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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 18h

It seems rather apt that these two new purchases arrived together today.

Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

#Fleurus also marked a major milestone in military history: the first successful combat use of an aircraft. The French deployed a tethered reconnaissance hydrogen balloon, 'l'Entreprenant', to track Austro-Dutch troop movements and report back via signals. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

#OnThisDay (26 June 1794) The French Revolutionary Army led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan defeated an Austro-Dutch army at the Battle of #Fleurus. This turning point led to the permanent loss of the Austrian Netherlands and the dissolution of the Dutch Republic. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#OnThisDay (25 June 1950) The Korean War began when North Korea’s forces invaded the south. With the Soviet representative absent, the UN Security Council denounced the attack and called upon member nations to provide military assistance to repel the invasion. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#OnThisDay (25 June 1944) Allied ships bombard German fortifications at #Cherbourg to break a stalled infantry advance and to neutralise batteries denying them a vital supply port. Crucial close support from small ships aided the port’s capture on 29 June. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

#OnThisDay (22 June 1893) HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during Mediterranean fleet manoeuvres. The impact caused significant damage to Victoria's bow, leading it to rapidly capsize. The ship sank in 15 minutes, with 358 crew lost in the disaster. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

#OnThisDay (22 June 1807) HMS Leopard attacked and boarded USS #Chesapeake off Virginia to seize Royal Navy deserters. Outraged Americans called for war. However, President Thomas Jefferson responded with economic warfare, resulting in the Embargo of 1807. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

#OnThisDay (19 Jun 1816) The Battle of Seven Oaks is fought near #Winnipeg. A climax of the Pemmican War, the North West Co. defeated the Hudson’s Bay Co. It marked a key moment where the Métis asserted themselves as "la Nouvelle Nation." (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

#OnThisDay (13 Jun 1944) The first German V-1 flying bomb struck Britain, detonating at 04:25 at Mile End, East London. Three more impacted across Kent and Sussex during the early morning hours. Nine were launched on the 12th but failed to reach their targets. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

#OnThisDay (13 Jun 1917) London suffered the deadliest German air raid of WWI. 14 Gotha bombers struck the capital in daylight, claiming 162 lives - including 46 children - and injuring 432. A grim turning point bringing total war to the British home front. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Hopefully, I've finally nailed the assault of the Highland Brigade at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir for my next book. Next stop, an Old Fashioned. 🥃 (📷 Henri Louis Dupray, "The Black Watch at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir, 1882," c. 1900.)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

#OnThisDay (30/31 May 1942) RAF Bomber Command executed Operation Millennium against #Cologne - the first "1,000-bomber" raid. Dropping 1,478 tonnes of ordnance, the raid destroyed over 12,000 buildings and caused widespread civilian displacement. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

#OnThisDay (30 May 1796) Napoleon Bonaparte forces a crossing of the Mincio River at the Battle of #Borghetto, defeating the Austrian army under Johann Peter Beaulieu. It forced an Austrian retreat, allowimg the French to besiege the key fortress of Mantua. (Image: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

#OnThisDay (29 May 1945) The Consolidated B-32 Dominator conducts its first combat mission. The target is a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines. Only 118 B-32s were built; the heavy bomber was retired from service in August of the same year. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

#OnThisDay (29 May 1935) The Messerschmitt Bf 109, later commonly referred to by the Allies as the Me 109, made its first flight. Designed by Willy #Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, over 34,000 109s were built, serving with multiple air forces. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

#OnThisDay (17 May 1756) Britain declared war on France, formally starting the Seven Years' War. Fought by the Great Powers across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent, it is considered by many to be the first true global war. (Images: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

#OnThisDay (16/17 May 1943) 617 Squadron, RAF executes Operation Chastise. Using Barnes Wallis’s spinning bouncing bombs, they breach the Möhne and Eder dams, disrupting German industry while causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr Valley. #Dambusters (Images: Wikimedia)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

#OnThisDay (10 May 1941) Rudolf Hess flies solo to Scotland and parachutes into a field near Eaglesham. Seeking to negotiate a peace via the Duke of Hamilton, he was instead detained until his trial in 1946. (Image: Wreckage of Hess's Messerschmitt Bf 110. Wikimedia Commons.)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

#OnThisDay (10 May 1940) Britain launches Operation Fork to occupy neutral #Iceland. Following Denmark’s fall, the UK preempted Nazi Germany to secure the GIUK gap and protect Atlantic supply lines. (Image: HMS Berwick, flagship and transport for the landing. Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Next up... These are quite hefty tomes, so they should keep me out of trouble for a while!

