Tessa Dunlop – författare

A moving account of how war is remembered – and by whom 'Impressive. A hundred individual histories, skillfully assembled, built into a poignant meditation on why they still matter' David Olusoga 'Brilliant' Piers Morgan Shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book of the Year Award 2026 Bestselling historian Tessa Dunlop travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom on a quest to uncover a story of national warring and national mourning, of fighting each other and of fighting together. Along the way, she summons a stellar cast of veterans, military experts and families of the fallen to reveal what our monuments and war heroes say about us, both then and now.Why did Scotland take nearly 600 years to commemorate its most famous freedom fighter? When did Wellington become anti-Establishment? Who are the Glorious Dead? Can the Cenotaph stay above politics? And how do you commemorate contested, asymmetrical wars?Through powerful veteran testimony from individuals such as Falklands hero Simon Weston and HRH The Duke of Kent, Tessa brings to life the pride and the pain of commemoration across these isles.Lest We Forget, freedom is not free. 'In this wonderfully incisive, moving and timely book about commemoration, Dunlop breathes life into 100 British monuments – some famous, others less so – that together reveal our island story. A stunning achievement.' Saul David

A moving account of how war is remembered – and by whom 'Impressive. A hundred individual histories, skillfully assembled, built into a poignant meditation on why they still matter' David Olusoga 'Brilliant' Piers Morgan Shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book of the Year Award 2026 Bestselling historian Tessa Dunlop travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom on a quest to uncover a story of national warring and national mourning, of fighting each other and of fighting together. Along the way, she summons a stellar cast of veterans, military experts and families of the fallen to reveal what our monuments and war heroes say about us, both then and now.Why did Scotland take nearly 600 years to commemorate its most famous freedom fighter? When did Wellington become anti-Establishment? Who are the Glorious Dead? Can the Cenotaph stay above politics? And how do you commemorate contested, asymmetrical wars?Through powerful veteran testimony from individuals such as Falklands hero Simon Weston and HRH The Duke of Kent, Tessa brings to life the pride and the pain of commemoration across these isles.Lest We Forget, freedom is not free. 'In this wonderfully incisive, moving and timely book about commemoration, Dunlop breathes life into 100 British monuments – some famous, others less so – that together reveal our island story. A stunning achievement.' Saul David

'A riveting take on an extraordinary relationship' - Richard Eden, Daily Mail'A fresh and original approach' - Hugo Vickers, Royal BiographerShe was 'sugar pink' innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary, lifelong union but success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy plunges us back into the 1940s when a teenage princess fell in love with a foreign prince. Cue fears of a flirtatious 'Greek' fortune hunter stealing off with Britain's crown jewel and Philip's supporters scrambling to reframe him as a good fit for the Royal Family. Drawing on original newspaper archives and the opinions of Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented polling on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife Philip got down on bended knee at the coronation and committed himself as the Queen's 'liege man of life and limb.' Published 75 years after their marriage, this deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, the public appeal and the private tensions that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pair - but Elizabeth and Philip shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and Glorious, for better or for worse, how did their union succeed? Monarchy was the magic word.

