siegel M.D.

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  From Fox News Medical Analyst and the author of False Alarm (Wiley, 2008) comes COVID and the Politics of Fear by Marc Siegel, M.D. This shocking expose of the facts as the media covers the national pandemic news and spread of the invisible virus, reinforces the notion that we must arm ourselves against fear tactics that limit our abilities to safely make decisions and protect our families in a world of uncertainty. Life for citizens of the developed world before the pandemic was safer, easier, and healthier than for any other people in history thanks to modern medicine, science, technology, and intelligence—but COVID-19 has stolen that security and our nations peace of mind. Now there is a pandemic virus, as well as a crippling epidemic of fear sweeping America. Why? The answer, according to nationally renowned health commentator Dr. Marc Siegel, is that we already lived in an artificially created culture of fear that was just waiting to be unleashed. In COVID and the Politics of Fear, Siegel identifies three major catalysts of the culture of fear—government, the media, and our own psyche. With fascinating, blow-by-blow analyses of the most sensational false alarms of the past few years, compounded now by the worst contagion of our lifetimes, he shows how fearmongers manipulate our most primitive instincts—often without our even realizing it. COVID shows us how to look behind the hype and hysteria, inoculate ourselves against these crippling fear tactics, and develop the emotional and intellectual skills needed to take back our lives even as we battle the pandemic itself.

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  Hard Road West - History and...

  Keith Heyer Meldahl

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  The dramatic journeys of the 19th century Gold Rush come to life in this geologist’s tour of the American West and the events that shaped the land.    In 1848, news of the discovery of gold in California triggered an enormous wave of emigration toward the Pacific. The dramatic terrain these settlers crossed is so familiar to us now that it is hard to imagine how frightening—even godforsaken—its sheer rock faces and barren deserts once seemed to them. Hard Road West brings their perspective vividly to life, weaving together the epic overland journey of the covered wagon trains and the compelling story of the landscape they encountered.   Taking readers along the 2,000-mile California Trail, Keith Meldahl uses settler’s diaries and letters—as well as his own experiences on the trail—to reveal how the geology and geography of the West shaped our nation’s westward expansion. He guides us through a landscape of sawtooth mountains, following the meager streams that served as lifelines through an arid land, all the way to California itself, where colliding tectonic plates created breathtaking scenery and planted the gold that lured travelers west in the first place.  “Alternates seamlessly between vivid accounts of the 19th-century journey and lucid explanations of the geological events that shaped the landscape traveled.”—Library Journal

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