Originally Posted by brighton hippy

the spetnez vs green berat was quite funny the russian being typically disturbingly nails

Loved the scene where the Yanks were demonstrating their shovel/axe on the gel torso. The ex-Green Beret takes off half the things face with his first strike. The ex-Spetznaz bloke looks at it and says, "That's not a killing blow; he could still fight on like that..."

He was the Russian version of the Black Knight: "It's just a flesh wound! I've had worse!"

Reminds me of the bloke who stands in the pub boasting about his martial arts skills, naming th blows and moves untill the old bloke in the corner stands and smashes the hardman to the floor, saying "And that was a Morris Thousand starting handle"

Originally Posted by tropper66

Reminds me of the bloke who stands in the pub boasting about his martial arts skills, naming th blows and moves untill the old bloke in the corner stands and smashes the hardman to the floor, saying "And that was a Morris Thousand starting handle"

Are we still being historical here or are you really that old?

Originally Posted by brighton hippy

the spetnez vs green berat was quite funny the russian being typically disturbingly nails

That is the only one I've seen, funny as hell. I half expected the Russian to utter Dolph Lundgrens line from Rocky IV at one point, "If he dies. He dies." No reason for it, but just to put the shits up the septics.
It is also one of the worst programs on Sky, and thats beating off some stiff competition.

Funny enough, Dolph, who did his Swedish National Service in one of their SF units, played a Spetznaz officer in Red Scorpian...one of the classic, so-bad-it's-good 80's movies.

Originally Posted by Steven

Originally Posted by tropper66

Reminds me of the bloke who stands in the pub boasting about his martial arts skills, naming th blows and moves untill the old bloke in the corner stands and smashes the hardman to the floor, saying "And that was a Morris Thousand starting handle"

Are we still being historical here or are you really that old?

I was once the proud owner of a Moggy thou, even if it did have a 2litre Triumph Vitesse engine, my first car was a hand painted green and orange Austin A35 I bought off a REME airtech in Omagh in 1970

That Snopes link is really discussing something else.

However, it does point out that archers would be killed outright, as they had no ransom value. This does actually tally with the 'two-fingers' theory: the archers would not be released after having their two fingers cut off - the Frogs would START by cutting their two fingers off...

Originally Posted by tropper66

In fact there have been nearly as many Welsh or of Welsh decent Monach's of England as there have been English born

(Leaving aside jokes about "Welsh decent".)

Oh dear... you just brought out the pedant in me.

Terribly simplistic table follows - out of generosity to those wishing to claim Welshness, or indeed Belgicness, for monarchs, have used quotation marks to show those who might be considered first-generation "English" or whatever, taking account of birthplace, etc.


Monarch Father Mother Birthplace

William I Norman Norman Normandy
William II Norman Belgian Normandy
Henry I Norman Belgian England
Stephen French Norman France
Matilda “English” Scots England
Henry II French English France
Richard I English French England
John English French England
Henry III English French England
Edward I English French England
Edward II English Spanish Wales
Edward III “Welsh” French England
Richard II English English England
Henry IV “Belgian” English England
Henry V English English Wales
Henry VI “Welsh” French England
Edward IV English English France
Edward V “French” English England
Richard III English English England
Henry VII Welsh English Wales
Henry VIII Welsh English England
Edward VI “English” English England
Mary I “English” Spanish England
Elizabeth I “English” English England
James I Scots Scots Scotland
Charles I Scots Danish Scotland
Charles II Scots French England
James II Scots French England
Mary II “English” English England
William III Dutch “English” Netherlands
Anne “English” English England
George I German German Germany
George II German German Germany
George III German German England
George IV “English” German England
William IV English German England
Victoria English German England
Edward VII German English England
George V English Danish England
Edward VIII English German England
George VI English German England
Elizabeth II English Scots England


So who might arguably claim Welsh descent?

