I had no idea this disaster involved sharks, it predated the Indianapolis tragedy by almost a century. I learned something new about the Birkenhead drill of women and children first. RIP to all of the victims and survivors 😢🙏vaya con Dios y en paz descansen. Well done, amigo.😊

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Harry. I like these small snippets of history, as well as finding out more about the big stories.

@eamonnclabby7067

2 ай бұрын

​@@TheHistoryChap...maybe the Proudman Institute aka Bidston Observatory, and the crucial role in the planning of tidal tables for D day...? ...or the CSS Alabama built here in Birkenhead..?.. 😊😊

@mickmacgonigle5021

Ай бұрын

Sharks dont infest waters ......they live there

The waters off Hermanus are cold, even in our summer, when this tragedy occurred. Further up the coast towards Natal, the Benguela Current brings warm water down the coast from the northern part of the Indian ocean, which clashes with the cold Agulhas Current around the Cape, giving rise to the Cape of Storms. I promised I would swim in the Atlantic Ocean around Cape Town like I had in the Indian Ocean around Durban, but only put one foot in that chilly water before chickening out. 5 hours in those waters was a feat of super-human strength.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

That is fascinating. Thank you for sharing your local knowledge.

Kipling's response to this incident comes towards the end of his poem," Soldier an' Sailor Too". "To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and , an' leave an' liking to shout; But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An they done it, the Jollies -- 'Er Majesty's Jollies -- soldier an' sailor too!"

@ImperialistRunningDo

2 ай бұрын

I came here to say that.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing

@wolfysmith4752

2 ай бұрын

Kipling is one of our greatest writers - as relevant today as he was 150 years ago.

@ianbentley-rb7hs

2 ай бұрын

@@wolfysmith4752 Kipling was born on 30th December 1865, so 150 years ago he was 8 years old! Ooops, my OCD is showing again.

@wolfysmith4752

2 ай бұрын

@@ianbentley-rb7hs He was proboably a better writer at 8, than most other writers are as adults !

As someone who lives right next door to Birkenhead on the Wirral, I had no idea of this event and the ship! Fascinating video as usual.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I think there is a mural on a wall in Birkenhead depicting this tragedy

@rulebritannia2948

2 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryChap yes I've seen it actually! Never knew quite what it was until now

@jeffsmith2022

2 ай бұрын

What is the Wirral old boy?...

@ImperialistRunningDo

2 ай бұрын

​@@jeffsmith2022 Birkenhead is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England.

@PaulFellows3430

2 ай бұрын

@@jeffsmith2022 The Wirral Peninsula is a peninsula of land forming part of mainland Great Britain, on which Birkenhead (and several other towns) are located.

Fascinating and inspiring as usual. Thanks Chris.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

I'd never heard of this disaster, but knew the Birkenhead Rule by name. Thank you for explaining where it came from. A truly terrifying experience in deed .

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

thanks for watching my video & our comment.

you have such consistent quality! may i suggest something on war of the spanish succession and the battles of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during that war.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

That's a great idea. I will add it to my list so watch this space!

@chezburger1781

2 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryChap tbh you would cover it better than anyone else

@Antonnick

2 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryChap Excellent! I went to the spot a few years ago and visited the Museum in Höchstädt where the Battle of Blenheim took place (August 1705 from memory - the Battle not my visit). I was inspired to do so after reading the book on it written by Pricess Diana's brother. In Germany, noone had heard of "Blenheim" as this is the english corruption of the village of "Blindheim". I am sure you would make a great story telling video of it all.

Thank you Chris.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure

I've heard it said that this incident contributed greatly to the death toll after the Titanic sank. Many lifeboats left at least half empty due to men who could have provided oar power or navigation skills stood back due to fear of being branded cowards.

@jeffsmith2022

2 ай бұрын

Facts, please...

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Interesting thought.

