The proof that British nuclear test crews WERE used as human guinea pigs by their own government – Mirror Online

A shot of one of the bombs tested on Christmas Island (Image: Sunday Mirror/Collect)

For decades the MoD has denied using unwitting servicemen as “guinea pigs” in radiation experiments during the race to build a nuclear bomb.

But the widow of one Cold War pilot has blown that claim apart after obtaining secret documents that show he was used in a deadly experiment as he was ordered to fly through the cloud of a thermonuclear explosion.

And Shirley Denson, 83, said husband Eric had such a massive dose of radiation to…

via The proof that British nuclear test crews WERE used as human guinea pigs by their own government – Mirror Online

Nancy Wake, in WWII – Freedom Fighter, Allied Agent and The Gestapo’s Most Wanted

The books and moments of history are filled with memorable names, courageous figures, and moments of sheer ingenuity. Yet not all names are as well recogni…

Source: Nancy Wake, in WWII – Freedom Fighter, Allied Agent and The Gestapo’s Most Wanted

On this day: the Black Thursday Bushfires | In Times Gone By…

As depicted by English-born artist William Strutt in 1864.

One of the worst bushfire disasters in recorded Australian history, the Black Thursday…

via On this day: the Black Thursday Bushfires | In Times Gone By…

The Two Elizas – The Irish Courtesans who set the World Alight | historywithatwist

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl… so far, so true (and with thanks to Barry Manilow), but this particular Lola  also happened to be one of Europe’s most beautiful and talked-about women, who m…

Source: The Two Elizas – The Irish Courtesans who set the World Alight | historywithatwist

When Australian women were accidentally given the vote. | In Times Gone By…

Australian suffragettes in London in 1911

In the nineteenth century, in the state of Victoria in Australia, the Electoral Act 1863 was passed. According to the act, “all persons” who ow…

Source: When Australian women were accidentally given the vote. | In Times Gone By…

Lost to the Night: The Lancaster Crew | The Rant Foundry

Filed in: War History  –  Author: JF Dowsett

At the Binbrook RAF flying base in Lincolnshire, Britain during April 1944, the crew of a Lancaster bomber were posing – in their spare t…

Source: Lost to the Night: The Lancaster Crew | The Rant Foundry

Sydney’s Jazz Age Criminal Queens Ruled the Streets With Razors | Atlas Obscura

Knives and unlicensed grog were their weapons of choice.

In the 1920s, Australia was under the dominion of British King George V. But on the streets of Sydney, two female monarchs ruled the people. Tilly Devine, the Queen of Waterloo and Kate Leigh, the Queen of Surry Hills were at the head of two razor gangs that terrorized the city and…

Source: Sydney’s Jazz Age Criminal Queens Ruled the Streets With Razors | Atlas Obscura

Making Maps Under Fire: Surveying New Guinea in World War II | The Rant Foundry

HMAS Whyalla in camouflage in New Guinea

The part played by the Hydrographic Surveying Services of the Royal Australian Navy was acknowledged by the Allied leaders of the Southwest Pacific Area as an integral factor contributing to the su…

Source: Making Maps Under Fire: Surveying New Guinea in World War II | The Rant Foundry

‘It’s the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable…’

Somme Mud by E.P.F. Lynch

‘It’s the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can’t escape it, not even by dying.’

Knighthood on the Quarter-deck | The Rant Foundry

Though it was not without precedent for a Knighthood ceremony to take place on board one of His Majesty’s ships, it was a rare distinction, however, to receive the accolade on the quarter-deck as R…

Source: Knighthood on the Quarter-deck | The Rant Foundry

WWI-era Graffiti Found in French Tunnels

British and Australian soldiers stationed in France would occasionally be allowed to leave the front lines in order to visit local attractions. There is evidence of this tourism in the underground city of Naours, a large network of ancient tunnels in the rural region of Picardy in northern France.

In 2014, Gilles Prilaux of the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), coordinated…

Source: WWI-era Graffiti Found in French Tunnels

The Gallipoli Campaign: Landings at Anzac Cove

April 25th 1915

The Gallipoli Campaign: Landings at Anzac Cove

A little after four in the morning of the 25th April, the first wave of Australian soldiers rowed ashore on Anzac Cove, on the Gallipoli peninsula, after being initially towed in by steamboats, under the cover of darkness. Around four thousand men were ashore, four battalions in total, which included the 11th, in what was an astonishing tactical surprise in and around dawn. With the Turks somewhat confused with what was unfolding around them, it wasn’t long before the Anzacs (Australians) secured the beach head for the next wave of men heading into shore. Interestingly, contrary to popular belief, there was no massacre on Anzac Cove beaches. Of course, there were many casualties reported early on, but if you are looking for…

Source: What happened this month in history?

Vida Goldstein | Historical Ragbag

I recently saw the movie Suffragette and while I did enjoy it and applaud the important story it is telling I couldn’t help but think that I wanted to write about some of the non-violent members of the women’s suffrage movement. This idea crystallised when I talked to a few people and realised that even the leaders in Australia’s women’s suffrage movement remain largely unknown. As I began to look I found that Suffragettes had prompted many others to write about the people involved with the women’s suffrage movement, which is one of the best outcomes the movie could possibly have had.

An example is the Guardian article below about the fascinating Adela Pankhurst. She was one of the daughters of the celebrated Emmeline Pankhurst, who is played my Meryl Streep in the movie.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/dec/24/wayward-suffragette-adela-pankhurst-and-her-remarkable-australian-life

I decided that I wanted to write about someone I knew a little about already and as I’d done some work on Vida Goldstein at high school, and too many people still haven’t heard of her, I thought she’d be a good place to start. I was intending to write…

Source: Vida Goldstein | Historical Ragbag

Busby’s Bore | Scratching Sydney’s Surface

Source: Scratching Sydney’s Surface.

Busby’s Bore, which runs under Sydney’s streets between Centennial Park and Hyde Park remains as one of the most impressive pieces of convict built infrastructure in Sydney.

In the mid-1820s, Sydney was in the midst of a water crisis.  In the space of 30 years, the European settlers had managed to make their main fresh water source, the Tank Stream, undrinkable through its use as a sewer, an outdoor bathing system and a…

Source: 12 June 2015: Busby’s Bore | Scratching Sydney’s Surface.

The First Fleet | In Times Gone By…

A 1938 image depicting the First Fleet arriving in Australia on the 26th of January, 1788. This was the beginning of European colonisation of the continent, and the 26th is now called Australia Day.From the collection of the National Library of Australia in Canberra.

Source: The First Fleet | In Times Gone By…