One Year of History Geek!!!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Lemuel

There is cause for a bit of celebration as today marks one year since I started this little foray into the blogosphere. Occasions such as this are worthy of a vintage conga line!

The public dancing in Mercer Street, Wellington. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1959/0678-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23263452

My aim was to post at least once a week for a year and with seventy posts I’ve managed to exceed that. Along the way I’ve met some fantastic people, been welcomed into an inspiring community of bloggers, made national headlines by sharing the story behind this ferret pinching and heart stealing rogue and bantered with several radio hosts.

Learning the ropes of setting up and running a blog has been an interesting learning experience. It has also been entertaining seeing what search terms people have used to find my blog. Here are a few highlights:

history of the sick bag

will new zealand be invaded

how to stay safe during a bombing raid (this one made me a little worried…)

what do you do after a bombing raid (yay, they survived!).

men wearing aprons

spying on wife on beach (thanks to this post I’m guessing)

silly geeks (guilty as charged)

Besides the beautiful Daniel Tohill, the most sought after subject I’ve blogged about is this post on the recent combat history of T-34 tanks. Scarcely a day goes by without many international visitors looking for information on where they might still be in service and the post has even resulted in my being invited to a tank museum in Moscow (an offer that I really should take up when I can afford it!). However the most satisfying visits for me are those by people who find my blog while searching for information on extremely specific snippets of New Zealand history – often subjects that have little other internet presence. I like to think that I’m helping fuel other people’s interest in our fascinating past.

So what is on the horizon? Well I’m pleased to announce that I have no intention of ending History Geek anytime soon. There are plenty of stories still to share from my own collection of historical ephemera, plenty of previously unpublished photos, some war stories to share from the front-lines of archival research and some big historical centenaries are just around the corner. Yes, I’m looking at you Kaiser Wilhelm. And also a particularly big bi-centenary the year after that. See, I haven’t forgotten you Napoleon.

This year also marks 150 years since the British invasion of the Waikato so I’ll be dedicating some time to sharing some stories from the New Zealand Wars. On top of all that there are also a few special surprises in store.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past year – especially my regular readers.

Flying to the Taieri

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Lemuel

Today I thought I’d share a snippet of aviation history that I found during some “front-line” ephemera collecting. It also has a bit of cricket geekery thrown in for good measure along with a D-Day reference AND a tropical cyclone.

In the digital age most of my collecting is now done over the internet and while this can make it easier to find awesome stuff I do often lament the decline of collectable fairs and antique shops. Fortunately it seems that secondhand bookstores are slightly more resilient and they remain a regular source of interesting historical ephemera. Some bookshop owners make a point of trading vintage postcards or photo albums but there are also others that simply come across interesting bits and pieces of ephemera by chance; often these are items that have been used as bookmarks.

Here is an interesting exercise – have a rummage through some of your own books and see if you can find any ad hoc bookmarks that you had forgotten about. Perhaps you might find a grocery shopping list from 2006, or a postcard someone had sent you, a receipt from your last overseas holiday sitting in an unfinished novel or perhaps if you are lucky a banknote! Secondhand book dealers regularly find random bits of paper inside books that they have purchased and that is what I go hunting for.

What I love about this way of collecting is that it really is a lucky-dip draw, I never know what might show up and as always it is up to me to do the research and give the item some context. Here is one such find I picked up from a local bookstore:

NAC Flight Information Sheet
Lemuel Lyes Collection

Here is the back:

NAC Flight Information Sheet (Back)
Lemuel Lyes Collection

This is a flight information sheet that was once passed from passenger to passenger on a commercial aircraft, filling the role that the speaker system does today. It notes everything from the altitude and air temperature to the arrival time and the latest cricket score. What else can we figure out from the details it gives? What year could this be from? Continue reading →

A Mystery Ship in Port Said

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Lemuel

As a follow-up to my earlier post on the HMAS Encounter I thought I’d share another photograph from the same collection. Last time the identity of the ship was written on the back of the image by the photographer, but this time I know a lot less about the subject – only that it is a French warship in Port Said and that the image was taken by a New Zealand soldier in 1917. So for the last couple of evenings I’ve been reading up on French battleships. A riveting topic if ever there was one.

