iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

You can imagine how honored I was to join Allen Packwood at the Churchill Archives Centre at the University of Cambridge for a discussion of my book. Allen’s thoughtful questions helped me share the story of Operation Catapult as well as my journey as a researcher and an author. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I had the immense good fortune to visit Lock & Co. - from whom Winston Churchill bought his signature hats - while on a Churchill-centered walking tour of London with some fellow Churchill-nerds. We heard some great stories about Lock & Co.'s 350 years of making & purveying the world's finest hats.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Of all the books I read for my research, W.P. Crozier's "Off the Record: Political Interviews 1933-1943" is the only one that I intend to read again from cover to cover. I believe these conversations - including 16 with Winston Churchill – appear nowhere else.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

It goes without saying – but, heck, I will say it anyway - that I am equal parts excited and honored for the opportunity to discuss my book with Allen Packwood (Director of the Churchill Archives Centre) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge on Monday, September 28 at 5:30 pm. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Much has been written about Wendell Berry since he passed away on Monday at the age of 92. I am embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of Mr. Berry or his writing until I read a profile of him in the New Yorker 4 years ago. This quote about the value of pre-paid forgiveness has stuck with me.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Jimi Hendrix at Temple (Univ.) Stadium - May 16, 1970 - about four miles from our house. I loved his music, but was too much of a 15-year-old dweeb to consider actually going to a concert at the time. Still a dweeb, but I do get to shows from time to time.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The French finally got their revenge on the British for sinking their ships. Or so Giles Brown suggested to me during our first conversation – back on December 12, 2022. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

My admittedly snobbish take has always been that if someone owns more than 3 "greatest hits" albums, they really don't like music.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I’ve used this wireless keyboard for so long that the A, S, D, L & C keys are blank, the letters completely worn away. E, O & N are barely hanging on. Those blank keys are a testament to the touch-typing skills I learned from Brother Edmund Miller at La Salle College H.S. in the Phila. suburbs.

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Holley Snaith @holleysnaith.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt with Winston Churchill at Val-Kill in 1943. During Churchill’s visit to the quaint cottage in Hyde Park, NY, FDR and the prime minister stepped away beneath a tree on the grounds for a private wartime discussion. This was a remarkable moment at the place Eleanor called home.

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Patrick Wyman @patrickwyman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Don Nelson died today, and while his life was full of accomplishments (basketball and otherwise), if you go out at 86 with a photo like this in your recent past, you probably did it right

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

this is what men look like in this shoe color

Four men. Three of them are wearing bright reddish orange shoes.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck from Duck Tales. They have bright orange feet.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Rowing a small boat out to ships on the Delaware River & smuggling bottles of hooch back to shore.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Please let someone bless Glen Hansard's funeral the way he blessed Shane MacGowan's. (Very much worth watching to the dancing in the aisles at the end). www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptay...

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Glen Hansard and Lisa O'Neill Perform "Fairytale of New York" at Shane MacGowan's Funeral

YouTube video by Consequence

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

When I first thought about writing a book about Winston Churchill, a brief mention in “Finest Hour: The Journal of Winston Churchill and His Times” was one of those “wouldn’t that be wild?” far-off dreams.... #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

When I recently recorded a trans-Atlantic Zoom conversation with Christopher Somerville – grandson of Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Somerville – Christopher displayed several fascinating items from his grandfather’s scrapbook. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I used to walk to a local park a few times a year & spend a couple of hours trying to write. While not especially productive, I loved this mental charging station & the literal field of gold.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I will never not be proud of my Philadelphia heritage!

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

It did not ruin my day to have an officer in the Royal Navy Reserve write some nice things about my book in “The Naval Review” The full review: www.naval-review.com/book-reviews...

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Operation Catapult (the attack, not my book) was launched 86 years ago today. On July 3, 1940, Britain’s Royal Navy killed more than 1,200 French seamen in a brutal attack that briefly shocked the world. It was a fascinating story to research and write. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

With the July 3 anniversary of the British attack on the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir so near, I was thrilled to speak with Christopher Somerville, the grandson of Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Somerville, who led the British operation at Mers-el-Kébir. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRWL... #booksky

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Christopher Somerville & Bill Whiteside discuss Operation Catapult & Admiral Sir James Somerville

YouTube video by Bill Whiteside Author

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 19/06/2026

Lafayette fought in three revolutions, survived imprisonment, helped win American independence, and never abandoned his belief in liberty—even when liberty seemed defeated. His story feels relevant in 2026. For the full review from @cathyyoung63.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4gvw78D

lnk.thebulwark.com

The Man Who Wouldn’t Give Up on Liberty

One revolution made Lafayette a hero. Another nearly destroyed him. The story of America’s favorite Frenchman.

