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Dave Voisey

@davev-vickersmg.bsky.social

History Teacher, ITT mentor and Education Officer at the Vickers MG Collection - interested in discussing how we teach warfare

529 Followers  |  510 Following  |  203 Posts  |  Joined: 23.08.2024
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Posts by Dave Voisey (@davev-vickersmg.bsky.social)

We really struggle to nail it in schools and it's often lost after GCSE as the A Levels become more specific. Sadly it often has to be reduced to bare basics

23.02.2026 17:36 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

2/ the Marshall idea for clarity was to use him as a small feature in several lessons as he was around from Henry II's reign to Henry III's - giving the kids a sense of grounding and connectivity between major historical events.

22.02.2026 11:34 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

@hughrichards.bsky.social and @michaeldoron.bsky.social and anyone else doing narratives - have anyone experimented with the use of short vignette characters/stories and if so, how have you deployed them?
Got some ideas for my A Level unit and the use of William Marshall for Y7 - any ideas?

22.02.2026 11:32 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
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We're really focusing on the use of language as a big drive for us. Fortunately, my wife is an English teacher. The goal is to get the kids thinking about using metaphors in their own explanations.

12.02.2026 20:03 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Interestingly, the NRA in the US have tried to take a 'measured' old school approach of shifting on the Federal Government, asking for no jumping to conclusions.
The last shooting certainly has followed in a spin over the 2A dynamic.

25.01.2026 13:52 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Our latest Extra! Dispatches from the Dugout video discusses the Bren and how easy it was to strip and clean. Also close ups of our skeletonised Bren. #militaryhistory #notjustvickersmg

24.01.2026 12:00 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Want a break from current geopolitics? Ofncoursr you do!
What better way than to watch me waffle again about really old firearms.
This time, the MP28, an improved MP18 - the grandaddy of modern, handheld automatic firepower.

04.01.2026 13:05 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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a young boy sitting on a bus with the words momma says stupid is as stupid does below him ALT: a young boy sitting on a bus with the words momma says stupid is as stupid does below him
28.12.2025 20:48 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Watch me waffle about cleaning and maintaining historic firearms

20.12.2025 14:30 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Yep, my A Level unit is the Changing Nature of Warfare, not a single mention of women outside of the Confederate States. Despite a whole topic on the Battle of the Atlantic where WATU, an all female unit generated tactics. The exam boards need to do better.

18.12.2025 22:48 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

The only true bit wad that most were captured, with a number dying in captivity.
Plus, the image is just dumb. Everything is wrong, uniform, weapons, and positions, and yet it looks convincing enough to the untrained eye.
Rant over.

12.12.2025 21:23 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Point and that this was a massive offensive. Not to undermine the scale of the PLA attack - the first action was a reinforced Platoon from the Glosters performing a holding action on the Imjin (with artillery support) - PLA bodies were found in the river weeks later with hundreds of casualties. /4

12.12.2025 21:23 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

The UN contingent as well as the Hussars in Centurion tanks - so close they were swarmed by PLA troops and they had to use MG fire to shoot PLA soldiers off the tanks, there's even a photo of the CO engaging with a M1 carbine - so combat less that 300m.
3. It was not 30,000 vs 600, see brigade /3

12.12.2025 21:23 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Still in mutually supporting positions.
2. It misses out the role of Royal Artillery who were outstanding. Firing over open sights and at one point when there was talk of resupply by air, the request was no as the 25pdrs were crucial in securing positions.
3. Reinforcements were sent, both from /2

12.12.2025 21:23 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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AI generated slop combined with the usual ignorant and motivated messaging really annoys the shit out of me.
1. The Glosters were not alone. They were in a Brigade formation that was strengthen with a Battalion of Beligans. Geography and being over-stretched isolated units physically, but were /1

12.12.2025 21:23 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Absolutely, minus the pay a 4 day week should offer. Can I assume that you've also experienced the chappy end of timetabling that part-time mothers often experience - the worst tend to be with 2 week timetables

01.12.2025 16:34 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I wish, but the reality is that this requires more money and funding to make it viable. Especially at Secondary level. Shame, as it would be a real bonus.

01.12.2025 11:40 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Also obligatory @vickersmg.bsky.social content as the 'Ottoman' MGs are quite likely British Army extras using Vickers guns, inc. A really early gun.
Also, the film was directed by Asquith's son!

25.11.2025 21:29 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Gallipoli Beach Assault From the Movie Tell England (1931)
YouTube video by Chzz77 Dacan Gallipoli Beach Assault From the Movie Tell England (1931)

I had some time due to Y13 Mocks to watch some film clips linked to my unit, we watched some of this beaut, Tell England (1931). Look at these shots, recognise them from a certain Spielberg film? Especially the action shots moving up from the SS River Clyde on Y Beach.
youtu.be/vanJZ3ColDk?...

25.11.2025 21:27 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Over the course of next October we'll be running an exhibition about the history of the Vickers and British machine gunnery from 1910s to 1960s. This is an awesome opportunity to support us if you fancy some museum work or to visit and see hands on what we do.

24.11.2025 18:03 — 👍 4    🔁 2    💬 2    📌 0
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a toy tugboat with the number 12 on it is floating on the water . ALT: a toy tugboat with the number 12 on it is floating on the water .
14.11.2025 22:16 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

This has, however, reminded me of The Walls have Ears and Soldaten. Both are about the bugging of conversations of German PoWs and the intel gained. The op is well after the song was coined, but it still produced a major insight into Nazi Germany

13.11.2025 22:48 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

My inner optimist says the former, but my far dominant cynic just says that some 19-year old thought it would be fucking hilarious.

13.11.2025 22:18 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

2/ This was seen obviously in the Trench Magazines of the FWW (ala Wipers Times) but also on the Falkands, Air Raid Waring Red became I'll have a Garibaldi instead to Galtieri's Dead which sparked newspaper rumours for a simple play on words.

13.11.2025 21:07 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

My headcanon has the events of this Armstrong and Miller sketch matching the origin.
There is, however, a rather heartwarming notion that it was likely made by some absolutely hilarious squaddie.
youtu.be/Y1DWJQkOJew?...

13.11.2025 21:04 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0

That's really cool! Maxim and the folks who worked with him had to do some proper miles in the early days

04.11.2025 21:30 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

And the connection to industry in that image - the Italian machine gun would likely have been made by FIAT.

03.11.2025 23:39 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Currently at the Bristol Beacon supporting @davidolusoga.bsky.social's A Gun Through Time.
Do come and have a chat with us!

02.11.2025 19:37 — 👍 23    🔁 2    💬 2    📌 0
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Five Hundred African Voices: A Catalog of Published Accounts by Africans Enslaved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1586-1936 The importance of published accounts by African slave ship survivors is well-known but not their existence in large numbers. Fogleman and Hanserd catalog nearly five hundred discrete accounts and more...

Sounds really promising - I’ll direct her that way.

Also found this during lunch time, looks like there might be some important narratives to explore here huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allfacultyot...

24.10.2025 15:44 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 1

In fairness, reenactors are another breed

21.10.2025 19:32 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0