First of all, here is the snapshot. As with most the items from my collection it is possible this is the first time it has been published.

French Warship, Port Said 1917

Before I launch into the quest to unmask the identity of this mystery battleship I first have to point out HOW AWESOME THIS BATTLESHIP LOOKS! Check out those sexy tarpaulin covers and the wide angled hull. The Star Wars geek in me ponders if ships like this were the inspiration behind Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge. But putting the inter-galactic musings aside, what is the real identity of this mystery ship? Continue reading →

Ready for the Party 1941

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Lemuel

First of all, apologies for the brief absence on the blog front. I’ve been rather busy lately with the exception of an uncharacteristic migraine which waited until Otago’s regional holiday before ambushing me and rendering me useless, but I can’t complain, at least I’m not off to war like these guys…

Soldiers wearing gas-masks in the Western Desert, 1941
Lemuel Lyes Collection

I came across this snapshot in a secondhand bookshop and fell in love with it. It appeals to me for a number of reasons. First of all, if any of my friends were sent off to war then this is exactly the kind of Facebook profile photo that I’d expect to see show up within 24 hours of their first gas mask drill – it screams “social media profile shot”. Similarly, if Instagram was around in 1941 then I like to think that this would be the kind of image that would’ve been uploaded. It is a photograph I can relate to.

It also reminds me of my first foray into collecting militaria. At the age of about 14 I bought an original WW2 ‘Brodie’ helmet as seen in this photo. I found it in a local antique shop and thought it incredible that my paper-run pay could purchase a genuine (not to mention wearable) antique from the Second World War.

A few months later in an army surplus store I found an even more appealing piece of military head-ware – a gas mask circa 1970′s/80′s. Fortunately it was never called upon to protect its owner during times of war or apocalypse, but it proved its worth merely for its entertainment value at dress-up parties and on at least one occasion at the dinner table after a sibling engaged in a particularly offensive flatulence campaign directed at yours truly. The gas mask was faulty and did little to improve the quality of the air but it was an extremely effective way to make a protest at the use of such an inhumane weapon.

In my opinion the sight of adults dressed up in full anti-gas kit in the middle of the desert is always going to be amusing. If you enjoy this snapshot then I can recommend the movie Jarhead. My favourite scenes in that movie combine the comic gold that is military desert camps and gas-masks.

The message on the back of the photo suggests that the photographer was also amused by the scene, unless “Ready for the Party” was meant as a euphemism for “Going to War” in which case it is a little bit depressing.

“Ready for the Party” 1941
Lemuel Lyes Collection

I like to think that there was humour behind this comment but even if it was a euphemism then there is at least solace in knowing that while the use of gas was feared by many it didn’t repeat the horrific role that it had played on the battlefields of the previous world war.

The two soldiers are likely members of the 2NZEF and the photograph was taken somewhere in the Western Desert in 1941. It was a busy year in the Mediterranean; the New Zealanders saw action in Greece, Crete, Egypt and Libya. Some time in-between all that fighting two soldiers dressed up in gas-masks and had their photo taken. Seventy-three years on and even if it is a little wrong, I can’t help but be amused at the sight. What do you reckon?

Collecting vs. Hoarding

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Lemuel

As my regular followers are aware, I’m a collector of ephemera, postcards, photographs and all sorts of historical memorabilia. The collecting isn’t completely unrestrained though. In an effort to avoid becoming one of those hoarders that feature on reality T.V. shows I have three key rules in place to keep my collecting addiction in check.

1: Paper items only. This rule has done more than any other to keep me away from hoarder territory. It wasn’t always this way. In my youth my collection extended to include fossils, bayonets, first world war military stretchers, antique helmets and other headgear, wireless radio sets, opera glasses and all sorts of oddities. They now sit in a storage unit in Christchurch (yeah I know, safe place for an antique collection right?). Paper items are much more manageable. They are easy to store, look nice in albums and are fun to share both online and in person.

