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Slim Jim Pickens posted:I'm pretty sure all battleships are just too top-heavy in general. Just from memory, I know that Barham rolled, Repulse rolled, Prince of Wales rolled, and Oklahoma rolled, and that plus the IJN is already most of the battleships lost during the war. Not having too much stability (tending towards being a tender ship) is/was generally seen as a good thing for a warship - a "slow, easy roll" is good for gunnery. Within limits, of course. A stiff ship (lots of weight low down) will be too stable and roll very quickly.
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Jan 31, 2017 12:02
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I'm sure I read somewhere that 'hun' and 'boche' were more likely to be used by officers, while other ranks tended to use 'Fritz'. Interesting article on the subject of WW1 slang - http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/slang-terms-at-the-front
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Feb 26, 2017 08:33
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Panzeh posted:The Boulton Paul Defiant's superiority is being able to mount a quad-MG turret honestly. Fighters which are limited to fixed forward firing weapons are obsolete. Hang on...
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Feb 28, 2017 20:21
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I'm taking my 10 year old to visit his great-great-grandfather's grave in Belgium next month. We're staying in Ypres for three nights, in the plan already is Brandhoek cemetary, Menen Gate, Arras Memorial and two divisional memorials in the Cambra/Arras area. Anybody have any recommendations for relevant things to see in the area?
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Jul 7, 2017 16:55
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Jaguars! posted:Is it worth spending an extra 30k to get the model with a teakettle? need answer fast Those are NZ dollars - it's roughly the same cost as the T55.
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Jul 18, 2017 10:49
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Fangz posted:boil down to the logical fallacy in the definition of the problem? Doesn't it always?
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Jul 18, 2017 16:28
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War diary chat - I'm tracing my grandfather's footsteps through the first world war, and have the war diary for the battalion he's in. Would there be any interest in me posting "100 years ago today" entries?
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Oct 25, 2017 17:15
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The war diary of the 13th battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps, 100 years ago today. I've been following my grandfather's progress through the first world war. George was a widower age 24 in 1915 (the 1911 census says he was a Signal Box Lad on the railway) when he joined the Territorials and was posted to 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division as a horse drawn wagon driver in the Army Service Corps. He joined the army with his best friend Sam, but they soon got separated when Sam was posted to the 10th Yorks & Lancs. George and Sam made an agreement that if something was to happen to Sam then George would look after his wife Fannie. Sam rose to the rank of CSM but was killed in 1917. George remained a private and 'looked after' Fannie to such an extent that they had 7 children after the war and many, many grandchildren. George arrived in France at the beginning of 1917 and remained with his ASC unit until 31st July 1917 when he was admitted to #8 General Hospital, Rouen, with "Contusion, Back Mild" - can't have been that mild if he needed admitting to hospital! My theory is that he was kicked by one of the horses. His trail then goes cold for a few weeks, but it's possible he was at Etaples at the time of the Etaples mutiny. He arrived at his new unit on 6th October 1917. That unit was the 13th KRRC. (There is some confusion about the actual unit; the medal roll says the 6th London Rifles, the National Roll after the war states 2nd KRRC. I've got copies of multiple documents from the end of the war where he is stated as 13th KRRC, and the service number there matches the number shown elsewhere, e.g. the medal roll, so 13th KRRC seems to be the correct one.) In early October 1917 the 13th battalion, part of the 111th Brigade, 37th Division, was resting after being heavily involved in the Passchendaele battles and taking a lot of casualties. There was a brief spell in Hedgesteet Tunnels on Observatory Ridge, about 4km SE of Ypres, then a move to Locre, 12km SW of Ypres. Working parties have been going forwards to places including the Menin Road, slight casualties being taken. Some parts of the diary are handwritten, others on a typewriter. If I have comments to make or doubt as to what is said I'll include it inline in italics. I'll try and include maps and scans of appendices, but no promises as I only have limited time. There may be occasions where I have to post an entry a day early or late. Having said all that the first entry, 100 years ago today, is very short. 13th KRRC War Diary, 26th Oct 1917 posted:The details + transport at Wakefield Huts moved to STRAZEELE in the HAZEBROUCK area. It does get more exciting, promise!
