War Diaries Talk

The Definitive Hashtag List!

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Last edited: 07/02/2018

    A slightly optimistic title, perhaps, but I'm sure that will change! I'm going to gather together all the hashtags we've been developing and list them here for reference. I'm sure I'll miss plenty on my first attempt, and we'll doubtless develop new ones as well, but I'll keep this updated as we go along so it remains a useful resource.

    Feel free to jump in and let me know what's missing!

    PLEASE NOTE: Hashtags complement the standard tags available for use. Please don't use hashtags in place of the standard tags - they are supposed to capture additional information, but won't provide us with the same sort of structured data we can derive from the standard tags. Thanks!

    • #accident - use this if you come across casualties caused as a result of accidents, either in training or through general misadventure
    • #aeroplane - any mention of air activity, whether allied or enemy. Includes Zeppelins and observation balloons. Also anti-aircraft ground fire.
    • #alliedmorale - use this tag for any mention of the morale of British or Allied troops
    • #alliedrelations - interactions between British troops and soldiers or civilians of allied nations
    • #ammoshortage - use this any time the unit mentions running low on ammunition
    • #animal - for any mention of animals other than horses (see the group of horses hashtags below). E.g. #animal message dog or #animal pigeon flew the wrong way.
    • #annotated - This is a compound hashtag. Use in conjunction with other hashtags to indicate documents where there is other relevant, hand-written information. For example, #annotated #diagram; #annotated #map; #annotated #sketch etc.
    • #artistsrifles - an infantry unit which later became the modern-day SAS
    • #badscan - not possible to tag diary page, e.g. partial scan, upside down, too faint to read
    • #burial - for known burial sites.
    • #casualty - some diaries do not include casualty lists within the main pages, but include them as monthly reports. This can make it difficult to tag the numbers included in them. In these cases, please hashtag the page as a monthly #casualty list so we can find it again and make sure we do record the numbers later. You can still tag the names of casualties in the usual way, if they are given.
    • #christmas - any mention of Christmas and associated activities, including ceasefires and fraternisation
    • #commission - use this tag for instances of officers being promoted from the ranks, e.g. Company Sergeant Major recommended for commission following conspicuous gallantry after all company officers either killed or wounded.
    • #corrections - for pages listing amendments to earlier entries
    • #croixdeguerre - French award for gallantry. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded Croix de Guerre for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs, Croix de Guerre joined from base" should not
    • #dcm - Distinguished Conduct Medal. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded DCM for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs DCM joined from base" should not
    • #demolition - mentions of things getting blown up, e.g. bridges, buildings, etc.
    • #deserter - use this tag where specific detail is given around a desertion which could not otherwise be captured by the standard tag, e.g. the penalty issued.
    • #diagram - often found in Royal Engineers diaries. Also suitable for tagging things like visualisations of Field Ambulance evacuation chains.
    • #draft - where a unit receives significant numbers of reinforcements. Probably best not to use this with arrivals of small groups of men, as they happen so frequently.
    • #DSO - Distinguised Service Order. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded DSO for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs DSO joined from base" should not
    • #duplicate - diary page is a duplicate of one previously tagged
    • #enemymorale - e.g. an attack was lacklustre, shouted taunts heard from enemy trenches, etc.
    • #equipmentevaluation - for any thoughts recorded on the effectiveness or otherwise of weapons and other kit issued
    • #equipmentrepairs - use this tag for mentions of kit breaking or repairs being carried out
    • #error - use this to describe an error the diary author has made, e.g. if they have accidentally named their location wrong. Don't use this for simple errors, such as spelling mistakes, just things which need a little more explanation.
    • #faint - diary page is readable, but only just.
    • #flares - any mention of flares being fired by either side
    • #follower - a tag where mention is made (usually in Indian Army diaries) of either public or private followers (civilians who carried out a variety of tasks for the unit)
    • #football - this one should be used in conjunction with the #leisure tag
    • #friendlyfire - any mention of casualties caused by allied fire
    • #gas - any mention of gas attacks or effects of gas
    • #horsescasualties - horses killed or injured through enemy activity or friendly fire.
    • #horsescondition - to cover remarks such as fit and well, very tired, exhausted, state of horseshoes, etc.
    • #horsesevacuated - mention of horses being evacuated either due to enemy activity or through illness, etc. Don't use this tag for Veterinary units, as entraining horses back to base was something they did all the time.
    • #horsesinfection - to cover illness and disease
    • #horsespurchase - any mention of the buying and selling of horses
    • #horsesrations - out-of-the-ordinary mentions of feed, e.g. 'Hay ration was reduced to 10 pounds'
    • #horsesremounts - use this in a similar way as the #draft tag to indicate the arrival of a group of replacement horses, generally only use for groups of a significant size, e.g. 50 horses or more.
    • #king - royalty sightings!
    • #legionofhonour - French award for gallantry. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded Legion of Honour for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs, Legion of Honour joined from base" should not
    • #leisure - any mention of sports or social activities, e.g. boxing, horse shows, lectures (you could also hashtag the specific activity, e.g. #leisure Bn held #boxing competition)
    • #map - use this to tag all maps, whether printed or hand-drawn
    • #medical - use with standard tag 'medical' in 'army life' to record interesting details or observations of hygiene/health. Where specific illnesses are mentioned, it would also be useful to hashtag them, e.g. #medical hygiene very poor, leading to outbreak of #diptheria
    • #militarycross - award for bravery. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded MC for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs MC joined from base" should not
    • #militarymedal - award for bravery. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded MM for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs MM joined from base" should not
    • #mine - use for tunnelling and subterranean explosions
    • #misfiled - diary pages belong to a unit other than the one in the diary's title
    • #newspaper - use for newspaper cuttings
    • #nightoperations - tag for specific mention of dark conditions
    • #nominalroll - lists of unit personnel. Please also tag each of the individual names using the standard Person tag. Names are the most important information available to us! They are what makes the rest of the data we are collecting real.
    • #occupation - use this tag for any activities specifically related to the occupation of Germany, e.g. #occupation plans to prevent civil unrest.
    • #photograph - use for all photographs
    • #prisoners - any mention of prisoners taken, whether from or by the unit in question
    • #privatediary - personal diaries and letters
    • #rescue - for instances where men have gone out to rescue injured comrades (can apply to either side).
    • #roadscondition - mention of physical condition of roads, or congestion
    • #salvage - use this where the unit are either recycling or repurposing old kit or infrastructure, e.g. making use of captured enemy telephone lines
    • #shellshock - any mention of psychiatric conditions, including shell shock, neurasthenia, war neurosis, disordered action of the heart (DAH), effort syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia and gas hysteria.
    • #ship - only use this when the unit is actually on board a vessel
    • #sideways - for diary pages which have been scanned sideways
    • #sketch - use this for drawings or sketches of positions which are too rough to be a proper map
    • #smoke - use this for any mention of a deliberate smokescreen laid down either by hand or by artillery.
    • #sniper - any mention of sniper activity
    • #spy - any mention of cloak-and-dagger stuff/spreading of misinformation
    • #story - use this tag to flag up interesting stories, be they tragic, brave, funny, etc. Can be used in conjunction with other hashtags.
    • #surrender - any mention of forces voluntarily surrendering
    • #thaw - thaws had a great effect on operations. Trenches fell in and there were "thaw protocols" that prohibited the use of motor vehicles on the muddy roads.
    • #trenchcondition - use this where there is specific mention of deteriorating/damaged trenches (rather than a more general statement, such as 'condition of trenches poor'). Include detail where possible, e.g. #trenchcondition soil sandy, no shoring timbers available, or #trenchcondition right-hand end of front-line trenches unoccupied due to having been blown in by the enemy.
    • #underage - for any mention of soldiers being sent back from their units for being underage, or in fact any acknowledgement of underage soldiers at all
    • #victoriacross - the UK's highest award for bravery. Only use this tag when the award is made, e.g. Lt Bloggs awarded VC for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs VC joined from base" should not
    • #watersupply - any mention of access to clean water for men and horses
    • #weaponsdestroyed - direct hits on artillery, tanks knocked out, etc.
    • #weaponsystem - use this tag where specific mention of a weapon system is made. Please also indicate the weapon mentioned, e.g. #weaponsystem minenwerfer or #weaponsystem hotchkiss gun.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    #victoriacross
    #DSO
    #croixdeguerre
    #flares
    #misfiled

    For #badscan this was for any page that was not taggable - e.g. only part of the page scanned or upside down as well those as too faint to read.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks, Heather. Making the updates now...

