{"id":907,"date":"2023-02-13T01:54:44","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T01:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/haguepublishing.com\/WotW\/?page_id=907"},"modified":"2023-02-15T06:44:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T06:44:21","slug":"day-16-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/haguepublishing.com\/WotW\/day-16-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 16 – Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Battle for Swindon<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
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16-Jun 00:01 – Wednesday<\/div>

Since the establishment of the #Gascoyne-Cecil-Line on 9 June the army had been hard at work establishing a mined line a mile-wide along GWR\u2019s mainline east of London. Today the defences are tested as the Martian\u2019s attack Swindon. The Martian\u2019s flying-machine flies numerous sorties for the first time. \u00a0In a bid to prevent the line from collapsing, Lt Dullanty, now based at Greenwich, is ordered to destroy the Martian\u2019s flying base on Primrose Rose.<\/p>\n

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In London, Morant, having lost the heat-ray to the Coldstream Guards\u2019 Special Operation Coy, has to explain to Marie Curie that he also lost her husband, Pierre.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And once again Toni\u2019s diary reminds us that all of us have value. Society sometimes discards the old. In fact, this was a theme during the Martian invasion. The old and infirm were left behind. But without Sir John and the other \u2018oldies\u2019 in Queen Anne\u2019s Mansions, there would have been no wireless communications, and very limited supplies of the gas masks required to survive the black smoke.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 03:25 @HGWells#Swindon<\/div>

Wells later reports waking to hear a sound like heavy guns at this time. He counts six distinct reports, and after a long interval six again. But he was unable to identify the direction they came from. It is highly likely what he was hearing was the battle for Swindon.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 06:30 @BreakerMorant #WeLostOurHeatRay<\/div>

Heading back to Waterloo Station. Still in the open, without fast transport, We were just lucky we didn\u2019t encounter Martians.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 07:00 @BreakerMorant #WeLostOurHeatRayANDPierre<\/div>

We made it to Southwark Station, then underground to Waterloo.<\/p>\n

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Marie was hysterical about where her husband might be. We have no idea.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 08:00 @BreakerMorant #WeLostOurHeatRayANDPierre<\/div>

Vogan\u2019s team arrived back, elated about their kill and escape from the searching tripods. However, they were as brassed off as I was when they heard about losing the heat gun and Pierre.\u00a0Only one thing for it \u2013 we duck the morning handover and get drunk.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 08:30 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary #Greenwich<\/div>
\"16-Jun<\/a><\/div>

Was having breakfast when I was alerted to the sound of an artillery bombardment in the West. Given how muffled the sound was it must have been a considerable distance away.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 09:00 @LCMDCarver<\/div>

From the personal log of Lt Commander Roger Carver, Third Officer, HMS Thunder Child<\/em>, 16 June 1897, 09:00 GMT:<\/p>\n

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Loading the horses onto the ferry took most of the night, and then unloading them in Gravesend the rest of the night. Markinson was as good as his word and the Ferry performed faultlessly. The group appears in good spirits and determined to exact its revenge for those the Martians killed in Tilbury.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 09:30 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary #Greenwich #FlyingMachine<\/div>

Sentries reported the return of the flying-machine. Sergeant Hugh is convinced it landed somewhere near Regent\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n

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I called for volunteers to see if we could locate its base. Sergeant Hugh and three other have agreed to try.<\/p>\n

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We can\u2019t use the bridges, but there are rumours of at least one group using the Underground to pass around the city undetected. The Sergeant intends to enter the tunnels at London Bridge and work his way through to Kings Cross. He’ll take one of the heliographs with him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 10:00 #Curate #Sheen<\/div>

Wells and the curate have now been confined to the collapsed house in Sheen for 8 days. In his book Wells records their food supply, despite rationing, was almost exhausted, and given the curate’s behaviour Wells has been forced to mount guard over what remains of their food.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 11:54 @toniwantstovote<\/div>
\"16-Jun<\/a><\/div>

@sirjohntheengineer received message this morning from #governmentinexile Gas masks made of hessian soaked in water work against #blacksmoke #ourtheorieswereright<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 12:00 @BreakerMorant #PiccadillyParty<\/div>

Eventually the pub-crawl ended up at Piccadilly Circus where we found a party just firing up.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 15:00 @LtJRDullanty<\/div>

FROM FIELD MARSHAL WOLSELEY STOP<\/p>\n

TO COLONEL COLDSTREAM GUARDS GENERAL SIR STEPHENSON STOP<\/p>\n

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SITUATION AT SWINDON PRESENTLY STABLE STOP BUT ARTILLARY SUFFERED HEAVY LOSSES AS RESULT OF ATTACK FROM THE AIR STOP IMPERATIVE THAT THE MARTIANS FLYING MACHINE IS DESTROYED ENDS<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 15:15 @LtJRDullanty<\/div>

