Peter Doyle
@profpeterdoyle.bsky.social
Military Historian (and geologist)
Trench warfare, terrain and material culture
FRHistS
Trench warfare, terrain and material culture
FRHistS
In praise of this book, given to me by my sister when I was quite young. Published in 1970 and written by the influential paleo anthropologist F. Clark Howell, it always fascinated me, and is a treasured book.
September 6, 2026 at 12:54 PM
In praise of this book, given to me by my sister when I was quite young. Published in 1970 and written by the influential paleo anthropologist F. Clark Howell, it always fascinated me, and is a treasured book.
Two days into my holiday in France, and I’ve already added a Tirailleur Sénégalais and a Chasseur à pied to the miniature army… On les Aura!
September 6, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Two days into my holiday in France, and I’ve already added a Tirailleur Sénégalais and a Chasseur à pied to the miniature army… On les Aura!
Early British ‘War Office Pattern’ steel helmet (known as a Brodie after its patentee), c.1916, with early liner and buckled chin strap. Introduction of this helmet reputedly increased the number of head wounds - as previously these casualties would be marked as killed, not wounded in action
August 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Early British ‘War Office Pattern’ steel helmet (known as a Brodie after its patentee), c.1916, with early liner and buckled chin strap. Introduction of this helmet reputedly increased the number of head wounds - as previously these casualties would be marked as killed, not wounded in action
Machine (it, the computer): ‘Rewrite this paragraph with Copilot’
Human (me, the writer): ‘No [insert expletive]. By the way, it’s Co-pilot’
Human (me, the writer): ‘No [insert expletive]. By the way, it’s Co-pilot’
August 5, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Machine (it, the computer): ‘Rewrite this paragraph with Copilot’
Human (me, the writer): ‘No [insert expletive]. By the way, it’s Co-pilot’
Human (me, the writer): ‘No [insert expletive]. By the way, it’s Co-pilot’
An old cart shed at the Thames Chase Forest Centre in Essex. Constructed from reclaimed beams, some 500 years old, this building stood through the Great War as its farm supplied food for the Home Front. In 1915, a year of military reverses, a worker daubed the fateful date on the timber. Why?
July 17, 2026 at 1:40 PM
An old cart shed at the Thames Chase Forest Centre in Essex. Constructed from reclaimed beams, some 500 years old, this building stood through the Great War as its farm supplied food for the Home Front. In 1915, a year of military reverses, a worker daubed the fateful date on the timber. Why?
Thank you apple tree. Planted in the garden of a 1930s inter-war ‘housing boom’ house, you must have experienced war and peace, and gave sustenance to generations. Thank you for being there, and for shading me as I reflect on your life.
July 10, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Thank you apple tree. Planted in the garden of a 1930s inter-war ‘housing boom’ house, you must have experienced war and peace, and gave sustenance to generations. Thank you for being there, and for shading me as I reflect on your life.
Reposted by Peter Doyle
Honestly, has it really come to this?
June 27, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Honestly, has it really come to this?
Having first seen DEVO decades ago, I saw them again, days ago. And what I’ve learned over this period is that their message is even more relevant today, as it was then.
June 27, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Having first seen DEVO decades ago, I saw them again, days ago. And what I’ve learned over this period is that their message is even more relevant today, as it was then.
Princess Mary’s Christmas gift for ‘Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier at the Front’ to a sailor of HMS Queen Mary, sunk with almost all hands at Jutland, 110 years ago. This frame could either be a poignant memory of a lost sailor, or survivor’s memory of his once proud vessel.
June 2, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Princess Mary’s Christmas gift for ‘Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier at the Front’ to a sailor of HMS Queen Mary, sunk with almost all hands at Jutland, 110 years ago. This frame could either be a poignant memory of a lost sailor, or survivor’s memory of his once proud vessel.
Interesting insights from David Olusoga at this evening’s lecture in London’s Cadogan Hall
May 11, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Interesting insights from David Olusoga at this evening’s lecture in London’s Cadogan Hall
Reposted by Peter Doyle
I am delighted to be speaking at The WFA Somme 110 Conference on 4 July at the Army & Navy Club!
I'll be talking about the Indian cavalry alongside @profpeterdoyle.bsky.social Linda Parker, & Stephen Badsey. Plus our president Spencer Jones will be chairing a panel discussion.
Booking is now open!
I'll be talking about the Indian cavalry alongside @profpeterdoyle.bsky.social Linda Parker, & Stephen Badsey. Plus our president Spencer Jones will be chairing a panel discussion.
Booking is now open!
President’s Conference: SOMME 110 | The Western Front Association
www.westernfrontassociation.com
March 21, 2026 at 11:35 AM
I am delighted to be speaking at The WFA Somme 110 Conference on 4 July at the Army & Navy Club!
I'll be talking about the Indian cavalry alongside @profpeterdoyle.bsky.social Linda Parker, & Stephen Badsey. Plus our president Spencer Jones will be chairing a panel discussion.
Booking is now open!
