Scotland Yard's Casebook of Serious Crime

Scotland Yard’s Casebook of Serious Crime written by Dick Kirby published by Pen & Sword Books - £19.99 - Hardback - Pages 256

Times change and not always for the better. Dick Kirby, a former experienced Met detective and now best-selling author, maintains that the current politically correct culture coupled with an inept Crown Prosecution Service and aided and abetted by the Police & Criminal Evidence Act, has slowed the pursuit of criminals and justice to a snail’s pace.

As this gripping book clearly demonstrates it was not always so. During the 20th Century, uniformed officers were visibly part of the community, patrolling their beats and protecting the public’s property. Detectives detected, cultivated informants and, like their uniform counterparts, knew the characters on their manor. What’s more, they were backed by their senior officers, who had on-the-job experience.

Drawing on both celebrated and lesser known cases, the author vividly describes crime fighting against merciless gangsters, desperate gunmen, inept kidnappers, vicious robbers, daring burglars and ruthless blackmailers. Using his first-hand knowledge he highlights the often unconventional methods used to frustrate and outwit hardened criminals and the satisfaction gained from successful operations.

One chapter – “An Old Master” – accurately describes the theft of Goya’s portrait, The Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961. This audacious heist was recently adapted into film: “The Duke” starring Jim Broadbent as the thief and Helen Mirren as his long-suffering wife.

Written by Dick Kirby, probably the third book of his I have read and I have to say what a brilliant writer he is and his background in the police probably makes him an even better writer due to knowing the system inside and out. He has an informative style that in my opinion helps grip the reader because I read this book in just a couple of nights and I really wanted to read more.

The book covers serious crimes over the second half of the 20th century and being serious crimes, your looking at crimes such as jewellery theft, robberies, blackmail, bank heists, forgery etc. The book is split into 28 chapters with each chapter covering a different crime and we see how crimes were solved, how evidence came about and often how the police were hampered by the system that was in theory supposed to help tackle crime. I enjoyed the punishment terms at the back of the book, quite enlightening. A really detailed and informative book certainly a book I would recommend and true crime fans would love this book.

Zeppelin Inferno - The Forgotten Blitz 1916

Zeppelin Inferno - The Forgotten Blitz 1916 written by Ian Castle and published

by Frontline Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 400

At the beginning of 1916, as the world entered the second full year of global conflict, the cities, towns and villages of Britain continued to lay vulnerable to aerial bombardment. Throughout that period German Zeppelin airships and seaplanes had come and gone at will, their most testing opposition provided by the British weather as the country’s embryonic defences struggled to come to terms with this first ever assault from the air. Britain’s civilians were now standing on the frontline — the Home Front — like the soldiers who had marched off to war. But early in 1916 responsibility for Britain’s aerial defence passed from the Admiralty to the War Office and, as German air attacks intensified, new ideas and plans made dramatic improvements to Britain’s aerial defence capability.

While this new system could give early warning of approaching raiders, there was a lack of effective weaponry with which to engage them when they arrived. Behind the scenes, however, three individuals, each working independently, were striving for a solution. The results of their work were spectacular; it lifted the mood of the nation and dramatically changed the way this campaign was fought over Britain.

The German air campaign against Britain in the First World War was the first sustained strategic aerial bombing campaign in history. Despite this, it has become forgotten against the enormity of the Blitz of the Second World War, although for those caught up in the tragedy of these raids, the impact was every bit as devastating. In Zeppelin Inferno Ian Castle tells the full story of the 1916 raids in unprecedented detail in what is the second book in a trilogy that will reveal the complete story of Britain’s ‘Forgotten Blitz’.

A fascinating book about a fascinating subject in my own opinion. I have always found it staggering the size of Zeppelins and how these huge gigantic ships hang in the air. I used to live near RAF Cardington, Beds where they now keep I presume a couple of airships for promotional events and they are big, but much smaller than those used in the Great War. But it amazes me how if you were a child during WWI and you saw one of these coming over your town or area, must have left you in awe that these things were from a different planet. 

Ian Castle has written a really good book covering 20 chapters taking the evidential views and opinions of people at the time. The book follows the dates of the German blitz in and around the country, and we get to learn about the amount of damage caused. We also get essential eyewitness accounts and what it was like to experience these events and people’s thoughts. The accounts are good to read and really help inform the book and the subject, at the back of the book is also a number of blitz reports explaining who and how many died. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, a subject that doesn’t get the amount of attention it deserves.

