Mark Barnes
@markbarnesn16.bsky.social
Retired Fleet Street foot soldier (1975-2024). Ink in my veins. Arsenal fan. Indifferent runner. Life on the Essex Riviera, photography, cars, military history, model making, armour, aviation, other nonsense.
Armour & Embarkation 2026 promises to be just as brilliantly daft as previous outings. I've been lucky to have had a front row seat each time.
January 15, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Armour & Embarkation 2026 promises to be just as brilliantly daft as previous outings. I've been lucky to have had a front row seat each time.
The tracked Kubel has paint... Further progress tomorrow. Meanwhile scheming over the Warhammer Valkyrie is in hand. #histscalemodels #scalemodels
January 15, 2026 at 4:26 PM
The tracked Kubel has paint... Further progress tomorrow. Meanwhile scheming over the Warhammer Valkyrie is in hand. #histscalemodels #scalemodels
Armour & Embarkation is back again in June. We'll be out to liberate Dorchester once more. The locals were quite pleased to see us last time. Around 10,000 came out to see the convoy arrive. It was an amazing experience.
January 15, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Armour & Embarkation is back again in June. We'll be out to liberate Dorchester once more. The locals were quite pleased to see us last time. Around 10,000 came out to see the convoy arrive. It was an amazing experience.
The current state of the Meng half-track Kubelwagen. Only the windscreen is absent. This is a lovely kit but I'm a tad worried about the delicate hubs for the tracked units, but I'll just have to be very careful. #histscalemodels
January 13, 2026 at 10:17 PM
The current state of the Meng half-track Kubelwagen. Only the windscreen is absent. This is a lovely kit but I'm a tad worried about the delicate hubs for the tracked units, but I'll just have to be very careful. #histscalemodels
More fantastic archive from Sammy.
#OnThisDay 13 January 1944 tirailleurs of the 3e Division d'Infanterie Algérienne in the Mona Casale sector, Italy, part of the allied offensive aimed at reaching the Rapido River.
#WWII #WW2 #MilitaryHistory #France #Italy #Algeria
#WWII #WW2 #MilitaryHistory #France #Italy #Algeria
January 13, 2026 at 9:17 PM
More fantastic archive from Sammy.
RIP Eddie McCreadie.
January 13, 2026 at 5:41 PM
RIP Eddie McCreadie.
Unexpected item in the building area. I wasn't going to start a new project this week, but rain and family stuff has dictated otherwise. This neat Meng 1/35 half-track Kubelwagen is well underway. So far, so good. The 3D print parts are really smart. Fun times pretty much. #histscalemodels
January 13, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Unexpected item in the building area. I wasn't going to start a new project this week, but rain and family stuff has dictated otherwise. This neat Meng 1/35 half-track Kubelwagen is well underway. So far, so good. The 3D print parts are really smart. Fun times pretty much. #histscalemodels
#histscalemodels Just glanced at Scalemates and another 1/35th scale Tiger is inbound. Sigh.....
January 12, 2026 at 5:21 PM
#histscalemodels Just glanced at Scalemates and another 1/35th scale Tiger is inbound. Sigh.....
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.... The Essex Riviera
January 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.... The Essex Riviera
Reposted by Mark Barnes
Ah. Shameless self-interest every time. He’ll fit right in.
Zawahi failed to secure peerage from Badenoch before Reform UK defection, Tory sources claim – UK politics live www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Zawahi failed to secure peerage from Badenoch before Reform UK defection, Tory sources claim – UK politics live
‘Given he was sacked for his dodgy tax affairs, this was never going to happen,’ says source
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Ah. Shameless self-interest every time. He’ll fit right in.
Reposted by Mark Barnes
We cannot allow Nigel Farage & others to rewrite history. If UK News Shows won’t call this absolute boll**** out let’s do it ourselves
If UK news shows are going to give Nigel Farage a platform to spout this absolute boll**** about Brexit & the vaccine rollout (unchallenged) I’ll happily come back every week to correct it.
We cannot allow him & others to rewrite history.
youtu.be/vL7_mwSNMvc?...
We cannot allow him & others to rewrite history.
youtu.be/vL7_mwSNMvc?...
When are UK News Shows going to start calling out Nigel Farage and his completely rubbished claims?
YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
We cannot allow Nigel Farage & others to rewrite history. If UK News Shows won’t call this absolute boll**** out let’s do it ourselves
⬇️
Amazingly, Zahawi only got round to deleting the below after the press conference announcing his defection to Reform.
January 12, 2026 at 1:55 PM
⬇️
Reposted by Mark Barnes
12.01.1940|SS unit dispatched from Lublin was sent to the nearby city of Chełm. That day they murdered all 440 patients of the local psychiatric hospital including 128 women and 18 children. It was one of the operations conducted in the General Government within the "T4" forced euthanasia programme.
January 12, 2026 at 1:27 PM
12.01.1940|SS unit dispatched from Lublin was sent to the nearby city of Chełm. That day they murdered all 440 patients of the local psychiatric hospital including 128 women and 18 children. It was one of the operations conducted in the General Government within the "T4" forced euthanasia programme.
Reposted by Mark Barnes
The Focke-Wulf 189 (1938) was a tactical reconnaissance and army co-operation aircraft, designed to replace the Henschel 126. The type possessed excellent crew visibility, was highly manoeuvrable and surprisingly rugged. It served almost exclusively on the Eastern Front.
