November 7, 2009
"& the hunter is home from the hill"
As you can all well imagine, lots more to come on this particular topic over the next few days
On This Day ... in 1594 & Others
English and French royalist troops under Sir John Norris, supported by a naval squadron under Sir Martin Frobisher, stormed the Spanish fort at Roscanvel in Brittany and massacred the defenders. Frobisher, however, was wounded in the assault and subsequently died of his injuries. The fort had been established by the Spanish in March of that year, and occupied a commanding position over the strategic anchorage of Brest Roads. It thus posed a significant threat to English security by offering a potential staging post for Spanish expeditions to invade England, Wales or Ireland, as had been attempted by the Armada in 1588 and was to be repeated several more times during the Anglo-Spanish war. The fort's location is remembered by the modern name of Pointe des Espagnols.
November 6, 2009
On This Day ... in 1282 & Others
As part of the preparations for Edward I's second campaign in Wales, a flotilla of small ships had been sent to Anglesey, held by the English, to construct a pontoon bridge across the Menai Strait. The plan was for the Anglesey force to launch an attack in the Welsh rear coordinated with Edward's advance from the east with the main force. Luke de Tany, the Anglesey commander, proved too impatient and launched his attack prematurely when the King had only reached Denbigh. De Tany's force was easily defeated by the Welsh, he fell in action, and the pontoon bridge was wrecked.
November 5, 2009
On This Day ... in 1854 & Others
The third major engagement of the Crimean War, the Battle of Inkerman, was fought.
The Russians planned a major coordinated assault by four large columns of troops from Sevastopol against British positions on Mount Inkerman. The British position, held by 2nd Division, was relatively weak, with deep gullies and ravines making reinforcement difficult, and the defenders outnumbered by over 5:1. The attack was launched in the early hours of the morning, amid rain and mist. However, Russian coordination failed, and the battle developed into a series of vicious close quarter actions fought in and around the gullies on the hillside.
Bosquet's French troops arrived to lend invaluable support, as did additional British forces, and the Russians were eventually driven back, having lost 10,700 men killed or wounded. The British lost some 2,300, and the French about 900. No less than sixteen Victoria Crosses were awarded.
As first light came on a cold, wet and misty morning Sir George Cathcart prepared to assault down the rocky face against the Russians. 16 Officers, 15 sergeants, 14 buglers and 198 rank and file of the 68th Durham Light Infantry marched forward in their grey greatcoats ready for the attack.
As Sir George Cathcart rode in behind them the Durhams threw off their greatcoats so that they could fight the better and get at their ammunition - they were the only troops that day to fight in their red coats. The charge was sounded and down the hill the Durhams charged - their red coats attracting heavy fire from the Russian artillery. Sir George Cathcart was killed and two Brigadiers severely wounded, the Durhams were reduced to half their strength.
The remaining Durhams pressed home their attack at bayonet point. The massed Russian 'Yakutsk' regiment wavered and when struck by the Durhams charge, turned and fled the field.
November 4, 2009
On This Day ... in 1840 & Others
A British, Austrian and Turkish fleet captured Acre.
November 3, 2009
On This Day ... in 1943 & Others
RAF Bomber Command mounted a major raid on Dusseldorf on the night 3/4 November, 589 bombers attacking the city, with another 62 conducting a diversionary attack on Cologne. 38 of the Dusseldorf aircraft made the first large-scale test of the new G-H blind-bombing system, attacking a steel works on the northern edge of the city. Although a high percentage of the G-H sets failed to work properly, those that did proved quite successful, and the system was duly developed to allow a good level of accuracy to be achieved later in the war.
En route to Dusseldorf, a Lancaster of 61 Squadron, flown by Flight Lieutenant William Reid, was attacked twice by night fighters. The navigator was killed, the wireless operator was fatally wounded, and both Reid and his flight engineer, Sergeant Norris, were wounded - Reid twice. The aircraft itself suffered extensive damage, but Reid continued on for another two hundred miles and the bomb aimer, Sergeant Rolton, dropped the weapons on target, as proved by the aircraft's camera. On the return journey, Reid lost consciousness, but Norris managed to keep the aircraft airborne. Reid recovered enough to attempt a landing in mist at Shipdham in Norfolk, despite being partially blinded by blood from a head wound. The undercarriage collapsed on landing, but the surviving crew members escaped successfully. Flight Lieutenant Reid received the Victoria Cross.
The follow extract is taken from The London Gazette
On the night of November 3rd, 1943, Flight Lieutenant Reid was pilot and captain of a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack Dusseldorf.
Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast, the pilot’s windscreen was shattered by fire from a Messerschmitt 110. Owing to a failure in the heating circuit, the rear gunner’s hands were too cold for him to open fire immediately or to operate his microphone and so give warning of danger; but after a brief delay he managed to return the Messerschmitt’s fire and it was driven off.
