Misleading Interpretation

[Paul821]

I know from my own experience that very often the preparation of interpretation at heritage sites is carried out by designers rather than "experts". In my case the designers had their own ideas of what made a "good picture" which conflicted with the facts.

 

On the same theme, I was at the RHS gardens at Hyde Hall in Essex and in their vegetable garden they debunk the story about RAF night-fighter pilots eating carrots to improve their night vision. Unfortunately this is the accompanying illustration:

 

 

other BM'ers must have other examples of mis-leading (or just plain wrong) interpretatin.

 

[JohnT]

Yup!  At the Museum of Flight at East Fortune there is a photo on display captioned HMS Warspite. In fact it’s either Yamato or Musashi. Not sure which but no way it’s Warspite. 

[Black Knight]

In a regimental museum in Armagh city there is a photo of an M7 Priest with US helmeted soldiers on board and the museum labels says its the Royal Irish on a Churchill.

I've mentioned this to them several times but its never been changed

[RobL]

The problem is, that many of the people doing these things are young, even people my age (I'm only 44), and have no clue about what they are talking about, either through lack of education or just sheer ignorance.

 

It seems many like to talk about the wars these days, but actually, the amount of those who actually have some idea of what they are talking about is diminishing.

Edited December 17, 2021 by RobL

[JohnT]

5 hours ago, RobL said:

It seems many like to talk about the wars these days, but actually, the amount of those who actually have some idea of what they are talking about is diminishing.

 

and inversely those persons who were in it and actually have some idea of what they are talking about didn't talk about it.   I get the impression that a lot of those in it didn't really talk about it until comparatively recently and after several decades passed.  Anything I heard from my old man was not related to the fighting but to silly stories mostly and even then 9 out of 10 he had one too many refreshments.  But thats getting off piste

[Black Knight]

At the ruins of an Ulster Plantation period house near Whiteabbey in Co. Antrim a plaque says the house was destroyed by Crown forces in about 1627 due to the owner's association with the pirate known as Captain Blood*.

I did say to the people who look after the ruins that I doubted their statement as, 1. 'Captain' Blood was not a pirate and 2, He would have been about 7 years old at the time the house was destroyed (his actual year of birth is a variable but it was about 1617 -1620)

But I was dismissed out of hand as I hadn't the qualifications of their own historian

 

* 'Captain' Blood was the Irishman who stole the Crown Jewels in about 1671. Charles II turned the thief into gamekeeper.

[Paul821]

2 hours ago, Black Knight said:

t the ruins of an Ulster Plantation period house near Whiteabbey in Co. Antrim a plaque says the house was destroyed by Crown forces in about 1627 due to the owner's association with the pirate known as Captain Blood*.

I did say to the people who look after the ruins that I doubted their statement as, 1. 'Captain' Blood was not a pirate and 2, He would have been about 7 years old at the time the house was destroyed (his actual year of birth is a variable but it was about 1617 -1620)

But I was dismissed out of hand as I hadn't the qualifications of their own historian

Interesting in the "Captain Blood" was a 1930's pirate film starring Erol Flynn, internet articles seem divided on whether the original book was based on a real pirate of that name or not.

[Black Knight]

I was searching through my Leatherwork forum for an old post and came across this again

One of our leather worker members spotted this in a museum. He spoke to the curator but she basically ignored him

 

This is actually a leather workers stitching horse

Here is one in use

As you can see, you sit on it and clamp your work in the up-right jaws and then your hands are free to do the sewing

 

We were, and still are, wondering how you'd pit cherries using it

[Vince1159]

I don't know if i can include this but i called someone a moron once then realized it was misleading and unfair to morons because he was way past being one....

[Brad]

The labelling of the guns at the Old Melbourne Goal is poor. I can't remember the wording exactly but they describe the .36 Caliber Navy Colt pistol Ned Kelly took from one of the police officers he killed as a "Colt Carbine" and the Martini Henry rifle as something else. I was there for work as the company I worked with use to partner with them. I pointed out these things to the woman showing us around, she scoffed at me and my manager told me not to be a smart a.....Oh well.

[JohnT]

5 hours ago, Black Knight said:

I was searching through my Leatherwork forum for an old post and came across this again

One of our leather worker members spotted this in a museum. He spoke to the curator but she basically ignored him

 

This is actually a leather workers stitching horse

Here is one in use

As you can see, you sit on it and clamp your work in the up-right jaws and then your hands are free to do the sewing

 

We were, and still are, wondering how you'd pit cherries using it

 

Naaahhhh.  It’s for making turnbuckles for rigging biplane models. 

[Admiral Puff]

You reckon? Looks too simple for that!

[Seahawk]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:23 AM, Black Knight said:

I was searching through my Leatherwork forum for an old post and came across this again

One of our leather worker members spotted this in a museum. He spoke to the curator but she basically ignored him

 

Hey, give her a break!  You've got to have some fun in your work and how better than to put in a few completely fictitious and gloriously inaccurate descriptions.   Remember Monty Python?  Writing a foreign language phrase book must be deadly boring but tossing in a few fireworks like translating the Hungarian for "Please may I buy a box of matches" as "I want to fondle your buttocks" must enliven your day.

[John_W]

Back in the 80's I used to see a lot of "Flying Jackets" with a badge on the back proclaiming "Dakota Special Flight" the aircraft on the badge was/is a Twin Beech or possibly a Lockheed Electra

Link to second hand website.