rockets
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by
JPar
I have happened upon several mentions of rockets being sent up from the trenches. These are desribed as 'golden rain'rockets, or rockets bursting into showers of sparks. They sound like fireworks. I have searched the internet for rockets being used, but can find no mention of fireworks. I wondered whether the author was using 'poetic licence'in referring to star shells or flares, but I have now found similar references by at least two authors, neither of whom are given to flights of fancy. One writes: "Golden rain rockets were sent up, the first to the North of D1 Sector, the second to the South."
Can anyone shed any light on this?Posted
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by
cyngast
moderator
These are usually referred to as flares in the diaries. The different types signalled different situations.
They weren't quite fireworks, but some of them did generate showers of sparks rather than just a burst of light. And, like many aspects of life in the trenches, they received their own slang terms rather quickly.
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WW1 illuminating rounds were fired from artillery and mortars. At first they were basically a shrapnel round that ejected burning 'pots', They were replaced by high-intensity flares suspended beneath a heat-proof parachute, which lasted longer and produced more even illumination.
Rocket flares were also in use, and had the advantage of portability - gently insert the stick in the ground, light the fuse, and watch it go. Very pistols were probably more widely used, however.
Part of article in Link: http://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/better-rockets-wider-use-in-ww1.229744/
Also images rocket flares: https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=rocket flares ww1
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by
JPar
Brilliant - Thankyou both, for your knowledge and the links. Now I need a way to backtrack to tag the rocket mentions as flares 😃
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Message for JPar - How to edit/change comments made previously
(1) Go to your Profile* page - brings up your recent pages. Should show the last 10 pages normally. Select the page you want . Go to the comment box part- put the cursor to the RIGHT HAND SIDE OF YOUR NAME and it will bring up Edit/Remove. Press Edit - you can then put in what you need to say or change. - (will only allow so many words) - when finished press update.
Or (2) Go to - Currently On Line page. Go into your name. This will bring up ALL the pages you have commented on. Find the page you want. When the page comes up go to comment box part and use the same procedure as above.
If the page in question is there in your *profile - go into the comments box and enter #flares
PS. Very: A flare or coloured light fired from a Very pistol for signalling at night. After the Inventor Edward W Very (1852-1910) a US Naval Ordnance Officer.
Here is a link for War Slang: http://www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/War Slang.htm
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Here is a link for War Slang: http://www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/War Slang.htm Includes the following:
Very: A flare or coloured light fired from a Very pistol for signalling at night. After the Inventor Edward W Very (1852-1910) a US Naval Ordnance Officer.
PS A tip for finding a reference in a long article:
On the page of article, Press Control key then F key, (Find). At the top right hand side of the article it will show a long white blank square. type in the word, for example (flare or what word reference you need, then press Enter and the word flare will now be highlighted in colour in the text, enabling you to find it quickly. It shows you in the box how many times it is entered in the article.
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Helpful tips for any new taggers:
A tip for finding a reference in a long article:
On the page of article, Press Control key then F key, (Find). At the top right hand side of the article it will show a long white blanksquare. type in the word, for example (flare or what word reference you need, then press Enter and the word flare will now be highlighted in colour in the text, enabling you to find it quickly. It shows you in the box how many times it is entered in the article.
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Helpful tips for any new taggers. How to edit/change comments made previously
(1) Go to your Profile* page - brings up your recent pages. Should show the last 10 pages normally. Select the page you want . Go to the comment box part- put the cursor to the RIGHT HAND SIDE OF YOUR NAME and it will bring up Edit/Remove. Press Edit - you can then put in what you need to say or change. - (will only allow so many words) - when finished press update.
Or (2) Go to - Currently On Line page. Go into your name. This will bring up ALL the pages you have commented on. Find the page you want. When the page comes up go to comment box part and use the same procedure as above.
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by
cyngast
moderator
in response to JPar's comment.
JPar, Glad we could help!
Just one more tip: Remember that you are not the only volunteer tagging any given page in the project. Four other people will tag that page before it is considered finished. It's highly likely that one of those four other taggers will put in the hashtag #flare. It seems to be one of our most popular hashtags.
Remembering the Five Taggers rule is also handy for those moments when you accidentally click on Finish when you meant to open the Comments box!
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