Very happy with this pic of 3 Chinooks of the Royal Air Force passing over Parliament on Tuesday afternoon. #History #Parliament #Airpower #photography #helicopters

Pretty happy to have used, and perhaps coined, the alliterative "vexillological vandalism". #flags #raisethecolours

My garage flagpole was the only flag in my street for several years, it has now been joined by a lamppost Union Jack (not pictured! This is mine) and it is upside down. Thankfully I identified the lads who put it up & told them, hope they fix it if nothing else.

All this vexing #vexillology has activated me. I hereby declare that all roundabouts in England should have a flagpole added & this flown (in Wales & Scotland, the canton shall their flags, in NI it will say "Speeds in MPH") - then you both know where you are & when a roundabout is near. Sorted.

Just looking back to that time I accidentally created a #40k meme character on #reddit & White Dwarf sent me a signed picture of him. #Warhammer40k #wargaming @snipethesorrow.bsky.social @wib.bsky.social

Amongst a great amount of interesting & fun events in my life recently, I've discovered "Black Redcoats" is in the Nashville public library. My first confirmed public library presence! An oddly emotional moment. #History #authorlife #writing #justwriteit

Finally, a pic of I at Paula Ogun Hector's amazing #VJ80 #WW2 event. In front of her tapestry of Afro-Caribbean, African, & Asian heroes of WW2 (& Americans too!) - how many can you name? #History #Blackhistory

Final little bit of last night's painting, a series of Epic 40k sized #Warhammer tanks, in the colour scheme of my WH40k 3rd Ornsworld army. #Wargaming

Final elements of the #Waterloo display for 11 Oct at Apsley House. With great thanks to @graemecallister.bsky.social for French info, and Michael Rayner for Prussians. After this Black History Month event, I'll be proud owner of a great display I'll happily lend to anyone who may need it! #History

As well as creating Waterloo's forces this evening, I took a few minutes to create these #Warhammer40k Alaitoc Eldar - which I very much enjoyed! #wargaming

Nearly done with #Waterloo for 11 Oct at Apsley House. Now i know how big the table needs to be. #history #wargaming #blackhistory @zwhitehistory.bsky.social @graemecallister.bsky.social

Preparing for my (& @zwhitehistory.bsky.social, @graemecallister.bsky.social, & friends!) event on 11 Oct 2025 at Apsley House in London where we'll have a #Waterloo display & talk for Black History Month about those African and Afro-Caribbean born soldiers who fought in that great battle #history

From "Black Canadian Veterans Stories" on Facebook - well worth a follow, it's excellent. Image from 8 August 1914 in Woodstock, New Brunswick, showing engineers including Miles Dymond answering the call to #WW1 - they'd form part of 1st Field Co, Canadian Engineers #History #blackhistory

A true classic in the field of German signage.

#Marvel "Secret Invasion" series was never going to please me because they didn't include this Royal Marine going all Sarge from Dog Soldiers (as seen in Cpt Britain & MI13) about defending Parliament with 2 Para, 3 Commando RM and the Royal Anglians from the Skrull. #properjob

👋 This week… The War of 1812 and ‘Black Redcoats: the Corps of Colonial Marines 1814-16’ with the fab @blackredcoats.bsky.social 🙌 💬A great chat about the raising of the Corps and its role in the campaign 🚨 Like, follow and subscribe on the 🔗 pinned to the profile page🙏 #History

I'm shocked, shocked, that I've known @badsocialism.bsky.social for more than several minutes & I had to find out about anti-Nazi calypso music from his appearance on the Strictly Facts podcast! #history #music #Trinidad www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSwP...

Love doing a tour for an engaged audience - a bevy of WW2 historians no less! #history #ww2

Met a proper celeb of politics today. #politics #downingstreet

Had a lovely Saturday just gone touring around ‪@michaelohajuru.bsky.social,‬ Keith Piper, Paula Ogun Hector & guests around @ukparliament.parliament.uk with a particular focus on #BlackHistory - something very present, but poorly commemorated (for now!) in this great gothic Palace #history

On Sunday just gone I had the pleasure of bringing the "Black Redcoats" story to the people of #Willen Village - from the pulpit of the Church of St Mary Magdalene, a 1680 delight by Robert Hooke FRS. #history

Happy memories of visiting @tankmuseum.bsky.social a few years ago and finding some of the vehicles adorned with these delights. #tanksalot #history

I'm genuinely disappointed at how few American commentators have drawn comparisons between the Trooping of the Colour for HM The King's Birthday, and the Trump event. It's literally lying right there.

Being the token military historian at a social history focused conference was quite a thing. Highly recommend the experience to all my musketry loving friends. #history #historians

Before heading off to Aberystwyth managed to finish model 3/4 of Gorechosen. I originally didn't like the look of this model, but paint has really brought it to life & I'm glad I stuck with it. #wargaming #painting #warhammer

Lovely time at Aber Uni at The Communication & Exchange conference. A great pile of #history @joeycrozier.bsky.social @ctcallisen.bsky.social @mrfw17thc.bsky.social @jpsa.bsky.social @hammurab1.bsky.social @rharman.bsky.social @noluckst2.bsky.social and more, ta for a great series of papers!

