Kevin Lockyer

I remember a time when the political left was in favour of free speech and opposed to censorship. Oh, how things change.

Until 5 years ago, anything better than 1.2 was a dream for me...

Coming soon to the Redan, Journal of the Palmerston Forts Society...

Cover image of the Camden volume, The Papers of Admiral George Grey, edited by Michael Taylor.

'The Papers of Admiral George Grey' is the new volume in the Society's Camden series of primary source editions: bit.ly/4kPZYYf

The collection, edited by ‪@mhtaylor.bsky.social‬, brings together the letters, journal and memoir of George Grey (1809-1891), son of Earl Grey 1/2

It's 'armed with rifled guns'

Yeah, the second sentence is about the clearest in the 60 odd letters I have…

Factional conflict. Civil war.

Sidney Herbert is not my friend…

I was listening to Achtung Bono (some of his finest work) only this morning

But I’m busy with something else…

Absolutely and without a doubt

A little light reading…

Fortunately not

Reading mid-19th century handwriting can be challenging at the best of times. Reading it in poorly reproduced images (for example where the reverse of the page has bled through) on microfilm on a reader out of the ark is even harder...

I am really interested in the way in which large organisations and institutions adapt to paradigm-shifting new technology. My particular interest is in late-Victorian British military institutions, but I am looking for more general material. Any guidance on key texts I ought to be looking at?

Biff looks slightly less than enthusiastic though. Come on man, give it some effort...

Were you there? Did you Know?

I’m half way through my first list of material I want to consult at the National Archives. I’d better buy a house in Kew…

It makes me think of me and my friends going to a particular nightclub when we were 16/17 (in 1982, funnily enough). I just love it so much.

I will never, ever, tire of that song. Perfection

Our third Starter Pack for historians lists institutes and research centres based in the UK and Republic of Ireland go.bsky.app/RbfRrhm

This now includes over 90 centres with BlueSky accounts. We also welcome recommendations for additions to this pack.

#skystorians

It's only Fascism if it comes from the Fascisti region of Italy. Otherwise it's just sparkling authoritarianism.

I had totally forgotten that the EU was created solely to get one over on the US. I must re-read the Treaty of Rome…

If there was any doubt about the utter futility of acting as if Trump was just a mildly eccentric character who would ultimately recognise and follow normal rules of diplomatic behaviour, it must surely now have been dispelled. That was the most shameful display by a US president in my lifetime

I like my sugar with coffee and cream

I didn't actually need all four volumes of Johnson and Buel's Battles and Leaders of the Civil War and it isn't that relevant to my research, but it was in the secondhand bookshop and it was a good price, so that makes it fine, right?

YouTube video by Sound Signals Gil Scott Heron "Winter In America" (1974) HIGH QUALITY

Mourning the death of American democracy...

You've got it!

Words to that effect, but a bit more English...

My assessment of Tesla owners has never been quite that diplomatic