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Margaret Fosmoe @mfosmoe.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

This Mass occurred on the same day as the campus picnic that resulted in the iconic "the girl who danced with Father Hesburgh photo, also by Paul Joyce. This photo has been published and republished countless times over the years: magazine.nd.edu/stories/a-st...

magazine.nd.edu

A Step Back in Time | Notre Dame Magazine | University of Notre Dame

“The girl who danced with Father Hesburgh” reflects on iconic photo.

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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 14/06/2026

Happy Flag Day!

a Childe Hassam painting of many American flags on Fifth Avenue, NYC

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Margaret Fosmoe @mfosmoe.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

University of Notre Dame's Class of 1976 honored with 2026 Sorin Award Last weekend, the Class of '76 set the record for the largest ever ND reunion attendance of any class, with 548 alumni returning to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation. news.nd.edu/news/class-o...

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I love signing copies of “Operation Catapult” in bookstores. Heck, I will sign copies of my book in pool halls, laundromats, pawn shops, your local Waffle House (especially your local Waffle House).… But the place I love the most is the Hammes Bookstore at the University of Notre Dame. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

My daughter-in-law saw this “Current Store Bestsellers” poster in her local bookstore. (This is 1 small store & definitely an aberration, but I'll take it) The books to the immediate left & right of "Operation Catapult" in this display have, respectively, 247,981 & 111,456 Amazon reviews. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

It's a shame they make us wait another two months in the U.S., but I've preordered my copy.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Although this is quite far from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s most egregious offense, he once had “shelves lined with fake books carved from wood.” (from “Entitled” by Andrew Lownie).

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I was surprised, honored, and humbled to see a review for “Operation Catapult” by the Australian Naval Institute. #booksky #WWII #History #WinstonChurchill

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

This is the story a mystery that I was never able to solve during the research for my book about Winston Churchill and an astonishing event that spanned the spring and summer of 1940. I think it’s a decent story, though. #booksky #winstonchurchill #WWII www.perfectlytruestory.com/newsletter/-...

perfectlytruestory.com

"... we had to shoot them down a second time" — Operation Catapult

This is the story of a mystery that I was never able to solve. I think it’s a decent story, though. When Winston Churchill insisted that France sail its naval fleet to British harbors in the summer...

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

coffee break / book break nags head, nc

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Thanks to my good friend Gerry Hayden, I had an absolute blast talking about “Operation Catapult” last week with the Notre Dame Club of Nashville, as well as a spirited group of Angel Eye Health team members and at least two of Gerry’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu sparring partners. It was a great evening!

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mattie lubchansky @mattielubchansky.com · 03/05/2026

i see a horse has won the kentucky derby again. this is beginning to feel rigged

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

As of 30th April 2026 / 30 avril 2026, "Operation Catapult," the story of Winston Churchill and the Royal Navy's astonishing attack on the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir in July 1940 is now available in Britain and France. #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

The only thing better than a trip to Aaron’s to sign copies of my book is another trip to Aaron’s to sign more copies of my book. Thank you for buying copies of my book! (Aaron's Books, Lititz, PA) #booksky

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

I recently had the honor of joining International Churchill Society Executive Director Adam Howard for a discussion of "Operation Catapult" in front of a live audience at the Union League in Philadelphia. A copy of my book is now in the League's library. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vdb... #booksky

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Author Bill Whiteside and his new release Operation Catapult on the ICS podcast.

YouTube video by The International Churchill Society

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HELL Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 11/04/2026

All four astronauts standing in the aisle with their roller bags waiting for the door to open.

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Jamie McTrusty @jamiemctrusty.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

For context re: my earlier post, here’s the original clip. If you’ve not seen it before, you’re in for a treat. If you have, watch it again anyway because it’ll instantly make your Friday at least 50% better. youtu.be/brd44OS0Ueo?...

youtu.be

Spitfire flies LOW over TV presenter

YouTube video by WingsTV Channel

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U.S. Naval Institute @usni.org · 09/04/2026

It's National Winston Churchill Day to commemorate when the British Prime Minister became an honorary U.S. citizen. USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) flies the Royal Navy White Ensign on special occasions and always has a Royal Navy officer as a member of the ship's company.

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

I am thrilled, humbled, and grateful that Anthony Tucker-Jones - a historian who I admire and have tried to emulate - has shared this about my book!

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Bill Whiteside @billwhiteside.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Psyched to begin the week w/ "Operation Catapult" - the story of Winston Churchill & the Royal Navy's attack on the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kébir - as the #1 new release in French History on Amazon. I am also very grateful to everyone who has encouraged & supported this adventure. #booksky

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Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

this has to be the greatest single-game defensive performance in baseball history. especially considering they won 1-0

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Michael G @michael21910.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

David Simon said it best

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