No. 3 Commando was very anxious to be chums with Lord Glasgow, so they offered to blow up an old tree stump for him and he was very grateful and he said don't spoil the plantation of young trees near it because this is the apple of my eye and they said no of course not we can blow up a tree so it falls down on a sixpence and Lord Glasgow said goodness you are so clever and he asked them all to luncheon for the great explosion. So Col. Durnford-Slater DSO said to his subaltern have you put enough explosive in the tree. Yes sir, 75 lb. Is that enough? Yes sir I worked it out by mathematics it is exactly right. Well better put a bit more. Very good sir.
So when Col. D Slater DSO had had his port he sent for his subaltern and said subaltern better put more explosive in that tree. I don't want to disappoint Lord Glasgow. Very good sir.
So they lit the fuse and waited for the explosion and presently the tree, instead of falling sideways, rose 50 feet into the air taking with it 1/2 acre of soil and the whole of the young plantation.
And the Subaltern said Sir, I made a mistake, it should have been 7 1/2 lb not 75. Lord Glasgow was so upset he walked in dead silence back to his castle and when they came to the turn in his drive in sight of his castle what should they find but that every pane in the glass was broken.
Lord Glasgow gave a little cry and ran to hide his emotion in the lavatory snd there when he pulled the plug the entire ceiling, loosened by the explosion, fell on his head.
This is quite true.
Evelyn Waugh
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