One of the joys of dining out is the Tall Kid having our undivided attention and entertaining us with the random bits of of trivia and knowledge that lurk in his mind. And I’ll share some of them with you…

“Hey mom, did you know there was an English soldier who fought in World War II with a longbow and a claymore? Oh, and while carrying bagpipes?”

Meet Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming “Jack” Churchill, a bad-ass with a confirmed kill by longbow in the Second World War.

A few highlights?

* He had no idea what Commando Duty meant, but he signed up because it sounded dangerous.

* After escaping a concentration camp, he walked all the way to Italy to hook up with the Allies so he could fight some more.

* He led the charge into battle with his sword.

Did you see him over there on the far right? You can see the glint of the claymore.

* When the war ended, he reportedly said: “If it wasn’t for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!”

If I wrote a romance set in World War II and the hero was based on Mad Jack Churchill, readers would probably roll their eyes and toss the book. But he was real! You should click on his name, which is a link to Wikipedia, and read the page because it’s fascinating reading (bagpipes and hand grenades!). And because everybody should know about Fighting Jack Churchill.