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Chapter 11

OR

How the hell did I get this to four pages?

"Deutsch-Irische-Pakt"

Ireland and the World, 1860-1900​

1890

Parnell's government was continuing to encourage industrial growth throughout Ireland and its territories while at the same time drawing up plans for military expansion. The economy recovered at such a rapid pace that the Irish government was able to loan to Canada a large amount of Irish Pounds (rapidly becoming known as the Punt) so that they could expand Canada's reach to the north.

At the same time one very important and one important event happened to the British Empire. The important event was the invasion of Afghanistan so that British interests in the Indian sub-continent would grow and that the princes of India would realise their little little Kingdoms time were running out. The Very important event was the Japanese being elevated to Dominion of the British Empire after Queen Victoria was pronounced Empress of Japan. Emperor Meiji was given the title of Shogun of Japan to compensate for the loss of his throne. However Japan never applied to the Commonwealth of Dominions for membership and so while relations between Japan and Ireland improved they were never classed as friendly.

Then on August 24th 1890 a Sokoto raiding party was reported to have caused huge damage to the British settlements bordering the Sokoto lands. The outraged British public cried for blood and Britain declared war on Sokoto. Unfortunately most of the British military was tied up with the conquest of Afghanistan and this left very few British troops capable of taking part. Westminster then decided that if Parnell was enjoying expanding his army so much that maybe the Irish should be used to handle this situation.

The first Irish troops left from Dublin on September 16th and arrived in the Irish colony of Akassa on the 10th of October. There first objective was to push the Sokoto out of the British territories they were trying to occupy and then to follow them into their home land and "Punish them with the most extreme impunity". There were no objections from Parnell's government being used like this as he viewed it as the perfect opportunity to get some experience into the Irish army.

SokotoBeginning2.png

Place your bets folks place your bets.​

By Christmas 1890 the Sokoto people had been pushed out of British territory and the Irish had crossed the border and were beginning to occupy Sokoto lands. While the conflict would drag into Winter 1891 the Irish government had its plans for what it would ask for in return for doing this. The Westminster government had ruled out Ireland from gaining any of these newly acquired Sokoto lands instead Parnell demanded that Ireland be entitled to the land called Rhodesia and that Britain would not attempt to colonise it. When asked why Parnell replied that Rhodesia had plentiful Iron sources and would be ideal for tobacco growing. Two resources Ireland was lacking and could use. Considering that Britain already had plentiful access to these two resources the Westminster government accepted these demands.

It was while he was in London for negotiations that Parnell snubbed an audience request with an Irishman living in London. This man felt he had designed a new type of naval attack vessel after being snubbed by the Royal Admiralty he had been hoping he would be able to get the former Naval Captain turned Prime Minister to accept his idea. After Parnell snubbed him the first time he kept persisting until Parnell fed up with his letters unloaded the man on a minor Naval officer who after interviewing the man gave the advice that the mans Idea should be humoured and given funding to build a prototype. So during the month of May 1891 John Philip Holland built, modified and launched his first submarine the Holland 1.

Upon completion Parnell and a group of other Naval Procurement Board personnel as well as the Canadian, British and German Naval Attachés travelled to Achill Island Co. Mayo where Holland was to demonstrate his new design. Pages from Parnell's personnel journal show how the Prim Minister felt about such an event.

"May 26th 1891. I'm being dragged off to Achill Island in Mayo to observe a design of some madman. The man in question feels he has something that would be of great use to the Irish Navy. Bah. What our Navy needs is more Battleships not strange toys. I swear if I ever find the Gremlin in the Naval office responsible for dragging me out here I'll have his hide.

The "Holland-1" sailed out from dock under the observation of the small crowd of important people and local islanders. After clearing the Harbour the the boat did a number of manoeuvring routines being submerging under the water. It re-emerged a fair distance away where the crowd had to start using telescopes to observe it. The boat then came about, submerged again and when it next surfaced it was within range of the Commerce Raider that had been relegated to exist as a target. A spew of white water shot out from the boat and as the submarine began to submerge again an explosion detonated against the port side of the Raider ship which then began to quickly sink while the Holland disappeared only to re-appear outside the little fishing harbour and come back to tie up. John Phillip Holland and his crew then climbed out of the Holland-1 to much cheer and applause. The Canadian and German observers took note of the event while the British attaché viewed it is unimportant Parnell appeared unchanged but as he remarked later that day

"May 27th 1891. Mister Holland's submersible ship is quite an interesting device. Much more efficient then other submersibles that we have and well within out Industrial capacity to build. While i don't believe they would be of any use on the open sea for Coastal defence they could be quite useful.

