The Author

The Author

Saturday, 10 November 2012

THE CUMMERBUND INITIATIVE


THE CUMMERBUND INITIATIVE

After long and careful consideration, the "Duck Flat Cap Society" has adopted the standard "Cummerbund" as an additional item of compulsory clothing.

The society has initiated this change to its existing policy due to the expanding waistbands of a number of the society’s members.

With the expected onset of inclement weather during the winter months, the wearing of a Cummerbund of at least 4 inches girth will be compulsory between the months of October and April. This will be alongside the standard wearing of a Flat Cap or Deerstalker at all times, whilst attending a meeting at the Duck or any other associated hostelry.
 
It is sad to note that the number of “lard arses” amongst the membership has increased greatly over the last two years, with Ray the Dust and Pepe Le Puke leading the way.

These genetically overweight behemoths have continued to grow their humongous stomachs at an unacceptable rate during the usually fallow summer months.

The reasons for this unacceptable increase in blubber are currently a matter of heated debate amongst the "imbibing and procrastinating" sub-committee, and many observations have been made regarding the sedentary hedonistic lifestyle of these pension age part time refuge collectors. 

In particular, the intake of pork pies, lard, kebabs and double fried chips is to regulated by the direct intervention of the Dusts and Le Pukes better halves .  

 
The committee have come to the conclusion that the corset like properties of a Cummerbund will restrict the intake of alcoholic beverages during official meetings, and so render the portly and overweight amongst the gilded brethren to feel agitated and uncomfortable, thus fostering a wish to loose weight.

However, Driver Chard has obtained an exemption to this new initiative on medical reasons, due to his continued bout of "Mad Albert Disease", quadruple hernia and ingrowing toenails.


Further deliberations will take place after Cummerbunds have been surgically removed from several members of the committee, and updated reports will be distributed and disseminated to the press in due course.









Monday, 5 November 2012

MAJOR THURLBY AND THE RED FACED DOCTOR

MAJOR THURLBY AND THE RED FACED DOCTOR

Doctor Doyle sat at the bar on his usual stool, a stool that had been specially strengthened to take his enormous weight, and also shortened by four inches, so that his miniature but muscular legs could reach the floor.

He was seated towards the end of the tobacco stained snug, with his broad back positioned so that his corpulent body filled the angle between the bar and wall. He slowly lifted his large balding head and visually scanned the bar. His brown eyes darting about the smoke filled room, as if scanning and searching out his chosen prey.

At first he missed the "Major" who was clothed in a grey mackintosh and seated in the window bay, but quickly recognised his nemeses after a further review of those present. Major Thurlby was clutching a pint of best bitter and smoking a non filtered cigarette with his hat sat upon his head at a jaunty angle.

Dr Doyle turned his head as a dart thumped in to the cork dart board, but quickly turned back to stare at the Major.

 Major Thurlby reached in to his coat pocket and retrieved a small red coloured notebook and proceeded to read the contents.

 Dr Doyle could see from his seated position that the script was written in a foreign language, and quickly deduced that it was German. This was seemingly confirmed by his realisation that the cover of the notebook was adorned with a stylised Prussian Eagle.  

The overweight Doctor turned towards his pint and slowly drained the glass whilst letting out a wet fart. A set of wire rimmed spectacles adorned his bulbous and ruddy nose, and were attached to a chain that circumnavigated his elephantine neck.  His pudgy middle finger pushed the spectacles back from the tip of his nose and he beckoned to the barman to pour him a further pint of ale.

With his fresh pint of best bitter in his hand, the grotesquely obese Doctor Doyle slid off his seat and motioned towards the Major, who was still seated with his comical hat set upon his head whilst reading his notebook. The Doctor coughed as he approached the Major and was quickly acknowledged with an outstretched hand.

Their hands met for the briefest moment in a sweaty embrace, as the corpulent Doctor sat down next to the Major.  “Your business Sir?” retorted Major Thurlby as he scanned the red faced Doctor seated beside him. “You now what I want….” was his quite but forceful retort. “Give me the note book now, and all will be ok – do you fully understand me?”

Major Thurlby sat back in his seat and stared at the overheated Doctor. “Ahh….. I see you are Doctor Doyle then”
 “I expected a fitter and younger man, but if it is you, let us do business”.