During the fight with the Messerschmitt, Flight Lieutenant Reid was wounded in the head, shoulders and hands. The elevator trimming tabs of the aircraft were damaged and it became difficult to control. The rear turret, too, was badly damaged and the communications system and compasses were put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid ascertained that his crew were unscathed, and saying nothing about his own injuries, he continued his mission.
Soon afterwards, the Lancaster was attacked by a Focke Wulf 190. This time, the enemy’s fire raked the bomber from stem to stern. The rear gunner replied with his only serviceable gun, but the state of his turret made accurate aiming impossible. The navigator was killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. The mid-upper turret was hit and the oxygen system put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid was again wounded and the flight engineer, though hit in the forearm, supplied him with oxygen from a portable supply.
Flight Lieutenant Reid refused to be turned from his objective and Dusseldorf was reached some 50 minutes later. He had memorised his course to the target and had continued in such a normal manner that the bomb-aimer, who was cut off by the failure of the communications system, knew nothing of his captain’s injuries or of the casualties to his comrades. Photographs show that, when the bombs were released, the aircraft was right over the centre of the target.
Steering by the pole star and the moon, Flight Lieutenant Reid then set course for home. He was growing weak from loss of blood. The emergency oxygen supply had given out. With the windscreen shattered, the cold was intense. He lapsed into semi-consciousness. The flight engineer, with some help from the bomb-aimer, kept the Lancaster in the air despite heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast.
The North Sea crossing was accomplished. An airfield was sighted. The captain revived, resumed control and made ready to land. Ground mist partially obscured the runway lights. The captain was also much bothered by blood from his head wound getting into his eyes. But he made a safe landing although one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsed when the load came on.
Wounded in two attacks, without oxygen, suffering severely from cold, his navigator dead, his wireless operator fatally wounded, his aircraft crippled and defenceless, Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage and leadership in penetrating a further 200 miles into enemy territory to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany, every additional mile increasing the hazards of the long and perilous journey home. His tenacity and devotion to duty were beyond praise.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1943 & Others"November 2, 2009
On This Day ... in 1757 & Others
2 November proved an eventful date for Royal Navy ships bearing the name Antelope. In 1757, HMS Antelope captured a French privateer, Moras, which had been raiding merchant ships in the Atlantic. Exactly a year later,Antelope captured the French Belliquex off Ilfracombe. And in 1940, a destroyer of the same name, similarly defending merchant vessels from attack, sank the German submarine U-31 whilst escorting convoy OB-237.
November 1, 2009
October 31, 2009
On This Day ... in 1914 & Others
Sepoy Khudadad Khan was serving in the machine-gun section of the 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis at Hollebeke, when German fire killed all the other men in his detachment. Himself wounded, he nevertheless continued to man a machine-gun until the position was overrun. The German troops left him for dead, but he recovered sufficiently to crawl back to British lines and rejoin his unit. He was the first native-born Indian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1914 & Others"October 30, 2009
Firearms Friday: Firearms Ownership II
These are the results of yesterdays polling & apologies to those of you that had difficulty voting. As I type this, the techies responsible are being tied across the muzzles of 18-pounder cannons. But to get back to the actual question, I see that a third of you don’t own a firearm ... kindly see me after class.
Now this morning & by way of comparison, I would like to ask the same question as yesterday, how many firearms do you own, but this time direct that question to everyone outside the UK
Firearms Friday: A little pinch of black powder
Reader Cricket asks: A question about the revolvers, are they antiques or of modern make, and are they fairly accurate?
My revolvers are both modern (black powder) repros of classic designs & yes they are accurate enough at 10 – 15 yards, & yes it is still pistol shooting but boy is it a fag to load them & worse still, cleaning them afterwards ... & I like cleaning guns. This is possibly why they don’t get shot a great deal
Firearms Friday: This morning's caption competition
Many is the evening when your humble correspondent has tottered unsteadily home after a long night carousing with The Englishman, only to be greeted by a sight similar to this...
I say “similar to this” because FM Towers has slightly different wall art – generally of the dire regimental variety – and Mrs FM recently ungraded her section weapon using Nectar points to the venerable Bren’s belt fed successor. Whilst she finds it slightly less convenient, apparently a 200 round belt of 1-in-4 is much better for lighting up anti-hunt scumbags
On This Day ... in 1854 & Others
Corporal J Owens of the 49th Regiment won the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in a skirmish during the siege of Sevastopol. He received his award on Friday, June 26th, 1857 when Queen Victoria distributed the first Victoria Crosses on parade at Hyde Park.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1854 & Others"October 29, 2009
Firearms Ownership
Following on from comments on that little piece on UK gun crime, I would be interested in how many firearms readers actually own. For our first poll, could I ask for stout bulldogs only, but fear not, a wider global survey will go up tonight.
