Silent Stations for the Fight
The exhibition told the story of the life of Porlock during the preparation for the conflict and the early years of the Great War and bore witness to the Porlock men who saw active service. Displays recounted poignant tales of local men who gave their lives for their country, such as Noah Hubert Pollard of ‘Overlay’, Porlock, a Private with the British Expeditionary Force who died in offensive action south of Arras in 1917 on his 27th birthday, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
The exhibition had a strong visual impact heightened by the use of model aircraft of the period made by Porlock local John Russell. A German Fokker E 111, or Eindekker, powered by 7 or 9 cylinder rotary engine 80 to 100 hp, which became known to the allies as the ‘Fokker scourge’ as it dominated the airspace for a short time in 1915, when it was the only aircraft which could fire straight ahead through the propeller, and a British S.E.5a of 1917 which was powered by a liquid cooled 150hp Hispano Suiza or Wolesley Viper engine which fired over the propeller arc.
The many artefacts on display from the period included a Vickers machine gun, a weapon which took a team of 6 to 8 men to operate, which was in service before the war and continued to be used until the 1960s.
The exhibition had a strong visual impact heightened by the use of model aircraft of the period made by Porlock local John Russell. A German Fokker E 111, or Eindekker, powered by 7 or 9 cylinder rotary engine 80 to 100 hp, which became known to the allies as the ‘Fokker scourge’ as it dominated the airspace for a short time in 1915, when it was the only aircraft which could fire straight ahead through the propeller, and a British S.E.5a of 1917 which was powered by a liquid cooled 150hp Hispano Suiza or Wolesley Viper engine which fired over the propeller arc.
The many artefacts on display from the period included a Vickers machine gun, a weapon which took a team of 6 to 8 men to operate, which was in service before the war and continued to be used until the 1960s.
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Registered Charity Number 1079760
Registered Charity Number 1079760