Gunboat crews in defence of the realm

To mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, John Eskdale and other survivors share their harrowing memories of war and stories of hope

Beryl Nevell thought her service during the Second World War had been a case of ‘doing her duty’. Then someone special stepped in and showed her what she was truly owed…

Today, the ocean liner is often considered a glamorous yet thoroughly outdated form of transport. While ships such as the RMS Titanic and the RMS Lusitania remain household names, their lesser-known c

When I was aged 10, the farmers used to come round the schools to pick volunteers to work on the farms during the summer holidays, mainly to help bring in the harvest. The country was still building u

Back to sea. Off to the end of land, away from the pastoral, the pretty order of serene lawns, blackbirds and cottages, farms and ploughed earth. The tide carried us back down the sheltered rivers of

Iris climbed down from the donkey cart that had given her a lift from Penzance station, being careful not to ladder her best stockings, and walked up the narrow lane to Nantolven Farm. There was no si