The question is quite simple, how many gats do you have? For simplicity, all I’d like is a combined number of rifles, shotguns & black powder etc etc. If you don’t own any, please tick the ‘0’ box ... then email me & we will get you sorted out & on the path to firearms righteousness as soon as possible (see below)
Over the years it has been a pleasure to assist quite a few stout bulldogs get their shotgun and/or firearms certificates – actually I see it as a damn duty to ensure that as many of Her Majesty’s loyal subjects are as well armed as the law will allow. If there are any readers that would love to ... don’t know where to start ... could you please help because ... please drop me an email & I will be of whatever assistance I can be
Your country will need you
In overnight traffic, Kim made the follow more than generous offer
Mr. FM, as a furriner I would feel it not my place to participate in the Glorious Day's festivities, but I would be happy to perform what some may call "menial" services (oiling the rope, holding your coat etc) while the executions take place. I also know how to reload, very quickly, a Bren gun's magazine, if that would be of any assistance...
Come The Glorious Day, how will you help?
Omari Roberts
Tonight dear readers it pains me to draw your attention to the disgusting treatment of Omari Roberts & what this tells us about once Great Britain
Omari Roberts, who stabbed a burglar, Tyler Juett, he caught red-handed breaking into his mother's home has appeared in court charged with murder. The 23 year-old allegedly killed his victim, 17, after he caught him tring to burgle Jacqueline McKenzie-Johnson’s home in March, Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard.
Juett, from Aspley, Nottingham, was fatally injured while his 14-year-old accomplice was also stabbed, it was claimed ... The court was told the teenager suffered a 13cm wound, that passed through his chest cavity and cut vital arteries.
Appealing for bail for Roberts, Raj Chand, defending Roberts, described it as a “dreadful situation for any law-abiding member of the public”.
"Someone said to me earlier that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I said that he was in the right place at the right time. An Englishman's home is his castle. He says he was in the right. He regrets what happened, but he was defending himself and his property."
& incidentally, I completely blame mealy mouthed lawyers for all of this which is why they will all be hanged, but to continue...
Speaking ahead of the hearing, the Crown Prosecution Service said it decided to charge him because if believed he used "excessive and gratuitous force" during the drama. Ian Cunningham, from the CPS's Complex Casework Unit for the East Midlands, said the matter had been given "very careful" consideration since the incident happened.
"The Crown Prosecution Service has a policy on householders and the use of force against intruders, which was considered in this,” he added. "I also discussed the case with the CPS principal legal adviser and have decided there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. I have decided that when Omari Roberts disturbed two burglars and caused injuries to them - in one case fatally - his actions were not reasonable. “
He added: "I have also looked very carefully at the public interest in this case, and I am satisfied that the public interest requires a prosecution." Mr Cunningham said guidelines made clear anyone using "reasonable force" to defend themselves would "enjoy the full protection of the law". He added: "However, the law also makes clear that people could be prosecuted if they act with excessive and gratuitous force."
It goes without saying the Mr Ian Cunningham’s name has been added to The List & rest assured, he will receiving very special & personal attention come The Glorious Day
However in the interim, it will come as no surprise to you that Family Free Market completely endorses Castle Doctrine but is also actively lobbying to achieve paradigm shift in what are currently esoteric legal concepts such as the Generation of Violence & Winning the Firefight. However while we are waiting for I gave him the full nine yards officer to become enshrined in both statue & case law, as law abiding subjects of Her Majesty should some thieving chavie scroats break into FM Towers, all we would do is to meekly dial 999 & hope that the police save us from a very uncertain fate ...yeah right!
On This Day ... in 1914 & 1940
During the great German onslaught in the first battle of Ypres, Lieutenant James Anson Otho Brooke, of the 2nd Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, was sent across with a message from the right flank to the centre of the defence. He arrived just as the British were once more being driven back by the sheer weight of the enemies numbers.
Seeing that a general counter attack could not be organised to prevent the Germans breaking through, Brooke gathered a handful of men, consisting of servants, cooks and orderlies, from the rear: and amidst a storm of bullets from rifles and machine guns, dashed forward and recaptured a lost British trench.
Nearly all his men had fallen but returning to the support trenches to summon reinforcements, Brooke was killed. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
At Festubert in France, 2nd Lieutenant Leach
and Sergeant Hogan
of 2nd Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, led a party of ten volunteers in a bayonet charge to recapture another trench taken by the Germans - two previous attempts had failed. They eventually secured the entire trench, killing or capturing all their opponents. Leach and Hogan were each awarded the Victoria Cross.
October 28, 2009
& now the weather
As I mentioned the other day, next week it’s off to Scotland for a wee spot of stalking & as you would expect in such circumstances, a chaps thoughts are starting to turn to the high hill. Last night I was checking the long range forecast last night & whilst I tend not to place any store in their accuracy I doesn’t look too bad at the moment
Of course the actual forecast is for the nearest town of any size & the bottom of the glen is a good half hour drive uphill so it will be considerably colder, especially in the wind but given that the weather up there has been dreadful over the last few weeks – torrential rain – a 60% chance of what are euphemistically referred to as ‘showers’ (yeah right!) could be a lot lot worse
Continue reading "& now the weather"1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all.
