Clive Holden

In September 1939 Britain was once again at war with Germany. In Whitehall, Prime Minister Chamberlain handed a senior cabinet minister the delicate task of co-ordinating plans for the denial to Germany of the vital economic assets of neutral Holland and Belgium should Hitler invade those countries. Prominent among these important assets were those countries’ oil stocks, which would have to be destroyed to prevent them falling into German hands. This task would eventually fall to a group of former cement workers who had been formed into a Territorial unit of the Royal Engineers. Little did they know then, that in just nine months some of them would find themselves across the North Sea conducting dangerous demolition operations in the face of the enemy. Preparations for these operations, continued through the remaining months of 1939 into 1940 involving intelligence gathering, undercover reconnaissance missions, and weeks of intensive training for the naval and military demolition teams. Then, in May 1940, the German offensive in the West began and four Royal Navy destroyers set sail from Dover carrying demolition teams to their objectives in Dutch and Belgian ports. Upon arrival, they faced immediate challenges, including constant air attacks and the need for cooperation from reluctant local authorities. At the ports, the Royal Navy also found itself involved in operations to evacuate British civilians and officials, together with members of the Dutch Royal family, as well as salvaging stocks of gold bullion from bank vaults in a war-torn city. Amidst all this chaos the demolition teams carried out their tasks and then made their way back to England, displaying patience, tenacity, courage and sheer bloody-mindedness along the way. The full story of the background, planning and execution of these little-known but dramatic operations and other events that surrounded them is told here in greater detail than ever before.

For almost forty-five years following the end of the Second World War, the world held its breath as the spectre of an even more terrible and devastating conflict hung over it. Britain played a significant role in what became known as the ‘Cold War’. As a senior member of NATO with its own independent nuclear deterrent, the country was also a target for Soviet attack. Unlike the early years of the previous world wars, the country was not faced with the prospect of an enemy invasion; however, it was faced with the probability of attack by nuclear armed missiles and bombs. Kent played an important role during the Cold War as it was still the home to many important military bases and installations. Following the demise of the Soviet Union most of these installations fell out of use and were abandoned and in some cases demolished or redeveloped to make way for housing and industrial estates, whilst others have been repurposed or restored as museums. This book seeks to rediscover some of those sites and explain the purpose they served.

Kent has a long and illustrious military history dating back to the Roman occupation but the first great conflict of the twentieth century brought the horrors of war to a new generation. Thousands of the county’s finest young men were sent off to fight in battlefields around the world including Europe’s Western Front, which was less than a day’s travel from Kent. Because of its proximity to this major war zone, Kent came to play a pivotal role in the conflict. The ports of Dover and Folkestone were the main staging posts for the British Expeditionary Force and the primary points of arrival for the thousands of wounded servicemen being repatriated from the Front. Its hospitals cared for the wounded and its munitions factories produced the armaments needed to fight the war. The county’s geographical position also made it a prime target for German air raids and naval bombardments, which brought the terrors of modern war to the civilian population for the first time. Kent at War tells the remarkable story of the First World War as it unfolded and affected the county and its people.

This fascinating journey along the River Medway invites readers to explore the history and folklore of the one of Britain's most beautiful and enchanting rivers.

Chatham has had an association with the Royal Navy since Elizabethan times, moving to its current site in 1622. It provided the facilities to build, repair, maintain and supply ships. In the mid-nineteenth century, work began on expanding the dockyard into St Mary's Island, where three huge basins and five new docks were constructed, almost quadrupling its size, in order to support twentieth-century vessels. Work then commenced on a new home for Royal Navy seamen. The new barracks, HMS Pembroke, opened in 1903 providing accommodation for 5,000 officers and ratings for the following eighty years. The dockyard and barracks finally closed in 1984 and the Royal Navy bid farewell to Chatham. However, its legacy remains and its many historic dockyard and barrack buildings provide a warm welcome for residents and visitors alike.

Trains of Winnipeg is a new hybrid of performed poetry by Clive Holden with music from the acclaimed musicians Christine Fellows as well as Jason Tait and John K. Samson of The Weakerthans. It's part of a multimedia art project including: trainsofwinnipeg.com, which features art film & video, mp3 audio, graphic and animated poetry, audio field recordings, pictures and links relating to trains in Winnipeg and Canada.