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Soulsister
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 242
Location: Good Old Sussex by the Sea
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 Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject: Great Characters from history (or present day). |
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I wasn't sure where to post this but opted for here in the end.
I'm a big fan of Channel 4 documentaries. If you go onto 4OD there's a huge selection to choose from covering all kinds of topics (puts the Beeb to shame in my view but that's another story). I sometimes put one on while I'm working instead of listening to the radio or itunes or whatever -make the TV small on the corner of my desktop and continue working.
I recently watched a fantastic series about the Commandos in World War 2. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter it was done with a lot of humour and narrated by 'grumpy old man' Geoffrey Palmer. Can highly recommend the series for anyone interested in that kind of thing ....
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/commando/episode-guide/series-1
..... the men themselves were talking (and laughing) about one of their officers - (Mad) Jack Churchill. It was very, very funny but sounded almost unbelievable? It prompted me to go and read up on this guy and it turns out to be absolutely true!
Mad Jack was a good looking fella who had been a model for Brylcreem (amongst other things) prior to enlisting.  . He was English but loved all things Scottish and learned to play the bagpipes, which he was wont to play as the Commandos attacked. Not great when it was a 'secret' attack, as the men under him wryly observed. In a raid on Nord Fjord in Norway ... as the boats full of Commandos were stealthily gliding up to the beach - Mad Jack in the front boat fired up the bagpipes and let rip with The March of the Cameron Men. Nevertheless, the mission was successful.
Mad Jack led from the front and would go into battle with his bagpipes tucked under his arm, a longbow and arrow and a claybeg (Scottish sword). When the situation warranted the use of firearms, he used them, but there were many times when a German soldier was surprised to find himself being captured by a man with a sword, or to see that one of his downed comrades had an arrow sticking out of him. According to Mad Jack “any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed.”
On drill parade once he was asked by his furious commanding officer why he was carrying an umbrella he replied "I am carrying an umbrella because it is raining."
Mad Jack had many exploits, and won many awards for bravery including the DSO and two military crosses. Once he and another commando captured 42 German troops by themselves. He was eventually captured himself after one daring (and virtually impossible) mission - despite being wounded and with many of his men dead around him. The Germans found him playing 'Will Ye No Come Back Again?' on the bagpipes. He was sent to various prisoner of war camps and escaped from most to be recaptured until finally he managed to get away for good, walking 150 miles and living off vegetables nicked from fields on the way, before he came across a column of American tanks. As the war in Europe was over, he asked to be sent to fight in Burma, but hadn't been there long before the end of the war came. His response "If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!"
He later went on to be a film extra (amongst other things) and is one of the archers in Ivanhoe, seen firing from the battlements.
http://www.thecimmerian.com/mad-jack-churchill-the-fighting-anachronism/
Anyone else got any great characters - can be from any walk of life, famous or not, or just people you know in real life maybe? |
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Soulsister
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 242
Location: Good Old Sussex by the Sea
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becky sharp
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6851
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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Love the picture of him muscling in on the cover of The Beatles's album,Soulsis..... 
What about this character from the eighties who received world wide fame.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SE_-VNTyFo |
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Soulsister
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 242
Location: Good Old Sussex by the Sea
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| Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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Ah Becks - Eddie the Eagle Edwards 'the man who took brave failure to new heights'
He just said on the VT that he was 'in a mental hospital' when he got the call to tell him he was going to Calgary (although he went on to explain that he wasn't a patient).
Gotta love him and all of those just like him. Long may they reign. |
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Soulsister
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 242
Location: Good Old Sussex by the Sea
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Soulsister
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 242
Location: Good Old Sussex by the Sea
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