The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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1940-1950 Second World War is in 20th Century Events.
On 30th May 1940 Frederick Cambridge (age 32) was killed during the World War Two.
In 1940 Oswald Phipps 4th Marquess Normanby (age 27) was captured at the Battle of Dunkirk.
On 27th May 1940 George Coventry 10th Earl Coventry (age 39) was killed in action during the Battle of Wytschaete at La Bassée. His son George (age 6) succeeded 11th Earl Coventry.
On 27th May 1941 the German Battleship "Bismarck" sank following an engagement with British ships. Some survivors reported they saw Captain Lindemann standing at attention at the stem of the ship as she sank. Out of a crew of over 2,200 men, only 114 survived.
On 17th July 1942 Peter Fortescue (age 21) was killed in action at the First Battle of El Alamein. He was unmarried. There is a memorial at the Church of St Paul, Filliegh: "In proud and ever-loving memory of Hugh Peter, Viscount Ebrington, only son of the Fifth Earl and Countess Fortescue, Lieutenant Royal Scots Greys, who was born on 9 December 1920 and killed near El Alamein on 17 July 1942. He leaves a white unbroken glory, a gathered radiance, a shining peace"
In 1942 William Legge (age 29) was killed in action at El Alamein during the 2nd Battle of El Alamein.
On 25th August 1942 the Dunbeath Air Crash at Eagle's Rock [Map] near Dunbeath killed 14 of 15 passengers and crew, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, who was on duty as an Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force on a mission to Reykjavik. A Royal Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that the crash was the result of a navigational error by the crew.
Prince George Windsor 1st Duke Kent (age 39) died in a plane crashEdward Windsor 2nd Duke Kent (age 6) succeeded 2nd Duke Kent.
Also killed were:
Lt. John Crowther, RNVR Private Secretary.
LAC. John Walter Holes, Batman.
Flt Lt. Frank McKenzie Goyen, 42057 RAF, Captain (Pilot).
Wg Cdr. Thomas Lawton Moseley, 33064 RAF, CO of 228 Squadron, 1st pilot.
Pilot Officer Sydney Wood Smith, 403961 RAAF, 2nd pilot.
Pilot Officer George Richard Saunders, 126975 RAFVR, Navigator.
Pilot Officer Michael Strutt (age 28) J15062 RCAF, Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant William Royston Jones 523047 RAF, Flight Mechanic Engineer / Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant Charles Norman Lewis 517386 RAF, Airframe Fitter.
Flight Sargeant Ernest James Hewerdine 566884 RAF, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Flight Sargeant Andrew Simpson Wilson Jack 970168 RAFVR, Air Gunner (Rear).
Sgt. Edward Francis Blacklock 405467 RNZAF, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Sgt. Arthur Rowland Catt 1252994 RAFVR, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
Sgt. Leonard Edward Sweett 570678 RAF, Fitter.
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Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 3rd March 1943 the air-raid Civil Defence siren sounded at 8:17 p.m., beginning a large and orderly flow of people down the blacked-out at Bethnal Green Tube Station staircase. A middle-aged woman and a child fell over, three steps up from the base, and others fell around her. 173, most of them women and children, were crushed and asphyxiated.
On 17th March 1943 Nicholas Townshend Durham was killed in action at the Battle of the Mareth Line.
On 6th May 1944 William Cavendish (age 26) and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (age 24) were married at Chelsea Register Office. She the daughter of Joseph Patrick Kennedy (age 55) and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald (age 53). He the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire (age 49) and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire (age 48).
The Duke of Devonshire and the bride's eldest brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr (age 28), a lieutenant in the United States Navy, signed the marriage register. The Duke of Rutland (age 24) served as best man.