220px-JohnPhilipHolland.jpg

A photograph of the man himself taken as he climbed out of the boat at Achill Island. Shortly after this demonstration four of his designs were ordered.

The conflict in Sokoto was finally resolved on November 1 1891. The conflict had ended much faster following the introduction of British troops to the conflict in July 1891. Britain gained control of all the Sokoto lands except for two areas that were granted to the Irish for exemplary service. The two areas in question where just lands suitable for Cattle grazing and of no strategic value. With the conflict concluded the Irish soldiers sailed for home after leaving a good ten thousand of their number dead in Africa. Less then a thousand had been combat losses, the others had been killed from trying to fight in Africa at the height of Summer and the effect of Malaria and other tropical diseases.

SokotoResolution.png

Post-War Sokoto

It would turn out that the Military practice the Irish military received during those years would be of great use sooner then anyone could have believed.

While it had been the policy of the early Irish governments to improve relations with France the Parnell Government had taken one look at the map of Europe and reached the decision that France was not the way to go. It's Industry was lagging and its government was inept. The country was being constantly racked with Revolutions and had not been successful in any conflict since the Crimean War in Europe. In contrast there was Germany. A young country ruled by a dynamic and much loved leadership whose Industry was rapidly outstripping even Britain's. A country that since it's creation had not lost a single war which was an impressive feat when you considered it's neighbours. Even though there was some Friction between Anglo-German relations the opinions in both countries were cordial to point of Friendliness and the average man in London would be much more willing to greet a German then a Frenchman. So Parnell's government began courting the German people and Government. The German Ambasador was offered much more luxurious premises then what had been offered under the previous government and the Irish Ambassador in Germany began a publicity campaign similar to the ones that saw Parnell come to power to woo the Hearts and minds of the German people.

The efforts paid off. German-Irish relations sky-rocketed and the two nations signed numerous trade treaties. In Africa German and Irish Colonial companies regularly worked to help each other in establishing territories and in the future Rhodesia would be the sight of the Irish-German border. However the biggest moment in both Anglo and Irish-German relations came in 1892 when the French government in an attempt to stave off another revolution declared war on Germany. While the German military was competent it could handle the French on the continent it's oversea's holdings were at risk so Germany approached Ireland with a request of Alliance against France. Such an Alliance was not to be taken lightly and after consulting Westminster on british support Ireland and Britain entered into Alliance against France.

EveryoneVFrance.png

[1]​

German troops were quick to subdue French troops in mainland Europe wile the British and Irish drew up their battle-plans. It was decided that the British would attack France's colonial interests while Irish Colonial troops would also attack French claims in Africa while the Majority of Irish troops would be used to establish a beachhead landing in Brittany. The Irish navy was quickly sent to control the seas around Brittany to the West while Britain secured the Channel. The Irish navy ran into French opposition and it was here that Parnell's military reforms would begin to pay off.

The French fleet was made up mostly of Commerce Raiders with one Monitor class ship while the Irish fleet in the area consisted of two Pre-Dreadnoughts and four Protected Cruisers as well as two British Commerce Raiders that had been in the area. The HMIS Ross sunk two Commerce Raiders and the French monitor while the HMIS Stuyv, whose naming was still under investigation before the battle and following the name became so well loved the investigation was dropped, was responsible for sinking three Commerce Raiders with the other ships being sunk by the Cruisers. The French quickly came to realise they weren't dealing with equals but superiors. Also at this time the Irish Naval ships discovered that Brittany appeared to be completely devoid of French troops as it seemed they had all been called East to Fight the Germans.

FrenchNavy.png

The Irish navy in action. No subs I'm afraid.

The Irish Army was ready to disembark on the Beaches of Brest and begin it's mission with a massive British and Canadian force poised to pour in after the landing had been made. However then the war stopped. Before a single shot was fired from the British or Irish armies the French had surrendered to Germany [2]. German demands were light and France lost control of Strasbourg and had to pay reparations to Germany. Britain and Ireland gained nothing from the war except for some Naval experience and both countries received the news with shock. Just as quickly as the war had arrived it was over and British, Irish and Canadian troops returned home the same as they had left. While in Germany the war became known as the "Strasbourg" war in Britain and the Commonwealth countries it became known as the "Great Wait" as all the soldiers had done was wait.

