Nasty, brutish and not that short
Medieval warfare was just as terrifying as you might imagine
The battle of Towton Dec 16th 2010 | TOWTON | from PRINT EDITION

THE soldier now known as Towton 25 had survived battle before. A healed skull fracture points to previous engagements. He was old enough—somewhere between 36 and 45 when he died—to have gained plenty of experience of fighting. But on March 29th 1461, his luck ran out.

Towton 25 suffered eight wounds to his head that day. The precise order can be worked out from the direction of fractures on his skull: when bone breaks, the cracks veer towards existing areas of weakness. The first five blows were delivered by a bladed weapon to the left-hand side of his head, presumably by a right-handed opponent standing in front of him. None is likely to have been lethal.

The next one almost certainly was. From behind him someone swung a blade towards his skull, carving a down-to-up trajectory through the air. The blow opened a huge horizontal gash into the back of his head—picture a slit you could post an envelope through. Fractures raced down to the base of his skull and around the sides of his head. Fragments of bone were forced in to Towton 25’s brain, felling him.

His enemies were not done yet. Another small blow to the right and back of the head may have been enough to turn him over onto his back. Finally another blade arced towards him. This one bisected his face, opening a crevice that ran from his left eye to his right jaw (see picture). It cut deep: the edge of the blade reached to the back of his throat.

Thorny tales

Towton is a nondescript village in northern England, between the cities of York and Leeds. Many Britons have never heard of it: school history tends to skip the 400-or-so years between 1066 and the start of the Tudor era. Visitors have to look hard to spot the small roadside cross that marks the site of perhaps the bloodiest battle ever fought in England. Yet the clash was a turning point in the Wars of the Roses. And, almost 550 years later, the site is changing our understanding of medieval battle.

from: http://www.economist.com/node/17722650

Those are some brutal wounds on the skull. It's not too many miles from where I lived as a kid.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
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Some of the medieval weapons are very nasty just to look at. Long lances with hooked blades plus stabbing blades at the end.

Very nasty way to die.

Of course what we use in war today dying would not be so nice either, but the chance of dying quickly is greater.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

There are probably a few Japs that would disagree with you. But then they were foolish enough to fire the first shots !!!!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I think he was refering to "today," not the first half of the previous century.

Yeah, prolly not the best form to say Japs any more since they are our allies now.

Japanese.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hypersensitive Political Correctness at its best. "Japs" is simply short for Japanese. In addition to that, layback40 was referring to the "Japs" of the World War II period. It's not as if he was directly and defiantly addressing a Japanese person directly with the term.

There's an island in the Pacific named, "Yap". Are the People "Yaps"?

I wouldnt be so sure about that. As his new 'Agent'..you prolly want to check his track record...before you go on record making these sort of statements.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

Nope, just good manners.

Here in OZZ we still use the term Jap in normal conversation. Things like ; we are going out to a Jap restaurant. Maybe we are not as big on Political Correctness. Call me what you like, just not late for dinner!!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

That right there should sow the case up for you PastorJoe. Still want to be his agent?

__________________
CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

For better or worse, Aussies didn't have to directly confront the racial prejudices that Americans in the 1940 did. I'm guessing that there are some slurs for Australia's Aboriginal community that are disfavored.

Not to mention the English.

Years ago I went to an exhibit of medieval torture devices in Amsterdam. Talk about some horrible ways to die very slowly! There was one where you would be slowly lowered onto a pyramid shaped device starting where the sun don't shine until you were split in half. Nasty stuff!

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