Post ASAJZ3Etyq4eTZ7n3g by equusasinus@mastodon.world
 (DIR) More posts by equusasinus@mastodon.world
 (DIR) Post #ASAJZ3Etyq4eTZ7n3g by equusasinus@mastodon.world
       2023-01-30T10:01:04Z
       
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       #donkeyoftheday 61:A book with the title “Lions Led by Donkeys” appeared in 1927, by Captain P.A.Thompson, but the phrase gained popular currency when re-used by military historian Alan Clark. Since his influential 1961 book “The Donkeys” it has been commonly used to caricature General Haigh and an incompetent British high command whose mistakes cost the lives of brave infantry soldiers in World War 1.That is not the origin of #lionsledbydonkeys however.Thread:  ⬇️ (1/4)#Asstodon
       
 (DIR) Post #ASAJZ3mvwJIQB72y6S by equusasinus@mastodon.world
       2023-01-30T10:02:48Z
       
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       But the origin of the phrase goes back to 1855 when The Daily Journal, an American newspaper, quoted a Russian source at the siege of Sebastapol describing their British enemies as “an army of lions led by donkeys”. A variation of this was then used in 1871 to describe the French troops defeated by the Prussians in the Paris siege.  #Asstodon #lionsledbydonkeys ⬇️ (2/4)
       
 (DIR) Post #ASAJZ4Yn4NZqZXRBhI by CitizenWald@historians.social
       2023-01-30T10:07:54Z
       
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       @equusasinus Thanks, very useful! (as I just mentioned this in class last week in the context of WWI)
       
 (DIR) Post #ASAJZ8NwqdHUR4OaLw by equusasinus@mastodon.world
       2023-01-30T10:06:55Z
       
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       In the anti-Brexit campaign, the imaginative protest group “Led By Donkeys” was formed to put up posters challenging the Brexiters and the Conservative lies about Brexit benefits. Now the whole British nation was characterised as #lionsledbydonkeys which is a very clever re-marketing of the motto.Get your book of Led By Donkeys posters: pigeonbooks.co.uk/products/led-by-donkeys#Asstodon #lionsledbydonkeys ⬇️ (3/4)
       
 (DIR) Post #ASAJyDBI9c6wY7Qw0u by equusasinus@mastodon.world
       2023-01-30T10:12:28Z
       
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       @CitizenWald Thanks.  Final post in the thread just added, updating the motto to it current status as a meme.