Brandon F. & The Native Oak

07/18/2024

It is finished!

Thanks to the amazing work of the book's contributors, my loved ones' patience in listening to my endless rambling about it, and the faith of those who pre-ordered, "Something Like Philosophy" is FINALLY finished and available for sale!

After hundreds of hours editing and proof-reading, doubtless there are still some issues that escaped me. Still, I hope that a rogue typo or two won't diminish the book too terribly much. For my first time ever playing editor I think I did a pretty good job!

If you've pre-ordered a copy of the book, I'll be sending yours out as soon as I'm able! It just may take some time to go through and place over 300 separate orders! I'll be sending you all an email soon with more details. Still I'm confident in my ability to get through all the orders within a week.

Consider this announcement a 'soft launch'! I'll be making a video showing off my physical copies and talking about it all soon enough!

Something Like Philosophy is a study of warfare’s sorrowful hellscape. Each of its essays explores themes of privation, trauma, horror, and suffering throughout military history in the hopes that we might draw connections between lived experiences otherwise thought to be separate. Through these co...

07/15/2024

Ladies and Gents: they are so back.

Coldstream Guards 1815, Reenactment and Living History group of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards at the time of the Napoleonic Wars

06/25/2024

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Beamish Museum where reenactors of the Old 68th Society and His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot put on a wonderful drill and weapons display for the public. They all did a wonderful job and were very smart on parade! I am thinking about making a short video where I offer some commentary on the footage I took of their demonstration, if people think they'd enjoy it. Either way, it definitely makes me look forward all the more to getting back in the Napoleonic field!

06/24/2024

This is exactly the kind of thing that we need to see more of in the reenactment community! Thankfully, I feel like "events" like these are becoming increasingly common in recent years. More and more I find, especially when speaking with younger reenactors, the "battle" events are the least interesting bit when compared with special displays, talks, and charity events like this.

05/13/2024

"Myth Mondays"... As we ramp up to the 250th series beginning next Spring, we'll occasionally throw in relevant myths that have been dispelled through modern research, but are often still perpetuated today, even amongst some academics and social media content creators focused on the commemoration and celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American War for Independence.

Today's focus will be on the East India Company (EIC) and it's lesser known, but widely watched copycat, the East India Trading Company (EITC) of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" fame.

The infamous East India Company was established by royal charter granted under Queen Elizabeth I in the year 1600 C.E. It was their "cheap" tea carried by American-owned ships into the various American Colonial ports in late 1773 that helped throw sparks onto the tinder that was the growing cause for the American rebellion to come...

Learn more about the infamous company that is still in operation today: https://www.theeastindiacompany.com/pages/history

The lesser known East India Trading Company is a fictitious creation of the Pirates of the Caribbean film production. Famous employees of the EITC include none other than Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow, who may or may not be considered better or worse than actual employees in the original East India Company that sailed in the 18th-century.

Learn more about this fictitious Pirate-adjacent company here: https://pirates.fandom.com/wiki/East_India_Trading_Company

This company was created for the film production in 2002 as there were trademark issues and disagreements between the production company for Pirates of the Caribbean and the EIC as to the use of their original balemark and use of symbols that the original company owns.

What is a balemark? The EIC explains:

"The Company began to use a ‘balemark,’ which identified its products as they arrived in busy ports or were sold on the trading floor.

Initially a simple mark, this evolved by the 1700s into a heart shaped figure [denoting ‘good luck’] surmounted by a figure four (symbolising Agnus Dei – ‘Lamb of God’] and containing the initials of the company.

This symbol became known as “the chop” a word derived from the Hindi छाप ćhāp – which means stamp.

The chop was not only an easily identifiable mark of The East India Company ownership, used for example on tea crates, it also became a symbol of the quality of those wares.

The Merchant’s Mark is still used today on all our products, now as then, the distinctive mark of The Company and of quality."

