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Times gone by


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Like most people i like watching or reading about things that have happened in the past. Things like the battle of the somme, waterloo the battle of hastings the invasion by the romans, invention of the wheel etc.

 

i have always had a thing for the crusades, not for any religeous reasons but for just going off to fight a battle for the honour and glory of doing it.

 

so if you could go back in time to be a part of something from history what would it be and why?

 

DMA

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-thousands died to make our monarchy richer.

I think it has always been thus really, throughout the history of the human race. Many people have died for one cause or another, and sadly it will ever be so.

The First World War era fascinates me. I can remember my Grandad telling me of some of his experiences as a Gunner during the conflict, but he didn't talk about it often, usually just when something would remind him of one incident or another. So many things were in their infancy as regards a military situation, such as man-powered flight and methods by which to transform an aeroplane into a fighting machine; surgery as regards to its treatment of traumatic amputation, blood transfusions and cosmetic surgery; communications and the start of a mechanized army such as armoured vehicles, although warfare is one aspect where the use of horses and mules will never be totally redundant. I just find the entire subject fascinating.

I have a huge collection of books including many personal accounts and once had a very good collection of militaria, including arms, mostly now sold (or banned!)

I suppose if I could it would be this period that I would return to, though in reality it would have been a horrific experience.

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I think it has always been thus really, throughout the history of the human race. Many people have died for one cause or another, and sadly it will ever be so.

The First World War era fascinates me. I can remember my Grandad telling me of some of his experiences as a Gunner during the conflict, but he didn't talk about it often, usually just when something would remind him of one incident or another. So many things were in their infancy as regards a military situation, such as man-powered flight and methods by which to transform an aeroplane into a fighting machine; surgery as regards to its treatment of traumatic amputation, blood transfusions and cosmetic surgery; communications and the start of a mechanized army such as armoured vehicles, although warfare is one aspect where the use of horses and mules will never be totally redundant. I just find the entire subject fascinating.

I have a huge collection of books including many personal accounts and once had a very good collection of militaria, including arms, mostly now sold (or banned!)

I suppose if I could it would be this period that I would return to, though in reality it would have been a horrific experience.

Me too..

 

The Edwardian period from 1901 to 1910 and the following years up to about 1920 fascinate me.

 

The fabric of many of the local Cotswold villages near to me hasn't really changed that much over the years, but traditional methods of agriculture, husbandry, manufacture and industry have either changed dramatically or been lost for ever. This is a great shame.

 

My Grandfather too was a soldier in the first war and saw action with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars in Egypt in 1915 in particular hand to hand fighting against the Turks at Gallipoli along side many Anzac soldiers who he always maintained were the most fearless fighting soldiers in the world..he always had the greatest of respect for them and also for the Turks of which he said " those Turks can fight" although he disliked them intensely.

 

He too rarely spoke of the campaign although my Gran described it as horrendous beyond comprehension and maintained that he was a completely different person to the one that joined the Army in 1914. He died in 1975 from Lung Cancer which was diagnosed as a result of phosgene gassing.

 

I would have loved to have been a young man in the villages during this time although I don't think I would have been over keen on joining up.

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Time seems to add a certain romantic bent onto what were the lowest points in our countries history-since childhood the majority of men have dreamed of the glory of fighting and drowning in a sea of heroism. The harsh reality ,however, was little short of a living nightmare-if you consider that many men who fought in the first war had never been outside their village then the novelty of being trained and transported to a foreign land must still have been fresh in their minds when they were asked to go "over the top" and walk slowly towards rows of enemy machine guns-in this day and age the top brass would face a charge of crimes against humanity. The second war was a scene that we set because we never properly defeated and disarmed the enemy in the first war-again our men were forced to fight a war with the odds stacked against us from the start-as a nation we had been raped of our forces and in an attempt to keep the lower classes in their place those in power had taken their eye off the ball and led us to disaster. I note, with some amusement , the recent surprise expressed by some upon discovering the lies of the late Mrs Thatcher-how many people realise that Churchill knew that Germany could never invade us? but tell people that their backs are against the wall and see how much harder they fight-lies and propaganda go hand in hand with politics-only the size varies.

