by David West | Jul 17, 2025 | News
On the 17th of July, 1936, the Spanish armed forces rebelled against the recently elected left-wing Popular Front government, sparking the Spanish Civil War. Vendetta in Spain, by Dennis Wheatley, is one of my favourite books. It gives a good account of the start of...
by David West | Jul 16, 2025 | News
On the 16th of July, 1661, the Swedish bank Stockholm Banco issued Europes first banknotes. I had wondered when folding money might appear in my books, the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. My characters must tire of carrying all those ducats, pistoles and livres...
by David West | Jul 15, 2025 | News
On the 15th of July, 1849, Austria launched pilotless balloons against Venice during the First Italian War of Independence. This is the first recorded air raid. I have written about aerial warfare before, and about my pilot training, but I hadn’t known about this...
by David West | Jul 14, 2025 | News
The 14th of July is Bastille Day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789, and marking the outbreak of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a formidable fortress-prison located in Paris, originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the eastern...
by David West | Jul 13, 2025 | News
It’s the 13th of July and I am spoilt for choice for my daily post. I could have written about the Siege of Haarlem, a key battle of 1573 during the Eighty Years War, a war in which my ancestor, the Elizabethan spy Sir Anthony Standen, played his part. I could have...
