Ian Kikuchi
@curatorian.bsky.social
Historian & curator - history of war, conflict and IWM collections, with digressions into #judo and #videogames. 日本語を勉強している。Posts are personal views.
Meanwhile plugging the name Astronomer back into the IWM catalogue turns up this: a ship model showing how Astronomer was dazzle-painted in the latter part of the First World War. A neatly circular bit of research!
Pic: IWM MOD 2087 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Pic: IWM MOD 2087 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Meanwhile plugging the name Astronomer back into the IWM catalogue turns up this: a ship model showing how Astronomer was dazzle-painted in the latter part of the First World War. A neatly circular bit of research!
Pic: IWM MOD 2087 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Pic: IWM MOD 2087 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Seems like a good match, I think.
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Seems like a good match, I think.
Assuming GQNT was the ship's callsign gets you to this page from the Alphabetical List of British Registered Steam Vessels, part of the 1931 Mercantile Navy list, digitised by the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
GQNT: SS Astronomer, built 1917.
collections.mun.ca/digital/coll...
GQNT: SS Astronomer, built 1917.
collections.mun.ca/digital/coll...
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Assuming GQNT was the ship's callsign gets you to this page from the Alphabetical List of British Registered Steam Vessels, part of the 1931 Mercantile Navy list, digitised by the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
GQNT: SS Astronomer, built 1917.
collections.mun.ca/digital/coll...
GQNT: SS Astronomer, built 1917.
collections.mun.ca/digital/coll...
Running these signal flags against the International Code of Signals gives a four-letter code: GQNT.
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Running these signal flags against the International Code of Signals gives a four-letter code: GQNT.
Always amazed at the amount of research that can be done entirely online these days. A thread: 🧵
I was looking at a piece of digitised archive film (IWM AYY / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...) which includes these shots showing a ship transporting British soldiers to France in 1939:
I was looking at a piece of digitised archive film (IWM AYY / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...) which includes these shots showing a ship transporting British soldiers to France in 1939:
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Always amazed at the amount of research that can be done entirely online these days. A thread: 🧵
I was looking at a piece of digitised archive film (IWM AYY / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...) which includes these shots showing a ship transporting British soldiers to France in 1939:
I was looking at a piece of digitised archive film (IWM AYY / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...) which includes these shots showing a ship transporting British soldiers to France in 1939:
Saw this thread from Jamie and was reminded of this sequence - a Warwick Mk I does a bit of camera plane tail-chasing against the setting sun in this footage from the RAF Film Production Unit, filmed in 1944.
Film: IWM ARY 7-34 (excerpt) / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Film: IWM ARY 7-34 (excerpt) / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
November 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Saw this thread from Jamie and was reminded of this sequence - a Warwick Mk I does a bit of camera plane tail-chasing against the setting sun in this footage from the RAF Film Production Unit, filmed in 1944.
Film: IWM ARY 7-34 (excerpt) / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Film: IWM ARY 7-34 (excerpt) / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Just going to amuse myself with this for a bit.
November 8, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Just going to amuse myself with this for a bit.
Excuse me there's only one killing machine from the 80s who can pull off a red headband and not look ridiculous.
November 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Excuse me there's only one killing machine from the 80s who can pull off a red headband and not look ridiculous.
I'll see your smorking room and raise you a Rounge.
November 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
I'll see your smorking room and raise you a Rounge.
What amused me is how the Roman roadbuilders apparently got as far into Germany as the future Mainz and decided 'Nope! No further!'
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
What amused me is how the Roman roadbuilders apparently got as far into Germany as the future Mainz and decided 'Nope! No further!'
