Prof of Conflict History & Archaeology. University of Glasgow. Some TV stuff & Novelist (Rep: United Agents). Tweets in a personal capacity. Also
@WarDiaryF82
Thanks to social media this is one of the most famous battlefield relics from Napoleonic era. It captures the moment of a man's death. It is not a joke or a Monty Python sketch about a scratch. It might not seem so funny if we knew more about the man and his death. 1/10
Antoine was a brave man, but like most who died at Waterloo his grave is unmarked, though I have an idea where it is. With
@DigWaterloo
I work with military veterans on archaeology of Waterloo. We’ve seen the bones of dead & wounded and we respect the men they once were. 10/10
The bloody plate was pulled from his body before pitching him into mass grave. Pay book was found lodged in padding. It gave his personal details: ‘long, freckled face with a large forehead, blue eyes, hooked nose & a small mouth.’ He was a dairyman & about to get married. 9/10
This cuirass was worn by a French cavalryman in 4th company, 2nd Carabinier Regt at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. His name was Antoine Fauveau. He was 23 yrs old & he died sabre in hand. He not long been conscripted and he had benefitted from no more than 7 days training. 2/10
Harry Patch ‘The Last Fighting Tommy’ pays his respects to German fallen at Langemark Cemetery 2008. He was 110 years old then, and made it to 111.
Photo taken by me during an incredible trip to Flanders with Harry in company of
@jbanningww1
&
@richardvanemden
#ArmisticeDay2023
In The Longest Day, Richard Todd wore the same beret in the Pegasus Bridge scenes that he wore as a paratrooper during the actual taking of Pegasus Bridge in 1944.
Amazing response. If you are interested, look out for a related paper in
@JofConflictArch
appearing soon. In addition to my own research with
@DigWaterloo
for this thread, l hit the books (during Father Brown, which puzzled
@DrMariaPollard
). These were key:
My guess is Antoine hit by direct rather than grazing fire after cresting ridge – after working way around advanced infantry. 4” dia shot hit right breast & caused massive trauma, death instant – shock wave destroyed every organ but armour front & back held torso together. 7/10
Morale & cohesion within the regiment was poor & it was held back at Quatre Bras on 16 June. Things got worse at Waterloo when some officers defected. The battle raged all day but Napoleon had failed to break through Wellington’s lines on the ridge at Mont St Jean. 3/10
Antoine was hit by a 9lb cannon ball – solid lump of iron – fired by Royal Horse Artillery. Ideally these balls hit the ground, bounced & then hit men in the body, but at Waterloo the ground was softened by rain so not as effective as they could be. 6/10
Napoleon sent in Guard but battle was lost & all told around 15-20,000 men dead on field. Over next 10 days bodies stripped & then buried or burned. Every item of hardware & clothing was recycled or sold & the field became a tourist attraction. The cuirass a prized trophy. 8/10
Around 4pm French put in cavalry charges against Wellington’s Centre/Right – famously under Ney. More of a slog up muddy hill than a gallop. By the end, c.10,000 horsemen had engaged in the messy ebb & flow against allied cavalry, artillery & infantry arranged in squares. 4/10
Throwing more men into this meat grinder didn’t help, but 1st & 2nd Carabiniers ordered forward against ‘20 guns’ from east edge of Hougoumont at c.6.30pm. Men & horses slogged up hill to be met by muskets & cannon. The reserve Div made 3 advances but each time repulsed. 5/10
Harry Patch in 2008, then aged 110, paying his respects to German dead in the cemetery at Langemark. He died the following year and will forever be remembered as the last survivor of trench warfare on the Western Front. Photo by me on trip in his company that l will never forget.
Carry On actor Peter Butterworth was a POW & while in Stalag Luft III vaulted the wooden horse while the escape tunnel was being dug beneath it. After the war he went for a part in the movie of the famous escape (3 home runs) and was told he didn’t look athletic or heroic enough.
John had this on his wrist during the Battle of Tumbledown. He gave it to me this evening on the train back to Scotland. Moved doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’ve never worn a watch. Just changed the habit of a lifetime.
🏴
@NicolaSturgeon
has announced the publication of a draft Bill setting out the terms and timing of an independence referendum, as well as the proposed question people will be asked, before the end of this Parliament.
🗳 Scotland must have a choice.
