James Daly

I am a young(ish!) historian from Portsmouth, England. I have had a lifelong interest in local and military history, motivated by my grandfather, an Arnhem veteran, and my great uncle who was onboard the SS Laconia when it was torpedoed in the South Atlantic.

I studied for my history bachelors degree at the University of Portsmouth, specialising in local and maritime history, and graduated in 2005. Since graduating my aim has been to bring combine elements of scholarly and popular history - well researched, but accessible and focusing on people.

For the past few years now I have been researching the people of Portsmouth who were killed in the Second World War, and my first book 'Portsmouth's World War Two Heroes' is the result. I am currently researching Portsmouth's citizens who fell in the First World War, with one eye on the centenary of the outbreak of the war coming up in 2014.

I have previously written articles for magazines such as Britain at War, and give regular talks to local history groups. I have worked in local libraries and museums since leaving school.