Picture of the day

[AP]

Four of the Queen Elizabeth class, which included the "Warspite", were at Jutland. They had eight 15" guns. The best ever built!

and the beginning of our intense interest in the geopolitics of the Middle East!

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Here's a nice pic of Tul Bahadur Pun, VC. Bagpipes and a big knife? Are we sure the Gurkhas aren't just wee, dark-complected Scots?

This gentleman's later life was more complicated than his military service. I'm glad the British ended up doing the right thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tul_Bahadur_Pun

 

[MarkCNP]

 

[Gibbs505]

Sorry, it's not wrong. The Queen Elizabeth class had long since gone to the breakers when the Almirante Latorre was still in service.

And as for guns, the Vangaurd finished after WWII and the last RN battlesship, had guns built 25 or more years before for the Queen Elizabeth class.

I misread the posting. At going to the breakers in 1959. I read it at 1939! Sorry. The 15" gun was the best that the brits ever had!

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Private Potter of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada engages in a spot of flat repair, France, 20 June 1944.

I'm surprised he still has his bike at this point. The HLIC embarked with them...

then got off the boat with 'em...

But I had imagined they would have ditched them after the first couple of days. I guess not. Wonderfully effective mobility enhancer, a bicycle.

 

[XRCD011]

Private Potter of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada engages in a spot of flat repair, France, 20 June 1944.

I'm surprised he still has his bike at this point. The HLIC embarked with them...

then got off the boat with 'em...

But I had imagined they would have ditched them after the first couple of days. I guess not. Wonderfully effective mobility enhancer, a bicycle.

I recall watching a show where a Canadian D-Day veteran recounted his units involvement with going ashore toting bicycles. Once they got on land the bikes where tossed in a big heap and that was that, He went on that some French kids must have hit the jack pot once they where found. The idea of deploying bicycles on the Normandy landings just has that feeling of some rear area (in planning) guy with some crazy idea to inflict on the troops to try out. Once ashore the practical minded infantry men have other ideas on the subject hence discard at first opportunity.
About the picture of the Canadians going ashore with bikes on shoulder, at times I wonder if that's the only picture ever taken during Normandy as it is in just about every book related to Canadians/Normandy.

 

[scott585]

I recall watching a show where a Canadian D-Day veteran recounted his units involvement with going ashore toting bicycles. Once they got on land the bikes where tossed in a big heap and that was that, He went on that some French kids must have hit the jack pot once they where found. The idea of deploying bicycles on the Normandy landings just has that feeling of some rear area (in planning) guy with some crazy idea to inflict on the troops to try out. Once ashore the practical minded infantry men have other ideas on the subject hence discard at first opportunity.
About the picture of the Canadians going ashore with bikes on shoulder, at times I wonder if that's the only picture ever taken during Normandy as it is in just about every book related to Canadians/Normandy.

if you watch any shows about d-day, even ones about americans, notice the tin hats. almost all of those videos are of canadians, as we sent the largest contingent of war photographers and video equipment, we were the only ones to send video cameras officially on the first landing craft

 

[XRCD011]

if you watch any shows about d-day, even ones about americans, notice the tin hats. almost all of those videos are of canadians, as we sent the largest contingent of war photographers and video equipment, we were the only ones to send video cameras officially on the first landing craft

I know from spending a good deal of time at LAC that there is vast amounts of stock footage and pics. but for some reason the picture of the guys wading ashore with bicycles gets into just about every book going that shows Canadians at Normandy.

 

[AP]

if you watch any shows about d-day, even ones about americans, notice the tin hats. almost all of those videos are of canadians, as we sent the largest contingent of war photographers and video equipment, we were the only ones to send video cameras officially on the first landing craft

YES!! and lets remember Ross Munro (CP's lead war correspondent) who covered Canadian raid in Spitsbergen, the 1942 raid on Dieppe, the Allied landings in Sicily, the Italian campaign, D-Day and the campaign in Northwestern Europe.) and ALSO Ken Bell ..... who participated in the Normandy Landings, photographing and recording the liberation of France, Belgium and Holland, and finally documenting the occupation of Germany - Ken also had an very successful post war career. I am proud to say I met them both.
.... both fine Canadians

 

[RRCo.]

