![[challenge entry]](/images/board_posticon_c.gif "Challenge Entry: Robots in History"){kind=small}
My granddad died in 84.So I don’t remember him that well. I knew he fought in WW1, but he kept most of it to himself. All I did know was that he signed up at 16 and joined the Nothumbrian Fusiliers and saw action at Passchendale. It was when I helped my parents move house my dad showed me these, along with the little diary granddad had kept while he tried to survive in that mess of blood and mud.
He had never taken a photograph before in his life, but Spuddy Redpath, had found a camera in the what was left of a Chemists shop in the ruins at Mesines and granddad won it off him at cards. The next day the reinforcements were brought up from the rear, rumour had been flying round that some special new machines where being brought up that would finished the Hun here, and start the breakout across the Ypres salient.
When they arrived they where a bit of a shock, 3 great metal men, made by Armstrong-Whitworth in Newcastle. The army designated them Autonomous expeditionary force (AEPs) But the lads soon christened them Tom, Dick, and Harry. Strong as 20 men each they where! They helped pull the tanks out of the mud at Poelkapelle, other than that we didn’t know what they could do. On 31 July they got their chance and went over the top in the assault at Pilckem ridge. Harry took a 12lb shell to the chest in that one, Geordie Jackson said he looked like a popped mine boiler, with springs and cogs all inside him.
Tom, and Dick stood guard for the next 3 weeks waiting for the Bosch counter attack that never came. That was all through the rains that turned the ground to mud, and the mud to soup.
Tom, slipped off of one of the duckboard walkways and sank into a shell hole, they said he must have sunk down some 20 foot or more never to be seen again.
Granddad, got his last photo, on the 26 September, when his battalion, went over the top to take Polygon wood. He said he saw Dick run straight across no-mans land that chest cannon of his popping all the while, him and the rest of the lads came up behind him onto the trenches at the edge of the wood. Dick had ploughed straight through all the Bosch machine gun posts. Granddad never really like eating meat much after that, and what he saw that day meant he could never abide the sight of liver or kidneys….
The last they saw of Dick, was him crashing into the German positions right at the top of the ridge never to be seen again. Of course when the top brass saw what he had done that day they hushed it all up saying it wasn’t really a British way to go about fighting a war.
He had never taken a photograph before in his life, but Spuddy Redpath, had found a camera in the what was left of a Chemists shop in the ruins at Mesines and granddad won it off him at cards. The next day the reinforcements were brought up from the rear, rumour had been flying round that some special new machines where being brought up that would finished the Hun here, and start the breakout across the Ypres salient.
When they arrived they where a bit of a shock, 3 great metal men, made by Armstrong-Whitworth in Newcastle. The army designated them Autonomous expeditionary force (AEPs) But the lads soon christened them Tom, Dick, and Harry. Strong as 20 men each they where! They helped pull the tanks out of the mud at Poelkapelle, other than that we didn’t know what they could do. On 31 July they got their chance and went over the top in the assault at Pilckem ridge. Harry took a 12lb shell to the chest in that one, Geordie Jackson said he looked like a popped mine boiler, with springs and cogs all inside him.
Tom, and Dick stood guard for the next 3 weeks waiting for the Bosch counter attack that never came. That was all through the rains that turned the ground to mud, and the mud to soup.
Tom, slipped off of one of the duckboard walkways and sank into a shell hole, they said he must have sunk down some 20 foot or more never to be seen again.
Granddad, got his last photo, on the 26 September, when his battalion, went over the top to take Polygon wood. He said he saw Dick run straight across no-mans land that chest cannon of his popping all the while, him and the rest of the lads came up behind him onto the trenches at the edge of the wood. Dick had ploughed straight through all the Bosch machine gun posts. Granddad never really like eating meat much after that, and what he saw that day meant he could never abide the sight of liver or kidneys….
The last they saw of Dick, was him crashing into the German positions right at the top of the ridge never to be seen again. Of course when the top brass saw what he had done that day they hushed it all up saying it wasn’t really a British way to go about fighting a war.
From the Robots in History challenge. See all 398 entries (closed)
(
The magic of chutney Shakes it like an Instagram filter!,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:39,
archived)
Happy 2000th message.
