Sheena: Also if my memory is correct Wellington himself was not real high born, not the scum of the earth, but not top drawer either until he received all of his honors. For that matter almost all of the lower ranks in all of the armies were low lifes! Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Ireland" <ireland@pavilion.co.uk> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 1:40 PM Subject: RE: [MLN] Re: Mine Worker Records > Regarding the remark about the"scum of the earth": apparently Wellington > went on to say, "But see what fine soldiers we have made of them!" which > makes it not quite so bad! > > Best wishes, > Sheena Ireland > > > Poor people have never received the rspect they deserve. One of my GGG's, > James Pocock, was an illiterate soldier who fought with the Cameron > Highlanders through the Peninsula Campaigns and was crippled when shot > through both thighs at Waterloo. He received five medals - and a pension > of > pennies. The noble Duke of Wellington said the soldiers who fought for > him > were "the scum of the earth." Should there be a hereafter, I intend to > have > a word with His Wretched Grace which he won't like, about that remark! > > Sonia Murray > Biloxi, MS USA > > > > >

Gordon, not sure I understand what you mean by "all of the lower ranks in all of the armies were low life". Do you mean that they were lowly born or do you mean that they were the 'scum of the earth'? moira gordon crooks wrote: > Sheena: Also if my memory is correct Wellington himself was not real > high born, not the scum of the earth, but not top drawer either until > he received all of his honors. For that matter almost all of the lower > ranks in all of the armies were low lifes! > > Gordon > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Ireland" > <ireland@pavilion.co.uk> > To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 1:40 PM > Subject: RE: [MLN] Re: Mine Worker Records > > >> Regarding the remark about the"scum of the earth": apparently Wellington >> went on to say, "But see what fine soldiers we have made of them!" which >> makes it not quite so bad! >> >> Best wishes, >> Sheena Ireland >> >> >> Poor people have never received the rspect they deserve. One of my >> GGG's, >> James Pocock, was an illiterate soldier who fought with the Cameron >> Highlanders through the Peninsula Campaigns and was crippled when shot >> through both thighs at Waterloo. He received five medals - and a >> pension of >> pennies. The noble Duke of Wellington said the soldiers who fought >> for him >> were "the scum of the earth." Should there be a hereafter, I intend >> to have >> a word with His Wretched Grace which he won't like, about that remark! >> >> Sonia Murray >> Biloxi, MS USA >> >> >> >> >> > > >

Hi folks, His Grace did indeed refer to his Irish foot soldiers as the "scum of the earth" but he also made it clear how much he admired them and they adored "Old Nosey" as they called him because of his hooked nose. He is also regarded as one of the few great generals in history who agonised over the death of any of his soldiers and was renowned for carefully considering every battlefield in order to minimise casualties. He was the first general in Europe to break the convention of lining all his men up facing the enemy and instead placed most of his men on the reverse slope of any hill so that the enemy cannon couldn't kill thousands in the early stages of the battle, a tactic he applied at Waterloo to devastating effect as Marshal Ney discovered. As to his origins, he was indeed from the top drawer, being the younger son of an Earl but not with Royal connections. However his English kinsmen looked down their noses at him because his family was Anglo-Irish. However he did get his first big break in India because his brother was the Deputy Governor-General and appointed Colonel Wellesley as he then was to command some of the army which took on various Indian Princes and successfully annexed numerous states for Britain and British India. Regards Mark John M. Sutherland-Fisher Past President and Genealogist: Clan Sutherland Co-Genealogist: Clan Mackenzie Professional Genealogist and Director: Fisher (Holiday Enterprises) Ltd web-site: www.highland-family-heritage.co.uk email: info@highland-family-heritage.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: gordon crooks [mailto:glcrooks@bcpl.net] Sent: 01 February 2005 19:19 To: MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [MLN] Re: Mine Worker Records Sheena: Also if my memory is correct Wellington himself was not real high born, not the scum of the earth, but not top drawer either until he received all of his honors. For that matter almost all of the lower ranks in all of the armies were low lifes! Gordon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Ireland" <ireland@pavilion.co.uk> To: <MIDLOTHIAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 1:40 PM Subject: RE: [MLN] Re: Mine Worker Records > Regarding the remark about the"scum of the earth": apparently Wellington > went on to say, "But see what fine soldiers we have made of them!" which > makes it not quite so bad! > > Best wishes, > Sheena Ireland > > > Poor people have never received the rspect they deserve. One of my GGG's, > James Pocock, was an illiterate soldier who fought with the Cameron > Highlanders through the Peninsula Campaigns and was crippled when shot > through both thighs at Waterloo. He received five medals - and a pension > of > pennies. The noble Duke of Wellington said the soldiers who fought for > him > were "the scum of the earth." Should there be a hereafter, I intend to > have > a word with His Wretched Grace which he won't like, about that remark! > > Sonia Murray > Biloxi, MS USA > > > > >