NKRS Newsletter

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Catherine Hart
5 years ago
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1 NKRS Newsletter Issue 148 Our next meeting 20th November 2018 will be at the usual location. The Pop In Parlour (Rendezvous) otherwise known as the Bexleyheath Wellbeing Centre, Graham Road, Bexleyheath. DA6 7EG (Opposite Asda). Doors open at Date November 20 November December 4 December 18 Event A.G.M. Christmas Curry details to be arranged Music Keyboard by Robin Gilbert M0RJT Christmas EGM ++ Denotes that this is not a normal club night IF YOU DONT READ ANY OTHER NEWSLETTERS PLEASE READ THIS ONE And note the date for the curry. Contents 1 Calendar of events 2 The last meeting THE AGM 3 The Great War Radio equipment 4 The Great War Radio equipment continued Battlefields and cemeteries 5 The Great War Battlefields and cemeteries Continued 6 The Great War Battlefields and cemeteries Continued 7 Lost Lives exhibition (Olympic Park Stratford) 8 A question and the end Page 1 of 8 Stephens J39 prior to his ownership and the start of refurbishment. Hopefully we will see it after refurbishment. (see page 2)

2 The last meeting Thank you to Stephen for the talk he gave on the J39 refurbishment project and the work he has undertaken is truly remarkable. I was particularly impressed with his production of piston rings having played around with the things many times in past years the thought of making small ones seemed rather daunting. The next meeting is the AGM. I understand that many of you will think that AGM s are boring and you can be forgiven for that though as some (not ours I hope) most certainly can be, but they are an important part of our club s annual events. It is also a requirement of our club rules for us to have one. The advantage (it could be said) is that it gives us all the chance to have our say about whether what goes on in the club is right wrong or how it could be done differently. If you are a paid up member you should have received a copy of the club rules and a copy of the minutes of the last AGM so please bring them along to the meeting. There is a rule change to be proposed so it might be a good idea to bring a copy of the rules as well. If you have ever thought of standing as a member or officer of the committee now is the time to speak. The committee is an important part of the club s function so if you are interested please speak up. We do have the possibility of a major problem affecting the club. Many of you will have heard about this already but we will report further on this at the meeting but this does make attendance more important. Visitors are most welcome to attend and have, in the past, often made useful contributions, but in the rare event of a vote they will have no voting rights. If you are a paid up member and have not received the appropriate documentation prior to the meeting please contact Steve at secretary@nkrs.info The existing committee structure. Chairman Dave Collings Vice Chairman Frank Connor Secretary Secretary Steve Osborne Andy Fribbens Member Member Member Member Ray Gilbert Robin Gilbert Henry Potgeiter Ian Connor Page 2 of 8

The Great War (World War 1) As it is 100 years since the end of the war and there has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the anniversary I thought I would write something about some of my

For many years I have been visiting (amongst other sites) World War 1 cemeteries and sites around Europe so I thought I would share a few photographs with you of some that I have seen.

3 The Great War (World War 1) As it is 100 years since the end of the war and there has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the anniversary I thought I would write something about some of my interests in this subject. I have been cataloguing (an ongoing project) a friend s collection of many things which includes a number of World War 1 military communication items. For many years I have been visiting (amongst other sites) World War 1 cemeteries and sites around Europe so I thought I would share a few photographs with you of some that I have seen. Finally I recently visited the Olympic Park a few days ago where there was the Lost Lives exhibit but more about that later. WW1 Communications There were many methods of communication during WW1, pigeons (extremely reliable way of sending messages), dogs (a trained dog was faster than a human runner), human runners (fairly good but considered as expendable so often could not be used too long), hard wired telephone (effective but required expendable personnel running the cables), and radio. Radios were used but they were bulky and fragile for use in trench life but had their use for airborne activities. You must bear in mind that trench radios only had a short range compared to those used by the navy at sea. Here are some examples. No 1 Aircraft Spark transmitter 30-watt Frequency range m (1.15 3MHz). One of the earliest radios to be used in aeroplanes. The set was designed in 1914 and fitted to approximately 600 aircraft artillery spotting, enabling the operator to report back to ground by Morse code. It used a trailing wire aerial and was powered from a 6-volt accumulator. WW1 trench receiver marked Elope RAF Frequency range m (428 khz 2.73 MHz) W/T Receiver Short Wave Mk. III A general-purpose receiver. The original version was a crystal receiver had a carborundum detector which required two 3-volt batteries and a Perikon crystal. The aerial had a length of ft ( m) supported by 15ft masts with an earth mat. Total production was only 100. Page 3 of 8