Latest UK gun crime statistics
Meanwhile in GFWland where successive governments have done their damn level best to disarm Her Majesty’s most law abiding subjects...
Offences involving firearms have increased in all but four police areas in England and Wales since 1998, figures obtained by the Tories reveal. One part of the country has seen the problem increase almost seven fold as the availability of guns, and criminals' willingness to use them rises.
The number of people injured or killed by a gun has also doubled under Labour
Surely this can’t be true? Didn’t governments both Tory & Labour seize our property to ensure that there wouldn’t be any more firearms related crime?
On This Day ... in 1664 & Others
King Charles II authorised the raising of the Duke of York & Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot, the first infantry unit specially raised for service aboard ships and the ancestors of the modern Royal Marines. The men were raised from the Trained Bands of the City of London, and the Royal Marines retain the right of marching through the City with Colours, drums, and fixed bayonets.
October 27, 2009
& now the news
Apparently Vapid has kicked out the clinically brain dead tattooed one after he slept with their nanny who has revealed that she is having therapy because the telephoto lenses of the paparazzo’s cameras make her ankles look fat but in between giving salacious interviews to Red Top gossip columnists has found time to have a fling with ex-boyfriend Gary Wrong who was awarded Chav of the Year at a glittering awards ceremony where Dimwit, showing off her fabulous new Fred West outfit ended up having a lesbian snog with even Stupider despite being six months pregnant
Its breakfast time at Free Market Towers – freshly shot deers kidneys pan fried in real full fat butter washed down to with my usual Joy through Strength blend coffee & a couple of comeback bracers to flush away the worst ravages of hangover. Having got blood alcohol levels back up to a sensible cruising speed it is time for your humble correspondent to turn his attention to the really important business of the early morning – forget matters of global importance, the financial crisis or whether the nutters in Tehran are in fact going to nuke us to billy-o , it’s celebraty news that we really crave & like Mummy Cormorant, the MSM gleefully regurgitates it. Copiously.
Missing the boat
As he nears 90, the inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has one big regret. The almost unstoppable Kalashnikov, designed in 1947, has become the weapon of choice for militants and rebels from Liberia to Afghanistan as well as gangsters and drug traffickers.
'It is painful for me to see when criminal elements of all kinds fire from my weapon,' Mikhail Kalashnikov said in a videotaped address to a conference of Russian arms traders and designers at a top-secret Soviet-era arms testing facility outside Moscow
Pardon me if I point out that its a little late to worry now
This seasons ‘look’
Recently nominated for a lifetime award for his reinterpretation of Italian ice cream vendor chic
North African potentate Colonel ‘Jazzy’ G surpassed himself yesterday, with this seasons Dark Continent leisure & combat shirt.
Although it doesn’t really show up in this photo, the green blobs on the garment in question are in fact depictions of the continent in question – the whole ensemble providing a truly African & Islamic in a sort of a secular single ruling party alternative to Western capitalist disruptive pattern materials
Slaves & bankers
Bl**dy bankers bonuses – it’s not just that I am bored to the back teeth of hearing about them, it’s just that when the Westminster Village strays on to topics such as the blagging of vast sums of money for nothing, its not just that they are on incredibly thin ice but they talk such complete nonsense
High Street banks should be stopped from paying cash bonuses of more than £2,000, shadow chancellor George Osborne is expected to say. In a speech to the City, he is to say lending banks should be allowed to pay "significant" bonuses only in shares.
On This Day ... in 1890 & Others
A Royal Navy squadron captured Witu in East Africa, using a Naval landing party of sailors, plus troops from the Government of Zanzibar and police from the Imperial British East Africa Company, after the Sultan instigated the murder of nine German citizens.
October 26, 2009
How well can you speak English?
The fact that we simply don’t trust the Government with any information is a given – the main reason that they want it is a) to help them think up new taxes & b) for some pissed up civil servant to leave on a train. However, as a precursor to the tattooing of bar codes onto our forearms, its getting towards census time again...
Ministers are being accused of planning to snoop into citizens' private lives in the most intrusive national census ever carried out. The 2011 survey will demand to know how many bedrooms there are in homes and detailed information about any 'overnight visitors'.
Other new questions include how well respondents can speak English, what kind of central heating they have installed, whether they have a second home, how they define their national identity and whether they are in civil partnerships.
The Conservatives said the attempt to find out sleeping arrangements was particularly objectionable
It does however present any rational whiskey drinking man with the opportunity to at least to contribute in a small way to the Ghost in the Machine. If some faceless Government department really needs to know who my overnight visitors are, I see no reason not to let them know how often Algernon Mouse stays. Incidentally, to the best of my knowledge, A. Mouse Esq continues to take his political duties very very seriously & regularly votes in one of the London constituencies.
