Jack Sheldon Posted 22 March , 2014 Share Posted 22 March , 2014 BBC 2 Scotland (viewable by anybody with access to the BBC regional variations via digital feed - in my case Sky channel 970) is broadcasting this documentary at 9.00 pm UK time on Monday 24 March. It traces the fate of a group of TA soldiers from Portree on the Isle of Skye to the Battle of Festubert when several of them were killed. In parallel it examines the development of the machine gun via mechanical systems, such as the Gatling, through to the Maxim and the MG 08 which did for them. It is well worth a view and I say this despite the fact that Yours Truly has a small walk-on part in it. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 22 March , 2014 Share Posted 22 March , 2014 "The Machine Gun & Skye's Band of Brothers" presented by NeiI Oliver. At 9pm this Monday (24th), on BBC Scotland only it seems. In the summer of 1914, a company of Cameron Highlanders left Portree and sailed off to war. On the battlefields of France, these raw recruits would meet the Maxim machine gun - invented in London, and capable of firing a hellish 666 rounds per minute. The German army deployed these weapons with mathematical efficiency. Neil Oliver examines the development of these ruthless, impersonal weapons, and the legacy they left on one Hebridean community BBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 22 March , 2014 Share Posted 22 March , 2014 Thanks for the heads up Derek. Although only broadcast in Scotland, us sassenachs might be able to pick it up via iplayer subsequently David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sheldon Posted 24 March , 2014 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2014 Just bumping this up in case anyone has a spare hour tonight. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandy hall Posted 24 March , 2014 Share Posted 24 March , 2014 I don't have a spare hour tonight, but have set to record on Sky. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 24 March , 2014 Share Posted 24 March , 2014 Just a bump to reming folk this is on tonight, oh and on iplayer later too for those foreign to Scotland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul swann Posted 24 March , 2014 Share Posted 24 March , 2014 Set to record on Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 25 March , 2014 Share Posted 25 March , 2014 Just bumping this up in case anyone has a spare hour tonight. Jack I watched it and thought it very good. May I compliment you on your command of English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacNeil Posted 25 March , 2014 Share Posted 25 March , 2014 Here's a link to a BBC article about it and a link to the programme on the iplayer. (Only six days left to watch it) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26679982 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03z2d1g As to the programme itself, I didn't see all of it, it clashed with the dog's evening walk. However based on the bits I saw it was reasonably interesting, though would have been better without Neil Oliver. He's too much of a long haired ham of a luvvie for my tastes. Anyhoo, be interested to hear what others think about the programme. Cheers Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 25 March , 2014 Share Posted 25 March , 2014 At the start, a frisson of irritation when Neil Oliver describes the MG as the BIG KILLER of the war...here we go, here we go, I think to myself : machine guns uber alles ; never mind the fact that the majority of deaths were caused by artillery. To be fair, Oliver then qualifies ...in the final reckoning, only artillery shells killed more men ; so we have a correction. A rather misleading statement to begin with, followed by something more discerning. I've just watched the first ten minutes, and despite my bitch, it's looking pretty damned good. The final 50 minutes awaits me when we've picked up grand children. Can't wait to see Jack Sheldon ! Phil (PJA) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sheldon Posted 25 March , 2014 Author Share Posted 25 March , 2014 Ah, you spotted it too. Oh well, it is from the same school as 'Handicapped toilet' and 'This door is alarmed'. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 25 March , 2014 Share Posted 25 March , 2014 Ah, but you have gravitas. And they can't take that away from you. Unless they have copies of those photos. You know the ones? The flying helmet and the stick of wet celery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughdiamond Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 *issed myself laughing when they let him fire the Maxim but didn't tell him "don't put your hand there" as the cocking handle nearly took his fingers off with the first few rounds, blink and you miss it. Excellent, informative programme with a human spin rather than cold figures. