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Drummer Boy: The Road North


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On 4/21/2017 at 7:03 AM, R08m4rv said:

Two days later and sixty miles further along the mountain range and with the men now becoming used to the hard slog each day, there came one more test for the guides. One that was unforeseen and no one was ready for it. The senior English officers were taken entirely by surprise, but not Snot and Maketja. It was the two boys that settled the affair in a quick and final way. It was reported afterwards that even Sir Thomas Graham could only say good things about the two young officers.

Is Arthur going to tell us what happened in the next gripping chapter or is this an Anchovy as he has run out of Herrings. :)

I had a feeling that Snot Morgan would not let any English Officer mess him about, this was proved by him letting Sir Thomas know that Wellington would not be at all pleased if he was late for the battle. I really like that young Snot does not balk any nonsense as it proved when he went back to England on a mission for Thomas.

Looking forward to Chapter 19, as long as LOKI and the Politicians and storms keep away from Arthur so he can finish on time next week.

 

CMSgtZulu

Since it has been 2 weeks for a new chapter (thank you Arthur!), I popped open a new bottle of brandy (unfortunately, not requisitioned by Carmelo from a Frenchman's tent). 

I had to open a new litre bottle of Chivas Regal, only problem is I had the last of it last night :( Two weeks without Thomas can drive some people to drink, Arthur please note.

 

Although today is only Wednesday, I've already have a bottle of Niepoort Tawny sitting in my cabinet awaiting the next chapter.   That's what I love about stories like Arthur's. I get to right click and research for information such as "oporto" wines.  Niepoort wineries have been in the same family since the 1800s.  I'm drinking the from the same vines as possibly Thomas or Percy.  How cool is that?

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Sgt,

Sorry to burst your bubble but Thomas , Percy and the others were drinking Dow's 1783 Vintage (ruby port). Tawny Port was found by accident at a later date when they had to use some French barrels from the province of Armagnac and by accident they did not clean the barrels first and so had a mixture of cognac left in the barrels when the port wine was put in for aging and it leeched from the wood to give the port the tawny colour and the smoky wood flavour as well as fortifying it which is why tawny port is called a fortified wine.

Now lets see if that gets the pigeons up in the air before chapter 19 hits the air waves (oops is that radio?)

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We once again see our faithful and honorable Thomas and his men doing their duty. We can see once more the uncanniness of Thomas to read a man. He knew something was up with Captain Warren. A cool head taking charge and letting it slide  to safe gaurd his men. Then we see the viscount hand out justice to the Captain's men. We can only hope the disgraced Captain Warren dose not some how blame Thomas. Then try and confrount him. I would say that would be most unpleasent for the Captain. We will have to wait and see want we. I also wonder what is in the wagons that Thomas was able to take. Well, I think we will find out maybe next time we return.

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Wolflover,

Wow did I cause all this distress? I must be getting better. Yes you may have to wait another week (or two) but all your questions will be answered eventually even though I did manage at last to get three fish in one barrel, to rest your mind a little until chapt. 20 Snot and Maketja are having a little canoodle in the bushes while no one is watching, the wagons are or could be a distraction from the true theme but then Loki would never mislead you (would he?)

A

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Arthur,

 Thank you for the info on Dow's.  It is now on my buy list for future consumption, preferably while reading of Thomas' further adventures of course. One quick comment, just how far will Thomas' place his boot up the Viscount's arse after learning that Wellington tried to commandeer Lt Morgan and the rest?  Should be an entertaining encounter, don't you think.


 
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The question in my mind, is will Thomas call it a day when the French get back to France, I know the viscount followed the French army to Bayonne and had a battle there. The question is will Thomas being a Spanish General stop at the Border and return South to his Southern home, to rest and recuperate before the mess that was to become Spanish Politics. I guess I am running before i can walk again.

I worry about all this fish that peeps keep on about, as I have a allergy, which make me very ill if I eat it. Hopefully reading about it will not have the same effect.

A a ex warrior, I have always puzzled over the fact that if the poor old squaddie captures goods and equipment and keeps it he is charged with looting, if the officers get there hands on the same stuff, it becomes allright for them to keep "For the good and benefit of the Mess and the regiment"  I my WO's & Sgt mess we had so much silver and gold tableware that had been acquired over the centuries from the various battles our regiment and its preceding forebears had fought in, and all in the name of " For the good and benefit of the Mess and the regiment" no mention it was the proceeds of looting. and as for no mention   hangings and floggings in the history of my Regiment.

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21 hours ago, SussexBoi said:

A a ex warrior, I have always puzzled over the fact that if the poor old squaddie captures goods and equipment and keeps it he is charged with looting, if the officers get there hands on the same stuff, it becomes allright for them to keep "For the good and benefit of the Mess and the regiment"  I my WO's & Sgt mess we had so much silver and gold tableware that had been acquired over the centuries from the various battles our regiment and its preceding forebears had fought in, and all in the name of " For the good and benefit of the Mess and the regiment" no mention it was the proceeds of looting. and as for no mention   hangings and floggings in the history of my Regiment.