Other night time visitors at Free Market Towers include Arthur Fox who dropped by the yard last week, Anna Barn-Owl who unsurprisingly lives in one of the barns, then there is Albert Rabbit & his very extended family who seem to have moved into the top paddock .
Continue reading "How well can you speak English? "The Afghan Bogey Man
President Obama is on the verge of making a policy decision on the future strategy of the COIN fight in Afghanistan. Before looking at a possible strategy, I think we should take a hard look at Afghanistan and sacrifice a sacred cow that we all took as gospel.
Afghanistan has been called the “graveyard of empires.” That is some impressive IO phrase. It makes us fear failure in Afghanistan because it foreshadows the collapse of the whole western world -- not just Afghanistan. As scary as that prospect is, this specter is a figment of our imagination.
I think what is never mentioned is that the greatest empire that went to grave was the Afghan Empire itself. The British themselves smashed the Afghan Empire when, in 1837, it formed an alliance with the Sikhs in order to prevent the Afghans from retaking its former empire which went to Peshawar and Quetta. Thanks to the British, the sun would permanently set on the Afghan Empire, never to rise again.
Found by Minicapt & the rest is here
The truth about climate nonsense
Next Thursday marks the first anniversary of one of the most remarkable events ever to take place in the House of Commons. For six hours MPs debated what was far and away the most expensive piece of legislation ever put before Parliament.
The Climate Change Bill laid down that, by 2050, the British people must cut their emissions of carbon dioxide by well over 80 per cent. Short of some unimaginable technological revolution, such a target could not possibly be achieved without shutting down almost the whole of our industrialised economy, changing our way of life out of recognition.
Even the Government had to concede that the expense of doing this – which it now admits will cost us £18 billion a year for the next 40 years – would be twice the value of its supposed benefits. Yet, astonishingly, although dozens of MPs queued up to speak in favour of the Bill, only two dared to question the need for it. It passed by 463 votes to just three.
One who voted against it was Peter Lilley who, just before the vote was taken, drew the Speaker’s attention to the fact that, outside the Palace of Westminster, snow was falling, the first October snow recorded in London for 74 years. As I observed at the time: “Who says that God hasn’t got a sense of humour?”
More here
On This Day ... in 1917 & Others
The Second Battle of Passchendaele began. The ANZAC troops, who had suffered heavily in the previous phases of the Third Ypres offensive, had been relieved by the Canadian Corps. Although the combination of artillery fire and heavy rain had reduced the terrain to a quagmire in many places, the assault was renewed. The Germans resorted to the use of increasing quantities of mustard gas to stave off the attacks.
Progress was slow, and casualties extremely heavy. Passendale was finally captured in early November , but at a massive cost of 270,000 casualties.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1917 & Others"October 25, 2009
Sunday morning trigger time
Today, in between torrential rain squalls, YHC, Chuckmeister & Fai Chai (pictured below shooting a Sauer .243) got a final bit of practice before ... well I haven’t mentioned this but –
Next Sunday, the three of us & Mr Bambi Basher will be heading north, a long way north, for a weeks deer stalking in Scotland. So today we took the opportunity to give the rifles a final rousting in between getting soaked - good training for Scotland at this time of year
On This Day ... in 1415 & Others
Henry V won his great victory at Agincourt. Massively outnumbered by the French forces, and with his own men exhausted after marching through appalling weather, the result should have been very different. But the French squandered their advantages, failed to use their crossbowmen and archers to any effect, and attacked the English frontally through thick mud. English losses may have been as low as 100, whilst thousands of French perished or were captured, including the flower of their nobility.
During the battle an English knight, Sir Piers Legge of Lyme Hall, lay wounded in the mud while his mastiff dog fought off the French men-at-arms. Only when Sir Piers’ squire and servants came up after the battle would the mastiff allow anyone to approach his master. Sir Piers did not survive his wounds, but the dog returned to Lyme Hall and is reputed to have sired the English Mastiff breed.
October 24, 2009
On This Day ... in 1879 & Others
At Shahjui in Afghanistan half a dozen men, led by 35 year old Captain Euston Henry Sartorius, 59th (East Lancs) Regiment, attacked a mountain-top position held by tribesmen. The nature of the ground made any regular formation impossible, and Captain Sartorius and his men were fired on by the enemy as they reached the top of the steep pathway. The action was, however, a complete success owing to the gallant and cool bearing of the captain, although one of his men was killed and he himself was wounded by sword cuts in both hands. Sartorius was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Remarkably, five years earlier Captain Sartorius' brother Reginald had also won the Victoria Cross while serving with the Bengal Lancers in Ashanti. The brothers later achieved high rank, both retiring as Major Generals.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1879 & Others"October 23, 2009
Blaser double rifles
Originally this morning I wanted to write a short piece about big game hunting which was going to lead into a consideration of double rifles, but perhaps it is for the best, but I ran out of time last night. However, having considered various Blasers that are available I thought that in a change to our schedule, we would have a quick look a the Blaser double rifle instead
Now I freely admit that whilst I have never hankered after an elephant stopper, as configurations & the hunter go, possibly above all others the double is steeped in the mystique of the dark Continent. So set aside your Realtree for a moment & pop on your pith helmet instead.
