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Bit sad that there was no context given with this post:
HAIRY MARY'S HEMP ARMOUR (1899) đźš‚
In November 1899, a hemp-armoured locomotive was plying the tracks in Natal, South Africa, pulling military trains during the Second Boer War. Unlike other wartime steam engines that were covered in metal armour, the "Havelock" was covered in thick hemp Royal Navy anchor rope leading the troops to dub it the "Hairy Mary". In total, 3.65km of 6" hemp rope was installed by sailors from the HMS Terrible for protection from Boer guerrilla attacks. However, the train was still vulnerable to derailment and the Boers managed to do so in an ambush while a young Winston Churchill, working as a war correspondent, was accompanying troops on a scouting mission.
Several cars were destroyed in the attack and dozens of men were injured and killed. The engineer panicked, but Churchill convinced him to pull himself together and attempt to save the train. With help from soldiers directed by Churchill (working under a hail of gunfire) the engineer managed to rock the locomotive free and the Hairy Mary limped back to friendly lines with dozens of injured men. However, Churchill was captured and spent nearly a month as a prisoner in Pretoria.
His bold escape and the ensuing fame helped Churchill win his first seat in Parliament, in the 1900 UK election (for full details on Churchill's stranger-than-fiction South African adventure, see "Hero of the Empire", by Candice Mallard.) As for the Hairy Mary, it resumed commercial service after the war ended in 1902 but was consigned to working branch lines as more powerful engines were introduced. By 1905, it was considered obsolete and sent to the scrapyard.However, Churchill was captured and spent nearly a month as a prisoner in Pretoria.
holy crap what a story.. there are no cinematic versions of young Winnie rescuing a Hairy locomotive from guerilla Boers? that sounds worthy of anime almost..
I’m terrified to think of what an anime version of something called “Hairy Mary” might look like.
"Winnie Rides Hairy Mary to Glory"
“Hairy Mary and the Tentacle Rope Armor”
that's the prequel
In which our protagonists set the stage and learn some valuable lessons which led to the decision to use hemp instead.
Well that is a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing!
Did you just link a Facebook page as a source?
And the post has no references...
First result on Google with someone explaining things. I just wanted to know why they used ropes and OP didn't offer any explanation. Then I thought if I already went through the trouble of looking it up, I might as well post it. Fuck Facebook, but if you don't like this "source" go and grab your own.
Why were the soldiers taking orders from a reporter.
A smart soldier will accept good ideas in a crisis whether they come from a superior, subordinate or whoever is around if they seem competent. Obviously that comes with some stuff about following the orders of people in charge of you and making a bunch of decisions in the moment but it's not that unreasonable.
The queue for jokes about a "smart soldier" forms below.
He was not just some random reporter. His father was an aristocrat, his mother the daughter of a wealthy American businessman. He had military education and had been appointed second lieutenant of the British army years earlier. He had combat experience from Sudan and India before going to South Africa.
Chances are he had a hands on approach to war correspondence as well.
Yeah I feel like the story may be bs
Fucking Churchill. What a fucking badass.
Well, yes and no. He was also a massive piece of shit who knowingly ordered hundreds of Australian and New Zealand troops to their deaths at the Dardanelles
Every wartime leader knowing sends their members of the military to their deaths.
There are tons of other terrible things he did that are exceptional. Like causing a famine in India by depriving them of food, allowing chemical agents against indigenous people, genuine racism, and encouraged the genocide of Palestinians.
You should definitely look up the details of that theater of the war. He purposely sent ANZAC troops to storm the beaches that he knew were mined extensively. Used them as mine fodder to clear the way for British troops. Threw away thousands of lives for a failure of a campaign.
But how is hemp an effective armor?
I would assume similar to gambeson.
How is that helpful?