“The Book, let me see it” demanded the Doctor, as he held out his hand motioning towards the red notebook in the Majors left hand.
Major Thurlby tossed the small book across the table towards the gasping outstretched hands of the Doctor, who swiftly opened the cover and began to read the pages.

He initially struggled to read the text, but soon became accustomed to the Germanic script scrawled upon the lined pages. It soon became apparent that the vast majority of the script described the addresses of various properties located within a couple of miles radius from Wembley. The addresses were divided in to localised groups of four, and were a mixture of commercial and residential properties.

Major Thurlby lifted his glass and drained the contents with a flourish, indicating to the Doctor that a refill was required.

The ruddy faced Doctor shouted across to the bartender and asked for two more of the same. This was met with a hiss and snarl by the elderly gentleman behind the bar and a shrug of his crumpled shoulders.  However, the pints were pulled and delivered to the table where the notebook was being scrupulously studied by the corpulent Doctor Doyle.

Thurlby threw his shoulders back and asked Doyle why he wished to help the Reich, and how long he had detested the British. His handlers in Berlin had only briefly appraised Major Thurlby of the background and nature of his treacherous contact, and his thirst for further details was getting the better of him.

Dr Doyle put down the scarlet notebook and stuffed his left hand in to his jacket pocket and removed a three inch piece of shrapnel. “This is the reason” he exclaimed, throwing the ragged metal on to the table. “This was removed from my knee in Dublin” he continued to shout at the Germanic interloper.

He went on to explain that his family was from Dublin, Ireland, and that the British “Black and Tan” had killed various friends and members of his family during the Easter uprising. During and after this event, Doctor Doyle had fought for the Free Irish and was present when a large bomb exploded near the General Post Office in Dublin, and that the shrapnel in his knee was a direct result of that blast.

“That’s why I hate those bastards !” he replied, with his eyes full of tears and his purple face almost exploding with rage.

He settled back and took a long gulp from his glass and placing his hands behind his neck, he surveyed the pub, looking to see if his outburst had been witnessed by fellow imbibers. He quickly satisfied himself that all was ok, as the only other person currently within earshot was "mad Pa Bumfold", who was as drunk as a bohemian parrot and would not remember being in the pub, let alone what the Doctor had retorted.

The Doctor rose to his feet, placed the notebook in his pocket and moved slowly back to the Bar. 
The Major followed him and enquired as to his payment for the information that he had bestowed upon the Doctor. The Doctor laughed and poked his finger towards the Major. “You!” he whispered, “first tell me who enabled you to establish such a detailed list of properties!”.

The Major shuffled his feet and explained that the night sergeant at Wembley Police station was a  third generation expatriate from Heidelberg, and had been supplying the Major with useful information, including details for the successful recent bombing of the Stonebridge Park Power station. 

With this, a bundle of white five pound notes were exchanged and the Major swiftly left the premises, hurriedly walking back towards Sudbury Town and the Harrow road.

The Doctor waited until he was a hundred yards down the road and motioned to the barman to pass him the phone. He picked up the hand set and asked the operator for Acorn 4444, waiting for the rhythmic hum of the ringing tone after the exchange had made the connection.

The phone rang for three rings and was answered by a deep voiced man who retorted “is it done ?” The Doctor quickly intimated the affirmative and responded in a whisper “we have him Sir, we have finally got the German bastard” and gently replaced the receiver with a huge red smile about his round face.

He pulled out the Red Book from his pocked and scribbled some notes in the margins and proceeded to leave the Mitre, glancing behind to wish the barman well, before striding out in to the dark cool air and turning right towards the “Carlton Lodge” and further mystery with  an agent who went by the name Big Dick, a Scot with a taste for "a wee dram", and a love of boisterous behaviour.   
http://horsingtonsmythe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-abominable-major-thurlby.html

Monday, 8 October 2012

LITTLE LEGS PARKS IN SHOCK PYGMY REVELATION

LITTLE LEGS PARKS IN SHOCK PYGMY REVELATION

Pint sized “Little Legs” Parks has shocked the “Ethnicity and Imbibing” sub committee of the Duck Flat Cap Society, by revealing that his ancestors were Congolese pygmies.

