Jim Smithson
@jimsmithson.bsky.social
Military historian. Great War Group Trustee. Written a couple of Great War books plus articles. Francophile, but also lived 30+ years in Germany so pretty European in outlook.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Our November #HuttedHistories on Wednesday 26th is the last one of 2025, and a home grown one too!
Lyndsay will be talking about Biscuits at War - ‘They Shall Grow Not Mould’.
It’s a great talk - come and join us. There’s cake and biscuits too!
Tickets: www.greatwarhuts.org/event-detail...
Lyndsay will be talking about Biscuits at War - ‘They Shall Grow Not Mould’.
It’s a great talk - come and join us. There’s cake and biscuits too!
Tickets: www.greatwarhuts.org/event-detail...
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Our November #HuttedHistories on Wednesday 26th is the last one of 2025, and a home grown one too!
Lyndsay will be talking about Biscuits at War - ‘They Shall Grow Not Mould’.
It’s a great talk - come and join us. There’s cake and biscuits too!
Tickets: www.greatwarhuts.org/event-detail...
Lyndsay will be talking about Biscuits at War - ‘They Shall Grow Not Mould’.
It’s a great talk - come and join us. There’s cake and biscuits too!
Tickets: www.greatwarhuts.org/event-detail...
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Newcastle upon Tyne, c.1823, painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851 (Tate).
November 13, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Newcastle upon Tyne, c.1823, painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851 (Tate).
Reposted by Jim Smithson
🚨GWG Free Talk
Thursday 20 November at 20:00 UK time.
We'll be joined by Nick Higham whose talk is based on his book Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War 1
Link below
us02web.zoom.us/j/85381585115?…
Meeting ID: 853 8158 5115
Passcode: 161943
Thursday 20 November at 20:00 UK time.
We'll be joined by Nick Higham whose talk is based on his book Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War 1
Link below
us02web.zoom.us/j/85381585115?…
Meeting ID: 853 8158 5115
Passcode: 161943
November 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
🚨GWG Free Talk
Thursday 20 November at 20:00 UK time.
We'll be joined by Nick Higham whose talk is based on his book Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War 1
Link below
us02web.zoom.us/j/85381585115?…
Meeting ID: 853 8158 5115
Passcode: 161943
Thursday 20 November at 20:00 UK time.
We'll be joined by Nick Higham whose talk is based on his book Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War 1
Link below
us02web.zoom.us/j/85381585115?…
Meeting ID: 853 8158 5115
Passcode: 161943
Reposted by Jim Smithson
12 November 1931 | German Jewish girl, Paula Rössler, was born in Cologne. She emigrated to the Netherlands.
She was deported to #Auschwitz from #Westerbork in September 1943 and was murdered in a gas chamber after the arrival selection.
She was deported to #Auschwitz from #Westerbork in September 1943 and was murdered in a gas chamber after the arrival selection.
November 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM
12 November 1931 | German Jewish girl, Paula Rössler, was born in Cologne. She emigrated to the Netherlands.
She was deported to #Auschwitz from #Westerbork in September 1943 and was murdered in a gas chamber after the arrival selection.
She was deported to #Auschwitz from #Westerbork in September 1943 and was murdered in a gas chamber after the arrival selection.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Remembrance Service. Special thanks to the Y9 students from Parkwood Academy who worked with Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) and staff from the school to develop and lead the service. They were a credit to the school and to themselves.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Remembrance Service. Special thanks to the Y9 students from Parkwood Academy who worked with Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) and staff from the school to develop and lead the service. They were a credit to the school and to themselves.
November 13, 2025 at 7:31 AM
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Remembrance Service. Special thanks to the Y9 students from Parkwood Academy who worked with Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) and staff from the school to develop and lead the service. They were a credit to the school and to themselves.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Remembrance Service. Special thanks to the Y9 students from Parkwood Academy who worked with Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) and staff from the school to develop and lead the service. They were a credit to the school and to themselves.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
The Castello, an Italian WW1 machine gun position on Costabella Ridge in the Dolomites.
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The Castello, an Italian WW1 machine gun position on Costabella Ridge in the Dolomites.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Hey Folks,
New episode is out!
Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Links to further reading below:
New episode is out!
Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Links to further reading below:
November 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Hey Folks,
New episode is out!
Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Links to further reading below:
New episode is out!
Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Links to further reading below:
Reposted by Jim Smithson
12 November 1921 | A Pole, Stanisław Gojarski, was born in Poworsk.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2941
He perished in the camp on 6 September 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2941
He perished in the camp on 6 September 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
November 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
12 November 1921 | A Pole, Stanisław Gojarski, was born in Poworsk.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2941
He perished in the camp on 6 September 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2941
He perished in the camp on 6 September 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
Reposted by Jim Smithson
12 November 1894 | A Polish man, Leopold Trzebuchowski, was born in Warsaw. An actor and journalist.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2195
He perished in the camp on 29 March 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2195
He perished in the camp on 29 March 1942.