I left the Queens Royal Irish Hussars in 1990, our junior officers where all Cornets and I believe the Queens Royal Hussars carry this tradition on. The 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars charged at Balaclava, fought at Gwalior during the Indian mutiny and won the odd VC in both actions. A regiment well worth looking at, but then I might be a teeny weeny biased. Love your vlogs.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your interesting feedback & for watching my video

One hopes that in a moment of crisis like that they would do themselves credit like Col. Seton and those British soldiers. Thanks for sharing the story Chris.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

Another well done video Chris!!!!

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Many thanks

Chris. thanks for another awesome tale.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure, thanks for your support

As usual, exceptionally well researched.

@TheHistoryChap

Ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind feedback

Thank you for a great program. 👍

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you e joyed it, thanks for watching.

Thanks again Chris, for another fascinating story and told so well, Cheers.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

awesome Chris thanks so much

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching.

Brilliant storytelling as always. Thank you sir

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for another fantastic story, stay well.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for another great video. There is more to the Birkenhead illustrious history. When the SS Great Britain ran aground in Dundrum Bay, Ireland, the Birkenhead was dispatched to assist. She made several failed attempts at towing the SS Great Britain off the sands and also ferrying men and materials out to the stricken Great Britain. In fact there is an anchor from the Birkenhead in memorial on Dundrum Bay promenade.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Fascinating. Thanks for taking the time to add to this story

Fantastically narrated as always. Fascinating story thank you 👍🏼

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

excellent video, keep it up

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

There is also a plaque/monument, as ordered by Queen Victoria, on The Colonnade at The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, commemorating the disaster with all the names and regiments of the souls who were lost in this tragic event.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing.

I watched a number of your videos when I was Flat on my back with Cancer in 2022 / 2023 I felt lousy but enjoyed them all , especially sad about some of the VC’s from the Rourkes drift , , there were some very brave blokes around then , but far less now

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my videos, glad you enjoyed them. Best wishes.

Thanks for this video, Chris. To my shame I was unaware of this disaster.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Well, I hope you found it both interesting and enjoyable

A tragic story excellently told 👏thanks

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks very much for taking the time to watch.

Well presented as always......though I could've sworn that you had already posted this story a couple of years ago.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I did a quick 3 minute video about 3 years ago. This retells the story in more detail.

I'd never heard of this, thanks for the video.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video

I don’t usually watch or enjoy documentaries about the Royal Navy or any naval history, I am a huge fan of aircraft and the army, but as the title was about a ship from Liverpool (Liverpool F.C Fan) I decided to watch, and I am very glad I did, I learnt that the British 🇬🇧 “Stiff upper Lip” is or was something that genuinely existed and that the “Women and Children first” was also a thing, but the history of this terrible tragedy is so enthralling and informative, you made the events spring to life, very well presented and visually stunning, thanks for sharing it with us all. Subscribed. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇦

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your support & for taking the time to comment.

You have wonderful gift of story telling. I very much enjoy hearing the history of my British cousins,

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for this piece of history which resonates with me having been to to the location while working in S Africa in 1974. A memorial plaque was installed at the base of the lighthouse which I have photographs of but I have read that this plaque was removed in recent years and another, more modern, memorial installed away from the lighthouse. I also understood at the time that the offshore rock/s were named the Birkenhead Rock/s.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your story.

@stigmontgomery7901

2 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryChap For photos of the plaque, see here: www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/hms_birkenhead_memorial_plaque.htm

I remember I read about the Birkenhead in a book about famous shark attacks many years ago. A scary story still today! Thanks for telling it.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed my video & thanks for taking the time to share your story.

brilliant chris.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks for your support.

What a Heartrending Story, Very Well Told!!!

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Chris, I saw some time ago a post about this story and in comparing you are in a other league l have to say! Friedrich Wilhelm wasn't not that typical prussian king as we think to know it..But you're absolute right about the bravery of the British men! Makes my day that there are people who are patriots and can say so without harsh political correctness consequences. ❤ In Germany it seemed long time that the Birkenhead drill was a german invention, the name fit's more or less to our tongue. This guy's were just heroes. Little zoological remark, perhaps the most of the killers were bull sharks and the whites took only the dead and the naked ones, skin similar to young seals. Never again was a bunch of so many whites localized in that area as needed to finish of the hundreds of men. I don't know what I would do in this situation...All the best from Ludwig.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to comment & for watching my video.

