A project long in the making. It you want to know the concepts and practicalities of early Machineguns, then this episode of Dispactes from the Dugout by us @vickersmg.bsky.social will be essential viewing for you. Lots of discussion on what the impact of the MG was in 1914 youtu.be/jAFZm_yKB64?...

Recently I've been experimenting with a new type of booklet for students in KS3. Unlike my GCSE booklets, students don't write in these and instead use an exercise book for their class work. These booklets are also less task-based, consisting mainly of a story to be read and discussed in class.

Caught up with 2 of our Y12s who had done work experience @vickersmg.bsky.social. It was great seeing their joy at accessing the archive and being involved in the process of catalouging primary material. That was their focus, learning how to strip a MG was just a side feature for them.

This scene from Andor is meme gold for misconceptions.

When we teach the FWW we often pose it as the conflict where technology changed warfare. This is something that's often missed about the SWW. I spent yesterday doing some maintenance @vickersmg.bsky.social Firearms are pieces of material culture and they reflect the society and timeframe in which /1

Honestly, taking apart and reassembling a BAR was incredibly stressful. This is controversial, yes its a 1917/18 design, but it requires tools, and nothing is easy to take apart.

Some awesome footage from our recent schools demo shoot. If this is something you're interested in, please do get in touch. If you want to see one in a non-school setting we're holding a demo for Patreons on the 12th July youtu.be/Z1Ln4L0GS-8?...

This is an amazing chance to see a variety of MGs being fired in person with a chance to discuss with experts that nature of Warfare - come check it out.

Interested in a direct approach to history teaching? 'Lean lessons' with booklets, whole-class reading, explanation, and lots of questions? @jacobolivey.bsky.social and I are leading a webinar series for @histassoc.bsky.social in June – and it's cheap! Just £50 for all six webinars. Link below! 👇

I'm glad that this finally has had a proper national outing. Discussions with female staff and trainees has shown how they are treated differently. It goes beyond social media figures, that's reductionist, but there is a culture problem inc. Parents www.theguardian.com/education/20...

We at the @vickersmg.bsky.social have this fantastic memoir at half price to mark the anniversary of the VC action. It's a fantastic account of the Mesopotamian campaign in the FWW - teachers, this is something you really should teach about. vickersmg.blog/product/grah...

One of my jobs at the collection (alongside educating) is cleaning. The British Army in the early 20thC poured boiling water through barrels to wash away corrosive salts and to loosen any rust. At the @vickersmg.bsky.social still do this and it works a treat.

Yesterday was my first time being really hands-on with a Maxim @vickersmg.bsky.social and it was a real eye opener. Checking and cleaning the Russian 1910 really showed how much a leap forward the Vickers was. Much easier to disassemble and didn't require a mallet like this did.

One of the perks of working at the @vickersmg.bsky.social Trying out a dual Vickers AA mount. It's very easy to move around in, once you've navigated your way into the seat.

A brief summary on patreon (free to access) of our demo for schools. This particular demo was shared by 2 schools - 26 students in total. If you'd be interested in joining us next year (these schools are coming back!) Get in touch. www.patreon.com/posts/125836...

Of course, the boss has some decent images. #historyteachers if you want to see Live MG fire with classes, get in touch with us for next year.

An excellent day today! We will be repeating this for schools that’s are interested and perhaps some other relevant groups and our patrons too! The demo included the Vickers of course but a bit of Lewis Gun action too. #FWWHist

Cracking trip with @vickersmg.bsky.social. 2 schools, 26 students, a firing demo and a chance to shoot. The best trip that I've ever ran. We will be doing this again if anyone is interested.

Friend from @vickersmg.bsky.social shared this on our discord. Honestly I love these animated training videos. What do you see teaching wise? Worked examples, I, we, you do methodology and analogies - it's outstanding youtu.be/aoHOVUKOc0M?...

Navigating the #VickersMG Hi folks, We know that there is so much on our Patreon channel that we have created a site map to help people understand what is there and to find some of the key elements. I've used loads of this in lessons. The photo collection is worth the £3 a month

One of the coolest things I've had a chance to handle. Peter Llewelyn Davies pay book. This ladies and gents is Peter Pan whom J.M. Barrie adopted and named the character after. He was a veteran of both World Wars - his pay book is viewable via Patreon www.patreon.com/posts/davies... #worldbookday

Using stories in the classroom - a thread... Here is the 1st story that myself and @benbassett.bsky.social worked on from Sept on Sacagawea. Here is the most recent one on Thomas Tresham for Elizabethans. Here is a thread of 10 things I've learned this year about telling better historical stories

History Teachers this is absolute gold! oldmapsonline.org let's you explore regions, battles, rulers from 4000BC to 2010! It's a great tool to play around with. #historyteacher

Want to see some super rate Britsh trials rifles *cough* EM2 *cough* look no further. It's genuinely one of the most fascinating firearms I've ever handled (and one of around 50). www.patreon.com/posts/120758...