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Oct 26, 2017 13:44
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13th KRRC War Diary, 27/28th Oct 1917 posted:Working parties as usual. 1st Lt Fisher was wounded while in charge of the working party. Ignore these posts until 17th November unless minor housekeeping actions are your thing...
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Oct 27, 2017 14:27
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13th KRRC War Diary, 29th Oct 1917 posted:The battalion was relieved by a composite battalion of 10th Yorks & Lancs and 4th Middlesex and moved by motor busses to the MOOLENACKER area near HAZEBROUCK arriving about 2pm. This was a move into reserve or 'rest', rather than being closer to the front line and providing working parties for road building, salvaging and trench building/maintenance, etc. as they were before. Strazeele is about 23km SW of Ypres and a similar distance North of Bethune. Moolenacker doesn't appear on google maps and I've not figured out where it was yet.
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Oct 30, 2017 01:08
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Cyrano4747 posted:A quick google of "moolenacker ypres" turns up a bunch of references to Winston Churchill doing some poo poo in that area in 1916. It's alternatively referenced as a farm or a very small village, so probably a very small clutch of buildings and a couple of families. Fast glances just show a lot of references to it being "in front of Ypres" so probably an outlying town or crossroads or farm or whatever associated with it. My guess would be that everyone there gtfo during the war and never came back. Lots of places have different (or at least differently spelled) names now. Ypres is Ieper, for example. I found an aerial photo captioned "Trenches near Moolenacker, west of Meteren" but didn't manage to match it to the modern map. Somewhere between Meteren and Hazebrouck is as close as I'll get. And guess what, Strazeele with battalion HQ is right in the middle of those two places. Plus all the billets being widely scattered, of course - probably in all the farms in the area.
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Oct 30, 2017 09:52
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13th KRRC War Diary, 30th Oct 1917 posted:Day devoted to cleaning up, inspections and reorganising of sections.
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Oct 31, 2017 00:07
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13th KRRC War Diary, 31st Oct 1917 posted:Training commenced and specialist classes started I've not managed to find out what "evacuated" means, as yet - this happened to 43 "other ranks". Wounded is its own category - 1 officer and 91 other ranks. Gassed is another category again. And somebody was extremely naughty and got sent to prison. Also interesting to note is that 12 second lieutenants arrived during the month, four companies with four second lieutenants each means there is only around 16 of them total in the battalion (except where they are running a company instead of the usual captain)...    Fortunately for me, November's diary is typed, with a decent ribbon.
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Oct 31, 2017 12:42
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13th KRRC War Diary, 1st Nov 1917 posted:Training continued. Copies of two weeks programmes are appended. Scans of the Appendices referenced are below.  
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Nov 1, 2017 17:50
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13th KRRC War Diary, 2nd Nov 1917 posted:Training. A tactical exercise for Officers was carried out. Copy of the scheme is appended. Norris de Gruchy Butcher, bank clerk, of Highgate, London. Enlisted in the Army Pay Corps Dec. 1914, transf. to the 26th Bn. Royal Fusiliers Oct. 1915, was R.Q.M.S. when he left to take a commission in the K.R.R.C. in Aug. 1917. Date of death 23/05/1918  Cpl A H Oakley is a bit trickier, but there is a 2nd Lieutenant A H Oakley of KRRC suffering from Synovitis, knee (right) in December 1918. Scan of the tactical exercise information - 
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Nov 2, 2017 13:34
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13th KRRC War Diary, 3rd Nov 1917 posted:Training. The battalion was inspected by Brigadier General S.G. Francis, our new G.O.C., who expressed himself well pleased with the appearance of the men, and complimented them on their smart turn-out.
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Nov 3, 2017 10:32
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13th KRRC War Diary, 4th Nov 1917 posted:Church Parade and games.
