I'm primarily a maritime and naval author, though
my books have included an illustrated history of Trafalgar Square, a companion to the Imperial War Museum's War Correspondent
exhibition, and the TV-tie in for Dan Snow's three-part Dig WW2, which took me into land conflict and air
warfare (though I had covered a century of naval aviation while writing Carrier) as well as naval aspects.
You may be surprised to find a big article about antique mercury barometers and the Ortelli
family who made them, in Britain. This is my guilty pleasure. There is something very special about these useful,
decorative, handcrafted instruments - and the story of the Italian immigrants who came to Britain in the late 18th century
to make them.
TALKS
I enjoy giving
talks on various subjects connected with my research:
The Loss of the Winterton, 1792:
The wreck of the Winterton off Madagascar in 1792 and the adventures of the men and women who survived.
The Convicts of The Amphitrite: the women who never made it to Australia
Day
Trip To Disaster: the wreck of the Rothsay Castle
Mercurial Immigrants:
the Italians who came to Britain from Lake Como to sell and make barometers.
A Corner of an
English Field that is Forever German: the talk based on 'Why Am I Still Here?'and
of the research itself.
Fee
For talks in 2017,
I charge £40 for venues within a radius of 15 miles of my home; additional mileage is calculated at 30p per mile.