That still doesn’t mean that your humble correspondent has ever wanted one - working on the basis that as a big girls blouse when it comes to recoil, there is little point in buying something chambered for the 3/4" Wrath of Thor cartridge which will knock you into next week - certainly not one for me
However about nine months ago, I had occasion to handle this rifle (which incidentally is still available). Quite why the dealer got it out of the rack I am not sure – I was there to look at a left handed .243 – but he handed it over & to be honest, my jaw dropped on the spot. I would never ever purport to have shot a huge number of rifles, but I can say that I have never handled anything like it. Ever.
That way that it sits in your hands or comes up to your shoulder is staggering. It swings beautifully, just like .... well just like a well balanced shotgun. It was simply one of those Road to Damascus moments & I became a believer on the spot
Continue reading "Blaser double rifles"Shot woman's destiny to die, not thieving MP's destiny to get fired
Found by Alan
PRETORIA. Two days after ANC MP Angie Molebatsi told the grieving family of a woman gunned down by police that it had been her destiny to die, the ANC has confirmed that it is Molebatsi's destiny to continue serving as an MP despite her previous conviction for theft in the Travelgate scandal and her recent nauseating statements.
Continue reading "Shot woman's destiny to die, not thieving MP's destiny to get fired "
Quite right
Germany's football stars have been warned to expect to wear bullet-proof vests at next summer's World Cup in South Africa. The head of a security firm said players, like Michael Ballack, would need such protection if they ventured away from the team's Pretoria hotel amid safety fears.
Guenter Schnelle from BaySecur said: "The possibility for the players of moving outside of the hotel boundaries should be kept to a minimum." "Otherwise there must be a full escort: armed security guards and bullet-proof vests for the players," he told German magazine Sport-Bild.
Lets be honest here, if potting the Hun was good enough for grandpa & father
then its good enough for us
Biscuit risk assessments
Council workers are given advice on how to eat biscuits safely in the latest example of health and safety rules taken too far. One council has even claimed to have supervised tea breaks for safety reasons. The tea and biscuit policies were disclosed in a survey about accidents caused by biscuits which was sent out as a joke by a biscuit company.
The fictitious 'British Biscuit Advisory Board' was created as part of a £3m marketing campaign by Fox's biscuits. National televison advertisements and billboards highlighted its campaign to 'educate the public about responsible biscuit choices and promote safer biscuit eating practices'.
A spoof 'workplace biscuit risk assessment test' - written in bureaucratic Health and Safety language - was created and issued to 5,849 council workers across the UK. A total of 813 over-cautious council employees clicked through to the online survey and 437 worried workers actually took the time to complete it.
If it were down to me & mores the shame it isn't , this morning we would be making an additional 813 public sector job cuts. Clearly these people have nothing better to do
On This Day ... in 1642 & Others
At Edgehill near Kineton, the main Parliamentarian and Royalist armies, commanded by the Earl of Essex and King Charles I respectively, finally met in battle for the first time.
Charles I held a council of war at Edgecote, about ten miles east of Edgehill on the day before the battle. The council was inconclusive because neither side knew where the other was. Indeed, they did not find out until that night when Royalist and Parliamentarian detachments both tried to find sleeping quarters in the same house at Wormleighton.
The Royalist cavalry opened the attack, and Prince Rupert's horsemen on the right wing swept away their opponents, whilst Lord Wilmot's troopers did equally well on the left wing.
However, most of the Royalist cavalry disappeared in pursuit of the broken Parliamentarian horse regiments, and those that rallied were unable to have much influence on the infantry battle in the centre, where the two sides proved better matched. The day ended as a Royalist victory, but Essex's army remained in being, and retreated towards London.
October 22, 2009
Being a good neighbour is about more than not having loud parties
... it’s about being respectful of the values & opinions of those next door
When Bambi attacks
In my admittedly very limited experience, it’s much easier just to shoot them...
A fat capitalist cigar for Watercresspete for finding this
African Infantryman of the Year Competition rocked by racism allegations
The organisers of the African Infantryman of the Year competition face allegations of blatant & old fashioned racism over this morning’s entry which shows black militiamen who has "whitened up", plunging the entire series into the latest of many race rows to hit this blog
The Bloemfontein based Ex-Mercs Castle Lager Coalition have condemned the competitions organisers decision to publish the picture as stupid & offensive, while members of Johannesburg's Rand Club have added to the chorus of disapproval. Speaking from the club's Spencer Whiting Armoury, General Jannie van der Witte Aarde warned that it will cause serious offence & went on to add that it’s a throwback to an era when white mercenaries were used. He added that these days "whiting up" is considered to be dehumanising to white people & racist.