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Nov 4, 2017 20:13
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13th KRRC War Diary, 5th Nov 1917 posted:Training and route march. Captain G.H. Norris assumed command of C Company, vice Lieut. H.B.English, and Lieut. K.W. Seton Carr took over command of A Company, from Lieut. R.E.S. Poole. Gilbert Hume Norris, son of W. B. Norris, of Warblington Rectory, Havant, Hants. Date of death 09/03/1918 H B English Survived, but suffered from scabies in 1918[ Kenneth William Seton-Karr Survived, awarded MM 10/05/1918 Robert Evelyn Sandford Poole Date of death 04/11/1918 (I've not checked ahead in case anyone I'm saying survives actually dies, I'm going by searches on Forces War Records. Strangely enough it's much easier to find information on someone who was killed.)
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Nov 6, 2017 00:13
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Azran posted:I've heard in a couple of places that interwar tank designers tried not to have the gun go beyond the length of the hull. Where there any legit reasons as for why they would try to avoid this? It started back in world war 1. The Mark I had a long six pounder, the Mark II and III were supposed to be training tanks (although the Mark II was used at Arras in April 1917), then starting with the Mark IV a shorter 23 calibre gun was used as the longer ones were too easily damaged by buildings or shell craters.
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Nov 6, 2017 10:42
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13th KRRC War Diary, 6th Nov 1917 posted:A draft of 24 O.R. (Other Ranks) arrived from the Base. Frederick Cecil Taylor Died 22/08/1918, rank Captain The Yukon pack was apparently a type of early external framed rucksack. Elsewhere in the Salient, the village of Passchendaele was finally captured today. It only took 99 days to advance about 5 miles...
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Nov 6, 2017 23:17
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Three German officers crossed the line, apparently. But, while a Tiger tank is mentioned, nowhere in the Clarence fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Nov 7, 2017 |
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Nov 7, 2017 16:56
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13th KRRC War Diary, 7th Nov 1917 posted:Training. While not quite the calm before the storm, this is the calm before the strong breeze. No spoilers about when or if there is a storm!
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Nov 7, 2017 23:29
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13th KRRC War Diary, 8th Nov 1917 posted:The Battalion moved by route march from the STRAZEELE area to KEMMEL SHELTERS, between KEMMEL and LOCRE. That's a distance of 9 miles as the crow flies ENE. Kemmel Shelters no longer exist but they were in the near vicinity of Lettenberg Shelters which do still exist, just to the West of Kemmel about 6 miles SSW from the centre of Ypres.
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Nov 8, 2017 18:05
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13th KRRC War Diary, 9/10th Nov 1917 posted:Training. Not just one day's training, but two! Part of me is actually happy about starting this when we did, as it shows that in reality, when there is no big 'push' by either side in an area, then a lot of time is occupied with ordinary things like training rather than being stuck in a muddy shell hole for months on end.
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Nov 9, 2017 13:17
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13th KRRC War Diary, 11th Nov 1917 posted:Sunday. Church Parade and usual inspections by C.O. Nothing unusual about November 11th in 1917.
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Nov 11, 2017 22:13
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13th KRRC War Diary, 12th Nov 1917 posted:Training. Route march 9 a.m. to 12 noon during which the wearing of small Box Respirators on the march was practiced. Major W.G.Johns proceeded to FUZEVILLE Railhead for duty. Whitfield Glanville Johns Mentioned in despatches 01/02/1917, 18/12/1917 and 08/07/1919. Acting Lt Col, awarded DSO on 27/12/1918 and 08/07/1919 Small box respirator
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Nov 12, 2017 23:41
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13th KRRC War Diary, 13th Nov 1917 posted:Training and Baths.
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Nov 13, 2017 17:40
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13th KRRC War Diary, 14th-16th Nov 1917 posted:Training. On 16th. inst., Capt. (A/Major) P.N. Russell returned to the Battalion, and assumed the duties of Second in Command vice Major W.G. Johns. Patrick Norreys Russell Awarded Military Cross on 10/05/1918. Citation: During the heavy bombardment which preceded an enemy attack, the majority of the officers becoming casualties, he organised the defences and on the enemy breaking in from the left rear of the system he organised a counter-attack which checked the enemy's progress at the most critical period. Throughout the operations his coolness and ability were most conspicuous and in a great measure decided the ultimate success of the counter-attack.