A History of Tri-ang and Lines Brothers Ltd

A History of Tri-ang and Lines Brothers Ltd written by Kenneth D. Brown and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 160

The toy industry and its close relationship with children’s artefacts and equipment made a significant contribution to the light industries which came to increasing prominence in the British economy over the twentieth century as traditional heavy manufacturing declined. The demand for toys, both national and international, accelerated after the Great Exhibition of 1851 and two brothers, George and Joseph Lines, were among the most prominent of the manufacturers to emerge in the Victorian period. However, it was Lines Brothers Ltd., formally incorporated in 1919 by Joseph’s three sons, which very quickly established itself as the leading British toy company, overcoming the vicissitudes of depression and world war to become the world’s largest toy manufacturer by the 1950s. With operations in many parts of the world it was arguably the world’s first multi-national toy company, enjoying something of a golden age before collapsing spectacularly in the face of intensifying international competition and a changing economic climate.

This is the fascinating story of a family business whose iconic Tri-ang trademark was universally recognised and whose most famous products included model railways, Spot-on and Minic cars, soft toys, Pedigree prams, dolls’ houses, Scalextric, and Cindy dolls. It is a serious economic, business and industrial history, touching on important themes such as the interplay between government and business, the nature of entrepreneurship, the significance of company culture and organisation, and the changing nature of childhood. Above all, it is a story of strong personalities, familial tensions, and an underlying determination to bring delight to children.

I read this book because my own father used to be a huge collector of small cars and toys when he was younger, in fact, if I had a look in his loft he might still have a few floating about. So my interest was kind of a shared interest and a hope to see a number of pictures of toy cars and learn more about them. The book is very much a book about the history of a toy company like the title says, it was very much a case of good ideas prospering in a small business doing well to a certain point until other business activities, trends, and society would eventually see the slow spiral downwards to the business coming to an end. This was a nice story about a small business, I would say that this would be a fascinating book for people who knew the company when it was in its heyday or people who like to buy and collect small cars and toys. Whilst I found the book interesting just because I like reading about histories and timelines of companies for some strange reason, what I would have liked to have seen was more pictures of the toys and cars made by the company to see what people, like my Dad actually used to collect or play with.

Carry On Regardless

Carry On Regardless written by Caroline Frost and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 232

The completely updated story of Carry On, Britain's largest film franchise, all the way from the gentle capers of the 1950s, through the raucous golden age of the 1960s, to its struggles in the years that followed.

We take a happy walk down memory lane to enjoy again Sid James's cheeky chuckle, Kenneth Williams' elongated vowels, Charles Hawtrey's bespectacled bashfulness and Barbara Windsor's naughty wiggle.

It all seemed effortless, but exclusive interviews with the series' remaining stars including Bernard Cribbins, Angela Douglas and Kenneth Cope shed new light on just how much talent and hard work went into creating the laughs. For the first time, the loved ones of some of the franchise’s biggest names – on and off screen – share their personal memories from this unique era.

Was Carry On really as sexist, racist and bigoted as critics claim? Three of the films' female stars explain why they never felt remotely exploited, plus we take a fresh look at some of the series' biggest titles and discover that, in reality, they were far more progressive than their detractors would have you believe.

Finally, with constant talk about new films, fresh productions and tantalising speculation about a brand new era of Carry On, we ask – does this unique series still have legs?

On Sunday afternoons in the 80’s when I was a teenager the choice used to be a western or a ‘Carry On’ film if you were a film buff. I always picked a ‘Carry On’ if I wanted a laugh or cheering up. The sound of a Sid James laugh still echoes in my head or if I’m reading about Rome or the Romans I have ‘Infamy, Infamy they’ve all got it in for me’ in my head. What a cracking read that tells you some of the stories and going on’s and some of the highs and lows of some of the actors throughout the franchise.

The book also doesn’t shy away from criticism for the modern day audience about sexism, racism and bigotry but the book comes back well at these accusations and shows how the Carry On films were actually not as bad people like to say and in some ways showed how they were sometimes ahead of their time. This has been a really good read, and an entertaining read I didn’t know I needed. Excellent research by the author who has done a really good job. I would definitely recommend this book.