Against this backdrop, the organisers were simply cock-a-hoop to receive a genuinely non-black African nomination from one ex-Corporal Deluxe Mapatabi...
Love the African Infantryman series & wanted to send a bio of another famous African warrior, Sir Morris fford-Blanchfork in his field kit & belt order. It is arcane knowledge that European officers led the best African Regiments. As a survivor, I can sorely attest to that.
This is a faded picture taken somewhere in Africa, long ago, hopefully long enough for the War Crimes Tribunal to forget about what actually happened. My friend was an Honorary Colonel in the Kwanza Special Para-Military Police Regiment. He may have led many of those brave men so gloriously pictured in your African Infantryman contest.
You see him outfitted here with the snappy but efficient field dress of the Kwanza Police with Lightweight Looting Kit so popular amongst the troops. Notice the 50rd. panic mag, hatchet for jewellery liberation & clandestine felony slippers.
He was always saddened that despite a long & illustrious career there were no journalists in that part of Africa where he served. He always said he had big plans if he ever caught one
Most humbly
Deluxe
On This Day ... in 1707 & Others
HM Ships Association, Romney and Eagle ran aground on Scilly Isles during a storm, whilst returning from operations in the Mediterranean. Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell
one of the Royal Navy's most experienced and distinguished commanders, is believed to have survived the wreck, but to have been subsequently killed by looters.
October 21, 2009
BNP 2
Just when I thought that we had done Nasty Nick Griffin to death (& mores the shame) but have a look:
... he goes & gets himself a slot on the BBCs Question Time (nothing like the Notting Hill luvvies chasing ratings eh dear readers). Now you could peruse slightly more mainstream coverage on Nothing British but for hopefully the last time, we will do the British National Party thing
Continue reading "BNP 2"BNP 1
From reader NH
With reference to Peter Hain's recent comments concerning the legality of the BNP, I thought you might like to publish this snap of a certain Mr Peter Hain being dragged away by the Old Bill
As I recall, the organisation he was a member of went about it's 'peaceful' business by cutting the brake pipes on buses
Wednesday's Really Big Stuff: the Hoover Dam & new Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
In a slight change to normal programming, tonight chaps we are going to have a really blokie post & if its blokie, then it has to be big, 'cos blokes like big stuff just like this...
Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, the two sides of a $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly take shape...
Continue reading "Wednesday's Really Big Stuff: the Hoover Dam & new Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge"
On This Day ... in 1805 & Others
Vice Admiral of the White Viscount Nelson won his great victory over the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar, flying his flag in HMS Victory. Nelson commanded 27 ships of the line against Vice-Admiral Villeneuve's 33. The British ships ran a gauntlet of fire to break through the Franco-Spanish line, and fight a devastating close-range gunnery action. 16 French and Spanish ships were destroyed, and four captured. Lord Nelson was fatally wounded by a marksman aboard the Redoutable, but survived long enough to be assured that his fleet was victorious.
October 20, 2009
Tuesday morning's Thought for the Day
Never forget, even for an instant, that the one and only reason anybody has for taking your gun away is to make you weaker than he is, so he can do something to you that you wouldn't let him do if you were equipped to prevent it. This goes for burglars, muggers, and rapists, and even more so for policemen, bureaucrats, and politicians.
from the novel Hope by Aaron Zelman and L. Neil Smith & found by Walter
A Lee Enfield No.4 Request
From reader Edward
Knowing your love of firearms, if I could pose a question. Have just acquired a very clean SMLE, British 1942 production code with matching numbers on the receiver and ammunition box.
Most of the original bluing is there except for the fore barrel near the point where same is exposed from the wood covers. I presume this either from rubbing of the wood or maybe point where it was often held.
Before I disassemble it for inspection and cleaning, are there any pointers on what to look out for in the areas of wear or weak points that should be inspected?
Now I in no way hold myself up to be any form of firearms expert, I just happen to shoot a small number of rifles & shotguns reasonably regularly. There are readers out there that are many many times more knowledgeable than me so Edward, I hope you won’t consider me rude if I leave you in their more that capable hands
Planet facing 'catastrophe' – Brown
Taken from a Press Association article of the same name which should have been called Planet facing catastrophe Brown. But enough of that at least for the time being & on with this morning’s climate nonsense...
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has warned that the planet is facing "catastrophe" if action to stop rising greenhouse gas emissions was not agreed at forthcoming UN talks on climate change. Mr Brown said letting the emissions which cause global warming run unchecked would have massive economic, human and environmental costs. He warned that ignoring emissions would leave the UK facing a future of killer heat waves, floods and droughts
These rabid assertions are made in the face of embarrassingly inconvenient scientific data that shows that the planet is in fact getting colder & the oceans are cooling. This has caused a fresh outbreak of climate hysterics that run along the lines of ‘we know that earth average temperatures are falling but they might increase again in the future ... at least that is what our latest unsubstantiated geo-climatic models show’ & they are probably about as accurate as the last lot that proved that by last November snow would be thing of the past & the Southern Atlantic would have by now reached the temperature of the hot tub that I don’t own ... only it hasn’t.
