Comments on: Windy Militant leads his Basque-like corn grinders to war

By: Dave Kirby

Dave Kirby — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:26:16 +0000

(And yes, I do have Omni stacked, ten-fold, under the bed.)

By: Dave Kirby

Dave Kirby — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:23:40 +0000

VQN makes Snorty’s crew sound like the Bridgeburners in the Steven Erikson novels. It’s The Trumptonshire Book Of The Fallen!

By: Mac

Mac — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:45:28 +0000

So, after all these years, we’re saying it would have been more accurately titled the “Trumptonshire Riots”?

By: John Burscough

John Burscough — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:12:48 +0000

Without wishing to appear pedantic, when it kicked off in Trumpton PC McGarry would have been the mate called in as back-up from Camberwick Green, rather than the local law – that was Policeman Potter.
One assumes the rioting must have spread to the Green, as that was where Dr Mopp’s surgery was, as well as Mrs Honeyman’s husband’s chemist’s shop (though he was never seen in either series).

By: Vendor of Quack Nostrums

Vendor of Quack Nostrums — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:55:13 +0000

Snort was a shifty character as befits one who ran a military academy for young boys.

As Cant commented at the time;

Captain Snort is a soldier man,
Scarlet and gold a soldier man.
He’ll work a boy as hard as he can,
To turn him into a soldier man.
Captain Snort is a soldier man,
Who lives in Pippin Fort.

Wouldn’t get away with that type of approach these days. The modern Army Cadets promise youngsters the opportunity to develop through fun, exciting and challenging opportunities. Not allowed to work a boy until he is an unthinking, killing machine any more. Today the whole shebang would be doomed from the off. Besides the boys would be too busy canoeing, abseiling and caving. They wouldn’t be allowed to bring about a military coup. Elfin Safe Tea, innit.

By: Exxo

Exxo — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:18:20 +0000

They were the fire crew; they got rid of Captain Flack; they ended up falling for the ‘come-not-to-praise-Flack-but-to-bury-him’ charisma of Snorty and his mob. Foreshadowing the way the miners were used in Romania? Shivers down the spine as another utopian revolutionary dream is hijacked.

By: John Burscough

John Burscough — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:11:00 +0000

Well said, VQN. If you live in this world, you’re feelin’ the change of the guard.

By: Vendor of Quack Nostrums

Vendor of Quack Nostrums — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:37:20 +0000

The times in Trumpton, they were a changing back in ’85. Revolutionary forces were busy overthrowing the previous regime. The days of former glories were fast disappearing. The reactionary guard, unsurprisingly, resisted this wind of change. Out of touch, born of the previous generation, ghosts of a time fast fading; hence erstwhile.

By: Dave Kirby

Dave Kirby — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:45:39 +0000

Because of this song, for years, all through my teens and well into my adult life, I thought “erstwhile” meant something like “steadfast”. It doesn’t. Do you think Nigel’s aware of that these days?

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:00:32 +0000

Doh! Of course, Brian Cant narrated it. I never made that link before, I’d only thought of the empty and uncritical meaning (beautifully put by the way, VOQN). A once weak lyric is now rather marvellous. I feel I should go and find myself a cafe bar and a pigeon.

Incidentally, back in 1985/86 when I discovered HMHB I wrote a letter (remember them?) to Probe Plus asking for lyrics, and a week later I received a stapled-together set of photocopied hand-written lyrics to Back In The DHSS. Oh how I wish I’d kept that. I think I’d better make that a double cafe bar and pigeon.