Tracing ancestors in the royal air force

How a group of women risked their lives to protect their nation in WWII and shatter social norms

Q My great great grandfather, Enoch Coates, was wounded in the Crimean War at Sebastopol. His death notice in the Lichfield Mercury, on Friday 9 December 1910, describes him as a “Crimean Veteran” and

Men and women of Ireland mobilised to fight for Irish independence with the establishment of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. The Irish Volunteers, later the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and other allied

When World War Two broke out, conscription came into force for all males aged between 18 and 41. From December 1941, 17 million women aged 19-30 were also conscripted into the forces or for war work.

“ Light-hearted banditry”, “ruthless pirating”, a “phantom army” – it’s fair to say that the Special Air Service (SAS) didn’t always attract the most complimentary headlines. In the white heat of the

SINCE THE END OF WWII, THE ROLE OF RAF BOMBER COMMAND HAS REMAINED HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL. MARCUS GIBSON ARGUES THAT INSTEAD OF A MURKY LEGACY, ITS FLIGHT CREWS DESERVE THANKS FOR STOPPING NAZI GERMANY