TheHell.png

.....the hell?!?!

While many heads were left being scratched some good news came out of Ulster with the creation of the nations first Oil Refinery being built in Larne[3] the facility began taking crude oil produced in Irish Abu Dhabi and refining it into Diesel fuel which came into demand quite quickly with navies and owners of private Motor-vehicles. While there were few of them in Ireland at the time the international market for the fuel was large enough that the refinery quickly began to turn a profit. It was another sign of the growing industrialism of Ireland as more and more people left their parents farms and travelled to Dublin, Galway, Sligo, Cork, Belfast or Derry in the hopes of earning a new life for themselves in the Factories. However conditions in the Factories were harsh and Trade Unions were still banned by the government. with little to no Industrial standards in play. In the Factories of Ireland a muttering began, it was quiet and few men were involved but it was there and growing.

However bar the addition of Western Kalahari and the Midway island chain to Ireland's growing territory, nothing of any real import happened to Ireland until 1st January 1896.

However a special note should be made to the faith of the nation of Hawaii. The nation of Hawaii found itself dissolving to outside influence and was forced to concede it's independence to another nation. So Hawaii quickly became part of the Territory of the Dominion of Japan in 1893 after the American's Socialist government refused to take control of a foreign country while it's own was in need of so much work.

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Comments, questions, pineapples?

[1] I had planned on a German irish alliance but not like that.
[2] So many Surrendering Frenchmen jokes, so little time.
[3] Larne is a part of Ireland I hold a special place in my heart to loathe at. It seems fitting that I would site the Oil Refinery there.
 
Go HMIS Ross! :D

Also: Holland! A brilliant man and one of my regrets about Vicky is that submarines are so useless (though to be honest I'd still be building battle cruisers because battle cruisers are the coolest, if most flawed warships ever built.)
 
I'll have to look up Larne now. :p

Apart from the fact that they started the war, the French played a losing hand rather well. They only lost Strasbourg while facing three of the most militarily powerful nations in the world? Als a nice job on the German side, backstabbing the Anglo-Celtic part of their alliance like that.

Good economic and territorial expansion, but it sounds like you might be dealing with your own Socialist revolution soon. Thankfully you have a large army at hand for just that eventuality. ;)
 
A brief history of Larne. Several thousand years of nothing. Some gun-running in the early twentieth century then nothing again.

It is a truly dull and boring place.

I still don't know how France got off only with losing Strassbourg. I was hoping to rip the throat out of their colonial positions and maybe take over Brittany and liberate it. That way two of the Celtic nations of the world of four would be playing. Bretons FTW.

A Socialist Revolution in Ireland? Were far too mild mannered for that however there is a certain pair of gentlemen with a shared first name who will be showing up soon.
 
You, Sir, are a scoundrel! I was expecting an update, but instead I find this tease! Harrumph, I say!*

*And let's ignore the fact it took me three days to actually spot the 'post-that-wasn't-a-post'...
 
Chapter 12

"Massive Irish Losses. General MacNeill Dead. All Troops Routed." Telegram to Dublin from HMIS Carlow​

To put it bluntly the years 1896 to 1900 were boring. No massive national emergencies, no international conflicts, no needing to defend the British empire. Nothing, sweet blissful nothingness as Parnell's government continued to live out in huge popularity. However all good things must come to an end and in the case of Ireland and a lot of the Industrial world all hell broke loose.

To continue we first need to look at China. while Japan had grasped industrialisation and westernised to become a juggernaut of a nation, China went the opposite. To even open ports for trade in China the European power had, had to resort to Gunboat Diplomacy but this had been before Ireland had risen in the world to its current "Shadow Empire" status, a term originally coined in the London press to insult Irish expansionism. In China the sudden impact of the Westerners was a very unwanted shock and as such demonstrations and straight out hostility against these foreigners were not uncommon. However in 1900 this dislike turned violent, European, American, Canadian and Japanese embassies and trade ports were suddenly attacked by an uprising of the Righteous Harmony Society who sought to expel the foreigners who had caused them so much woe.