Genetic tests have confirmed that the popular  part time midget plumber has a highly irregular mix of sub Saharan mitochondrial DNA which has been passed on by generations of mothers down his maternal time line, and DNA that matches that recently obtained from a Neanderthal skeleton discovered in China that also has DNA associated with the sub human species "Homo Erectus".


The implication being that Little Legs Parks is a product of Congolese Pygmies, Neanderthals and Pe-King man.

Those who know the minuscule plumber will be well aware of his hobbit like attributes and his huge neanderthal hands. They will also be familiar with his ability to morph in to a swarthy, if minuscule, dark skinned countenance after little more than 12 hours in the sun.

It has long been stated by historians that if a neanderthal was dressed in a suite he would probably not be noticed walking through a modern  shopping centre.
However, those who have been unfortunate enough to encounter little legs Parks whilst on the job, would be left with no doubt of his ancient lineage linking him with the extinct sub human race.

Of course, his pint sized stature has assisted the large handed plumber in his trade and allowed him to quickly go about his business as he flits and scurries between roof beams and around the confined roof spaces that he inhabits on a regular basis whilst going about his trade.

The ability to squeeze under floor boards has also been to his advantage although his limbo training has also helped in this respect.  

The DFCS will continue to investigate this strange case of Congo pygmy infestation and will release further details in due course.







Tuesday, 25 September 2012

DR DOYLE AND THE STRANGE CASE OF THE FARTING HORSE

DR DOYLE AND THE STRANGE CASE OF THE FARTING HORSE

Recent documents released from the archives of the "Blackburn and Walney Echo", allegedly indicate that during the early 1980’s, members of the notorious “Bogus Beer Belly Battalion”, an imbibing sub-section of the Mitre public house, encountered a strange equine-like and somnambular entity, that suffered from a serious bout of foul wind.

The alleged report describes a riotous and outrageous week-end trip by the famed battalion to the world famous "Grand National" race meeting at Aintree, Liverpool. It goes on to note that the organiser of the expedition was the ex dance floor grinder, “One Seed” Winyard Brown, who had arranged the trip with the assistance of his then employers, British Spermicidal Products Ltd.

The trip had started with a rumbustious meeting at the Mitre, where the members of the Bogus Beer Belly Battalion assembled with their cohorts and camp followers. Doctor Doyle had been hand picked by the imbibing committee to act as interpreter on this visit to the northern heathen land of the Lancastrians, mainly due to his school boy knowledge of French and Yiddish, and an incredible ability to decipher the drunken ramblings of Pat “LVO” Canney after he had consumed a couple of bottles of Mateus Rose, a gallon of vodka and orange, and numerous pints of cider. 

Dr Doyle was to be accompanied in his cultural and linguistic dealings with the northern natives by Pat “LVO” Canney, Mark “Conan” Elliott and Winyard "One Seed” Brown.

The expedition is reported to have begun in the twilight hours of  Saturday morning as the hired coach pulled away from the Mitre car park.  Swift progress was made at first due to the empty roads and the somnambulistic state of the passengers. However, soon the sozzelled incumbents of the check twilled seats began to twitch with the anticipated need to vent their exploding bladders. 

Before long a trickle of stinking urine began to roll along the internal side gutters of the coach floor, the stream growing in volume and intensity as it progressed towards the front of the vehicle and the overweight and long haired mustachioed driver. 

As the yellow stinking river reached the front of the coach and began to spill over the entrance steps the driver stamped on his brakes bringing the vehicle to an abrupt halt. The neck of the driver was crimson with rage as he turned and shouted back to the semi conscious occupants of the now stinking bus.
In moments all the occupants were lined up against the parapet of a motorway bridge, each fully relieving their aching bladders from the pressure caused by the evenings copious imbibing.  

The driver was now calming down and being spoken to by his co pilot and assumed girlfriend. His rage soon subsided as she pushed her lips to his and shoved him against the coach door. Within minutes all was ok, and the sad ensemble were beckoned back on to the vehicle for the remainder of the journey towards the heathen enclave of Blackburn, which was to act as a staging post for the events at Anfield the following day.

