1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Let's hear for the man, the myth legend, 4 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: our super producer, the unkillable mister Max Williams. 5 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 2: Ali, Guys, I just got to ask that the top 6 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 2: of the show. Why art? 7 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 3: That's the question that we've been asking for generations. What 8 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 3: even is art? What's the point whether art? Whether art? 9 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 3: Whence art? 10 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 2: It's one of the big reasons for living. Honestly, if 11 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 2: you ask me. 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and if you're saying, who is that guy we're 13 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: at That guy is Noel Brown? I am Ben Bowling. 14 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: We are. We are as you as you folks know, 15 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians like you. We love very strange stories and 16 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: we can't believe we didn't get to this guy before Noel. 17 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: People often say that it doesn't matter how many times 18 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: you get knocked down, just how many times you get up, 19 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: Like that song, tell me. 20 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 2: You never, you ain't never gonna beat me down. 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 3: You take a whiskey, drink and drink of art, could 22 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 3: drink and drink the side of drink and drink the 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 3: Lago drink you know the one you sing the songs 24 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 3: that remind us of the good times and then you're 25 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 3: pissing the night away. 26 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: Right, funny story. Funny story about that band. Uh they 27 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: started as a collective of anarchist absolutely true. 28 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 3: The funny thing is there's a great there's a really 29 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 3: crazy sort of plunder phonic noise the art band called 30 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 3: Negative Land, and I think I've mentioned before on the show. 31 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: I'm a big fan of that. 32 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,559 Speaker 3: They made a whole record where they sampled you two 33 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 3: and they got sued and they're like a big proponent 34 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 3: for copyright infringement as art. Speaking of art, but they 35 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 3: made a collaborative record with Chumbawamba that samples Teletubbies throughout 36 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 3: that time. It's called The ABC's of Anarchism and it's 37 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 3: it's a banger if you're into weird sample based noise music. 38 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: I remember when you told me about that night. Like 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,239 Speaker 1: full disclosure, folks, Often in our explorations on this show, 40 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: Max Nolan, I will end up immediately going to our 41 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: group chat after we've recorded and sending each other references 42 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: on bits and bops, Bits and bops, you know, shout 43 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: out Mitchell Webb, look again the best Ku Klux Klan sketch. 44 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 3: Ever, objectively speaking, I'm trying to think of of one 45 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 3: that would even be in the running up against it, 46 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 3: but I'll have to get back to you. 47 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: It's funny because they're they're British, and in the world 48 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: of comedy, those guys are badasses and we're. 49 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 3: The Black Clansman episode of Dave Chappelle is pretty damn good. 50 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, sorry, sorry, No, that's perfect because they should hang out. 51 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: But the the reason we're bringing up Mitchell Webb is 52 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: because they are British. And while there are many examples 53 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: of phenomenal individuals who took a licking and kept on ticking. Uh, 54 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: today we are over the moon, tox. 55 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 2: Is it TIMEX takes a licking and keeps on Sorry. 56 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: We're we're we're over the moon. To introduce you to 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: a British guy you might not have heard of in 58 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: the United States. Yeah, it's surprising that I hadn't heard 59 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: of him either, norl This is Sir Adrian Carton de 60 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: Wyart again, why art and. 61 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 3: Shout out right up front to our buddy and fellow 62 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 3: ben over a badass of the week is very much 63 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 3: in his wheelhouse. I don't think he's covered this fellow, 64 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 3: but certainly red meat for a bad weeks. 65 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, and if you like this episode, check out our 66 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: earlier conversations with Ben. He's a recurring guest in the 67 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History Universe, and also check out his show Badass 68 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: of the Week. We were big, big fans before you 69 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: even got into podcasting, and this is the kind of 70 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: stuff that we would absolutely kick it with Ben on 71 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: so strap in, folks, this is bonkers. So our buddy. 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: Adrian is born into an aristocratic family out in Brussels 73 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: on May fifth, eighteen eighty h He is the eldest 74 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: son of We're gonna have a lot of fun with 75 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 1: names here, No Leon Constant, Gelaine Caughton des Wyart, who 76 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: is a lawyer and a magistrate, and Ernestine Venzig or 77 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: what do you think, Benz. 78 00:04:58,400 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 2: That would go with it? I would put a little 79 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 2: a of the yes, sir. 80 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 3: His life started pretty dramatically with some high stakes built 81 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 3: right in. While these are officially his parents, there was 82 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 3: a bit of wide rife speculation that he was actually 83 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 3: the illegitimates bastard son of that's sorry to add instult 84 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 3: to injury there of King Leopold of the second, the 85 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 3: ruler of Belgium and by most accounts, an absolute pill 86 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 3: of utter high magnitude. 