📷 IWM CH 16123
🧵1/10
📷 IWM CH 16123
🧵1/10
January 11, 2026 at 12:32 PM
The Focke-Wulf 189 (1938) was a tactical reconnaissance and army co-operation aircraft, designed to replace the Henschel 126. The type possessed excellent crew visibility, was highly manoeuvrable and surprisingly rugged. It served almost exclusively on the Eastern Front.
📷 IWM CH 16123
🧵1/10
📷 IWM CH 16123
🧵1/10
This is definitely an evening for discovering Ethiopian jazz.
January 10, 2026 at 10:29 PM
This is definitely an evening for discovering Ethiopian jazz.
Fascinating
January 10, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Fascinating
Reposted by Mark Barnes
The Blackburn Botha (1938) was designed as a maritime patrol aircraft and torpedo bomber. However, the type was underpowered, among other issues, and proved unsuitable for its intended purpose. It saw very limited frontline service before moving to secondary roles.
📷 RAF Museum
🧵1/7
📷 RAF Museum
🧵1/7
January 10, 2026 at 10:12 AM
The Blackburn Botha (1938) was designed as a maritime patrol aircraft and torpedo bomber. However, the type was underpowered, among other issues, and proved unsuitable for its intended purpose. It saw very limited frontline service before moving to secondary roles.
📷 RAF Museum
🧵1/7
📷 RAF Museum
🧵1/7
The Airfix Alvis Stalwart in Matchbox toys inspired BP livery is done. Barrels, buckets and the mesh fence are Tamiya bits. (The fence is from the Sheridan kit). The gas cannisters and pallets from MiniArt, tyres from HobbyBoss kits spares. I'm really pleased with it. #histscalemodels #scalemodels
January 9, 2026 at 4:27 PM
The Airfix Alvis Stalwart in Matchbox toys inspired BP livery is done. Barrels, buckets and the mesh fence are Tamiya bits. (The fence is from the Sheridan kit). The gas cannisters and pallets from MiniArt, tyres from HobbyBoss kits spares. I'm really pleased with it. #histscalemodels #scalemodels
JFC
Editorial in the National Catholic Reporter: "The vice president's comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel."
Catholic Vice President Vance takes to social media to justify killing of Renee Good
After the tragic shooting of Renee Good at the hands of ICE, the Catholic vice president of the United States took to social media to justify the killing.
www.ncronline.org
January 8, 2026 at 11:40 PM
JFC
Ok... Stella in a Carlsberg glass... I have no mitigation...
January 8, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Ok... Stella in a Carlsberg glass... I have no mitigation...
Not my first choice but needs as needs must
January 8, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Not my first choice but needs as needs must
Reposted by Mark Barnes
It is within living memory. It is well attested. People like Vance are drenched in its story. He & his peers studied it at good universities, they read about it in best sellers. If he actually believes these asinine gobbets of fascism then our species is absolutely without a serious future.
January 8, 2026 at 3:33 PM
It is within living memory. It is well attested. People like Vance are drenched in its story. He & his peers studied it at good universities, they read about it in best sellers. If he actually believes these asinine gobbets of fascism then our species is absolutely without a serious future.
Reposted by Mark Barnes
To the Immortal Memory!
Via the Nelson Society UK:
On this day in 1806 the body of Admiral Lord Nelson was carried by barge up the River Thames from Greenwich... before his funeral... at St Paul's Cathedral.
See: www.facebook.com/share/1DErm4...
www.nigelamieshistoricaleducation.com
Via the Nelson Society UK:
On this day in 1806 the body of Admiral Lord Nelson was carried by barge up the River Thames from Greenwich... before his funeral... at St Paul's Cathedral.
See: www.facebook.com/share/1DErm4...
www.nigelamieshistoricaleducation.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:19 PM
To the Immortal Memory!
Via the Nelson Society UK:
On this day in 1806 the body of Admiral Lord Nelson was carried by barge up the River Thames from Greenwich... before his funeral... at St Paul's Cathedral.
See: www.facebook.com/share/1DErm4...
www.nigelamieshistoricaleducation.com
Via the Nelson Society UK:
On this day in 1806 the body of Admiral Lord Nelson was carried by barge up the River Thames from Greenwich... before his funeral... at St Paul's Cathedral.
See: www.facebook.com/share/1DErm4...
www.nigelamieshistoricaleducation.com
A quick pic of the Airfix Stalwart. There are a few details to sort before I start on the load. The Insidethearmour 3D exhaust guard looks fab. Warhammer decal "61" is the Matchbox toy catalogue number. BP decals from a bloke in Brazil. Dutch number plates from the AK Citroën HY. #histscalemodels
January 8, 2026 at 3:12 PM
A quick pic of the Airfix Stalwart. There are a few details to sort before I start on the load. The Insidethearmour 3D exhaust guard looks fab. Warhammer decal "61" is the Matchbox toy catalogue number. BP decals from a bloke in Brazil. Dutch number plates from the AK Citroën HY. #histscalemodels
Reposted by Mark Barnes
(Time again to promote my two books, something I tend to forget to do regularly. 😟) If you like to collect all available facts and form your own opinion about Market Garden please visit my website pre-jump.nl. (I have no marketing department so a repost is really appreciated.)
A Bridge Too Far is a Hollywood view of Market Garden. My two books are based on facts, primary sources.
Why and where did Market Garden fail? Purchase Lost at Nijmegen. All Market Garden facts from primary sources? Purchase Little Sense of Urgency
pre-jump.nl
March 28, 2025 at 11:12 AM
(Time again to promote my two books, something I tend to forget to do regularly. 😟) If you like to collect all available facts and form your own opinion about Market Garden please visit my website pre-jump.nl. (I have no marketing department so a repost is really appreciated.)