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Impressed at the BBC taking the "it wasn't all that bad" approach to the centenary like.

 

Though it's no surprise from the son of that poppyless bastard Peter.

 

...or is it Jon?

 

Winter is coming anyway.

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It's been out a while and I know there's lots of listeners on here already, but I only got caught up with the most recent Hardcore History - Blueprint for Armageddon - last week....

 

http://www.dancarlin.com//disp.php/hharchive/Show-50---Blueprint-for-Armageddon-I/First%20World%20War-World%20War%20One-Great%20War

 

Brilliant 3 hour podcast starting from the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and discussing the build up to war, the gathering of forces, the failure of diplomacy and the initial incursions into neutral land with comparisons back to the Napoleonic wars, Alexander the great and the Roman empire to show how unpresented the size of the conflict was going to be.

 

Looking forward to the subsequent shows that take you through the war itself.

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I found some details about my Great Grand Uncle Henry who served and was killed on the first day of the Somme.

He volunteered at Washington in September 1914 , joining the Border Regiment and saw his first action at Gallipoli in June 1915, surviving that he saw action at Suvla and had further training at Suez, before being shipped to France.

The Regimental War Diary entry for 1st July 1916 is as follows,

The War Diary of the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment for 1st July

reads as follows: "Front Line, 7.30am The Battn (less 10%) advanced

just south of Beaumont Hamel their objective being BEAUCOURT REDOUBT.

The 27th SWB (South Wales Borderers), whose objective was the first

two German lines, were wiped out by MACHINE GUN fire in our own wire.

The 19th Battn, the BORDER REGIMENT then went over the top from our

support line, and over our first line, the bridges over our front

trench having been ranged by the GERMAN MACHINE GUNNERS the day

previously, we met with heavy losses whilst crossing the bridges and

passing through the lanes cut in the wire. The men were absolutely

magnificent and, formed up as ordered outside our wire, made a right

incline, and advanced into NO MAN'S LAND at a slow walk, also as

ordered. The advance was continued until only little groups of half a

dozen men were left here and there and these, finding that reinforcementswere in sight, took cover in shell holes or wherever they could.

8.00am: The advance was brought entirely to a standstill.

8.15am: Enemy re-opened his bombardment on our trenches for which our

guns retaliated.

9.15am: LT COL ELLIS having been wounded was brought in by 8409 PTE

NEWCOMBE, MAJOR MEIKLEJOHN (who had been in command of the 10th Yorks)

assumed command of the Battn and collected all the men he could in the

support line, as ordered by the BRIGADIER.

10.30am: The 10% ordered back to reserve line, where they stayed until

next morning. Advance definitely given up on this sector. The Battn

strength of those who took part in advance was Officers 23, Other Ranks809.

Casualties among Officers - 2 killed, 4 missing believed killed, 2

wounded and missing, 12 missing. Other Ranks suffered 64 killed, 411

wounded and 144 missing."

The bit in bold is the part that got me- the gaps in the wire were ranged by the German machine gunners the day before , and the brass were aware of it.

Those poor buggers who made it through were then under orders to advance at a slow walk- running wasn't the done thing.

Of 839 men from the Regiment , only 200 made it unscathed.

All this took place in half an hour.

Henry's body was never recovered and his name is on the memorial to the missing at Thiepval

 

Dan Snow can fuck off :lol:

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I fail to see what Snow has said that is in any way offensive? He's not trying to portray it as a light hearted scuffle but doing what it says in the title.

 

 

I wasn't offended at all. I saw the advert for Paxman's new show yesterday and was thinking what a reverential WW1 filled year it is going to be.

 

Was just surprised by the line being taken which challenged my assumption.

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They are selling the idea that the country and the recruits were more "happy" with the war than what we'd expect given how shit it was but I'd put that down to the disease of patriotism.

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The BBC are in Cameron's back pocket man.

 

They reported a 50'000 strong NHS protest as a protest about ''the standard of living'' with no mention to the health service.

 

Anyway, WW1 wasn't that bad eh?

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I don't think that was the point of the article though? I'm sure that area will be addressed in further coverage but I thought that the point of the article was fairly self-explanatory.

Read the Lions led by Donkeys bit. Complete and unmitigated tosh. Can't differentiate between weapons. Strategy and tactics the fucking arsehole.

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Read the Lions led by Donkeys bit. Complete and unmitigated tosh. Can't differentiate between weapons. Strategy and tactics the fucking arsehole.

 

I've re-read it and I'm aware that you know your stuff on the armed forces but I fail to see how you can get so vexed about a few short paragraphs in an online article.

 

Chillax. ;)

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