Spasm

Went out last weekend to North Curry to follow Simon's footprints.

North Curry sits on a finger of low hill that points into the Somerset levels. A network of rivers and rhynes form moors on either side. We spent the morning in the attic above the coffee shop, with the nice ladies who run North Curry Archives.

In 1842, Simon Fuzzey married North Curry girl Sarah Parks and they spent the rest of their lives in the village. Census data shows Simon and Sarah living in at least three different properties during their time in the village so using photos, local knowledge and a hefty dose of best-guessing we think we managed to track down one of their houses.

The photo is a view west down Stoke Road. The large double-fronted building in the foreground used to be the Angel Inn. In 1861, the cream house next door belonged to the Gillards, Simon's house must have been the first brick one past that. Looks like it has just been sold.

I think I remember the story of "Bull's Blood" wine - written on the side of the bottle:

A Hungarian castle town was beseiged by a load of Turks. The Hungarian Soldiers inside were served the wine and the best of food to keep up their strength. The Turks, having heard that the defenders were drinking Bull's Blood decided to go home. I think it was the Hungarian's first victory over the Ottoman Empire.

Have you tried any? No wonder the Turks ran away.

Jan

Thanks - i wasn't too far away from calling them toffee apples then

Cheers

Spaz

Gents

Any ideas what the large toffee apple type things are?

The caption says:

Blid in einen franzofifchen graben der zweiten linie bei Gommecourt (Marz 1917)

Found it!

It's the 1962 Hamburg Flood Medal as below

Well spotted Rayjin,

Although nearly all the experts and historians agree that Fenton "manipulated" the picture to get a more dramatic scene - the pictures seem to show that cannon balls were removed from both the roadway and the gulleys. I've had a closer look and have replicated your circles and added more areas where balls are missing.

However, maybe the "extra" cannon balls were collected from outside the view of the camera and added to both roadway and gulley? Maybe we'll never know

Gents

The following two photos were taken by Roger Fenton in 1855 in the Crimea. They are of the "Valley of the Shadow of Death" - not the Charge of the Light Brigade valley but another that the Russians regularly shelled to ensure no troops gathered there.

Roger Fenton, famous for his Crimean War photos, visited the valley on his dark-room-in-a-wagon. The valley was shelled continously, even during his visit so he moved his tripod to a "safer" area to take these. There have been long discussions on which photograph was taken first. The one with "scattered" cannon balls on the road is the more famous with most agreeing that this is the later staged photo.

I tend to agree simply given the even spread of the cannon balls on the road - wouldn't they clump up? Others do not as Fenton himself said that the cannon balls were gathered during the day by gunners to fire back at the Russians - there do seem to be less cannon balls in the ditches in the "cleared" picture. If the balls were collected to spread on the road wouldn't there then be less in the ditches rather than more?

Interested to know what you think? (Just as a note = Filmaker and writer Errol Morris visited the actual site and came to his own conclusions, eventually)

Larry

Just wow mate. Impressed or what.

A whole village and a whole army. Just outstanding, thanks for showing us

Cheers

Spaz XVIS

I've no idea what rapid fire rules are but the Panthers are really really good - at that scale too! Assuming you war game with them you must have a few "little men" and other stuff to go with them??

Gis a look

Spaz

Ta very much chaps....although tempting (after the praise) I'm not going to do any more. Even though I do have a few boxes of "small men" of the 40k variety (and I'm sure I remember some heavy armour that go with them) hiding in a box in the loft.

I'm trying to teach myself how to paint in 3D now. I'm on layer 4 of about 10 (I will explain once they are complete) with each layer taking a good few days to complete. If they come out as intended I'll show ya'll them on here. They are only practice ones though, so I may just chuck them in the bin if they don't work and start over. All will be revealed in about a month or so........exciting aint it? I can't wait

Thanks again all

Cheers Spaz

I think its a ribbon bar for the medal for the defense of Moscow awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defence of Moscow between 19 October 1941 and 25 January 1942

Maybe not, on second thoughts, as the white stripes are evenly spaced whereas yours has a thicker centre stripe

Cheers

Spaz XVIS

A couple of the hinge

Bugger :(

The inside of the case is a very deep purple and has a backwards "B" and "257" stamped underneath. The EK itself looks to be plated over copper - the colour showing through the polishing? No markings at all on the back or on the pin. Single piece construction. Non magnetic and vaulted.

No idea on this piece at all as these are not my thing. I like them a lot though.......damn, damn, here we go again :whistle:

It was a bit chilly I must admit, but it warmed up to at least 4 degrees in the afternoon. And I may have aquired.....

A few reinactors were hanging around, large scale RC tanks and displays. Not a bad day out at all.

halftracks, rockets and action men

Plenty of deactivated originals

Fairly modern uniforms to toy soldiers

Over 350 sellers there so a lot to get around. Anything from Lancaster Bomber spares to Ford V8 carbs

It was a bit dark and din't want to use the flash - just in case I was chased around by some of the dodgy dealers :lol:

Gents

Just got back from the Militaria Show. Bought a couple of bits and bobs and took a few photos:

The matchstick man painter Lowry turned down 5 over the years. He said it was because he didn't want anything "latched" on to him.

Ah, there's another bit of mystery that I've just found out. He was minus 8 !!!!! I think he must have been the milkman's as he was born in 1922. I'm still on the trail of that one.

I expect to find out that I'm an orphan and my real name is Oliver :P

Here are the newspaper accounts - hopefully big enough to read