Dan Richardson wrote -
Had BL&E been Englishmen I sure things would be different.G
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They sure would!

They would have been instructed (by their employers) to go back and
finish the job.
----
Reg.

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I am reminded of the military engineer who was dispatched by Napolion,
an engineer himself, in connection with standardisation of the Metre,
to measure the distance between the Earth's Equator and the North
Pole.

Measurements began, but the further the engineer departed from his
beautiful lady friend in Paris the more difficult it became to make
progress along the route. Eventually, he couldn't withstand the mental
and physical stress. He returned to her Parisian boudoir and resorted
to cooking the books in what time he had to spare.

So, the International Standard of Length, The Metre, held in Paris,
France, carefully guarded by the German occupying forces during WW2,
may or may not be equal to 39.37 English inches.

Actually, the most fundamental physical measurement standard is the
Mass of the Standard Kilogram on which everything else depends. But it
is quite an arbitrary quantity.

I have just finished a bottle of Blossom Hill, Californian, white
wine. Makes a pleasant change to arguing about what 'amateurs' BL&E
might, or might not have done before leaving the site.
----
Reg.