Distilled Wisdom (Carefully Decanted)

Half a league,
Half a league,
Half a league. Onward.
Into the valley of death
Rode the silly buggers!!

Ahh.. Light Brigade at Balaclava.. was Raglan's mistake, and Nolan's miscommunication of his orders..

Cheers
Harold

Hello H,

Nice to see you here.

Your view out of the window is enviable, no matter how long the lens.

Dr. Q.

Dr Quack wrote:Hello H,

Nice to see you here.

Your view out of the window is enviable, no matter how long the lens.

Dr. Q.

Thank You sir, and well met!

Cheers
Harold

Didn't Roy Hattersley write an historically accurate version of The Charge of the Light Brigade?

Z.

Ah, yes. The Charge of the Light Brigade, the poem that proves, beyond any doubt, that General Ambrose Burnside's greatest failing wasn't a total lack of military, or indeed common, sense, but his inability to hire a good PR firm....

Zwack wrote:Didn't Roy Hattersley write an historically accurate version of The Charge of the Light Brigade?

Z.

Trevor Royle's "Crimea" is an excelelnt reference work...

Cheers
Harold

Trevor Royle, now that's a name I haven't heard for a while... His eldest son and I were friends at school. Given that and the profession of our fathers our families were friends...

I was actually thinking of an "accurate version of the poem" which I think was written by Roy Hattersley essentially as proof that accurate poetry makes a mockery of the poem.

But thanks for the reference, I'm sure Trevor would appreciate it and I'll look for the book.

Z.

Balls to historical accuracy. I find Tennyson's poem quite moving, I think I just have romantic visions of cavalry charges, also see 'The Trooper' by Iron Maiden.

I memorized the poem for a Speech and Debate tournament, then made a map out of it in Age of Empires 3.

Doc Hornfels wrote:Balls to historical accuracy. I find Tennyson's poem quite moving, I think I just have romantic visions of cavalry charges, also see 'The Trooper' by Iron Maiden.

May I suggest you see a display by the "British Tentpegging Society" (At least I think that's what they're called) and you won't have many romantic notions of a cavalry charge.
They do military re-enactment, the name comes from the technique of practicing impaling tent pegs with a lance during training.
I've seen them at "The Royal Armouries", Leeds.
During the 19th century the British cavalry was essentially a "fire and forget" weapon, as was beautifully demonstrated at Balaclava.
I believe the soldier's opinion was that the horse had the brains!

In reading Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels (which I believe strive for more than a modicum of historical accuracy) one is left with the impression that, at the time of the Peninsular Wars, the British cavalry was perhaps the best-equipped and worst-trained in all of Europe. (This is in contrast with the infantry, which was arguably the best-trained in Europe, and which equipped itself in large part with captured French kit.)

I too have read almost all the "Sharpe" novels, and being a complete nerd read the reference texts as well (for relaxation!), there is a book written by a Sandhurst military historian who dissects the historical and military accuracy of the series (sadly I can't remember the title or author)
They are extreamly accurate in both the military and social aspects, the credibility enhanced by the historical notes, explaining any apparantly improbable events or deliberate deviations from historical fact for narrative purposes.
I agree completely, for Britain the Army has always been the "poor relation" (even to this day)

How could you all be so mean as to hijack my thread, (which is, by the way intended as a repository for those deep thoughts that only come to you under the influence of alcohol.)

Really, If you can't say something which seems profound after several pints of "Scrungeworthies Old Flatulence" then bugger off to a blog somewhere.

A fellow could take the hump you know.

Dr. Q.

Not you too...

Coming soon to a new forum near you "The Quackitorium" Only suitable for those who are inclined to drunken ramblings.

By the way this reminds me of the motto of that old regiment... The King's own highland deserters whose motto is "Bugger this for a game of soldiers."

Z.

How could you all be so mean as to hijack my thread, (which is, by the way intended as a repository for those deep thoughts that only come to you under the influence of alcohol.)

I have not begun to drink ....(well not yet...)

Hijacking a thread .....under th' influence of alcohol...... I just finished another Pyrate comic..... and it's kinda on topic (in a weird twisted sorta way.......)

Besides.... I'm also a Pyrate, (Patrick Hand) an' hijacking stuff is wot we do.... well an' drink alot.....

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

My job is done here..... so now I can start some serious drinking.......

Drat.... didn't do 'nough drinkin'.... but the night is still young, and I still have half a bottle O' rum.....half a BIG bottle O' rum......

I'll have ter ask the clowns when they show up later tonight if they 'ave any words O' wisdom they want passed ter this thread.......

Sorry...I can't ask 'em 'bout th' charge O' th' light brigade..... it's a funny bit... but my house is already trashed... I don't want it knocked down.......

The ability to decant properly is a useful skill to acquire. Being initially trained as a chemist it's something I learned a long time ago.
Some time back, A friend and I were in a pub in Atherstone where we discovered two of the last bottles of Worthington "White Shield" made in the old fashioned way before they started adding a flocculating agent to the brew to make the yeast stick together at the bottom of the bottle so that it's easier to pour a clear glass. Now this was a happy find as White Shield is a very spendid beer. We made quite a scene and puzzled the young barmaid by requesting that we be allowed to open the bottles so as not to disturb the sediment. Well, we went through the process of pouring the beer in the correct manner even to the slight twist of the bottle at the end to get the last drops of liquid and obtained two perfectly prepared examples of the decanters craft.
By this time, the rest of our party had arrived and were somewhat dismayed by our having the last two bottles, which made us feel even more smug.

We drank our beer happy in the knowledge that we had maintained the proper standards and in the time honoured ceremony left the last half inch of liquid in the glass.

As we were about to leave the pub we poured this back into the bottles swirled it arround and necked the dregs.

It's traditional.

Dr. Q.