Scandal at Residential Care Home as diretor pays himself £1 million pounds while the charity runs up debts of £1.6 million to HMRC for unpaid tazes 22 od societies most vulnerable residents risk ending up on the street after this mans greed. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Looking forward to being part of the Guild of One-Name Studies day seminar, 'From waterways to railways' Sat 21 Feb, Peterborough Really interesting line up & some great speakers! #GuildOccupations #FamilyHistory More details & booking (open till 8 Feb) here: one-name.org/seminar-even...

Northern Railway is running a Class 158 train from Darlington along the scenic heritage route of the Weardale Railway on Sun 22 Feb to support some great local charities. Tickets for this unusual railtour type trip are here weardale-railway.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

There is no reason any of these men need any of this gear. This entire situation is not only dangerous and illegal. It is absurd and stupid. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

I try not look at reviews of Jungle Commandos because I am a perfectionist and I take any kind of criticism to heart (think ‘omg I’m a complete failure I’ve let everyone down’ at the smallest thing 🙃) but this was lovely to see and makes me feel really proud:

Part four of the German Way of War on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/philipwb...

The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated #OTD in 1945 by the 100th Rifle Division of the 1st Ukrainian Front. In memory of that day, January 27th is commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. #history #WW2 #WWII

Always a good time to follow Bellingcat.

In 1996, journalist Irena Brežná travelled to #Chechnya to write a report on the activities of Chechen women under Russian bombs and missiles. In this talk, she will share her experience in this forgotten war without rules. This event will be delivered in Russian. 🗓️ 4 February ➡️ buff.ly/Q1gY6XJ

"'What did we learn from the Holocaust? We have to act and we have to resist,' Tracht said, running out of breath as the car turned the corner. 'If I’m not going to act and resist now, then I shouldn’t call myself a rabbi and I can’t be a proud Jew.'" religionnews.com/2026/01/22/h...

457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan. Trump avoided military service 5 times. How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed.

Death toll in Afghanistan when NATO answered the US’s call: - 453 Britons - 158 Canadians - 89 French - 59 Germans - 53 Italians - 44 Danes - 17 Spaniards “Stayed a little back, off the front lines “! No one in the media will call him out over this lie or any of the others he spouts.

Have you completed a PhD in the last 10 years? Applications are open for our Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship in Sustainability and Environment. Funding covers an £8000 bursary for part-time (0.5) research over 8 months, plus travel expenses. Apply by Monday 9 February. link.bl.uk/VisitingFellowship

Join us online - and for those coming in person, SEE you at SSEES! 😁🥳

Talking to legendary Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! about Trump's Board of Peace (arguing that he is taking us back to the dystopia of early Modern Corporate Capitalism - the Dutch & the British East India Companies), Greenland, Europe and Palestine. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFtf...

Some breaking art historical news for you - a lost portrait of Robert Burns by Sir Henry Raeburn was unveiled today at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It’s been missing for more than 200 years. 1/3

Transfer bogies allow standard gauge rolling stock to reach Finland's workshops by rail https://bit.ly/3NWfkPH

I've seen contacts expressing concern about the following before, but I'm noticing that there are lots of important books in my field (and presumably others) where UK libraries only hold digital copies. These can't be loaned on ILL and aren't easy to read on screen. Becoming a bigger problem.

Today a chap didn’t put his dog on a lead when my friend approached on her horse. ‘oh he's fine’, he said. Dog proceeded to chase my pal‘s (huge) horse, which threw her. She is concussed but ok, thankfully. Please, don’t be lazy. It takes 2 seconds to leash your dog, just in case.

Like this scenario.

This is a very important video to watch. Thank you Ashley the Barroness. One comment from IG was America isn’t becoming Germany. America is becoming America. That really hit home for me. Watch this! Be uncomfortable.

@bbcstever.bsky.social What's behind the Snowflake song (and line dance) which seems to be everywhere

One for @philipwblood.bsky.social www.facebook.com/share/r/17xb...

Read more about various guns tested in IS series tanks and what became of them in my book IS-2 - Development, Design & Production of Stalin's War Hammer. is-2-tank.com www.amazon.com/2-Developmen...

