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Robert St John Smith

@chance1234.bsky.social
746 followers 674 following 486 posts

PhD Candidate @University of Exeter researching the image of Tommy Atkins 1896-1926, MA in Britain and the First World War, University of Wolverhampton. robertstjohnsmith.com Leeds, UK

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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Pleased to have commented on Australian trench journals for the State Library of NSW's Openbook, as part of a piece on The Wipers Times and Talbot House. #FWW #TrenchJournals #WipersTimes #TalbotHouse www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/time...
sl.nsw.gov.au
Times of war
It’s almost 108 years since the 23rd and last edition of British trench journal The Wipers Times was published in Flanders in 1918, but work is well underway on issue 24.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New to my collection is this #BoerWar silver-plated 'Gentleman in Khaki' fork, which goes nicely with my silk print and (not pictured) my Gentleman in Khaki silk handkerchief map. There are at least a couple of thousand words I could write about this and #TommyAtkins, and in my thesis, I am!
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Don't you just hate it when a good writing session grinds to a halt over something Lord Lansdowne might, or might not, have done in February 1900? And not one secondary source mentions it. Truly smacked in the face. #PHDLife
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The 'Am I Offensive?' cartoon is almost as famous as the Wipers Times itself. It appeared in the May 1916 edition, signed by Sapper Ernest J. Couzens. Over 110 years later, my latest article finally puts a face to the name. #wiperstimes #ww1 #fww robertstjohnsmith.com/post/2026-09...
robertstjohnsmith.com
Wipers Times Exposé - A Picture of Ernest James Couzens Emerges
A sketch of Ernest James Couzens appears.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I've built quite a collection of #FWW #TrenchJournals, but this is the first time I have managed to get my hands on something from the #BoerWar. The similarities between the two wars in terms of soldier journalism are remarkably strong.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The last couple of days have been spent in the studio with my band Chance & The Lucky Aces. Here is a sneak peek of our upcomign EP
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Something a bit saucier for #HistoryBookChat. It has been yonks since I read this, but it came up in conversation recently and I had to get a copy to reread.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
First mucking about session on the synths for a while. Not wishing to alarm anyone, but the original came out 33 years ago. #Behringer #Novation #Shamen
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
It has been a while since I added to my Wipers Times Expose, but I have recently identified the Private who actually discovered the printing press in the first place. robertstjohnsmith.com/post/2026-07... #WW1 #FWW #SherwoodForesters #WipersTimes
robertstjohnsmith.com
The Wipers Times Exposé: Jack Johnson, the Private Who Discovered the Press
The Private who discovered the printing press.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Whoever decided to hide the name and date of the paper you are looking at behind a button deserves to be shot. Bad UI overall, and the number of clicks needed is ridiculous #BritishNewspaperArchive
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
It has taken the best part of two years, but I have finally reached the end of reading through 75,425 newspaper articles containing the phrase 'Tommy Atkins,' now reduced to a pool of 4,977 articles relevant to my PhD thesis. 1/3
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
This is the first #poetry book I have actually gone out of my way to track down. In a time of #byron and #keats there was also ….. Barry. The kid has certainly got rhythm - if not much else ! #forgottenpoets
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Packing up the #synths today, to take them on a field trip
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I bought this more for the author than the subject. This was written by Henry Cecil Hall, brother of Dorothy Violet Hall, the only female writer on the #fww #wiperstimes . Additionally, I love it when books have annotations, any know who John James Charles was ? #histbookchat #Nottingham
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Chipping away at the old #PhD and I've come up with a new word I'd like to introduce to the English language: 'Normalance' — a more efficient way of saying 'a semblance of normality'. Who do I submit my proposal to? #PhDLife #OED #Dictionary #EnglishLanguage
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
My pinned post covers the origin of #TommyAtkins, but for this week's #HistBookChat: This book is the origin of the phrase #TomAndJerry, dating from 1821 — originally a novel, later a play. #CartoonHistory #ww1 #ww2 #etymology
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Ankle is still fractured, so it seems rude not to do another animation #toonsquid
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
New to my collection: a children's book on the British Soldier from the 1920s, both similar and at the same time different (Tanks for a starter) from books written before the #FWW #HistBookChat
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Day god knows what with the #fracturedAnkle - still bored! #toonsquid #terminator
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
And so the saga continues
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Really need to snap out of this and get back on the #phd front, but hey-ho! Ankle still broken, so here’s another animation #toonsquid #titantic
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
On the plus side, no more cast. Summer is set to be a barrel of laughs
