Polybolos

[Crispvs]

Moderatus (or perhaps that should read 'Moderate' to be grammatically correct :wink: ),

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for unintentionally misrepresenting your comments on the Bren gun. Presumably I either misheard you talking about it or remembered your statement incorrectly. Regarding the statement about repositioning the bolts for the television programme, I was present for the sections of the programme filmed at the Lunt but was not present for the artillery filming so was going on what I had been told by someone else who I understood to have been present. I was using the pronoun 'we' in the sense of it having been performed by the group I am a member of. Given that I was aware that the machine was deliberately set at a low tension I accepted what I had been told as seeming reasonable for the purposes of filming. Whatever the case, please accept this as a public apology.

I hope that apart from these two issues my descriptions of your polybolos were otherwise faithful to your statements to me and in my presence.

I usually refer to your Shire Archaeology book and the 'Scorpio and Cheirobalistra' JRMES article when carrying the Wilkins banner into the artillery debates here on RAT. Unfortunately here of course, I had no source to refer to other than my own recollections of the times I had seen your reconstruction with my own eyes, principally during the artillery demonstrations at Dover Castle. I trust that in other threads on matters pertaining to wood framed bolt shooters, metal framed bolt shooters and stone throwing artillery I have more accurately represented your views.

It is perhaps unfortunate in terms of the development of this thread that my wife was pregnant throughout most of 2006 and I was being woken up to make her omlettes several times each night, which may have affected my ability to recollect things correctly at that point in time. Again I offer my sincere apology for any offence I may unintentionally have caused.

Crispvs