The Mitorian hoard settled in their seats and dreamed of more beer, and the winning horse on the morrow, with just the occasional experiment with the local female inhabitants envisaged by both Dr Doyle and the former groove master and failed DJ, "One Seed" Brown.

Soon the brave Battalion were at their prescribed staging post, and slight refreshments were taken whilst rooms were inspected and baggage placed  beside beds. A number of the Battalion used the facilities for their ablutions, but the hard core membership refrained from this nancy behaviour to ensure their alcohol levels were sufficient for the onslaught to come.

The transportation was complete and the Bogus Beer Battalion, dressed in full regalia and fitted with external additional bladders, strode in to the world famous Aintree racecourse.   Tickets had earlier been distributed by One Seed Brown and the band of select brethren was soon encapsulated within a special enclosure within the complex’s roof garden.

Prawn sandwiches and champagne were consumed at a ferocious rate, especially by the exuberant subaltern Cliff "Maisie" May and his cohort "Dr Domino Smidt", but soon the enclosure began to exert mental pressure on the golden brethren as they began to feel enclosed and encircled by a mixture of northern plebs and brainless upper class twits.

The order to decamp from the prescribed enclosure was given by Dr Doyle and soon the select band were crossing the race track and heading for the glorious and overflowing Cider and Guinness Tents , located within the race track. Soon all notion of following the thundering animals as they passed the tented enclosures was a far flung memory as pint after pint of both Nigerian Lager and cider were consumed. Finally, the Grand National race its self was upon the battalion, and raising his glass from his face, Dr Doyle exclaimed that he was to place a bet of £60 on an outsider whose odds would ensure many thousands of pounds in winnings if it passed the post first.

The race began with Dr Doyle returning from the betting pit with a clipped ticked and a surprisingly broad grin about his red face. Slowly the battalion pulled there glasses from their red and sweating faces, and turned to view the race. As the furlongs were devoured by the ever decreasing throng of horses pounding round the track it became obvious from the good Doctors behaviour that his horse was in the reckoning.

 At this stage he exclaimed that if his horse won, we were to refrain from returning home on the charabanc the following day, but embark on all conquering trip to the Iberian peninsular, paid for by the good Doctor.    

Sure enough , three fences from the end his horse leaped in to the lead and a buzz of excitement rang through the semi conscious battalion.
 The remaining unseated horses and their miniature jockey’s thundered towards the conclusion of the race, and were soon one fence from the finish, with Dr Doyle’s filly in front.

 The final fence was upon the front runners and as each jockey rose in his stirrups the straining horses uncoiled their hind quarters and proceeded to bound over the fence.
That was however with the exception of the horse backed by the now deflated Doctor Doyle, who decided to drag his pulsating sinuous body through, rather than over, the thick hedging of the fence .   

Dr Doyle and the band of barbarian cohorts stood still, taking in the full comprehension of what had just passed, and to a man turned back to their pints and glugged down a copious mouthful of craze inducing liquid.

Soon the day was at an end and all that was required was a retreat to the chosen chariot, and a return to base camp for more mead and ale. However, the coach was situated within the race course, together with thousands of others and the exact location had been lost after the first dozen pints of ale. The only way was to wait for the other vehicles to depart, and thus being the case, the tired buccaneers retired to the nearest beer tent for more alcoholic refreshment.

Approximately two hours later their transportation device was located, some 50 yards from their seated location , and soon the inebriated ensemble were cruising back to their  temporary base.


On leaving the chariot, the long haired driver indicated that he wanted a beer with the battalion, and soon they were marching towards the establishments bar area. After many hours the driver and his equally long haired female companion had consumed copious amounts of alcohol, all at the expense of the tired members of the Beer Belly Battalion.   

A   buzz of discontentment rushed around the seated athletes and their contempt for the pair of long haired Liverpool lovers was only interrupted by the bar managers call for time and last orders. 

In a burst of energetic enthusiasm, the battalion hard liners were swiftly at the bar ensuring their glasses were once more full to the brim.
 However as soon as these drinks were distributed, for no known reason, “Conan” returned to the bar and in a drunken rage grabbed the bar shutters and pulled them strenuously downwards only to trap the bar managers fingers between the shutters and the bar surface.

