Roger Mason

@ThisDayInWWI @colour_history The action was at Colincamps. They travelled through Mailly-Maillet to get there.

Mar 28 1918 David McLellan takes these photos of Medium Mark A Whippet Tanks. @colour_history colourized photo shows Whippet (s/n A 236). At Mailly-Maillet, France, Whippet tanks of the 3rd Battalion were the 1st ever to come into action on 26 Mar 26 1918 x.com/ThisDayInWWI/s…

@MagnaAulae You missed the point. CCF subaltern to Group Captain is quite a promotion and was done to give him clout at SHAEF HQ. The War and Victory Medals are the least a Group Captain would be expected to have, and also displaying a Civilian OBE might provoke awkward questions.

@pseudopodium @Taff_Gillingham It isn’t questionable at all. He is actually wearing the ribbons for Squeak and Wilfred in the photograph to the right.

Sorry to see that the main character in ‘Pressure’, Group Captain James Stagg, is not wearing his First World War British War Medal and Victory Medal ribbons in the new film. It’s a small detail but an important one.

@MagnaAulae @Taff_Gillingham He was born 30/1/1900 so GW service is questionable. Both the Civilian OBE and emergency commission were gazetted. I suspect that a Group Captain without GW medals might have spoiled the subterfuge. Pls see attached from George Heriot's School.

@Taff_Gillingham He is also not wearing his (pre-war) OBE ribbon.

@WW2Talk @Taff_Gillingham On the dust jacket of Blood, Sweat and Arrogance, he described his hobbies as Gurkhas, horses, the Times crossword, pricking the pompous and long lunches - what's not to like.

@Taff_Gillingham About the best First War book I've ever read, but also one of the finest military history titles overall. Quite the legacy, as it absolutely changed discussion of the subject for the better.

I was very sorry to hear of the death of Major Gordon Corrigan, MBE, yesterday. His approach to Great War history in particular, and especially his book, ‘Mud, Blood & Poppycock’, did a great deal to give the wider public a more accurate and nuanced view of the conflict.

EA pension fund polluting for profit. Following yesterday's huge victory for @WindrushWasp, forcing Environment Agency senior managers to disclose any investments they have in water companies I was reminded of this. Right now the EA pension fund has invested £35,788,692 in 9 different water companies. Oh yes the EA pension fund itself polluting for profit.

@kreuzberged Her second husband was a distant relative of Erich von Falkenheyn.

On this day in 1935 at 6AM two German noble women, Benita von Falkenhayn & Renate von Natzmer were executed with an axe in the infamous Berlin-Plötzensee prison. The two spied for Polish secret service and had been sentenced to death for high treason. It was a love story, too. They spied because they both had an affair with a Polish „honeytrap“ - a spy, Jerzy Sosnowski, who sought information on Germany's rearmament programme and esp. airplanes. Von Falkenhayn and von Natzmer also helped Sosnowski recruit young stenographers from the Ministry of Defence to provide the latter. Jerzy Sosnowski could not be sentenced to death: he was not a GER citizen. He got life instead but was released in exchange for German intelligence agents captured east of the border. Rumour had it he wanted to marry Benita von Falkenhayn in prison to save her from death but Hitler put an end to those plans. Sosnowski took full blame for the women's involvement and felt responsible. Yet he could not prevent their brutal decapitation. It was the last time an axe was used for that purpose - such was an outcry abroad that Hitler felt obliged to make the process more „humane“. Images: Benita von Falkenhayn, Renate von Natzmer, headline from @nytimes from 19 February 1935.

@JohnNicholRAF @honeymoon250 What's a boombox?

I can safely say @honeymoon250, that I can easily claim ownership of all 20!

22° Lunar Halo in Cambridgeshire tonight.

@robert_lyman @KingsCollegeLon I believe that @KingsCollegeLon has only ever been a constituent college of the University of London.

Gosh. I remember having to work hard for my MA in War Studies at @KingsCollegeLon

@Taff_Gillingham Doh! I need a holiday. The Prince of Wales's Volunteers - I knew that as they're Matt Colley's grandfather's regiment. I can only guess that he borrowed a cap for the photo.

@pseudopodium It’s a South Lancs badge, Roger. Nice to see him in his HG uniform!

Happy Birthday to the Local Defence Volunteers/Home Guard who are 85 years old today. My Grandfather and Uncle both served in B Coy, 13th Essex (35 GPO) Home Guard, based at Ipswich Sorting Office. I suspect my fascination with all things Home Guard came from them…

Carl Sagan was prescient.

@robert_lyman Forget the TV 'experts' it looks as though the Sagaing Fault has moved. Any news from the north? No mention of an 80th anniversary in the media.

From a friend in Myanmar

@militaryhistori I remember what must have been the Buchons arriving at Cambridge Airport probably early summer 1968. They performed a high speed low level pass down the runway before joining the circuit and landing. I suspect they were there overnight for customs clearance.

