History thread

Where goats go to escape
User avatar
Niegs
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:20 pm

Woddy
Posts: 346
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:20 pm

The bombers took a very heavy toll in WW2. The Yanks (not you Niegs) especially. Think they had the worst casualty rate in both UK and US armed services. And were
not particularly appreciated for it. British Bomber Command only had official medal recognition recently, I believe. Not flashy work, and also controversial bombing enemy civilians; controversial even at the time. Not that that diminishes their personal bravery at all; not that of similar German aircrews either.
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
User avatar
salanya
Posts: 707
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:51 pm

C69 wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:28 pm My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
Durham and York are both very good. Cambridge is good, obviously, but it is a different lifestyle choice.
Not sure about colleges, sorry.
Over the hills and far away........
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

salanya wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:40 pm
C69 wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:28 pm My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
Durham and York are both very good. Cambridge is good, obviously, but it is a different lifestyle choice.
Not sure about colleges, sorry.
👍
User avatar
Niegs
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:20 pm




... with a bigger rack than Bergman or Jovovich suggested. :grin:
epwc
Posts: 1220
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2024 11:32 am

C69 wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:28 pm My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
Sorry just seen this.

Depends what history she wants to learn, my daughter went to SOAS (where Maro Itoje went) which has a huge range of topics that are covered nowhere else in the UK. She finally got to understand how she and her family were affected by Empire, kind of finally found a sense of who she is in the context of a mixed race kid in the UK. She got to make friends with people from so many different backgrounds and cultures. Got to understand a lot more about how colonialisation still affects vast swathes of the world and the conflicts therein. It's a bit crap, under resourced and not brilliantly run but if she wants to know more about the wider world not just the Euro centric she won't get that at any of the above.
Biffer
Posts: 9119
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:43 pm

C69 wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:28 pm My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
I'd echo Durham and York being very good, Cambridge being different. Don't know about Lancaster.

Key thing is to be somewhere she'll be happy, she will get a better degree that way.
And are there two g’s in Bugger Off?
Slick
Posts: 11887
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:58 pm

Biffer wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 12:58 pm
C69 wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:28 pm My daughter is looking to do a degree in History.
Current choices, with crazy grade boundaries are
Cambridge Durham York and Lancaster

Any advice etc
I note the mandated personal statement from Oxbridge being wholly subject related nods to the other Unis.
Sorry but I can't think of anywhere else that is as knowledgeable as here.

Advice regarding colleges etc would be good
First visit yesterday to Durham was good

Thanks in advance. Would really appreciated inputq
I'd echo Durham and York being very good, Cambridge being different. Don't know about Lancaster.

Key thing is to be somewhere she'll be happy, she will get a better degree that way.
That counts out Lancaster then
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
epwc
Posts: 1220
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2024 11:32 am

Slick wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:28 pmThat counts out Lancaster then
My neighbours daughter is at Lancaster, she loves it
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

Cheers guys, have visited York and Durham, and it's Cambridge later in the week.
A*AA needed for Durham and Cambridge but Cambridge will need to send 2 pieces of work and sit an exam and probably an interview.
Slick
Posts: 11887
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:58 pm

epwc wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:50 pm
Slick wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:28 pmThat counts out Lancaster then
My neighbours daughter is at Lancaster, she loves it
I'm sure it used to have the highest suicide rate of any uni
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
User avatar
Sandstorm
Posts: 10864
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:05 pm
Location: England

Slick wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 7:20 pm
epwc wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:50 pm
Slick wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:28 pmThat counts out Lancaster then
My neighbours daughter is at Lancaster, she loves it
I'm sure it used to have the highest suicide rate of any uni
The STD rate will be of more importance to C69
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

Sandstorm wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 7:28 pm
Slick wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 7:20 pm
epwc wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2024 4:50 pm

My neighbours daughter is at Lancaster, she loves it
I'm sure it used to have the highest suicide rate of any uni
The STD rate will be of more importance to C69
Not really
User avatar
Niegs
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:20 pm

User avatar
Niegs
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:20 pm

My grandmother told me there was supposed to be a POW camp near where we grew up. A quick search didn't reveal anything (but maybe it was some kind of house attached to the local airfield where I know pilots were trained where just a few trustworthy ones worked out of?). I did, however, find this article on one's adventure from Norway, where he was captured by commandos, to Ontario and Alberta...

