A Way out of Walsall - D. Brian Plummer (1985)

[shovel leaner 7,648]

15 hours ago, Greyman said:

Plummer was a puppy farmer that did good self advertising, I went to that chicken farm years ago, it was rows of ex racing greyhounds and a handful of farmyard type collies just churning out pups, my mate wanted a pup so 3 of us in a £50 Mk1 escort van took a 240 mile round trip, the dog was related to one of the dogs in his book allegedly and cost a premium, it was rubbish next to my £2.50 dogs home special

Sounds more like Dave Hancock’s place , I went there once , what a shit hole . I think it used to be a plant nursery. Like you said rows of ex racers and a few collies . I didn’t leave with a pup . 

[Greb147 6,808]

19 minutes ago, low plains drifter said:

Utter the word sit

Dog still isn't listening. 

[low plains drifter 9,728]

37 minutes ago, Greb147 said:

Dog still isn't listening. 

The fly in the ointment

[shovel leaner 7,648]

On reading the original post , my first instinct was to poke a bit of fun or mock any notion of his boxing prowess. Anyone who steps in the ring and gets paid is a “professional “ . The fair used to turn up in Gloucester in August and Taylor’s boxing booth was a great draw . Anyone who fancied a go could get in and pick up the purse . A mate of mine who was a good amateur boxer , wouldn’t get in because he would lose his amateur status. 
           My feeling is that Plummer probably supplemented his income in such a way . There would be no record of such fights, but he could claim to be professional I suppose. 
          As a youngster I read all his stuff and enjoyed doing so . I’m looking at my bookshelf now and his books are there among, Chapman , Darcy , Harcombe , Frain and other sporting authors. If I thought them worthless I would get rid of them , but they are like old friends. His words entertained me at a time when there was no internet or YouTube. Anyone with any sense has a bullshit filter . You take what you like from an authors work . If you don’t like what is written, just close the pages and put it back.  I know now that he was a strange sort of bloke , an eccentric and a loner . I think he was a bit of a big head , know all know f**k all type . But here we are discussing him , years after his death . I wonder how many of us will be being discussed years after our passing ? For  my part , I give it a week and it will be like I was never here. Also he isn’t here to defend himself, he left us with a breed of terrier and countless publications and fuel for a lot more threads , not bad for a life’s work.

[king 11,687]

8 hours ago, W. Katchum said:

No not just him but he played a big part in keeping me keen, growing up in a big city reading his books gave me summat to do an kept the interest in field sports alive inside me, my family were into it but as a lad in a poor’ish family the adults were far too busy to have us follow them everywhere like a lot us do. Plummer wasn’t the only one  i read anything I could get my hands on when not chasing anything that moved  

 

when I was following the older lads hunting( some who use this site) or down library or book shop, a lot my pals were out following other older lads theiving, taking a an selling drugs. I bet I wasn’t Only council estate kid reading him at every chance

Fair play mate..you took the right direction no doubt about that..the fire was ignited no turning back then

[Greb147 6,808]

Speaking of authors, just read that Colonel David Hancock has died. 

[Greb147 6,808]

1 hour ago, low plains drifter said:

The fly in the ointment

The hair in the soup. 

[Nicepix 5,650]

13 hours ago, Ken's Deputy said:

I was there.

However, I wasn't around in the Dickensian 1800's, so I can't vouch for the veracity; I only know that " Nathan " is one of the best novels I've ever read. I still hold by that. Naive or not.

" Tales Of A Rat Hunting Man " What have You ever come out with, to get anywhere near as hilarious as the vision of a nun saying, in a Bridget Bardot voice; " I like my man to smell of long dead cod. "

No. 'Sorry'. The man was a kunt, as a person. Damn few would dispute that. A pathological liar? Indisputably. What 'his' terriers are like? I neither know nor care. As with so much else about the guy; Nothing to do with me.

But I, along with practically anyone else on here over the age of forty, Loved reading his books. And there can be no going back and changing that truth now.

There was no internet then. Remember? We'd walk round to a mates place and knock his door. Sit in his living room, looking him in the eye, chatting.

We were proud of our libraries of hardback books. By Niall, Jeffries, Carnegie, Bateman, Herber - Percy, and, yes, Plummer.

Now? It's the done thing to vilify the guy harder than the last man. Displaying hatred of Plummer has become an internet trope.

'He was a kunt!'. Glad you're not one then. 'He was an inveterate liar!'. Am I to take Your word for that? 'His books were bollocks!'. Then please direct me to your own publications, that I might compare.

 

I don't get this "You can only criticise if you've done better" suggestion. Does that go for everything or just your heroes?

Plummer was a man of his time. An educated man in an uneducated world. That made him unique. Look at all the books written on field sports before him and it was all salmon fishing and fox hunting written by toffs and retired First Sea Lords none of who went ratting. Back then, to get published, you had to submit a manuscript typed justified and double spaced. For 20,000 words you'd be looking at a hundred pages. And when it came back with all the editor's changes and corrections it would be another 100 pages of typing. All those lads who could tell a tale in the beater's van or out rabbiting hadn't the education or resources to submit a manuscript for publication. Unless you were already famous like Jack Charlton, Jack Hargreaves or had been in a TV program like Kenzie Thorpe publishers wouldn't entertain a manuscript that hadn't been proof read and professionally typed. That is where Plummer had the advantage in that he or people he knew could type up a proof read manuscript. Writers got around 7% of the RRP of a book so 3,000 copies at a tenner each made the writer just over £200. Not enough to employ a typist let alone a proof reader. £200 less paper and ink and recorded delivery postage of a heavy parcel for around 4 week's work. That is why he had the field to himself until TV companies paid stars like Charlton and Hargreaves to make programs and follow on books.