The photos, from left to right, Mary, Duchess of Devonshire, the groom William, Marquess of Hartington, the bride Kathleen Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy, Edward, 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy: On 20th February 1920 she was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald at Brookline Massachusetts. On 13th May 1948 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy and William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 8th and 6th Earl Fitzwilliam died in a plane crash at the Plateau du Coiron, Saint-Bauzile during the course of their journey from Paris [Map] to the French Riviera for a vacation aboard a de Havilland DH.104 Dove.. His first cousin once removed Eric succeeded 9th Earl Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, 11th Baron Fitzwilliam of Liffer in Donegal. His wealth, estimated at 45 million pounds, including half of the Wentworth Woodhouse estate, the Coolattin estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, and a large part of the Fitzwilliam art collection went to his daughter Ann Juliet Dorothea Maud Wentworth-Fitzwilliam Marchioness Bristol.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy: On 25th July 1915 he was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. On 12th August 1944 Joseph Patrick Kennedy was killed at Blythburgh, Suffolk when his plane exploded over the English Channel during a top-secret mission.
On 27th November 1944 at eleven minutes past eleven in the morning 4,000 tons of bombs stored 30m down in the old gypsum mines at RAF Fauld, Staffordshire, blew up making a crater 125m deep, and 1.2km wide. The exact death toll is uncertain; it is believed that about 70 people died in the explosion and resulting flood. The crater is still visible just south of Fauld, to the east of Hanbury, Staffordshire. It is now known as the Hanbury Crater [Map]. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest on UK soil.
Memorial at St Werburgh's Church, Hanbury [Map].
On 3rd March 1945 the Royal Air Force mistakenly bombed the Bezuidenhout neighbourhood in the Dutch city of The Hague, resulting in the death of 532 people. The bombers were intended to bomb the Haagse Bos ("Forest of the Hague") district where the Germans had installed V-2 launching facilities that had been used to attack English cities.
On 9th August 1945 the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber "Bockscar" dropped the atomic bomb "Fat Man" on the Japanese city of Nagasaki instantly killing around 35,000 people, and injuring around 60,000. The pilots were issued with the wrong coordinates, the vertical and horizontal interchanged), navigational instruments of the bombers had been set incorrectly, and combined with low fog and clouds which obscured their vision, the bombs were instead dropped on the Bezuidenhout residential neighbourhood.
On 23rd August 1944 a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Consolidated B-24 Liberator crashed during a test flight into the centre of the village of Freckleton, Lancashire, England, killing all three crewmen aboard the aircraft and 58 individuals on the ground, including 38 children aged four to six.
On approach from, the pilot First Lieutenant John Bloemendal reported to the control tower that he was aborting landing at the last moment and would perform a go-around. Shortly afterwards, and out of sight of the second aircraft, the aircraft hit the village of Freckleton, just east of the airfield.
Already flying very low to the ground and with wings near vertical, the B-24's right wing tip hit a tree-top and was ripped away as it impacted with the corner of a building. The rest of the wing continued, ploughing along the ground and through a hedge. The fuselage partly demolished three houses and the Sad Sack Snack Bar that catered specifically for American servicemen from the airbase, before crossing Lytham Road and bursting into flames.
After part of the aircraft hit the infants' wing of Freckleton Holy Trinity School, fuel from the ruptured tanks ignited and produced another sea of flames.
52 people (the three crew members on the B-24, 34 children, one teacher, six American servicemen, one RAF airman and seven Snack Bar staff) died instantly, with nine others (four children, one teacher, an American serviceman and three RAF airmen) later dying in hospital from their injuries.
On 14th March 1945 fourteen Tallboys and the first Grand Slam bomb were dropped on the Bielefeld Viaduct. At 4:28 p.m. and from 3,647m the Grand Slam fell from PD112 S, which jumped 150m higher at the loss of weight. After 35 seconds, the bomb hit the ground about 27m short and exploded the site erupting as the Tallboys came down.
On 9th March 1946 a crowd crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, then the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans. The match, an FA Cup Sixth Round second-leg tie between Bolton and Stoke City, was allowed to continue, with the game ending goalless. The disaster brought about the Moelwyn Hughes report, which recommended more rigorous control of crowd sizes.
On 23rd December 1947 Walter Brattain and H. R. Moore demonstrated the first working transistor; the commencement of the Computer Age.