Thursday Afternoon

            I spent yesterday afternoon at the Urology department of a London hospital, chasing up some suspected problems with my kidneys. Very busy but thanks to the staff things went very smoothly. I was actually surprised that no sooner had the doctor decided I should have a CT scan one was organised and they were ready for me by the time I had walked upstairs and down a corridor.

            I also had an Ultrasound, which was not without entertainment. At one point the technician became quite excited and had me viewing the images with her. Seems that the kidney stones I have been carrying around for years are now in a cyst. As I roll over or change position they get shaken up and settle again, which can be observed on the ultrasound scanner. It seems I am the ultrasonic equivalent of a snow-globe so I am glad I brightened up her very busy afternoon.

Ring Cutters

                A good friend of mine suggested that I might be interested in reading a few novels by Andrew Vachss. The “Burke” series are about a private investigator who specializes in child abuse cases. The books are not the lightest of reading, as you may expect but they have provided insight into an area that most people would rather pretend did not exist, and evil always thrives in ignorance.

            One of Vachss’ characters has what I think was described as a “weft cutter’s ring”. She displays this as a response to an inquiry as to whether she can defend herself. The name indicated that it was worn by weavers as a quick and handy way to cut thread. Curious I searched the internet for an image of such a ring, but was unable to find one. The other day, searching for something different I came across the following item. One of the companies that offers these is the “HandyTwine Knife Company” so I suspect these are intended for use by weavers, among others.

 

            A number of designs are available and most appear to have covered or rounded points so these are not really practical weapons. They are, however, an interesting option to bear in mind if you are involved in gardening, handycrafts or any other job where your hands are occupied and frequently need to cut cordage or similar.

 

           

Walking Canes.

            Among my various files is a copy of HG Lang’s 1923 book on stick fighting. Not expecting anything particularly original from this I have only recently got around to looking at it, and it was to prove far more interesting than expected. According to the introduction Lang had got at least one Indian police force to adopt the walking cane as a weapon. He claims the cane has more reach and provides a better defence than a truncheon but is handier and faster than a lathi.

            Lang does not give us any dimensions for the cane he uses, other than to tell us it is

 "An ordinary Malacca Can(e) or Ash Root Walking stick ...The weight of the stick should be such as can be manipulated comfortably by the individual’s wrist. Sacrifice weight to speed always, for remember, that man is an easily vulnerable animal and has many soft spots"

            The main method suggested for using the item is to grip it about six inches above the butt and strike with the head. To achieve this hold requires as change of grip from how a walking cane is usually held but this can easily be achieved. If the head is held in the left hand open the right hand and swing the butt up to meet the right palm. The stick is now held in both hands and can be used to parry, or either end used to thrust and strike. If the left hand is released the head can be used to strike as Lang instructs. If the right hand is released the butt end can be used to strike.

            While on the topic of canes I will mention AC Cunningham’s 1913 book. What is interesting is Cunningham’s use of a low guard. In medieval times the low guard was sometimes called the Iron gate since it protected the lower body so well. It was also called the fool’s guard since it was deceptive. While the upper body appears vulnerable the weapon is in a good position for many defensive and counter offensive moves. This is a particularly good guard for a walking stick. Firstly, it is easily adopted from how a walking stick will normally be held. Secondly the low position makes it harder for an attacker to grab at the stick.

            One of the advantages of the walking cane is that it is readily to hand. If you are attacked there is a good chance that you will not have time to draw a weapon before you have to defend against the first assault. You will only have your natural weapons and whatever is already in your hands to defend yourself. This is why the techniques in my book are important to know even if you wear a handgun all the time.

            The Indian police who adopted Lang’s techniques doubtless found that having a stick always in hand ready for instant action was very useful. If older movies are to be believed police would often walk the beat nightstick in hand. The lead character in Joseph Wambaugh’s novel and movie the Blue Knight gets his nickname of “bumper” from a routine he does with his nightstick to amuse children. The FBI Baton manual I posted a link to recently recommends the Short grip as suited to discretely keeping the weapon ready when interviewing a member of the public. The original Yawara manual advises that the Yawara stick can be kept in hand for the same reason. Modern cops seem to keep their batons on their belts, however, which must put them at a disadvantage in the first second or so of an unexpected assault.

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Horseman's Hammers

            The primary weapon of the medieval knight was the lance. Swords were worn by most knights, and like the lance had symbolic significance. On a more practical level, a sword could be worn on the belt or mounted on the saddle and rapidly drawn, making them useful back-up weapons. For many knights the sword was not their first choice of melee weapon, however. Widespread use of armour often required something harder hitting. One such weapon was the warhammer. Long handled hammers were used for foot combat both on the battlefield and in the tournament. The hammer was also well suited to mounted warfare, with the “Horseman’s Hammer” constituting a whole sub-class of weapon. Since it concentrates its force a hammer hits harder than a sword but can use a lighter head than an axe or mace. This allows the use of a longer haft, giving the horseman more reach. Many hammers were equipped with a backspike, beak or pick, increasing versatility. A blow with the point could penetrate armour, but did have the risk of the pick becoming stuck. A blow with the hammer poll had less risk of sticking but might still buckle the armour and damage the body beneath, or just knock the enemy from his saddle. Doubtless the pick/ backspike could be used to hook and pull an enemy on occasion.

 

            According to arms historian Cameron Stone the warhammer has been used by all nations that used armour, with the exception of the Japanese. He also observes it was a more popular weapon in the western world, where armour tended to be heavier, than in the east. The American Indians also found the hammer to be a useful cavalry weapon. Since they rarely encountered plate armour their version mounted a rugby ball shaped stone at the top of a wooden shaft. While short-handled versions of this weapon exist handles of up to 30” long seem to indicate this was the equivalent of a Horseman’s Hammer.

            The Victorian cavalryman suffered a long succession of poor quality swords and I was interested to read one after-skirmish report where the observer commented that the troopers would have done more damage if they had been armed with stout sticks. Perhaps if someone had taken this to its logical conclusion the Horseman’s hammer would have seen a renaissance!

            Interestingly, while searching for images for this blog I came across this picture of a Hungarian Hussar that seems to indicate hammers were used much later than I suspected. Since most armies copied the Hungarian Hussars it is surprising the hammer did not see wider use in later centuries.

         If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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