Looks like a cool site full of stories!

https://powsincanada.ca/2021/12/27/from ... to-canada/

Image

Image
User avatar
fishfoodie
Posts: 8206
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 pm

The Irish "Emergency", as it was officially called, was very Irish !

http://www.curragh.info/klines.htm

While we were of course officially neutral, the reality of what that meant was that we were, nod & wink supportive of the Allies. The Curragh was the central internment camp for Allied & Axis internees, but after an initial period of playing things by the book, the Irish distain for the rules quickly kicked in; but then all sides seem to have reverted to the National defaults.

The camp operated a system of paroles, where internees were allowed out on their oaths, & with a small number of restrictions, which they ignored, & no-one really cared about; (I mean, what Irish man would ever consider it reasonable to ask a man to stay out of Pubs ? Supposedly there was one German who worked a scheduled shift in one of the Pubs :grin: ).

There are a lot of stories of how confusing Irish neutrality was for the British; one RAF officer was interned, & left the camp on a parole, & made his way up to NI, & presented himself there to an RAF base up there, & rather than being greeted with congratulations, he found some very pissed off senior officers who told him to turn around & go back to where he came from, as him breaking his parole was just going to make things difficult, & the silent cooperation of the Irish was more important than one RAF officer. On the other hand, there's the story of a bomber crew being picked up by the Army after they crash landed; they were put in the back of a truck, & driven for over an hour right up to border, at which point their guards stopped, & made a point of going off for a smoke, leaving the crew unguarded. They came back a half hour later a discovered ...... the crew still sitting in the back of the truck :roll: :roll: On discovering them still sat there, the NCO made it clear in industrial language what the crew should do, & their guards went off for another smoke break !

The German & British internees were seperated by a small hedge, & while interned, the hostilites were confined to both sides kicking the shit out of each other in regular soccer matches.
weegie01
Posts: 1000
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:34 pm

Niegs wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:06 pm My grandmother told me there was supposed to be a POW camp near where we grew up. A quick search didn't reveal anything (but maybe it was some kind of house attached to the local airfield where I know pilots were trained where just a few trustworthy ones worked out of?). I did, however, find this article on one's adventure from Norway, where he was captured by commandos, to Ontario and Alberta...
My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
Jock42
Posts: 2436
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:01 pm

weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:05 pm
Niegs wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:06 pm My grandmother told me there was supposed to be a POW camp near where we grew up. A quick search didn't reveal anything (but maybe it was some kind of house attached to the local airfield where I know pilots were trained where just a few trustworthy ones worked out of?). I did, however, find this article on one's adventure from Norway, where he was captured by commandos, to Ontario and Alberta...
My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
I'm sure I've read of Italian POWs in Cultybraggan too. I've always assumed it was from there they were sent out on to the farms.
weegie01
Posts: 1000
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:34 pm

Jock42 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:32 pm
weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:05 pm
Niegs wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:06 pm My grandmother told me there was supposed to be a POW camp near where we grew up. A quick search didn't reveal anything (but maybe it was some kind of house attached to the local airfield where I know pilots were trained where just a few trustworthy ones worked out of?). I did, however, find this article on one's adventure from Norway, where he was captured by commandos, to Ontario and Alberta...
My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
I'm sure I've read of Italian POWs in Cultybraggan too. I've always assumed it was from there they were sent out on to the farms.
There were at Cultybraggan as well. I think the Italians were there first with less risky German prisoners, then the hard nuts came later and the camp was divided.

