In 1978 Gregory David Roberts committed a series of armed robberies while addicted to heroin - and was sentenced to nineteen years imprisonment in Victoria Australia. - In 1980 he escaped over the wall of the maximum security prison in broad daylight.
- He has written the story of the next ten years of his life on the run ( initially in New Zealand), - in a great book "SHANTARAM' - describing life in the Bombay India slums and criminal underworld.
His adventure story involves much criminal activity and involvement in terrorist action in Afghanistan factional fighting. - He frankly details how he survived as a counterfeiter, drug-smuggler, gun-runner, and street fighter for the Bombay mafia ( and also how he ran a free clinic for his fellow slum dwellers!).
This is a BIG book of 933 pages. - Buy it - as it's worth every cent that you'll pay for it.
His description of knife fighting in Shantaram reminded me of a piece in the NZ Antique Arms Gazette (March 2008) titled "The English Dirk Fighting Knife As Used By The NZ Forest Rangers" - In this piece the author tells of Major Von Tempsky, Commander of No.2 Company New Zealand Forest Rangers in 1863:
"Von Tempsky encouraged his men to carry fixed blade fighting knives and trained them in their use. The knife was held diagonally in a sheath fixed to the front waist belt for ease and quick withdrawal. Later Armed Constabulary Force Inspector John Roberts outlined the training: "We were taught knife fighting drill, grip the knife handle, small finger against the guard, bending the wrist so that the blade was laid along the inner arm enabling warding-off, cutting and stabbing actions by arm extensions and wrist movements."
- Now, to me this description confirms what the other Roberts writes in Shantaram - which certainly raised my eyebrows when I read it:
"His second mistake was that he held the knife as if it was a sword and he was in a fencing match. A man uses an underhand grip when he expects his knife, like a gun, to do the fighting for him. But a knife isn't a gun, of course, and in a knife fight it isn't the weapon that does the fighting: it's the man. The knife is just there to help him finish it. The winning grip is a dagger hold, with the blade downward, and the fist that holds it is still free to punch. That grip gives a man maximum power in the downward thrust and an extra weapon in his closed fist."
I won't quote any more of the five pages on this knife fight - buy the book eh ! - but my point here is that I'd previously thought and read that the sword-type hold was the way it was done - and that the dagger-hold was a crude mistake - so there you go ! - except that knife (and pistol) fighting experts -
"Fairburne & Sykes" whos design dagger was used as the WW2 Commando knife, OSS Knife etc etc, teach it exactly the opposite way (fingers and thumb against the guard - sword grip) ! - So there you go - take your pick ! - Anyway - I expect most of you have heard the joke about taking a knife to a gun-fight !
Lovely Old Bloke - I'd Buy him a Beer anytime!
Oh, another aside, - In Shantaram Roberts mentions seeing destitute young boys being sold into slavery as racing camel jockeys in Arabia - having lost everything to floods etc. - When I was in The United Arab Emirates over Christmas 2007, I enjoyed (!) a camel treck in the sand-dunes near Al Ain Oasis, Abu Dhabi, that stuffed my back and bum for days - making it painful to sit or walk
ROBOTIC RACING CAMEL JOCKEYS
- but was told by several ex-pats that the racing camel jockeys (young boys) were being replaced by radio controlled robotic jockeys because of a growing public outcry about the young jockeys being seriously hurt in racing falls from the camels. (No, I am not joking)
- But the bad news is that the slave-jockies are not being released to go home - but are being passed-on as "companions" to wealthy arab men with different bedroom interests to camel racing. - Oh yes, a good racing camel is worth hundreds of thousands of Dollars, - whereas a young Bangladeshi destitute slave - who knows?
By the way, - a further scandel is that those Robotic jockeys can be fitted with high voltage cattle-prods to encourage the camel to try harder.. that's life as we know it eh.
- Which do you think would have the better life - a camel or a young camel jockey?
Marty K
No comments:
Post a Comment