Quijibo Esq. BSc. May contain traces of nuts,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:41,
archived)
Goodness, yes, this!I'll even let you off on the lack of nekkid tiem for this effort!
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Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:43,
archived)
haha excellentwhat happened to the guy who used to do posts like this? massive wordy posts full of illustrated facts
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Shada,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:41,
archived)
Excellent post.Well done!
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LeightonJimbo has remembered his password!,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:42,
archived)
band of brothers, eat your heart out.this is epic.
(
urbane legend i have known the inexorable sadness of pencils,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:42,
archived)
that is an EPIC compo entry full of woo, yay, and quite possibly houpla!C L I C K ! ! ! !
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theoriginalsteve <this space intentionally left blank>,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:42,
archived)
:DYou mad bugger!
(
Fresh Water Mole loves his baby boy more and more every day,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:43,
archived)
Christ, that's more than I wrote for my dissertation.Noice!
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(|D[ekionplexis B3ta.com: fictional child porn is OK,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:44,
archived)
fucking awesome!but what happened to Ginger, Squiffy and Tommy?
(
Finite "Aardvark sorted out my shit!" on,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:44,
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Fucking epicAnd full of so much win
this deserves a massive click
(,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:47,
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this deserves a massive click
this isnt historically acurate at all you fucking retardmod please delete this
( Microwave,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:49,
archived)
Great work Microwave. my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:50,
archived)
My Uncle was captured in World War II and sent to a concentration camp.He also never talked about it but I found out after his death that he was experimented on. Included in the was weekly lumber punctures:(
War is a terrible, terrible thing, just goes to prove. SOme people don't learn.
(War is a terrible, terrible thing, just goes to prove. SOme people don't learn.
riverghost servicing your mum since,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:49,
archived)
*tickles*EDIT: THe somme people don't learn was directed at the war mongers I should have added!
( riverghost servicing your mum since,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:52,
archived)
Let my friend go!he is needed in Derby this weekend
Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:53,
archived)
Well he is going to a QotW bash./let my people go blog.
EDIT: No he doesn't want rescuing:P
(EDIT: No he doesn't want rescuing:P
riverghost servicing your mum since,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 17:20,
archived)
That is superbWoo, Yay, etc.
( Occulus Swallowed, instead of spat, on,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:54,
archived)
marvellouslovely, top-hole :)
( fegg ..next to Mr Waddilove, stinking of shit.,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:55,
archived)
EPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!
WHTRZ Corp dosen't like the sound of Rupert watching porn,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 16:58,
archived)
Woo!You win at both writings and pictures. This is the best thing on internets.
(
notmoro and mrnotmoro : formerly Ishamael and his Missus,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 18:10,
archived)
fuck me.if this doesn't win the compo, i'm renouncing the internet and all it stands for
( plentyofants more ghee, vicar?,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 19:51,
archived)
*feels connected**is dutch but has outstanding interest in WW1 and has been to ypres a few weeks ago*
WOO FUCKING YAY
(WOO FUCKING YAY
c_kick or, as some people call him,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 20:12,
archived)
Woo!This reminded me of something: www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/soldier/index.html
( Smallbrainfield,
Fri 22 Aug 2008, 22:45,
archived)
bugger me with a bayonetthat is just inspired. I'm wearing a hole in the "I like this" button now.
How.. why... did you come up with this? It's genius. Twisted. Fuck.
(,
Sat 23 Aug 2008, 1:17,
archived)
How.. why... did you come up with this? It's genius. Twisted. Fuck.
:)Awesome in 6 different flavours.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers,
Sun 24 Aug 2008, 6:41,
archived)
I'm expecting to see this on the telly soon.Awesomeness. I was crying at the end.
( Tart Monkey,
Sun 24 Aug 2008, 20:48,
archived)
Reminds me of this articlePhotography as a weapon
morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/photography-as-a-weapon/
Also the work of John Heartfield.
(,
Mon 25 Aug 2008, 11:51,
archived)
morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/photography-as-a-weapon/
Also the work of John Heartfield.
ace face mate- i have a request...do you have these in big? would love the third as a background.
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agent-c fulfilling your wants and perverting your needs,
Mon 25 Aug 2008, 21:07,
archived)