Passchendaele

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. Here’s an excerpt from an interview I conducted...

Stalag XXIA Schildberg 1940-43

In 2010 I visited the British Commonwealth military cemetery in Poznan, Poland. I was intrigued by the grave of Able Seaman Esrom May, RN because I couldn’t figure out why a Royal Navy sailor was buried so far away from the sea. It turns out he was a POW, captured by the Germans in June 1940 when his ship was stranded on the beach near St. Valery-en-Caux, France. I subsequently found out that he was interned for nearly three years in Ostrzeszow, Poland. This happens to be my wife’s hometown, and the high school she attended was actually used as POW barracks in World War II. Talk about coincidences!

Have a look at this photo essay on my Flickr site: Stalag XXIA Schildberg

Irish-Catholics in 19th-century Halifax

I am very pleased to join a team of researchers who will examine 19th-century Irish-Catholic immigrants in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This SSHRC-funded initiative begins in September 2013 and ends with a symposium in May 2014.StMary'sBrassBand-1892a_cr

Welcome

My first post — learning the ropes in WordPress. So far the learning curve has been manageable. For 12...