At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 horses were requisitioned by the Army and gathered at Remount Depots in the UK where they were prepared for their tasks before being shipped to France. Many of these animals, both horses and mules, had already undergone a sea voyage across the Atlantic from America and Canada before reaching Britain. Lathom Park in Ormskirk, Lancashire, owned by Earl Lathom, became a Remount Depot accommodating as many as 5000 horses at any one time and their grooms, ...

This is the first of two books and 'The Ullswater Foxhounds 1913-1963 The Next 50 Years' will be published soon.Ron Black is a native Lakelander with roots going back to 1700, the 4th generation to follow hounds, with ancestors who stood on the cold tops at dawn, moved the heavy Lakeland stone to free trapped terriers and also 'carried the horn' on occasions.Recently he was told that 95% of Lakeland was unexplored in an archaeological sense. With the abolition of fox hunting ...

"Chappie" - Anthony Chapman, a Lakeland huntsman, followed by many, respected by all. Here is another title to add to Ron's stable of carefully researched books. Highlighting the career of another Lakeland legend and the Coniston Foxhounds with the help of local newspaper reports of the time and oral history transcripts, we are offered a glimpse into the world of the Cumbrian farming communities between the years of 1914 and 1982 explaining the importance and necessity of controlling the f...

Anyone with a love of hunting will find "Bowman", Ron Black's fascinating book about Joe Bowman, the legendary Huntsman of the Ullswater Foxhounds, an essential edition to their library. The Ullswater was formed in 1793 from the amalgamation of the Matterdale and Patterdale Hunts and six years later, the then Master, Squire Hasell, appointed Joe Bowman as Huntsman and apart from a short break in 1911, he carried the horn for the next forty years.Illustrated with archive photographs,...

Born into poverty in 1835 Bobby played truant from school to follow the local pack of hounds. On leaving school he worked as a waller, like his father before him, and then stone mason before taking on building projects in and around Kendal. By 1884 had had become landlord of the Hyena Inn and although the founding date of the Kendal Otter Hounds is not known it was around this time that Bobby purchased three otter hounds and started a 'scratch' pack. He continued otter hunting to great acc...

The story of Braithwaite "Brait" Wilson is incomplete despite considerable research and many emails and phone calls. His war records were bombed by the Luftwaffe in the Second World War and it is impossible to even find out in which of the Liverpool Battalions he served, let alone where he served and what might have happened to him, which may give a clue as to the reason for some of his subsequent behaviour in later years.This book is the product of much research in libraries, fami...

Neil Sainsbury, Hon Secretary, Central Committee of Fell Packs writes: Ron has recently followed up his successful book produced last year of Lakeland Hunting Songs with Hunting Songs Volume 2 : Lakeland Songs which gives us more of the same. It has always been a great tradition up here in the fells for supporters of the Fell Packs to pen vocal tributes to memorable hunts, famous huntsmen and even hounds from both past & present. Some years ago I myself compiled a History of the Coniston F...

To quote from Chris Brennan's review: "The atmospheric photographs accompany hunt reports from back in the day. Also included are notes on hunt business and added quotes from noted gentry of that time. W. G. Skelton, a good supporter of hounds and who penned a book on Bowman has plenty to say in his admiration and others also contribute. Compiled in chronological order, which takes some dedication and patience, it leaves no stone unturned as we venture into the hunting fraternity through t...

A detailed and well researched glimpse of the characters, the customs, the social life, the hunts and hound trails that took place before the valley became a reservoir in the 1930s. The annual Mardale Shepherds' Meet is probably the best known of all the 'meets' of the Lakeland Fell Packs, yet there does not appear to have been a book written about it before. "Older than the memory of man", it carries on, albeit at a different venue, to this day. This book sets out to put the hunt and its ...

As you pass Junction 35 on the northbound M6 the road slowly begins its climb, which will ultimately end at Shap summit. To the west, the hills of Lakeland fill the horizon. To the east, Ingleborough, once thought to be the highest peak in England, peeps over the trees and motorway barriers. To hunting folk the Lakeland fells are home to the fell packs. Small hunts with a long history run on a shoestring by hard men. However the country that you're currently traversing was for around 80 ye...

A group of ethnic German people known as the Saxons lived in Transylvania, Romania. They migrated there in the 11th Century and stayed in Transylvania until near the end of the Second World War—1944. Then they were forced to evacuate to Germany or face deportation to Russia at the end of the Second World War. These are the stories of some of the men who lived during this time of change. They are old now, but their memories still remain. These are their memories of War, of Romania, of Russi...

Bestselling author Charlie Connelly returns with a First World War memoir of his great uncle, Edward Connelly, who was an ordinary boy sent to fight in a war the likes of which the world had never seen.But this is not just his story; it is the story of all the young forgotten soldiers who fought and bravely died for their countryThe Forgotten Soldier tells the story of Private Edward Connelly, aged 19, killed in the First World War a week before the Armistice and immediatel...