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id tell Oppenheimer not to do it :lol:

 

wouldnt mind a look at the 60's not fancy war periods (even if i do love ww2 stuff) as i have an aversion to being killed and suffering so not a good choice

As someone who was a teenager in the 60s ( I'm a Man of Kent) I completely agree, best time of all, Dance halls and Cinemas, ride up to 250cc motorbike on L plates, happy days :)

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This time 3 years ago when England could actually play cricket!

 

Seriously though, I'd love to go back to 2 places: I'd follow the Napoleonic Wars right through, including the sea battles and the mild, unsanctioned skirmishes in India, and ending with Waterloo. In my opinion, this should really be called the First World War!

Secondly, It'd have to be Africa in the very early 20th Century, when it was much more a place of real adventure.

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........... Things like the battle of the somme, waterloo the battle of hastings the invasion by the romans,

 

the crusades, not for any religeous reasons but for just going off to fight a battle for the honour and glory of doing it.

 

......................................

 

I sure as heck would not want to go back in time and get involved in any of that lot. My two Grandfathers fought at Ypres and the Somme, no thank you!

Edited by Dekers
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Go back pre historic (taking plenty of ammo and big rifles), wouldn't mind a t-rex steak or a stegasaurus stew. Coupled with all the different vegetables and other stuff which is now extinct. Of course it would be better if the ladies would be like they are now and not look like hairy monkeys (point could be argued).

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Or Tunny fishing off the Yorkshire coast in the 20's & 30's (if it wasn't for the seasickness).

 

The Hampshire Avon in the golden days of roach fishing.

 

 

I'd love to go back in time and fish for big game with Zane Grey or to fish for the plentiful coarse fish in our now screwed up rivers and lakes with Isaac Walton.

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Time seems to add a certain romantic bent onto what were the lowest points in our countries history-since childhood the majority of men have dreamed of the glory of fighting and drowning in a sea of heroism. The harsh reality ,however, was little short of a living nightmare-if you consider that many men who fought in the first war had never been outside their village then the novelty of being trained and transported to a foreign land must still have been fresh in their minds when they were asked to go "over the top" and walk slowly towards rows of enemy machine guns-in this day and age the top brass would face a charge of crimes against humanity. The second war was a scene that we set because we never properly defeated and disarmed the enemy in the first war-again our men were forced to fight a war with the odds stacked against us from the start-as a nation we had been raped of our forces and in an attempt to keep the lower classes in their place those in power had taken their eye off the ball and led us to disaster. I note, with some amusement , the recent surprise expressed by some upon discovering the lies of the late Mrs Thatcher-how many people realise that Churchill knew that Germany could never invade us? but tell people that their backs are against the wall and see how much harder they fight-lies and propaganda go hand in hand with politics-only the size varies.

Good post, and you raise some interesting points which, while not an attempt to hi-jack a thread, I feel bound to respond to.

I agree with all your comments; it was the 'romance' of such histories as Balaclava etc taught in schools,and the indestructability of youth and God given justification of the British Empire which led to the naivety of young men in collieries,streets and even entire villages to enlist en masse to give the Hun a jolly good thrashing just in time to get home for Christmas.No one in those days were privy to the amount of exposure we can get today regarding the realities of war and what actually happens to the human body when subjected to a strike from a hard metal projectile travelling in excess of 2000 feet per second.

Even wives and sweethearts were swept along with the hype, and only Mothers and those with previous military experience viewed the hype with scepticism.

Soldiers are expendable;always have been,always will be, and the Commanders of the day were more than willing to expend that commodity in the name of glory and victory, and as you said, many would possibly have been prosecuted in a more enlightened age, but then again, the War Office was (and still is as the MOD) a law unto itself, so maybe not.

It was only as the lists of casualties mounted on a daily basis as the years went by that the publics taste for this valiant endeavour started to wain, to the extent that the Government of the day feared a Russian style revolution. Nothing romantic about any of it.

Your comment about Churchill misleading the British public into believing Britain was facing an invasion is also one I agree with.

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