MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Gloria]

Is it a water tower?

[Stanley]

Ah! Yes Gloria. Now be more specific.....

[Gloria]

That was a bit of a lucky guess, no idea where except Lancashire or Yorkshire.

[chinatyke]

Is it a brewery water tower? The one next to Strangeways Prison in Salford, Boddingtons?

[Stanley]

Sorry no. Not Lancs or Yorks..... go east!

[Tizer]

We now know it's a water tower, it's not Lancs or Yorks and himself said `go east'....so, how about Grimsby docks tower, built to provide hydraulic power for the docks? LINK

[Gloria]

I'm with Tizer

[Stanley]

You've got it! It came to mind when we were talking about treadmill cranes as the hydraulic power was used amongst other things for powering dockside cranes and lifts. (I looked at the link and noted the reference to the foundations of the tower being on bales of cotton. I have heard the same said of Blackpool Tower.)
Next one for shaving?

[Tizer]

Try this one - obviously some sort of mask but what for and who would have worn it?

[PanBiker]

Foundry worker, furnace operative?

[Tizer]

A good try, but no!

[Cathy]

A Knight ?

[Big Kev]

Big gun operators?

[Stanley]

World War One soldier on observation duties or any occupation that involved putting you head above the trench parapet. Fitted under the standard tin helmet?

[Tizer]

Not a knight, Cathy, although I can see how the chain mail could make you think that!
Kev and Stanley are getting closer. WW1 and army yes, but a very specific use and not `big gun operators'.

[Big Kev]

Tank crew?

[plaques]

Tank driver's anti splatter mask. To stop being hit by bits of metal from inside the tank. Being inside a tank wasn't really a good idea. Even in WW2 the British petrol driven tanks were best avoided when they went up in flames.

[Stanley]

Kev and P are right, I remember now!

[chinatyke]

Will it stop Corona virus?

[Stanley]

I doubt it China, apart from putting people off from coming near you! It wasn't even very good at protecting the tankies!

[Tizer]

Yes, Kev got it and Plaques followed on with more detail. I believe they called it an anti-splash mask but Plaques could also be right with anti-splatter. Those WW1 tanks weren't much more than sardine cans. Anything hitting the outside of the armour, even bullets let alone shells, resulted in slivers of metal being sprayed across the inside of the tank. The crews gave up with their standard Tommy helmets because they were too easy to catch on things inside the tank and they switched to leather helmets. It's ironic that they did this at the same time as the French and German infantry were switching from their earlier leather helmets to metal ones! The German infantry started using armour-piercing bullets in special rifles and these created even more danger for the men in tanks.

As you can tell, I've been reading a book on tank warfare in WW1. It's an interesting story. The British built big slow tanks, the French chose to build smaller, faster ones. The Germans didn't bother - so many of our tanks broke down and were captured that the Germans set up four tank companies composed of British tanks. Once that happened British aeroplanes began to seek them out but - you can guess - they often bombed ours by mistake. OG members won't be surprised to know that our tanks were powered by German (Daimler) engines!

[Stanley]

All quite correct Tiz. In later years (1950s onwards) the 'big idea' was Hesh rounds for anti tank guns (High explosive Squash Head) and they worked by vibrating large lumps of white hot metal off the inside wall of the tank rather thaqn penetration.



What's this? Specific technical term please.

[Gloria]

Looks like a standard bastard file to me.

[Stanley]

Oh God! She's done it again. Straight in. Thank you Gloria! I shall now have to sit here and rack my brains again!

[Stanley]

Can you identify the artist and the subject? We've had him on here before, one of my favourites.