War Diaries Talk

User struggling with this page

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    This page http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD0001xyi was commented on by one user who found the handwriting hard and suggested we should have a hashtag for handwriting. I understand the suggestion but don't think it's the right use of a hashtag, as unlike a sideways or faint scan there's nothing anyone can do to improve it!

    However we can look at the page here in this part of the forum and maybe if the handwriting can be "deciphered" it might help with future pages written by the same author.

    So have a look at the link and see what you think it says. And cane the user who tagged this maybe tell us where they were struggling?

    Posted

  • Juannd by Juannd

    Hello. I am tagging a page from the diary of the Second Division, Divisional Troops, Divisional Trench Mortar Batteries. Names are preceded by what looks to me like "Dr" I wondered if this is an abbreviation for something? I wondered at first if it could stand for "Private" but wouldn't that be Pte? I would be very happy if anyone has any suggestions.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist in response to Juannd's comment.

    Could you include a link to the page so we can have a look? Thanks.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Sorry, Heather. I only just saw this.

    My reading is:

    3rd Continued

    Operation information:-

    Enemy's snipers were very active from BOIS CARRE on being seen to come
    down from a tree shortly after "stand-to". A pip squeak located in
    enemy's front line and reported to RFA observing officer. A parrot
    came over from the German lines - it was winged and so escaped
    capture!!

    Casualties: Nil Sick Hospital: 1 Trench st (?) officers: 19 OR: 873
    Ration strength: 1018

    2nd Lt Nash attended 1st Div. HQ for discussion on (?) Bandoliers.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator in response to Juannd's comment.

    It'll almost certainly be Dr or Dvr short for "Driver"

    Posted

  • David_Underdown by David_Underdown moderator

    Trench st is probably trench strength, ie the actual numbers present on duty in the front line.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    That makes sense. Thanks, David.

    I'm slightly at a loss to explain the pip squeak and the parrot!

    Posted

  • brownfox by brownfox

    A pip squeak was a small-calibre shell, so named for the sound when it was fired - or in this context presumably the gun that fired them. No idea about the parrot though.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks! The parrot sounds like it might really just have been a parrot. Did the Germans use messenger parrots, perhaps?

    Posted

  • angiehart by angiehart

    I found this interesting story about parrots - don't know if the German's tried it! Maybe the parrot was just a lucky mascot.

    "The French didn’t have radar, but they did have parrots... At the beginning of the war, the French experimented with the use of parrots on the Eiffel Tower as an early-warning system against enemy aircraft. A parrot could hear the sound of an aircraft engine 20 minutes before a human. Unfortunately, they could not differentiate between friendly and hostile engines, and so the scheme was scrapped."

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    How did the parrots communicate that they could hear an engine?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator in response to cgastwein@aol.com's comment.

    By flying away in a panic, or if in cages by getting very agitated? It really does look like "parrot" in the diary but as to why they had one, goodness knows!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Oh well, it got away, so by the standards of the time it was probably pretty lucky!

    Posted

  • Juannd by Juannd

    Many thanks for your help, Heather

    Posted