87 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. 88 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: Check out our good pal Robert Evans episodes on King 89 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: Leopold at his show Behind the Bastards. This guy, also, 90 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: Adrian has an international childhood. We're just gonna say it, honestly. 91 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: He was sort of a silver spoon kid. He was 92 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,239 Speaker 1: way better off than most other people on the planet. 93 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: Born on May fifth, eighteen eighty life crossing back and 94 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: forth from Belgium to England. He's six years old and 95 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: for a long time, this is funny. For a long time, 96 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: based on his autobiography, people assumed his mom died when 97 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: he was six. That's not true. They divorced. His parents 98 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: divorced when he was six, and his father moved the 99 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: klan out to Cairo over in Egypt, and he worked 100 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: for this is so Cia precursor. He works for something 101 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: called the Cairo Electric Railways and Heliopolis Oasis Company. He 102 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: has deep government connections and energy connections. 103 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, it would seem like that's kind of that ticks 104 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 3: all the boxes for that. 105 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 2: And it was there that he became fluent in Arabic. 106 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 3: You know, as you may imagine, because of his moneyed background, 107 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 3: he was already set for life. He was educated at 108 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 3: the highest levels, the top schools, and he could have 109 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 3: done pretty much whatever he wanted to. 110 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: He was a smart fellow. 111 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 3: But around eighteen ninety nine he left the Balliol College 112 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 3: in Oxford to join the British Army. 113 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 2: He wanted to serve his country. 114 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 3: He was twenty years old at the time roughly, but 115 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 3: he claimed for the purposes of enlisting to be twenty 116 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 3: five years old, and he signed on just as Trooper Carton. Yeah, 117 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 3: it sounds like a good name for like a like 118 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 3: a goofy slapstick sitcom from the sixties or something, you know, 119 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 3: like Sergeant Billcoe. 120 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: You know, right right, it's right up there with My 121 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: name is John last. 122 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 3: Name indeed, Yeah, yeah, And this is of course, I 123 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 3: think he wanted to be free of his aristocratic background. 124 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 3: I think he wanted to kind of have a fresh 125 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 3: start and not be seen as some kind of silver 126 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 3: spoon brat. 127 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: Also, there was a big thing at the time when 128 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: you were young man signing up for war you had 129 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: to have your father's consent, and he did not. He 130 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: didn't tell his dad his dad thought he was at 131 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: school at Oxford the full time. Yes, so that's probably 132 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: why he told some whoppers, some grilled flame whoppers about 133 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: his id in the first place. And the British had 134 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: no idea they had gained a kind of super soldier 135 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: Noel off Mic. We were talking about whether this guy 136 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: is considered a you know, a British version of Captain America, 137 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,559 Speaker 1: or whether he's more like the Punisher. 138 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 2: But or the terminator of sorts. 139 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: There we go, we kid the not folks. This young man, 140 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: through either luck or skill, appeared to be positively unkillable. 141 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,559 Speaker 3: It would seem a combination of both. So let's get 142 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 3: into some conflicts. Some war talk here, Carton weird dewyart 143 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 3: excuse me, served in the Boer War, World War One, 144 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 3: and World War Two. In the process, he got shot 145 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 3: in the face one that's right, in the face. He 146 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 3: lost an eye to left, the old lefty, and he 147 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 3: was also shot through the skull, which is kind of 148 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 3: also in the face, one might argue. In addition to 149 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,079 Speaker 3: the hip leg, ankle and ear. 150 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 2: I mean, this is a. 151 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 3: Real ship of thesis kind of guy, right, Like, was 152 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 3: he even still himself? I think the Terminator comparison holds 153 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 3: true here, and the Boer War been one that you 154 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 3: know a lot of wars. I didn't know my name, 155 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 3: but it was apparently a pretty gnarly one. 156 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: It was narsty, as our friends at Dad's garage like 157 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: to say, it was just a terrible, terrible situation. A different, 158 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: different show could be made about that. And to your point, 159 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: Nold Adrian got his balls rocked twice once literally literal. 160 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 2: Yeah. 161 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: It was shot in the stomach, which is always nasty wound, 162 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: and it was the Royd we said the hip earlier 163 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: and off air we were also talking about, you know, 164 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: we're dudes, like how close did the bullet get? 165 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 2: Oh? Gosh, pretty close, you know what I mean. 166 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, he could have easily died by any one of 167 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 3: these injuries, let alone all of them, but. 168 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 2: He didn't, as we indicated. 