Welcome
I have been building this website since 2007 and regularly add new material documenting my research. You can see information about the latest additions and 'work in progress' further down the page.
The menu breaks the resources down into areas of interest. There is a short introductory page for each area so you can see what is available. You can access the resources from the menu or click on the images further down the page. You are also welcome to contact me via the feedback page to make comments to be added to the visitors book, to report errors or to ask questions. I will be pleased to hear from you and will help if I can.
Here's me pretending to aim a quadruple 40mm Bofors gun on USS Cassin Young at Boston Massachusetts; sadly they wouldn't let me fire it.
Brian Watson
1 October 2021
What's New?
- July 2020: New section about ships owned by John Milligen & Co.
- August 2020: New section about a return trip to India in 1914
- September 2020: New section about the Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis (later Wendorian)
- October 2020: New section about the John Milligen collection of veteran cars, tractors, engines etc.
- November 2020: New section about P&O 'M Class' Passenger liners
- March 2021: New section about Blackpool Trams in the 1980s
- March 2021: Updated front-end and improved contact form
- October 2021: New section with biographies of Vera Milligen and 'Tex' McLeod
- February 2022: New section of postcards sent home from trips to Australia by my grandfather just before WW1
What's Next?
The following projects are under way:
- History of Wild West shows
- Forgotten Thames Crossings
- 'Power to the People' (History of electricity provision in London)
- The 1911 Delhi Durbar
- Hog Island - the world's largest and forgotten shipyard