Allan Williams – författare

The story of the photographic intelligence work undertaken from a country house at Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, is one of the great lost stories of the Second World War . At its peak in 1944, almost 2,000 British and American men and women worked at the top-secret Danesfield House, interpreting photographs - the majority stereoscopic so they could be viewed in 3D - to unlock secrets of German military activity and weapons development. Millions of aerial photographs were taken by Allied pilots, flying unarmed modified Spitfires and Mosquitos on missions over Nazi Europe. it was said that an aircraft could land, the photographs be developed and initial interpretation completed within two hours - marking the culmination of years of experiments in aerial intelligence techniques.Their finest hour began in 1943, during the planning stages of the Allied invasion of Europe, when Douglas Kendall, who masterminded the interpretation work at Medmenham, led the hunt for Hitler's secret weapons. Operation Crossbow would grow from a handful of photographic interpreters to the creation of a hand-picked team, and came to involve interpreters from across the Medmenham spectrum, including the team of aircraft specialists led by the redoubtable Constance Babington Smith. In November that year, whilst analysing photographs of Peenemunde in northern Germany, they spotted a small stunted aircraft on a ramp. This intelligence breakthrough linked the Nazi research station with a growing network of sites in northern France, where ramps were being constructed aligned not only with London, but targets throughout southern Britain.Through the combined skill and dedication of the Crossbow team and the heroism of the Allied pilots, throughout late 1943 and 1944 V-weapon launch sites were located and through countermeasures destroyed, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, and changing the course of the war.Operation Crossbow is a wonderful story of human endeavour and derring-do, told for the first time.

Two unconnected but important recent academic and policy debates have focussed on the idea of the knowledge-based economy and the economic consequences of increasing international migration. This book challenges pre-conceived views on the debates and argues the need to understand that all migrants are potentially knowledge carriers and learners, and that they play an essential role in the globalization of knowledge transactions.Deconstructing the concept of knowledge, and demonstrating how tacit knowledge is in fact an amalgam of encultured and embrained/embodied forms of knowledge this book considers how international migration has profound consequences, analysed, first, in terms of the economic and immigration strategies of national and regional bodies. And, secondly, the authors explore how the ‘diversity dividend’ of migration is captured by firms through their management strategies, and by individuals through increasingly boundaryless careers, continuous learning and transnational working lives. This research is a highly original contribution which provides the first overview of one of the most dynamic forces for change in the globalising economy. It will challenge migration researchers and students to engage with the management and learning literatures, and it will challenge management and economic policy analysts to think through the role of international migration. As such it will contribute to teaching and research in a range of social science disciplines, as well as to those involved in policy arenas ensuring that firms and all migrants engage in mutual learning and knowledge sharing.

Two unconnected but important recent academic and policy debates have focussed on the idea of the knowledge-based economy and the economic consequences of increasing international migration. This book challenges pre-conceived views on the debates and argues the need to understand that all migrants are potentially knowledge carriers and learners, and that they play an essential role in the globalization of knowledge transactions.Deconstructing the concept of knowledge, and demonstrating how tacit knowledge is in fact an amalgam of encultured and embrained/embodied forms of knowledge this book considers how international migration has profound consequences, analysed, first, in terms of the economic and immigration strategies of national and regional bodies. And, secondly, the authors explore how the ‘diversity dividend’ of migration is captured by firms through their management strategies, and by individuals through increasingly boundaryless careers, continuous learning and transnational working lives. This research is a highly original contribution which provides the first overview of one of the most dynamic forces for change in the globalising economy. It will challenge migration researchers and students to engage with the management and learning literatures, and it will challenge management and economic policy analysts to think through the role of international migration. As such it will contribute to teaching and research in a range of social science disciplines, as well as to those involved in policy arenas ensuring that firms and all migrants engage in mutual learning and knowledge sharing.

Europe has a long history of managing coastal erosion through a variety of protection strategies, from the defences of the Venice lagoons to coastal land reclamation in the Netherlands. This book provides a comprehensive review of the entire coastline of Europe and a comparative analysis of erosion problems and solutions in each country. Each chapter discusses the natural and anthropogenic factors in the erosion process and in defence projects design and maintenance, including coastal morphology and wave climate, land use changes and use of coastal areas, the evolution of coastal protection, climate change and political and administrative assessments. Particular attention is paid to demographic and economic factors influencing coastal erosion in each country and to technical and administrative criteria influencing defence projects design. Lavishly illustrated in full colour throughout, the book represents a definitive reference work on its subject.

This comprehensive book provides full coverage of beach management principles and practice, with an emphasis on needs-based management. The book provides a wealth of case studies from the UK, USA, New Zealand, the Mediterranean, and Latin America. The emphasis throughout the book is on optimizing economic, social and environmental outcomes and reconciling competing needs in management planning for beach area. This book is an indispensable tool kit for all professionals in beach and coastal/beach zone management . It is also a comprehensive primer for university undergraduate students in professional planning, land management, coastal geography as well as tourism and conservation planning and management.