In the picture are two balemarks, one is the original balemark and the other is a fictitious creation for the film production from 2002, can you identify which balemark is the original and which is the fake?

05/10/2024

Another beautiful Great War memorial- this one in the little town of Alnwick in Northumberland.

It is beautifully done, with a lot of really nice details on the men's rifles I was happy to see, although I wouldn't describe the overall approach as terribly unique. Although worthy of note is one man from I believe the Royal Navy Division, which isn't something you see portrayed every day! I also really like how the entire memorial stands to hold up a large lantern which I believe still functions today. Not only functional, but obviously with a powerful symbolism as well. A nice combination, and again not something you see very often! So while the 'style' of monument may not be all that original, I think the piece itself as a whole is quite so.

04/30/2024

Okay, last Newcastle memorial post, I promise. For now. Until I find another I really like.

But this one isn't WW1- it's actually the "South African War," what we more popularly know as the Second Boer War. Really it checks all the usual melodramatic boxes that I adore in memorials, draping Colours and plenty of wreaths, with plenty of beautiful lines like "Steadfast in Life - Valiant in Death," with a few more unique and interesting features besides. It's not every day you see a fasces in a British memorial! The lion head is a nice touch, too.

It is only appropriate, as well, for before the First World War, the 2nd Boer really was a major shock to the British Empire as a whole which had become so used to the "little wars" of imperialism. It was extremely costly, long, and bloody- far more than had ever been expected. I really do need to make more content about it...

04/24/2024

Related to my previous post, these are the King's Colours of the 6th Batt. Northumberland Fusiliers currently housed at the St Thomas' Newcastle church.

The reason why this particular set of Colours struck me, beyond the usual, is because at first glance it appeared to me that the flag was upside-down! You see the cross of St Patrick is reversed from the usual. It was only after a bit of confusion that I noticed the bit where the flagstaff goes (what is that called, anyways?) was on the right of the flag, meaning that it wasn't upside down, it was simply facing 'forward' as if flying back in the wind from the perspective of the viewer. The text on the flag's face is arrayed in such a way as to always read forward. This reminded me of how on American uniforms, the flag patch is often placed backwards, to take on an appearance of always advancing.

Have any of you ever seen a set of Colours like this? I wonder if it isn't actually very common and I've just never noticed it before! Certainly something I'll need to keep an eye out for moving forward.

04/18/2024

One of my newly favourite memorials, "The Response" in Newcastle, dedicated to the Northumberland Fusiliers and portraying their marching to war in 1914. The caption, "NON SIBI SED PATRIAE" meaning "Not for self, but for country," reminiscent of a prayer I've always found particularly beautiful, the "Non nobis."

Rather than the obelisks and more straightforward pieces we often associate with the First World War, I love the energy and forward momentum that this piece portrays. From a distance it gives off an air of enthusiasm and commitment, but the closer you get, the more you can also sense the apprehension and cold resignation to duty in the faces of the men and boys marching on. Ever being called forward, of course, by a divine presence above, which blends seamlessly into the Colours.

If you'd like to read about the monument itself and its history, you can find more info here: https://fabulousnorth.com/the-response/

04/08/2024

Look at that recoil!

04/06/2024

WE ARE BACK!

It’s been a while since you’ve all heard from me- sorry about that! I’ve been away from my computer owing to some travel, but things are finally settled again and I am back to it! The next video should be out sooner than later- though it will be tough to beat the surprise runaway success of the last one!

Now that I am back I also have some exciting things to discuss!

Firstly, to my immense joy, being that ALL of the pre-orders of “Something Like Philosophy” have been sold! Now all that remains is to actually finish the thing, and send out all three-hundred copies! That will be a fun few days of admin work, I’m sure…but worth it! I’ve already got a few of the articles in-hand and ready to go, with the remainder right around the corner as well. Then I will need to just do some formatting work to combine them all into a final book, as well as add in some art assets, maps, etc. The original estimate for the book was April, but I am thinking a more realistic release date will now be mid-late May. To everyone who has ordered a copy, I will be sending out a mass email in the coming days to go into everything in detail with you. But, above all else, the book is happening and I am incredibly excited for it! If you weren’t able to secure a preorder copy- no worries, they will be up for general sale soon enough!

