Re: OT. The truth about Waterloo

[michael adams]

> But back to Waterloo. The British like to claim it as a British > victory when in fact it was an allied forces victory led by an > Irishman.

"No, he is not an Irishman. He was born in Ireland; but being born in a stable does not make a man a horse."

Daniel O'Connell during a speech (16 October 1843), as quoted in Reports of State Trials: New Series Volume V, 1843 to 1844 (1893) "The Queen Against O'Connell and Others", p. 206

And often falsely attributed to Wellington himself. Who being a member of the Protestant ascendancy, disliked being associated with a term more usually applied to the largely Catholic peasantry.

michael adams

...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

As well as selling them their aircraft carrier. Without that there might have been no attempted invasion.

[Cursitor Doom]

What is not denied is the fact that Wellington described his own army as the "scum of the earth". What a nice bloke, eh? Some attitudes never change.

[Tim Streater]

In what way are the Falklands part of the British Empire? Hint: the BE doesn't exist any more.

[Ramsman]

But they were. Many didn't enlist because soldiering was a profession they aspired to, they were largely the unemployed and unemployable and volunteered in order to get some degree of security.

This is only a partial quotation. There are variations on what he was supposed to have said, including (from Wikipedia):

The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth ? the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards.

Speaking about soldiers in the British Army, 4 November 1813 A French army is composed very differently from ours. The conscription calls out a share of every class ? no matter whether your son or my son ? all must march; but our friends ? I may say it in this room ? are the very scum of the earth. People talk of their enlisting from their fine military feeling ? all stuff ? no such thing. Some of our men enlist from having got bastard children ? some for minor offences ? many more for drink; but you can hardly conceive such a set brought together, and it really is wonderful that we should have made them the fine fellows they are.

Old Nosey wasn't right all the time, and had some attitudes that weren't too liberal(!), but all in all I believe he was a great man.

[Richard]

More's the pity...

[tony sayer]

Thats prolly in most every scrap we've had with the Frogs we've come off better;)..

[Tim Streater]

Not if the parents don't want that to be the case. My nephew's parents were in the US for 12 months at the time he was born. They then returned to the UK and haven't lived elsewhere since then. He's English.

[fred]

So were Wellingtons parents English ?

I'm just stirring the s**t here