h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No, it was not Alpha or Able. In those days morning (AM) was referred to as ack emma. Maybe it was a phonetic alphabet peculiar to the RAF?
Casting my mind back to Biggles, I think that ack emma appears in stories set in WWI. I do not know when the current phonetic alphabet was introduced.

"I can't shake him off my tail!"

*Looks like Kaeori's bought it*

no babelfish will ever be able to help unbritish people solve problems like these…

Ok I have found a site with historic versions of the phonetic alphabet and it does show Ack in use by the british army (1927) RAF (1940-1942) though the Royal Navy in 1917 had apples. The RAF then went on to use apples and affirm/able later on in WWII. The US seemed to be the main users of able for A.
The website is http://www.nor.com.au/community/sarc/phonetic.htm

*Splat!*

Landed behind enemy lines. Got to make it back to Blighty. I say, this really is a dog of a situation.

Biggles boggles in goggles.

Beautiful, K!

I think that young Perce is in need of a little close questioning. Obviously, from his name, he was on the German side, so how come, young fellow m'lad you know so much of the British vocabulary of the times? Come on, you rascal, out with it!

Oh dear K's gone down.

Will this be an end to the heroine or will she be able to make it back to safety?

Did Algy suffer from nostalgie in la Belgie?
Thanks for the link Phil, I think that it clears matters up.
I say you chaps, when Biggles pranged his crate in the briny he was jolly miffed. There he was having fun with the hun in the sun when he caught a hail of shell in his tail and in a wink he would sink in the drink. Jolly rum, what?
And remember boys and girls, always avoid accidental abundant alliteration.

Fear not, this thread has equipped me with dogged determination, chaps.

By Jingo, is that the Baron flying towards me, guns blazing?...

Hounded by the Hun, Hans.

But was Hans flying solo?

Well Pheroneus, I fear that I misspent my tweens reading Biggles books, then progressed to Purnells history of the second world war and have had an abiding obsession with history, military and otherwise, ever since. As to the name on my page, the ancients amongst you may remember a film, starring Frank Sinatra, called von Ryan's Express. As I had already adopted the persona of von Wurzel, for reasons far too complicated to explain here, it amused me to call my home page 'von Wurzel's gazette'.

...O crikey! It is the Baron. Snoopy, what are you doing here?

*lobotomy*

Percy & Pheroneous - you are brightening up a dull Monday afternoon with all this lovely old Brit-speak.

Why oh why don't you speak like that any more, all you Brits? It sounds so nice.

A knickerbockerglory, please, with lashings and lashings of prestat truffles.

I've always assumed that fur is denser and softer - is that it ?

What do you mean, Scott and the other Tracey's can't speak ?!

Spiffing stuff old bean!

Actually not. You have, I am disturbed to have to tell you, committed sacrilege. A Knickerbocker Glory is a dreadful concoction. It is made of 'ice cream' of the most industrial type, with powders, and chemical flavourings, and topped with aerosol cream. It is only to be consumed by pigtailed young ladies in ankle socks on Brighton promenade or some such place. To place this in proximity of a single truffle from the noble firm of Prestat, is to commit an error in social etiquette that may not be forgiven for some time. Said truffles are exquisite hand made bombs of perfection, fit only for the palates of those of the greatest discrimination, best consumed by ladies of refinement, alone (save for the maid), in their Knightsbridge boudoir whilst clad in their finest silk.

Sorry, that was a hbit out of sequence - must be caught in a time slip (like Biggles)
Didn't he used to say some one had "caught a packet" ?

Don't worry Nikki, we can do several threads in one here.

No, they cannot speak. They are puppets. They are not real. It is pretend. Sorry to thus shatter your illusions, but, irl, life is 'ard.

Ther must be a division (between fur and hair) but I can't see it. Do bears have fur or hair? And teddy bears? I will make it my mission to find out.

I think bears have fur, which ruins my "thinner than human hair" theory.
Perhaps whatever has been used as a pelt has fur? No wait - sheep don't have fur.
Hmm - there is no rule?

You're going to tell me next the Easter Bunny doesn't exist - stuff and nonsense - everyone knows he does !

Bunnies have fur, and I think bears do too (certainly Paddington Bear has fur, usually covered in marmalade)

This thread is in danger of evolving a split personality!

To put it all back together, I picture myself wrapped in gorgeous fur (1), graciously nibbling a Prestat truffle, while outside the dogs and peasants (2) scavenge for knickerbockerglories.

(1) don't worry, it's imitation fur

(2) or do I mean pheasants?

I say Keori, have you caught a packet of Prestat Truffles? I remember going over the top at Vimy, the nightclub not the ridge. Jolly rotten show. The chorus line went down like ninepins when the Huns opened up with their champagne corks. One poor devil got it right in the Dardanelles. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, a rather comely gal in a pill-box, hat that is, went base over apex and catapulted a bag of mint imperials in my direction. It caught me just below the ear. Well, that was the end of my tour in the front line. I was sent home to recuperate and then seconded to the Kings Own Crystal Chandeliers to guard a remote but strategically vital distillery. Hic.