A great story of heroism.....thank you❤

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.

I had a relative who drowned - Charles William Robinson who was in the 73rd Regiment of Foot. An Irishman in a Highland Regiment. His brother my Great Great Grandfather commanded the Irish Fusiliers at El Teb.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story.

To have to stand still for the Birkenhead drill is a mighty tough bullet to chew....

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your comment.

"The Birkenhead Drill" by Douglas W. Phillips, 2001, is a short read but very detailed account.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing the book details

A beautiful, sad and tragic story of bravery and courage in the face of disaster. To me, the greatest legacy of that tragic event is the legacy of "The Birkenhead Drill." It reminds us today of the days when men were really men. As an aside, in the Titanic disaster, 78% of the women and children survived and only 15% of the men. The reason was that the men on the Titanic still believed in women and children first.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your feedback.

As strange as it may seem I knew about the "HMS Birkenhead" 55 years ago here in Argentina. I was 10 at the time and I remember the impact that story had on me. I was visiting my grandfather who used to receive the "Reader´s Digest", and it was there that I found an article about the "Birkenhead". I was obviously born with an old-fashioned sense of honour because I remember being very moved by the story. Something like that would be impossible today because the men (and the women) of our time have NOTHING in common with those of Victorian times, and this is not limited to the UK, of course. That kind of people disappeared in the 1960s when it became "fashionable" to mock heroism and "stiff upper lip". It is called DECADENCE.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to share your family story.

British discipline, legendary for a reason. Heros every one of them.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed my video, thanks for watching.

_Soldier and sailor too_ *Rudyard Kipling* As I was spittin' into the Ditch aboard o' the Crocodile, I seed a man on a man-o'-war got up in the Reg'lars' style. 'E was scrapin' the paint from off of 'er plates, an' I sez to 'im, "'Oo are you?" Sez 'e, "I'm a Jolly-'Er Majesty's Jolly-soldier an' sailor too!" Now 'is work begins by Gawd knows when, and 'is work is never through; 'E isn't one o' the reg'lar Line, nor 'e isn't one of the crew. 'E's a kind of a giddy harumfrodite-soldier an' sailor too! An', after I met 'im all over the world, a-doin' all kinds of things, Like landin' 'isself with a Gatlin' gun to talk to them 'eathen kings; 'E sleeps in an 'ammick instead of a cot, an' 'e drills with the deck on a slew, An' 'e sweats like a Jolly-'Er Majesty's Jolly-soldier an' sailor too! For there isn't a job on the top o' the earth the beggar don't know, nor do- You can leave 'im at night on a bald man's 'ead, to paddle 'is own canoe- 'E's a sort of a bloomin' cosmopolouse-soldier an' sailor too. We've fought 'em in trooper, we've fought 'em in dock, and drunk with 'em in betweens, When they called us the seasick scull'ry-maids, an' we called 'em the Ass-Marines; But, when we was down for a double fatigue, from Woolwich to Bernardmyo, We sent for the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too! They think for 'emselves, an' they steal for 'emselves, and they never ask what's to do, But they're camped an' fed an' they're up an' fed before our bugle's blew. Ho! they ain't no limpin' procrastitutes-soldier an' sailor too. You may say we are fond of an 'arness-cut, or 'ootin' in barrick-yards, Or startin' a Board School mutiny along o' the Onion Guards; But once in a while we can finish in style for the ends of the earth to view, The same as the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too! They come of our lot, they was brothers to us; they was beggars we'd met an' knew; Yes, barrin' an inch in the chest an' the arm, they was doubles o' me an' you; For they weren't no special chrysanthemums-soldier an' sailor too! To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, an' leave an' likin' to shout; But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An' they done it, the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too! Their work was done when it 'adn't begun; they was younger nor me an' you; Their choice it was plain between drownin' in 'eaps an' bein' mopped by the screw, So they stood an' was still to the Birken'ead drill, soldier an' sailor too! We're most of us liars, we're 'arf of us thieves, an' the rest are as rank as can be, But once in a while we can finish in style (which I 'ope it won't 'appen to me). But it makes you think better o' you an' your friends, an' the work you may 'ave to do, When you think o' the sinkin' Victorier's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too! Now there isn't no room for to say ye don't know-they 'ave proved it plain and true- That whether it's Widow, or whether it's ship, Victorier's work is to do, An' they done it, the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too!

