Attacks Gallery

Map of Sicily by G. H. Davis

A contour map of Sicily, giving the shortest air distances from Cape Bon and Malta. At this stage in the Second World War it was a British front-line objective in Axis eyes, a target of major air attacks on Palermo and other strategic points, and the stepping stone to Italy. Date: 1943

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

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The Golliwoggs Bicycle Club - Surrounded by Cannibals

Surrounded by Cannibals! The book charts Golliwogg's adventures with his dutch peg doll friends Peggy, Weg, Meg, Sarah Jane and the dinky little Midget. This is the 2nd title in a 13-book series of Golliwogg books written by mother Bertha and illustrated by daughter Florence. The tale revolved around their travels around the globe on homemade bicycles (and the disasters that befall them!). These books gave the origination of the term golliwogg, now seen as highly un-PC and socially-unacceptable for reasons of supposed racial stereotyping and changing political attitudes, despite the innocent intent of the original creation, set in a time of wildly different social norms'. Date: 1896

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Panjdeh incident - Russian encounter with Afghan forces at Pul-i-Khishty (Brick Bridge)

Panjdeh incident - Russian encounter with Afghan forces at Pul-i-Khishty (Brick Bridge) . The incident of 1885 was a diplomatic crisis between the British Empire and the Russian Empire caused by Russian expansion south-eastwards towards the Emirate of Afghanistan and the British Raj (India). After nearly completing the Russian conquest of Central Asia (Russian Turkestan) Russian forces captured an Afghan border fort. Seeing a threat to India, Britain came close to threatening war but both sides backed down and the matter was settled by diplomacy. The effect was to stop further Russian expansion in Asia, except for the Pamir Mountains and to define the north-western border of Afghanistan. Date: 1885

© Mary Evans Picture Library