I'll be talking about the Indian cavalry alongside @profpeterdoyle.bsky.social Linda Parker, & Stephen Badsey. Plus our president Spencer Jones will be chairing a panel discussion.
Booking is now open!
Reposted by Peter Doyle
Re-upping this for the Saturday crowd: On how Michael Balcon articulated Ealing Studios’ institutional identity and commercial and creative decisionmaking in moral, progressive, and patriotic terms.
All reposts (and subscriptions) much appreciated. x
All reposts (and subscriptions) much appreciated. x
I've written a new post on Michael Balcon and the projection of Ealing Studios' institutional identity, in relation to the content of Ealing's films, arising from research for my article on the politics of Passport to Pimlico, its production & reception. A 🧵on its argument.
#filmsky #skystorians🗃️
#filmsky #skystorians🗃️
Balcon, Ealing, and Institutional Identity
As head of Ealing Studios, Michael Balcon routinely told a story about the studio that cohered with the narratives of the films it made, and helped shape the way those films were received.
academicbubble.substack.com
March 14, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Re-upping this for the Saturday crowd: On how Michael Balcon articulated Ealing Studios’ institutional identity and commercial and creative decisionmaking in moral, progressive, and patriotic terms.
All reposts (and subscriptions) much appreciated. x
All reposts (and subscriptions) much appreciated. x
This story always makes me smile, especially the reference to the fate of the Bismarck… www.stowmarketmercury.co.uk/news/2150960...
Feisty swan ‘annihilates’ eight model boats on Needham Lake... Queen asked to sort the fowl-tempered bird out
A rogue swan is wreaking havoc at a Suffolk tourist hot spot, sinking boats and beating up ducks and geese who dare to share his water.
www.stowmarketmercury.co.uk
March 14, 2026 at 11:22 AM
This story always makes me smile, especially the reference to the fate of the Bismarck… www.stowmarketmercury.co.uk/news/2150960...
Silk postcards are avidly collected, though examples like this one, faded and grubby, are likely to be overlooked. But there is something about its message, ‘a kiss from the trenches’, that draws the eye and sponsors reflection: a simple message of love from a frontline soldier of the Great War
February 1, 2026 at 11:48 AM
Silk postcards are avidly collected, though examples like this one, faded and grubby, are likely to be overlooked. But there is something about its message, ‘a kiss from the trenches’, that draws the eye and sponsors reflection: a simple message of love from a frontline soldier of the Great War
Your Britain: Fight For it Now - 1943/2026. Abram Games’ hard-hitting poster depicted modern health care (Finsbury Health Centre, with want and degradation lurking in the rear; a future worth fighting for in 1943- and today
January 21, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Your Britain: Fight For it Now - 1943/2026. Abram Games’ hard-hitting poster depicted modern health care (Finsbury Health Centre, with want and degradation lurking in the rear; a future worth fighting for in 1943- and today
Reminders of the ‘first blitz’
January 21, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Reminders of the ‘first blitz’
The Salient. The physical remains of a war that still reminds us of how easy it is to slip into conflict, and how difficult it is to escape entrenched positions
January 14, 2026 at 9:22 AM
The Salient. The physical remains of a war that still reminds us of how easy it is to slip into conflict, and how difficult it is to escape entrenched positions
Reposted by Peter Doyle
@profpeterdoyle.bsky.social kindly spoke at our Annual Conference in 2024. You can catch up with it here....and all of our other conference talks and zoom lectures.
youtu.be/gyJol5djRHA?...
youtu.be/gyJol5djRHA?...
Gallipoli 1915: the impact of terrain from ‘forcing the Dardanelles’ to ‘evacuating the beaches’
YouTube video by Gallipoli Association
youtu.be
December 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM
@profpeterdoyle.bsky.social kindly spoke at our Annual Conference in 2024. You can catch up with it here....and all of our other conference talks and zoom lectures.
youtu.be/gyJol5djRHA?...
youtu.be/gyJol5djRHA?...
Merry Christmas to all
December 25, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Merry Christmas to all
theconversation.com/presents-fro... A piece I wrote a few years back on this iconic gift from 1914, a précis of my book on the topic.
Presents from a princess: the mission to deliver 2.6 million Christmas gifts to soldiers and sailors on the 1914 frontline
The story of how a teenage princess launched one of the first global charity campaigns.
theconversation.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:18 PM
theconversation.com/presents-fro... A piece I wrote a few years back on this iconic gift from 1914, a précis of my book on the topic.
greekreporter.com/2025/12/23/c... thought this might need airing…
Iconic Christmas Truce Football Photo Shot in Thessaloniki, Greece - GreekReporter.com
This iconic Christmas truce photograph of British soldiers playing football has become famous, but it was shot in Thessaloniki, Greece
greekreporter.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
greekreporter.com/2025/12/23/c... thought this might need airing…
It’s become a ‘thing’ for me to re-read this classic at this time of year…
December 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It’s become a ‘thing’ for me to re-read this classic at this time of year…