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin spof Posted 26 March , 2014 Admin Share Posted 26 March , 2014 It is now available on iPlayer until 10.59pm Monday 31st March http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03z2d1g/The_Machine_Gun_and_Skyes_Band_of_Brothers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 I caught this on iPlayer last night: of the two centenary-connected programmes I've seen so far it was definitely the best (if only because I found Neil Oliver's presentation style rather endearing and the producers didn't feel the need to tell me what I was watching every ten minutes). It also reminded me that a visit to daughter Harriet in Edinburgh is overdue so I can revisit the Castle (and see Harriet, of course). On the minus side, although I was delighted that Mr Oliver can pronounce "kilometre" properly, no mention was made of the arrangements in use on the '08 "Spandau" to hold the operator in place. A chain of events which should have been explored, I believe. And of Mr Sheldon's English, all I would say is that it puts my Hindustani to shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 Yours Truly has a small walk-on part in it. I also watched it on iPlayer yesterday and thought that it was very good .... and should certainly be broadcast in due course in the other TV regions. As for Jack's 'walk-on' part, I think the walking must have been edited out. I only saw him standing still beside an MG08. The camera never panned downwards, but I assumed he was chained to it by his legs ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin spof Posted 26 March , 2014 Admin Share Posted 26 March , 2014 I've merged 2 duplicate threads together to avoid confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honora Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 Thanks for the bump on this - just seen it on iPlayer and thought it very good - I like Neil Oliver's gentle presentation of the human aspect of war.. The machine gun diagrams were especially useful - as I'm giving a short talk on WW1 photographs of soldiers tonight, including one of a machine gunner. I shan't be quoting this but for the 22nd March 1918 the badly faded writing in his diary looks like 'Doing Direct fire until 12 o'clock 75 yards range'. Does this make sense? It's almost impossible to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sheldon Posted 26 March , 2014 Author Share Posted 26 March , 2014 It sounds reasonable. In other words they were not aiming harassing indirect fire at some distant target, but could observe their target. However, I am somewhat suspicious of the range. 75 yards is very little for a machine gun. Have another look. Could it be 750 yards? Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honora Posted 26 March , 2014 Share Posted 26 March , 2014 Thanks Jack for your reply I've had a look on magnified scan of the page, there seems to be room for the '0'. so 750 yds is probable. The entry continues: 'at three o'clock Fritz broke through on Left and Right and nearly cut us off 14 started away Only me and officer got out' Unsurprisingly punctuation is limited. He was a private with 25 MGC and I've just downloaded the War Diary, so have plenty in which to get my teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 27 March , 2014 Share Posted 27 March , 2014 Thanks Jack... Just seen this and it is now downlading through Sky On Demand. Look foward to watching it tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 27 March , 2014 Share Posted 27 March , 2014 Excellent. Really enjoyed that. I thought you came over very well Jack. This is available On Demand until 1059 pm Mon 31st March. Well worth a watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 30 March , 2014 Share Posted 30 March , 2014 Thoroughly enjoyed it. Yet another good programme in the Centenary thread. I found the graphics on the workings of the machine gun particularly instructive as I have always been completely ignorant on how they worked (if truth be known still not entirely sure how the complex series of actions could be made to happen so quickly!) I know Oliver is a bit of a marmite presenter, but I must admit I like him. There is a faint whiff of 'Lions led by Donkeys' but he never lets his view become sentimentalised. The average Tommy may be pitied but he is not patronised, and as Steven says he does just get on and tell the story without the endless recapping that blights so many documentaries currently (although admittedly more often in those subject to the intrusion of adverts) David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 30 March , 2014 Share Posted 30 March , 2014 Yes....having grumbled about the initial reference to the MG being the great killer, I settled down to watch the rest on catch-up, and must agree that it was - to say the least - pretty good. Phil (PJA) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 31 March , 2014 Share Posted 31 March , 2014 Thoroughly enjoyed it. Yet another good programme in the Centenary thread. David I'd go so far as to say the only good programme of the two I've watched so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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