The man who Knew too much SA2 Notes

Notes for SA-II

The Man Who Knew Too Much

1. Character sketch of Private Quelch.

-Dedicated, committed and focused man.

-set his heart on becoming an army officer and getting a stripe and he left no stones unturned to achieve his goal.

- Borrowed the training manual and read it thoroughly, even staying late into night

-keen to acquit himself with all the aspects of army and would badger his instructor with all sorts of questions.

- Never tired or exhausted during marches

- Not popular because of his attitude of showing off and behaving ain a condescending manner.

- If anyone made any mistake he corrected them publically unmindful of their feelings.

-he offended corporal and sergeant (refer the text for the incident).

2. Private Quelch though knew too much could not win the admiration of his superior officers and colleagues. Why?

-Correcting colleagues publically

- If any one shown at his work, he outshone them.

- Always tried to patronise them.

- showed off his knowledge

Private Quelch’s knowledge :

About muzzle velocity:

Once a Sergeant was describing the mechanism of a service rifle, “The muzzle velocity or speed at which the bullet leaves the rifle is well over two thousand feet per second.” On this, The Professor interrupted and corrected the Sergeant, “Two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second.”

After a thirty mile walk:

 The Professor used to drill with enthusiasm and was miraculously never tired after route marches and used to infuriate all with his horrible heartiness. Afterwards, he would say, “What about a song, chaps?” This was not greeted by anybody after a walk of thirty miles.

His salute on payday:

 The professor flashed a model to behold at the pay table. Always tireless, like a Guardsman, he would march and raise his skinny arms and flash a perfect salute whenever an officer was around.

The loud sound of a high flying invisible aeroplane:

The soldiers used to pride themselves on aircraft recognition. Once, while all were out for a walk, they heard the drone of a plane flying overhead. The sun was glaring and none of them could see the plane. But The Professor didn’t need even a sight of the plane and announced, “That of course, is a North American Harvard Trainer. It can be unmistakably identified by the harsh engine note, due to the high tip speed of the airscrew.” The rest felt like louts and felt out of place with Private Quelch.of peeling potatoes” wasted the vitamin values of the vegetable. The narrator and his friend heard and fled.

About hand grenades:

 One afternoon Corporal Turnbull was taking a session on hand grenades. The Corporal began by telling about how the outside of a grenade is divided up into a large number of fragments to assist segmentation. However, The Professor interrupted by pointing out with the exact number of fragments, which was 44, and went on suggesting that Corporal should have started his lecture by first explaining the five characteristics of the grenade. In reaction the Corporal let Quelch take the lecture. After The Professor was through and all had fallen in, Corporal Turnbull assigned Private Quelch, the permanent cookhouse duties. Of course, it was a joke for days afterwards; a joke and joy to talents.

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During cook house duties:

One day while the narrator and his friend were returning from the canteen to the hall. They saw three cooks through the open door and they heard The Professor criticising the method of peeling potatoes. He was telling the other two cooks that their “abominably unscientific and unhygienic method