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to write to share Kiplings poem honouring this event

@nordan00

2 ай бұрын

You typed that whole thing out, you crazy bastard?

@HM2SGT

2 ай бұрын

@@nordan00 😳🙀😹 Oh dear. Oh, my... no. As much as I like Kipling, thankfully this is the age of copy & paste- through the courtesy of the Kipling society of the UK

@nordan00

2 ай бұрын

@@HM2SGT Oh, I gotta figure out how to do that!

@HM2SGT

2 ай бұрын

@@nordan00 👍 I had to get somebody from a younger generation to show me. I'm an analog man in a digital world!

Great one as always! What a tragic story filled with honor, courage, and sacrifice. Reminds me a lot of Titanic. Chris, you should see the movie Titanic, a sad story but well made.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

Always fascinated by this story. Incredible bravery by the men

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

Never heard of this disaster. I learned something today. Having viewed this production, I concluded that there wasn't anything else they could do but go down with the ship and save the women and children. Might aswell drown whilst standing to attention rather than drown as a panicking rabble. The thought of being Lunch for the Great White Shark makes me shiver. God, I hate Sharks. No PBYs in those days ! Interesting, absorbing, and held my attention. Good work.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to comment.

@oldgitsknowstuff

2 ай бұрын

@TheHistoryChap After watching your presentation, I went to KZread and brought up the scene from Jaws..entitled.. 'We delivered the bomb'. I think the scene more or less describes the terror of shipwrecked mariners in a sea full of hungry Sharks.

So sad. I wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t pulled back off the rocks?

@Lassisvulgaris

2 ай бұрын

Seems to be a standard mistake....

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video and your comment

tyvm for this well known maritime tragedy tale, Chris. 🐿🇨🇦😁

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching

Very interesting story. True soldiers.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

thanks for watching my video.

I had never heard the expression The Birkinhead Drill. And I shall never forget it.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your comment.

Thank you very much Chris for a great video about British stoicism.💂‍♂️🛳

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it. If you haven't already, please do subscribe to my channel so you don't miss future videos

There is a full account online of a teenage midshipman who survived by holding onto a horse that was swimming to shore. What struck me was how when he made it to shore he found a group of soldiers and sailors who looked at him and asked "what do we do now sir?". They were the ones who alerted farmers.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your feedback.

Additionally, in history at school the wars were always known as the Kaffir wars not the Xhosa wars.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your interesting comment.

Interesting video, Chris, and thank you for it. I had never heard about that disaster and the “Birkenhead Drill” named after it. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the Birkenhead Drill was followed everywhere. I’ve been reading a book about the famous _Andrea Doria_ disaster in 1956. The first lifeboats to leave that unfortunate, sinking ship did not contain women and children, but mostly grown men. They were, mind you, mostly non-sailors, like waiters, stewards and kitchen help, but they were all male and all well above the legal age. But then, of course, the _Andrea Doria_ wasn’t _British_ …

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & the feedback.

Very interesting and basically unknown story of bravery and sacrifice.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your comment.

7:13 interesting…when I did my basic training with the QRIH in 1988, our officer was a cornet, not second lieutenant. That rank was and is still in use after their amalgamation with the QOH (my old regiment) in 1992 to become the QRH’s. Of course, that may have changed now…

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to comment.

Women and children first.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Yes, you are correct. Hope you enjoy this short, but important story.

@patrioticarchive

2 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryChap I did. Thank you once again for sharing these amazing stories from British history.

In 1960s US world high school history class, that poem was read out to us.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

thanks for your comment & for watching my video

Hello from deepest Birkenhead....there is a fantastic painting of the Birkenhead drill in the Williamson art gallery in Birkenhead...well done sir...next up Lily Savage...only kidding...E..