 The deed was quickly undone by the barbarous Conan, but the damage had been inflicted and the flow of alcohol was immediately and purposely cut by the one handed bar manager. All previous negotiations regarding a bar extension having been negated by the brutal hand crushing manoeuvre performed by the barbarous “Conan” Elliott.

The only option for the delirious band of brothers was to retire to their bed chambers and await the morning, and this was swiftly achieved by the prompting of the one handed bar manager and the threat of the local police.

As the Battalion slept, a strange stale aroma began to permeate the rooms with the room inhabited by Conan and the good Doctor, beginning to particularly reek with the smell of stale farts and sweaty  socks and body’s, mingled with the pungent after smell of beer stained clothing.

Morning broke with the clout of a ten ton sledge hammer, as the heads of the brethren thumped in unison with their heart beats. As they sat at the breakfast table , the good Doctor Doyle began to regale a strange tale encompassing events that had befallen his blood shot eyes during the previous hours of slumber.

He slowly recounted witnessing how a strange beast arose from the bed previously inhibited by Conan, and how the insane looking beast shuffled across the room blasting a continuous rasp of perfidious and heinous farts from his posterior.

After approximately five minutes the beast would place his head out of the window and vomiting a gallon or two of stinking putrid yellow bile and sticky amber liquid from his stomach and intestines. These events were repeated over a period of three hours until the beast returned to sleep and reverted to “Conan”.     

After telling his tale to the band of imbibing brothers, the truth began to fall about them, and soon it was accepted that the farting and puking phenomenon was no other than “Conan” Elliot, the barbarous imbiber from the Mitorian heartland.

Thus the documents released to the  "Blackburn and Walney Echo", and allegedly reported in their recent article, reveal that hence forth, Conan was to be known as “Conan the Farting Horse”, due to the evenings exploits and the visit to the Grand National . Indeed, to this day the South Allerton and Grimsby Gazette allegedly has a commemorative pull-out section each Grand National Saturday.

 In due course, the name was reduced to “The Horse” for typographical reasons, and so that the uneducated members of the Mitorian hoard could great the Horse without the need to grunt more than two syllables.

Thus the strange case of Dr Doyle and the Farting Horse concludes.

Monday, 24 September 2012

LORD LOUIS LOAFINGTON SMYTHE IN SNUFF MOVIE INTRIGUE


LORD LOUIS LOAFINGTON SMYTHE IN SNUFF MOVIE INTRIGUE



The self proclaimed “Baron of Snuff”, Lord Louis Loafington Smythe, has been accused by Driver Chard , of the importation of Congolese Pygmies for the obscene underworld sport of Dwarf throwing.

Driver Chard, the acting president and chairman of the “Flat Cap Society” has outrageously divulged his previously secret knowledge of the inhuman importation of diminutive pygmies, to the Procrastinating and Imbibing sub Committee of the august society.

The sub committee members were aghast at the declaration from the aged ex military driver, and immediately put in motion the selection of a select committee to investigate the slanderous outburst from Driver Chard.

 The Select committee is to be headed up by “Little Legs Parkes” who has inside knowledge of Dwarf Flinging, due to his earlier participation in the underhand sport, which was unfortunately brought to an abrupt end due to the early onset of “Mad Albert Disease” as chronicled in earlier reports.

He will be assisted in his deliberations by fellow midget and part time dust cart operative “Pepe Le Puke”, and his fellow garbage disposal operative and failed Karaoke and Pub singer, “Ray the Dust”.

The remainder of the select committee will consist of “Bazzer Duck” “Chelsea Dave” and “Rasta Hurley, former military adviser to the DFCS who is currently convalescing after a nasty attack of “Barbadian Tourette syndrome”.   

After an initial meeting at the Duck, the select committee were appalled to be advised by an associate of Loafington Smythe, that as well as Dwarf Flinging, the illegally imported pygmies were also to be used in the production of “Snuff” movies for the rapidly growing “octogenarian plus”, retirement and rest home market.

 The recent surge in this market being a side effect of the rapid advance of “Mad Albert Disease” and the associated “Creutzfeldt-Mitre” Syndrome” throughout the aging population of the UK.