4 W.T. field set Mk 3 C.W receiver made in the WD factory Soho (anyone know anything about this place please tell me) This tuner was introduced in 1916 and the Mk. III* in Its main purpose was to receive CW signals from aircraft flying over the trenches. The receiver had two R valves. The first of these was used in a heterodyne circuit and the second as an audio frequency amplifier for the Morse signal. It used a crystal detector and there was a buzzer for calibrating and testing the tuner. Total production was 6595 receivers. Page 4 of 8 Caterpillar Crater Caterpillar Crater was formed by a mine exploded under the German position across the other side of the Ypres- Comines railway (south) adjacent to the famous Hill 60. Preparation for the explosion that created this crater was begun in 1915 and the charge finally placed in July In spite of several attempts by the Germans to sabotage the explosive over a period of time the explosion of mines under Hill 60 and Caterpillar took place on June 7, 1917, at 3.10am in the morning. In the 2 explosions 687 men in the German 204de Division were killed and the Caterpillar crater was 79.2 m wide and 15.5 m deep. Left is the famous Hill 60 bunker manufactured originally by the Germans but modified by the Australians in The walls are at least three feet thick, with metal reinforcing rods protruding. This pill-box withstood several assaults and is still there 100 years later.

5 The Douaumont ossuary is a memorial containing the bones of soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun in World War I. It is located in Douaumont, France, within the Verdun battlefield. On the right is an interior photograph. Meuse-Argonne is the largest American cemetery in Europe. It contains 14,246 war dead of the United States of America from World War 1. Most of those buried here gave their lives during the Meuse-Argonne offensive which was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. It was fought from 26 September 1918, until the Armistice of 11 November 1918, a total of 47 days. Additionally, the names of 954 Americans whose remains were never recovered or not identified are inscribed in the memorial. A German cemetery near Montfaucon Page 5 of 8

Longueval Delville Wood: The South African National Memorial and museum near Albert on

Opened in 1926 to remember the South Africans who served and died in all theatres of

really heavy so it must still be full of shrapnel.

sounded Right Memorial in the Ville Du Quesnoy a town very much worth spending some

6 Longueval Delville Wood: The South African National Memorial and museum near Albert on the Somme. Opened in 1926 to remember the South Africans who served and died in all theatres of operations during WW1. Photograph by A.P.Rolton Left We found this ammunition while walking in fields near the Buttes New British Cemetery. We knocked it around a bit and nothing happened so we assume it was dead but it was really heavy so it must still be full of shrapnel. Centre A famous site, the Menin Gate at night not long after the last post had been sounded Right Memorial in the Ville Du Quesnoy a town very much worth spending some time in. Left Centre Right A Chinese grave, a member of the Chinese Labour Corps One of the many monuments to be seen in French villages in the WW1 area The grave of Valentine Joe Strudwick who enlisted in January 1915 in Lambeth, (then) Surrey. He lied about his age, at the time of his enlistment he was only 14 years old and he is said to be the youngest military casualty in the First World War. Page 6 of 8

Lost Lives exhibition (Olympic Park Stratford) The lost lives exhibition was originally located at the Theipval Memorial near the Somme but was relocated to the Olympic park where I visited it a few

7 Lost Lives exhibition (Olympic Park Stratford) The lost lives exhibition was originally located at the Theipval Memorial near the Somme but was relocated to the Olympic park where I visited it a few days ago. The exhibition was due to finish this weekend. It was conceived and created by an artist called Rob Heard in collaboration with SSAFA Devon, Lost Lives is a unique exhibition to commemorate the those who died on each day of the First World War and to show the true cost of the conflict. Each shroud represents a soldier killed in combat and each wooden cross gives a date and the number killed on that day. All these shrouds were made by hand by the artist. The losses for each year are: The casualties by nation are: ,780 Australia 62, ,881 Canada 64, ,457 India 73, ,860 New Zealand 18, ,227 Newfoundland 1,570. South Africa 9,726. UK 744,000 The photograph above shows the shrouds laid out in the South Lawn with the Arcelormittal Orbit Page 7 of 8

8 Finally a Question I was walking through Earlsfield the other day (like you do) and I came across the Henry Prince Estate which by coincidence happens to be the estate on which it is claimed Siddique Kahn was raised. Now I think that I have seen this in a film or on a television program or something like that can anyone tell me more. The suspicious looking person on the Right of the Right picture is a friend. That's all for this issue but please try to attend the AGM it is important Dave An abandoned but preserved border crossing post between Belgium and France in the Ardennes. Perhaps waiting to be reopened! Page 8 of 8

The first day involved a lot of travelling, which was extremely tiring.

Day 1 - Sunday 13th November The first day involved a lot of travelling, which was extremely tiring. We got our tour briefing when we arrived and then had the opportunity to handle some World War One artefacts.