War of the Worlds in Real Time - Week 2

[Andrew J Harvey]

The 1897 War of the Worlds in Real Time
Posted throughout June at http://wotw.name https://haguepublishing.com/Wo... and on twitter at https://twitter.com/1897WotW

​

​ Today Tuesday 8 June 1897 'The Martian's Press Their Attack on London' #alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells The Martians press their attack on London as the army’s Kingston and Richmond defences threaten to collapse under the impact of the black-smoke, and portions of the fleet mutiny. In London, as the police go door-to-door encouraging everyone to evacuate, Toni and her fellow suffragists decide to stay to provide what help they can, even as law-and-order breaks down around them. Morant’s mother and her 2 girls join him as he has decided to stay in London to protect the refugees. To assist this glorious calling Morant promotes himself to Colonel and obtains supplies for his new militia based in the Underground’s newly completed Waterloo station. At Tilbury Fort Lieutenant Dullanty manages to secure mounts and sufficient rations and ammunition to last his 2 platoons 5 days in the field, as well as several boxes of dynamite. Illustration: 'As Men Smoke Out Wasps' Wikimedia.org Illustration by Warwick Goble, The War of the Worlds (1898)/Book 1/Chapter 2

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

'The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'

Today Wednesday 9 June 1897
'The Martians Seize London'

As the British government flees to Birmingham and London panics, Wells becomes trapped with the curate in a house in Sheen, when the 6th Martian cylinder lands next door, collapsing the building on top of them.

Today the government establishes the #Gascoyne-Cecil-Line which follows the Great Western Railway’s mainline from London to Bristol, and we catch up with Lt Carver on board HMS Thunder Child who is tasked with assisting with the Queen’s evacuation to France.

We meet the inventor Hiram Maxim (the inventor of the Maxim Machine Gun) who is watching the Woking Pit where the Martians have erected a massive tower. And Sir J Dullanty (chemist, engineer, inventor, and philanthropist) whose Scottish estate (Rotch Wood) abutted Balmoral enters the story for the first time.

For Toni, today is a day of fear, tears, and emotional fatigue. Toni is a strong independent woman, but even the strongest must acknowledge their fears.

'The War of the Worlds - in real time'
Posted throughout June at http://wotw.name https://haguepublishing.com/WotW/ and on twitter at https://twitter.com/1897WotW

#alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells

Illustration: 'The Gascoyne-Cecil-Line' Original https://commons.wikimedia.org/.../File:Great_Western_Main... New Title applied

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'
Today, Thursday 10 June 1897, the day undoubtedly many of you will have been waiting for: 'The Loss of HMS Thunder Child', and the
‘The Miracle of Deliverance’ – the evacuation of 338,000 of London’s inhabitants to France by means of civilian small vessels via Harwich, Foulness, Shoebury, et al while protected by the British Home Fleet.

Today, through the eyes of the officer commanding HMS Thunder Child’s Royal Marine detachment we experience the destruction of 3 tripods before Thunder Child’s self immolation.

In London, Toni’s diary documents her increasing anger at the absence of any government below ‘the-line’, and introduces us to Sir John Fowler, a noted civil engineer. He had been an engineer for the London Metropolitan Railway, and a resident of Queen Anne’s Mansions.

While Morant’s own efforts to organise begin to bear fruit, Lt Dullanty (4th Coy. CdSmGd) who has been ordered to provide an outer perimeter to the Queen’s transfer observes the HMS Thunder Child’s battle with 4 tripods, and recovers the corpse of a Martian.

'The War of the Worlds - in real time'
Posted throughout June at http://wotw.name https://haguepublishing.com/WotW/ and on twitter at https://twitter.com/1897WotW

#alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells

Photograph: 'The Turbinia at Spithead in 1897'. The Turbinia was the vessel which conveyed Queen Victoria to safety.

 

[lordroel]

Do not know if it is okay to post in here, but when i think of HMS Thunderchild, i think of the version that Drachinifel tried to imagine over at YouTube.

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

Do not know if it is okay to post in here,

We welcome the discourse lordroel You will notice, if you're following either twitter or the blog (wotw.name) that I was trying (as editor) to stick as closely to the history of the time - except for the fact that there are Martians - despite the efforts of the other authors (including Wells) to bend history and reality to fit their own imaginations. At times it felt like herding kittens, oh look, there's a new shiny thing...

