BBC 4 Interesting Programs 02/04/14

[John Arton]

Two interesting programs on BBC4 last night.
The first one on the building of the Burma Railroad by POW's in WW2.
Very harrowing scenes and some interesting conversations with ex. POW's and the Japanese and also some interesting facts in that on cessation of hostilities the Japanese were put to work repairing and upgrading the rail road that they had so cruelly forced the POW's to build. Not to sure about the Japanese claim that the British wanted the railroad to be top spec in order to sell it onto the Thais though. Also the odd shot of Changi jail.
The second program followed immediately after and is part of the BBC's history of WW1 and dealt mainly on the Battle of Jutland, the submarine war and the background to the entry into WW1 of the USA.
Battle of Jutland, despite the fact that the British lost more warships than the Germans and also despite the fact that, as usual, due to a mistaken idea that the Germans on turning away from the battle and running for home knowing that they were outnumbered, the British Admiral Jellicoe failed to pursue them as he thought that they were leading his ships into a mine field and also towards submarines lying in wait so failing to wipe out the German fleet, was considered a victory as the German fleet never sailed again.
By 116/17 the British blockade was causing severe food shortages throughout Germany with food riots and even mutinies amongst its naval fleet. This led the German high command to commence unrestricted submarine warfare on any and all allied shipping with the loss of the Lusitania being the most noticeable loss at the beginning of this period.
Up to and even after the loss of the Lusitania USA was neutral and even made loads of money out of the war with the New York stock exchange making millions with stockbrokers shifting money between U.K. and German bonds, depending on which side appeared to be gaining the upper hand and also American arms manufacturers and steel works were making huge profits on sales to the U.K.
When the specially built German cargo submarine, which was designed to carry 1000? tons of cargo, arrived in New York it was greeted with fanfare by a large number of New Yorkers who were of German descent.
Early on in the war the British had cracked the German naval code with the help of a captured German Naval code book taken from a German battleship captured by the Russians in the Baltic and passed secretly onto the British Admiralty. This enabled the British to decode the message from Germany to Mexico telling them that they would support them in any way if they were to invade the Southern States of the USA, Texas, Arizona etc. As the USA was already in a border fight with Mexico over the Texas border, this was enough evidence for the American President to go to Congress and declare war on Germany. Even after the declaration German spies were active in New York and Washington, blowing up a huge arms depot full of munitions bound for the U.K. in New York and even blowing up buildings in Washington. These actions led to the American people turning on their German borne citizen's or citizen's of German heritage.
Germany tried to use the U-boat as a means of starving Britain into submission but in WW1 we could build ships faster than the U Boats could sink them even after the Germans stopped surfacing and allowing merchant seamen to abandon ship before sinking them as had happened at the beginning of the war. One German POW held at Dover even commented on the abundance of food in the shops and how well they were fed compared to the situation back in Germany.
All round two very interesting programs
rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

Did you know you could have googled that and provided a link, which according to some would have saved a lot of space, but I prefer your method, much more personal. Imagine if we'd sat in the messroom and said I don't want to know that, I can google it, what a sad place it would have been and the art of conversation and story telling lost forever.

I watched the USA programme, (have the Burma one taped) lot of anti British feeling around in those days in the States, although they called it anti-English, mostly built around mythology

[John Arton]

Ivan
Thanks the above. Yes as you say I could have googled and linked it, if I could get my head round such, but as you say its far better to put it in conversation rather than just letting the computer do your thinking for you. Also as a conversation it tends to lead off into peoples personal thoughts and ideas along with their memories. This can lead to threads leading off in all sorts of avenues, which I personally find fantastic and often very humorous.
Finally it also leads to, in many cases, BANTER and without banter where would we be.
rgds
JA

[robpage]

That was the point where I found the ignore button , It makes the site so much more pleasant , I can take personal insults , I was sea with Scotsmen , Scousers , Janners , Geordies , Yorkies , Cockneys , Mushes Mick , Paddy and Taff , , so I have been insulted by professionals , and have a full ducks back waterproofing kit . I have sailed with engineers with a chip on either and both shoulders , and a Watchmate that never spoke for six months . This is childs play

[cappy]

dont forget one legged cross eyed mary

[robpage]

Because ome like technical perfection

She is filed in the post above under

GEORDIES

subsection Sand dancers

Subsection
Dodgy Pubs

Subsection
Ferry Tavern

Subsection
Sexual favours

Subsection
Pre tried by Cappy

[cappy]

dont forget the sheep and the wooden leg

[robpage]

Subsection
Pre-tried by Cappy

Subsection

Wooden Legged Sheep

[Ivan Cloherty]

That was the point where I found the ignore button , It makes the site so much more pleasant , I can take personal insults , I was sea with Scotsmen , Scousers , Janners , Geordies , Yorkies , Cockneys , Mushes Mick , Paddy and Taff , , so I have been insulted by professionals , and have a full ducks back waterproofing kit . I have sailed with engineers with a chip on either and both shoulders , and a Watchmate that never spoke for six months . This is childs play

I think we got offended if nobody insulted us face to face, we lived off it. Used to called a useless pr*ck and now I own one!

[j.sabourn]

Ivan used to prefer it when called a stupid #rick, this always gave you the answer #ricks are useful your not. Cheers JS