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

My current book line‑up. I fully expect each one to leave me even more infuriated with those who’ve made such a mess of things, but they look like compelling reading nonetheless.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Another productive day working on my next book, teasing out the operational detail behind the actions at #Magfar and #Kassassin during the #AngloEgyptianWar However, it is now time for an Old Fashioned. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Today I am writing about... ⬇️

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

And this Saturday night's classic movie is...

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Potential classic film choice for tonight. A nice follow on from the Ipcress File last week.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Enjoying an Old Fashioned and I think I've settled on this absolute classic for later tonight.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

A Sunday evening watching one of my all-time favourites.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Another productive evening spent writing. However, time to put the laptop away and get a bottle of something out. Below is the Italian battleship Andrea Doria, which features in my current project. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Seems like a good time to get on with reading these.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

#OnThisDay (2 Feb 1712) George Anson begins his distinguished career in the #RoyalNavy aboard HMS Ruby. His subsequent reforms as First Lord of the Admiralty were instrumental in professionalising the service and establishing British naval supremacy. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

I’ve got something a bit different in the works for later this year, and I hope you’ll all find it interesting....

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

#OnThisDay (27 Jan 1916) The Military Service Act gains Royal Assent, bringing conscription to Great Britain for the first time. The Act required single men aged 18-41 to serve. Around 2.5 million men were ultimately conscripted. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

#OnThisDay (26 Jan 1885) #Khartoum falls to Mahdist forces following a 317-day siege. General Charles George Gordon is killed just two days before a British relief column arrives. The event sparks a national public outcry in Britain. #MahdistWar (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Still one of my favourite war movies, and a pretty good way to spend the first part of a Sunday evening.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Another productive afternoon writing about the Battle of the River Plate. Tackling events in Montevideo in the lead up to Graf Spee’s scuttling shortly. For now, though, it’s time for coffee and an 80s movie. 🤓 Image: Damage to HMS Exeter during the battle - Wikimedia Commons

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

#OnThisDay (25 Jan 1797) A Royal Navy squadron of three frigates and a corvette under George Stewart engaged the Spanish ship San Francisco de Asís off Cádiz. Despite a fierce 3-hour battle, the British were forced to withdraw due to heavy damage. (Images: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

My days of making plastic model kits are long in the past, but I had fun building this.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Slowly getting my head around the finer details of the Battle of the River Plate. This surely has to be one of the most intriguing stories of WW2.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

A day of writing about this. ⬇️ Now for an evening of reading and coffee before the delights of another manic week ahead. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Two new Lego builds for 2026, complete with light kits and display cases.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Today I've been writing about this ship and gentleman. Image: www.rmg.co.uk/collections/...

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Off to Narvik next. Not literally, but for my Christmas/New Year read.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Merry Christmas to all my followers who celebrate it. I hope you all have a wonderful festive period. 🎄 The photograph below is of Christmas dinner in the wardroom of HMS MALAYA at Scapa Flow, 25 December 1942. Image: IWM A 13568 www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

My reading for the next couple of weeks.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Just arrived for review. That's my weekend reading sorted.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

One of the more challenging but oddly enjoyable aspect of writing a book. Finding photos and images. Thankfully, I have a large collection of original antique prints and photographs.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

New additions to the collection incoming. I've no doubt you can guess the medal and topic.

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Mark Simner @marksimner.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Probably my favourite painting/picture from the Anglo-Egyptian campaigns. The Storming of Tel-el-Kebir by Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville. A subject I am currently writing about. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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