The extraordinary true story of the codebreaking women of World War Two'Nothing has breathed life into WWII in the same way as this truly engaging portrait of life at Bletchley Park sharing the memories of the women who worked at the code breaking coal face' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Beautifully written . . . Dunlop manages to do two things: she both lets these women's voices sing - showing their individual characters and backgrounds - and she provides us with an astute perspective on events unfolding.' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'So refreshing to read the story from the perspective of the women who were actually there. So many books have been written on this subject, but few are able to capture the atmosphere of that time as Tessa Dunlop has' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Bletchley Girls weaves together the lives of fifteen women who were all selected to work in Britain's most secret organisation - Bletchley Park. It is their story, told in their voices; Tessa met and talked to 15 veterans, often visiting them several times. Firm friendships were made as their epic journey unfolded on paper.The scale of female involvement in Britain during the Second World War wasn't matched in any other country. From 8 million working women just over 7000 were hand-picked to work at Bletchley Park and its outstations. There had always been girls at the Park but soon they outnumbered the men three to one.A refugee from Belgium, a Scottish debutante, a Jewish 14-year-old, and a factory worker from Northamptonshire - the Bletchley Girls confound stereotypes. But they all have one common bond, the war and their highly confidential part in it. In the middle of the night, hunched over meaningless pieces of paper, tending mind-blowing machines, sitting listening for hours on end, theirs was invariably confusing, monotonous and meticulous work, about which they could not breathe a word.By meeting and talking to these fascinating secret-keepers, Tessa Dunlop captures their extraordinary journeys into a terrifying world of war, secrecy, love and loss. A must-read for anyone with an interest in the real stories of World War Two. ----Critical acclaim for The Bletchley Girls:'An in-depth picture of life in Britain's wartime intelligence centre . . . The result is fascinating, and is made all the more touching by the developing friendships between Dunlop and her interviewees.' Financial Times'Lively . . . in giving us the daily details of their lives in the women's own voices Dunlop does them and us a fine service.' New Statesman'Brings the unsung heroines of Bletchley into the limelight and gives them a share of the credit that so often goes to their male counterparts.' The Scotsman'Candid about the hardships and heartaches of wartime work and its knock-on effects.' The Times

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Tessa Dunlop...succeeds in weaving a rich tapestry of experiences.' Independent‘A warm-hearted and engaging read, The Century Girls is replete with wonderful characters.’ Sunday Express'A delightful book... all about women and women's lives.' Jane Garvey, Radio 4 Woman's Hour'It’s a brilliant book… It’s fantastic!' Chris Evans, Radio 2 Breakfast ShowA celebration of the one-hundred years since British women got the vote, told, in their own voices, by six centenarians: Helena, Olive, Edna, Joyce, Ann and Phyllis – The Century Girls​In 2018, Britain celebrated the centenary of some women getting the vote. The intervening ten decades have witnessed staggering change, and The Century Girls features six women born in 1918 or before who haven’t just witnessed that change, they’ve lived it. Empire shrank, war came and went, and modern society demanded continual readjustment.... the Century Girls lasted the course, and this book weaves together their lifetime’s adventures – what they were taught, how they were treated, who they loved, what they did and where they are now.With stories that are intimately knitted into the history of the British Isles, this is a time-travel epic featuring our oldest, most precious national treasures. Edna, 102, was a domestic servant born in Lincolnshire. Helena is 101 years old and the eldest of eight born into a Welsh farming family. Olive, 102, began life as a child of empire in British Guiana and was one of the first women to migrate to London after the war. There’s Ann, a 103-year-London bohemian; 100-year-old Phyllis, daughter of the British Raj, who has called Edinburgh home for nearly eighty years; and finally ‘young’ Joyce – a 99-year-old Cambridge classicist who’s still at work.It is through the prism of these women’s very long lives that The Century Girls provides a deeply personal account of British history over the past one hundred years. Their story is our story too.

'Wise, witty, compassionate and personal: Tessa Dunlop writes just the best kind of history about women' - Lucy Worsley, OBE'You'll feel the shock of finding these amazing characters are still among us - I was gripped from the first page' - Jeremy VineArmy Girls is the intimate story of the final few women who served in World War II and are still alive to tell their tale. They were female soldiers in a war Britain wanted to fight without conscripting women. It was a vain hope, by December 1941 for the first time in British history women were called up and a generation of girls came of age in khaki, serving king and country. Barbara trained to drive army-style in giant trucks and Grace swapped her servant's pinafore for battledress and a steel hat, Martha turned down officer status for action on a gun-site and Olivia won the Croix de Guerre in France.Commemorating the 80th anniversary of conscription for women, Army Girls captures remarkable stories from the last surviving veterans who served in Britain's female army and brings to life a pivotal moment in British history. Precious memories and letters are entwined in a rich narrative that travels back in time and sheds new light on being young, female and at war.Uniquely this moving Second World War memoir is embedded in the present day. Written in the midst of a global pandemic, the parallels and paradoxes between two very different national crises are explored in a book that honours the women who fought on in extreme youth and now once more in great old age.