I was in the cadets at school in Crieff. Each year the oldest cohort went to an army camp in the summer. First prize was Germany, my year got Cultybraggan. We were impressed.
Dogbert
Posts: 696
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:32 am

weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:46 pm
Jock42 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:32 pm
weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:05 pm

My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
I'm sure I've read of Italian POWs in Cultybraggan too. I've always assumed it was from there they were sent out on to the farms.
There were at Cultybraggan as well. I think the Italians were there first with less risky German prisoners, then the hard nuts came later and the camp was divided.

I was in the cadets at school in Crieff. Each year the oldest cohort went to an army camp in the summer. First prize was Germany, my year got Cultybraggan. We were impressed.
Ah Cadet Summer Camp at Culty , whats not to love.

Getting your hands on SLR's and sticking a 30 round mag from an L4 LMG( we still had Lee Enfields ) & Browning Hi Powers , Thunderflashes , Having a full on punch up with a bunch Nordie Cadets during CQB,
Running up Ben Vorlich , mucking around on Assault boats on Loch Earn

Compo rations - menu A of course with the Bacon Grill / Chicken Curry , all on a Hexi cooker.

Best summers ever ....
Lager & Lime - we don't do cocktails
Jock42
Posts: 2436
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:01 pm

weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:46 pm
Jock42 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:32 pm
weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:05 pm

My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
I'm sure I've read of Italian POWs in Cultybraggan too. I've always assumed it was from there they were sent out on to the farms.
There were at Cultybraggan as well. I think the Italians were there first with less risky German prisoners, then the hard nuts came later and the camp was divided.

I was in the cadets at school in Crieff. Each year the oldest cohort went to an army camp in the summer. First prize was Germany, my year got Cultybraggan. We were impressed.
:lol:
User avatar
Niegs
Posts: 3387
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:20 pm

"These Coins Stopped a Bullet and Saved a Soldier’s Life During World War I"

Image

Image

Image
Optatius Buyssens, a Belgian soldier during World War I, was famous for a remarkable incident where coins in his pocket saved his life. During a fierce battle, Buyssens was shot, and the bullet struck the pocket where he kept his coins. Instead of penetrating his body, the bullet was stopped by six coins, which absorbed the impact and spared his life. Three of the coins are from Belgium and three are from France. Today, the coins are in possession of Buyssens’ great-grandson, Vincent Buyssens, who lives in Antwerp.

“Ironically, the coins were the reason why he got shot,” Buyssens told CNN. “It was the noise of them clinging together in his breast pocket which gave his position away.”

Optatius Buyssens was initially barred from the army because of a hip injury but eventually joined as a volunteer. He was shot during a scouting mission in September 1914 near Lebbeke, Belgium. The German soldier who shot him kicked his head and Optatius Buyssens pretended to be dead. Once the soldier walked away, Buyssens and another comrade crawled to safety.

Vincent said it wasn’t until 2018 that he discovered the whole story about the coins in a journal kept by his great-grandfather’s brother, who was an avid archivist. Buyssens said he received photos of the journal from a local museum.
User avatar
Chrysoprase
Posts: 255
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:59 am

weegie01 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 9:05 pm
Niegs wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:06 pm My grandmother told me there was supposed to be a POW camp near where we grew up. A quick search didn't reveal anything (but maybe it was some kind of house attached to the local airfield where I know pilots were trained where just a few trustworthy ones worked out of?). I did, however, find this article on one's adventure from Norway, where he was captured by commandos, to Ontario and Alberta...
My mother (dob Feb 1930) is adamant there was a POW camp for Italians in the town where I grew up. Given she is Italian herself this is something you'd think she'd notice. I can find nothing listed anywhere.

However, she has talked about how all the Italians worked on local farms and had a high degree of freedom. Which makes me think it wasn't a POW camp per se but a work camp.

There was however a camp at Cultybraggan about 7 miles away that housed some of the most dangerous POWs. It is the most complete POW camp in the UK as it became an army training centre post war and was in continuous use till quite recently whan a local trust took it over to preserve and run as a local asset.



https://www.cultybraggancamp.uk/
My old man used to go out to Cultybraggan for a summer job peeling tatties in the kitchens when he was a schoolboy back in the 50s.