Secondly is another thing I am overjoyed to announce- being the return of The Native Oak Fund! It’s been away for a year now (how time flies) but I’ve decided that things are secure enough on my end that we can take it up again on the same basis as before. For those unaware, the “Fund” is a 10% post-tax profit share from this YouTube channel and all of its related activities (books, merch, sponsors, ads, patreon, etc.) that is given to charity every quarter. I decide on four charities and then the audience votes on how much money they want to go to each of them proportionally. To learn more about all of this, you can visit Nativeoak.org/charity The Fund will be brought back from Q2 2024 onwards, meaning that the next poll will be held in July for the revenue share collected this April, May, and June.

The only bad thing to mention is that I will be closing down my PO box for the foreseeable future. I will be removing its details from my website. Please do not forward anything there because it will most likely be returned to you. I will be sure to announce when something else can take its place!

If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to reach out via any of my public social medias, or by email at [email protected] Thank you all!

03/20/2024

The time is now, my dear friends! For the last of our Author Announcements for the first volume of “Something Like Philosophy,” yet far from the least of them! Once again I can only reaffirm how extraordinarily excited I am for this project. Drafts have been pouring in, preorders have been doing incredibly well, and I think it’s all but assured that this will become a series! In fact, it’s entirely possible that the preorders are completely gone by now. This post has also been scheduled in advance, so I can’t say for sure! I’ll still link them below for you, if there’s a shot. Otherwise you’ll just have to wait for the full release, likely in late April!

But, I should mention that author! Another name that I am sure many of you are well familiar with. A prolific historian and wonderful writer, Mr Joshua Provan! You may recognise him from his YouTube channel, “Adventures in Historyland,” or by his blog of the same name. In fact, before “Something Like Philosophy” became a book, the idea was originally conceived as a guest lecture series, for which Joshua was my pilot guest! In that way, I am announcing him last, but he is very much the ‘first author’!

That guest lecture was on the same topic as one of his many books, the Anglo-Maratha Wars, which fits all the better because for his contribution Joshua will be examining the complexities of Indian Campaigning during those wars, and specifically, forced marches through a famine-wasted countryside.

If you’d like to get ahold of some of Joshua’s writing ahead of time to see what you have ahead of you, I’ll be sure to link some of his books here. They can also be a great way to spend your time while you wait for “Something Like Philosophy” to release in full, currently expected in late April! Thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far- I hope you’re as excited as I am for it!

Some of Mr Provan’s books (as Amazon affiliate links- it gives me a little cash, but doesn’t add anything to your own price)
The Siege of Pensacola: https://amzn.to/3IjmJms
The British in Japan, 1854-68: https://amzn.to/3IgCMB9
and of course, The Maratha Wars: https://amzn.to/49RQG8N

And just in case there are any copies left: https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

03/13/2024

The time has come for another Author Announcement! And this is a pretty big one, if I dare to say so! If you’ve not secured your copy of the book already, you’d best to do quickly! (Assuming there are even any left- I am writing this one in advance, and last I checked, it was only around 30! No worries if you’ve missed it though- the book will be fully released on Amazon soon enough!)

Introducing Dr Alex Burns! Dr Burns is also an Assistant Professor at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and the author of “Infantry in Battle, 1733 - 1783,” set to release later this year from Helion Press! You’re also certain to be familiar with his work, because I’ve pulled from his amazing military history website “Kabinettskriege” countless times for my videos!