    Posted

  • angiehart by angiehart

    This is a great list, thanks - really useful. I'm not sure what #artistsrifles is though.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Artists Rifles was the name by which the 28th Bn the London Regt was known. http://www.1914-1918.net/london.htm

    Someone asked very early on if mentions of them in diaries could be hashtagged.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    A really helpful list - thank you. Here are a few more suggestions - maybe too many!

    Descriptions of pages: #privatediary, #privateletter, #newspaper (I have come across a few contemporary cuttings pasted into diary pages), #duplicate or #copy for a repeated page, #corrections (I've also had pages which are lists of amendments to previous entries)

    Sport/leisure: #boxing, #watersports (to cover swimming, diving, waterpolo etc), #horseshow (there have been lots of these), #concert

    Illness/medical: #influenza, #measles, #diphtheria, #rheumaticfever, #entericfever, #inoculation

    Trenches: #Zeppelin, #friendlyfire, #mine, #sniper, #accident, #surrender, #courtmartial (maybe not necessary as it's covered by the 'discipline' tag?)

    Misc: #civilians, #LegionofHonour possibly

    Posted

  • eatyourgreens by eatyourgreens moderator, admin in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Here's the thread explaining the Artists Rifles hashtag http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/boards/BWD0000009/discussions/DWD0000ck2

    Jim

    Posted

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

    Thanks for the great suggestions! I'll update the list.

    I think #privatediary and #privateletter could probably be amalgamated into one. The letters I've seen so far tend to be post-war attempts to fill in gaps in the diaries.

    There is a 'Sport & Leisure' tag in 'Army Life', but perhaps a hashtag could be used in conjunction with this to note details. E.g. #leisure Bn held a boxing competition, or #leisure CO organised a lecture on French culture.

    I think it would be best to use #medical to hashtag all mentions of illness and disease, as well as more general observations on hygiene and health. It allows us to group together all entries into a general category, to get an overview. Hashtagging the illness as well means we can also pull out all mentions of it alone. So a format like this would work well: #medical outbreak of #measles.

    I think some of your trench tags are covered by standard tags or hashtags already defined, but feel free to let me know if you think the updated list doesn't cover anything. #accident, for example, would be covered by 'Non-combat death' on the 'Casualties' tag.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Thanks Jim - I couldn't find it!

    @sarahloving - most of those look good to me. Let's use #duplicate not #copy though (one tag for a specific purpose I think if we can?)

    Posted

  • angiehart by angiehart

    Thanks Heather and Jim for the explanation about Artists Rifles - that's really helpful to know. I will look out for any mentions.

    Angie

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    A couple of questions about hashtags:

    • is it worth going back and adding hastags to pages we've already tagged? (e.g. adding #horsesinfection to pages where I've already hashtagged horse diseases)
    • is it useful to add further hastags to give more detail? (e.g. for mention of a Zeppelin - #areoplane - #Zeppelin over Cuinchy)

    Thanks, this is all very helpful.

    Posted

  • Jan_Greenslade by Jan_Greenslade in response to ral104's comment.

    Suggestion for another hashtag - AlliedVictories: Have just read Thiepval has been taken.

    Posted

  • cotula by cotula

    Is #horsesevacuated intended to be used for the many records by the Mobile Vet Sections of 'sick horses entrained to base'?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    @sarahloving In theory the answer to the first question is yes but actually a page only needs to be hashtagged once (hashtags aren't like diary tags where a "best fit" of several people's tags is used) so if the diary is not complete you can hope the next person along will add the new hashtag. Or if you have the time by all means go back and add a few but don't spend ages on it. I'm not sure about adding further hashtags to give more detail. In the example you gave, what were you saying is already there and what would you be adding? Remember only the actual hashtagged word itself is seen by those searching for them.

    @JanGreenslade - interesting one. Not sure if that falls slightly outside the remit of what we are trying to do as the project is supposed to be concentrating on what the Units themselves were doing rather than what was reported to them or what they heard from elsewhere. I agree it could have some interest though so could you expand a bit on what use you were thinking this information might have?

    @cotula Again I'm not sure not having tagged a MVS myself. I had assumed it was originally intended for horse being evacuated from units into the MVS chain. You've looked at way more MVS pages than I have so what do you think we should do? Do we risk trivialising the hashtag if it appears on every page of an MVS diary or is it that info itself interesting?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks again for all the suggestions!

    I won't repeat what Heather's already said (far more coherently than I would have done too!)

    I don't think we should use #horsesevacuated for MVS diaries, though. Having tagged one myself, I can see we'd be using it on every page, and I think entraining horses can be considered standard daily operations for an MVS unit. I envisaged the tag being used where, as Heather said, horses are evacuated by another unit into the MVS chain, or specific mention is made of them being evacuated from areas due to enemy activity. I'll amend the description in the list above to reflect that.

    Hope that helps!

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    @HeatherC - sorry, I meant that #aeroplane is a hashtag that covers all forms of air activity vehicles including balloons and Zeppelins, so is it enough to just hashtag #aeroplane, or is it helpful to add #Zeppelin as a secondary hashtag?

    Thanks for the other advice.

    Posted

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

    I think it's probably enough to tag it as #aeroplane alone. Some of the tags, like #medical, lend themselves to a secondary tag because of the breadth of info they encapsulate, but I think in this case it would be enough for a researcher to be able to identify mentions of air activity and then qualify it with reference to the page itself.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Great, thank you.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    I'm confused as to why you are suggesting we use #medical when there is already a Medical tag under the Army Life category. Can you explain when to use one or the other?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I think we were trying to gather more detail with the hashtag as we seemed to be getting a wide range of diseases and so on tagged individually which didn't really fit the Field Guide description of the Army Life category (see next paragraph)

    So still use the diary tag for what the Field Guide describes as "any reference to routine medical inspections eg for trench foot, vaccinations or the work of the unit Medical Officer (MO)."

    If it doesn't fit onto that category or if you think it does but there's more interesting detail anyway then use the hashtag and then any specific illness can be hashtagged too, for example influenza or measles. I think this one is a work in progress and we might review it after a bit and see what's being brought out by it.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    Thanks, Heather.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    @floodmouse has suggested #horsesequipment to cover things like horseshoes and anti-friction saddle mats as well as situations where they are short of things like saddles.

    It's a good idea, but I wondered whether it might be covered by #horsescondition, if we focus on how equipment or lack thereof affects the horses.

    What does everybody think? I'm happy to add it to the list, but wanted to check first.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    I have been using the tag 'Unit activity - Re-supplying' for any issue of equipment, whether related to horses or not (e.g. for veterinary supplies in the MVS diary). It makes sense to me to use #horsescondition for situations where horses are lacking equipment/supplies, rather than introducing a new hastag.

    Posted

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

    Thanks. I tend to agree. Anybody else care to wade in?

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    On another tack, I've been thinking for a while that there is no way to record the arrival of reinforcements (except of course by stating 'Joined or attached' for named officers). Is a tag needed for this, or does this information not really need gathering?

    Posted

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

    The 'Unit strength' tag should be used for this. Unless you mean where no specific figures for the number of reinforcements are given?