In his defence, Loafington Smythe has instructed his solicitors, Arthur J Fukrudden & Sons (solicitors to the landed gentry) to issue a full rebuttal and to counter sue the Duck Flat Cap Society for defamation  and slander. 

The rebuttal includes a frank and  heartfelt denial of the illegal importation of pygmies for the “Snuff “movie market, and suggests that the facts have been twisted due to his previous involvement in the importation of pulverised tobacco leaves, otherwise known as “Snuff”.

The Duck Flat Cap Society is to instruct the select committee to continue with their deliberations, and an updating report will be posted in due course.
  

.   

Wednesday, 12 September 2012

DRIVER CHARD IN TIME SLIP MYSTERY

DRIVER CHARD IN TIME SLIP MYSTERY



Recent events at the headquarters of the Duck Flat Cap Society have left regulars of the hostelry somewhat  bewildered and dumbfounded.

It all started last Tuesday evening when Driver Chard rose from his seat after a testy discussion with Raster Hurley regarding the length of Raster's shorts. Raster Hurley, formerly known as "Basher Hurley", had recently returned from a vacation in the Caribbean, and continued to clothe his ageing body in garments more suitable to the warmer climes of the West Indies.

As the cantankerous geriatric slipped from his stool he glanced at the former military hard man, and mumbled under his breath that he should go back to Barbados if he wanted to dress in such a discourteous manner.

 His deeply creased neck creaked as Driver Chard swivelled his head towards the back door where he proposed to smoke a couple of cigarillos to calm his nerves.

As he approached the door he abruptly came to a halt as he stared at a wooden door beside the entrance to the pub garden. Driver Chard strained his aching brain as he tried to register a memory of the door, but to no avail.

Astonished by the sudden appearance of the door he strode forward and slowly turned the door knob and stepped through the orifice. Ahead of him was a dark tunnel with only an occasional candle to light the way.  Creeping slowly along the dimly lit passage the geriatric acting president ran his right hand along the wall and suddenly paused as his hands stumbled across a large cold handle. Pushing the door attached to the handle released the partially open door hinge and the heavy barrier began to ease open.

Driver Chard gradually squeezed his head around the opening portal and drew a deep breath as he gazes upon the vista before him. As Chard pulled the rest of his body through the partially open door way, his short neck was straining to propel his stocky head from side to side as he tried to take in the view before him. Driver Chard shut his eyes and wiped his hand across his now slightly moist eyes.

Fully opening his eyes he now fully took in the scene before him, a rolling vista of undulating rain forest  stretching in to the far distance, where snow capped mountains towered in to the bright blue firmament. The mountains appeared to curve in a great sweep across the horizon, and before them the lush rain forest rolled forward in a never ending verdant carpet of lush green trees.

Driver Chard strained to locate something or somebody familiar and soon noticed a pygmy lumbering forward approximately five hundred yards ahead. They were following a trail that seemed to be a permanent track through the rain forest. Driver Chard wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and proceeded after the diminutive pygmy.

Soon the pygmy and the following Chard were in a small clearing where he was joined by a large white man with as shaved head and a smaller overweight Arab. Moments later a string of naked ebony  men , woman and children, tied together at their feet, hands and necks entered the opening.
 Driver Chard strained his reddened eyes and noted that the large white man was talking in English to the Arabic gentleman who in turn conversed with the pygmy in an unknown language.   

It soon sank in to the septuagenarian acting president of the Duck Flat Cap Society that he was in darkest Africa, and was witnessing the hand over of a posse of newly captured slaves. Shaken by this revelation the old man crouched in the undergrowth and felt the familiar warm trickle of urine dribble down his trouser legs as his bowels rumbled in his fluttering belly.

Soon the assembled group of slaves and their controllers were gone, and Driver Chard crawled slowly to where they had been conducting their sordid business. The ground was littered with paper, and crouching down to pick up a fallen document, straining to prevent the discharge of a feted stool, Driver Chard picked up a document that appeared to be bill of sale, and a copy of a newspaper that was the London Times.