When the alliance of Britain and her dominions, Ireland and Canada, Germany, Russia, Japan, France, The United States and Austria-Hungary (Italy did not take an active part in the conflict but did assist in allowing use of ports and donating materials) decided to act the plan saw Ireland and Canada would send their forces to Weihaiwei. Parnell decided to send only a force of 30,000 soldiers combining the 1st Dublin Rifles and the Ibo and Dhabi colonial regiments under the belief that the conflict would be limited and Ireland and Canada would not be operating in an area of high risk.

Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-00723%2C_Marokko%2C_Fremdenlegion%C3%A4re.jpg

Troops of the 1st Dublin Rifles on Manoeuvres in Galway with their LAAC-gun (1)​

When the troops arrived in January 1901 they landed without meeting any real opposition and settled in for an easy war, the Irish troops and the Royal Canadian Dragoons began routine patrols. This situation continued peacefully until the 4th of March when a massive Chinese army of 100,000 men retreating from a defeat at the hands of a combined German-French force (2) came upon the Irish and Canadians who totalled only 40,000. Thus began the battle for MacNeill's Hill, the battle so named after the Irish Colonel in charge of the operations Eoin MacNeill. A battle that would go down in Irish history as one of the worst losses of life.

The following is an extract from the journal of one Lt. Yeats of the 1st Dublin Rifles.

"The battle started with our side opening fire with artillery, the Ibo colonial mobile artillery were good at their jobs and fired shells at them. But yet they still came. When they were within range our men and the men of the Queen's Dhabi rifles opened fire with their machine guns and rifles it seemed as if the wave of Chinese soldiers haltered, and that moment I was sure they would break and victory would be ours. But yet they still came. It did not take long for this mass of men to eventually reach our lines and once amongst us their strength of numbers began to tell. I saw General MacNeill go down with a revolver in both hands firing at the enemy while I seemed to feel the retreat begin. I say retreat it was a disorganised mad route as every man wearing Irish uniform started to run. Yet they still came. Right behind us cursing us and following us. I felt certain that I was going to die as this one arrow like movement of soldiers was coming after me, after us. Then came the Canadians. They charged like knights out of an Arthurian tale straight at the heart of this arrow, their rifles forgotten with swords held high and I allowed myself a moment of respite to watch them go before I rejoined the route towards the far off coast.....It was several hours later with the heavy naval guns of our escort cruisers guarding us that I made my way back on to one of the transports that had brought us here when I met one of the Canadian soldiers and saw that he also was wounded, but blessedly alive. The transports and cruisers were bound for Vancouver and all it's facilities there."

ww1_action7.jpg

"The Canadian in Action"
A piece of art that would become very symbolic in both Dublin and Ottawa​

In total of 40,000 troops that had been at the position only 1,547 were going home, 346 Ibo, 425 Dhabi, 340 Irish and 428 Canadian. Military theorists deduced that without the sacrifice of the Royal Canadian Dragoons slowing down the Chinese forces the losses would have been much worse if not total. The news of this defeat did not go down well in Dublin. Parnell furiously berated his Army Chief of Staff and demanded immediate action be taken for retribution and the mobilisation of the entire armed forces against the Chinese. However when he presented his request to send more troops to the Parliament he was overwhelmingly outvoted. Outside of a small core of the Conservative party the house ruled to not send more troops to China and to return the wounded as soon as possible. "Ireland" claimed the MP for Tipperary South "Has had enough of war." This was to become the first major nail in the coffin for Parnell's government. The second would be not long after in 1905.

********

So yeah my game is working, sort of. I also fancy a slight change in style in that I'm going to stop relying on screenshots and just use the events in game to give me a guideline to what I type here. Any comments feel free to leave them here.

(1) LAAC = Limerick Auto Arms Company who in this timeline have created the Hotchkiss Machine Gun a few years early, and that is a picture of French Legionaries in 1920, every other pic had soldiers with helmets and they won't be introduced TTL just yet.

(2) Yea I bet that wasn't awkward at all /sarcasm
 
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Ouch, ouch, ouch. That's a, what, 96-percent casualty rate? Those retreating Chinese massacred you. I think bailing out on the war was a smart thing to do, certainly from a roleplaying perspective: what country would want to continue a police/peacekeeping mission after losing some 29,000 troops, when it's hard to see what vital national interest is at stake.