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Nov 14, 2017 15:15
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13th KRRC War Diary, 17th Nov 1917 posted:TOUR IN THE FRONT LINE Other battalions in the 111th Brigade 10th battalion Royal Fusiliers 13th battalion Royal Fusiliers 13th battalion Rifle Brigade Appended map in the war diary -  Another version of the original map made by pasting together trench maps from 1916-1917 with the front line shown  Annotated modern map which shows the front line and where the battalion moved from -  An aerial photo from the area at roughly the right time showing the state of the terrain. On the trench map above that shows the front line, the area the photo covers is shown be a white square in the map square with I in it. The arrowed location in the photo is shown by a green X on the map.  How to read trench map co-ordinates I've not managed to identify where "the Clusters" are as yet, but probably in the area of Klein Zillebeke. Hill 60. Yes, that Hill 60. The location of SPOIL BANK is shown on the modern map. James Noel Evans-Jackson Awarded Military Cross 14/08/1017, and a Bar on 08/03/1919. Then another Bar on 04/10/1919. Final rank of "Temporary Major". Citation for the second Bar : "For marked gallantry and skilful leadership during the attack on Neuville on 23rd Oct, 1918. He was leading the leading wave, and when the company was held up about 300 yards short of the objective he personally took forward two Lewis gun sections, and by skilful manoeuvring outflanked the enemy, who surrendered with ten machine guns." Further spoiler - this is the attack my grandfather was wounded in. Capt. R.E. Stavert Date of death 25/08/1918
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Nov 17, 2017 15:25
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Bobby Digital posted:Dude had a good run Subsequently found out that he originally joined as a Private in 1914. Citation for his first M.C. - "For conspicuous gallantry and good leadership while commanding his company, which he led against a formidable strong point. Considerable opposition was overcome, many of the enemy killed, and the position captured. Later, he again led his company with great skill and courage, and was the first to reach a railway cutting, where over 200 prisoners were taken." Did well after the war as well - he ended up the President of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys from 1942-1946. Died in 1961, age 70.
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Nov 17, 2017 22:51
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13th KRRC War Diary, 18th Nov 1917 posted:In the early morning Capt. Norris had visited his Left Post, and was returning to his Left Platoon Hd. Qrs., when he missed the way and arrived at the Right Company Head Quarters of the Rifle Brigade. From there he was directed by an officer of the M.G.C., apparently inaccurately, Capt. Norris walked on with his two Orderlies and presently came in sight of 2 Pill Boxes similar to his Company Head Quarters, and approached close up to them. He was challenged as he thought in 2/Lieut. Hale's voice, and answered in a jocular manner. He was again challenged and fired on at point blank range by about eight rifles and a machine gun. The party took the best cover they could and made their way back. No. R29368 Rfn. A. Rhodes was seen to reach Bulgar Wood in safety, but nothing more has been seen of him, although 2/Lieut. Hale patrolled the vicinity of the left post in daylight. Owing to the situation of advanced posts in waterlogged shell holes, and the lack of shelter, special measures were necessary for ameliorating conditions for the men, and for prevention of trench feet etc. It had been found possible through Army Channels, and by opportune gifts from the comforts fund of the Rifle Depot, Winchester, to arrange a daily 'ration' of dry socks for all in need of them, and there was a liberal issue of Gum Boots. The experiment was tried of getting hot food to the forward positions in tins carried in valises, and packed round with hay and straw. Reports from Companies on this method are favourable. Private A Rhodes from Eccles. Survived the war. Military Medal awarded (gazetted) 11/01/1918 2/Lieut. F E Hale Date of death 25/08/1918 Bulgar Wood is the wood immediately to the North of the battalions front line positions, on their left flank.