New quality assurance rules were established #OTD in 1942. Every T-34 and KV tank build would be subjected to brief driving trials and every tenth tank was put through gunnery trials. Longer trials were also periodically carried out. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

A good review from Owen Hatherley of Mark Smith forthcoming book Exit Stalin: The Soviet Union as a Civilization, 1953-1991

They just triggered Europe’s next crisis - Yanis Varoufakis & Wolfgang Munchau | The Econoclasts www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-KG...

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... This is Munich 1938, Chamberlain (Starmer and Europe) must stand up to imperial aggression. Close all US bases across Europe and cripple their military in eastern hemisphere is a threat Trump might recognise.

The Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive Operation began #OTD in 1944. The successful offensive was aimed at breaking the blockade of Leningrad fully, rather than the crack made a year prior. The siege was fully lifted by March. #tanks #History #WW2 #WWII

The line to the Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square, June 1987. Photo: Yuri Abramochkin

Lots of #NewBooks - for a new term and a new year. Come and borrow one soon! 📚📚📚🎉

William Blake House a charity running care homes, caring for 22 highly vulnerable individuals near Towcester is being wound up by HMRC for non payment of PAYE and National Insurance Contributions. Charity Commission and West Northants failing in regulation.

Utterly, utterly brilliant.

The East Prussian Operation began #OTD in 1945. As a result of this offensive, the Red Army pushed the Germans out of East Prussia, with the exception of "fortress cities" and a few scattered groups pressed against the Baltic Sea coast. #history #WW2 #WWII

Study of these captured Tiger tanks allowed the Red Army to devise countermeasures and prepare for the Battle of Kursk later that year. Read about this study and others in my book ACHTUNG TIGER!: How The Allies Defeated Germany’s Heavy Tank. www.amazon.com/ACHTUNG-TIGE...

When I read some of these stories I'm reminded of Rustamjon Urinboyev's book "Migration and Hybrid Political Regimes: Navigating the Legal Landscape in Russia" (2020) Some of the patterns of labour recruitment seem similar, only with far more lethal consequences.

#OTD in 1945 the German s.Pz.Abt.424 attacked Lisow with 29 Tigers and 23 King Tigers. The attack failed and the battalion ended up losing all its tanks. They claimed to have ran into a massive tank force, destroying 50-60 IS-2s. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... I have been in the Hague over New Year and while I like the Ollybolen the noise , bangs and explosions make you think a Revolution has broken out.

www.eastcentre-uea.org/events/51st-... Excellent first day at the Conference on the Russian Revolution with Polish food at the drinks buffet, what's not to like?

And book reviews as well—Editor in Chief Martijn Lak reviews The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War by Nick Lloyd, Milton Keynes, from Viking www.penguin.co.uk/books/443194....

and the final article to close out this last issue of the year—"The Significance of Lend-Lease Food to the USSR in World War 2 – A Comparative Statistical Analysis” from David M. Suadicani...

"Logistics of the Front: The Power Behind Soviet Mobility,” from HGW Davie @hgwdavie.bsky.social…

"The Home Army in Warsaw under the Germans, 1939-44: Growth, Structure, Dimensions,” by Matthew Olex-Szczytowski…

Last issue of the year for JSMS has articles on WWII and antifascism and more… everything can be found here… www.tandfonline.com/toc/fslv20/3...

I can confirm that they are delicious, it is just that I do not like going through the revolutionary coup that is New Years Eve and all those fireworks!

@marybrazier.bsky.social @mark4harrison.bsky.social @lydiajane13.bsky.social @philipwblood.bsky.social @jfb1066.bsky.social

Persefone opening the early flatbed scanner, holding the book and her hands into it, making the first #scanninghands of human digital history. I ❤️ it, #skystorians

My best photos of 2025 www.flickr.com/gp/mark4harr...

We’re very excited about this at @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social HQ! This is OPEN TO ALL, regardless of your background, so no imposter syndrome, and please SHARE THE NEWS. If you have a story to tell, get in touch! You can interpret the theme any way you choose!