Today in 1939, during the 'Phoney War' period of the Second World War, two British soldiers pay their respects to a casualty of the First World War, at an Imperial War Graves Commission cemetery in France. #WW2 #WW1 #History
Photo: Geoffrey Keating IWM O 207 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Photo: Geoffrey Keating IWM O 207 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Today in 1939, during the 'Phoney War' period of the Second World War, two British soldiers pay their respects to a casualty of the First World War, at an Imperial War Graves Commission cemetery in France. #WW2 #WW1 #History
Photo: Geoffrey Keating IWM O 207 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Photo: Geoffrey Keating IWM O 207 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Today in 1939 British and French army officers (and a few local children) watch a demonstration by French SOMUA S35 tanks, probably near Dieppe, in footage recently digitised by the Imperial War Museum.
#filmcataloguing #history #OTD #WW2
Full film: IWM AYY 5-5 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
#filmcataloguing #history #OTD #WW2
Full film: IWM AYY 5-5 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
November 4, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Today in 1939 British and French army officers (and a few local children) watch a demonstration by French SOMUA S35 tanks, probably near Dieppe, in footage recently digitised by the Imperial War Museum.
#filmcataloguing #history #OTD #WW2
Full film: IWM AYY 5-5 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
#filmcataloguing #history #OTD #WW2
Full film: IWM AYY 5-5 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Them, a conference attendee: 'This is a comment more than a question...'
Me, a panellist:
Me, a panellist:
November 3, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Them, a conference attendee: 'This is a comment more than a question...'
Me, a panellist:
Me, a panellist:
Alan's excerpt makes me think of this - a painting of Montgomery's head, more than half a metre wide, painted by Archibald Ireson, the mayor of Stamford, and displayed in a local cinema to promote a War Savings campaign.
Image: IWM EPH 1409 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Image: IWM EPH 1409 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
November 3, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Alan's excerpt makes me think of this - a painting of Montgomery's head, more than half a metre wide, painted by Archibald Ireson, the mayor of Stamford, and displayed in a local cinema to promote a War Savings campaign.
Image: IWM EPH 1409 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Image: IWM EPH 1409 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
I've been searching for affordable stab proof clothing the last 2 hours.
November 2, 2025 at 10:37 AM
I've been searching for affordable stab proof clothing the last 2 hours.
Starting my revision for my new job as Holly, the Red Dwarf computer.
November 1, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Starting my revision for my new job as Holly, the Red Dwarf computer.
A few more images of the Aarhus raid. The briefing model, with an arrow marking the target, and a couple taken during the raid. You can see the Mosquitos have their bomb bay doors open.
IWM C 4756 / C 4762 / C 4758 / C 4760
IWM C 4756 / C 4762 / C 4758 / C 4760
October 31, 2025 at 3:31 PM
A few more images of the Aarhus raid. The briefing model, with an arrow marking the target, and a couple taken during the raid. You can see the Mosquitos have their bomb bay doors open.
IWM C 4756 / C 4762 / C 4758 / C 4760
IWM C 4756 / C 4762 / C 4758 / C 4760
Reminded of this anniversary by Dan. The Aarhus raid was filmed from a camera plane piloted by Flight Lieutenant Hanafin DFC. I think the target is glimpsed at about 12 seconds. A running figure in the street is seen at around 15 seconds.
Full film: IWM OPF 199 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Full film: IWM OPF 199 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
October 31, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reminded of this anniversary by Dan. The Aarhus raid was filmed from a camera plane piloted by Flight Lieutenant Hanafin DFC. I think the target is glimpsed at about 12 seconds. A running figure in the street is seen at around 15 seconds.
Full film: IWM OPF 199 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Full film: IWM OPF 199 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
People in my corner of Bluesky are talking about the battle of the #Somme, so here's an image to consider. The blue numbers on this map record marked burials. A marked burial might contain multiple bodies. The individual marked squares are 440 yards square. Some markings are in excess of 800.
October 30, 2025 at 3:13 PM
People in my corner of Bluesky are talking about the battle of the #Somme, so here's an image to consider. The blue numbers on this map record marked burials. A marked burial might contain multiple bodies. The individual marked squares are 440 yards square. Some markings are in excess of 800.