The message FROM FIELD MARSHAL WOLSELEY was forwarded to Lt JR Dullanty with the following addition.<\/p>\n

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JAMES IT IS VITAL THE FLYING MACHINE IS DESTROYED STOP GOD GO WITH YOU FRED<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 15:20 #FieldMarshallWolseley<\/div>
\"16-Jun<\/a><\/div>

Wolseley had become Commander-in-Chief of English forces in Ireland in 1890.\u00a0Promoted to Field Marshal on 26 May 1894, he was appointed by the Conservative government to succeed the Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces on 1 November 1895.<\/p>\n

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Despite still recovering from a serious illness at the time of the Martian invasion, he was in Swindon as part of an inspection of the army\u2019s preparations to defend the Gascoyne-Cecil line when the Martians launched their attack.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 16:00 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary<\/div>

I was preparing the unit to move out when we finally heard from Sergeant Hugh. He confirmed that the flying-machine is stabled at Primrose Hill, but that the Martian\u2019s encampment appears heavily fortified. His team is presently camouflaged in a copse of trees between Regent\u2019s Canal and Prince Albert Road. The heliograph has had to be positioned some distance away.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-June 23:00 #Sheen #WeAreCattle<\/div>

Wells later records one of the most traumatic scenes he observes during the war when he sees men being brought to the pit. “A fighting machine appeared and I watched a long tentacle reaching over the shoulder of the machine to the little cage hunched upon its back…<\/p>\n

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“Then something\u2014something struggling violently\u2014is lifted high against the sky, a black, vague enigma against the starlight; and as this black object came down again, I see by the green brightness that it is a man. For an instant he was clearly visible…<\/p>\n

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“And then the man vanishes behind the mound, and for a moment there is silence. But then begins a shrieking and a sustained and cheerful hooting from the Martians.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 23:35 #HiramMaxim<\/div>

From the personal journal of Hiram Maxim:<\/p>\n

I was about to bed down for the night when I thought I heard something moving around outside. I picked up my revolver and went outside and quietly began to work my way to the barn.<\/p>\n

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I rattled the door. It was locked. My equipment was still secure inside. I began to walk back to the house when I encountered the silhouette of a man in front of me. I raised my pistol but the man cried softly as he staggered towards me and fell into my arms.<\/p>\n

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I carried the stranger inside and lay him down on my cot. He was a young man and wore part of a naval officer\u2019s uniform. His forehead was marked by gash caked with dried blood. One side of his face was cracked red and blistered. He\u2019d seen the Heat Ray, all right<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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How did he come inland? I cleaned the sailor up and tended his wounds as best I could and let him rest. I noticed a waterlogged book sticking out of his uniform jacket pocket: LOG OF HMS THUNDER CHILD. Hoping it would provide me a clue, I opened the book and began to read.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 23:40 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary<\/div>

Arrived at Sergeant Hugh\u2019s camp. No-one enjoyed walking through the tunnels but it certainly kept us unobserved by the Martians.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 23:45 @SgtHugh #ReminiscesOnTheWar<\/div>

From Sergeant Hugh\u2019s Reminisces on the War<\/em><\/p>\n

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By the time the Lieutenant found us, Primrose Hill was lit up so brightly by the Martian\u2019s lights that from where we were you could see the dark shadows of the Martian\u2019s moving about, silhouetted against the glare.<\/p>\n

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I was the one who had to deliver the bad news \u2013 there was simply no way that we could get close enough to the flying-machine to destroy it. It had landed vertically behind high earthen walls, and was covered by a heavy metal roof that split down the middle like a gigantic door when the craft needed to emerge.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have no choice,\u201d the Lieutenant said. \u201cWe have to destroy the machine or we lose Swindon, and the Line, tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Lieutenant and I stared glumly at each other, as the others looked on.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLieutenant.\u201d It was Guardsman Washington. \u201cMy father\u2019s a driver for the Earl of Sussex. This flying thingy must have some sort of fuel. My father goes on and on about how gasoline is stinking everything up. Maybe we can destroy that?\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Lieutenant considered him thoughtfully, and Washington flushed uncomfortably. \u201cThat\u2019s a good idea,\u201d the Lieutenant told him. \u201cBut what fuel is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI couldn\u2019t say Sir. But I saw some sort of flexible pipe running down the hill to Regent’s Canal. They\u2019ve got some sort of building on the bank there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cSergeant?\u201d the Lieutenant asked.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI saw it as well,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThen that\u2019s our target. We\u2019re going to be moving quickly so I want the dynamite split up between everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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16-Jun 23:46 #HydrogenIsHighlyInflamable<\/div>

From the subsequent description it would appear that the Martian\u2019s were using compressed hydrogen to power their flyer, a notoriously unstable fuel unless properly stored.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t

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