Just watched Jeremy Clarkson's programme

About the greatest ever raid , made by British commandos against a French-based German submarine base in 1942 . Five VC's were awarded in the daring attack and less than half of the 621 men survived the assault . The men were mostly in their twenties .
Oh , and our pampered prima donnas from the Premiership have drawn 0-0 in Israel .
Godspeed to all our servicemen and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan ( Taxi Red has every reason to be a proud father ) .
God preserve us from McClaren's invertibrates .

 

Was that raid the one on St Nazaire?

 

Yes it was. nt

 

RE: Yes it was. nt

I thought it may have been. Operation Chariot wasn't it?

 

Yes .

http://www.stnazairesociety.org/

http://www.jamesgdorrian.com/

 

St Nazaire.....

Interesting stuff. Are you interested in all that stuff then? I find the Second World War intriguing.

 

I find the bravery

of the people from the 1st and 2nd World Wars very humbling.

I'm interested in History but specialise in Ancient History.

 

Ancient history....

What sort of era comes under 'ancient' then? We had a teacher at Worsbrough Dale juniors called Mr Malkin and all he went on about was the Romans. He thought they were the mutts' nuts! I understand what you say about barvery etc...... my Grandad lied about his age so he could go and fight in the First World War. He's also in that Barnsley Pals book - i've still got his original York & Lancs badge from all those years ago, safely tucked away for the youngest to inherit.

 

It's fair to say

I tend to be an avid reader of works relating from the early Bronze Age ( circa 4000 B.C. ) to the fall of the Roman Empire . The traditional date of which is 4th September 476 ........ 1483 years to the day that I was born .
I am a passionate advocate of the necessity for remembering the humbling , mind-boggling bravery of men such as your Grandfather . The sacrifices these people made should never be forgotten , we owe them everything with regards to the freedoms we shamefully sometimes take for granted .

 

I saw that last Sunday

Like you said, it's very humbling to listen to such people talk.

Is it just me or do you also find that those who have the most to be proud of their achievements underplay it all & those who have done little or nothing make such a loud noise about it all.

Those men that were interviewed all just seemed to believe that they weren't doing anything extraordinary!

 

Very true mate

An empty vessel makes the most noise .
These brave men talked as if they were holding a conversation about a Sunday afternoon's cricket and not what was in all honesty the nearest that you could get to a suicide mission .

 

RE: It's fair to say

I agree wholeheartedly with regards to the sacrifices that people made for us yonks ago. Unfortunately, i don't think many of today's young un's have the same outlook. It's quite frustrating on occasions - most seem to be well wrapped in their own problems, which are usually minor anyhow.

If my maths are right i think you're 5 years older than me? If so; and i seem to recall you're from Worsbrough(?), do you recall a Miss Flint at the junior school? And did you have the pleasure of Miss Tindale for Chemistry (oo matron)? I think she once cropped up in a prior posting? Mr Courvoissier is round tonight and i have a rare Sunday off tomorrow so i'm making the most, ahem!

Just out of interest, where did you stand at the 'well in the 70's? The reason i ask is that my cousin, who took me to my first game amongst others, used to congregate around the north side of the tunnel and at the back of the terrace. A fond memory of mine is when Crewe turned up and decided to kick lumps out of our lot and the game ended in a draw. I think Les Harris came on as sub and scored a goal? It was definitely his face that i remember as he watched a few locals pulling the hair out of the Crewe players as they came up the tunnel that day.

 

I think there was also some very dark humour amongst them

One bit that raised a smile was that bloke who'd been wounded & captured saying that after the boat had blown up & destroyed the dock, a German guard ran in screaming that they were all going to be shot.

He said that he responded "OK, get on with it then, just please stop shouting!"

 

Born and bred Dodworther

Born on 4th September 1959 and went to Worsbrough High School from September 1971 to June 1977 ( I spent a year in the Lower Sixth ) . Miss Tindale was there for the last couple of years , but she never taught me . It's fair to say that vision of loveliness was the most lusted after teacher of my time .
I was taken by my late father down to Oakwell at the start of the 1968/69 season and we always went into the Spion Kop end of the old stand . However , the following season , he bought me my first season ticket (I've had one ever since) and we went into the opposite wing stand . Ill health prevented him going after the completion of the 1980/81 promotion season . After that , I stood in the Ponty End with my friends .
The game you're talking about was a 2-2 draw in the 1976/77 season , if I remember rightly . We fought back from being 2-0 down and Les Harris scored the equaliser . It was one of only two goals he scored for us in two seasons .

 

And the only memorial for these brave men

Is a small plaque on a lump of rock in Falmouth harbour .

 

Fair play lad......

Unfortunately i had the pleasure of Miss Tindale, ahem, but not in any other sense other than in a teaching capacity and to be honest, she was such a wondrous distraction that i don't give a fig for my failings in that curriculam. T'was a pleasure to have had her company (says he so blushingly). On the subject of teachers, did you get a glimpse of Miss Pitt? In my opinion a most suitable runner up for 'top totty of the school'.

How come a Dodwerther ended up at our beloved school then? Family move or was it the usual (wink).? You don'y know 'Dodi/ Dydo' from Gilroyd do you? He'll be about 5 years your younger but.......

 

And another thing.....

How much would a proper memorial cost? I'd do the labour for free for starters! If you fancy changing the plaque to a memorial then i sincerely and honestly swear that i will build the memorial for free.

 

I had to pass the 11+

It's that long since , I can only remember Miss Tindale and her perfect breasts .
I remember a lad about five years younger than me called Anthony Dyson who had 'Dydo' as a nickname , he has an older brother called Paul who used to be a Barnsley fanatic . However , his late father ( whose name escapes me ) was the best man at my parent's wedding .
I am a font of useless , pointless information .

 

Perhaps in this day and age

Politicians would be unwilling to erect one , as they might upset the sensitivities of the Germans . After all , when the re enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar took place , it was red against blue not British against the French .

 

RE: I had to pass the 11+

Methinks that is the same Dydo/Dido. If you ever bump into him just mn=ention a certain night in Worsbrough, U2's drumsticks and some **** who couldn't stop farting. Last time i saw him was at a wedding where the reception was at the Northern College. Top bloke is the man. ( I seem to recall that Mr Dyson senior died in around the mid 80's??)

Bit of a **** regarding the memorial. Sums us up as a nation in all honesty!! Very frustrating indeed.Elsewhere in Europe every nation enhances their heroes, whereas in England we attempt to demonise every one of them .