Continue reading "Planet facing 'catastrophe' – Brown"More African Infantryman of the Year
I am delighted to be able to report that we will have several new contestants for our African Infantryman of the Year competition...
...but frankly, this mornings entry leaves me at somewhat of a loss for words save for the fact that he is unlikely to run out of shells anytime soon
Not pig farming
I have no doubt that this has been twice around the electronic block already, but I saw it for the first time yesterday c/o Tricky...
Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP
Secretary of State.
Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
16 July 2009
Dear Secretary of State
My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recently received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not rearing pigs.. I would now like to join the “not rearing pigs” business.
In your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and which is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy.
I would prefer not to rear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing rare breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there too many people already not rearing these?
As I see it, the hardest part of this programme will be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven’t reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this?
On This Day ... in 1781 & Others
Lieutenant-General Cornwallis was forced to surrender at Yorktown, attempts to withdraw across the river to Gloucester having failed, and the Royal Navy being unable to support him after its defeat by the French on 5 September. His capitulation secured American independence, although the Revolutionary War still had some course to run.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1781 & Others"October 19, 2009
As if we needed another reason
Since 1997 Nu Labour has trampled all over our ancient freedoms & institutions but when it suits their own self serving duplicitous purposes...
MPs are trying to block a police probe into their expenses. A group of Labour members is understood to have warned Scotland Yard that an inquiry could breach their right of parliamentary privilege. Senior Labour sources have revealed that some MPs have consulted lawyers on whether the ancient right could be used to shield their expenses from outside investigation.
After all of this time, the only rational conclusion is to slaughter their families’, burn their homes to the ground & plough salt into the gardens. Only then might our perfidious political class start to comprehend where the overwhelming majority of stout bulldogs stand in this issue ... at about the same moment as the well oiled rope is slipped around the neck & the stool is kicked away
Its not as if bribery & Italians go together like bribery & Italians but...
A Taleban commander and two senior Afghan officials confirmed yesterday that Italian forces paid protection money to prevent attacks on their troops.
After furious denials in Rome of a Times report that the Italian authorities had paid the bribes, the Afghans gave further details of the practice. Mohammed Ishmayel, a Taleban commander, said that a deal was struck last year so that Italian forces in the Sarobi area, east of Kabul, were not attacked by local insurgents.
The payment of protection money was revealed after the death of ten French soldiers in August 2008 at the hands of large Taleban force in Sarobi. French forces had taken over the district from Italian troops, but were unaware of secret Italian payments to local commanders to stop attacks on their forces and consequently misjudged local threat levels.
I actually know a very sensible Italian army officer, who was on staff in the Balkans. He told me over a proper dinner that he spent most of his year there trying to convince us bulldogs & the Americans to stop fighting & just adopt local tactics. These were show up late in flashy uniforms, fire a few shots in the air & drive off. That way no-one (in uniform) got killed, honour was satisfied & they could get on to the serious business of the day, dinner & the ladies, untroubled. His whole thesis was that if everyone should be like the Italians, that way a lot less people would end up getting killed & the world would be a better place. Difficult to argue against that one at the moment judging by the mess that we are in on the North West Frontier
Croeso i Cymru
Found by Kim
However I should mention at the risk of being didactic (that’s Welsh for pedant), this post should be entitled Croeso i Gymru, because the 'i' causes a soft mutation in the following word. Welcome to Welsh, the only language with words that have no recognisable vowels
On This Day ... in 1858 & Others
In India, Lieutenant Wood, of the 17th Lancers, led a charge against far superior numbers of mutineer cavalry and drove them from the field. He received the Victoria Cross.
In May 1857 the Indian Mutiny broke out in Meerut with devastating effect. As a result reinforcements were sent from Britain and the 17th Lancers embarked for this task in October. The Regiment did not land in India until December and were not fit for service until May 1858. By this stage the mutiny was all but over, save for one of the mutineer leaders, Tantia Topi, who was still at large. In order to apprehend Tantia Topi and his followers General Michel was given a force of 1000 infantry, four guns and a squadron of 17th Lancers under Sir William Gordon. The pursuit of Tantia Topi lasted nine months and covered a distance in excess of 1000 miles, 500 of which were covered in a single month. It was during this pursuit that Lieutenant Evelyn Wood (who had transferred from the Navy to the 17th Lancers and was eventually to rise to the rank of Field Marshal) was awarded a Victoria Cross for single handedly attacking a squadron of mutineers from the Bengal Light Infantry. Tantia Topi's force was eventually defeated; he was captured and court-marshalled in April 1859. The regimental farrier-sergeant assisted in the hanging. The rope with which Tantia Topi was hanged is displayed in the Regimental Museum of The Queen's Royal Lancers.
Continue reading "On This Day ... in 1858 & Others"
