Consistently Eccentric History

This week we are starting the tale of the most famous of all British Fascists, Oswald Mosley.Born into privilege and the certainty that he would never have to work for a living should he not wish to, Oswald should have enjoyed an idilic childhood. However the lack of a consistent father-figure mixed with rampant narcissism led him to pursue a career in the Military as a means of gaining the recognition and praise that he felt he was due.Joining the army as a teenager (straight in as an officer, naturally) at the very outset of WWI, Oswald Mosley proceeded to have the most 'Meh' of military careers. Joining the Royal Flying Corps so that he could feel special but spending much more time chasing older women in England than he did flying in France, Mosley nevertheless believed that he was exactly the sort of person who should speak for the 'War Generation...'...As soon as he got back from the bone setter. Guest Host: Oliver (not Ollie) Green Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have been in Scotland visiting Ollie, so we decided to take the chance to record a three person episode. To celebrate we are discussing every death that has occurred at the many Theme Parks of the UK and Ireland. Starting with a quick primer on the origin of the Theme Park we discuss both the worst disaster in UK history and the worst decade for deaths (maybe the Emo's were onto something). Also I had no opportunity to edit, so this is a rare uncut episode, a great chance to see just how unprofessional we are.Guest Hosts: Emma Heathcote & Oliver Green Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are discussing the brief but influential career of Mary Henrietta Kingsley, a woman who only began travelling in her 30s, but who nevertheless managed to write two of the most influential travelogues of the late Victorian era.Brought up in almost complete isolation, but hearing the stories from her father's many foreign adventures, Mary dreamed of going somewhere that no other British woman had ever been before. Luckily for her there were lots of opportunities to achieve this goal...... on the African continent. Guest Host: Evie Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are heading of the southern coast of South Africa for a cautionary tale of what can happen as a result of multiple little mistakes. With questions regarding the design, the decision making of the crew, the impact of various 'improvements' and the general maintenance of the lifesaving equipment on board the HMS Birkenhead, there should have been concerns about sailing it through a region called 'Danger Point'. At the very least it might have been considered risky to have multiple women and children on board (especially as they were sailing toward an active war zone).However even the most pessimistic of people probably wouldn't have been able to predict just how wrong things could go...All in all a perfect introduction to the world of Consistently Eccentric for our newest guest host, Flynn Heathcote. Hopefully it is not so depressing that we put him off guesting on anymore stories in the future.Guest Host: Flynn Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is time to draw to a close our series on Port Royal, beginning with the return of Henry Morgan to Jamaica with a mission to end piracy. Though of course he instead decided to find a way to turn a (slightly corrupt) profit.But while the merchants of the were making ever greater profits and building ever more houses on the tiny spit of land that constituted Port Royal, deep below the surface of Jamaica there were seismic movements that would eventually bring the entire enterprise tumbling down.The earthquake of 1692 was massive, and would have been destructive to buildings that were well constructed with strong foundations. The buildings in Port Royal were built directly onto sand that sat only a few feet above the water table....... it did not end well.Guest Host: Emma Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.