Edward II, though he would not have dreamed of doing so - just happened to be born in Wales and used as a stunt by Daddy to calm the Taffs down :D
Edward III - but only if you accept Eddy II as a Taff...
Richard II - ditto.
Henry IV - ditto, and arguably more Belgian than Welsh, since his dad was born in Ghent...
Henry V - born there, but otherwise down to 1/16th of Edward II's "Welshness".
Henry VI - if Henry V is "Welsh".
Edward IV - faint traces of Eddy II's bloodline. More Belgian than Welsh...
Edward V - ditto.
Richard III- ditto.
Henry VII - finally, someone indisputably Taff. Who just happens to have a big inferiority complex about proving that, despite his Taffness, he is entitled to the English throne.
Henry VIII - preferred women to sheep.
Mary, Edward VI, Elizabeth I - obviously all have Welsh blood.

By the time you get to dear old James VI of Scotland and I of England, he is down to 1/16th Welsh bloodline, and that gets increasingly diluted through the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties.

So, in a strict sense, you may be right, though I suspect half the "Welsh" monarchs would have carted you off to the Tower for such an accusation. But the real dirty secret of the Monarchy over the centuries is the amount of Belgian blood

The archers did not like killing the noble Knights eather, they preferred to kill the horses for two good reasons one to form a barrier to stop later cavelry charges, ans to enable the knights ti be taken and ransomed back to their familys During the Crecy war some poor, Welsh farm boys returned with great hoards of wealth and booty. Some did not return at all, but went on to become full time mercenerys like Sir John Hawkswood who went to Italy and formed the White Company and made a vast fortune selling his troops skill to the highest bidder. He was given a state funeral in Florance

Originally Posted by OllieReeder

Originally Posted by tropper66

In fact there have been nearly as many Welsh or of Welsh decent Monach's of England as there have been English born

(Leaving aside jokes about "Welsh decent".)

Oh dear... you just brought out the pedant in me.

Terribly simplistic table follows - out of generosity to those wishing to claim Welshness, or indeed Belgicness, for monarchs, have used quotation marks to show those who might be considered first-generation "English" or whatever, taking account of birthplace, etc.


Monarch Father Mother Birthplace

William I Norman Norman Normandy
William II Norman Belgian Normandy
Henry I Norman Belgian England
Stephen French Norman France
Matilda “English” Scots England
Henry II French English France
Richard I English French England
John English French England
Henry III English French England
Edward I English French England
Edward II English Spanish Wales
Edward III “Welsh” French England
Richard II English English England
Henry IV “Belgian” English England
Henry V English English Wales
Henry VI “Welsh” French England
Edward IV English English France
Edward V “French” English England
Richard III English English England
Henry VII Welsh English Wales
Henry VIII Welsh English England
Edward VI “English” English England
Mary I “English” Spanish England
Elizabeth I “English” English England
James I Scots Scots Scotland
Charles I Scots Danish Scotland
Charles II Scots French England
James II Scots French England
Mary II “English” English England
William III Dutch “English” Netherlands
Anne “English” English England
George I German German Germany
George II German German Germany
George III German German England
George IV “English” German England
William IV English German England
Victoria English German England
Edward VII German English England
George V English Danish England
Edward VIII English German England
George VI English German England
Elizabeth II English Scots England


So who might arguably claim Welsh descent?

Edward II, though he would not have dreamed of doing so - just happened to be born in Wales and used as a stunt by Daddy to calm the Taffs down :D
Edward III - but only if you accept Eddy II as a Taff...
Richard II - ditto.
Henry IV - ditto, and arguably more Belgian than Welsh, since his dad was born in Ghent...
Henry V - born there, but otherwise down to 1/16th of Edward II's "Welshness".
Henry VI - if Henry V is "Welsh".
Edward IV - faint traces of Eddy II's bloodline. More Belgian than Welsh...
Edward V - ditto.
Richard III- ditto.
Henry VII - finally, someone indisputably Taff. Who just happens to have a big inferiority complex about proving that, despite his Taffness, he is entitled to the English throne.
Henry VIII - preferred women to sheep.
Mary, Edward VI, Elizabeth I - obviously all have Welsh blood.

By the time you get to dear old James VI of Scotland and I of England, he is down to 1/16th Welsh bloodline, and that gets increasingly diluted through the Stuart and Hanoverian dynasties.

So, in a strict sense, you may be right, though I suspect half the "Welsh" monarchs would have carted you off to the Tower for such an accusation. But the real dirty secret of the Monarchy over the centuries is the amount of Belgian blood

Good God, and to think I thought that I was a history GEEK