169 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 3: In fact, he was kind of just taken out of 170 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 3: the of the conflict zone and then shipped back to 171 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,199 Speaker 3: Mary Old England in order to recover and convalesce. 172 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 2: And the news that he. 173 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 3: Was in a hospital, in the military hospital with battle 174 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 3: injuries came as quite the surprise to his old dad, 175 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,119 Speaker 3: who again was not aware of any of his son's exploits. 176 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 3: And one might argue perhaps a little bit of a 177 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 3: negligent parents if he just assuming that his son was fine, 178 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 3: did even check on him. 179 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, aristocrats a going on. Yeah, you you 180 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,719 Speaker 1: wait till your kid turns eighteen. You give them a 181 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: firm handshake, you know, and you save. 182 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 2: Him off the boarding school and the right the honor. Dude, 183 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 2: even before college. 184 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: I mean a lot of times he's aristocratic youths would 185 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 3: be out of the home way before that. 186 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: His stepmother did send him to a boarding school exactly, 187 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: and growing up in Cairo, uh as as a little 188 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 1: European aristocrat has got to be you're in somewhat of 189 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: a bubble, right. So one of the weirdest things here 190 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:39,559 Speaker 1: is that Adrian got this taste of danger and death. 191 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: He did almost die, But I would argue tasting danger 192 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: like that is similar to encountering hot sauce. Sometimes you 193 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: get addicted. He got addicted. 194 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 2: He was a real heat seeker. 195 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:55,959 Speaker 3: To quote our boy from from the Dough Boys podcast, exactly, man, 196 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,680 Speaker 3: I mean it's it's he had a taste for danger, 197 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 3: and it's you know, he must have had that from 198 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 3: the start because he was set up to live a 199 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 3: cush life. 200 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,199 Speaker 2: He could have gotten some diplomatic posts, you know, or whatever, 201 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 2: and then nepoed in Colonel Curtsy, that's really interesting, you're yeah, 202 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 2: and you're of course referring to the infamous character played 203 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 2: by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now specifically that not Heart 204 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 2: of Darkness, that specifically in the film, someone who just 205 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 2: had a taste for adventure and needed to get away 206 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 2: from their kind of posh, civilized upbringing. 207 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 3: And he also became a naturalized British citizen. And when 208 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 3: World War One broke out in November of nineteen fourteen, 209 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 3: he served with a Sawmaliland Samaliland camel core which was real. Yeah, 210 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 3: check out the picture. They are actually riding camels Somaliland. 211 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 2: Right. So this like is this anarrea that would now 212 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 2: be considered Somalia or. 213 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: Small land is interesting because it's in uh we use 214 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: this word carefully or this phrase carefully. It is a 215 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,920 Speaker 1: liminal space right now. So there's Somalia and over at 216 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: the coast of the continent there's Somala Land called the 217 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 1: Republic of Smala Land, but it is unrecognized by the 218 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: global order. It's right there on the horn of Africa. 219 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 2: Okay. 220 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's also apparently a more stable government than Somalia. 221 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, we know they've certainly had struggles over the years, 222 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 2: so that he was fighting for what's called you point 223 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 2: out in the outline, this is an incredible name, the 224 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 2: Dervish State. I assume this is the the related to 225 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,239 Speaker 2: the famed Whirling Dervishes. 226 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's weird because we have to remember colonialism 227 00:13:52,760 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: still in full swing there. The the Dervish State is 228 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: to the European powers, it's like an upstart, upstart terrorist movement. 229 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: But of course to the Dervish State, the European powers 230 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,680 Speaker 1: are the terrorist. There's this attack on a fort called 231 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: Shimber Barris in nineteen fourteen, same year as he said 232 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 1: that World War One breaks out. This is a Dervish stronghold, 233 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: and our buddy Adrian gets shot again. This is the 234 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: time we were talking about earlier. He gets shot in 235 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 1: the arm, and he gets shot in the face where 236 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: he loses his left eye and part of his ear. 237 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: He later will get one of his many commendations for this. 238 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: He gets the Distinguished Service Order or DSO for this one. 239 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: And I think you and I are going to have 240 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: a lot of fun playing around with voices, because we're 241 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: jumping around in time. In nineteen sixty four, there's a 242 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 1: guy who served alongside Carton to Wyart in Smaller Land, 243 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: and he has the weirdest description of our buddy Adria. 