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Ah, ok - I haven't been using 'unit strength' for reinforcements because the field guide says to use it to record total unit strength, not small numbers leaving or joining. But I will start using it if that's the best way to record it. Thanks!

    Posted

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

    Hmmm. Okay, it does seem like I might have given you duff info there. Sorry!

    So...perhaps we could do with a hashtag for reinforcements. On the other hand, I guess this would be captured in the diary of the unit doing the reinforcing, so perhaps we should concentrate on that instead.

    I'm going to leave this one open in the hope that @HeatherC will come and give us the benefit of her wisdom! 😄

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Wisdom? 😛

    We did use Unit Strength for drafts arriving and leaving earlier in the Project but eventually the guidance was not to do this as it was getting used on every page every time a few people came and went and it was diluting the value of what the tag was really for which is to report the number of people in the Unit at any one time. One issue was that the Field Guide (as rightly pointed out above by @sarahloving ) says "small numbers" and we never really did decide what a "small number" was! Thus we were getting some people use it only for drafts of several hundred and others using it for half a dozen reinforcements turning up from base.

    I think now we have two choices

    1. Introduce a #draft hashtag but maybe ask people only to use it when it truly IS a proper draft of reinforcements turning up and not just half a dozen men. We'll need to define how many we want to be considered as a true draft!
    2. Accept we are not going to capture this information.

    I suppose really we have to ask how useful is it to know how often drafts arrive and how many men are in them. Because we can't hashtag numbers, the best we can do is highlight where the drafts are so that anyone searching for them in future can find them on the diary page. I'm not convinced this is very useful, but then I'm not a professional historian and I think this might be one of those cases where we need input from someone who is.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Well, that's certainly wiser than anything I've said so far! 😄

    Okay, then. Let's keep #draft as a possibility and see if we can get an expert to comment.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    I'm not an expert... but the vast majority of reinforcements I've seen are led by a named officer who can be tagged as 'joined or attached', so that would be one way of tracking reinforcements if anyone wanted to.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    That's useful to know - thanks!

    Another tag I was thinking might need to be included in the list: #nominalroll

    What does everybody think?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Definitely. I had missed that one in my list!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Okay, list updated!

    Posted

  • Cameronian_Volunteer by Cameronian_Volunteer

    I think the developing "Definitive Hashtag List" is very useful. Could it be added to the "Field Guide" as a quick reference point for use while we are in the middle of tagging the diary pages. I am sure it would encourage consistency. There are many suggestions in the list that I could have used with earlier diaries, but didn't . If they are there to refer to, and we know that they have been discussed and recommended, that would be better than a proliferation of slightly different versions.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Yes, good idea. I'm not sure how easy that will be to achieve at the moment (we've lost our developer), but I'll see whether it can be done. If we do it, we'll have to make sure we keep it updated in the field guide as it alters here too.

    Thanks!

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    Or maybe you could just sticky it so that it always turns up in the threads at the top left of the first page for the talk section.

    Posted

  • wildcatjenny by wildcatjenny moderator

    Good discussion. Would sure like to be able to quickly find the latest "agreed" hashtag list.

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Just a suggestion, if possible... I see a few hashtags under the "Popular Hashtags" heading on the left, but don't see them in the list above, specifically - trenches, horse, horses, and casualties. I understand that these are coming up because they are being used a lot, and I've read a lot of comments that reference trenches as a hashtag. Not sure if you can remove these from the "Popular Hashtags" list on the left, but you might want to do so if you can. I referred to this list a lot when I first started, and chances are these tags will continue to be used if they show up as being "popular". In fact, it would be great if you could put the list above in its own section or just replace "Popular Hashtags" with "Definitive Hashtags".

    Anyway - just my two (or three) cents. Great list by the way! Very helpful!

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Recommend hashtag "aagun" for anti-aircraft guns. Reason - new weaponry. With WWI comes the fighters and bombers, and as a result we get anti-aircraft weaponry. Seems to me that this is just as important, historically, as the aircraft are.

    UPDATE Rather than adding "aagun" maybe it should be "antiaircraft"???

    Posted

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

    I agree the list is annoying and I'd like to see it removed altogether now but not sure if it can be. One for the Technical team. In the meantime maybe we should have a list of "pointless hashtags"?

    At the risk of offending anyone it is totally worthless to tag "mud", "trench", "trenches", ranks, names, place names and so on.

    Also now we have specific tags relating to different aspects of horses it would be nice if people could stop just tagging "horse" or "horses" on their own. After all if it's worth a hashtag then you should be able to say why and define it further rather than just tagging every time a horse is mentioned.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Re. having the list as a sticky - it should already be so. It turns up in my featured discussions section in the top left, but let me know if any of you can't see it. Perhaps there's a bug.

    I too wish we could do away with the popular hashtags list! It's pretty counter-productive now, but I must confess I'd sort of forgotten it was there. I'll have a word with the Zooniverse guys and see if that could be done or not.

    Re. the suggested antiaircraft tag...it'd be interesting to get some more input on that one. It might be that it'd be covered by the #aeroplane tag anyway, and perhaps I just need to update the guidance on that one to indicate that it applies to all aspects of air warfare, including ground fire.

    Posted

  • Poodle by Poodle

    What about #horsescasualties?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Sounds like a good one. I'm going to go back through this thread on Tuesday and update the list then (sorry for the delay - i'm not in the office until then). Thanks!

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Question - I see we have a hashtag for "gas". Do we need a hashtag for "smoke"?

    Posted

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

    I'd say not. Smoke can have many causes, not just deliberate use on the battle field and I'm not sure it would be that useful. What were you thinking specifically when you suggested this?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Added a new one - #photograph

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Sorry - I guess I'm showing my "Artillery" side. It was an artillery "smoke" barrage that got me thinking. Any deliberate smoke fired by artillery or by hand for concealment and camouflage. The Allies would also use an artillery smoke barrage to "trick" the Germans into thinking a gas attack was underway. This gave the Allies a few extra seconds while the Germans were fumbling with their protective gear - a few extra seconds that may have been the deciding factor for the victor. Anyway - this is what I meant by "smoke". Hope this makes sense.

    Thanks!

    Posted

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

    I guess this gets tagged under the diary tag Unit Activity - attacking/firing at the moment? I can see where you're coming from with this but do you think people are going to be clear about what kind of smoke we want tagged and what kind we don't? No reason why we can't give it a try and see what comes out of it of course!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Yes, that makes sense. I'll add it to the list and we can always review it later.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Can we use #photograph for references in the diaries to photos being taken (I've had a few of these), or should it just be used to tag actual photographs?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I think the idea was just for actual photos, much as we want to use #map just for maps and not for references to maps in the text as some people have been.

    What sort of unit and in what sort of context have you had this with? It might be worth a different tag!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Just noticed one for #tanks - probably a candidate for the list, isn't it?

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Is there a hashtag or otherwise to identify ammunition shortages? Is this important enough to tag? Here is a link to the page I'm working on now - look under date "4/5". They are having trouble getting artillery rounds for the large guns and howitzers due to the ammo dumps having none - they use the word "often", so it happens a lot. 5 DIVISION: DIVISIONAL TROOPS: 27 BRIGADE ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY. (31 MAR 1917 - 29 APR 1917). I hope this link works. Thanks!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Linking like that redirects to whatever page each user is currently tagging - the best way is to open the comments box on the page, then click on the link which says something like 'start a discussion on talk'. The url of the page that leads to is the best link to use.

    I think you're right that this might need a tag. It's not really covered by the standard tags. How about #ammoshortage - that could cover any sort of issue, whether for artillery or infantry units.

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    I may have missed this discussion - but if something has already been hashtagged do we do it again or leave it?

    Posted

  • wildcatjenny by wildcatjenny moderator in response to josiepegg's comment.

    Hi josiepegg

    Nope - if a hashtag has already been recorded for a page there is no need to duplicate it. However, you might add more information. We have a list of hashtags we have been asked to use for special topics. You might add one of those. For an example we have been asked to tag leisure activities so if you found #boxing you might add the general tag #leisure.