Both documents were  obviously new, and as the small grey haired driver studied the strap line of the paper, his teeth fell from his mouth as he noted the headline, "Fleet sales for the Black Sea and the Crimea to give the Russian bear a thrashing and relieve our Turkish allies ".  Driver chard quickly diverted his eyes to the date, and he turned pale as he read 1853 at the head of the page.   He scratched his head as his school boy history roused a memory that the UK abolished slavery in the 1830's due to the anti slavery movement headed by William Wilberforce, but was also aware that slavery continued until the present day through nefarious underhand trades, and indeed an Arab was present at the recently witnessed meeting, and the fallen paper receipt was indeed marked with a seal of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

Driver Chard shivered at the recollection of the recently witnessed events and quickly backtracked retracing his steps back to the Duck and the year 2012.  Soon he was back at the dark passage, and the dark wooden door that he had passed through a number of hours earlier.

His wrinkled hand grabbed the handle and thrust the door open. He fell through the portal with sweat running down his emaciated body, the smell of the sweat mixing with the stale urine staining his trousers and the stench of fear pervading his body. Driver Chard shut the door behind him and glanced ahead of him, immediately noticing he was back in the Duck and in the company of those he had left hours earlier.

"Chard", shouted Raster Hurley, "that was a quick piss, you were only gone two minutes". Chard stared at the pale faced ex military hard man and spat a flume of phlegm at him. Chard rumbled on for over two hours that he had journeyed back in time to the Crimean War and had witnessed a sale in the long abolished slave trade in deepest darkest Africa.

His ramblings continued, but the procrastination and imbibing sub committee of the Duck Flat Cap Society were familiar with the unfathomable behaviour of its acting Chairman and President, and ignored him completely.  

Further investigations in to the astonishing garbled mumblings of Driver Chard will take place, and any further information gleaned will be reported in due course.

R.I.P   JOHN CHARD 1933 - 2020     

    



Monday, 20 August 2012

MAJOR THURLBY AND THE HOUSE OF MILK

http://horsingtonsmythe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/major-thurlby-and-red-faced-doctor.htmlhttp://horsingtonsmythe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-abominable-major-thurlby.html
 MAJOR THURLBY AND THE HOUSE OF MILK



Major Thurlby sat in his usual seat at the Railway Hotel. His pipe clenched in the corner of his angular mouth, and a pint of Guinness resting on the round table wedged before his ample stomach.

He drained the glass, and after a furtive glance about the bar, left the premises by the side door, adjacent to the public conveniences. Turning right heading towards Killips, he strode out quickly reaching the crest of the steep incline, and immediately turned left towards the police station.

Marching quickly down the slight incline he soon reached St Johns Church, and wavered slightly as he passed the Undertakers positioned on the left side of the road, situated next to Woody's of Wembley.


He quickened his gait and was soon at the entrance of Barham House, originally built by the Copeland sisters, and the former home of Sir George Barham, the founder of "Express Dairies", milk suppliers and purveyor of dairy products, and an early Mayor of Wembley.

The property was built in the grounds of the far more historic Crabs House which had been owned by the father of the Copeland sisters. The Copeland sisters are commemorated to this day in Wembley by way of the secondary school named in their honour, and Copeland road.

The mansion was sited to the west of Wembley, on the main road to Sudbury, and still retained a few of the lavish green acres that had previously surrounded the stately home.
The lush meadows supported healthy herds of dairy cows during the eighteenth century, and as a consequence had provided ample supplies of milk to Wembley and the surrounding villages. During the middle of the century the provision of a railway station at what became known as Wembley Central, provided convenient and easy access to the centre of London and an eagerly waiting market for fresh milk and dairy products.

However, the house had recently been under the control of the local urban district council, and had become somewhat dilapidated, although still habitable.

Major Thurlby turned into the driveway and pushed open the once magnificent wrought iron gates, which were no longer locked due to the apathy shown by those chosen by the council to tend the gardens and house.
 He marched forward towards the entrance and strode up the couple steps leading to the balustrade and open walkway that surrounded the building.

He pushed his right hand in to his overcoat pocket and retrieved a long key that he placed in to the aperture contained within the brass fittings bolted to the mahogany door.
His left hand pushed the door slightly ajar and a shaft of light played across his overcoat and the cracked grey floor tiles which covered the balustrade.

Due to the war time blackout, and lack of street lighting, the light was strangely extenuated, and glowed eerily in the dark.