November 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
12 November 1894 | A Polish man, Leopold Trzebuchowski, was born in Warsaw. An actor and journalist.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2195
He perished in the camp on 29 March 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 15 August 1940.
No. 2195
He perished in the camp on 29 March 1942.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
This January I’m launching an online course for people passionate about History. This isn’t a historian telling you things, it’s designed to turn you from a vociferous reader into someone who is starting to think like a historian themselves… Sign up details: introtohistory.eventbrite.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:07 PM
This January I’m launching an online course for people passionate about History. This isn’t a historian telling you things, it’s designed to turn you from a vociferous reader into someone who is starting to think like a historian themselves… Sign up details: introtohistory.eventbrite.com
Reposted by Jim Smithson
A last look at the uncovering Roman Carlisle trenches as the dig ended today. After recording the #archaeology will be backfilled to preserve it #HadriansWall #History
November 10, 2025 at 12:04 AM
A last look at the uncovering Roman Carlisle trenches as the dig ended today. After recording the #archaeology will be backfilled to preserve it #HadriansWall #History
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Sitting in a graveyard, waiting to see if the light will shift so I can get a good photo of Seeth Andrews’ gravestone. Due to trees, buildings, and weather, there is a 10-minute window on late autumn days if it’s not cloudy.
November 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Sitting in a graveyard, waiting to see if the light will shift so I can get a good photo of Seeth Andrews’ gravestone. Due to trees, buildings, and weather, there is a 10-minute window on late autumn days if it’s not cloudy.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Jim Watson's death has predictably triggered a mass of 'wronged heroine Rosalind Franklin', esp on Bsky. This excellent piece by Crick's & Watson's biographers looks back at the actual evidence to give something much more like the story as those who were around in science at the time understood it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41... Another take on it here with more recent research.
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Jim Watson's death has predictably triggered a mass of 'wronged heroine Rosalind Franklin', esp on Bsky. This excellent piece by Crick's & Watson's biographers looks back at the actual evidence to give something much more like the story as those who were around in science at the time understood it.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
The most incredible library in the world, @bodleian.ox.ac.uk opened to OTD 1602, through the energy, money & commitment of Sir Thomas Bodley. It began with 5k books, & now more than 22m, with 2m+reader visits a year, & multi-million online users across the globe. Privilged to be its 25th librarian!
November 8, 2025 at 7:20 AM
The most incredible library in the world, @bodleian.ox.ac.uk opened to OTD 1602, through the energy, money & commitment of Sir Thomas Bodley. It began with 5k books, & now more than 22m, with 2m+reader visits a year, & multi-million online users across the globe. Privilged to be its 25th librarian!
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Friends of Wardsend Cemetery invite you to join us for our Remembrance Service on 11th November.
Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) has been working with Year 9 students from Parkwood Academy to develop, and participate in, the order of service.
Tuesday 11th November
10.30am for a 10.45am start
Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) has been working with Year 9 students from Parkwood Academy to develop, and participate in, the order of service.
Tuesday 11th November
10.30am for a 10.45am start
November 8, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Friends of Wardsend Cemetery invite you to join us for our Remembrance Service on 11th November.
Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) has been working with Year 9 students from Parkwood Academy to develop, and participate in, the order of service.
Tuesday 11th November
10.30am for a 10.45am start
Meghan Tipping (Rooted in Talk) has been working with Year 9 students from Parkwood Academy to develop, and participate in, the order of service.
Tuesday 11th November
10.30am for a 10.45am start
Reposted by Jim Smithson
There is still so much work to do in making slavery and the slave trade a widely known and acknowledged part of the history of places that have minimized those links in the past.
Slavery and colonial trail to be launched in Glasgow www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Slavery and colonial trail to be launched in Glasgow
The trail aims to ensure the city's role in the slave trade continues to be
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 3:58 PM
There is still so much work to do in making slavery and the slave trade a widely known and acknowledged part of the history of places that have minimized those links in the past.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
This is very much following the conservative trends in the US and, once again, I beg the UK not to try to be like the US.
Dominic Cummings has this racialised take on David Lammy
There is an increasingly prevalent kneejerk online rightwing trait to call the presence of any black or Asian person a diversity hire
There is an increasingly prevalent kneejerk online rightwing trait to call the presence of any black or Asian person a diversity hire
November 7, 2025 at 8:55 AM
This is very much following the conservative trends in the US and, once again, I beg the UK not to try to be like the US.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
7 November 1906 | A Frenchman, Charles Bonnel, was born in Paris.
In #Auschwitz from 8 July 1942.