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for your feedback.

My father, a 9/12 Royal Lancer had this painting reproduced for the WO’s & Sgt’s mess, I have no idea what has happened to this since the amalgamation. The bell from HMS Birkenhead hung outside the RHQ building at the 9/12L for as long as I can remember…again, don’t know where it is now.

@Bones-912L

2 ай бұрын

Nice one yozza

@Bones-912L

2 ай бұрын

The Birkenhead bell is still on the 9/12 Royal Lancers memorial outside regimental headquarters, The Royal Lancers, Cambrai Brks ,Catterick

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to share your family story.

@johnhughes4147

2 ай бұрын

@@Bones-912L good to know, I left when they were still in Hohne, and amalgamated the next year…… Cheers for letting me know its still being used as a ROP’s cleaning task…

@Bones-912L

2 ай бұрын

That's all I did I wolfers ROPs polishing that bugger ,your dad always gave me a easy time when he was on duty top bloke sorry to hear he passed recently ,condolences bud ,

It is thought that Great White Sharks can mistakenly identify humans in the water as seals. Blubber being their preferred diet. Surfers and in this case unclothed soldiers would be very much a target for them. Never heard of this tragic event. Thanks Chris. 👍

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Yes, it is interesting that Girardot pointed out that men, not wearing clothes were more likely to be attacked. Maybe the sharks took them for seals.

@gazza2933

2 ай бұрын

​@@TheHistoryChap I think so. Of course they didn't have that information/knowledge back then.

Rudyard Kipling did not write a poem about the Birkenhead disaster. He wrote a poem about the Royal Marines and the unique duality of their position on board ship, calling the poem ‘Soldier an sailor too’. I suggest that he hints at a mature understanding when he refers to a ‘mighty tough bullet to chew’. In history, in times when ships crews had been pressed into service, Marines were conceived as a ship’s fighting complement and also as a kind of ships police at the disposal of the Captain. The commanding officer of the ship was its Captain. The army officers did his bidding and the Royal Marines were present, how may I put it, to ensure there was no confusion. The musters of the Birkenhead were lost but it is reported that six Royal Marines survived the sinking. By implication Kipling is observing that they must have been among the last to look to themselves. I am observing, as I believe Kipling was, that Royal Marines received scant credit for what they did on that day, but contributed to retrieving something noble out of an unmitigated disaster.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Godbless em, brave men.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Yes they were

There is so much written and said these days about the terrible British and their colonising history, what gets missed is the bravery of such men .....British men,

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video

I was already aware of the Birkenhead from a storey I read as a kid, such bravery , I’m still amazed by it, unfortunately I suspect gen Z and a lot of men would not behave like this but save themselves . I hope I am never in that position

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to comment.

Takes balls to stand calm under fire. And even bigger balls to stand there as a ship sinks with water coming up to your ankles knowing theres jack all you can do

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for taking the time to comment.

As a South African I have never heard Great Whites being called Tommy Sharks.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for your comment.

Great to see the map of South Africa with Worcester in there!

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, & thanks for watching my video.

My wife is related to the man (and his team) who found the wreck.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to share your family story.

Great post, thank you. Imagine this nowadays, are you a woman, identify as a women, etc, etc.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Chuckling 😂

Unfortunately, in some cultures, the men would have no qualms about tossing the women and kids overboard just to save their own lives!

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your feedback.

No offense, but what is it with the British and lifeboats? PS You missed the most famous line of the poem; the one that resonates - But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew,

@HM2SGT

2 ай бұрын

*_An' they done it, the Jollies-'Er Majesty's Jollies-soldier an' sailor too!_*

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Kipling paying homage to

@georgeflanagan5201

2 ай бұрын

@formwiz7096 - If you are referring to the Titanic then perhaps you are not aware that the number of lifeboats to passengers/crew on Titanic compared favourably to many other shipping lines and other nations shipping lines at that time. Don't believe all the popular myths.

