On this day - Battle of the Somme starts 1st July 1916

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Somme. Although most may not know all the details the battle has entered the subconscious of the British people. The Somme is now a byword for the suffering and horrendous conditions that resulted in trench warfare.

The object shown is a percussion fuse No. 85/44 for a 18pdr shell fired from a British gun [18 pounder] in the Somme area. 

The 'BSC' stamp indicates that this fuse was made by the Bethlehem Steel Company. 

These American built fuses were mainly used with 13 and 18pdr field guns. At the end of the war there were over three thousand 18pdrs in the field which had fired nearly 100 million rounds (99,397,670 to be precise) on the Western front. 

The 85 fuse was based on a 1907 U.S. model, this particular model was introduced in 1916, and made at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. This firm [Bethlehem Steel] was America's second-largest steel producer and largest shipbuilder. The company provided steel for some of America's most iconic building and structures such as the Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge and the Chrysler Building. 

I've been fortunate to have visited a number of the WWI battlefields, such as Beaumont-Hamel and the Lochnagar Crater. You can (or could) buy these fuses from various shops, museums and cafes collected from the fields (please note that metal detecting in battlefield areas is illegal and dangerous in France and Belgium). 

British 18 pounder gun

Travelling through the French and Belgium sites you will still occasionally see rusty pieces of ordnance stacked by the roadside waiting to be disposed by the army. My dad often tells the story that he saw, a few years ago, two old gents in Belgium kicking round an old shell at the edge of a field. My dad walked away as quickly as possible before the war could claim another victim. 

Although this object may seems a little morbid I use this as a paperweight and it serves to remind me of the futility of war and "man's inhumanity to man". 

Short S184 (8359) - The Battle of Jutland

The picture below shows the only actual British aircraft to take part in the Battle of Jutland, the decisive naval battle that took place one hundred years ago today.

Short 184

This aircraft, a Short S184, is located at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil. From Wikipedia:

"A Short 184, aircraft number 8359, was the only British aircraft to take part in the Battle of Jutland. Flown by Flt Lt Frederick Rutland (who became known afterwards as "Rutland of Jutland") with Assistant Paymaster G. S. Trewin as observer, the aircraft was launched from HMS Engadine at about 3.08 p.m.: flying at about 90 feet (27 m) due to low visibility, they spotted four cruisers of the German fleet, reporting their presence back to the Engadine at about 3.30. The aircraft was presented to the Imperial War Museum in 1917, where it was damaged in a German air raid during the blitz. The unrestored forward section of the fuselage is now an exhibit in the Fleet Air Arm Museum." 

The reference to "damaged in a German air raid" during WWII is interesting. The fuselage is actually peppered with bullet holes, something that was only recently noticed during conservation efforts.

More details about the pilot from the Osprey Publishing website:

"Rutland received a well-deserved DSC for his gallantry, and was thereafter known as Rutland of Jutland. He left the Royal Navy in 1922, apparently becoming a consultant. Setting up shop at Honolulu, Rutland sold his expertise on aircraft carrier operations to the Imperial Japanese Navy. British intelligence, unamused by his enterprise, interned Rutland shortly after his return to Britain in October 1941."

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Role - Two seat reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo carrying seaplane

Manufacturers - Westland Aircraft Works, Yeovil

Power Plant - One Sunbeam 225hp/240hp or 260hp

Wingspan - 63ft 6.25ins

Length - 40ft 7.50ins

Height - 13ft 6ins

Weight - 5,363lbs loaded

Max Speed - 88.50mph at 2,000ft (Sunbeam 260)

Duration - 2.75 hours endurance

Armament - One free mounted Lewis machine gun aft, and provision for one 14in torpedo or various bombs up to a maximum of 520lb

Minimum Monument

On this day one hundred years ago Great Britain declared war on Germany and in doing so changed the course of the country's history for ever. To mark the occasion Birmingham organised quite an unusual event that turned out to be unexpectedly poignant. It's not very often you can actively take part in a genuine art installation but the opportunity arose on Saturday for me to do this. 

The Brazilian artist Néle Azevedo produced 5,000 figures made out of ice to create a piece called 'Minimum Monument.' These were then installed on the steps of Chamberlain Square in the centre of Birmingham.

Individual figure - Minimum Monument

The clever point is that the ice figures were handed out to individuals to place them where ever they pleased. And, as odd as it may seem, this personal contact with a particular figure resulted in hundreds of people standing, quietly watching their figure slowly melt. Out of interest I placed my figure on its own. Other people quickly placed their own either side and soon the steps were covered.

Minimum Monument, Birmingham

With an emotional effect that often only art (be it poetry, painting or sculpture) can produce, a personal attachment had been created with a block of ice; thoughts soon wondered to loved ones lost not just in war but also life in general. How many times do we read names on a memorial for a few seconds, that we have no personal connection with, then quickly forget? I alone spent over 30 minutes simply observing the ice figure I placed down and the square was still crowded a hour after the installation started. There was something strangely moving about watching a small ice sculpture slowly melt in the sunshine and within a short time disappear without a trace. It seems to reflect the fragility of life that is so cruelly exposed during times of war, just as it is today as it was one hundred years ago.