No. 45273
He perished in the camp on 12 August 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 8 July 1942.
No. 45273
He perished in the camp on 12 August 1942.
November 7, 2025 at 9:00 AM
7 November 1906 | A Frenchman, Charles Bonnel, was born in Paris.
In #Auschwitz from 8 July 1942.
No. 45273
He perished in the camp on 12 August 1942.
In #Auschwitz from 8 July 1942.
No. 45273
He perished in the camp on 12 August 1942.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
6 November 1907 | A Polish Jew, Abraham Schanzer, was born in Muszyna. A salesman.
In #Auschwitz from 12 December 1941.
No. 24344
He perished in the camp on 21 January 1942.
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Online lesson about Jewish prisoners at KL Auschwitz: https://lekcja.auschwitz.org/29_zydzi_en/
In #Auschwitz from 12 December 1941.
No. 24344
He perished in the camp on 21 January 1942.
---
Online lesson about Jewish prisoners at KL Auschwitz: https://lekcja.auschwitz.org/29_zydzi_en/
November 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
6 November 1907 | A Polish Jew, Abraham Schanzer, was born in Muszyna. A salesman.
In #Auschwitz from 12 December 1941.
No. 24344
He perished in the camp on 21 January 1942.
---
Online lesson about Jewish prisoners at KL Auschwitz: https://lekcja.auschwitz.org/29_zydzi_en/
In #Auschwitz from 12 December 1941.
No. 24344
He perished in the camp on 21 January 1942.
---
Online lesson about Jewish prisoners at KL Auschwitz: https://lekcja.auschwitz.org/29_zydzi_en/
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
November 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
Reposted by Jim Smithson
In 2020, forty years after the CWGC memorials were removed, in a joint project with Wates Living Space, Victoria Cross Trust and the Royal British Legion, the Friends of Wardsend Cemetery found and marked the 16 graves with wooden crosses inspired by the temporary markers widely used in WW1.
November 5, 2025 at 7:40 AM
In 2020, forty years after the CWGC memorials were removed, in a joint project with Wates Living Space, Victoria Cross Trust and the Royal British Legion, the Friends of Wardsend Cemetery found and marked the 16 graves with wooden crosses inspired by the temporary markers widely used in WW1.
Reposted by Jim Smithson
A voir, le 11 novembre sur France 2, le documentaire : "1914-1918, le trésor oublié d'Antoinette et Louis". 4.000 plaques photographiques, de soldats alliés, datant de 1914-1918 retrouvées dans une ferme Thuillier à Vignacourt dans la Somme.
#photographie #1GM #généalogie #Somme #Vignacourt
#photographie #1GM #généalogie #Somme #Vignacourt
November 5, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Reposted by Jim Smithson
Savannah by British Marine artist John Stobart.
Stobart is best known for his 19th century harbour scenes, many of American ports at night.
#MaritimeArt #Tallships #Ageofsail
Stobart is best known for his 19th century harbour scenes, many of American ports at night.
#MaritimeArt #Tallships #Ageofsail
November 4, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Savannah by British Marine artist John Stobart.
Stobart is best known for his 19th century harbour scenes, many of American ports at night.
#MaritimeArt #Tallships #Ageofsail
Stobart is best known for his 19th century harbour scenes, many of American ports at night.
#MaritimeArt #Tallships #Ageofsail
Reposted by Jim Smithson
What, precisely, is poignant about that?
Burntwood park decorated ahead of Remembrance Sunday
Burntwood park decorated ahead of Remembrance Sunday - Lichfield Live®
A park in Burntwood has been decorated with a "poignant display" ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
lichfieldlive.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 11:17 AM
What, precisely, is poignant about that?
Reposted by Jim Smithson
4 November 1880 | A Pole, Jan Kiełek, was born in Małyszyn. A worker.
In #Auschwitz from 11 December 1941.
No. 24017
He perished in the camp on 10 February 1942.
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Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
In #Auschwitz from 11 December 1941.
No. 24017
He perished in the camp on 10 February 1942.
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Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
November 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM
4 November 1880 | A Pole, Jan Kiełek, was born in Małyszyn. A worker.
In #Auschwitz from 11 December 1941.
No. 24017
He perished in the camp on 10 February 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/
In #Auschwitz from 11 December 1941.
No. 24017
He perished in the camp on 10 February 1942.
---
Online lesson "Poles at KL Auschwitz”: http://lekcja.auschwitz.org/en_2020_06_polacy/