Yet again Gareth, you are completely wrong, as I have no knowledge of who it is that posts as Ramrod

Nor I suspect do you. Your just a tad miffed that someone else likes to stick a sharp stick up that lardy of yours!

And when it comes to matters moronic, or debate, then you have shown conclusively over the years, you are indeed a master debater

We still like you despite your social inadequences, and wondered if you had a spare couple of hours this weekend? Orft for a round of golf and we need a honey boy! Up for that sweetcheeks?

Aw bless you Billy. I suppose you try your hardest and maybe that's the main thing.

Those who fought weren't fighting for freedom of speech. In fact most who fought hadn't much idea of why they were doing so other than the fact the call up papers said they had to.

The expression is Jam Boy you racist.

You won't believe who apparently shares the same address as the current antagonist...

I'd agree with this yet I'd also agree with Gareth about Gibson being racist.

Mainly down to my old friend 'context' again.

In the 1940s racist actions, terminology and attitudes were normal - that's not to say everyone went round in white hoods and met up near burning crosses but that people lived in an era where there were very few non-whites, where white Britain controlled a good chunk of the world's black population and where it was normal (and even understandable) that people wouldn't give too much thought to whether the name of a product or dog might cause offence or even just maintain what were then common beliefs.

A really good book that describes the experiences of Jamaican volunteers in the war (even though fiction) is Andrea Levy's 'Small Island' -one of the best books I've read. Still seems alot better here than America though. I can lend you Mclaren_Field's copy if you like

.

I wondered where that had gone



I still like the story about the bees

We're you drunk when typing this?

There's more holes than a Swiss cheese.

You're going to be sooooo embarrassed when you sober up and re-read your contributions.

You could not be more wrong, Peter Jackson and Stephen Fry (Scriptwriter) have stated that it will be about the British, ANZAC and Canadians that made up the crews and that the only american in it will play the one amcrican who actually flew the mission.

I think he was making a facetious point but knew that Hollywood does have previous in that regard.

They've flown away.

An eye opener about the era that made you laugh and made you angry in equal measure.

Apparently "Memphis Belle" (great film) was originally written about a Lanc crew but was re-written when no UK producers were interested.

Didn't know that.

I thought MB was written with regards to some USAAF regulation about aircrew completing 'x' number of missions after which they'd be withdrawn?

And I've just spotted that its being dramatised on the BBC starting Sunday evening. Spooky.

That was my understanding of it also hence the tributes to those bomber crews at the end of the film.

There is an anecdote about Gibson, on one of the rare occasions that Command could drag him off active service he was sent on a PR tour of the US. This was a time when USAF crews were withdrawn when they had completed their 25 mission tour. A lady in the crowd pressed him for how many missions he had flown over enemy territory, to which Gibson replied 174 which reduced the room to silence.

After reading one of the most enthralling threads I’ve read for a while I’d just like to throw an observation into the pot.

In the early to mid 40’s there were very little in the way of ethnic minorities in England so to say that attitudes were racist may be expanding the term a little beyond its current interpretation.

There was still a sense of imperialistic superiority especially in the senior ranks of the armed forces. Guy Gibson was born in India during colonial rule so his parents would have definitely instilled a supercilious attitude towards ‘foreigners’.

Racism depicts a portrait of dislike/hatred towards a group of individuals because of their ethnic origins.

I was more likely that Gibson just felt that he was simply superior to African/Asian people and therefore could refer to them how he pleased.

As I said before, the dog was named because he was a particular colour,the N word being in the name of the colour. If anybody was displaying any rascism it was the paint/polish companies.
In the same fashion I could have called my Lab "Burnt Sienna",we actually settled on Charlie.

I have to remember to post a copy of my dad, an Army sergeant in the Corps of Transport in Africa during WWII, sat outside his tent in a canvas chair with the small black boy servant that each sergeant was entitled to, sitting at his feet - the epitome of colonial rule.

Their job was to transport British Army vehicles from Nigeria to Ethiopia for onward shipping to India, and so he spent his war driving back and forth across the width of Africa until one day they were ordered to board the ship with the trucks as they were all going to India with them - all the sergeants waved goodbye to their little Nigerian servants on the quayside in addis ababa, a mere 2500 miles away from home ...

Don't laugh...

My mates dad died a few weeks ago. He worked with Gibson & Wallace. According to his dad they hated the dog & all peed on its grave.

So there you have it.
From indignation at the renaming of a dog in a film.
To the lack of perspective in the changing of a rascist word compared to the massive loss of life caused by the event.
To a comparison of the cultural comparisons of 1940's and modern day Britain
To a cameo of the Raj and North Africa in WWII

To a dog itself being hated and it's grave being peed on.



I'd say we've pretty much done this one to death now.

Its' what makes Southstander the best forum on RL Fans.

Er. No. Your mates dad was clearly suffering from dementia before he died.

Its not over until someone mentions defacating on a coffee table

It's got peeing on a dead dog, does that not count as porn?

You didn't like it when i did it on yours though!