Let the Brits and the French and everybody else die while they're properly chastising the Chinese. No need for the Irish to trouble themselves with it any longer.
 
Yup. It came straight out of nowhere as i had decided to send some troops but just occupy somewhere out of the way and let them dig in. The Canadians had given my military control of their forces as they do almost all wars and while I was off doing some Industrial tweaking and expansion I got the message saying my forces were under attack. So I evacuated them ASAP.

I have an ulterior motive for pulling out that will help narratively. Also the next update and possibly the one after that is mainly going to be covering the collapse of Parnell's government.

After that things get interesting as a Global Conflict is coming. The details I'm keeping close to my chest but it should be interesting.
 
Chapter 13
Die Großen scheinen groß, weil wir vor ihnen knien; lasset uns aufstehen!

Ní uasal aon uasal ach sinne bheith íseal: Éirímis.

The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise.

Plaque on the "The Irish Worker's Statue" O'Connell Street, Dublin



"For a while there it seemed as if we were facing not just a conflict of worker and employer, but a conflict of full Civil War."

- W.B. Yeats "Memories of an Irish Poet"


As has been mentioned previously the conditions for the average worker were not good in Ireland. Wages were negotiated on a person to person basis, job security was non-existent and there were no laws on the maximum number of hours that a man could work for. While the government had been able to use the grandeur of foreign victories and the allure of the Empire to try and dissuade people from seeking reform this façade was shattered following the events in China. The Irishmen that had gone away to fight there were mostly staying there dead. The survivors did not return home to the sort of victory parade that other soldiers of other campaigns had. Where there had been flags and banners and music and cheering there were now sullen crowds watching these wounded hollow men marching through Dublin.

This was all that was needed for the few socialist's of Ireland to point and ask "What are those men dying for?" The question was used and the worker's started to wonder that louder and louder. In Dublin the "Worker's Voice" newspaper using the freedom of the presses was set up to report on workers issues while throughout the country the freedom of assembly was used to bring together large associations of workers to debate common issues. From these debates leaders started to rise and from these leaders came the start of the whole mayhem that was the year 1906.

It was not long after the death of Victoria (2) that the worker Sean Boylan was sacked from the Galway Steel Fabrication Plant, the main manufacture in Ireland for Steel, that the workers of the massive Steelworks downed tools and walked out. Sean Boylan had been attending the funeral of his brother, and had been deducted a day's pay for being a minute late back from his lunch break. Word of this event quickly reached the ears of the man who had become the leader of the association of worker's in Galway, James Connelly. It was decided that this would be the event he would seize upon and throughout the steelworks word was passed for the workers to down tools and prepare to form a picket. It was the fact that this was not just the common labourer walking out but also the clerks and foremen that frightened the management into informing Dublin. The news had just missed PM Parnell and it was not viewed as urgent so no telegram was forwarded to his home, instead however news of the telegrams contents reached the offices of "Worker's Voice" who then forwarded it onto all the print shops that carried the paper to demand that they follow the example of the workers in Galway and do the only thing that even though illegal the workers of Ireland could do to get change. To go on Stirke. However what would otherwise have been a disorganised walkout had been organised in secret in Dublin so that it would be efficient. It had been organised by the leader of the socialist movement in Ireland, James Larkin.

James-Larkin-215214-1-402.jpg

(3)​

It was with this news that Parnell was greeted with before he could even sit down in Parliament House as the worker's of Dublin had overnight constructed temporary stages and assembled before he could arrive, throughout Ireland the call to strike had been answered and Industries were picketed everywhere especially in the shipyards of Belfast and Cobh. Parnell was greeted with jeering and name-calling as he was parted through the crowd by the RIC and immediately called for the head of the RIC and the Army to his office. He demanded that they end this farce immediately and the RIC was sent in, but only in Dublin as the postal services had gone on strike and the telegram systems both army and civilian had "mysteriously" stopped working. It was as the RIC men moved in to break up the crowd they were greeted with a very unwelcome sight of off-duty soldiers and sailors well organised and while not carrying firearms, well armed. It had been a gambit on behalf of Larkin to establish "Associations" among the military but the conditions of the average soldier, while still better then the average Blue-Collar worker, were still deplorable and the average sailor were even worse, the defeat in China had been all that was needed to push them over the edge. The RIC backed off and this new information was passed on.

