Fattyowls Posted 18 December , 2020 Share Posted 18 December , 2020 I'm sure we've had him before on WiT? but frankly I'm too indolent to check. If I was a better or nicer person I'd be ashamed, but I don't do contrition....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 18 December , 2020 Share Posted 18 December , 2020 29 minutes ago, Fattyowls said: for one of the two Reading fans among the inmates I do believe we have had him before so I will draw a line under this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 December , 2020 Share Posted 18 December , 2020 2 minutes ago, Knotty said: I do believe we have had him before so I will draw a line under this one. Your reticence does you credit Mr K. I should be inspired but I'm not. I don't think I've seen this particular picture before but as with not moving the pocket money into gold in January I could be very much mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 December , 2020 Share Posted 18 December , 2020 OK, a clue. He's French. No, don't thank me, generosity is my middle name...... Pete. P.S. A more oblique clue is George Formby (junior). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 Monsieur Maginot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 Mais oui Monsieur; I'd not seen a photo of the wounded sergeant before. He received his wounds at Verdun in late 1914 and gave his name to the line of defences which were inspired by the forts there. He died in I think 1932 so didn't live to see them be rendered redundant eight years later. The big hit of the early spring of 1940 was George Formby singing about sitting on a mine in the Maginot line. Turned out nice again, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 It was the boy Formby that gave it away Pete.😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 3 hours ago, neverforget said: Monsieur Maginot? Damn, you beat me to it... recognized the pic immediately... but I only just put the computer on... I could curse... but silently... sparing my voice for tonight's concert... M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 30 minutes ago, Marilyne said: Damn, you beat me to it... recognized the pic immediately... but I only just put the computer on... I could curse... but silently... sparing my voice for tonight's concert... M. Ah I didn't recognise the picture at all, but when I thought about George Formby the Maginot line came to mind, and after looking for a picture of him he looked very plausible. That said WW1 Frenchmen and over sized taches weren't exactly a rare thing. Go for it tonight. Detected a bit of nervousness in the voice on the last clip, so do whatever it takes to get rid of that before the show. Try not to think of the millions who will be watching 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 So we ended up pitting Marilyne's knowledge of prominent mustachioed military Frenchmen against a long held recollection of a man with a ukulele doing tonic for the troops performances during the Phoney war. Mr P by a short head........ This is a man who suffered badly from injury and illness during WW1, but quite unusually...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 8 minutes ago, Fattyowls said: against a long held recollection of a man with a ukulele doing tonic for the troops performances during the Phoney war. "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the ukelele............ but doesn't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 18 minutes ago, voltaire60 said: "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the ukelele............ but doesn't" I have friends who play in a local ukelele band. Their version of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' is the stuff of legend I'll have you know........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 14 minutes ago, Fattyowls said: I have friends who play in a local ukelele band. Their version of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' is the stuff of legend I'll have you know........ You just knew it was coming Pete... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 1 hour ago, Fattyowls said: I have friends who play in a local ukelele band. Their version of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' is the stuff of legend I'll have you know........ As he says in Apocalypse Now:....... the horror, the horror... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 Aside from the discussion of the Marmite nature of the ukelele the instrument is connected to my man, and his name has been mentioned too...... Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 19 December , 2020 Share Posted 19 December , 2020 Hi Pete Busy day today, am I to late to join in? You’ve already mentioned him as you said and referenced the ukulele, he appears to old to be “Cleaning Windows” George Formby, but not his father George Formby Snr born James Lawler Booth. Wiki says he caught the flu in 1918, have a read herehttps://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=7576955 ps. You didn’t pick up my cryptic answer to your last WIT, “I do believe we have had him before so I will draw a line under this one” so I gave myself a gold star 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 20 December , 2020 Share Posted 20 December , 2020 11 hours ago, Knotty said: James Lawler Booth Very good Mr K. I'd never heard of him despite being able to hum the tune and sing the chorus for some of his son's ukulele accompanied songs, despite not having heard them for decades. I'm also intrigued as to how he came up with the stage name, as the village of Formby is but a hop, skip and a jump from Owls Towers. The back story to his father is remarkable, with a childhood that sounds Dickensian, except that Dickens would probably have rejected the story as too grim even for him. I was also struck by the claim that one of his gormless Lancastrian stage characters directly influenced Charlie Chaplin when Formby senior appeared alongside Fred Karno's revue. George senior was also unlucky after trying to join up, suffering illness and injury on stage that some of the men who served in trenches would have avoided. Had you not correctly identified him I was going to use Vesta Tilley as a clue as George also became involved in recruiting. I have to admit to completely missing your Maginot clue, despite doing a double take at your choice of words. Droll or maybe drôle in this context....... Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 Who is this??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 He was the grandson of a martyr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 The bird is an Albatross, so its either something to do with German aircraft aviators or Churchill’s nemesis Gallipoli, am I getting close? or shall I give up now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 1 minute ago, Knotty said: The bird is an Albatross, so its either something to do with German aircraft aviators or Churchill’s nemesis Gallipoli, am I getting close? or shall I give up now The albatross is indeed the relevant aircraft. His grandfather was a general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 He was well thought of by his foes, who performed a fly-over at his funeral out of respect for him, and dropped a heartfelt message down. He preferred to force down his opponents if he could rather than shoot them down. His girlfriend visited his grave every day for more than 50 years, and never married anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 29 December , 2020 Share Posted 29 December , 2020 (edited) He was one of the top aces. His grandfather was one of thirteen martyrs all killed at the same time. Edited 29 December , 2020 by neverforget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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