Alex’s career has long centred around the experiences of common soldiers from the mid-18th Century, which makes him a perfect candidate for the aims of “Something Like Philosophy,” and I am delighted to say that he has chosen a topic close to my heart for his contribution, being the life and times of Roger Lamb, who was a sergeant during the American War of Independence (and also the inspiration for a fictionalised novel series by Robert Graves!)

To read more of Dr Burns’ work, check out Kabinettskriege here: https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/

And assuming there are spots left, pre-order your copy of “Something Like Philosophy” here! https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

03/06/2024

It’s been a while since our last author announcement! Sorry for the delay, moving has been a distraction lately. Still the presales have been going incredibly well, so if you still want to get yourself a copy of “Something Like Philosophy” with a discount AND free shipping, you’d better act fast! (~30 copies left as of my writing this)

The next author I’m announcing is a one you’ve certainly heard from if you’re a longtime viewer: Mr Darrell Rivers! Or, perhaps I should announce him more properly as The Lord Rivers, of The Ministry for History! (On YouTube, that is)

Darrell is an incredible historian whose eclectic career has included historical advising for films, organising one of the largest 18th Century reenactment events on the West Coast of the USA, and lately offering some of the best personal tours of London ranging from the history of the (American!) Civil War in London, to Crimean War memorials!

Which makes it all the more perfect that his article will be on the Crimean War, and specifically the terrible winter of 1854 which so tortured allied supply lines. This topic is a brutally efficient way to connect the numbers of history with the individual stories they represent, which is what makes it such a wonderful contribution to “Something Like Philosophy.”

Mr Rivers also has an excellent video on YouTube on exactly this topic! So if you’d like to get a little glimpse into the story, I’ll link it below. And remember that time is running out to secure your preorder of the book, so be sure to do so today!

https://youtu.be/LfOkL5HKU-M?si=FG5Ys8nyXHr8-LBJ

https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

03/04/2024

Hi all! Many of you have seen the latest video sponsor- and I know a lot of people can get upset with the mobile game sponsors, but reall, the pay for them is enough to justify their inclusion, especially as I am in the middle of both a big move and putting together the funding for the book project.

I want to be entirely up-front with all of you too. With this particular sponsor, not only was there a set fee for the deal, but there is also an additional bounty for every install the game receives. When I said "supporting the sponsors helps support me," I was being literal!

So I have to ask, if you've got a mobile phone and just a minute or two of time, to consider downloading the game. But I won't e-beg any more than that!

As an additional coax, I have decided to donate half of all the additional funding received to charity via a special/additional Native Oak Fund poll. The full-on profit share is still on hold, but I'm hoping this will generate enough income to justify a full poll.

So, if you want to help me out, give four dollars to charity, and maybe even find a game you like, you can download the game here: https://strms.net/royal_match_brandonf
I don't think anything has to happen besides downloading the game.

02/23/2024

The RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre was born in 2016 and opened to the public… Ian Brown needs your support for New home for the RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre

02/11/2024

02/10/2024

Another week, another author announcement for “Something Like Philosophy”! It probably sounds tired by now to talk about how excited I am for these articles, but it really is true! And the more I hear about them all, the better they become!

This time I am announcing the contribution of a good friend of mine, Mr Devon Erickson. Devon is an incredibly passionate student of history and I am honoured to say that this article will be his first foray into professional, academic writing. One of my biggest aims with this book series is to promote scholarship among a diverse range of individuals- not just formally trained historians. I’ve known Mr Erickson for years now, and can personally attest to his intense love and deep respect for military history and its power to teach us about the human condition. Again, I know it must sound tired by now, but he really is among the perfect candidates for this project.

His article will also be touching on a topic that is severely underrepresented in public history today- that of the Arctic Convoys of the Second World War! Where from late 1941 until the end of the war, allied merchantmen would ply one of the most hostile and alien environments on the planet, the Arctic Circle, to supply the Soviet Union with much needed supplies during their fight against the Axis. Not only were these incredibly courageous individuals facing the usual threats of German pocket cruisers and u-boats, but the added dread of ever-thickening fogs, extreme weather, and pack ice as well. The conditions they faced can only be described as alien- and this incredibly important story needs to be told.

