Modern reconstruction of a ship of the period

The siege of Brest took place in 1342 during the Breton Civil War, a dispute over who should inherit the Duchy of Brittany, with Charles of Blois, supported by a large French army, besieging supporters of John of Montfort. As France and England were engaged in the Hundred Years' War, the Monfortists appealed to the English king for military assistance, which was promised. It was slow in coming, and by July 1342 Brest was the last fortification held for the Montfort cause. The town was blockaded from the sea by 14 mercenary Genoese galleys. On 18 August, an English fleet of 260 ships (example pictured), commanded by William of Northampton, sailed into the Brest Roads and overwhelmed the galleys, burning 11. The English ships carried only a small fighting force, but seeing so many enemy ships and the English vanguard disembarking, Charles broke off the siege and withdrew. The historian Jonathan Sumption describes this as extraordinary. The Breton Civil War continued until 1365, and the Hundred Years' War until 1453. (Full article...)

Pat O'Keeffe (1883–1960) was a British professional boxer who twice held the British middleweight title. Born in Bromley-by-Bow to Irish parents, he turned professional in 1902 and won the middleweight championship of England in 1906. Between 1907 and 1910, he fought across the United States and Australia, drawing with Billy Papke in Philadelphia and touring with the world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns, whom he seconded against Jack Johnson. In 1914, O'Keeffe challenged Georges Carpentier in a bout billed as the European heavyweight championship and was knocked out in two rounds. During World War I, O'Keeffe served with the 1st Surrey Rifles, combining recruiting with physical training. In January 1918, in his last fight, he beat Bandsman Blake at the National Sporting Club during a German air raid on London to win the Lonsdale Belt outright. O'Keeffe later worked as a publican and helped found the British Boxing Board of Control. (Full article...)