@zwhitehistory.bsky.social @graemecallister.bsky.social & other fine historical minds will be joining me here, in the Waterloo Gallery at Apsley House, London, on 11 October 2025 for a Black History Month event "The Black Soldiers of Waterloo". Put us in your calendar! #history #blackhistory #London

"Sharpe's #Waterloo" has many ups and downs, but due to my area of history, I've long loved it for whichever members of the writing staff and crew managed to get this batman into the production. #history #blackhistory

An interesting depiction of a Colonial Marine "Black Redcoat" in the #Apalachicola Centre for History, Culture and Art #Florida. That's an officer's coat so I wonder if this artwork depicts Garcon, the CO of Prospect Bluff in 1816. #history #blackhistory

Managed to get in some #Saga #wargaming taking my Byzantine Romans against my wife's #vikings - the forces of Rome-but-in-Greek failed to stop the barbarians after the Magister Militarum (me!) threw away his cavalry early. #history #gaming #models

I very much enjoyed doing this interview! Great observations & incisive questions make presenting this incredible tale so much easier. #history #podcasts #foryourears

#Historian friends! We have a date for an Apsley House Black History event - tentatively titled "The Black Soldiers of Waterloo" - but with much room for discussion about black presence in the Napoleonic wars & era, it's 11 Oct 2025 ... please get in touch with me if you'd like to help! #history

Off the military history circuit to the #Caribbean social history circuit! Tune in & hear me yet again breathlessly tell this great tale #history #blackhistory www.buzzsprout.com/1562981/epis...

Rough images as I took them direct off a TV screen in haste as I was blown away by how a cheap and schlocky 1985 sci-fi (Zone Troopers, go watch it!) can lay down the badass. #cultfilm #movies #lowbudgethighcool

Finally, a US Civil War anniversary I doubt even @civilwarmemory.bsky.social was aware of, huzzah for the 9th Bearded! White flags are no match for bayonets!

Treat yourself to me talking about my book "Black Redcoats" & the amazing military actions these formerly enslaved Americans fought in, & how much British success in 1812-15 relied on their bravery, knowledge, & efforts. #blackhistory #HistoryMatters #history

Just a little shout out to when defunct The Simpsons game "Tapped Out" took a swipe at white washing of American military #blackhistory #history #historymatters

Absolutely delighted to receive this from @hicksy.bsky.social ! I can't wait to really get my teeth into it. #wargaming #history

Little £1 grab from MKs Campaign 2025. Completely freehand standard, once someone's opus now just detritus in a lead pile. I'll rebase him & keep him going another few decades. This Guardsman will march decades into the future yet. #wargaming #models #painting #napoleonic

#historian friends of Bluesky, I am currently planning a one-day event in October 2025 for Black History Month, talking about the black soldiers of Waterloo, at Apsley House. Would anyone like to be involved? It'll be a fun day out in a great location. #history #HistoryMatters

#VE80 #VEday80 concert with a speech by HM The King, a Lancaster flypast AND a Dad's Army skit featuring @patersonjoseph.bsky.social ? Oh go on then! #historymatters

For #VEDay #VE80 I present what I find to be one of the most effecting #WW2 memorials, the Kranji Memorial in Singapore. #history

The Nazis were defeated by a global coalition of awkward, including racist democracies, imperial empires and communist dictatorships, which doesn't for a moment take away the sheer glory and victory that was the defeat of Nazi Germany. #VEDay80

Went a little mad on the VE Day #VE80 commemoration bunting. Used what I had in the collection, some anachronisms, some period-accurate, & some took historio-political debate. #History #HistoryMatters #VEDay80

Pretty delighted to have my book "Black Redcoats" - and my hair! - unexpectedly appearing in @thespectator1828.bsky.social ... #history #authorlife

18 Colonial Marines & 12 Royal Marines march forth for King & Freedom! #wargaming #history

Based on maps I've seen equating the territory occupied by Russia in Ukraine on to a US map, most have looked at the east coast - I think this is more apt, and I admit deliberately incendiary by equating historical & demographic factors inexactly. #althistory

I'm a big nerd for maps & I wondered about this recently, the occupied part of Ukraine proportionally as part of the continental US & happily found an example, which allows me to dig up this map of the US if the US had lost proportionate land to Nazi Germany as the USSR did by mid-42. #history #ww2

The legacy of Nicolls is incredible. His character was such that Fernando (later, Polydore) escaped slavery to became a Marine under Nicolls, but was re-enslaved after battle by US forces in 1818; in 1865, nearly 50 years later, as a free man again, he became "Nicles". #blackhistory #history

Special Day! Took a leaf from @zwhitehistory.bsky.social & with info from Dr Abrutat I sought out the grave of Edward Nicolls! This Royal Marine led 100s of enslaved to freedom. I left him with the Union Jack he served so well & a red "no quarter" flag that those he led fought & died under. #History