Watched entire 26 ep series over last 2 weeks. Broad-brush aside, stands up as a very impressive piece of work. All those contemporary voices were fresh pre-1973. Still shocks with a lot of unflinching imagery. Quality of narrative & footage match puts more recent docs to shame.
I have been quiet over this anniversary period, but as today 41 years ago brought an end to the Falklands War after a campaign that sits high up in the annals of British military achievement, my respect and admiration to those on both sides who gave their all in 1982.
Carry On actor Peter Butterworth (
#DOD
1979) was POW in Stalag Luft III who vaulted the wooden horse while escape tunnel was being dug beneath it. After war he went for a part in the movie of the famous escape (3 home runs) and was told he didn’t look athletic or heroic enough.
Formby beach this morning from a tweet by
@fastcarspete
. I never want to hear another comparison between Dunkirk and our situation. Get a grip you tossers.
Reading Festival aftermath: The anthropologist/archaeologist in me wants to make those dickheads record every little bit of this with GPS as they are made to pick it up.
Good to see Simon Weston on Antiques Roadshow. His own medals but telling other people’s stories. He was supportive when the press had a bash at me for wanting to do the archaeology of the Falklands War. It’s a living history and an important one.
Straight out of the HG Wells playbook. Only life sized replica of the Tsar Tank, armed with 10 Maxims. Experiments with the prototype abandoned in 1915 due to vulnerability to artillery and basic craziness. I'd be ideal as scale if wasn't up to my waist in snow.
If these projections are true then England and Scotland really have defined themselves as separate countries. Ok, let’s work on that. I voted No in Indy Ref 1 but under these circumstances l will throw my all into working for an independent Scotland.
Ridley Scott should have quoted Wellington rather than reply "were you there?" It's a quote well used but rarely sourced: "The history of battle is not like the history of a ball", meaning that no man knew what was happening in battle outside of own immediate surroundings. 1/2
So the film didn’t have a historical advisor, it had a drill instructor. The depiction of Waterloo in this movie is a joke. I’ll take it apart next week.
#BOTD
1919, Donald Pleasance was wireless operator in a Lancaster bomber shot down Aug 1944. Spent rest of war as POW at Stalag Luft I (Barth). Honed craft as actor in camp theatre (as did others later to appear on screen). Played the forger Colin in 1963 movie The Great Escape.
The Magnificent Seven. Briefly held in Colditz then moved to Sachsenhausen, men from Op Musketoon, a successful raid on a Norwegian power station, were shot by Nazis on Oct 23 1942. Their brutal murder coincided with Hitler issuing his notorious Commando Order.
#lestweforget2022
We lost my great uncle today, through what may or may not have been virus related pneumonia. Sadly there will be no family funeral to celebrate his 99 years, but l’ll be raising a glass to Billy Pollard tonight.
The Madness of King George, set in 1788 doesn’t even get beyond the opening credits before we encounter a historical gaff. There for all who can see it.
Remembering Midshipman John Pollard (1787-1868). Wounded by cannon blasted wood splinter in Battle of Trafalgar but still went on to shoot down the French sniper who killed Nelson. Our family motto should be ‘Better late than never.’
#TrafalgarDay
Harry Patch in 2008, then aged 110, paying respects to German dead at Langemark. He died following year and will be remembered as last survivor of trench warfare on Western Front. Photo by me on trip in his company with
@jbanningww1
#RemembranceSunday2020
In case you thought we had no artillery. Here's our beautiful one pounder. After a pub conversation which went along the lines of 'let's build a cannon', Alan Birkbeck did. Here he is firing grape on our experimental range. The shot (musket balls) was recovered for examination.
OTD 1944 The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III. 76 POWs got out through the tunnel known as Harry. 3 got home and 50 murdered on Hitler’s orders. Rediscovering entrance to the tunnel in 2011 was a career highlight. Also remembering my late friend Frank Stone, orderly in Hut 104.
Most benign of human constructs can kill wildlife. Tawny Owl trapped between window & glass screen in neighbour’s property. Poor thing exhausted. Ran for ladders & after struggle with a thin plank pushed it up to freedom. Glorious low swoop over a bemused Ralph.
@DrMariaPollard
Gen. Gavin: "We'll be alright, aside from the fact that we're parachuting in daylight, we have nothing to worry about."
Capt. Bestebreurtje: "Daylight? Has it ever been tried before? "
Gen. Gavin: "Not in a major drop."