2: Go easy on the books. I had to add this rule as the “Paper items only” needed a qualifier. Yes books are mostly paper, but with the assistance of second-hand book shops and the annual Regent Theatre book sale my living space would quickly turn into a library to rival that of Alexandria. I maintain a small but healthy bookshelf, mostly of historical fiction and non-fiction and while I do regularly frequent book sales I’ve become much more selective about any additions I make. That complete set of 1830′s volumes on ‘English Personalities’ seemed useful at the time of purchase but now they are stacked on top of my New Zealand Wars carbine box in a lonely storage unit.

3: Nothing more recent than 1950. There has to be a cut off point somewhere and while the exact year is arbitrary and varies from collection to collection the rough date is usually somewhere between 1945 (when the war ended) and 1953 (when the Queen visited New Zealand). This also gives my collection a focus and sets a relatively challenging benchmark.

So those are the three collecting rules that have helped me keep my collection reined in to a manageable size. That said, I do always reserve the right to bend the rules when I see fit, after-all as the good Captain Barbossa would say, “they are more guidelines than actual rules!”. Arrrrrrrrr.

Some Silly Census Questions from 1910

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Lemuel

It is census day here in New Zealand, when we share all our personal information with our overlords so they can make lots of pretty graphs. Personally I’m particularly annoyed that I’ve only just now realised that one of the questions asks “On Tuesday 5 March, what was the one main way you travelled to work – that is, the one you used for the greatest distance”. Had I checked the questions in advance then perhaps I could’ve arranged for a chariot to take me to work today.

Mr M A Watts with his sons filling in census forms. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1956/0839-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22765006

Censuses are of course a serious matter and the information gathered today will be useful for decades to come, but it really is hard to resist having a bit of a joke and it seems that many other pranksters have had their fun in the past. Check out these fake census questions published in the New Zealand Observer on 22nd October 1910. Article is sourced from Papers Past. Continue reading →

Introducing Some Fantastic Blogs

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Lemuel

I’ve been blogging for about ten months now and one of the fantastic parts of the experience has been the exchange of ideas and stories with fellow bloggers. It is inspiring to see so many passionate people sharing our past in different ways and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed becoming part of a community that I’m sure will only continue to grow.

So I’m proud to announce the well overdue introduction of a blogroll – you can find it on the far right on the main page, but to save you the effort this time here are my recommendations and why.

Built in Dunedin – An exploration behind the history of Dunedin’s heritage buildings. These posts are extremely well researched and the blog is much-loved by locals who enjoy learning more about the places they walk past.

Dressing the Lines – An enthusiast from the Kapiti Coast shares his beautiful war-gaming miniatures, He has a special focus on the horse and musket era and is also an incredible photographer!

Early New Zealand Photographers – This blog is an absolute fantastic body of work that charts the careers of early New Zealand photographers. On several occasions this blog has helped me more accurately date photographs in my collection, or figure out where they were taken. The author also runs this blog on Crimean War veterans that settled in New Zealand.

Gerald J. Ellott Postal History – A New Zealand collector shares his postal history collection and the stories behind each item. I’m particularly envious of his early Royal Navy and New Zealand Wars items – an incredible collection!

Longwhitekid – A fantastic journey through the history of vintage New Zealand advertising and food packaging. The research behind each post is absolutely outstanding and collectively is an invaluable contribution to the history of advertising in Aotearoa.

M J Wright - A blog run by one of New Zealand’s most successful historians. He generously shares insights into the world of a professional writer, stories from New Zealand’s past and most importantly, plenty of geekery!

Peter Wells – I’ve enjoyed reading this blog which follows an extremely dedicated historical researcher. I particularly admire the lengths the author goes to in his search to better understand the finer points of history – such as this post where he compares the accent of missionary and martyr Carl Volkner to that of Kim Dotcom!

Photobooth Journal – An absolutely unique project dedicated to photos taken in photo booths – most taken by the author over the previous four decades but also featuring other examples from her private collection. She also runs this blog which shares other vintage photographs including some amazing historical mugshots!

Te Papa – No explanation needed here! This is the blog run by Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum.

The Lint in My Pocket – This blog is run by a talented American poet who specializes in poetry about the American Civil War.