244 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: This is from Lord is May. 245 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 2: It's a weird one, Ben, because I swear when I 246 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 2: read this quote it feels like it wants to be 247 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 2: read in some sort of foghorn leghorn like southern accent. 248 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 2: Go for it. I can't. I can't quite picture reading 249 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 2: this in a heavy British accent because of some of 250 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 2: the little turns of phrase. I'm gonna do it, Yeah, 251 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 2: go for it. Let's see. He didn't check his stride, 252 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 2: but I think the bullet stung him up. As his 253 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 2: language was awful. The doctor could do nothing for his eye, 254 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 2: but he had to keep him with us. He must 255 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 2: have been in agony. And how do you even read 256 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 2: that in a British accent? Does it feel right? I 257 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 2: don't know how was. 258 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: He in agony? We'll find out as you continue Lord 259 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: Ismay's statement, I'll switch the voice up a little bit. 260 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: He says, I honestly believe that he regarded the loss 261 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: of an eye is a blessing as it allowed him 262 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: to get out of simolaland to Europe, where he thought 263 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: the real action was. 264 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 2: Was okay, that's the true Lord is man. I don't know. 265 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 2: Something about stun him up just seems very like Southern. 266 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 2: It's almost totone to me that thank you, you nailed 267 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 2: exactly what I was trying to art. 268 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,479 Speaker 1: Are you cross? 269 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 2: I am your huckleberry and you know that to be true. Ben. 270 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 3: This guy, by the way, though, this fella that we're 271 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 3: talking about today, Carton de Wire, has a bit of 272 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 3: a doc holiday tombstone kind of looks to him as well. Buddy, 273 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 3: you posted an incredible photo of this dude in his 274 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 3: military dress with many of his decorations pins to his 275 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 3: chest and a sort of a widow's. 276 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 2: Peak kind of thinning hairline and an incredible bushy mustache 277 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 2: that's a little brown than his hair, which is kind 278 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 2: of black. And he's got this imperially kind of slim 279 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 2: elf like almost quality to him, with his pointsy ears 280 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 2: and very knife like features and. 281 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 3: A badass eye patch and a cravat around his neck. 282 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: And he goes back to England again after you know, 283 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: losing part of his ear and the entirety of his 284 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: left eye Odin style, And of course he got shot 285 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: in the arm, but he wasn't worried about that. He 286 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: goes to a nursing home in Park Lane and this 287 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: becomes his go to recovery place from his many wartime injuries. 288 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: He went there so often that eventually the story goes 289 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: the staff just started keeping his personal pajamas clean and 290 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:51,120 Speaker 1: ironed and ready because they knew he would be back eventually. 291 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,440 Speaker 2: That's so civilized, though, isn't that, Ben? 292 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 3: Just the idea that he had, like his personal pajamas 293 00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 3: that is kept on hand, it's already pressed for him. Yeah, 294 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 3: it's I don't know the idea I love. I love 295 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 3: a good old fashioned pajama. But side note, Ben, that 296 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 3: you found about the eye. When he first lost it, 297 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 3: he had a glass eye, which you point out quite accurately. 298 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 3: As someone who's never had to wear contacts, I know 299 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 3: they can be very very vexing, irritating, right, like painful 300 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 3: at times? 301 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 2: Right? Can you imagine that taken to the nth. 302 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 3: Degree, like a literal piece of glass that has shoved 303 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 3: in your empty eye sockets? Not to be too crass 304 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 3: about it, but that just sounds really unpleasant. 305 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's yeah, you're absolutely right. For anybody who's ever had, 306 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: you know, a a shard of glass or a splinter 307 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 1: of glass in your finger or something like that, imagine 308 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: an orb of glass in as you said, your eye socket. 309 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 2: They don't do that anymore. 310 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 3: There's probably better technolog materials, right, because I mean, you know, 311 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 3: it would be smooth, but I just can't it would. 312 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 2: I can't imagine that it would. 313 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 3: It would sit right, and it would be constantly rubbed 314 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,439 Speaker 3: because even a smooth piece of glass, there's imperfections on 315 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 3: the surface, and I imagine there could be little chinks 316 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 3: in it kind of that could just absolutely rub you 317 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,120 Speaker 3: the utter wrong way. 318 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 1: So yeah, he had and this is you know, this 319 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,679 Speaker 1: is more than a century ago, so he had a 320 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: much earlier kind of glass eye technology. And the legend 321 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: is that he hated it, like you said, vexing irritating. 322 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: So at some point he was in a moving taxi 323 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: and he just said, forget this, and he plucked his 324 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,199 Speaker 1: glass eye out of his eye socket and threw it 325 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: out into the road and just rocked an eye patch. 