Excellent report! I do like that you have created your own narrative history.
Indeed Craig,
Although it owes a lot to various novels and graphic novels!
So far its run roughly as follows:
The British Empire is stronger, retaining its colonies in the Americas.
1. The Martians invaded Great Britain, and their tripods were defeated by biological weapons developed at Porton Down under the brilliant Dr Moreau.
Following that event (that killed the Martians, but also many humans, and may well have released some unknown 'future problem' into the population, Dr Moreau became disillusioned at the way his work was used. He fled and the British have been trying to track him down before another European (or other) Empire does. Moreau has been making genetic chimerae to defend him (and continue his research - which the British Crown was looking to exploit to make soldiers able to survive on Mars...)
2. The Russians, who have territory to the west of the north American continent, are agitating in the British Thirteen Colonies.
How (and if) these two threads are linked, only time will tell!