Me with my hand up: "Crete, Crete, what about Crete?"
I see my political tweets are losing me followers tonight. Rules of house. If you are even of a slightly fascist disposition (ie If you find them too much) consider the toe of my boot up your arse on the way out.
Interviewed just now
@BBCRadioScot
on disrespectful selfies at Culloden graves by a few unthinking
@Outlander_STARZ
fans. Folks, great that you take the trouble to visit, but remember, Jamie Fraser is a fiction, the more than a thousand Jacobites buried there are not.
#WarGraves
Again from Harry Patch's last return in 2008. Pays respects to German fallen at Langemark, & at Tyne Cot remembers 3 comrades who died by his side at Passchendaele on 27 Sept 1917.
The remembering is down to us now.
#RemembranceSunday
With
@jbanningww1
&
@richardvanemden
Star Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, who opposed independence in 2014, says he’s changed his mind! “After the Brexit vote I’ve changed my tune…enough is enough.”
#Skotia
I stood on the edge of this beach in Sept 2019. There were armoured mechanical excavators and lines of clearance teams working it. This is a wonderful achievement.
For the first time in over 38 years we were finally able to walk on the last beach to be cleared of land mines as we are now officially free of the thousands of mines left by the invading Argentine military in 1982. Thank you to all those who have made this possible.
#freedom
Alamo Diorama, Hall of State Dallas. Took a team led by Thomas Feeley 20 years to build. It’s 14ft by 24ft & depicts 1836 siege as the fortified mission station falls. Augmented reality app animates it. What a beauty.
#DioramaFriday
(l just invented it).
Surely Kubrick, famous for research, will have history stuff sorted in his 1969 'Napoleon' screenplay? It begins:
"A well worn teddy-bear is cradled in the arms of Napoleon age 4, who dreamily sucks his thumb, listening to a bedtime story..."
Teddy Bears were invented in 1902.
Re: Baker rifle & eagerness of 95th Rifleman to take shot at Boney. This is a twist (pun intended) on artillery officer offering to do same in 1970 Waterloo movie. Wellington replies that generals have better things to do etc. Setting aside ridiculous telescopic sight 1/2
OTD 1815 Marshal Ney shot for treason. "Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ... Soldiers, fire"
Two faves from our work @ Culloden. Pewter Celtic cross from Jacobite line. Use in class to remind that belief in afterlife can motivate action. And silver William III King’s shilling 1690s on British army line. Heavily rubbed. Lucky charm - archaeology of fear.
@ConflictArchaeo
Mass grave in Holland believed to date from War of First Coalition in 1790s. From surgeon’s marks on bones looks to be associated with a field hospital. Incredibly rare discovery.
@DigWaterloo
20 years of M&C. Went from thinking a foyer poster depicting a ship of line in a storm with all the gun ports open didn’t bode well, to it being one of my favourite war movies. I’m very far from alone there and have to wonder if Napoleon will fare so well.
Twitter has made me shed a tear today. On my
@WarDiaryF82
account, Falklands veterans been telling their incredibly harrowing stories from 38 yrs ago today when the ships Sir Galahad & Sir Tristram were bombed at Fitzroy. Social media can be amazing. It's their account now.
Confinement in perspective. OTD in 1944, 76 POWs escaped from Stalag Luft III via tunnel called Harry. 3 got home, rest recaptured & 50 murdered by Gestapo. Finding Harry one of most memorable moments of my career. Almost finished writing book with
@DrIainBanks
for
@penswordbooks
As a historian there is always the question, what would I do in their place? Having watched the news over the last couple of days with stomach in knots I've found an answer. Not what those incredibly brave people are doing. Humbled.
Richard Burton & Roddy McDowell were so bored during long delays on shooting of Cleopatra in Rome that they begged producer Darryl Zanuck for anything in The Longest Day. Flew to France on their own dollar & filmed cameos in a day. Sure they'd have parachuted in if required.
I don’t take photos like this every day. John, veteran of Scots Guards, about to return to Tumbledown 40 yrs after battle. I didn’t know it then, but he’s wondering whether he can go through with it. He’s literally facing his demons. Proud to know him.
@Mapping1982
@DigWaterloo
Jim Peters (ex Scots Guards) in 2022 looking for remains of the curry he scoffed in lee of that rock during a lull in fighting during Battle of Tumbledown 1982. This was when we realised he’d become an archaeologist. Today he’s joining me on my tour of Culloden.
