The History Thread

[Chindie]

A fun video of a classic English boffin explaining why things are shit.

[Xela]

Yes, i was in York last week. Yes, I was in an old bank, but that was just a coincidence.

Quote

The largest human poo on record found beneath a bank in Yorkshire - and you can go see it
It was dug up by archaeologists in 1972 in York

York is famous for countless things such as its reputation as the city of chocolate, the historic Shambles and the stunning minster.

A lesser known fact perhaps is that the largest human poo on record can actually be marvelled at at one of the city's museums.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/largest-human-poo-record-found-20640335

[sidcow]

Anyone at primary school in Brum in the 70's ?

It may have been unique to my school only but most things tended to be city or nationwide. 

We used to have tuck shop, possibly at the same time as our milk ration. 

I recall strongly that one of the things we could buy was Smiths Bag of Bones crisps. 

But the thing I am trying to remember was a round chocolate biscuit in a purple foil wrapper.  A bit like a Viscount (in fact I think Viscount was usually sold alongside them).  

I used to absolutely love those biscuits and was always really disappointed if they'd sold out. 

Anyone remember these biscuits and what they were called? 

 

[VILLAMARV]

10 hours ago, sidcow said:

Anyone at primary school in Brum in the 70's ?

It may have been unique to my school only but most things tended to be city or nationwide. 

We used to have tuck shop, possibly at the same time as our milk ration. 

I recall strongly that one of the things we could buy was Smiths Bag of Bones crisps. 

But the thing I am trying to remember was a round chocolate biscuit in a purple foil wrapper.  A bit like a Viscount (in fact I think Viscount was usually sold alongside them).  

I used to absolutely love those biscuits and was always really disappointed if they'd sold out. 

Anyone remember these biscuits and what they were called? 

 

apparently in the 90's Burtons made double choc viscounts that were purple wrappings. with a choc cream filling.

20 years past your timeline of course but maybe?

[sidcow]

2 minutes ago, VILLAMARV said:

apparently in the 90's Burtons made double choc viscounts that were purple wrappings. with a choc cream filling.

20 years past your timeline of course but maybe?

Possible but I don't remember them having cream. 

[Follyfoot]

11 hours ago, sidcow said:

Anyone at primary school in Brum in the 70's ?

It may have been unique to my school only but most things tended to be city or nationwide. 

We used to have tuck shop, possibly at the same time as our milk ration. 

I recall strongly that one of the things we could buy was Smiths Bag of Bones crisps. 

But the thing I am trying to remember was a round chocolate biscuit in a purple foil wrapper.  A bit like a Viscount (in fact I think Viscount was usually sold alongside them).  

I used to absolutely love those biscuits and was always really disappointed if they'd sold out. 

Anyone remember these biscuits and what they were called? 

 

Aztec?

[Wainy316]

13 hours ago, Xela said:

Yes, i was in York last week. Yes, I was in an old bank, but that was just a coincidence.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/largest-human-poo-record-found-20640335

Nah mate, think that's been beaten now...

[Chindie]

16 hours ago, Xela said:

Yes, i was in York last week. Yes, I was in an old bank, but that was just a coincidence.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/largest-human-poo-record-found-20640335

The abomination clogging trap 2 in my old workplace was bigger than that. Thing was a rugby ball of shit.

[KentVillan]

Recommend the Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan podcast. Some good stuff on the Irish War of Independence / Irish Civil War (been taking an interest since watching the Wind That Shakes the Barley).

[MakemineVanilla]

British concentration camps for the unemployed 1929-1939:

https://libcom.org/library/concentration-camps-in-england-1929-39

Quote

Between 1929 and 1939, under the government of the very socialist Ramsay MacDonald, 25 secret concentration camps were built in the most remote areas of England and more than 200,000 unemployed men were sent to these camps and put to work at hard labour. The men, who were interned in the centres for three-month periods, worked for up to nine hours a day, forced by gang marshalls to break stones, build roads and cut down trees (2). The Sunday Times reports that, when they arrived at the camps, the men were issued with hob-nailed boots and a pair of corduroy trousers before being assigned to a wooden hut dormitory. The men who refused to go to the camps were told their benefit would be stopped once and for all.

Dachau was originally a labour camp and Lloyd George made a visit and was very impressed with what he saw.

[chrisp65]

7 hours ago, MakemineVanilla said:

British concentration camps for the unemployed 1929-1939:

https://libcom.org/library/concentration-camps-in-england-1929-39

Dachau was originally a labour camp and Lloyd George made a visit and was very impressed with what he saw.

Smithsonian

Quote

In southern Africa, the concept of concentration camps had simultaneously taken root. In 1900, during the Boer War, the British began relocating more than 200,000 civilians, mostly women and children, behind barbed wire into bell tents or improvised huts. Again, the idea of punishing civilians evoked horror among those who saw themselves as representatives of a civilized nation. “When is a war not a war?” asked British Member of Parliament Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in June 1901. “When it is carried on by methods of barbarism in South Africa.”

Far more people died in the camps than in combat. Polluted water supplies, lack of food, and infectious diseases ended up killing tens of thousands of detainees. Even though the Boers were often portrayed as crude people undeserving of sympathy, the treatment of European descendants in this fashion was shocking to the British public. Less notice was taken of British camps for black Africans who had even more squalid living conditions and, at times, only half the rations allotted to white detainees.

 

[MakemineVanilla]

18 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Smithsonian

 

As you might know, the Birmingham public were very much in favour of the Boer war and rioted when Lloyd George tried to speak against it at Birmingham townhall.

 

[chrisp65]

2 minutes ago, MakemineVanilla said:

As you might know, the Birmingham public were very much in favour of the Boer war and rioted when Lloyd George tried to speak against it at Birmingham townhall.

 

I had a colourised photo of my great granddad stand by his tent somewhere out in the Boer war. I defo haven’t thrown it out, but its currently missing.

I think the vast majority of the people would have just supported war as a default position back then. It was always far away, all the coverage would have been ‘our’ coverage. People were more likely to be deferential to authority. A war would have been good for lots of Midlands industries I’d have thought.

[MakemineVanilla]

1 hour ago, chrisp65 said:

I had a colourised photo of my great granddad stand by his tent somewhere out in the Boer war. I defo haven’t thrown it out, but its currently missing.

I think the vast majority of the people would have just supported war as a default position back then. It was always far away, all the coverage would have been ‘our’ coverage. People were more likely to be deferential to authority. A war would have been good for lots of Midlands industries I’d have thought.

I wouldn't doubt that or a spirit of jingoism.

I think the Tommies were expecting a walkover like Omdurman, but got a war of attrition instead.

As my grandmother once said: We cheered when they went off and cried when they came back.

 

 

[Xann]

First published April 18th 1938. Superman is 85 today.

[chrisp65]

11 minutes ago, Xann said:

First published April 18th 1938. Superman is 85 today.

 

In tough times we look to cartoon characters to offer simple solutions.

If only Germany had had a bit more of a comic book culture.

[Xann]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

If only Germany had had a bit more of a comic book culture.

Not really thought about it, but yeah, Ezquerra, Belardinelli, Giraud, Bilal... and I can't think of any German material at all.

     Looking a bit shit.

[Xela]

Look at those glorious empty roads at the beginning.

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Xela

[sidcow]

1 hour ago, Xela said:

Look at those glorious empty roads at the beginning.

 

Tomorrow today? Where is the USB port knob head? 

Edited May 15, 2023 by sidcow

[sidcow]

And why have they got Dr Who doing a car review? 

Glad he had his essential driving gloves on though.  Not properly dressed to drive otherwise.