If you’re interested in learning more about that alien world, and most importantly the individuals who braved it, please consider pre-ordering your copy of “Something Like Philosophy” today by following the link below. Remember that when you do so, not only are you helping to pay these authors and make this series a reality, but you’re also getting your copy of the book at a discounted price and with free shipping! But you ought to act quickly- nearly half of ALL the preorder copies are already gone, and I haven’t even made an announcement video for this project yet! Once I do (soon), I suspect they’ll go even quicker!

https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

02/03/2024

It’s time for another author announcement for “Something Like Philosophy,” which is still available for preorders now! We’re inching closer to that release date, so be sure to secure your copy of the book now & get free shipping!

Today I’m announcing Mr Kyle Dunn- although you may better know him by his name on YouTube, “Falcon’s Fighter Tales” where he discusses all things military aviation! Kyle is fairly new to YouTube, but he’s already made some three dozen videos on topics ranging from 19th Century hot air balloon duels to Cold War jets, which have racked him up nearly thirty thousand followers! Falcon’s content provides a wonderful blend between the highly technical side of military aircraft and the human element of those brave individuals who flew them. I think that makes him the perfect choice to write an article for “Something Like Philosophy”!

Alongside his popular work, Mr Dunn also serves as the curator for a WW2 Museum in his area. I’d love to sing his praises here more specifically, but given that we both have internet presences that go beyond our ‘day-to-day’ lives, it’s better to keep such specific personal info on the need-to-know! Suffice to say that Kyle really knows his stuff!

This makes it all the better that for his article, he's decided to hone in on the terrifying atmosphere of strategic bombers during the Second World War. A frozen hellscape 30,000 feet in the air, where flak would explode all around and enemy fighters cut swathes through formations of dozens, even hundreds, of planes which were forced to remain in their box formations.

Warfare is a hellish thing whether waged with great flying machines or with muskets. To read Falcon’s article plus seven others, all exploring the common thread of humanity through that ever-changing hellscape, you can preorder your copy of “Something Like Philosophy” below. When you do so not only are you helping to support an amazing set of historians, you’re also able to get free shipping and a discount on your purchase. The book is currently expected to be released in late April, and preorders are limited! So secure your copy today before they’re gone!

https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

01/30/2024

It certainly didn't take the next video (which is about Holocaust denialism, how it works, and why it is difficult to tackle) long to get the dreaded yellow dollar sign!

Still it will be out soon!

01/27/2024

Preorders for “Something Like Philosophy” have been doing incredibly well and I couldn’t be happier with its progress! We’re over a third of the way towards the goal that will pay a fair rate to every author for their contribution.

Remember that when you preorder the book you’re also getting the book at a discounted rate with free shipping. So to entice you to secure your copy today before the price goes up, it’s time for another author announcement!

Meet Mr Matthew Novosad, town historian for Franklin, Connecticut, First World War reenactor, and your go-to man for all things cavalry and submarines! It’s an eclectic mix that he works with, but Matt is an extraordinary historian who brings both intense research and contagious enthusiasm to all of his projects.

You may already be familiar with Matt’s work without knowing it, as he was the researcher for the video ‘Was Cavalry Useless in the First World War?’ for The Great War YouTube channel, as well as helping me on my own video of the same subject! (The spoiler is no, they definitely weren’t!)

For his article, Matt will be taking us deep under the ocean to discuss submarine warfare during the First World War. Featuring extraordinarily cramped conditions in one of the most hostile environments known to man, submariners were at the forefront of a revolutionary and deeply controversial new style of fighting. But while much has been said of the reactions to submarine warfare, the experience of the submariner himself and his precarious craft are relatively neglected. A sad state of affairs- but Matt’s article will surely help bring this knowledge to the surface!