I never went there myself but a load of kids from my school were in the army cadets and went there every year. Many of them loved it & some ended up joining up when they left school. Was it called HCTC? Can't remember what that stood for - Highland Cadets Training Camp maybe
Monk
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:04 am

Interesting review of How the War Was Won by Phillips Payson O’Brien

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-b ... he-war-was

nice fact
During the three most intense months of the Battle of Britain, the German air force landed only 17 bombs that caused “severe” damage to aircraft and aircraft engine production, electricity services, gas supplies, water industry, oil infrastructure, and food service industries combined. This underscores just how ineffective Germany’s campaign was and how little chance there was a of an actual British defeat.
User avatar
Calculon
Posts: 1773
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:25 pm

Monk wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 9:06 am Interesting review of How the War Was Won by Phillips Payson O’Brien

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-b ... he-war-was

nice fact
During the three most intense months of the Battle of Britain, the German air force landed only 17 bombs that caused “severe” damage to aircraft and aircraft engine production, electricity services, gas supplies, water industry, oil infrastructure, and food service industries combined. This underscores just how ineffective Germany’s campaign was and how little chance there was a of an actual British defeat.
:thumbup:
User avatar
fishfoodie
Posts: 8206
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 pm

Really happy that people think about the bigger picture & pass on things they find to the National Museum; too much has already been lost to looters.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0906/14685 ... al-museum/


Some very well made Axe heads

Image

Bog butter

Image
Biffer
Posts: 9119
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:43 pm

Monk wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 9:06 am Interesting review of How the War Was Won by Phillips Payson O’Brien

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-b ... he-war-was

nice fact
During the three most intense months of the Battle of Britain, the German air force landed only 17 bombs that caused “severe” damage to aircraft and aircraft engine production, electricity services, gas supplies, water industry, oil infrastructure, and food service industries combined. This underscores just how ineffective Germany’s campaign was and how little chance there was a of an actual British defeat.
Thread on what the Germans thought of hurricanes v spitfires

https://bsky.app/profile/spitfirefilly. ... dl6m3dsw2i

(ooooohhhhh someone's posted a link to bluesky!!! Is this a first?)
And are there two g’s in Bugger Off?
User avatar
laurent
Posts: 2126
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:36 am

a short video from Saumur Museum with a unique piece



they are going to a Bastogne commemoration
Biffer
Posts: 9119
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:43 pm

Think I mentioned the Fall of Civilisations pod earlier in the thread.

Latest episode is out - The Mongols, at a whopping six and three quarter hours!
And are there two g’s in Bugger Off?
User avatar
Uncle fester
Posts: 4164
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:42 pm

Biffer wrote: Wed Dec 04, 2024 4:29 pm Think I mentioned the Fall of Civilisations pod earlier in the thread.

Latest episode is out - The Mongols, at a whopping six and three quarter hours!
A remarkable empire and then back to nothing.
Yeeb
Posts: 851
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:06 pm

Monk wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 9:06 am Interesting review of How the War Was Won by Phillips Payson O’Brien

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-b ... he-war-was

nice fact
During the three most intense months of the Battle of Britain, the German air force landed only 17 bombs that caused “severe” damage to aircraft and aircraft engine production, electricity services, gas supplies, water industry, oil infrastructure, and food service industries combined. This underscores just how ineffective Germany’s campaign was and how little chance there was a of an actual British defeat.
Wonder where those 17 bombs fell, I know supermarine in Southampton got bombed & destroyed the part built 4 engine bomber prototype they had going .
epwc
Posts: 1220
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2024 11:32 am

One of our neighbours worked here pre war, became a despatch driver for the war office during the war

https://www.chelmsfordwarmemorial.co.uk ... known.html
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

My daughter had her Cambridge History interview this morning. Fingers crossed, will find out the end of Jan if she gets an offer.
Last edited by C69 on Fri Dec 06, 2024 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
epwc
Posts: 1220
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2024 11:32 am

Good luck to her
User avatar
C69
Posts: 3329
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:42 pm

epwc wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 4:39 pmGood luck to her
Cheers
Post Reply