    Our hashtag list has recently been updated and can be found at: http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/boards/BWD000000j/discussions/DWD0000d05

    From a quick review of the recent pages I can see that you are already making good use of the hashtag list. Thanks for the question about duplicates.

    Posted

  • Peter_Rovers by Peter_Rovers

    I've found a special kind of ammunition: "shrapnel" and gave it a hashtag. Is it important enough to place it also in our hashtag list?

    Peter

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Peter - This word does appear very frequently in diaries, especially the artillery Unit ones and as well as being the name of a specific type of shell it was a word commonly used to mean a fragment of a shell. I'm not sure it's specific enough to warrant adding to the list but if others feel differently then please say so.

    Posted

  • Peter_Rovers by Peter_Rovers

    Ok. THanks for answering.

    Peter

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to ral104's comment.

    Hello Rob - thanks for explaining the link situation. I wasn't sure how to link correctly - thanks!

    Yes, I like #ammoshortage - fits perfectly.

    Thanks again!

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Okay - check this one out - Direct Hit on Artillery Guns. Check out the first entry for April 25th. Direct hit destroys two guns, one from 119th Battery and one from 37th Battery. I use the tag "Under fire", but this is more specific. This comes up a lot with the artillery units. Seems that every time a howitzer or gun was destroyed by enemy fire, they make an entry in the war diary. I don't see a tag for this, and if you agree this might be helpful information to tag, I suggest #destroyedweaponry or something similar. This would cover not only artillery, but destroyed tanks and other weapons that might be recorded. Given my experience as a U.S. Army Artillery "Redleg", this is important information as each battery only has a certain number of howitzers or guns and their destruction can quickly make a unit combat ineffective. No worries if not important for this project, but thought I would ask before using. 😃 Thanks!

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I think this is quite a good idea and a few people have posted recently about maybe hashtagging weapons, equipment or ammunition so maybe we can try to develop this in the same way we developed tags for horses? Just one thing though (and do feel free to call me Mrs Picky!) can we write the tag(s) the same way round we wrote the horses ones so it's easier to remember - so I'd suggest #weaponsdestroyed

    What other tags do people suggest for equipment / weapons /. ammo

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    This all sounds great! I'll update the list.

    I wonder whether something like #weaponsevaluation might be useful - just thinking of the post Jan Greenslade made recently re. an entry giving thoughts on various kit that had been issued.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Rob - I'm going to spin this off into the thread Jan started if that's OK?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Of course - no problem.

    Posted

  • Peter_Rovers by Peter_Rovers

    I suggest #ammunition and then for only special kinds of ammunition (e.g. shrapnel) and not the regular ones.

    Peter

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    I see where you're coming from Peter but we're going to need to define what's special and what's not for those who don't have an Artillery background! What did you have in mind and how do we distinguish when the word "shrapnel" is being used to mean a specific type of shell and when it's being used to mean shell fragments in general?

    In other words what exactly are we trying to bring out with this hashtag? My concern would be if we just use #ammunition it will get put down for everything (a bit like "horse" now has) and thus become useless. How can we avoid this and keep it more selective?

    Posted

  • Peter_Rovers by Peter_Rovers

    I see your point Heather. Let's think about it.

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Just a comment about ammunition and "shrapnel". I'm an artillery veteran. "Shrapnel" is really nothing more than the chunks, slivers, shards, lumps, flakes and so on that result from an exploding artillery round. Most artillery rounds are high explosive rounds that form shrapnel when the shell casing breaks apart from the explosion. A hand grenade works the same way, forming shrapnel from the metal casing. In my opinion, when the soldiers talk about "shrapnel", I don't think they are talking about a specific type of ammunition. Shrapnel and shell fragments are exactly the same thing. I wouldn't classify "shrapnel" as a type of ammunition for this reason. Anyway - just my two cents. 😃

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Perfect! I agree - #weaponsdestroyed works great. Makes sense to use the same format as the horse hashtags.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks for the clarification re. shrapnel.

    Posted

  • nosnibor3 by nosnibor3

    Wish the #Hashtag list could be pulled down over the Diary pages - it would be easier to use.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    That's a great suggestion. I'll add it to our development wishlist.

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Just curious - what is the #sideways hashtag used for? Can you put a description next to ALL of the hashtags? Some are obvious, but may not be obvious to everyone. Great list - very helpful!

    UPDATE - disregard the question about #sideways. I figured it out by clicking on the hashtag and viewing how the tag was used, but still, a description next to each would be helpful. Thanks!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks - I'll go through and do that in a bit. I keep forgetting not everybody has direct access to my innermost thoughts, so won't always know what I meant! 😄

    Posted

  • brownfox by brownfox

    Noticed that some people (Americans?) have been tagging #airplane rather than the 'approved' #aeroplane. Might be an idea to look for this too - or to do a generic change if this is possible.

    Posted

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

    I change that one if I see it!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Me too. We'll probably search for all variations on the term once the project's completed - aeroplane, aeroplanes, airplane, aircraft, etc.

    The greater the level of consistency we can achieve, the better, but there are things we can do to deal with any variants remaining.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Sorry all - I haven't forgotten I need to add in explanations for all the tags. Just haven't had a chance to do it yet!

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to brownfox's comment.

    I had to laugh when I saw this comment because it is just spot on! One of the first hashtags I added to a diary page was #airplane but then I noticed afterwards that ral104 had used #aeroplane ! Thanks to Rob and "The Definitive Hashtag List" I know to use #aeroplane! Oh yeah...and I am a "Yank"! LOL! Funny that we speak the same language, but we don't, if you know what I mean! 😃 Gotta love it!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    😄

    Two nations, separated by a common language...

    Posted

  • Jan_Greenslade by Jan_Greenslade

    Heather - Re: Alliedvictory hashtag - I felt that the news of Thiepval was an enormous morale boost to the Battalion as it was a major victory in an area not far from where they were engaged. But on reflection, I agree it is not directly related to the project's remit. I think I got a little carried away with mention of the infamous battle. Shall stick to 'victories' involving my units only. Regards. Jan

    Posted

  • fisfiris by fisfiris

    After the Armistice, I have a reference to the move of horses for repurchase and private purchase - do I use #horsesevacuated?

    Posted

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

    No. The evacuated tag is in relation to evacuation into the veterinary chain from units. I don't think we've got one that covers this specifically.
    We might consider adding #horsespurchase and using it for anything relating to the buying and selling of horses? Otherwise if they talk at all about the condition the horses were in (i.e. how fit they were or something similar) you could use #horsescondition I suppose..

    Why not use #horsespurchase for now and let's see how many other examples of it come up?

    Posted

  • fisfiris by fisfiris in response to HeatherC's comment.

    Thanks. I'll use #horsespurchase, since the reference is to the disposal of horses(brood mares) in 1919 to the Animal Collecting Camp at Koln - as we progressively get to the end of the war I guess this will come up again, at least in the ASC Supply Trains( one of the most tedious tagging exercises I've done, which also doesn't fit happily with the available tags)

    Posted

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

    I think you are right that we may find there are new hashtags we need to add to cover activities in 1919. We're happy to add them to the list if people suggest them and they look useful - just like this one! I agree with you about the ASC Supply Train diaries - I did some pages in one to see what it was like and it was the briefest diary I have seen - a whole page for each month!

    Posted

  • fisfiris by fisfiris in response to HeatherC's comment.

    1 Div Train was much more assiduous - each day detailed
    a. the railhead
    b.the position of the dumps
    c. the position of each company within the Train
    d. the position of the brigades within 1 Div
    and most of these positions were accompanied by grid references! An amazing wealth of info, but ....

    Posted

  • optimise by optimise

    Is there a hashtag to highlight ships? I have a ship name SS Victoria recorded as a Place name with troop embarkation. Could this be #ship or #vessel? I'm not sure if transport is being recorded in this way or is deemed to be of interest, alternatively could I use 'Other Unit'?