326 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 2: It was just sound you like to make. But yeah, 327 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,399 Speaker 2: I mean seriously, brother, pull in the eyes Sode. 328 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 3: Oh dude, that just makes me cringe to my deepest core. 329 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: Yes, sir, I wonder if if Pop don't like that, 330 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: Oh man. 331 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 2: You would have had to dig his finger in around 332 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 2: the sides. And I mean sorry not to be too 333 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,960 Speaker 2: graphic about it, but I can't. I mean, you point 334 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 2: out too. Ben, you use the term king moves, which 335 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 2: I think is utterly appropriate. 336 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 3: But still, as we mentioned earlier, he his thirst for 337 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 3: action and adventure did not diminish with his literal losing 338 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 3: of various pieces of his body. 339 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,959 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, so he by February of nineteen fifteen, just 340 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: a year later, not even he's back and he wants 341 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: to go to what beat Me here? Max, as some 342 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 1: of our US veterans in the crowd are familiar with. 343 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: He wants to be in this ship. 344 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, and the ship in this case would be the 345 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 3: all famous, All Quiet after Everyone's Dead Western Front. 346 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 2: Oh that was a good book. 347 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 3: He there's a threat film adaptation of late last year. 348 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 3: I think it's I haven't seen it, but I've heard 349 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 3: it is absolutely heartbreaking. 350 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 2: Movie night Powerful We're gonna have Okay, sure? Why not? 351 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 2: Why not? Not? Exactly ridiculous, but apparently it's quite well. 352 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 2: It's a movie night for us. 353 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: We'll go to your house, is set up the projector 354 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:05,399 Speaker 1: in the backyard. 355 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:07,320 Speaker 2: Oh man, we gotta do it. It's getting to be 356 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,120 Speaker 2: that kind of weather. Yeah. 357 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,679 Speaker 1: So, over the next three years, from nineteen fifteen to 358 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen, our buddy Adrian gets more wounds. He's at 359 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: the Battle of the Song where he gets the bullet 360 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: to the skull you were talking about earlier. He gets 361 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: also popped in the ankle. 362 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 2: Yeah. 363 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: He gets shot in the hip at the Battle of Passion, 364 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: doll and forgive my pronunciation there. And then dude, he 365 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 1: gets shot through the leg at another war. And then 366 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: he gets shot through the ear at another conflict. And 367 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: this is perhaps the most pivotal moment, Max. This is 368 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:50,160 Speaker 1: what we're talking with you about. Off air. So at 369 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: some point his hand, his left hand, gets absolutely souped up. Mangles, yeah, 370 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,439 Speaker 1: mangled mangles, and he is yelling at the doctor. You know, 371 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:01,640 Speaker 1: I'm sure he's in great pain. 372 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 2: Cut it off, cut it off, cut it off. 373 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: And the doctor says, no, we can save the hand, 374 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: and so Adrian just gives him that cold, one eyed look. 375 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: And then this guy pulls off his own fingers. 376 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:20,680 Speaker 2: Twists off wrenches, tearing flesh and bone. 377 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is not Yeah, this is all it's it's 378 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 3: it's not good. Well yeah, squelch. Indeed, I mean this 379 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 3: guy was serious business. He does eventually have. 380 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 2: To have the entire hand removed. 381 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,680 Speaker 1: And it's his left hand. So now this guy has 382 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: one eye, one hand. 383 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 2: Left eye, left hand right. 384 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, those are god, those are god. If you want to, 385 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: if you want to talk to him, come at him from. 386 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 2: His right I assume, I mean it seemed more common 387 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:55,120 Speaker 2: for people to be righty's uh so, perhaps hopefully he 388 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 2: favored the right hand. 389 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,199 Speaker 1: Well, improvised adapt overcome so. 390 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 3: True, also true, And if anyone could do it, it's 391 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 3: our boy, the wired. 392 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: And he's not finished yet. Like you said earlier, any 393 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: one of these injuries could put people in the grave, 394 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: or they would have counted their lucky stars and gone 395 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: into retirement. 396 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 2: Cut their losses, get out of dodge, you know. And 397 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 2: again the guy had means it's wild to think, you're 398 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 2: just so easy to. 399 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,119 Speaker 3: Think of like the army as a refuge for people 400 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 3: that have no other opportunities and no other supporters. 401 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 2: And I know that that wasn't always been the case. 402 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 3: There are certainly people that join out of pure patriotism. 403 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 2: I'm not discounting that at all. 404 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,160 Speaker 3: But this guy, at this point, I mean, he could 405 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 3: have retired and just said, Okay, I did my time, 406 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 3: I've lived my adventure. 