He placed his head around the door jamb, and the rest of his body followed in a slow and cautious manner.

On entering the premises, his eyes quickly became accustomed to the gloomy light and he swiftly made his way to the staircase and preceded to climb two stairs at a time.  On reaching the first floor he entered the door to the right of the landing and sat at a small table. After checking that the blackout curtains were in place, he switched on the table lamp and removed his hat.

Seated opposite him, in an ancient black wheel chair was the twisted and feeble figure of Lord Chard, the owner of the power station, cooling towers and electricity generating station, which had been partially destroyed the previous evening by the Luftwaffe.

He offered his hand to the Major and they touched hands in a brief but discourteous way.

 “Now, now, Lord Chard”, “that’s no way to treat your colleague and master in this game of intrigue and subterfuge!”
The Major looked sternly at the old man and started to talk swiftly but in a hushed tone. The words were in German, and it was clear that the wheelchair bound Lord was able to understand the speech, as he occasionally nodded his head towards the Major, or raised his clenched hand as if to dismiss the fetid vocabulary spilling from the German spy’s mouth.  

After a few minutes the Major finished speaking and walked across to the seated Lord and shouted;
”VON CHARD!” “Do you now understand?”

He turned to the door and strode through it with a swish of his trailing coat, rapidly descended the stairs before exiting the way he had entered the semi dilapidated building.   

Back on the first floor, Lord Chard, or as his German ancestors would have entitled him “Von Chardz” pulled a soiled handkerchief from his pocked and wiped a tear from his eye. He then grabbed the hand wheels of his chair, and propelled himself towards a small chest of drawers, which he unlocked with a small key concealed in his left palm.   

He opened the box and removed a number of documents, and carefully placed an old blue envelope marked “Par Avion” on his lap. He withdrew a number of black and white photographs and stared coldly at them through his old red rimmed eyes, now sore and filled with tears. 
He spread the photographs across his lap and let out a small laugh as he picked up the photograph of himself and a young Hitler youth boy scout, both stark naked and frolicking before a roaring fire in a compromising position..


 Next to the photo was a paper note typed in Germanic script and stamped with the seal of the Fuhrer. The note consisted of a couple of lines that simply read;

 “We have the negatives and we will be contacting you soon so that you can assist the motherland in its glorious fight against the British Bulldog in our struggle for Liebensteaum”.

He ran his fingers across the photograph and then grabbing the faded note, crumpled it in his soft pink hands and threw it in the dying embers of the open hearth. As the open box of tricks sat upon the unpolished surface of the bureau, the last embers of the  flickering fire cast a waning shadow of the weeping Lord Chardz upon the wooden floor, until after a final flicker all was dark and quite.   

Back outside Major Thurlby was striding towards Sudbury Town and  an appointment with a representative of the Duck Flat Cap Society at The Mitre public house, who was to vet his application for membership.

 However, he was unaware that as well as the anticipated warm pint of best bitter and a stale cheese roll, another far more sinister entity awaited his arrival in the snug of the quite, semi rural retreat. 

The Mitre was almost empty apart from two old men playing darts in the public bar and a youngish couple in the saloon. Adding to this loose confederacy was a small, thick sett man, with thinning hair and huge belly, standing at the snug bar slowly draining a pint of strong Ale.
 
Dr Doyle had been a regular at the pub for many years and was well known by all who frequented the establishment on a regular basis. However, he was also known to venture a number of miles along the Harrow Road towards leafy Harrow Weald, and had become a member of the committee of the locally infamous, Duck Flat Cap Society.

Also, unknown to Major Thurlby at this time, Lord Chard, or should we say “Von Chardz”, was also a member of this society and had been the acting President and Chairman since before the onset of the war. Chard was also a good friend of Dr Doyle, and they had recently exchanged pleasantries and convened a very long conversation, in a local hostelry in Sudbury Town, known as “the Swan”.

Major Thurlby slipped in to the pub and awaited his meeting with Doctor Doyle, unaware of the momentous events that this meeting would unleash.
http://horsingtonsmythe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/major-thurlby-and-red-faced-doctor.html

http://horsingtonsmythe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-abominable-major-thurlby.html