Brandenburger

Brandenburger - Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther written by Anthony

Rogers and published by Greenhill Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 160

In March 1940, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Walther transferred from Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5, an

armoured reconnaissance unit, to Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 – forerunner of what would

soon be known as the ‘Brandenburger’. Two months later, he led a commando action in the

Netherlands and became the first of his unit to be awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross).

By May 1944, Walther was an Oberstleutnant and an experienced regimental commander

in what had evolved as the Division ‘Brandenburg’. He would eventually join

Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny’s SS-Jagdverbände as Chief of Staff, before seeing

out the last days of the war with the short-lived Schutzkorps Alpenland.

More than 200 images, together with the original German captions and English translations, portray the life and times of this career officer, from the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, to operations in Russia, Greece and the Balkans during 1941–44.

In comparison with other units of the Second World War, relatively little has been published about Germany’s commando forces. This is hardly surprising, considering the paucity of source material available and the air of mystery and intrigue still surrounding this specialist formation. This unique collection of rare images was sourced from the photograph album of Wilhelm Walther and is sure to appeal to all with an interest in the war in the West and on the Eastern Front, as well as to militaria collectors, modellers and re-enactment groups.

This Images of War book is a little different to the others in the series in that it follows the military lifetime Wilhelm Walther in the Brandenburger, the German equivalent to the Allies' special forces. He would lead on special ops in the Holland region, where he would receive the Knight’s Cross or Ritterkreuz. The book contains about 200 images of Walther himself and his unit in action at the time and as he progressed up the ranks. Actually, a decent sized collection of photographs tell the story of one German officer in World War II. A really good read and it was nice to read about an individual rather than a weapon, operation region of conflict.

British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War

British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War written by Les Brown and 

published by Seaforth Publishing - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

The ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.

This volume covers the many variations of Royal Navy wartime escort destroyers, both the purpose-built ‘Hunt’ class and the conversions from older fleet destroyers. The ‘Hunts’ were built in four groups (Types I to IV), while the old ‘V&W’ classes were modified to Long Range Escort, Short Range Escort and ‘Wair’ (anti-aircraft) variants. Also included are the fifty ex-US ‘flush-deckers’ that became the ‘Town’ class.

With its unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build any of these numerous escort types.

This is the first book in the ShipCraft series from Seaforth Publishing that I have read. Wow, I have really enjoyed reading and reviewing this book looking at British Escort Destroyers in the Second World War. Based on the same basis as the TankCraft books this book is fantastic looking at the various destroyers that made an appearance during WWII. Looking at these Royal Navy fast escorts we learn about the types or classes of destroyer, we also learn about the different paint schemes, models, designs and photographs of the actual ships at sea, but also the models. I would like to thank Seaforth Publishing for allowing me to review this book as I have learnt so much about these ships and the Royal Navy and all about the ships’ specifications, designs and the reasons why. This was a thoroughly interesting read and I would most certainly recommend this book and the series.

Tank Craft 34: Panther Medium Tank

Tank Craft 34: Panther Medium Tank written by Dennis Oliver and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

In July 1943 the German army launched what was to be its last major offensive on Soviet soil.

Codenamed Operation Citadel, the attack had initially been scheduled to commence in May

but was postponed by Hitler on a number of occasions to allow the divisions in the East to be

reinforced and to ensure that the new Panther tanks could be deployed. In the fifth book on the

Panther in this series Dennis Oliver examines the first vehicles that left the assembly plants to

go into service against the Red Army as part of Operation Citadel and the units that arrived in

the late summer and early autumn of 1943. In addition to archive photographs and painstakingly

researched, exquisitely presented colour illustrations, a large part of this book showcases

available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully

constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications

introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the

modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of the Panther tanks that fought in the

East in 1943.

As I have said with previous books in this series the Tank Craft books are brilliant for model

makers, you get so many detailed photos of the various tank models in the process of being

made. But you also get the different camouflages for the different theatres of war, especially

when you enter the Cold War era you have many different designs in accordance with the

surrounding terrain. But in World War Two you’ve got different camouflages for Normandy,

France, the North Africa campaign and terrain on the Eastern Front. I think the Panther

Medium Tank is my personal favourite tank, so it has been a great read and one I would

recommend as it makes an important entry into the series.