Myself and @vickersmg.bsky.social are at it again with another video on the development of rifles before the First World War, which is a must for understanding the impact these weapons had in 1914. Plus, you can see my classic gesticulating youtu.be/AryoD0ytF8I?...

The War and Society approach to MilHis brings up really interesting angles. French fear of Prusso-German dominance in the 1860s was mostly due to France's dwindling population, a trend seen post-FWW. 1835 was the last year before 1870 which saw a rise in the number of young men being conscripted 1

Patreon pre-release of our next video where I talk about 'modern' rifles, ideal for lessons on why the First World War was so deadly. Join us on Patreon, and you also get access to our archive, which includes amazing stuff. www.patreon.com/posts/119920...

For a thing: Does anyone have any 'YouTube roulette' stories - either adverts or surprising thing in the video that has caught you out in a classroom? Please repost!

Inspired (copying) @mrsball.bsky.social's tracking and sharing books - but with a MilHis twist. 1st read of the year is this, bought for me by 6th formers. Interesting reading and a great way of framing conflict, the storied of mules in the ACW vanishing in mud were horrible, but some poor sources

So it begins. See you in 12 hours

"I was sent out for doing absolutely nothing."

Playing 'how well do you know me' last night. Tye universal response was firearms, I protested, if anything not enough. That being said, I paid £100 to replace this part

Year 7 assessment of their comprehension, ability to recognise valid inferences and choose quotes to support… Thoughts?

Hi all. Just a quick #historyteacher reminder that loads of exciting @1972shp.bsky.social Curriculum PATHS things are going on. see 🧵 for details: 1) We have our new Sharing Hub for Unit PATHS 2) We have new units live 2) Our PATHfinders is connecting teachers with sources to inspire planning /1

This was a fun attempt to try and explain comparative judgements with Y10 today. Thanks to @hughrichards.bsky.social or @edurbin.bsky.social, I saw one of you mention this, can't remember which!

It's the little things in life that make you smile - hitting 303 views with 2 .303 firearms in front of you if one of them youtu.be/7NhpZtqERGo?...

Students: "it is a primary source written at the time, so it is reliable" 😳😳😳 #historyteacher

This time in Smalls Arms Schooling we are looking at the impact of the 'Triumvirate of Death' in the FWW - handy 5 min summary in lesson or for revision or for ITT candidates to get some CPD @htenuk.bsky.social #historyteacher youtu.be/7NhpZtqERGo?...

This is the next episode in our series for schools on how technological changes impacted warfare - this one is about smokeless powder, something that is often underappreciated but had a major impact on warfare from 1886 onwards. youtu.be/-xd4rZs_nec?...

Nothing causes more friction at home than having a wife who is an English teacher who is teaching First World War poetry.

Did you know that when Vickers MGs went into action in the FWW, they did so by wagon? This remained the case until the 1930s. We are currently raising money to restore a full limbered wagon. Any support, sharing, or financial would be amazing as there are so few left. Thanks! gofund.me/ced5afdd

History Teacher folks, this is something you must listen to, so many interesting thoughts on how we teach the FWW. It's a conflict with so many angles to it that you could teach it anyway you wanted.

One of the most impressively nerdy facts that I've seen included in an A Level answer - the obturator ring in a Chassepot, bravo.

Preparing for some filming tomorrow for content for schools for the Vickers MG collection - some really cool videos are planned that can be embedded into lessons. If anyone has requests please do let me know.

Today, I was mostly talking about Vickers and British machine gunnery

Kids who brush their hair in lessons usually get 'if I can't brush mine, you can't brush yours'. In retaliation, one girl brought in a wig for me Yes, I did wear it for a whole lesson on Norman Goverance.

Another open evening done, 6th Form this time. Was great to be able to link the Vickers MG Collection to what we do on the course.

Some cracking news today for the Vickers MG collection. We are now a registered charity! We spent vast amounts of time and effort to achieve this. I'm really proud it's finally come through. History teachers We would love to work with you, and this makes things easier www.patreon.com/posts/weve-d...

This is the most batshit crazy thing I've read for a long time. This has to remain nothing more than an opinion piece as I can not imagine anything worse for staff wellbeing. Bad enough teaching 13 classes, but imagine teaching those classes across 2/3 schools www.tes.com/magazine/lea...