The main inducement to use actual photographs of the time (rather than using more recent drawings (such as Drachinifel's)) is the question of copyright. Under Australia’s Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) copyright has expired for any photographs made before 1 Jan 1955. (see the Australian Copyright Council INFORMATION SHEET G023v19, January 2019 (available from https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/dimoacc/factsheets/INFO023.pdf). There's been a lot of art done by fans I would have LOVED to have used but contacting them the couple of times I've tried was problematic.
Andrew

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'
Today, Friday 11 June 1897, 'The Queen, the PM, and the Martian'

The Queen arrives at Balmoral, much to the distress of the British Government who had arranged for her to travel to Paris, and the first description of the Martians is obtained when a recovered Martian corpse is rushed to the #RotchWood Estate in Scotland for autopsy.

In London, the scarcity of entries in Toni’s diary today shows how the group has been almost overwhelmed with the situation. However, they continue to organize and today ‘elect’ Elizabeth Cadbury as their commander-in-chief.

Morant’s escape route now permits refugees to get as far as Finchley Road Station using the underground. From there a network of safe houses has been set up to take refugees to a staging point 30 miles northeast of London.

'The War of the Worlds - in real time'
Posted throughout June at http://wotw.name https://haguepublishing.com/WotW/ and on twitter at https://twitter.com/1897WotW

#alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells

Original Illustration: The body of the dead Martian is rushed to Rotch Wood aboard a 'special' guarded by a detachment from the Coldstream Guards 4th Coy (special ops) - Copyright Hague Publishing 2023.

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

'The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'


Today Saturday 12 June 1897
'The Mk1 Gas Mask is released'

In London, once again Toni’s diary has only a few entries for the day, but they are important ones – documenting decisions to make sure they remain safe, research on the black smoke, and the frightening sounds made by the Martians during their patrols.

Morant’s guests, Marie and Pierre Curie, become fixated (according to Morant) on the idea that the Martians are unable to digest arsenic.

Commander Carver, now behind enemy lines with a small scratch group of 25 (Marines, Horse Guards, and misc. stragglers) prepares to march on Woking to destroy the radio mask erected by the Martians.

'The War of the Worlds - in real time'
Posted throughout June at http://wotw.name https://haguepublishing.com/WotW/ and on twitter at https://twitter.com/1897WotW

#alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells

Illustration: 'The Mk1, hessian, gas-mask'

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

'The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'

Today Sunday 13 June 1897
'The Battle for Didcot'

Despite the loss of 3 tripods the Martians continue a cautious push northward, reaching the outskirts of Didcot today, and forcing battle.

In London, Toni explains how the leaders of the suffragists survived the Martian black smoke, and mentions the ‘Red Weed’ for the first time.

While Morant dispatches foraging parties to supplement dwindling food stocks. HMS Majestic, flagship of the Channel Squadron reports sighting a flying disc that circles over the fleet.

By the end of the day, due to the number of civilians killed during the Martian’s attack on Didcot, the army decides to evacuate all non-combatants within 10 miles of #TheLine further north.

#alternatehistory #althistory #scifi #TheWarOfTheWorlds #hgwells

Illustration: 'Martian Flying Machine', original illustration licensed from Shutterstock 2023.

 

[Andrew J Harvey]

'The War of the Worlds - In Real Time'

Today Monday 14 June 1897
'The Red Weed'

Given the impact of the Martian’s Red Weed on England’s urban and country environments we take a short detour to consider the plants that for a short time drowned much of England in a sea of red.

In London, the entries in Toni’s diary offers essential reading for the modern historian to properly understand the sweeping political changes that occurred after 1897. Many historians speculate that without ‘The Line’ and the anger it caused, the changes to society that swept from London, and indeed into the wider world, would have taken many more decades.

The Curies continue to collect evidence that the Martians are highly susceptible to arsenic.

Lt Dullanty decides to move his two platoons closer to London, setting up a heligraph in Greenwich to maintain contact with Tilbury Fort, while Commander Carver marches his ragtag group.

Things may be getting a bit crowded in London ;-)

‘The Red Weed’. Original illustration by Henrique Alvim Corrêa for the 1906 edition of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds"