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Monday, March 15, 2010

An Englishman's Walking Stick

I recall Sherlock Holmes having to use his to defend himself against the odd villain. The next step in escalation was Watson's trusty revolver. Hand guns being banned in the Mother of the Free now, the elderly are having to resort to their NHS walking sticks:

Kevin Garwood, 61, has developed lessons in self defence using the NHS walking stick for people over 50 to help them to stand up to yobs and drunks.

The course is based on martial arts from around the world that use the sabre, bayonet and staff, which have been adapted specifically for stick users with limited mobility.

Typical moves include throws, takedowns and 'neck hooks' which use the crook of the stick for locks and strangleholds as well as gentle exercises using the 3ft long canes.

We congratulate Mr Garwood for his improvisational skills. Knowing modern England I suspect some obscure Whitehall department is already preparing charges against him. The right of self defense, weakened by handgun bans, has been steadily worn away by the police charging victims who defend themselves. 

Posted by Richard Anderson on March 15, 2010 | Permalink

Comments

You missed a noun. What did Holmes use to defend himself? the hat? his pipe?

Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2010-03-15 8:41:28 AM


Zeb,

It's in the title of the post. I know it's not grammatically correct. I was taking a liberty with the language.

Posted by: Publius | 2010-03-15 9:18:58 AM


This follows the grand tradition of Victorian era girls defending their virtue against the unwanted gropes bydrunken yobs with a hat pin.. these accessories quickly developed into six inch steel shanks with bejeweled heads.These were lethal fashion accessories making carrying a weapon for self defense unnecessary

Everybody knows those heavy steel car steering wheel locks that popped up in the 80s-90s
were mostly sold to have an excuse to have a handy weapon in the car without, you know, actually having a designated lethal weapon in the car with you . It did the job the tire changing iron used to do, without having to go into the trunk.

I wouldn't doubt if steel toed safety shoes served the London punks better as assault weapons mote than they saved their feet from nail punctures,

I read that British sailors used the "belaying* (sp)[ins that fastened cordage on wooden era sailing ships as handy tools to settle arguments or repell unwelcomed boarders.

During some serious coal strikes in the USA during the 30s , strike breakers preferred axe handles to clubs as a more gentile way of doing their jobs. Strikers picked up in this and quickly obtained axe handles from hardware stores in bulk. In areas of union unrest the sales in axe handles were unusually brisk.

Posted by: 419 | 2010-03-15 10:15:28 AM


So how long will it take before there is either a total ban on walking sticks or some kind of registry as with dogs? This is the UK where it is against the law (in practice at least) to defend one's self or one's property.

Posted by: Alain | 2010-03-15 11:36:10 AM


Pretty soon you won't be able to fart while defending yourself, lest you offend your assailant.

Posted by: TM | 2010-03-15 3:23:52 PM



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