The stuff he published was unique. That is why he sold so many. Today anyone can self publish on Amazon or stick a youtube video up and only the best survive. He wouldn't have lasted two weeks today. 

[tatsblisters 8,414]

21 hours ago, Greb147 said:

No, checked Darkey Rodgers as well. 

Their was an Henry Rodgers who was a deputy at Kilnhurst pit who dug the last badger's out of Listerdale woods with Plummer when he was a school teacher in Rotherham.

[shovel leaner 7,648]

30 minutes ago, Nicepix said:

I don't get this "You can only criticise if you've done better" suggestion. Does that go for everything or just your heroes?

Plummer was a man of his time. An educated man in an uneducated world. That made him unique. Look at all the books written on field sports before him and it was all salmon fishing and fox hunting written by toffs and retired First Sea Lords none of who went ratting. Back then, to get published, you had to submit a manuscript typed justified and double spaced. For 20,000 words you'd be looking at a hundred pages. And when it came back with all the editor's changes and corrections it would be another 100 pages of typing. All those lads who could tell a tale in the beater's van or out rabbiting hadn't the education or resources to submit a manuscript for publication. Unless you were already famous like Jack Charlton, Jack Hargreaves or had been in a TV program like Kenzie Thorpe publishers wouldn't entertain a manuscript that hadn't been proof read and professionally typed. That is where Plummer had the advantage in that he or people he knew could type up a proof read manuscript. Writers got around 7% of the RRP of a book so 3,000 copies at a tenner each made the writer just over £200. Not enough to employ a typist let alone a proof reader. £200 less paper and ink and recorded delivery postage of a heavy parcel for around 4 week's work. That is why he had the field to himself until TV companies paid stars like Charlton and Hargreaves to make programs and follow on books.

The stuff he published was unique. That is why he sold so many. Today anyone can self publish on Amazon or stick a youtube video up and only the best survive. He wouldn't have lasted two weeks today. 

Exactly that , he was of his time . The same could be said of Jesus . What would be made of him in today’s age of Social media? “He’s not the Messiah  , he’s  a very naughty boy “! 

[sambo123 591]

We've all heard the Plummer slagging match a million times...

 

Does anyone have acess to 'A way out of Walsall' ?

Thanks....

Sam.

 

[sambo123 591]

2 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

On reading the original post , my first instinct was to poke a bit of fun or mock any notion of his boxing prowess. Anyone who steps in the ring and gets paid is a “professional “ . The fair used to turn up in Gloucester in August and Taylor’s boxing booth was a great draw . Anyone who fancied a go could get in and pick up the purse . A mate of mine who was a good amateur boxer , wouldn’t get in because he would lose his amateur status. 
           My feeling is that Plummer probably supplemented his income in such a way . There would be no record of such fights, but he could claim to be professional I suppose. 
          As a youngster I read all his stuff and enjoyed doing so . I’m looking at my bookshelf now and his books are there among, Chapman , Darcy , Harcombe , Frain and other sporting authors. If I thought them worthless I would get rid of them , but they are like old friends. His words entertained me at a time when there was no internet or YouTube. Anyone with any sense has a bullshit filter . You take what you like from an authors work . If you don’t like what is written, just close the pages and put it back.  I know now that he was a strange sort of bloke , an eccentric and a loner . I think he was a bit of a big head , know all know f**k all type . But here we are discussing him , years after his death . I wonder how many of us will be being discussed years after our passing ? For  my part , I give it a week and it will be like I was never here. Also he isn’t here to defend himself, he left us with a breed of terrier and countless publications and fuel for a lot more threads , not bad for a life’s work.

Exactly. I now understand what he was but he will always fascinate me. 

Sam.

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

1 hour ago, Nicepix said:

I don't get this "You can only criticise if you've done better" suggestion. Does that go for everything or just your heroes?

Plummer was a man of his time. An educated man in an uneducated world. That made him unique. Look at all the books written on field sports before him and it was all salmon fishing and fox hunting written by toffs and retired First Sea Lords none of who went ratting. Back then, to get published, you had to submit a manuscript typed justified and double spaced. For 20,000 words you'd be looking at a hundred pages. And when it came back with all the editor's changes and corrections it would be another 100 pages of typing. All those lads who could tell a tale in the beater's van or out rabbiting hadn't the education or resources to submit a manuscript for publication. Unless you were already famous like Jack Charlton, Jack Hargreaves or had been in a TV program like Kenzie Thorpe publishers wouldn't entertain a manuscript that hadn't been proof read and professionally typed. That is where Plummer had the advantage in that he or people he knew could type up a proof read manuscript. Writers got around 7% of the RRP of a book so 3,000 copies at a tenner each made the writer just over £200. Not enough to employ a typist let alone a proof reader. £200 less paper and ink and recorded delivery postage of a heavy parcel for around 4 week's work. That is why he had the field to himself until TV companies paid stars like Charlton and Hargreaves to make programs and follow on books.

The stuff he published was unique. That is why he sold so many. Today anyone can self publish on Amazon or stick a youtube video up and only the best survive. He wouldn't have lasted two weeks today. 

Sorry, mate; You lost me at " Heroes " ...

[sambo123 591]

59 minutes ago, tatsblisters said:

Their was an Henry Rodgers who was a deputy at Kilnhurst pit who dug the last badger's out of Listerdale woods with Plummer when he was a school teacher in Rotherham.

I've walked those woods a few times. Interesting.

[sambo123 591]

1 hour ago, tatsblisters said:

Their was an Henry Rodgers who was a deputy at Kilnhurst pit who dug the last badger's out of Listerdale woods with Plummer when he was a school teacher in Rotherham.

Do you know what school Plummer taught at?

Sam