Wow, it's just like the USS Indianapolis. Chlling story. “Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into her side, Chief. We was comin’ back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. We’d just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn’t see the first shark for about a half-hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that in the water, Chief? You can tell by lookin’ from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn’t know, was that our bomb mission was so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn’t even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin’ by, so we formed ourselves into tight groups. It was sorta like you see in the calendars, you know the infantry squares in the old calendars like the Battle of Waterloo and the idea was the shark come to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin’ and hollerin’ and sometimes that shark he go away… but sometimes he wouldn’t go away. Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don’t know how many sharks there were, maybe a thousand. I do know how many men, they averaged six an hour. Thursday mornin’, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boson’s mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. He bobbed up, down in the water, he was like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he’d been bitten in half below the waist. At noon on the fifth day, a Lockheed Ventura swung in low and he spotted us, a young pilot, lot younger than Mr. Hooper here, anyway he spotted us and a few hours later a big ol’ fat PBY come down and started to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened. Waitin’ for my turn. I’ll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water. 316 men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.”

@glenchapman3899

2 ай бұрын

Story about that. Robert Shaw was fall down drunk when first did that scene. When he sobered up he went to Spielberg and apologized and asked if they could redo the scene. The version in the film is a one shot deal

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & for takin the time to comment.

Good Lord, such an awful bit of history Chris, Friday A.M., it is...

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, glad you enjoyed my video

I thought you already covered this? Otherwise, whatever I read or heard was in your voice.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I did a 3 minute video about 3 years ago. This goes into a lot more depth.

Fab video and narration. This historical fact was taught as part of our regimental history of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders now 5 Scots. No / Sp

@TheHistoryChap

Ай бұрын

I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to post a comment.

Ah the incident that gave the Great White Shark the moniker, Tommy Shark

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Yip, mentioned in my video.

❤

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching

@kennethanderson1685

2 ай бұрын

@TheHistoryChap you're welcome, sir.

STIFF UPPER LIP🇬🇧

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video.

👍👍👍

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

Yes matey it's me

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video.

Go to your God, like a soldier

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video

I guess the Titanic didn’t get the memo on the Birkenhead drill.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video & your comment.

Well I certainly NEVER knew about this little topic literally until only just now, Chris old chap, seriously, what DO you keep on doing to me, posting about events, military and non-military together, which I've NEVER ever known about in my entire life years despite being such a big history lover and nerd until YOU come along, hahaha? And WOW, MY GOD... And I've known full well about the similar, if you could perhaps call them that IMO, events which befell the USS Indianapolis towards the end of WWII, when she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine after delivering the first atom bomb to Tinian in the Pacific, and after she sunk most of her crew ended up in shark infested waters and succumbed to the jaws of the sea living man-eaters, the Nic Cage lead movie based on said events I've STILL to bloody get seeing FGS. But returning to this, the HMS Birkenhead Disaster, again, just WOW, another little event of history I've you to thank for giving to me, I'll certainly remember and take onboard the facts of the incredible those soldiers certainly displayed as their stricken ship sank below the waters and as the women and children very rightfully got outta there first

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

I'm glad you found this video interesting. Yes, it does have some similarities to the USS Indianapolis.

God Save The Queen (V).

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment

These men were MEN!.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

The Patriarchy Strikes Again.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your feedback.

Rather specific on the species of Shark responsible. I'll bet there were a great many others. Bull sharks, Blue sharks and probably even Tiger sharks. So try not to tar Mr. White with your propaganda or prejudices. 🦈

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to comment

In the woke feminist West, the new Birkenhead Drill should be: “Children and the strongest first!”

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for your comment & for watching my video

it sounds like a lot of propaganda or let's shape the news over this event took place - wonder what the Army and Navy reports said about this event and wonder if anyone got disciplined from what happened

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

The surviving Royal Navy crew were court marshalled for the loss of the vessel, as was the custom. However, as no senior officers survived no one was disciplined and indeed captain Salmond was cleared of any wrongdoing

Stand and be Still to the Birkenhead Drill

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Nice poem. Thanks for posting.

Except on the Titanic were it was rich people, women and children first.

@TheHistoryChap

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching my video.