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Nov 18, 2017 16:49
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13th KRRC War Diary, 19th Nov 1917 posted:Routes to the various posts which were ill defined during the relief were thoroughly reconnoitered, and we have become more familiar with the ground. The 'going' is very bad, and the nights continue to be exceptionally dark. Communications are being improved by guide lines of pickets and wire, and material carried up for improving the shell hole line. On this date the moon would set by 8.30pm, and if the weather was cloudy this would result in the dark conditions.
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Nov 19, 2017 12:31
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13th KRRC War Diary, 20th Nov 1917 posted:At 6-10 a.m. three of the enemy were captured whilst approaching a Lewis Gun post in North Farm, (C Company). They were from 1st. Res, Bav Division. A paper found on one prisoner (an Under Officer), indicated that he belonged to the STURM TRUPPEN. A patrol from right front, (B Company) 2/Lieut. J. Kimberley, Cpl. Allen and 1 Other Rank) reconnoitered approach to Game Copse, and located a Pill Box, and enemy M.G. Position. 2/Lieut. J. Kimberley Admitted to hospital with myalgia (muscle pain) approximately 21/02/1918. "50th field ambulance. To No. 3 Canadian casualty clearing station" Cpl. Allen - There are two different Cpl. Allen's mentioned in 1918/19 so it's not possible to tell which this was. 2/Lieut. James Drysdale Meikle Mentioned in Despatches, Gazette Date 21/05/1918. Date of Death: 04/11/1918 Sgt. Glover - No record found of a Sgt. Glover in the battalion.
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Nov 20, 2017 14:57
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13th KRRC War Diary, 21st Nov 1917 posted:Another prisoner, (2nd. Bav. Regt)., taken on Right Front, (B Company) about 7 p.m. He had lost his way on patrol. Nobody in the battalion had sleep paralysis today.
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Nov 21, 2017 10:44
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I'm the dugouts on the wrong side of the trenches.
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Nov 22, 2017 00:14
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13th KRRC War Diary, 22nd Nov 1917 posted:A Company (Lieut. Seton Karr), relieved B Company, (Capt. Evans Jackson M.C.) and D Company, (Capt. Stavert) relieved C Company, (Capt. Norris) in the front line; Right and Left Sectors respectively. Commencing midnight, the reliefs were complete by 3-30 a.m.
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Nov 22, 2017 17:02
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13th KRRC War Diary, 23rd Nov 1917 posted:2.30 pm. Artillery fired practice rounds for S.O.S. Barrage. These fell well clear of our outpost line about the line of the BASSEVILLEBEEK. Enemy made no reply.
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Nov 23, 2017 21:51
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13th KRRC War Diary, 24th Nov 1917 posted:A prisoner was taken by the Sentry group at Wood Farm, (Right Front) A Company, having approached the post under the observation of the sentry through Belgian Wood. He was of 54th. WURTEMBURG Regt., Machine Gun Company.
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Nov 24, 2017 12:27
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13th KRRC War Diary, 2nd Nov 1917 posted:A portion of the Battalion front to the northwards, (comprising North Farm and some posts) was taken over by the 13th. R.B. The Battalion Sector was re-arranged and a further post established in Belgian Wood. Much work was done in reconnoitering and salving Potsdam Dugouts as Platoon Head Quarters, and also dugouts at the Clusters, for Front Line Company Head Quarters. They were brought into use before the Battalion was relieved. Special attention was paid to salvage and large quantities were taken back to Transport Lines and Dumps.
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Nov 26, 2017 00:17
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13th KRRC War Diary, 26th Nov 1917 posted:VIERSTRAAT. The battalion was relieved in the line by the 4th. Bn. Middlesex Regiment at dusk. Relief complete by 6-40 p.m. and the Battalion withdrew into Support Area at Ridgewood Camp. Nissen hut, for anyone who hasn't heard of them before. A famous example of one is The Italian Chapel in the Orkneys from WWII. Ridge Wood is SW of Ypres, about 2/3 of the way to Kemmel, and about 5 miles due West of where the front line positions were. No matter how bad the facilities were it's got to be better than sitting in a shell hole outpost. The battalion was in the front line for around 8 days, which seems to about be the typical duration.
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Nov 26, 2017 21:48
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