amyasleigh
Abominable Snowman
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2009
- Messages
- 813
The following (read of long ago, and long forgotten), was recalled to mind recently in correspondence with a friend who speaks Welsh, and has occasionally used that in foreign parts, to avoid awkward situations with importunate locals (pretence of totally-no-language-in-common).
Basically, I feel, a most unlikely tale; but one of the sort that though it probably isn't true, it ought to be.
Supposedly happend in 1940, at the time of the fall of France. Numerous members of a British Highland regiment were captured by the Germans, at some location in northern France; including a small bunch of guys whose birth-speech was Gaelic. In the interests of getting away if at all possible, from the first, these chaps baffled their captors as much as poss., by speaking only Gaelic, and making out that they spoke and understood no other language. The Germans had available, no interpreter of any kind, who could communicate with these Highlanders or had any idea what they were speaking -- they were totally puzzled. After a day or two, a German officer produced a map of Europe, showed it to our heroes, and by sign language, asked them to point out where on the map, they came from. They did some vehement verbal interaction in Gaelic; after which one of them indicated a point, as far to the north-east in Russia, as the map went -- to a chorus of Gaelic affirmatives, from his pals. The Germans, completely flummoxed, turned the Gaelic-speakers loose; and they ultimately managed to sneak across the Channel and back home.
Basically, I feel, a most unlikely tale; but one of the sort that though it probably isn't true, it ought to be.
Supposedly happend in 1940, at the time of the fall of France. Numerous members of a British Highland regiment were captured by the Germans, at some location in northern France; including a small bunch of guys whose birth-speech was Gaelic. In the interests of getting away if at all possible, from the first, these chaps baffled their captors as much as poss., by speaking only Gaelic, and making out that they spoke and understood no other language. The Germans had available, no interpreter of any kind, who could communicate with these Highlanders or had any idea what they were speaking -- they were totally puzzled. After a day or two, a German officer produced a map of Europe, showed it to our heroes, and by sign language, asked them to point out where on the map, they came from. They did some vehement verbal interaction in Gaelic; after which one of them indicated a point, as far to the north-east in Russia, as the map went -- to a chorus of Gaelic affirmatives, from his pals. The Germans, completely flummoxed, turned the Gaelic-speakers loose; and they ultimately managed to sneak across the Channel and back home.