Private Potter of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada engages in a spot of flat repair, France, 20 June 1944.

I'm surprised he still has his bike at this point. The HLIC embarked with them...

then got off the boat with 'em...

But I had imagined they would have ditched them after the first couple of days. I guess not. Wonderfully effective mobility enhancer, a bicycle.

The British bike companies must have made a fortune; too bad nobody thought to give the soldier's panniers to carry their equipment in! Sheer genius eh?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

YES!! and lets remember Ross Munro (CP's lead war correspondent) who covered Canadian raid in Spitsbergen, the 1942 raid on Dieppe, the Allied landings in Sicily, the Italian campaign, D-Day and the campaign in Northwestern Europe.) and ALSO Ken Bell ..... who participated in the Normandy Landings, photographing and recording the liberation of France, Belgium and Holland, and finally documenting the occupation of Germany - Ken also had an very successful post war career. I am proud to say I met them both.
.... both fine Canadians

Ross Munro in the passenger seat here, Sicily:

And this is Ken Bell, looking pretty badass.

Hell of a photographer. You've all seen some of his stuff:

 

[Cdn303]

I have a rather interesting book by Ken Bell. I can't remember the name right now, I'll edit it in when I get home, but he revisits some of the places where he took war photos in the '70's and shows them side by side.

 

[skneub]

 

[Gibbs505]

I surrender, now point that big gun somewhere else, please!

Now for some more big guns, HMS Rodney!

 

[AP]

I have a rather interesting book by Ken Bell. I can't remember the name right now, I'll edit it in when I get home, but he revisits some of the places where he took war photos in the '70's and shows them side by side.

"Not In Vain" ... I look at it once in a while myself... Ken was also the official photographer of the National Ballet and produced a excellent photo essay on their history .. also one on Cardinal Leger in Cameroon .. Leger packed it in as Archbishop of Montreal (a pretty "cushy" job) and went to Africa to work with lepers and handicapped children - this was the period that Ken covered. I have a nice photo here of Ken Bell introducing Ross Munro who was our speaker at a mess dinner the summer of 1988 - they were both warm and very fine men.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

The Rodney was a weird design, but effective. All main guns forward of the superstructure:

Looks kinda like the world's most badass container ship.

Her sister ship, H.M.S. Nelson:

 

[skneub]

Wrong war , but this was from my Great Great Grandpa to his wife

 

[shredder]

^^^Lovely bit of censorship, that. (nothing to be written except date & signature - blah blah blah)

Nice family memento, though.

 

[RRCo.]

The whole idea of the Field Service Post Card was that it didn't need censoring and so got through faster. The soldiers referred to them as "whizz-bangs" from the sound of high velocity field guns. Looks like the gentleman was getting a little past it when he wrote on it in blue ink later: he wrote the postmark date over the other dates which are when the card was written and when he got his last letter from the addressee. He remembered where he was going though: Ploegsteert to the Ypres Salient. He's written it as "Plugstreet" which was how the soldiers pronounced it. A lot of bad things began in the Ypres Salient. On the bottom of the form you can see the details of what the stores or form number it was, how many were printed, the date of the contract and the ID of the printer. I'm thinking the "1000m" means a million were printed in that particular contract.

 

[skneub]

Nope , that was his Wife's writing.

There is plenty of other stuff I have that was penciled , then written in ink word for word even.

He never made it home...
Documentation for my Grandma (His Daughter) of what happened to her Dad.
Sadly the small box with his personal effects and a bunch of very old coins ..was stolen years ago.

The whole idea of the Field Service Post Card was that it didn't need censoring and so got through faster. The soldiers referred to them as "whizz-bangs" from the sound of high velocity field guns. Looks like the gentleman was getting a little past it when he wrote on it in blue ink later: he wrote the postmark date over the other dates which are when the card was written and when he got his last letter from the addressee. He remembered where he was going though: Ploegsteert to the Ypres Salient. He's written it as "Plugstreet" which was how the soldiers pronounced it. A lot of bad things began in the Ypres Salient. On the bottom of the form you can see the details of what the stores or form number it was, how many were printed, the date of the contract and the ID of the printer. I'm thinking the "1000m" means a million were printed in that particular contract.