Parnell demanded that the military personnel return to their billets. When news reached him from an officer sent out to carry out the order that the soldiers where not complying, and indeed were not complying anywhere in the country, he called for the Parliment to institute emergency powers to allow the British military to come in and end this situation and court martial the mutineers. It was a sign of Parnell's loosening powerbase that not only did the government refuse these measures almost overwhelmingly but instead voted in favour of opening negotiations with the leaders of the workers as proposed by the MP for North Leitrim, Arthur Griffith, who would chair the negotiations for the government side.

As Connelly arrived in Dublin by train he was whisked off to a meeting room were he and Larkin sat opposite Griffith to open negotiations. The Labour men, as they had taken to calling themselves, wanted the right to Strike, the right to form Trade Unions, a 12hr workday and a set minimum wage of 2p 6d. Griffith's first demand was that those striking at essential industries immediately return to work or the negotiations could end right then and there. The Labour men agreed so the workers in the Steelworks and Shipyards went back to work while the others stayed on strike, they were however ordered to work slow. Griffith then pointed out that while they might get the first three points they most certainly wouldn't get the forth. The negotiations dragged on for days until a deal was reached legalising Trade Unions, legalising Strikes but only if organised and the employers notified and bringing about a 14hr workday. As the negotiation ended Griffith had this to say:

"My advice to you gentlemen would be that if you ever want that to change or to get your wage deal you should avail of your rights and enter parliament."​

It was shortly afterwards that the "Irish Labour Party" was formed on the basis of improving the conditions of the Irish worker and while the party had been formed too late to take part in the 1906 General Election in two by-elections that year in Galway City and Dublin West both James Connelly and James Larkin were elected in landslide victories. They would be there to witness the final days of Parnell's government as in 1907 everything changed.

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Questions etc?

(1) In OTL that part is in French, In TTL that part is in Google Translator German. Any natural German-Speakers who wish to amend that sentence if it's wrong get a ship named after them. Why is it in German? :cool:

(2) I hadn't mentioned it yet so for narratives sake Vicky lived five years longer TTL.

(3) No relation. Although in that photo we do have a similar nose.
 
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My German is not good enough to properly translate it, though I can feel it's not quite right. :)

Why is it German? Perhaps the influence of Mssrs. Marx and Engels? Perhaps there has been no Paris Commune in this timeline?

Things went from nearly civil war to negotiated settlement. The Irish Worker didn't exactly get a gold-plated deal, but it's a good starting point and hey! no-one had to die for it. Which is nice.

I assume this Labour party will make great strides in years to come, perhaps outside of the scope of this AAR. :)
 
Wow. I just read through the entire AAR. My very first game in Vicky was with Ireland, thank you for bringing back so many memories :) It's been a long time since I've last read a Vicky AAR.
I really like your writing style, especially how you pulled of the change towards a more history-book-like presentation in the last few chapters.
As for the German phrase, I'd go for something like "Die Großen scheinen groß, weil wir vor ihnen knien; lasset uns aufstehen!"
Looking forward to the next chapter, consider me subscribed :)
 
Right so. A brief heads up folks due to no fault of my own I have been ganifully employeed and probably will be up until Christas Eve. Now if I have the time there WILL be an update on Christmas Eve.

BUT It won't be about Ireland. It's something else that I need to right up for a future storyline event to happen.

Also BTW I have no played this game to its end and know how the rest of this AAR is going to go and to put it briefly:

Things are going to get weird soon
 
A Brief Detour ITTL

-or-

Welcome to the world of TTL's tomorrow!!!!​

28th of August, 2012. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The jets had just finished their overflying and the red, green and blue cloud trails still held high in the sky where they weaved around each other in dissapating lines. Throughout the whole of BC similar events were happening but in Victoria the celebration was always the largest. From Robert's home he only had to look down from the sky towards the bay to see the six ships. The Canadian aircraft carriers "Alberta, Nunavat" and "Yellowknife" were off to one side of the bay, although he would have much rather the Victoria be there with his brother aboard it was currently deployed on operations off the Bonin Isles. The other three ships were the Irish aircraft carriers "Tir na N'Og" and "Hill of Tara" and of course the true star of the celebrations, the big T herself. Robert was excited as he had won a competition with the CBC to be brought on a tour of the ship itself, which to someone who was planning to follow his brother into the Navy was a very exciting prospect. He had started to daydream when the TV in his room started playing the most famous thing in Canada Television, after Hockey Night in Canada of course. Within seconds he knew which episode it was.

