MM Links July 2012 Week 3

[rockfordill]

At one time archery was crucial to the defence and protection of England. It was the great long bow that won, among others, the battle of Agincourt .English longbowmen could loose between 6 and 8 flights of arrows per minute with a range of 200 to 300 yards against the French cross bowmen who could fire between 2 and 3 bolts a minute over a much shorter distance.

The arrows from a longbow, taking into account the weight/velocity ratio, could penetrate a suit of armour (whereas a musket ball could not). I sometimes take visiting school children on historical tours of our village church and church yard. One question I always ask is 'what tree in this church yard saved England?' Just a small three letter word - I get oak, ash, elm etc but rarely the great yew tree. The branches of the yew had the flexibility and strength to make the long bow, some with 200 to 300 lb pulling weight. But the yew berries were poisonous to some animals and so they were regularly grown in church yards to save the farm animals and to give us a supply of yew wood for the bows. Even today you see many many yew trees in churchyards. Bowmen must have been unusually strong pulling back a 200 lb bow with three fingers on the string just below the notched arrow. Those three fingers were vital - the French cut them off when they could - the uncaptured English waved their fingers in the air - the famous or infamous two fingered salute !

Archery practice for all Englishmen was compulsory on the village greens on Sunday afternoon back in the middle ages and later.

[lysander]

Second string
Feather duster
Cuckoo spit
Hawk eyed

[Strix]

STRING theory
cock FEATHER
HAWK moth
CUCKOO pint

[middlestump]

string THEORY
featherWEIGHT
hawkEYE
cuckoo PINT

[cliffyg]

purse string
feather brained
hawk eyed
cuckoo pint

all four describe my friend deecee

especially cuckoo

[Psybbo]

STRING vest
FEATHER weight
HAWK eyed
CUCKOO spit
Morning and good luck all

[FoxLee2]

String BEAN
WHITE feather
Hawk MOTH
Cuckoo CLOCK

[kawakiri]

String theory
Feather pillow
Sparrow hawk
Cuckoo spit

[albaqwerty]

Morning. Fascinating stuff. Mine are

Guitar String
Feather Pillow
Sparrow Hawk
Cuckoo Spit

Mr Alba will be along later.

[Brenden]

String QUARTET
Feather WEIGHT
Hawk EYED
Cuckoo SPIT

[hawk3y3]

String Quartet
Feather Duster
Sparrow Hawk
Cuckoo Clock

[boxtops]

Bow STRING
FEATHERbedded
HAWK eyed
CUCKOO egg

[x-ray]

Morning all
string VEST
feather DUSTER
SPARROW hawk
cuckoo CLOCK

[jobjockey]

String Vest
Feather Duster
Sparrow Hawk
Cuckoo Clock

[FoxLee2]

BOXTOPS - two of your answers only have 3 letters, so wasted attempts

[Handbaglady]

String Line
Feather Duster
Hawk Nosed
Cuckoo Clock

[wickedtongue]

Good Morning

String Quartet
White Feather
Passage Hawk
Cuckoo Clock

[albaqwerty]

Mr Alba's are :-

String Vest
Feather Duster
Sparrow Hawk
Cuckoo Clock

[Elspeth]

String quartet
Feather weight
Hawk moth
Cuckoo clock

[baza]

string BEANS
feather WEIGHT
HARRIS hawk
cuckoo SPIT

[Euphemia]

String THEORY
WHITE feather
hawk MOTH
CLOUD Cuckoo