407 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:45,399 Speaker 2: It's time for me to chill a little bit. But 408 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 2: that just was not his way. 409 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,880 Speaker 1: No, he could have had one of those post presidential 410 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: careers we talked about last week. Instead, he the First 411 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: World War concludes and people aren't calling it World War 412 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,199 Speaker 1: one just yet because humans are optimistic. And he spends 413 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: what we call the inter war gears in Poland, and 414 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: he is now getting more into i would say, diplomacy. 415 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:18,639 Speaker 1: He's trying to engineer peace. But Poland is invaded in 416 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine, and like you said, he has to 417 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 1: get out of dodge. He asked to ski daddle from Arsaw. 418 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 3: As the Nazis made their way advancing upon the city. 419 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 3: He was in a motorcade that was bombarded strafed by 420 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 3: the Luftwaffa, the famous air force of the Nazis, and 421 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 3: two of his party members started thinking like a D 422 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 3: and D crew were killed. The survivors made it to 423 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 3: Romania where Carton de Wired by the way, and you 424 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 3: pointed out off my his full last name is Cartan Dwires. Yeah, 425 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 3: I believe there referred to him as Dwired a couple 426 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:06,920 Speaker 3: of times. 427 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 2: My apologies. He evaded arrest by using a fake passport 428 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 2: to fly out of the country, so he was also 429 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 2: rocking borderline secret agent vibes. You know what I mean, 430 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 2: Like he was quick on his feet. There we go. Yeah, 431 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 2: it's a paperwork. Yeah. 432 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: He he is so down to clown. He is part 433 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: of a combined Anglo French or British French attempt to 434 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: prevent the Nazi powers from taking over a town in Norway, Namsos. 435 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: This does not work out, but he gets sent by 436 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 1: the British to Yugoslavia in nineteen forty one and he's 437 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how they can how the British 438 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: can help Yugoslavia fight against the invasion on the horizon. 439 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: His crashes, however, in Libya at some point he's caught. 440 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: He's sent to an Italian prisoner of war camp and 441 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: he's held over for like two years. And the weirdest 442 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:19,160 Speaker 1: thing is, as we'll see, part of his freedom deal 443 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: because he does get out of pow camp. Part of 444 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: his freedom deal hinges on a tailored suit. 445 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 2: I love this so much. 446 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 3: He made five escape attempts in utter badass fashion. 447 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 2: Over the next couple of years. He spent seven months 448 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 2: digging a tunnel. At one point he did escape and 449 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 2: evaded capture for eight days. He was sixty two at 450 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 2: this point. Not to mention the eyepatch, the missing hand, 451 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 2: and multiple serious, serious scars from his injuries, he also 452 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 2: spoke no Italian whatsoever. 453 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 3: He was scooped up and taken to Rome, where he 454 00:26:57,119 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 3: was asked to relay a message back to the British 455 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 3: telling them that Italy would like to would respectfully like 456 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,880 Speaker 3: to leave the axis. Yeah, and he agreed to do 457 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 3: this on the condition that he was provided a fine 458 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 3: tailored suit, in his words, as good as any available 459 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 3: from the well known legendary tailor shops on the Savill 460 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 3: Row in London Town. 461 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 1: He also had some less diplomatic words, yes, because when 462 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,400 Speaker 1: he so he's in he's sixty two, right, and he's 463 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: in this argument about a suit. They're going to set 464 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,200 Speaker 1: him free, and they're going to say, also convey this 465 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 1: message that might change the course of the current conflict, 466 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: and he says, I'll do it, but not in an 467 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,479 Speaker 1: Italian suit. And this is we don't want to offend 468 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:51,480 Speaker 1: any of our fellow Italian ridiculous historians. But this guy, 469 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: Adrian said, I think Italian suits make people look like Jiggilow's. 470 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 3: And you know, also, no shade to any jigs out 471 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,919 Speaker 3: there we go. Yeah, I could say Italian, American or 472 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 3: otherwise Rob Schneider. 473 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 2: The Italians did comply with his wishes and send him 474 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 2: off to Lisbon, and then he made his way to 475 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:17,120 Speaker 2: England in order to deliver the message in due time. 476 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,920 Speaker 2: He spent the rest of the war representing Old Winston Churchill, 477 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 2: old Cigar brandy Boy himself as a representative in China. 478 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 2: He was an absolute dignitary at this point. I mean, 479 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 2: it's the highest level of diplomat. 480 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, and there are a couple of reasons for this. 481 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: We could argue, first his aristocratic background. Second, just being honest, 482 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: this is very cold to say, but given his visible 483 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 1: war wounds and as many decorations, he is great advertising. 484 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: He's great propaganda for the British forces, like, hey, we're 485 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: going to send this guy good optics. 