WWl. I don't believe this!!

[Sunray]

"...Is that senior officer not Sir Sam Hughes..." Yep. A more loony and corrupt politician has yet to appear. Well, maybe not a more corrupt politician.
"...he forced him to resign..." Borden fired Hughes for over stepping his authority and publically criticzing Borden.

[Gibbs505]

Interesting conversation peice!

[DANCESWITHEMPTIES]

"YOU SAY A CHICKEN CANNON DID THIS?"... (Royal Canadian Airfarce)

[wireless_wpn]

Useless design, but a Holly Grail for Canadian Militaria collectors !

Oh sh*t! I have seen one of these at a Passchendaele farm.
This was among several items that a farmer friend was showing a buddy and me.
I actually had one of those shovels in my hand, and no, it was not a rust hole.

I passed on it for an exploded 18 pounder that I found in his field.

I have toured these areas several times. I follow the path of my Father's Uncle
Charles Arthur Parkes who was with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles 1914-17.
Medically discharged upon being gassed at Vimy in 1917.

I will be returning this Sept.
I will drop by my friend the farmer once again in Passchendaele.

[A. F Medic]

[QUOTE=wireless_wpn;110406]Oh sh*t! I have seen one of these at a Passchendaele farm.
This was among several items that a farmer friend was showing a buddy and me.
I actually had one of those shovels in my hand, and no, it was not a rust hole.

I passed on it for an exploded 18 pounder that I found in his field.

I have toured these areas several times. I follow the path of my Father's Uncle
Charles Arthur Parkes who was with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles 1914-17.
Medically discharged upon being gassed at Vimy in 1917.


Get me one also. Since I started the thread. I will pay postage etc. Well, I can hope can't I? Please be real careful out there, some of those olds things, still bite!!!

[wireless_wpn]

some of those olds things, still bite!!!

Yes, I do know what you mean.
I stay away from things that look that they have life left in them.

We get permission and look.
I have been to these areas many times over the years.

I dang near could set up a small museum in my home.
I have met and been along with "Digger's" a group from Belgium.

I could go on for hours about the area.

It is one of my loves of life. (touring and researching Battlefields)

[A. F Medic]

Send us of images of your collection. We love those type of things! Plea for a shovel still stands. I envy you!

The only thing we had up here were French and Indians.What items they left behind, rotted quite quickly.

[Mk VII]

It was patented in the name of Miss MacAdam, one of the Minister's secretaries. Whether she actually had anything to do with it is debatable. The consensus among the troops was that somebody who approved it must have had a financial interest in the thing.

[smellie]

That may have been the consensus among the troops, but the fact is that other armies also used the things, notably the Austro-Hungarians and the Swiss. In all fairness, though, they didn't like them, either.

I think that one of the reasons they had to get rid of Hughes is that he wasn't corrupt ENOUGH. His policy with anyone trying to sell equipment to the CEF was to hand them a commission and then make them the officer in charge of procurement for that item. That way, if there were any shenanigans, Hughes would have them into a MILITARY court. Somebody with very sticky fingers could easily get shot but, if he went to a civilian court, he could tie it up for years and then get away with a $100 fine.... while the kit-bag full of money was safely stashed in Switzerland.

If you think there was no corruption in the Canadian Government, take a quick look at what happened AFTER the fighting was over. The vast bulk of our Army was marooned in Europe for most of a YEAR while every available ship raced back and forth across the Atlantic, loaded with Canadian wheat at $5 a bushel. Gold was $20 an ounce. Gold today is $1220 an ounce and wheat is..... about 4 bucks. There was a LOT of money made by The Right People and the Canadian Corps paid the bill.

There is a Canadian/British film made with NFB/CBC/BBC money called "Going Home" about the events leading up to the rioting in the Welsh camps. Most brutal bayonet-fighting ever filmed: Red Caps against unarmed CEF. Good scene with a Stripped Ross, too. It was shown on television ONCE. Check it out: it's not on ANY of their lists of films for sale, nor does it even exist in the NFB database! I have seen it, credits and all.

ALL of the truth about Hughes still has not been told and likely never will be. He's just too handy as a scapegoat. He is widely-famed as 'insane' because he told the Government to buy 'sticks' for the men to clean their rifles; he was talking about a 5-cent accessory which Borden refused to buy. LOT of the past is still unsavoury, still buried conveniently. I don't handle a $100 bill without feeling soiled... and the 50 is worse.... be much nicer to see Currie and McNaughton on them.