By Jove, yes it IS Doakes! That is unmistakably his dexter stump peeking over the sidecar's dashboard.
It appears that the captain has regained his appropriate bulk after the brush with death he endured after Khartoum was sacked by Hessians* -- a slow, agonizing death from starvation that would have been his lot had not the indispensable bog man Cece Hanrahan excised and spit-roasted his own, fortuitously distended, liver.
Captain Doakes's generally spruce appearance, and certain details of construction observable in the nearby War Department-compliant goose coops, suggest that this photograph dates from the years of the Walloon Uprising and Pacification (Mesopotamia, 1917-21).
* Loosely known as the Little-Knowns, these Hessian mercenaries fought upon the Russian side throughout the Ethiopia-Manitoba border wars and the conflict attending the later Belgian Eructation. They were largely smithereened by Sino-Irish irregulars circa 1926 and never regrouped.
In all probability, it must be said that Captain Doakes is likely an even bigger hero than Harry Flashman was in the 19th Century. Truly an inspiration to us all.
By Jove, yes it IS Doakes! That is unmistakably his dexter stump peeking over the sidecar's dashboard.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the captain has regained his appropriate bulk after the brush with death he endured after Khartoum was sacked by Hessians* -- a slow, agonizing death from starvation that would have been his lot had not the indispensable bog man Cece Hanrahan excised and spit-roasted his own, fortuitously distended, liver.
Captain Doakes's generally spruce appearance, and certain details of construction observable in the nearby War Department-compliant goose coops, suggest that this photograph dates from the years of the Walloon Uprising and Pacification (Mesopotamia, 1917-21).
* Loosely known as the Little-Knowns, these Hessian mercenaries fought upon the Russian side throughout the Ethiopia-Manitoba border wars and the conflict attending the later Belgian Eructation. They were largely smithereened by Sino-Irish irregulars circa 1926 and never regrouped.
Ya learn something everyday
ReplyDeleteIn all probability, it must be said that Captain Doakes is likely an even bigger hero than Harry Flashman was in the 19th Century. Truly an inspiration to us all.
ReplyDelete