    Posted

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

    Hi @optimise no there isn't one at the moment and although I can see why you have used the Place tag, it won't really work as it's meant for static places (hence the geo-locator function). "Other Unit" isn't really right either as some were civilian ships.

    We haven't had a #ship hashtag up till now as really it only seems to apply in the first few days of each Unit's diary when they are embarking for France. However I see no reason at all why we should not introduce one. What I don't think works is having the names of the individual ships tagged as we then get too many options.

    So by all means let's introduce a #ship tag but only use it when the Unit whose diary it is is actually on board the ship maybe? So for example not if there's just a mention of a ship, which is not directly related to the unit. Does that sound OK? What do others think?

    (I wasn't ignoring your previous question on this by the way but for some reason I cannot open that forum thread - no idea why!)

    Posted

  • optimise by optimise

    Hi Heather,

    Thanks for answering my question, that sounds perfect. I deleted my other question and added it again here, hopefully that hasn't caused the 'Difficulties with Place names' thread to fail!

    Andrew

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    I am tagging an RE diary. They are experimenting with grenades and also with boring equipment. I have put this as #equipmentevaluation. Is this the best way to deal with this?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Sounds good to me. It's helpful if you can then write a very brief phrase as to why you used the tag. One thing I found when looking at tags relating to horses was that it was not always immediately obvious why the hashtag had been used and having to pick through what might be a page of tricky handwriting to find it was not the best experience.

    Posted

  • Arthur494 by Arthur494

    #casualties ? what to do when casualties are mentioned without detail or number? I have been using the casualty item, but it looks odd to leave number at zero.

    Posted

  • wildcatjenny by wildcatjenny moderator in response to Arthur494's comment.

    Hi Arthur494,

    I have seen that too. I do not use the casualties tag in that instance because, like you, I think there is little point in listing casualties = 0.

    It is reasonable to assume that those casualties will be included in a summary later in the diary.

    wildcatjenny

    Posted

  • MementoMori by MementoMori

    #partial / etc. for partial scans? I've seen orders pages that don't have the top, etc. so I tag it with #partial

    Posted

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

    You are right they need tagging but we already have #badscan for this. This gets used for any page that would benefit from a rescan - i.e. too faint, upside-down, sideways, etc. Some of the pages you have tagged as partial aren't though - they are tiny addendum/correction slips that were stapled to an orders page (look for the hole at the top that shows where they were unstapled to scan them!) and the don't need a hashtag.

    Posted

  • Poodle by Poodle

    Under the weather tags there is nothing for strong winds or gales. These caused problems for signallers trying tro keep phone lines operational. I'm sure they affected gas and aeroplane use too...

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Rob - when you get back from holiday and edit the first post can you say something about only using the honours and awards hashtags to denote when the award is given rather than every time someone with the award is mentioned?

    So for example "Lt Bloggs awarded MC for XXX" should be hashtagged, but "Lt Bloggs MC joined from base" should not. Otherwise particularly with orders headings and the names of senior officers the hashtag becomes useless.

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    Should I be using #DSO whenever an officer who already has a DSO is mentioned, or is it for when someone receives a DSO, please?
    Also, how do I tag an injury received during training or instruction?
    Thanks!

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    Just hit 'submit' then saw the clarification above!
    My query regarding tagging an injury received during training still stands.
    Thanks

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    We don't have a category for "non-combat injury" do we.... Interesting question and I'm not sure at what point they'd have been counted as "casualties". Certainly as far as deaths goes, CWGC counts non-combat deaths (including deaths in training) as qualifying for commemoration by them.

    Can you give us a link to a page where this has happened so we can see an example of the kind of thing you refer to?

    Since you posted this in the hashtag section did you have a though about a hashtag for this?

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    I'm afraid I don't know how to do a link but I've taken these references from my Profile page.
    Title 2 DIVISION: 6 Infantry Brigade: 1 Battalion King's Liverpool Regiment.
    Page number 403
    Image AWD00024rm
    I posted the query on the hashtag thread because I was looking there to see if there was a hashtag for it. I remembered there was one for friendly fire.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    That's exactly how you do a link 😃

    In this case, they are in France, it's on active service and the guy is described as "accidentally wounded during bombing instruction". I think you are justified calling him a wounded casualty in a case like this. However I wouldn't use the casualties tag, but rather give "casualty, wounded" as the reason in the person tag (does that make sense?)

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    Yes, it does, thank you!

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    Me again! I've got another casualty wounded during training but this time it's an O/R so there's no name. Do I ignore it or do I tag it as a casualty? Thanks

    Posted

  • Nahameb by Nahameb

    P.S. He was wounded during a Working Party, not training.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Tag it as a casualty I think. Working party is part of the duties they might have been doing in reserve or support so it's a bit different from training.

    Posted

  • 01dgobbo by 01dgobbo

    1. Some of my medical officers are transferred between field ambulance and hospital ship. Hitherto I have tagged these ships using the regular "other unit" tag but an earlier comment that I have just read suggests using #ship and the ship's name. Which is preferred?

    2. Is the definitive hashtag list the list published on page one of this thread or should I be looking elsewhere?

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    1. Good question. When the medical officer is "transferred" though is he actually struck off the strength of the current Unit or is it just a temporary transfer to the ship for a short period (i.e. do they come back!) A diary tag is always preferable to a hashtag if it is truly applicable, so I suppose we need to ask are hospital ships really "Units" in the true meaning of the word?

    2. Yes it is the one on page 1 of this thread. Ron has been on holiday, so it's not been updated for 2 weeks - I am sure he will be on it today!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Indeed I will! Everything should be up-to-date now.

    Re. hospital ships...I think we should probably treat them as units in their own right for tagging purposes. In many ways they're a much more stable feature of things than the troop transports mentioned in an earlier post.

    Rob

    Posted

  • floodmouse by floodmouse

    Do you want #manoeuvres added? As in, going on manoeuvres, or going to the manoeuvre area. I notice there are several spellings for this word but I used it as it appears in the diary. Us Americans would say "maneuver" but I'm shooting for consistency and of course this is a British diary.

    Posted

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

    I'm not sure what useful information it would give us to be quite honest. What did you have in mind?

    Posted

  • floodmouse by floodmouse

    #manoeuvres came up in the context of the whole section going off for some kind of training exercise. I'm also wondering about using #repair (or would that fall under #equipmentevaluation?) and also #dark (because there is no drop-down item for dark under the "weather" tag). "Dark" came up in the context of movement at night (it was a fine night but very dark).

    Posted

  • Poodle by Poodle

    As there is a tag for enemy morale, shouldn't there be one for allied morale?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I wonder if we need to be a bit more specific. #nightoperations perhaps? #equipmentevaluation wouldn't really cover repairs, but we could add #equipmentrepairs

    I'm not sure about #manoeuvres (gah! I can never spell that right! 😄) in this context, as we already have 'training' on the unit activity tag.

    Posted

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

    There probably should, shouldn't there? I'll add it to the list.

    Posted

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

    I'd like to pick up on the repair idea. We've got #equipmentevaluation as you say and we've defined it in the list as "for any thoughts recorded on the effectiveness or otherwise of weapons and other kit issued". I think what we have to decide is do we want this tag to refer just to when new or improved equipment is being trialled or tested or do we also want it to apply when comments are made about something breaking in normal use - for example gun firing mechanisms jamming or harnesses breaking?

    My immediate thought was to have a new hashtag like #equipmentbroken but then I'm not certain it would be easy to distinguish when to use which one. What do people think?

    Posted

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

    LOL - Rob posted as I was writing mine! I guess we both think a new tag for broken / repairs would be good then!