SussexBoi, as ex REME I have served with some of the Regiments actually mentioned in some of the chapters (after many mergers over time). One of them to which I was attached 3 times was the 13/18 Royal Hussars ( QMO), they had an assortment of "captured" ( LOOTED) in all three of the Messes from various Battles over the centuries. Another was The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) of Amazing Grace fame.The Eagle itself is an impression of the Imperial Eagle, carried by the French troops during the Napoleonic War. The Royal Scots Greys captured the Eagle of the 45th Regiment at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Their name derives from the short barrelled carbines that the troopers used to carry on horseback – which can be seen behind the eagle on the cap-badge today.

 

batalla-vitoria-uno.jpg

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Edited by R08m4rv
18th Light Dragoons: Battle of Vitoria on 21st June 1813 during the Peninsular War
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R08m4rv,

Now there is a strange coincidence, when doing my own service I was in the 2nf wksps RNZEME, seems I was a little of a bad boy because I always got the job of tail end Charlie which of course as you would know, put me late for dinner every night and then got sworn at for making too much noise with my Land Rover when I drove into camp late.

Onward, onward the silver unicorn,

through mud and dust, sea and sky,

gold chains unbound and freedom reigns where lightening strikes

this world does bow to the hand of man

A

 

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Yes Arthur, been there done that ! And this year it is the 75th Anniversary of the founding of The Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers. I have my 50th  Anniversary tie and two Gold and one Silver Medal from the same time (showing my age- 1972 I joined up). It really is a small world in the REME, however when I joined up it was the largest Corps in the British Army, over 140,000 strong- now the entire British Armed Forces are not that large :)

We used to say "Work like a horse, all over the world, always chained to the job and work as fast as lightning" there are other themes on the same lines as you wrote above. The only posting I had to a Wksp was when I went to close down 5 Field Wksps ready to move them back to UK. After that I went to the The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) just as they were getting back from the Gulf War with their Challenger 2's.  I spent it in Canada in the freezing cold, after I had told my boss that they were going to War and that he would struggle to get me back, sure as herrings are fish that is exactly what happened. I was the NBC Instructor and also the Range manager, boy was he really pissed as I told him that I would not get on the flight if he really wanted me to stay and he said go we will get you back.

 

Edited by R08m4rv
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Well it's that time of week again, I have to get up even earlier on Friday mornings to read the next enthralling Chapter of Thomas and his Friends. That is if LOKI and the Herrings will allow Arthur to complete it in time, I just love Friday mornings :) . And if there is a problem ( LOKI and God forbid) I have a new bottle of Chivas to open and more beer ;)

 

 

Mug.jpg

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WOW!!! How shocking. We find Thomas being betrayed by greedy men of Spain. Faced with the loss of everything. His friends step in to once again to save the day for him and his little band of men. We see he is to have ten new ships for his company. He tells us he wants to see a bit of the world befor he sets roots down. That could be very interresting is he ready for the world. Better yet is the world ready from him? Who knows after the war we may very well find out. If Arthur is so kind to us.

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Definitely another great chapter, That the King would feel threatened was only to be expected. However i am wondering just how much the people would rebel if the King, Royalists and the greedy men of the Cortes had really been given the oppertunity to do all that they had planned. Oh i know the King would order anyone who opposed arrested and hanged.

 

I am however also very glad that Prince Pimentel, Mister Percy and a number of others have seen the writing on the wall and are looking out for our Thomas. I am also glad that the cursed two words were not at the end of this chapter i can see that the story is slowing coming to an end however, but then i always try to remember a phrase, "All Good Things, must inevitibly come to an end."

Ofcouse i hope along with all the others that we still have some time before that end arrives.

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11 minutes ago, Al Norris said:

So even though it appears that the story of Thomas Marking appears to be winding down, it won't end until Arthur writes those dreaded words, "The End".

I can see Thomas and his friends turn the " backstabbing" into an opportunity that will be even more than even the Prince can imagine. With a further 10 ships at Marking Shipping Company's disposal, and Carmelo wishing to travel with Thomas there are further adventures to come I am sure.

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I am so pleased that Thomas has decided that he will move back to Oporto, I know from past experience having one last patrol, can end in disaster when sod's law kicks in. With his lands and holdings and titles in Spain now rearranged hopefully enough has been done in that direction. As to the future I think Estaban should adopt Carlito and Sergio so they have a noble name and it would make the Estaban family very powerful.

With the many ships the Marking shipping Company now have it is fast becoming a major trading company both in Portugal and England more so as it is backed by the council of the Black hand gang.

As this story heads to what must be it eventual end, I hope Arthur is not too exhausted physical and mentally to  not write a future book on the adventures of Thomas and his motley crew 

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Aye yes Sir Arthur but with some effort you have kept linkage with Thomas's roots, his family and now his wartime physical injuries and partial disability....now shared by both father and son. But look out Thomas...according to Historian Stanley Payne, King Ferdinand VII "proved in many ways the basest king in Spanish history. Cowardly, selfish, grasping, suspicious, and vengeful, [he] seemed almost incapable of any perception of the commonwealth. He thought only in terms of his power and security and was unmoved by the enormous sacrifices of Spanish people to retain their independence and preserve his throne". Under the cover of the Prince's plan..we can only hope Thomas survives the madman Ferdinand and can pursue the civilian opportunity created by his many military and business friends.........

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