Random general knowledge quiz

[wellinghall]

1. Who was the father of Stephanie Flanders (of the BBC)? Michael Flanders (of Flanders and Swann) - camillofan

2. And who was the father of Sarah Smith (of Channel 4)? John Smith (Labour party) - parrot_knight

3. Where did the Duke of Dunstable live? Wiltshire (PG Wodehouse) - segh

4. And which gentlemen's club was on Dover Street? Drones (PG Wodehouse) - camillofan

5. Which major military action resulted in the greatest loss of life for the British Army, as a proportion of those starting out? The Retreat from Kabul (aka The Massacre of Elphinstone's Army); 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers set out; one man made it back - the_marquis

6. And which was the bloodiest battle on British soil? The Battle of Towton (during the Wars of the Roses); about 28,000 dead; around 78,000 took part; roughly 1% of the population of England was killed in the battle - gurthaew

7. In which year was eBay set up? 1995 - apadamek

8. Which street in London would you go to for a bespoke suit? Saville Row - gramarye1971

9. And for a handmade shirt? Jermyn Street - gramarye1971

10. Which country threatened to invade British Honduras in 1972? Guatamela (as told in the book Phoenix Squadron) - parrot_knight

Comments

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

11. Do I care?

/chuckling in a friendly manner

[krakenwakes.livejournal.com]

1. No clue, but she can analyze my rising interest in fiscal stimulus any time. WOOF WOOF!

[gurthaew.livejournal.com]

1) Who her?
2) Who her??
3) Not sure, real or fictional?
4) There are several.
5) A guess - Charge of the light brigade?
6) Towton.
7) See Wikipedia...
8) Saville Row.
9) I have no idea!
10) Where I was in November/December 2009.

OK - how did I do?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

6 yes, 8 yes.

[gramarye1971]

For 8 and 9, Savile Row and Jermyn Street, respectively. ^_^ I spent a pleasant half-hour wandering down Jermyn Street when I was in London in December, window-shopping with only mild twinges of envy.

Incidentally, the Japanese word for a man's (Western) business suit, seburo, is said to be a corruption of 'Savile Row'. (Or at least that's one etymological origin.)

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

Those are the only two I knew!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

8 yes, 9 yes, and I'd heard that :-)

[camillofan.livejournal.com]

Not familiar with Stephanie of the BBC, but the answer to #1 must be Michael Flanders.

As for #4, there are probably more than one, but I'll be disappointed if you don't mean the Drones Club.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

1 yes, 4 yes.

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

1. Who was the father of Stephanie Flanders (of the BBC)?

Michael Flanders

2. And who was the father of Sarah Smith (of Channel 4)?

John Smith

3. Where did the Duke of Dunstable live?

pass

4. And which gentlemen's club was on Dover Street?

Drones

5. Which major military action resulted in the greatest loss of life for the British Army, as a proportion of those starting out?

Battle of the Somme

6. And which was the bloodiest battle on British soil?

Naseby

7. In which year was eBay set up?

1999

8. Which street in London would you go to for a bespoke suit?

Savile Row

9. And for a handmade shirt?

pass

10. Which country threatened to invade British Honduras in 1972?

Guatemala

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10 yes.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, I suddenly feel very stupid! I'm guessing that the War of the Roses has something to do with no. 6 and the Charge of the Light Brigade no. 5. Saville Row must be one of the tailoring answers but other than that, I'm stumped!

[firin.livejournal.com]

Yeah...so...pass. To all.

[segh.livejournal.com]

3. His Grace resides in Wiltshire, when he is not billeting himself on his unfortunate acquaintances.
(I knew 4, 8 and 9 too, but they've already been answered.)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

3 yes.

[apademek.livejournal.com]

5. Battle of Waterloo?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

*shakes head*

[apademek.livejournal.com]

7. 1995

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed.

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

Is 5 Anzio?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Nope.

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

Operation Goodwood?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Nope. I'll post the answers this evening (if I can find the book with the full details in).

[segh.livejournal.com]

G thinks 5 might be Gallipoli.
I think 7 might be 2000.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

*shakes head*

[tigerfort.livejournal.com]

Depending on your definitions, I suppose I could offer WW1 for number five. After all, total casualties were a rather large multiple of the size of the British Army starting out....

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I do see what you mean, but it's not the answer I was looking for.

[tigerfort.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was, but I had no idea what the actual answer was :)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

See the hint on my other post ...