Flashman author on Scousers and Hillborough (This is great)

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I knew a young Liverpudlian who, following the Hillsborough disaster, stayed away from work because, he said, of the grief he felt for those supporters of his team who died on the terraces. He didn’t know them, he hadn’t been there, but he was too distressed to work. (Suppose Grandarse {a fellow private in GMF’s section in the 14th Army in Burma in ‘45} or the Battle of Britain pilots, with infinitely great cause, had been too distressed to fight?) One shouldn’t be too hard on the young man; he had been conditioned to believe that it was right, even proper, to indulge his emotions; he probably felt virtuous for having done so.

Fortunately for the world, my generation didn’t suffer from spiritual hypochondria – but then, we couldn’t afford it.

George MacDonald Fraser, “Quartered Safe Out Here�.

It's one of the most enjoyable war memoirs I've read, btw. Very funny.

[Supermac1976]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Steel-Bonnets-Anglo-Scottish-Rei vers/dp/0002727463 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Steel-Bonnets-Anglo-Scottish-Reivers/dp/0002727463)

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Tom Molineaux, who fought Tom Cribb for the British championship in 1809 and 1810 is amazing.

If you like Boxing, you'll love it. And there's a cameo from Flashman's dad. But the rest of the characters are real.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Ajax-George-MacDonald-Fraser/d p/0006499813 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Ajax-George-MacDonald-Fraser/dp/0006499813)

I first heard about it on this CH4 doc which is great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYR0L2lZSyg

GMF is one of the talking heads, as is one of my OU professors.

It's well worth a watch.

Deals with those two fights, and the one before in 1805, when Bill Richmond (another ex-slave who became Molineaux's coach) fought Cribb.

All those lefty historians who want Mary Seacole taught at school just cos she's black (well, 1/4 black) are insane. Why not focus on Richmond?

Bought to England and given his liberty as a teenager, he was one of George IV's guard of honour at his coronation in 1820 (along with the other top boxers - Georgie loved his boxing.)

Have a look.

[bostonbrian]

[Supermac1976]

As I've strong interest in the subject as both sides of my Mum's family were from Reiver stock (Charlton & Milburn, yes I'm distantly related to the Jack, Bobby & wor Jackie) but it really is an interesting chapter of history.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

airdrop blind. Had me in stitches.

Writing the speech phonetically makes it hilarious.

I got it for 1p + postage (£3) on Amazon 2nd hand.

You'll love it if you have a connection to them. Will make you bloody proud, imo.

(And you see where Flashman gets his respect for the native troops from, too.)

[Supermac1976]

:hehe:

[bostonbrian]

You disappoint me again my friend

[Supermac1976]

[One Wilf Copping]

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]