Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Nicky Barr


 * The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page.  No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Promoted EyeSerene talk 16:39, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

Nicky Barr

 * Nominator(s): Ian Rose (talk)

Another long-standing Good Article that I felt had the legs for A-Class with a little more work, this focusses on one of the most remarkable RAAF aces of WWII, by virtue of the fact that his feats earned him not just the Distinguished Flying Cross (and Bar) but also the Military Cross. Any and all comments welcome! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 14:11, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Comments
 * Be consistent in whether you cite Dornan as 2002 or 2005
 * Tks, I actually used the 2005 edition so standardised to that.
 * Split lead into two paragraphs starting with "His achievements"?
 * Let me think about it as the review progresses...
 * "He was also the Victorian Schoolboys 100 yards athletics champion three years running" - appreciate the pun, but you might want to rephrase. Nikkimaria (talk) 18:37, 9 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Well you got me -- I wrote it that way without thinking, then noticed it and thought I'd see who else did... ;-) Tks for review! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 23:27, 9 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Comments Yet more great work Ian, but I think that a bit of tweaking is needed for this to reach A class:
 * The lead seems a bit short compared to the length of the article
 * Okay, I could put a bit more meat on and then break in two, as Nikki suggested.
 * "he was confined to No. 6 RAAF Hospital, Heidelberg" - do we know what illness he was suffering from? 'Confined to' also sounds a bit more dramatic than I think you intended.
 * Will recheck the bio.
 * Did he really 'retire' from the air force in October 1945? This seems an unusual phrase to use for someone who joined up during hostilities, and the AWM timeline of his wartime service states that his appointment was 'terminated' in October.
 * Fair enough, I might just say "discharged".
 * "After the war, Barr returned to Australia and to his wife," - the previous paragraph states that Barr had been back in Australia since 1944 and doesn't mention him leaving again
 * Good point, will doublecheck.
 * "but he became active in yachting as a sport" - reads a bit awkwardly Nick-D (talk) 00:26, 10 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Drop "as a sport"? Or change to "took up yachting as a sport"?  Tks for reviewing! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 00:40, 10 September 2011 (UTC)
 * The second option looks good to me (as yachting can also be a business). Nick-D (talk) 00:44, 10 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Support My comments have now been addressed - great work. Nick-D (talk) 07:15, 17 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Support - I reviewed this article for GA and feel it has improved further since then. Only a few comments:
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 * Images lack alt text so you might consider adding it (suggestion only).
 * I like to employ alt text so tks for reminding me... Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 10:23, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
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 * Not 100% about the punctuation here: "The tour was however cancelled less than a day after the team arrived in the UK on 2 September, due to the outbreak of World War II." There might be a few commas missing here I think.
 * I might put them round "however" and see how that looks -- I'm sure Dank will set us right on this one in any case... ;-) Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 10:23, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
 * You rang? Opinions on the best use (or avoidance) of "however" are evolving; you may want to check your favorite Australian style guides.  (IIRC, Hawkeye looked this up once.)  Generally my style is to figure out if the sentence can work without a contrasting word, and if it can't, then I try to use some word other than "however" unless I really want to emphasize the contrast (per Chicago 5.206 and 5.207).  If I do use "however", I will at least try to put it somewhere that seems least likely to require commas before it or after it, but sometimes a comma or two is necessary. - Dank (push to talk) 14:50, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Other than that this looks good to me and I cant find too much to fault it after reading over it a couple more times. Well done. Anotherclown (talk) 09:58, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Tks very much, AC! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 10:23, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Comments. As always, feel free to revert my copyediting. Please check the edit summaries. - Dank (push to talk) 03:52, 18 September 2011 (UTC) Support on prose per standard disclaimer. These are my edits. - Dank (push to talk) 12:55, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * The lead is just a bit heavy on commas, for instance "captured by Axis forces, and incarcerated in Italy" and "saw action during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, before returning to Australia". It's not a big deal.
 * "The tour was, however, cancelled ...": The tour was cancelled however [I made the edit]. My own style would be ", but the tour was cancelled ..."
 * "as a something of a rebel": as something of a rebel
 * "but didn't take too long to realise": is that in the quote, instead of "it didn't take too long"? - Dank (push to talk) 03:57, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * "D-Day+2": It's fine, but I'd recommend a note or footnote immediately after (or "two days after D-Day"). - Dank (push to talk) 04:02, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Tks as ever for your suggestions, Dan. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 07:24, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Sure thing. With your articles, it's just light housework. - Dank (push to talk)


 * The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page, such as the current discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.