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Sunday 11 March 2018

Sang Froid

No!  It's Not A Character From Lord Of The Rings
You're thinking of Sam Gamgee, or the Sarn Gebir.  It's a French phrase, which literally translated means "Cold Blood", but is actually idiom for what you might call "Grace under pressure" or being cucumber-cool in a crisis.  It comes naturally to the insular denizens of this sceptered isle, because being British means you keep a stiff upper lip at all times.
     I am musing on this topic since I am currently reading "The Narrow Margin", which is a very detailed account of the Battle of Britain; being from 1969 it doesn't mention Enigma, which would probably have been in it's very infant state at this point (June 1940) and thus not terribly important.*
Image result for edward nygma
Hmmm.  Well, close enough, I suppose
     At one point the text relates a transcript of a Luftwaffe raid, which is heading directly for Biggin Hill airfield - in other words, these people are directing fighter traffic whilst in the process of being bombed themselves.  Here is what the Controller has to say:

CONTROLLER:  Observer Corps? This is the Biggin Hill controller - Yes, it is a bit hectic - Group think they're making for us so keep your tracks going, will you? You're doing very well at the moment. Now, Ops B - I want you to ring all dispersals and tell them to get everything into the air that's serviceable; I don't want any aircraft to be caught on the ground.

     - and a little later - 

CONTROLLER: Ops. B - sound the station attack alarm!  Floor supervisor - Get the troops into their battle bowlers right away.  Tin hats, everybody.

     - and afterwards -

CONTROLLER:  Well, George, it's been quite a morning!

     This is Perfidious code for "We've been hit with dozens of tons of bombs but we're still here and not down in the dumps the least bit."
Image result for brodie helmet ww2
The battle bowler in question - a Brodie pattern helmet
     I hope you take note that there is no cursing, and things never get to the level of TWO exclamation marks, because that - would not be Sang Froid.
     We will return to this topic, O yes indeed!
     In appropriate fashion, let us superglue the motley to a sheet of plywood, and then lift it by helicopter to 7,000 feet!*
**

Big Nelly And The Coincidence Hydra
If you recall, Conrad sought to bait illustrate an earlier article about the volcano that was featured in the James Bond opus "You Only Live Twice", because it is under threat from greedy land developers vulcanism.  Art?
Image result for you only live twice
Little Nelly: an autogyro
     Little Nelly is a misnomer - this thing bristles with guns, rockets and flamethrowers and is no more diminutive in stature than a Minigun is small.  
     Anyway -
     Back to "The Narrow Margin", because in the mid-1930's the RAF was seeking to test it's embryonic radar capability, which in part meant flying aircraft up and down the airways, so that baselines could be established.  How did they manage this?
     With Cierva Autogyros.  Art?
Image result for cierva autogyro
Nelly's bigger sister
     Here you see the full-sized article, in real life, as opposed to film trickery.  The fixed wings of an aircraft are replaced by those rotary blades, which are actually unpowered - the forward speed of the autogyro spins them to obtain lift.
     Excuse me whilst I pry the Coincidence Hydra's fangs from my tender nethers.
Image result for hydra
Yeah, this
I now suffer a dilemma - go and eat the Barley, Greens and Prawns that I've just made (which looks as if it could feed 40 people) - or continue and finish off this post?

Okay, More Coincidence Hydra
I happened to be reading the Beeb's website, and it mentioned a lady author whom I was not familiar with - at first.  Her name is Judith Kerr, and she escaped to Perfidious Albion whilst the Teutons were under that temporary derangement called "Nazism", her and her family being Jewish.***
     The thing is, I did know about a work of hers:  "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit", because that's not a title you forget easily.  Art?
Image result for when hitler stole pink rabbit
Hitler, you cur!
     Not only that, she wrote the 'Mog' series of books, which is an epic achievement in and of itself.  Art?
Image result for judith kerr mog
<bites tongue to avoid adding inappropriate caption>
     And probably her greatest claim to fame is being the wife of Nigel Kneale.  Art?
Image result for nigel kneale
Dreaming of cats and hideous alien invaders, I bet.


*   FYI, Enigma only became released from it's 30-year security blanket in 1975
**  SOP for cameramen filming "The Battle of Britain" (1969)
***  Nazis felt all the fond regard for Jews that vampires have for garlic, FYI

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