    I agree by the way that the m word is covered by the training tag

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    😄

    I'll put #equipmentrepairs in for now and see how we get on with it.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Should we have the option to use the tag #discipline for things like courts of enquiry which do not mention specific people being disciplined? I have just used this on an orders page which mentions a court being set up.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    This and subsequent pages of the 24th Royal Fusiliers are headed 'Orders', but as well as laying out scheduled events (i.e. not yet happened) the pages are also used to record events that would normally go on the diary pages (men going on leave, results of football matches, disciplinaries etc). I guess the right thing to do here is to classify the pages as 'Orders' but hashtag as much extra info as possible in the comments? The actual diary pages for December 1916 are very brief and there is a lot of additional detail here which might get overlooked.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I would just use the 'Army Life' tag for that and choose the 'Discipline' option.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    That works for the diary pages but not for Orders pages - I have been tagging several of these which are headed 'Orders' but actually record info that should really be on the diary pages (see my thread at http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/boards/BWD0000009/discussions/DWD0000hkl). I felt there was a lot of detail here that would otherwise be lost so I was trying to find ways of capturing it!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Sorry, I missed that thread. I see what you mean now and yes, in this case I would use the hashtag in the way you suggest. It's a similar case to the monthly casualty summaries contained in certain diaries, which make the standard tag unusable. If you use the #discipline tag, then at least we'll be able to find the info again.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    How about #commission? I just noticed a page where a CSM was recommended for a commission after displaying conspicuous gallantry following the Coy. officers being wounded or killed. Interesting, perhaps?

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    I have wondered about that in the past - you could argue it's covered by the 'promoted' option on the person tag, but at the point where people are recommended for a commission it often gives some detail about the context, which you don't always get at the point the commission is awarded. I'd be in favour of including this hashtag.

    Posted

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

    I think it's a good idea. Frankly as anyone who has been in the Army knows, going from RSM/CSM to 2Lt isn't a promotion! 😛

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    That's true! 😄

    Although I guess a 2/Lt who used to be an RSM isn't going to be quite your average subaltern!

    I'll add the tag.

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Sorry, another question. Do we need anything to indicate pages which are in the wrong order or seem to have gaps between them? Not sure how important it is to record this.

    Also - #rescue? Just been reading an account of a British party going out to rescue a wounded German (to take him prisoner, admittedly, but still pretty impressive that they risked their own safety to do this).

    Posted

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

    Yes. Use the hashtag #misfiled and describe what the problem is. If it is more than just a few pages then there's a thread for adding more detail in the FAQ section here http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/boards/BWD000000g/discussions/DWD000091r (but no need to enter every page individually - just give us a summary of what's going on and the dates affected)

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    Great, thanks. Do I also remember seeing a hashtag for something like #goodstory a while ago?

    Posted

  • wildcatjenny by wildcatjenny moderator in response to sarahloving's comment.

    Hi @sarahloving,

    Occasionally we run across stories in the diaries that bring the people and places to life for us. It would be a shame to let those stores slip back into obscurity. I agree with your instinct to hashtag them.

    But what hashtag to use? #goodstory is not on our Definitive Hashtag List. I did a search and found that it has only been used once and that was early in the project.

    Maybe just plain #story makes a better hashtag? If a person were looking for interesting stories he or she might not think to add the adjective "good" between the # symbol and "story" when they searched the database. I have also seen a few pages with a #narrative hashtag which might be good. Feel free to choose a hashtag to use and then suggest that it be added to the Definitive Hashtag List.

    wildcatjenny

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    #story seems like a good one. I'm always on the lookout for interesting snippets I can use for the facebook posts or blog articles.

    I like the #rescue suggestion too. I haven't seen too much of that, but it would be good to capture the info where it exists. What does everybody else think?

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    I like the idea of #rescue - I have come across a few instances of men going out to bring back fallen comrades. Also #story for those interesting anecdotes that don't come under anything else

    Posted

  • wildcatjenny by wildcatjenny moderator

    I like both #story and #rescue. May I make a suggestion? When either of these is used it would be good to add a few words of description.

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    How about a NEW SECTION for Stories. You have Discussion Boards/Questions & Answers/Welcome to Operation War Diary/The Mess Hall/and Following etc.

    Perhaps under the Following Section you could have a section for Stories. Then they can be posted onto this Story Section, then people could follow the stories. Just an idea.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    We aren't able to have more than three sections of message boards due to the structure of the current Zooniverse Talk forum. We could have another sub-board in one of the existing ones but as we already have half a dozen that don't get many posts, why don't we use one of those for stories?

    I don't think we can change the "following" area though - not sure. I do like the idea of us picking out the interesting stories though!

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Thanks for your very quick reply Heather. Your comments noted about the message boards.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I like the idea of picking out the interesting stories too! I'll try and get as many of them up on facebook as I can, but perhaps when the new version of Talk is released we can do something more in the forums. In the meantime, I'd suggest using the Delousing Station in The Mess Hall. It's an underused board and would be perfect for this.

    I'll add in #story and #rescue and I agree with @wildcatjenny - a few words of explanation when using these tags would be extremely useful.

    Thanks all!

    Posted

  • f0rbe5 by f0rbe5

    On http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD0001k8g I recorded the award of various medals. Private W Penman is noted as a recipient of a Military Medal and the diary states he was previously awarded a "White Card", presumably in relation to the same event(s) that led to his MM. I've tried to research what this card is but have come up empty. Does anyone know what it is and does it need to be recorded as an "Award or Commendation" if it comes up again?

    I have found reference to a "Distinguished Service Card" on http://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD0001jws and on the internet found "R. Wylie, Gilmore Street – awarded the Distinguished Service Card (mentioned in despatches) for conspicuous bravery on the field by General French, commanding British Expeditionary Force." on http://www.freewebs.com/snake43/recruitspremay1915.htm. Are the "White Card" and "Distinguished Service Card" one and the same thing?

    Iain

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I'm drawing a blank too, I'm afraid. I wonder whether it's a leave card - I've seen reference to men being awarded additional leave alongside an award for gallantry.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Various names were given to cards that were awarded for gallantry where it was not felt it quite justified a medal, or which were awarded initially while the recommendation for the medal was being considered further up the chain. I've seen them called "Divisional Commander's Cards" "Divisional Honour Cards" or allocated a colour according to the Division.

    There's an interesting thread on the Great War Forum here 1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=181659

    So the answer is yes, please do tag these as honours and awards.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks, Heather! Looks like I was way off with my guess 😄

    Posted

  • f0rbe5 by f0rbe5

    Thanks Heather - very useful.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    I've also seen them referred to as simply "gallantry cards."

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I've just had a situation where a service number was given for a man who joined a unit, but no name. I looked up the number and found a match, so thought I'd post the name in the comments section as other taggers might find it useful. Anybody else encountered this sort of thing?

    I thought a #name hashtag might be useful here. Only for use in this sort of situation, where a name has been derived from info given, but isn't specifically mentioned in the diary. Could be useful to find these again later as it could be the only time that person appears.

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    I have been tagging 1 Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. (1 Jan 1916 - 31 Dec 1916) and have come across 3 mentions of deserters. 2 were shot at dawn and the third was from a different regiment but surrendered to them. I have used a #deserter hashtag + comment for all 3. Would it be useful to add #deserter to the hashtag list?

    Posted

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

    Yes, that sounds like a good idea. What do others think?

    I'll update the list later this week, so if there are no objections, I'll add both #name and #deserter then.

    Posted

  • LinsladeLad by LinsladeLad in response to ral104's comment.

    When tagging a person, one of the headings is "reason". Within this, one of the options is "AWOL or deserter".
    Does this not capture the same information?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Good point - thanks! I wonder if it's still be useful to have the hashtag, though, for this sort of instance, where specific mention is made of the penalty.

    Posted

  • 01dgobbo by 01dgobbo in response to ral104's comment.

