David Stafford – författare

An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacy“Important . . . Its power lies in a vivid re-creation not only of Churchill’s public roles but also his private life—of good fortune but also family tragedy.”—Paul Bew, Wall Street JournalAfter the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill’s political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success.Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman’s life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State to his tumultuous relationship with his "wild cousin" Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of Churchill’s private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man’s life.

Ten days before the largest operation of World War II was launched, it was still one of the century's best-kept secrets--thanks to countless ordinary people participating in one of history's most remarkable moments. David Stafford has written a riveting account of ten of those ordinary men and women--including an American paratrooper, a German soldier, a nineteen-year-old English woman working on secret codes, a Parisian Jew in hiding, and a daring French resistance cell--as they lived through ten very extraordinary days. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries and letters, Stafford gives readers a fresh point of entry into one of the most significant battles ever fought.Ten Days to D-Day buzzes with the pace of a novel, as Stafford moves from country to country, from character to character, including some of D-Day's leaders: Hitler, Rommel, Eisenhower, and Churchill. Stafford compellingly brings to life the final days before the invasion through the eyes of its participants, the citizens and soldiers that made history on June 6, 1944.

This book, first published in 1991, examines the changes to security and intelligence agencies envisioned in the uncertain world at the end of the Cold War. While the central focus is on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, its history, function and future, there are also comparative studies of the British, Soviet, American and Australian systems.

This book, first published in 1991, examines the changes to security and intelligence agencies envisioned in the uncertain world at the end of the Cold War. While the central focus is on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, its history, function and future, there are also comparative studies of the British, Soviet, American and Australian systems.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to housing policy and finance in Britain. It describes changes in the condition and tenure of housing in the post-war period, and contrasts the massive investment in house building and improvement with allegations that housing conditions are deteriorating. It describes the rise of the public housing sector and the slight decline in the face of the Thatcher government's policy on council house sales, which followed. The book thus provides a background for the development of housing policy over the next decade.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to housing policy and finance in Britain. It describes changes in the condition and tenure of housing in the post-war period, and contrasts the massive investment in house building and improvement with allegations that housing conditions are deteriorating. It describes the rise of the public housing sector and the slight decline in the face of the Thatcher government's policy on council house sales, which followed. The book thus provides a background for the development of housing policy over the next decade.

This work considers, for the first time, the intelligence relationship between three important North Atlantic powers in the Twenty-first century, from WWII to post-Cold War. As demonstrated in the case studies in this volume, World War II cemented loose and often informal inter-allied agreements on security intelligence that had preceded it, and created new and important areas of close and formal co-operation in such areas as codebreaking and foreign intelligence.

This work considers, for the first time, the intelligence relationship between three important North Atlantic powers in the Twenty-first century, from WWII to post-Cold War. As demonstrated in the case studies in this volume, World War II cemented loose and often informal inter-allied agreements on security intelligence that had preceded it, and created new and important areas of close and formal co-operation in such areas as codebreaking and foreign intelligence.

Arthur Skelton has gone from unassuming Yorkshire barrister to front-page sensation, having won the case of the century. But January 1929 brings another high-profile case. Mary Dutton is accused of murdering her husband, although there are few people who dispute her guilt. Between practising his autograph and pose for hordes of journalists and fans alike, Skelton agrees to defend her, despite many considering the case to be unwinnable.With a looming general election and an army of flappers set to cast their inaugural votes, both sides of the political divide are vying for their support by trying to turn the case to their advantage. Skelton faces mounting pressure to find the truth, but will that be enough to save a young woman's life?

Shortlisted for the CWA Sapere Books Historical Dagger 2021.January 1929. When Arthur Skelton won the legal case of the century, he went from being an unremarkable barrister to front-page sensation. Now he faces a new challenge. Mary Dutton is accused of poisoning her husband and the police are utterly convinced she is guilty. Even her supporters think she did it. Skelton agrees to take on what many consider an unwinnable case, a decision wholly unconcerned with the defendant's resemblance to a beautiful actress. With an army of women set to vote for the first time in history, the fate of Mary Dutton will have a significant impact on Britain's political future. Skelton faces mounting pressure to find the truth, but will that be enough to save a young woman's life?

Guy Fawkes Night, 5th November, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first, they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, sitting at the wheel is a body, charred beyond recognition. The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr Harold Musgrave, a successful travelling salesman has taken his own life in a particularly grisly act of self-immolation. The post-mortem, however, reveals that Mr Musgrave was either unconscious or dead before the fire was lit. When Tommy Prosser, a local criminal, is charged with the murder, barrister Arthur Skelton believes him to be innocent, so sets out to ensure justice is served.

The Silent Game traces the history of spy writers and their fiction from creator William Le Queux, of the Edwardian age, to John le Carré, of the Cold War era. David Stafford reveals the connections between fact and fiction as seen in the lives of writers with experience in intelligence, including John Buchan, Compton Mackenzie, Somerset Maugham, Ian Fleming, and Graham Greene. Le Queux used his spy fiction as xenophobic propaganda before and after World War I, and le Carré’s novels have provided reflections on the Cold War and the decline of Britain’s influence. Anxieties about the decline of the American “empire” have helped stimulate a more vigorous American literature of espionage, providing an index of contemporary American concerns about power relations. As Stafford suggests, the genre of espionage fiction rarely intends to document the real world of intelligence. Rather, it provides a popular vehicle for exploring themes of imperial decline, international crisis, and impending war.

An American drummer, a bass player from Newcastle and a guitarist a decade older than the other two, with little in common other than their musical brilliance and towering ambition, formed one of the most successful bands in history.Covering the years 1977-1986 and the brief reincarnation in 2007-2008, acclaimed biographers Caroline and David Stafford chronicle the rise and fall of the Police. Much like Reservoir Dogs but without the light relief, it's a tale of jealousy, anger and attrition both on the road and in the studio.And yet, despite - or perhaps because of - the battles, these three musicians, Sting, Andy and Stewart, each supremely talented in his own right, together achieved a symbiosis that produced music of soaring magnificence.

The biography of Ronnie Lane, the English musician and songwriter best known for his bands Small Faces and Faces.Ronnie Lane's story is that of a working-class kid who started his musical career busking a ukulele at the age of eight. As a young man he signed with legendary manager Don Arden, who paid him in paisley shirts. He then enjoyed a phenomenal 17 consecutive Top 40 singles, womanising and LSD, and fell under the spell of a mystic before joining forces with Rod Stewart. Ronnie was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, moved to America, went broke and died far too young.Drawing on extensive research and interviews with friends and family, Caroline and David Stafford unearth the truth and talent of the man behind the music.