Hearts that vie for the hearts and soul of Scotland

In the last instalment of a weighty trilogy that attempts to give John Knox a Hilary Mantel-style makeover, we see the Protestant firebrand return to a Scotland that in 1559 was on the brink of civil war. Back in Edinburgh, Knox immediately does battle with Mary, Queen of Scots, who is seeking to claim the…

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Bid to uncover Churchill’s untold Scots connections

THE International Churchill Society (ICS) wants to hear untold stories about Sir Winston Churchill’s connections with Scotland. The society has highlighted many of the Second World War leader’s well-known links to Scotland in the latest issue of its journal, Finest Hour. Those connections include his service in the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on…

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Fascinating look at the 14th Duke of Hamilton

Scottish amateur boxing champion, Unionist MP, participant in the first flight over Mount Everest, the 14th Duke of Hamilton was an adventurous and popular man. But when World War II loomed, Hamilton was embroiled in an escalating rumour that he was a crypto-Facist. Mark Peel rectifies these slanders in this fascinating and detailed biography. The…

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World War I – as seen first hand in the trenches

Mud and Bodies is a fascinating collection of letters and extracts from the war diaries of Captain NAC Weir during the period 1914-1920. The diaries were found by his grandson shortly after his death and provide a first-hand account of the life of a young soldier on the Western Front during WW1. It includes an…

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The story of a family’s move to Scotland from Sri Lanka

The Land of Lost Content is a personal account of Sureshini Sanders’ life. It details her triumphs and struggles as her family came to Scotland to start a new life, escaping the civil war in Sri Lanka. This true story explores love of country and people as, amid heart-rending stories, Sanders talks about the cultural…

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The dedication of Henrietta Tayler to help in the war

Henrietta Tayler was a truly remarkable woman in the First World War effort. Born into the Scottish gentry, she might have lived a life of ease, but instead chose to dedicate herself to assisting the soldiers on the front line. She also published more than 30 full-length works and articles in order to help and…

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An epic tale set during the time of Culloden

Surrey-born author Kimberley Jordan Reeman has created an epic 782-page book that is not for the faint hearted. Set in Scotland in 1746 during the bloody military occupation of the Highlands, gut-wrenching atrocities set a distinctly dark tone from the outset. But when English soldier Mordaunt saves an infant from the horrors of 18th-century rebellion,…

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The brave RAF base that protected our skies from the Luftwaffe

When war broke out in 1939, the Luftwaffe attacked the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. Spitfires from the Drem airfield in East Lothian were scrambled to protect it, engaging in one of the first air battles over Britain, with Drem aircraft patrolling the skies over the Firth of Forth until the end of the war.…

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Surfing Scots star in new Carling TV advert

A group of intrepid Scots surfers who brave the freezing cold waters of the North Sea have become the stars of a new national advertising campaign from Carling called ‘Made Local’. 45-year-old Jason Burnett stars in the ad, along with his fellow surf friends from the local, windswept town of Pease Bay in Berwickshire. Jason…

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Remembering the lives of brave military Scots

The Daily Telegraph’s  collection of 100 military obituaries from the past 16 years, edited by David Twiston Davies, is both informative and moving. The obituaries have been featured in the broadsheet newspaper over the years, and include those celebrated for their great heroism and their involvement in major operations. Others have extraordinary stories to tell,…

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