@UofGWarstudies
There’s a decent musical in there fighting to get out, probably called ‘The Bonapartes at Home’. I wanted to like
#Napoleon
, l really did!
Talking of fighting; the worst on screen depiction of Waterloo ever.
Tonight in 1944 and 1982 ships carried men who would give all to allow us the right to make our own mistakes. We have learned little but god bless them.
Today in 1988 the movie Tumbledown was premiered on TV. Tells the story of Lt Robert Lawrence of 2 Scots Guards who on June 14 1982 survived head wound in battle’s latest moments. I know some of these guys and l know that mountain, but my god l don’t know what they went through.
Never noticed background appearance of FG42 in The Eagle has Landed before. Nice attention to detail given they are Fallschirmjager.
@historicfirearm
@FightingOnFilm
If a student wants to do a dissertation on the impact of Blackadder on our understanding of the First World War, l’ll give it serious consideration after watching social media today.
Exploring ideas for delivering online teaching. Making my students watch grainy old YouTubes of Two Men in Trench probably won’t cut it, but l’m bloody tempted!
OTD 1745 Jacobites routed government forces at Prestonpans, after using a night march to get within striking distance. Same tactic was to fail badly at Culloden. Impressions of the march & battle by the much missed Andrew Hillhouse, one our finest painters of historic battles.
Now that's a diorama! Monument to Battle of Kursk in Prokhorovka. I've seen a lot of monuments to the Great Patriotic War over the years but this takes some beating. I can feel a paper coming on.
First family briefing on next year’s trip to Vietnam.
“It won’t be all battlefields will it?”
“Not at all.”
“What’s that place?”
“Ah, that’s Dien Bien Phu.”
“And?”
“It’ll be the 70th anniversary of a little thing that happened there.”
“Oh.”
Arrived Falkland Islands after 8,000 miles and 2 hour stop over in Cape Verde. Around 19 hours and as challenging as l remembered it. Looking forward to getting out and about tomorrow.
Bit of a shock to discover that the new and absolutely essential regime of isolating and distancing does not require a change of life style. Turns out l’ve always been an anti-social so and so.
Actor, Donald Pleasance was a Wireless operator in a Lancaster bomber shot down in August 1944. Spent rest of war as POW at Stalag Luft I (Barth). Honed his craft as actor in the camp theatre (as did other actor POWs). Later played the forger Colin in 1963 movie The Great Escape.
Book purge carries on apace!
Only joking, thankfully. A quick stop at the legend that is Voltaire & Rousseau bookshop on my way back from teaching. The massif to right, front is military history. This is the last place l need to be right now’
Revisited a Bronze Age accessory cup (2000-1500 BCE) excavated by me in 80s on display in Kelvingrove Museum. A beautiful thing, but when first encountered it upside down with trowel thought was a stone. Shame label doesn’t tell you it covered cremated remains of a young woman.
Not wishing to come over old curmudgeon, but l did my time at that festival back in day. Neil Young with Pearl Jam one of best acts l’ve ever seen. But we packed our tent because we couldn’t afford to leave it and we picked up our litter because that’s what you do. Wankers,
There’s a new Cleopatra movie in works. On Richard Burton’s birthday it’s worth recalling that he & chum Roddy McDowall got so bored of shooting delays with epic 1963 version in Rome that they paid for their own flights to film cameo parts in the D-Day epic ‘The Longest Day’.
Is Westminster trying to gift Scotland with independence? The pathetic doubling down rather than follow Scotland’s lead on its way out of screwing up on this is stunning. Totally different ways of governance, and l know which l want to live with and contribute to.
#Indyref2
OTD
#DBP70
That's all folks. The end of the 57 day epic that was Dien Bien Phu. Thanks to those who followed. Hope we learned some stuff along the way. I'll post a bit on aftermath but will be pleased to focus on something else! Still hope to run a tour there so watch this space.
You know what l’m really tired of this weekend? Every BBC outlet telling me everyone’s exhausted over Brexit (subtext let’s get Brexit done). I’ve wind in my lungs yet and won’t be bullied into selling us down the river.
On the horse’s nose it might be, but this 70s ad for whisky really wouldn’t work on me. All l can see is Ney’s charge while l try and work out the scale.