And so that was November, a month of various dates of historical significance – Remembrance Sunday, Guy Fawkes Night, Thanksgiving. With the days shortening and the nights becoming longer we plunge into the darkness of December. But enough of such talk, what about what happened on this blog throughout the month of November?

Three posts were devoted to family ancestors who lost their lives during the First World War of 1914-18. The 100th year since the signing of the armistice provided poignant documentaries and commentary on television and in print, which encouraged me to upload some of the stories that had affected me during family history research. The first was on ‘The Mystery of William Turner’, a naval-man who later enlisted in the Great War and lost his life at Verdun. The second was George Edward Donohoe: a person who – as the records make clear – should have never been in a war (like so many countless others). There was a follow-up post on George Donohoe which was based on discussion raised in a degree class with students, all of which offered interesting routes forward if I wished to continue researching into George and the impact of the war on “ordinary” people.

November also saw a couple of posts on the theme of ‘The Undiscovered Country of Nearby’. This includes Goodrington’s Sugarloaf Hill and the fantastic views it offers to a person so inclined to awake early in the morning, as well as a small parish church north of Torbay, Devon. This was a post that I had wanted to put out weeks and weeks ago, with the actual walk in the area undertaken back in August. So, I’m glad that it has finally surfaced on the blog.

The two other posts uploaded in November included an older essay from my degree days, focusing on the impact of industrialisation on British “leisure”, as well as one focusing on Nazi Reichstag elections (which was spurred from looking at the data in preparation of an A-level class).

As always, the posts appear to remain eclectic and almost random; but as always the unifying factor is to post whatever historical debate or thought that I encounter during my week. On reflection I’m incredibly lucky to be spurred on from the classroom and from wider reading and discussion. And so onward to December.

Other Monthly Round-Ups: