iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Kate Thaxton is the curator and she's always very helpful 🙂

Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I know they've been doing a lot of work around the 3 battalions that went to Singapore so hopefully they'll be able to help

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I know that the RNR Museum is doing quite a bit of work around the 4th, 5th & 6th Royal Norfolks that relate to their experiences at Singapore & beyond so it might be worth giving Kate Thaxton an email to see if there's anything that might have info on your great uncle

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Today is the 111th Anniversary of the 1/5th Bn Norfolk Regiment going over the top in Gallipoli and allegedly disappearing from sight and sound. You could still believe the myths about that or you could read my book on the subject ... #WW1 #Norfolk #FWW #Gallipoli #sandringham #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

But also a lot of men simply looked at maps, or knew of other county regiments & chose them over their local ones. An example of that was that there were more Londoners in the 7th Norfolks than there were locals when it was formed in August 1914

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

So, regarding why he might have gone that way there are a couple of possibilities. A lot of men from Norfolk worked in that area & the counties around due to professions like gardening & beer making ...

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

It wasn't just men from the 2nd Bn Royal Norfolks. Men from the 1st Bn Royal Scots along with other units were caught up in the atrocity, see this website... www.leparadismassacre.com

leparadismassacre.com

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

It wasn't just men from the 2nd Bn Royal Norfolks. Men from the 1st Bn Royal Scots along with other units were caught up in the atrocity, see this website... www.leparadismassacre.com

leparadismassacre.com

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

It wasn't just men from the 2nd Bn Royal Norfolks. Men from the 1st Bn Royal Scots along with other units were caught up in the atrocity, see this website... www.leparadismassacre.com

leparadismassacre.com

Hell in Paradise - Massacre at Le Paradis

Commemorating the lives of 97 soldiers massacred at Le Paradis in Northern France by the German SS in May 1940.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

It wasn't just men from the 2nd Bn Royal Norfolks. Men from the 1st Bn Royal Scots along with other units were caught up in the atrocity, see this website... www.leparadismassacre.com

leparadismassacre.com

Hell in Paradise - Massacre at Le Paradis

Commemorating the lives of 97 soldiers massacred at Le Paradis in Northern France by the German SS in May 1940.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Yesterday I set the scene for the German offensive at Verdun. We visited the Bois des Caures, Fleury, which is one of the 9 'detruit' villages in this area, before moving onto Fort Douaumont. This is on a tour arranged by @sophie1wwtours.bsky.social #WW1 #FWW #Verdun #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Day 1 of my battlefield tour with my two American guests where I'll be showing them a number of sites, including the heroic stand made by Emile Driant & his Chasseurs in the Bois des Caures. This is on a tour arranged by @sophie1wwtours.bsky.social #WW1 #FWW #Verdun #driant #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I'm now at Dover waiting to board a ferry to France to pick up my guests for a battlefield tour to the French and American sites around Verdun. This is on a tour arranged by @sophie1wwtours.bsky.social #WW1 #FWW #Verdun #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

On a recent battlefield tour I was able to take a photo of the Queen Victoria Rifles memorial at Hill 60 to compare it to a photo from 1964. The photo shows you veterans of the 9th Bn Norfolk Regiment who went on a pilgrimage to France and Flanders in that year. #WW1 #Norfolk #FWW #Ypres #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

He gets a mention in De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour ...

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

The museum has an excellent archive & I've been lucky enough to look at Upcher's original sketches & letters whilst carrying out research into the 9th Bn

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

It wasn't just Royal Norfolks who were caught up in the massacre. Men from the 1st Bn Royal Scots along with a few other units were also killed at Le Paradis

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

I'm currently on my 1st battlefield tour of the season where I'm showing guests around sites in France & Flanders looking at where 2 grandfathers served in the infantry & Royal Engineer railway troops between 1916 & 1918. This is on a tour arranged by @sophie1wwtours.bsky.social #WW1 #FWW #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

I seem to remember that Spike Milligan mentioned that Gracie Fields was living there & she became a butt of a load of jokes in his books.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

It was the Steam Drifter 'Piscatorial'

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The sad thing about this is that if you posted this up on SM sites people would believe it. Literally WTAF ...

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Then perhaps use an accurate image of the Christmas Truce next time instead of sharing a duff history image that has nothing to do with the event.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

It's nice to see you're not at the duff history site just down the road from here 🙂

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

That's cos you're famous in Christmas Truce circles 🎄🧑‍🎄🙂

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

It does depend where you look & certainly not being on the hell site helps 🙂

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Sadly, this gets ruined by the fact that the image on the left has nothing to do with the Christmas Truce of 1914, the image comes from Epehy in 1918. Here's my blog on the truth and myth of football and the Christmas Truce... stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/t...

stevesmith1944.wordpress.com

The Christmas Truce Truth & Myth

This image is widely portrayed on Social Media as a British and German soldier exchanging cigarettes on Christmas Day of 1914 during the Truce. The reality? The caption on the IWM site states, Batt…

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Sadly, this gets ruined by the fact that the image used in this post has nothing to do with the Christmas Truce of 1914, the image comes from Epehy in 1918. Here's my blog on the truth and myth of football and the Christmas Truce... stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/t...

stevesmith1944.wordpress.com

The Christmas Truce Truth & Myth

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Sadly, this gets ruined by the fact that the image used in this post has nothing to do with the Christmas Truce of 1914, the image comes from Salonika in 1915 ... stevesmith1944.wordpress.com/2023/12/01/t...

stevesmith1944.wordpress.com

The Christmas Truce Truth & Myth

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

The image of men playing football has nothing to do with the Christmas Truce it comes from 1915 and the caption on the IWM site states, Officers and men of 26th Divisional Ammunition Train (Army Service Corps) playing football in Salonika, Christmas 1915. IWM Ref No Q 31576

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

It was great to launch my book the other day at the Lynn Museum in King's Lynn & thanks to the Norfolk Museum Services for their support & to everyone who came along. I've also provided a link to where you can get a copy #WW1 #FWW #Norfolk #Gallipoli #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

I took some guests to the Cambrai Memorial in July this year mainly to pay our respects to their C.O. who was also KIA that day

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

You'll have to read the book to find that out ...

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

I visited the area in 2022 as part of my research and said hello to them all then. Here's the panel he's commemorated on.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Oh wow, thanks for sharing the photo. It's always nice to put faces to names.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

He's mentioned in the Roll of Honour

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

I've been able to hold a physical copy of my new book today. It looks at the alleged disappearance of the 1/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment at Kuchuk Anafarta Ova on 12th August 1915. It's on sale now & I've left a link to where you can get a copy in the comments. #WW1 #FWW #Norfolk #Gallipoli

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

My latest book is released today. It looks at the alleged disappearance of the 1/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment during their advance on Kuchuk Anafarta Ova on 12th August 1915. I've provided a link to where you can buy a copy in the comments. #WW1 #Norfolk #FWW #Gallipoli #history

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Here's another photo of him. He features in my next book on the alleged disappearance of the 1/5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment at Kuchuk Anafarta Ova on 12 August 1915.

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Steve Smith @stevesmith1944.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

That's really interesting. I've commented on the post. I'll look at the men but I'd say that most of them are probably POWs after Kut.

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