    I have used the service number to check the spelling of names that are difficult to read. This worked quite well until I got a name offered that was completely different from the scrawl in the diary. Later I used the number to try to identify a missing name but I was given several options. Early in the war army numbers were allocated by regiment or corps and the same number could be issued by different corps and regiments. If a man moved between corps or regiments he would get a new number. It was not until 1920 that the army adopted a new system in which every soldier had a unique number that he kept wherever he served. Some of the war-time RAMC numbers that I have searched seem to have been allocated to more than one serving soldier. I think you need to be very cautious if you are trying to use these numbers on their own to identify a man, whose surname is missing.

    Posted

  • LinsladeLad by LinsladeLad in response to ral104's comment.

    That would certainly be valid. I don't think there's any other way to capture that data. We'd just need to be careful that we weren't hashtagging at a pre-court martial stage.

    As a matter of interest - where a man was found guilty of desertion by court martial and sentenced to be shot, was he returned to his original unit for them to carry out the sentence, or was an ad hoc firing squad formed from troops that happened to be available?

    Regards
    Peter

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    re #deserter - (sorry for the delay - been on holiday) I thought it might be useful to have the additional hashtag in instances where more detail is given. Might be useful if anyone is researching this aspect of the war? As an aside - I have tagged several diaries and never come across any mention of deserters and then there were 3 in one diary.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Okay, I'll add the #deserter tag, but perhaps we'll forget about the #name tag. If it is possible to derive the name from a service number, then it can still be added to the comments for subsequent taggers to see, but there's perhaps no benefit in hashtagging it.

    Thanks for the input, everybody!

    Posted

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

    I'm honestly not sure about that. Any historians around who might know the answer?

    Posted

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

    I'm not an historian but thinking about the practicalities of returning a man to his own unit (which might be in the trenches far away from where the Court Martial had taken place) together with the effect it would have on men forced to shoot one of their own, make me virtually certain that men were shot by ad hoc firing squads formed from troops who happened to be present in the area where the deserter had been imprisoned.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    That makes sense. Thanks, Heather.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    I saw those same entries that josiepegg brought up and I don't think there was any specific mention of where the execution took place or of who did it.

    It was something of a stunner to be reading along and suddenly have this mentioned in very blunt, matter-of-fact terms.

    Just yesterday, I was working through the 15th Warwicks and there was mention of a sergeant who was being tried at a court martial, but nowhere did the diary record what either the crime or punishment was, although it did say a decision had been reached.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist in response to cgastwein@aol.com's comment.

    At least that might have been for a lesser offence - I read one where an officer was court-martialled for drunkenness.

    Posted

  • SarahtheEntwife by SarahtheEntwife

    The unit I'm tagging (In India! first one I've seen so far) just received advance pay. Is this something that would only have been done before they ship out and so isn't worth having a tag for? It's the first mention of pay I've seen at all.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Yes, it might have been done to cover the period of transit, when the staff wouldn't have had access to additional cash to pay the men. Probably not worth a tag in it's own right, but interesting nonetheless.

    Posted

  • Jan_Greenslade by Jan_Greenslade

    Could we please have a tag for #signalsequipment? Jan

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I'm not 100% sure we need one, Jan. I'd suggest #equipmentevaluation would cover any new developments in their kit, but on a general day-to-day basis, it would be assumed that they were using standard signals equipment for the time.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Updated the list to include #horsesremounts to be used in a similar fashion as #draft, but for horses, obviously!

    Posted

  • atozvet by atozvet

    Only just come across this list but is most useful! I have a particular interest in #horsescasualties since going through diaries of mobile veterinary sections, it seems rare to find a horse with a bullet wound or shrapnel. The cavalry seemed to be held well back, nearly all the injuries reported are kicks, lameness PUN (picked up nail) and chronic diseases such as Roaring, Qyittor to name but two

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Glad it's useful! We're hoping to pick out the unusual, out of the ordinary info with the tags, so looks like #horsescasualties is doing its job 😄

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    Is it a problem putting lots of different hashtagged items in the one box?ie I have aeroplane,weaponsystems,flares & sometimes more in the one bubble.For me if Im not the first doing a diary it makes it easier to see whats been written .

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    It's fine to put more than one hashtag in the same box. However if you get to more than about 6 then maybe consider if you are using too many hashtags!

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    only the ones on the list Heather!!LOL

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    That's fine then 😃 Some pages do have a lot of useful info on I agree!

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    #weaponsystems OR #weaponsystem ?? both are written in definitive list.

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    Good question! Perhaps Rob can correct the list one way or the other and make the definitive decision. I think singular may make the most sense in the usual context?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Oops! Sorry, I missed that one. Changed to #weaponsystem

    Posted

  • SarahPowell by SarahPowell

    I've just come across two new medals, the Indian Order of Merit and the Indian Distinguished Service Medal, which I have tagged as #IOM and #IDSM. Is it worth adding these to the hashtag list - are they likely to come up often in the Indian diaries?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Thanks. They do come up pretty often, yes. You can either write them out in full, e.g. #indianorderofmerit, or use an abbreviation as you've done. I need to come to a decision about which to put on the list, but for now either is fine.

    Posted

  • LinsladeLad by LinsladeLad

    Reference use of the hashtag #weaponsystem - do you want this used with everything, even the ubiquitous Lewis Gun?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    No, I think it's probably best to use it with the less well known weapons mentioned. Anything out of the ordinary. Thanks.

    Posted

  • Paul_Rapley by Paul_Rapley

    Back to an earlier issue, if you would, please: was there a definitive decision on hashtagging reinforcements? I've put a #draft in the comments box (300 'rank + file'). Should I also enter the number within the Unit Strength tag? I realise that this debate is several months cold, but I've only recently joined the line.
    It also seems to me that I can't go back to a previous page once I've clicked 'finished'. Am I correct? In this example, the 300 reinforcements have been brought in by 'Rust' - clearly an officer - but I don't know how to check back to see whether I previously recorded his rank or whether he is new.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Hi Paul,

    Apologies if I didn't respond to this earlier. You're right to use #draft in this instance along with the strength of the draft. In this case, though, I wouldn't enter the numbers into the unit strength tag. That's best used for summaries of total numbers, which are sometimes given at the end of a month.

    You can check back through your recent pages by viewing your profile (this is on the tagging interface, not here on the Talk pages). However, if you can't find the page in question, just enter as much information on the person tag as you can. In this case, if it's only the officer's surname, that's fine. We'll be able to match him up with fuller descriptions later, if they exist.

    Posted

  • Paul_Rapley by Paul_Rapley

    Thank you, ral 104.

    Paul

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    Are #mm & #mc now acceptable for #militarymedal & #militarycross ?
    if something is already hashtagged in the box is there any need to repeat it?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist in response to 141Dial34's comment.

    No, better to still type them out in full. Two-letter hashtags don't seem to work. If somebody has previously used the #mm or #mc tags, then please add your own with the full tag. Thanks 😃

    Posted

  • deehar by deehar in response to ral104's comment.

    I was a guilty party - I have corrected them myself!

    Posted

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

    I'm pretty sure I've done it too in the past. Thanks for correcting them!

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34 in response to deehar's comment.

    LOL deehar ,i wasn't going to say who I was following in the diary!

    Posted

  • HeatherC by HeatherC moderator

    And if something is already (correctly!) hashtagged there's no point in repeating it. No harm in it either of course but not necessary. 😃

    Posted

  • Charalinn by Charalinn

    Came across a case of discipline in the midst of battle ie officer pointing his revolver on men that were trying to retreat from enemy fire. Not familiar with hashtag so botched it a bit. Afterthought: tag as #frontline discipline???

    Posted

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

    Hi there, sorry for the delayed response. There's actually a discipline option in the 'army life' tag for diary pages, so I'd recommend using that. If the page isn't a diary page, but an report or something similar then you won't have access to that tag, in which case a hashtag of #discipline might be useful (slightly more general than #frontline, so more applicable across a range of situations).