The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things – An eclectic mix of things that are, well ridiculously interesting! The author is also the curator behind the New Zealand Police Museum’s exhibit on 19th and 20th century mugshots – notable for the image of Daniel Tohill which went viral internationally.

Timespanner - A journey through Avondale, Auckland and New Zealand history.

Tūhonohono – One day, one new image and one old image. A beautiful comparison between then and now, also a lovely way to use archival images.

I hope to add plenty more recommendations to the blogroll as I continue to come across awesome people doing awesome history stuff.

Until then, do check out the links above – they are well worth the read and are all deserving recipients of History Geek’s seal of approval.

Enjoy!

Bay of Islands by Tall Ship

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Lemuel

As mentioned in my previous post, I was recently fortunate enough to spend some time in the Bay of Islands. It is a long way to travel from Dunedin, but I happened to be in Warkworth to attend Kiwi Foo Camp and while in the area decided to take a week off work to make a few historical pilgrimages.

Anyone who still clings to the misconception that New Zealand is “too young to have any real history” needs to get themselves up to the Bay of Islands. Right now, no excuses. All regions of New Zealand have a rich history but the Bay of Islands deserves a special mention. It is was the scene of some of the earliest interactions between Europeans and Māori. There were mission stations, whalers, traders, traitors, wars, treaties and more stories of adventure than can be found in a complete set of Tintin books.

The common factor in many episodes of the Bay of Island’s history is the role played by tall ships. Here are just a few of my favourite examples:

1769 – The Endeavour visits. Captain Cook gives the Bay of Islands its name and declares it is “a noble anchorage”.

1826 – The Herald is launched from Paihia

1827 – Two whaling vessels attack the brig Wellington, which had been captured by pirates. Yes you heard that right…. PIRATES!!!!!

1835 – The HMS Beagle arrives with two notable guests – Robert Fitzroy (the original weather forecaster, and one day Governor of New Zealand) and Charles Darwin (who upset lots of people when he wrote something about monkeys)

1840 – The HMS Herald delivers William Hobson to the Bay of Islands so he can persuade chieftains to sign a treaty at Waitangi.

1845 – The HMS Hazard opens fire on Kororareka (modern-day Russell)

So what better way for a history geek to experience the Bay of Islands than to see it from the same perspective as all the above – from a tall ship. Fortunately the R. Tucker Thompson offers that very opportunity.

Here are some snaps from the weekend…

View of the Bay of Islands through the rigging of the R. Tucker Thompson© Lemuel Lyes 2013

Continue reading →

History Geek Update

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Lemuel

I’m publishing this post from Russell, formerly the infamous Kororareka, or hellhole of the Pacific. Once upon a time this beach was home to drunkards, whalers, crimps, sailors, prostitutes, grog shop owners and other rogues both lovable and not. It was witness to duels, brawls and even wars. Now along with the rest of the Bay of Islands it is playground for the rich and a photo opportunity for tourists, but it is still loaded with opportunities for history geeks to overdose.

Regular posts will resume shortly but I thought I’d take this opportunity to explain my brief absence and let you know what you can expect here in the upcoming months. Continue reading →

Kathleen’s Colonial Boys

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Lemuel

Today I’m going to share one of the oldest postcards in my collection, one which also happens to include a message relating to New Zealanders fighting in the Boer War.

It is one of a small group that I found in a junk shop as a teenager and bought with my paper run money. I remember at the time being impressed that the postcard was sent over 90 years earlier and thought how amazing it would be to one day have a century old postcard in my collection. It sat safe in one of my albums during my turbulent “trying to get into the television industry” phase and now that I have it out of its protective cover for the first time in ages I am almost in denial when I realise it is now 112 years old. A sobering reminder of how quickly the years have whizzed by! Here it is:

Boer War Postcard
Lemuel Lyes Collection

The picture is typically patriotic, tugging on the heartstrings of an Empire that was sending its young men to fight in South Africa. But as is often the case it is the message that I find the most interesting. Here is a transcription: Continue reading →

History Geek

A collage of ephemera, snapshots, documents and historical misadventure

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