I couldn’t resist making at least one ‘surfacing’ pun.

You can read Matt’s article alongside seven others, ranging from the American Revolution and the War of 1812, up to the World Wars, in the first volume of “Something Like Philosophy,” available now for pre-order! Go pick up your copy today, and help make this project a reality!

https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

01/23/2024

If ever I take up Rev War reenacting again, this is the look. And if it's in the States, this is the group!

01/23/2024

Some militia groups could get pretty crazy with their kit!

01/19/2024

I am overjoyed to formally announce the first author for Something Like Philosophy!

From the moment this project was conceived I knew that Dr Robbie MacNiven would be the perfect candidate for it. You may know him from his most recent book, The Pattern: The 33rd Regiment in the American Revolution 1770 - 1783, about one of the most storied and professional regiments in the American War of Independence. Of course it was only appropriate that Dr MacNiven wrote the book, because he’s also a reenactor with one of the premier UK Rev War groups portraying the regiment!

But not only is he an accomplished historian; Dr MacNiven has also written a number of fiction novels and short stories, including for a variety of well-known fantasy and science fiction series. I'm sure you'll find his writing is both scholarly and compelling!

Dr MacNiven has chosen to apply his myraid literary and academic talents to write an article about the Gnadenhutten Massacre, when ninety-six pacifist Moravian Christian Native Americans were killed by militiamen on the Ohio frontier in 1782. This oft-forgotten tragedy is one of the darkest episodes of the American War of Independence and reminds us how morally complicated that conflict was, particularly for marginalised communities.

You can read Dr Robbie MacNiven’s article all about the Gnadenhuten Massacre, as well as seven other articles from different authors on many different topics, in the upcoming book Something Like Philosophy: Being An Anthology of Military Privation & Suffering, which is expected to release in April and is available for pre-order by visiting the link below.

Remember that when you pre-order the book, not only are you helping authors like Robbie to get paid, but you’re also getting the book at a discounted price! Only 32 copies remain before the price increases, so act quickly to secure your copy today!

https://ko-fi.com/s/7095d2e90c

01/19/2024

01/14/2024

The next "big" video I'll be working on will be a sort of followup to the one about mud in military history, talking about the impact of snow in the same style. Obviously the biggest examples that first come to mind here are Napoleon's Russian campaigns, and the Germans doing it over a hundred and thirty years later, give or take. Although naturally there will be plenty of "wonderful" (read, horrible) cases inbetween. The Crimean War, maybe the American invasions of Canada.

When you think of the terror of snow in military history, where does your mind go? What campaigns, wars, and theatres are most iconic to you? And, if you have any specific accounts that you think evoke it really well, I'd never say no to you sending them my way!

01/06/2024

A particularly striking piece by the First World War artist, Louis Raemaekers, as published in "Raemaekers' Cartoon History of the War" alongside the following caption:
***
"ALCOHOLISM--BRITONS NEVER WILL BE SLAVES"

"The vast majority belong to a class we can depend on. The others are a minority.
But, you must remember, a small minority of workmen can throw a whole works out of gear. What is the reason? Sometimes it is one thing, sometimes it is another, but let us be perfectly candid. It is mostly the lure of the drink. They refuse to work full time, and when they return their strength and efficiency are impaired by the way in which they have spent their leisure. Drink is doing us more damage in the war than all the German submarines put together." - David Lloyd George, 28 February, 1915.
***
One of the things I find most fascinating about the idea of a "total war" is how it so clearly demonstrates the way in which every element of society operates as a collective whole. When an entire nation is throwing itself into a singular cause, every part of its "works" is contributing to the wider goal- and the rippling effect of loss is so much more pronounced.

But even in peace, the same idea stands. Every element of society impacts every other one- a loss in one sphere will, in all likelihood, impact many others. And on the obverse, good deeds will reach well beyond their original scope. No action is in isolation and there is no thing as true "in-dependence" on the personal level.