Congratulations to Birmingham & Azevedo for creating a moving and memorable event that marks such a tragic episode in mankind's history.

Spring WIP

Following an impulse purchase by my brother I've been doing a lot of prep work on Mantic's Deadzone. The mechanics of the game appeal to me greatly, no modifiers to your dice roll which still manages to confuse my easily confused brain. The success or failure rate remains the same, you simply add or take away the number of dice used.

You get an awful lot of bangs for your buck with the Deadzone game, figures, terrain, dice, playing matt, cards, tokens etc. everything in fact that you need to play the game.

You get a number of nicely sculptured figures for two factions, one of which is the Plague. These figures have turned their back to the camera as they are quite shy (and rather ugly). I'll detail the figures properly one they are all finished, but here is just a brief preview.

I've mentioned previously that I have an awful lot of tiny figures waiting in the my painting queue, actually bought by my brother. In fact my brother buys an awful lot more figures than I do, which I paint. The figures in question are 6mm Franco-Prussian armies from Baccus. To give you an idea of the numbers involved you get 280 figures in a small booster pack and in the starter army pack you get nearly nine hundred figures. 

These are a sample of one base of 6mm Baccus figures that I worked on during March. There are twenty eight little chaps per base and I have ten bases to complete. These are part of my Imperial French army. This particular base hasn't been finished yet, it still needs flocking etc. I've already painted the majority of the whole forces from this particular booster pack.

If you look very careful you may see that the sculptor has even given the figures buckles, straps and even moustaches. I'm not even quite sure how he (or she) managed to do this. 

To give you a sense of scale the MDF bases are 60mm x 30mm (or just over 2" x 1"). 

Another project started (these projects keep stacking up) were the German AfrikaKorps (DAK) from the Perry brothers, which made a quest appearance on one of the Bolt Action videos. These particular figures have been modified slightly, arm swaps, Green Stuff etc. nothing too major. I've recorded the process for these figures but again I'll detail the mods online once they've been painted. These are just a couple of examples of the half dozen individual I made.

I'm currently trying to work out a special give-away pressie. This will be for either achieving 200,000 page hits or 250 followers, I haven't decided which one yet although I'm edging towards the follower option. The prize will be unique to the winner and possibly for a runner-up as well but, as I said, I'm still trying to work out the details. Or I might save myself the trouble and offer it straight to Fran or Ray.

Now all I have to do is paint 'em.

WWI re-enactment, BCLM

A few weeks ago I visited the nearby Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) specifically to see two WWI re-enactment societies (The Warwicks 1914-1918 and the The Great War Society) that attended giving displays, demos etc. My dad used to work at the museum so as a family we used to have free access to the site but I decided to pay the cash for a ticket as it is then valid for a whole year.

 

 

 

I've deliberately altered the photos, obviously removing the colour but I've also softened the images to try and evoke period photographs. In a style reminiscent of Stalin's photograph altering censorship I have also (very crudely) removed all the other non-costumed visitors from the photographs via the magic of computer software.

 

 

 

All the members I spoke to are all very knowledgeable, definitely worth seeing if them are appearing or attending at a event near you.

 

The BCLM itself provided a very atmospheric setting for the groups. The buildings at the museum have all been taken down brick by brick (literally) from the local area and then been rebuilt on this site.

IWMN - Royal Horse Artillery ‘E’ Battery 13-pounder field gun

This particular artillery piece fired the British Army’s first shell of the First World War on 22 August 1914 near Binche in Belgium during the retreat from Mons. On 15th September the gun received a direct hit which killed crew member Bombardier W. King and injured four others during the advance from the Marne to the Aisne. Note the metal plate repair used to cover the hole caused by the German shell. This gun remained in use throughout the war.

13-pounder field gun

Designed as a manoeuvrable and lightweight to support cavalry the 13 pounder had a range of nearly 5 miles (8 km) but it wasn’t really suited to trench warfare on the Western Front.

The Royal Horse Artillery still use 13 pounders to fire the salute on ceremonial and royal occasions.

Lincoln Mark IV Female tank

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life, housed in Victorian army barracks, has on display one of the first tanks developed by the local firm of William Foster & Co. The tank, named "Flirt II" is a Mark IV Female (armed with machine guns rather than cannon) although the tank on display was actually built in Birmingham (Oldbury?) one of the 595 built during the war. This tank saw action at the famous Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

In case you were wondering the box art for the Emhar MK IV was based on this particlar tank. The chaps from Ehmar used this example for reference.

From 1917 numerous Mark IV tanks were used to promote the sale of War Bonds and War Saving Certificates. The Government released tanks to towns and cities throughout the country. After the war all, except one in Ashford Kent, were scrapped. These Presentation Tanks were displayed throughout the midlands including: Birmingham, Brierley Hill (my home town, I believe the tank was on display outside St Michael’s church), Dudley, Oldbury, Smethwick, Stourbridge, Sutton Coalfield, Walsall, Willenhall and Wolverhampton.

Date of visit: 28th March 2008.