Norris' History Corner

A channel where I post things I find interesting from history

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Has anyone ever had their Victoria Cross taken away?

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The Real Rotten Saga: Who were the real Blackadders? (part 1)

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Fort Nelson: Guns, guns, and more guns!

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15 Royal Navy Facts

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I had reason to go to Portsmouth on the south coast of the UK. While I was there I visited the Royal Navy Memorial and had a bit of moment. One memorial stone stood out from the rest. This is their story.

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Around 5.30am on 6th June 1944 the horizon off the Normandy beaches lit up as the vast armada of Allied ships began pounding the Atlantic Wall. Fortress Europe was about to have its door kicked in by the largest amphibious landing in history.

Many ships claim to have fired the first shots of D-Day. HMS Belfast, Orion, and Warspite are the most often quoted. The BBC at the time reported that HMS Nelson had fired the first shots. Nelson had the largest guns ever fitted to a British battleship and her sister is credited with killing the Bismarck. Her nine 16 inch guns were a force to be reckoned with and did put an end to a group of Tiger tanks in the follow up campaign.

Her crew were most impressed when they heard the news on the radio because, on that fateful day in 1944, HMS Nelson was in fact moored in Milford Haven on the South-West coast of Wales, some 270 miles away from the Normandy beaches.

Fake News, it seems, is not a new concept.

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Doctor Hood?

During WWII, future Dr Who actor Jon Pertwee served on HMS Hood, the largest warship that the British ever put to sea. At 44,000 tons the vast battlecruiser was the pride of the Royal Navy and known as Mighty Hood. In early May 1941 (some say it was 24th) Ordinary Seaman Jon Pertwee left the ship to begin training to become an officer. He was lucky.

On 25th May the pride of the German Navy, the Bismarck, met the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, and Hood lost. In less than 15 minutes of battle Hood was hit and exploded. 1415 men died in an instant. Only 3 men survived the sinking.

Pertwee went on to train commandos, worked alongside James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and reported directly to Churchill. He continued acting after the war and became the third Doctor Who. His son Sean is also an actor.

Jon Pertwee died in 1996 at the age of 76. He lost many friends on Hood back in 1941 and was very lucky to avoid the same fate.

(Picture is of HMS Barham who suffered a similar fate)

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This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Escape so I’ve put together 75 facts about the real Great Escape and the film that made it famous.

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1,358 VC’s have been awarded since 1854 but have you ever wondered who was first? 

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For thousands of years animals have been fighting alongside humans on the battlefield. Here are 5 relatively modern examples. This will become a series and each one will be categorised into saviours, survivors, and so on. 

What amazing animal war stories do you know? 

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Finally paid my respects to the hero of Arnhem.

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Useless history fact of the day:

Around 1299 AD the Ottoman Empire came into being. This empire lasted so long that one day they bought a battleship with the highest number of big guns of any modern warship. When most ships of the time had 3-5 turrets and 6-10 guns, this ship had 7 turrets with 14 main guns.

Built in Britain, originally for Brazil, the Ottomans bought the ship while it was under construction. When finished, a small Ottoman crew were heading for their ship when they were held back by Royal Marines and the ship was seized by the Royal Navy. They needed her for a small confrontation known as the First World War. She became HMS Agincourt and served throughout WWI. Sadly she was scrapped in 1922 because America was scared of the nasty big Royal Navy being big and scary.

The Ottomans were outraged by the stealing of their ships (there was a second battleship seized as well) and so joined the German side in WWI which worked out well for them...

RIP the Ottoman Empire 1299 - 1922

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Who was the last veteran of the Great War? Watch and find out!

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The story of one of the greatest snipers in military history. Held the record for the longest kill shot in the world for 35 years! The footage in the background is me screwing up a Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 mission.

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Rorke’s Drift: What happened next?

On 22nd and 23rd January 1879, 140 British soldiers held out against 4000 Zulu warriors. The battle is a legend and was immortalised in the Stanley Baker film Zulu. But what happened to the men after the battle? What became of the men who survived odds of 30-1. In this video I look into the history of the 11 Victoria Cross recipients from the battle and what became of them. Some went on to glory and Royal favour, others died penniless and destitute. Along the way I will also look into how the film differs from the real event. I don't go into the battle details too much so I suggest you read up on that first. This is my first attempt at doing something to the camera rather than just a microphone. Let me know how I did, but be nice. Constructive criticism please.

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Audie Murphy - The Most Decorated soldier in US history.