    You can actually add hashtags to pages you've already tagged by going to your profile on the main classification site, rather than here on Talk. You'll be presented with a list of recent pages there.

    Hope that helps and thanks for raising this 😃

    Posted

  • Charalinn by Charalinn

    This was in a report.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Okay, in that case a hashtag's your best option 😃

    Posted

  • erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be by erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be

    I am tagging "3 CAVALRY DIVISION: DIVISIONAL AMMUNITION PARK (76 COMPANY A.S.C.)". Do I have to tag the daily repairs they do on all kinds of means of transport?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    No, don't worry about that - we'd assume that's part and parcel of daily activities for that kind of unit.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    I'd like to propose that we add #thaw to the list. There isn't really an appropriate choice for this under the Weather tag, but thaws had a great effect on operations. Trenches fell in and there were "thaw protocols" that prohibited the use of motor vehicles on the muddy roads.

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Sounds like a good idea! Anybody else want to chip in before it gets added to the list?

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    #fgcm

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist in response to 141Dial34's comment.

    This is covered by 'discipline' on the 'army life' tag in general terms.

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34 in response to ral104's comment.

    really? you told me 2 years ago to use hashtag fgcm........shall I stop ?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Oh, did I? Were we going to add it to the hashtag list? I must have forgotten to do it.

    Posted

  • 141Dial34 by 141Dial34

    Thanks for updating the list but are the meritorious service medal #msn & pyrexia of unknown origin #puo & nationality eg #american not to be hashtagged?

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to 141Dial34's comment.

    The Meritorious Service Medal can certainly be hashtagged as #msm. I generally hashtag all medals, even they are not on our list, which includes mainly the ones you are most likely to come across. Not long ago, I had to hashtag the Montenegrin Order of St. Danilo!

    Pyrexia of unknown origin is best used in conjunction with the hashtag for #medical when you find it in a diary. So it would be #medical #puo. This applies to any illness such as mumps, measles, pneumonia, etc.

    #american can be used with the #alliedrelations hashtag in much the same way.

    Don't worry too much about whether something should be hashtagged or not. If you think something is significant, by all means note it as a comment or with a hashtag. It is better to capture a bit of information that could be useful, than to lose it because it isn't on our list. The list is just to provide some consistency in how certain types of information are hashtagged so that researchers can find it more easily. So that rather than having, as an example, #icyroads, #dustyroads, #muddyroads, and #shellholeroads, all of those conditions can be gathered together under #roadscondition. If you think that more explanation is needed to accompany a hashtag, just add it, such as "Horses slipping on icy roads delayed arrival at new billets."

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    Tagging army of occupation (53 Bn South Wales Borderers) - maybe we need some hashtags to cover German civilians?

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Good idea. What kinds of things are you coming across?

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    I suppose things that I would otherwise tag as "alliedrelations" but of course they are not really allies. I have come across orders to the troops about how to deal with the civilians. Also several civilians being dealt with in army courts. And negotiations with the Burgermeister regarding dripping and swill!

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    let's use #occupation for now - that should cover most things, but we can work out some more specific tags as we did for horses if that would be more useful.

    What does everybody think?

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Maybe #german-civilians

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    I think #occupation is probably more useful than #german-civilians as a general tag. It would cover civilians and any other things coming up as part of being an occupying power. So you could have something like: #occupation german civilians greeted us.

    Posted

  • josiepegg by josiepegg

    no problem with #occupation - it covers everything that I have come across so far

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA

    Question - the page I am currently working on (link below) has a grid reference at the end of the third line from the top, but it isn't clear if the author wrote "and c7.1", OR "and c7.2", OR it could be "and c7.4". If you take a look at it you will see what I mean. I went ahead and tagged it as "H 25 c 7.1" (clear that the first part is correct). Here is my question - when we come across situations like this, where a grid reference is not all that clear, do you have a hashtag we can use to indicate a tag needs to be reviewed, or will you catch it some other way? Just not sure what happens if 3 different people tag the grid reference 3 different ways - 7.2, and 7.1, and 7.4 for example. Would a "needsreview" hashtag or something similar be helpful? Thanks! Here is the link to the page: https://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/subjects/AWD0003kso

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    I read it as H.25.c.9.4 and C.7.b. Although the b? is faint (The 3rd square in a grid reference is generally runs a,b,c,d).

    See 30th Battery (firing on this trench, again on last line which is .25.c.9.4.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to IKINAWANA's comment.

    I see what you mean about it being unclear. It could be any of the three options you mentioned, although I think I would probably tag it as 7.1.

    We don't really need a hashtag for this situation, though, as corrections for the scenario you describe, of three taggers making three different choices, are built into the system. This is one of the reasons why five volunteers tag every page. After a diary is finished, that is five taggers have completed every page, during the review process, those tags where the five taggers do not all agree become apparent. In those cases, the reviewers look for a consensus, perhaps four or three out of the five, and that tag is selected as being the best fit.

    The designers of the program for OWD foresaw not only this type of situation, but also that taggers would make errors as well. Just last week I tagged an entire page of at least 10 entries with the wrong year! If the other four taggers who do that page are more alert than I was, the page will still be recorded with the correct year in the date tag.

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to marie.eklidvirginmedia.com's comment.

    Marie, Thanks for your input, but in this case the full reference is H.25.c.7.?, the question mark being my way of indicating that is the numeral in question. The author is just using a sort of shorthand to avoid writing out the entire reference a second time.

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    I used a question mark after the c.7 because entry looked faint but I thought it was a small b.

    Posted

  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Message for IKINAWANA

    A tip for putting central in a grid box. Say for N 32 central.

    An example is: In the Grid Reference Box there are 5 squares. In the first one put the N, second one put 32, and in the 3rd square, which is generally a, b, c etc, just type in the word central it will then give you N 32 central.

    If is says for example - c central, l just type in c central in the 3rd square box.
    As posted in (The Mess Hall Board / Useful Tips)

    Posted

  • IKINAWANA by IKINAWANA in response to cyngast's comment.

    Thanks cyngast - makes sense. I appreciate the feedback!

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to IKINAWANA's comment.

    You're welcome!

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    Just a reminder: I seen quite a few uses of the "equipment evaluation" hashtag lately and I just want to emphasize that its primary use is to note comments in the diary on whether equipment is useful or not. Do use it to note such comments as the results of tests of new equipment or whether a requested GS wagon is adequate or not to fill the units needs. I remember once using it when the unit had captured an enemy machine gun and they were testing to see if their ammunition worked in it.

    When hashtags are overused, such as using this hashtag to highlight everyday use of artillery guns, they lose their usefulness for researchers by sending them down too many rabbit holes.

    Posted

  • erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be by erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be

    What about the frequent use of the hashtag weaponsystem? I use it on almost every page in the diary I am tagging now. Also too many rabbit holes?

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be's comment.

    That one is a bit trickier. Although it doesn't say on the list, I believe that when it was first added to the list, Rob did say that he thought it would be most useful for the more unusual systems, such as the flammenwerfer.

    I'm not sure if it's particularly useful to note terms like howitzer, unless there is something of special note about that particular howitzer, or other types of weapons that appear frequently.

    I do think it could be put to good use with the nicknames of weapons, such as Black Marias, rum jars, or crumps.

    Posted

  • erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be by erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be in response to cyngast's comment.

    So, from now I don't have to mention any howitzers anymore, unless maybe the big sized: 6", ...

    Posted

  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Erik, if you have the time and inclination to keep using the #weaponsystem hashtag as you are, then that is fine. This is one of those tags where it would be very difficult to sort through if just used on its own, but with the addition of a fairly standard bit of additional infomation, e.g. #weaponsystem howitzer or #weaponsystem flammenwerfer, it becomes much more useful. It is possible there may be researchers interested in tracking howitzer batteries, for example, so having some mechanism for doing that is great.

    Of course, it's up to you. The important thing is the main tag set. The hashtags are great to have, but they are a bonus for us.

    Posted