"In 1872 the American Solialist party candidate for the Presidency, Clancy Jones. Was elected to power. Following this the American government started pushing for a number of Socialist themed national reforms. While these encouraged Immigration and indeed United States Immigration was at it's highest peek this also saw some restrictions on business practices and generally speaking entrepreneur's interested in making a lot of money off there own idea's began to look to different countries in the hopes that these ideas would succeed. Many came to Canada, which at the time had open borders with the United States. One such pair of brothers and free thinkers came to the great Canadian Plains to test out their idea."

484px-Wright_Brothers_in_1910.jpg

" After moving to Edmonton in 1896 the brothers Wilbur and Orville began working on their dream of a powered aircraft. They operated out of their own bicycle shop to earn the money to spend on their dreams. The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before. Their first Canadian patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor (1) became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers. It was in 1903 on a crisp Spring day that the brothers brought their first powered glider, so called as it was based off their many glider designs but was powered by a pair of rear propellers spinning counter to each other to cancel the torque. The plane flew four times that day and Orville Wright described the fourth flight of the day in his journal as:

"Wilbur started the fourth and last flight at just about 12 o'clock. The first few hundred feet were up and down, as before, but by the time three hundred ft had been covered, the machine was under much better control. The course for the next four or five hundred feet had but little undulation. However, when out about eight hundred feet the machine began pitching again, and, in one of its darts downward, struck the ground. The distance over the ground was measured to be 852 feet; the time of the flight was 59 seconds. The frame supporting the front rudder was badly broken, but the main part of the machine was not injured at all. We estimated that the machine could be put in condition for flight again in about a day or two."​

"The Wright brothers would go on to continue to pioneer the invention of aircraft and would sell their first successful designs to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However that story is for another: Moment of Our Heritage." The calm reassuring voice-over that had narrated the show was replaced with a different voice that mentioned that the next Heritage Moment in 15 minutes would be about the Ross Rifle but Robert's attention was already far away. He was looking out on the bay again and his Father called him to grab his stuff for the trip as they would be leaving in 5 minutes. Robert grabbed his camera and pocketed his phone as he picked up his school bag that would be used to carry anything he got either on the ship or in the fairground after. He shrugged into his Grandfather's old Navy greatcoat and looked at the picture of the man he had in his room. A US Navy captain that had defected with his crew, ship and as much of the families of the serving men as possible back in '34, after the border between Canada and the United States had closed. He smiled thinking of what his Grandfather would say of his going aboard not only an Irish ship, but that Irish ship. Grinning he left the room. Canadian or not he had loved his Granddad, so for him the US Navy buttons on the coat had been polished especially for today.

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So then. This was early but that is because I will be quite busy on the 24th and I'm a man of my word so bugger it all your getting it early.

This is a piece with a few subtle, and yes not so subtle, hints at what is to come as well as helping explain possibly the biggest technological invention of mankind. If you want to take guesses at the events alluded too feel free. I will however neither confirm nor deny them on this thread and the truly interested who must know can PM me and we'll see then ;)

Yes the Yanks have been Socialist since the 1870's I decided to actually expand on this idea some more and well the above happened. Based off in game events as surprisingly Canada was the first to get the Wright Aeroplane Factory event.

(1) He's not mentioned much but I didn't think it would be fair to deny the man his place in history. TTL he had also emigrated and coincidentally met up with the two brothers.

@sactwu I apologise about the delay as I hadn't seen you there. Your translation has now been fitted in and when the next update featuring ships pops up you shall have your ship. And thank you for the subscription.
 
Since you explicitly state that the Wright brothers invent powered flight in Canada, it seems unlikely that that is one of the hints you're referencing. Of course, there's mention of aircraft carriers, both Canadian and Irish, and Irish-colored smoke trails from a flyover... So does Canada somehow go from a British Dominion to an Irish possession? And the reference to the border closure between Canada and the US in the thirties, does that mean there was a British Empire-United States rematch of the War of 1812?

That's about all the guessing I can manage right now...