486 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,640 Speaker 2: Despite missing the yes, Yes. 487 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: Fifty percent eyesight, one hundred and fifty percent optics. One 488 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: of the coolest pieces of scuttle but about his time 489 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: in China is that Mao Zedong, who later goes on 490 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: to do a lot of other things. 491 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 2: Is heard of him? 492 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I heard of him. He likes his books read 493 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: and he uh, uncle Mao is known for doing these 494 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: impromptu ted talks, these propagandistic monologues, and so he stands 495 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 1: up during the dinner, you know, and he's just feeling it, 496 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 1: he's feeling the spirit. He's pitching his idea for the 497 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:52,400 Speaker 1: course of the Chinese nation, and Carton de Ware says, Nah, 498 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 1: this is malarkey, this is balder dash. Why are you 499 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: not attacking the Japanese forces right now? And the room 500 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: falls silent. You can hear a pin drop ball. 501 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 2: Z uh yeah, and now is it first joins the 502 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 2: silence before erupting into laughter. I mean, do you, ben, 503 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 2: do you think this was out of just like some 504 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 2: form of respect for the audacity that this guy had 505 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 2: to call him out in that way. 506 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,720 Speaker 1: I think respect for audacity, And also it was a 507 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: it was a very brusque way of saying something that 508 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: Mao Zedong probably already agreed with Yeah, you know what 509 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: I mean. 510 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:39,719 Speaker 2: Mm hm. 511 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: So in a way, I don't know, we weren't in 512 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: the room, but in a way, it's almost as if 513 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 1: Adrian was weirdly hype manning mao Zog's other geopolitical ambitions. 514 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 2: That's a good point. 515 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,200 Speaker 1: But also you're not supposed to interrupt that guy. So Adrian, 516 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: I would say this Coounts has taken another gunshot because 517 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,160 Speaker 1: he got very close to being killed. 518 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 3: Oh sure, he definitely took a shot at the King 519 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 3: and would argue it landed, but in a different kind 520 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 3: of way, you know, conversationally. So Cardin Dewire was promoted then, 521 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 3: after a long and illustrious military career, to the rank. 522 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 2: Of major general. He was the very model of a 523 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 2: modern major general. 524 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 3: In fact, he was also made such a British title, 525 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 3: I love it so much, a. 526 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 2: Night Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 527 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 2: nineteen forty five. 528 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, and you might expect him to go down 529 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: like the ancestors of Lieutenant Dan And I love that 530 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: Forrest Gump reference because I recently rewatched the film. But 531 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: he didn't die in war time. After all these injuries 532 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: added up the toll they took on his body. He retired. 533 00:31:56,880 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: He wrote an autobiography which you can read now. I 534 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: don't love the name, but it's called Happy Odyssey, The 535 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 1: Memoirs of Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wyart. And 536 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 1: Winston Churchill wrote the forward for the book. That's yeah, no, no, Biggs, 537 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,560 Speaker 1: that's a cos I for sure. And Mawsey Dong wrote 538 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: the afterword. Now that's yeah. Mawse Dog is like, hey, also, lmao, 539 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: this guy's hilarious. 540 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 2: This guy. 541 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: So so it comes to pass that Adrian's first wife, 542 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 1: who we haven't really mentioned, she passes away. He marries 543 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: another lady who is twenty three years younger than him. 544 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: They have a happy marriage by all accounts. He dies 545 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 1: no children though, huh no no, just like the Mountain 546 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,760 Speaker 1: Goats song, love. 547 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 2: Both yeah and he is. 548 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 1: He passes away when he's eighty three years old, which 549 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: is a very long life. 550 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 2: Not from injuries sustained in battle, just from good old 551 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 2: old age. Yeah, and he died of old. He died 552 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 2: of the old. 553 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: And it's June fifth, nineteen sixty three, so this guy 554 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: has lived up to the sixties. He passes way in 555 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: County Cork, Ireland. And this is something I'd love your 556 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,960 Speaker 1: opinion on this. I don't quite understand it. We'll have 557 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,920 Speaker 1: to do more digging. Oh gosh, poor choice of words. 558 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 1: He is buried by a church near him and his 559 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: second wife's home, but he's not in the graveyard. He's 560 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: like just on the other side of the graveyard wall. 561 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 3: You know, friend of the show. I think he listens 562 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 3: to stuff they don't want you to know. Maybe he 563 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 3: listens to ridiculous history every now and again. But Andy 564 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 3: Buck who is He's from County Cork, Ireland, and you'll 565 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 3: remember him as the guitarist musician in a band called 566 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 3: Sky Trumpets. 