Talk:Percy Toplis/Archive 1

Terminology
Excuse me, but what does 'birched' mean? I am afraid that term is not familiar outside (apparently) the UK. Arcayne 15:14, 27 March 2007 (UTC) The section "one of the only leaders of the mutiny" makes no sense. He was either the only or one of a number. You can't be "one of the only"

"Birched" means he was beaten with a fresh cut Branch from a Birch Tree. In the USA this is generally referred to as a "Switch".

Roaming deserters
"Toplis had made a habit of not being present with his regiment and his comings and goings cannot be accurately detailed. This is true of thousands of soldiers throughout WWI as testament from conscripted soldiers of the time upholds. Thousands of British, French, Belgian and indeed German deserters lived in makeshift camps that were constantly on the move to avoid the patrols seeking to bring them to justice at courts martial, usually resulting in a sentence of execution by firing squad." Is there any substantiation for this? I have doubts on 3 points; (1) the implication that Toplis casually joined or left his regiment as he felt fit and there are no accurate regimental records, (2) that there existed roaming camps of deserters. This seems most unlikely, certainly in northern France/Belgium and (3) that most deserters were executed by firing squad. The third suggestion undermines the idea that Toplis joined or left his regiment at will.Crantock (talk) 22:59, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Illegally held firearm
"Parry was armed illegally with a Belgian automatic pistol" What evidence is there to suggest that Parry held the pistol illegally? At that time, in England, it wasn't illegal to possess any firearm.


 * It may have been illegally possessed if it was stolen or it was a weapon he was not entitled to use. (Pistols were usually the prerogative of officers.)Cloptonson (talk) 19:42, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

'Self defence'
This needs to be either clarified or removed, firing a gun in self defence is only valid if you are lawfully in possession of that gun and your own life is in immediate danger. Toplis was a criminal on the run and therefore unlikely to be in lawful possession of a gun. The use of the phrase 'self defence' seems to show a bias or sympathy towards Toplis - maybe even POV? 77.96.231.238 (talk) 08:39, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Further to the above I have removed the references to self defence as I feel that it is an inappropriate term in the circumstances. If any one objects then feel free to reinstate the term but it needs to be better clarified. 77.96.231.238 (talk) 13:03, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Conduct in School Years
The statement "Toplis kept out of trouble until he left school in 1910" is flatly contradicted by his first juvenile court appearance in 1908, and by reports mentioned by Tom Bates in his online About Derbyshire article that while at school he was an unruly bully who was frequently caned. From this it is obvious he was 'in trouble' both with the law and his own school. I am therefore editing this sentence to reflect the record.Cloptonson (talk) 20:29, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Related History - What Records?
It would help perspective greatly if it were clarified what exactly the 'official records' were that testify to Toplis being away from the Western Front at different stages of his wartime service. If they are now in the public domain, they are surely openly citeable. The title of his unit would also be of interest; the Medical Corps did not organize into 'regiments' but into 'hospitals' or 'field ambulance' units.Cloptonson (talk) 20:23, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
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