A collection of historic planes that were used in the filming of the 1969 film "The Battle of Britain" and then stored in a Texas hangar for more than 45 years has been sold for more than $17 million

@imperialcollege @wadhamoxford Who knew Thomas Hardy was linked to cliffhanger?

With rounds on mathematics, musical theatre and sushi...what a match! 🍣🎭 Congratulations to #OurImperial team on their latest #UniversityChallenge win, and respectful commiserations to @WadhamOxford 💙 We can't wait to see who we are up against next! 👀

@Britwarmemorial There were two 6th North Staffs battalions. The first line battalion served in 46 Div with the second line battalion in 59 Div. Any more information about this memorial would be received gratefully.

The Vacant Chair. St. Editha’s Church, Tamworth, Staffordshire. Commemorating those who died in the Great War. Presented by C Company of the North Staffordshire Territorial Army. #LestWeForget

The Vacant Chair. St. Editha’s Church, Tamworth, Staffordshire. Commemorating those who died in the Great War. Presented by C Company of the North Staffordshire Territorial Army. First World War. #LestWeForget

@dizzernp @Taff_Gillingham 1 Northants obviously thought that might be a little excessive. queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/vc_gc/vc18.sht…

@Taff_Gillingham Pretty sure this means that you now have to launch a campaign to get him his original MM, or something, Taff. Especially if you were planning to launch a book or a film or a TV series about it…!

A Second World War Burma story for a freezing cold Monday morning: This Northamptonshire Regiment flag belonged to 5884593 Sgt Edward Patrick ‘Ted’ Kelly. Ted was a pre-war Regular soldier. In 1944 he was the Sniper Sergeant of 1st Northants in 32 Indian Infantry Brigade, 20th Indian Division. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions against troops of the 33rd Japanese Division fighting their way towards Imphal. This is his DCM citation in full: “On the Silchar Track from 15 May 1944, until he was wounded in the area of DOG Picquet on 24th June 1944, Acting Sergeant KELLY, the Battalion Sniper Sgt, rendered continually gallant service. Day by day, sometimes accompanied by his sniper half section, Pte. Brown, but more often alone he would move out from the battalion position to kill Japs. With complete confidence and cool calculation he would plan his daily forages. He would move out on to the precipitous slopes of Pt.5846, to the ridge immediately above the Silchar Track and across to the 3/8 Gurkha Rifles on Wireless Hill. His bag of thirty three Japs killed until he was himself wounded then on one of his forages, testifies to his great skill and ability, and there is no doubt that his bold action was a real menace to the Jap forces who were fighting all out to block the Silchar Road. On one of his forages, he was able to establish that the Japs had pulled out from one of their positions on GUN SPUR, and as a result of this it was possible to plan a raid to hasten their pulling out from other positions in that area. This information was obtained entirely through the resource and ingenuity of Sgt. KELLY who with complete disregard for his personal safety and alone, worked his way up the steep slope to the enemy position and in the dense jungle worked through and round a small enemy post to establish the fact that the enemy had gone from one of his positions commanding the Silchar Track. His actions set a fine example of devotion to duty to his comrades.” His original recommendation, by the CO of 1/Northamptonshires, Lt. Col. ‘Ted’ Taunton, was for a Military Medal. The MM has been crossed out by someone more senior and replaced with the DCM. The award was confirmed by the Commander of the XIV Army, Lt. Gen. Bill Slim. Ted stayed in the Army after the war and was later promoted Major (QM) E.P. Kelly, DCM, 4th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment. He died in 2008, aged 88.

@Taff_Gillingham From Brett-James's Imphal, "A new arrival in the company rashly said to Kelly: 'Did you hit him, Sergeant?' 'What the bloody hell do you think I've been looking at all this time for? Do you think I'm going to have a bloody flag?'

@GreatWarHuts @ypreswoman I believe you have several rabbit warrens' worth there. greatwarforum.org/topic/262867-1… Munitions E?

Something Sapper-related to kick off 2025! This large 12” x 14” wooden shield, with heavy Royal Engineers bronze plaques, commemorates the 118th Railway Company, RE, with dates from 1914-1919. Do any of you know what “(ME)” after the RE means? Maybe one for @ypreswoman ?

@greenarteries @ACarpenDigital @jonathan_gblt @cam_friends @camvalleyforum Have a look on LinkedIn. I don't know how a Durham PPE qualifies anyone to advise the Prime Minister on energy and environment.

@ACarpenDigital @jonathan_gblt @cam_friends @camvalleyforum What is this all really about? “Mirror towns" building on Grantchester green spaces, claims that Env Agency experts concerns about region’s water shortage is a myth. Far cry from Create Streets earlier waffle about "beauty". Who is funding “Remade Britain” & Create Streets ?