Aerofilms Ltd was born on 9 May 1919. An unprecedented business venture, it hoped to marry the still fledgling technology of powered flight to the discipline of photography. Its founders were Claude Grahame-White, an internationally-famous English aviation pioneer, and Francis Lewis Wills, a trained architect who had flown as an observer for the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War. Together they embarked on a distinctively British tale of derring-do. From developing photographic glass plates in a hotel bathroom at the London Flying Club in Hendon, to producing many thousands of aerial images every year, they took a tool which had first been used for military intelligence, and repackaged it for the mass market. As a result, Aerofilms lived through and recorded one of the most tumultuous periods in British history. After surviving the worldwide economic crash of the Great Depression in the 1930s, and serving their country at the request of Winston Churchill during the Second World War, they were still on hand to help shape the Britain of the future, capturing the major reconstruction projects of the 1940s and 50s. Aerofilms: A History of Britain From Above draws on thousands of images, including many that are rare or previously unseen, to present a vivid picture of the nation in the first half of the twentieth century. Following the company’s enigmatic founders, daredevil pilots, skilled photographers and innovative advertisers, it explores how they manufactured and sold a potent sense of place and identity to the British people. The story of Aerofilms – the men and women behind the company and the photographs that they produced – is a story of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, war, marketing and the making of ‘Brand Britain’.

This comprehensive book provides full coverage of beach management principles and practice, with an emphasis on needs-based management. The book provides a wealth of case studies from the UK, USA, New Zealand, the Mediterranean, and Latin America. The emphasis throughout the book is on optimizing economic, social and environmental outcomes and reconciling competing needs in management planning for beach area. This book is an indispensable tool kit for all professionals in beach and coastal/beach zone management . It is also a comprehensive primer for university undergraduate students in professional planning, land management, coastal geography as well as tourism and conservation planning and management.

Europe has a long history of managing coastal erosion through a variety of protection strategies, from the defences of the Venice lagoons to coastal land reclamation in the Netherlands. This book provides a comprehensive review of the entire coastline of Europe and a comparative analysis of erosion problems and solutions in each country. Each chapter discusses the natural and anthropogenic factors in the erosion process and in defence projects design and maintenance, including coastal morphology and wave climate, land use changes and use of coastal areas, the evolution of coastal protection, climate change and political and administrative assessments. Particular attention is paid to demographic and economic factors influencing coastal erosion in each country and to technical and administrative criteria influencing defence projects design. Lavishly illustrated in full colour throughout, the book represents a definitive reference work on its subject.

This book is the first to analyze the phenomenon of international retirement migration, to trace the story of the migrants from their old to their new homes, and to examine the conceptual and policy contexts of this relatively new form of transnational mobility. The Costa del Sol, the Algarve, Tuscany and Malta attract increasing numbers of retirees each year, especially British and other Northern European citizens. This study provides new insights into the motivations of the mainly well-off and well-educated retirees who settle in Southern Europe and how they manage the transition. It demonstrates the roles of international tourism and of living abroad earlier in life in the formation of the ambition to retire abroad, and it describes the dominantly positive consequences of the moves. The challenges of providing health and welfare services for the ageing population are also explored. The book develops fascinating perspectives on new constructions of old age as a period for personal development and positive changes, and on the ways by which Northern European retirees resident in the South are forming a new pan-national European identity.This book will have wide appeal to a range of readerships and its cross-disciplinary nature will make it relevant for courses on sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, tourism and leisure studies, migration studies, gerontology, social and health policy and area studies.

This book is the first to analyze the phenomenon of international retirement migration, to trace the story of the migrants from their old to their new homes, and to examine the conceptual and policy contexts of this relatively new form of transnational mobility. The Costa del Sol, the Algarve, Tuscany and Malta attract increasing numbers of retirees each year, especially British and other Northern European citizens. This study provides new insights into the motivations of the mainly well-off and well-educated retirees who settle in Southern Europe and how they manage the transition. It demonstrates the roles of international tourism and of living abroad earlier in life in the formation of the ambition to retire abroad, and it describes the dominantly positive consequences of the moves. The challenges of providing health and welfare services for the ageing population are also explored. The book develops fascinating perspectives on new constructions of old age as a period for personal development and positive changes, and on the ways by which Northern European retirees resident in the South are forming a new pan-national European identity.This book will have wide appeal to a range of readerships and its cross-disciplinary nature will make it relevant for courses on sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, tourism and leisure studies, migration studies, gerontology, social and health policy and area studies.

In a constantly changing business climate, all managers must be able to manage change in their organisation. The most difficult aspect of this process is implementing change because of the implications for jobs, working relationships, rewards and working conditions. Managing Change Successfully advocates an active approach to learning and builds on our knowledge of how adults learn. This practical book will help students understand how to gain the co-operation of others in implementing change, and how to help themselves and others cope with the stress of change. Central to the learning process is the development of visual representations of the mental models that influence our thinking. This book encourages readers to review and modify their models and assumptions in the light of interactions with fellow managers and the practical knowledge derived from influential theories.The book is divided into three sections:An introduction to the learning approach and tools 15 case histories recounted by managers involved in implementing change in diverse settingsLearning to use the experiences embedded in the cases and one’s own experiences and theories in the literature, to develop effective leadership skills in implementing changeThis book is an essential aid to improving the ability to implement change successfully. It is especially suitable for managers attending executive development, MBA and other postgraduate programmes that include managing change.