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Day 11 with the fractured ankle and trapped in a world of procrastination.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Day 10 with the fractured ankle
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Day 9 of fractured ankle
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Day 8 of a fractured ankle and I forgot there is Velcro on the back of my Circuit Tracks, so it is now stuck. What have you achieved today ? #SynthLife
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Took an unexpected ‘trip’ last week and was rewarded with a ridiculous sized plastercast. I am now officially this bored.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Interesting argument that can be applied to a lot of areas. Worth a read (not a buy though) .
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
It's an entire drama in a paragraph. From the Northern Chronicle and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland 12 February 1902 #SouthAfricanWar #TommyAtkins #1900s
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Still figuring this all out, but making progress — 27 bars to be precise. And yes, I should have turned the volume up on the UB-1 a bit more, but that's something to look forward to for next time. #DepecheMode #Behringer #Novation #Synthlife #Synthesizer
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I have finally reached the position, where I have enough cables (that work, are the right length, etc) to actually plug everything in all at the same time. #SynthLife #Behringer #Novation
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Some footnote fishing had led us to here. #HistBookChat
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Interesting addition to my collection. There are many variations of this, and it seems most popular in the #1940s; however, the earliest variation I can find is October 1920. It reeks of #HoratioBottomley / #JohnBull. Does anyone know the origin? #TommyAtkins #1920s #Postcards #Ephemera
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Technically, I am not short of cables for once. However, technically the cables I have are too short #synthlife
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Just had my mind blown. Opened up my new #behringer synth to find a 5pin to 3.5 midi cable actually included !! #newsynth
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
I don't know what they were smoking in #Dewsbury in 1904, but I'll have some, please. The best thing about this is it's a whole series, published in the #Batley Reporter and Guardian (This example 10 June) . Anyway, Huzzah to #TommyAtkins and members of the #RoyalMoonRakerRegiment #Moon #Scifi #BNA
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Another month, another addition to the ever-growing pile of books that claim to “reveal the real Tommy Atkins.” This one dates from 1911. #HistBookChat #TommyAtkins
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
This fellow has some odd-sized balls. Taken from the Penny Illustrated 11 October 1902, p.2. #BNA #OddBalls #Edwardians
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
I need a break from the never-ending PhD book pile. I have high hopes that this is cheesy, corny and pulptastic #jamesHerbert #rats #pulpfiction #horror
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
A pretty good summation of the South African war in January 1901, courtesy of the Roscommon Herald (19 Jan p.1) #CartoonHistory #BoerWar #Kitchener #Gulliver #BNA
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Amusing panel cartoon by GMPayne from 1919 (Sunday Mirror 11 May), commenting on the 'Era of the young man' #BNA #CartoonHistory #OldCartoons
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
I’ve reached that stage in my PhD, where I am now playing furniture Tetris to see if I can fit in another bookcase #PhdLife
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
On #BNA is a publication called Pick-me-up (1901). There is a great set of cartoons showing types of the #MusicHall. I am also pretty sure the cartoonist also drew for the infamous illustrated Photo-Bits #Edwardians #Victorians #CartoonHistory
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
One more to chuck onto my pile of books that promises to 'Reveal the true Tommy Atkins'. This one, from 1909 #HistBookChat
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
'Glamping' 1906 style. Courtesy of the Sketch (29 Aug 1906). #Edwardians #1900s
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
A lie I tell myself every day: “I’ll tidy my footnotes as I go.” #PhDLife
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Reposted by Robert St John Smith
Chance & The Lucky Aces @theluckyaces.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Hot off the Press! Interview about our latest single, Wunderbar voxwavemag.com/2026/02/17/c...
voxwavemag.com
Chance & The Lucky Aces: The Comeback Nobody Asked For (But Everyone Got)
Nine years of silence. Nine years, no one suspected that somewhere in Leeds, musical chaos was brewing. And now – they’re back. Chance & The Lucky Aces are here again, and getting r…
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Reposted by Robert St John Smith
Chance & The Lucky Aces @theluckyaces.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Wunderbar out now! song.link/Wunderbar
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
song.link/Wunderbar?fb...
song.link
Wunderbar by Chance & The Lucky Aces
Listen now on your favorite streaming service. Powered by Songlink/Odesli, an on-demand, customizable smart link service to help you share songs, albums, podcasts and more.
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Robert St John Smith @chance1234.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Stop what you are doing! My band's new single is out today! This is what happens when you try to work out a song on the piano and, instead of fixing the mistakes, you keep adding to it… including an opera singer.
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