Jack Churchill - Badass of the Month - October 2009

**Craigypooh** · Posted On: 10/20/2009 4:53pm

Originally Posted by SBG-ape

Captain Jack is certainly a badass, but I have to say something about: "arguably the UK's Badass of All Time".

The arguably makes that comment reasonable, Jack Churchill would certainly be in the running, but greatest English badass would have to go to William Marshal. That man did so many badass things that he'd probably need 2 months to do him justice.

Clive of India easily beats both.

He was sent to India at the age of 18 and ended up owning the place. He was the man responsible for the Britain getting an empire and providing us with sufficient wealth to start the industrial revolution.

But the most badass story:

Clive was involved in a card game and spotted one of the other players cheating. A duel ensued - Clive fired first but missed - his opponent put a gun to Clive's head and said "Withdraw or I fire", Clive's response: "Fire and be damned, I say you cheated and say so still. I'll never pay you". His opponent was so stunned by this response he dropped his gun and walked away.

**dwkfym** · Posted On: 10/20/2009 5:19pm

Its badass that he missed, after shooting someone over a card game?

**Father Dagon** · Posted On: 10/20/2009 7:12pm

Originally Posted by Craigypooh

Clive of India easily beats both.

He was sent to India at the age of 18 and ended up owning the place. He was the man responsible for the Britain getting an empire and providing us with sufficient wealth to start the industrial revolution.

Really? France had more natural resources so the industrial revolution should've started there. But it didn't because the state had too many industrial policies etc.

**jkdbuck76** · Posted On: 10/20/2009 8:24pm

That's some good badassery, there. Some other military bad asses that come to mind are Sgt York, Audie Murphy and Andrew Jackson (who was one crazy-ass mofo).
Then there's Shaka Zulu, G. Khan and whoever freed Lebell's town from the Germans in the 1940's.

Good write up on Mad Jack, Phrost. I wonder what those Germans thought when they saw some guy with pipes and a Claymore coming at them?

**zeropwr** · Posted On: 10/20/2009 9:00pm

andrew jackson was hardcore bad ass for sure

**Craigypooh** · Posted On: 10/21/2009 1:32am

Originally Posted by dwkfym

Its badass that he missed, after shooting someone over a card game?

No - it's badass that he refused to back down on his principles even with a gun to his head.

You see with most people if they spot someone stealing money from them by cheating in a card game will refuse to pay. Most people will pay up, however, once there's a gun pointed at their head.

**Craigypooh** · Posted On: 10/21/2009 1:33am

Originally Posted by Father Dagon

Really? France had more natural resources so the industrial revolution should've started there. But it didn't because the state had too many industrial policies etc.

More natural resources than India?

**Lebell** · Posted On: 10/21/2009 4:08am

Originally Posted by jkdbuck76

Then there's Shaka Zulu, G. Khan and whoever freed Lebell's town from the Germans in the 1940's.

My town wasn't freed by any allies.
It was still under control of the wehrmacht until the official capitulation.

**Tom Kagan** · Posted On: 10/21/2009 4:13am

Originally Posted by mrblackmagic

One of his anecdotes involved a Claymore. Either he is the only person to have a confirmed kill in WWII with a Claymore or he took that one nazi officer hostage with a Claymore. I forget which.

I'm not sure which Claymore would be more badass: The sword, the decommissioned WWI destroyer, or the antipersonnel mine which hadn't been invented yet.

**Sophist** · Posted On: 10/21/2009 6:47am

Originally Posted by Craigypooh

Clive of India easily beats both.

He was sent to India at the age of 18 and ended up owning the place. He was the man responsible for the Britain getting an empire and providing us with sufficient wealth to start the industrial revolution.

But the most badass story:

Clive was involved in a card game and spotted one of the other players cheating. A duel ensued - Clive fired first but missed - his opponent put a gun to Clive's head and said "Withdraw or I fire", Clive's response: "Fire and be damned, I say you cheated and say so still. I'll never pay you". His opponent was so stunned by this response he dropped his gun and walked away.

Clive was generally badass more in the Alexander the Great line though.

He held Arcot with three hundred men against ten thousand, having taken it in a howling storm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arcot

He won at Plassey with Machiavellian scheming; facing fifty thousand men with only three thousand, he bribed some of the disgruntled subordinates of his opponent's forces, who were convinced not to participate in the battle. Still greatly outnumbered, he carried the day largely thanks to better disciplined artillery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey

Clive was a conniving bastard, but he was also a fantastically ballsy and competent general.