567 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 2: He wrote into us about our topic, you know. 568 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 3: And anyway, he's long been a listener of the show 569 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 3: and I got to spend some time with him when 570 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,359 Speaker 3: I was in Berlin a few years ago and stayed 571 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 3: in touch. 572 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 2: Lovely dude. 573 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:11,680 Speaker 3: But I would love to reach out to him and 574 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 3: maybe get some of these questions answered on the ground, 575 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 3: because he is right there and it's not. 576 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,840 Speaker 2: A very large area. I bet you he's familiar with 577 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 2: this guy's grave. 578 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:23,440 Speaker 1: Awesome, Awesome, I bet you're right. So we've got to 579 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: can you reach out to Andy and see I'd be 580 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,320 Speaker 1: cool to see a picture. And that is our show 581 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: for today. 582 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:30,319 Speaker 2: Again. 583 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:34,840 Speaker 1: You can read Happy Odyssey for more. I have read it. 584 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: It is a rollicking page turner. 585 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 2: How could it not be right? He seemed like a 586 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 2: cool guy, right, I mean, I don't know, man? 587 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:47,520 Speaker 1: No, Well, okay, I just considered a hero in the 588 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:48,320 Speaker 1: United Kingdom. 589 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 3: You think he might have been a pill? I mean, 590 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:51,839 Speaker 3: we don't have We certainly don't have any He didn't 591 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 3: do any war crimes that we know of, at least, 592 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:55,960 Speaker 3: is right, So now we know. 593 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,080 Speaker 2: Okay, all right, Ben, You're right. And maybe I'm being a. 594 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 3: Little too rose colored glasses about to do. I just 595 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 3: I am a bit in awe of his bad astery. 596 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,360 Speaker 3: But you don't achieve that level of bad assy without 597 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,960 Speaker 3: breaking a few eggs. Perhaps, Yeah, yeah, or Lucy and 598 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:16,200 Speaker 3: I and he's shot, oh exactly, and. 599 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 2: So we lived through five wars. 600 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:23,600 Speaker 1: You can love him or hate him, but there is 601 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: no denying it. This man was darn near unkillable. And 602 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,479 Speaker 1: with that we want to thank you for tuning in. 603 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 1: Please join us for some more explorations of aristocracy and 604 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 1: royalty later this week, when we are giving you for 605 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: now are for now on royal deaths. 606 00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:47,759 Speaker 2: I can't wait, bend. I just want to end, maybe 607 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:49,360 Speaker 2: with this quote that you found that I think is 608 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,319 Speaker 2: so fitting and funny from Happy Odyssey right when he 609 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 2: was asked about all the five wars that he participated in. 610 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,240 Speaker 2: His response was very pithy. 611 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:01,719 Speaker 3: He just said, it's borderline frankly, my dear, I don't 612 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:04,879 Speaker 3: give a damn Frankly, I enjoyed the war. 613 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: I think he said that pretty much every time someone 614 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:11,920 Speaker 1: asked him about a war, like. 615 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,000 Speaker 2: It was jolly good fun, the four. 616 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: War, World War One, World War two, some of his 617 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:24,600 Speaker 1: other tangles. Yeah, it's very fascinating, fascinating person. We also 618 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 1: were always fascinated with the people who make ridiculous history possible, 619 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:31,040 Speaker 1: and that's why Yeah, you and I like to end 620 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 1: with some big, big thank yous, starting with the super producer, 621 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: mister Max Williams. 622 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 3: Yes, indeed, thanks to Alex Williams who composed this theme, 623 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:43,480 Speaker 3: Christoph Frasciotis needs, Jeff Coats here in spirit, Jonathan s 624 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:44,240 Speaker 3: trick on the quizter. 625 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,759 Speaker 1: Yes, and thanks also to our pals Gabe Luzier, Doctor Z, 626 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: Jeff Andrea, the crew, the rude dudes over at ridiculous 627 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 1: crime and of course brother Dan Soft and aj Bahamas Jacobs. 628 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,120 Speaker 2: Indeed, are you gonna Are you gonna let me slide 629 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 2: with that one? 630 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 1: Are you gonna ask your brother Dan soft Is? 631 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,880 Speaker 3: Nope, you keep your secret spend. I'm used to it 632 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:11,359 Speaker 3: by now, and frankly I live for it. And thanks 633 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 3: to you been for this delightful and ridiculous research brief, 634 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:17,399 Speaker 3: and you know, just for for being you, being a friend. 635 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 2: Travel down the road and back again. 636 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: Shucks, I love a golden girl's reference right back at you. Wait, 637 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:23,359 Speaker 1: which golden girl? 638 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:26,359 Speaker 2: Are you the old one? 639 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:27,920 Speaker 1: Estelle Getty? 640 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 2: That's the one? How about you? You're sort of a 641 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,319 Speaker 2: what was it? I want to be a Blanche. I 642 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 2: want to be a Betty White so bad. But you're 643 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 2: a Betty. Yeah, you're a Betty. I might fall into 644 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 2: the blanch you You're not really a blanche. Max is 645 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 2: more of a blanch classic blanche. We'll see you next time, folks. 646 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,279 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 647 00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:00,759 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.