Heligoland: The True Story of German Bight and the Island that Britain BetrayedHeligoland is the astounding story of a mysterious British colony in the North Sea that the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, swapped for Zanzibar in 1890. After years of having a UK-style flag, postage stamps, taxation system and currency, Heligolanders were soon experiencing the crushing of their culture, and were forced into learning German. The unscrupulous transference of the island to Germany, in defiance of the islanders' wishes, sparked a public controversy; the explorer Stanley famously commented that Britain had obtained a waistcoat in exchange for a trouser button. The sacrifice of the enigmatic Heligoland became a strategic blunder during the two World Wars, when the island was made into a weaponry fortress by the Germans. After the Second World War there was a plot to cover up the mistake when Britain planned to destroy Heligoland with an A-bomb strength explosion. Implicated in the epic scandal are many key personalities; among them Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm, Arthur Balfour, and The Riddle of the Sands author Erskine Childers. Heligoland goes beyond an amazing story of intrigue, high adventure and national ambition. It highlights Britain's relations with continental Europe; the conduct of the British Empire; even the shape and identity of the British Isles. Using techniques of biography, popular history and narrative, this book unravels for the first time the true story of the island Britain gave away. |
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Heligoland: The True Story of German Bight and the Island that Britain Forgot George Drower No preview available - 2011 |
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Admiral Admiralty aircraft ambassador anchored Anglo-German Agreement April arrived Arthur Barkly atomic bomb attack August became Berlin Big Bang Bismarck boats bombers bombing range Borkum Britain British Cabinet cession Chancellor Churchill claimed coast Colonial Office command cruisers Cuxhaven Cuxhaven Raid D'Auvergne Danish debate Defence despatch East Africa effect Elbe Empire England English estuary explosion Falkland flag fleet Foreign Office fortifications Frisian Islands German Germany's Government House Governor guns Hamburg harbour Hatzfeldt Heligoland Bight HMS Calypso huge imperial inhabitants July June Kaiser Wilhelm Kiel Canal land later letter London Lord Salisbury mainland miles military naval North Sea Oberland October Parliament Penney possession Prime Minister Queen Victoria raid Rickmers Royal Navy Russell Salisbury's Sandy Island Savory seaplane Secretary September ships Sir Edward Malet squadron strategic submarine swap Tallboy telegram territory Thornton Treaty U-boat U-boat shelters Unterland vessels warships weather wrote yacht Zanzibar