Who is this Roland Garros geezer anyway?

tiranova · Post by **tiranova** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 11:57 pm

OK so you probably think I'm a right fool for asking this, but I have to know!

Who is this Roland Garros geezer anyway? :rolleyes:

He even has a stadium named after him in Paris.

stephen T · Post by **stephen T** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 12:16 am

an old tennis player init?

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 12:23 am

Err... I heard from the PGAC that he was the guy who invented the mechanics on old fighter planes to be able to shoot bullets through propellers...

The tennis link is because Wimbledon or somewhere called a tennis court after him. Then Pug picked up the colour (green) frmo the tennis court...

Of course, I may be talking total bollocks... which wouldn't be unheard of!

gaia · Post by **gaia** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 12:44 am

From http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWgarros.htm

Roland Garros was born in France in 1882. An experienced pilot, Garros was the first Frenchman to cross the Mediterranean by air. On the outbreak of the First World War, Garros was sent to serve on the Western Front.

Garros realised that he would have more success in dogfights if he could find a way of firing a machine-gun through the propeller. Working with Raymond Saulnier, a French aircraft manufacturer, Garros, added deflector plates to the blades of the propeller of his Morane-Saulnier. These small wedges of toughened steel diverted the passage of those bullets which struck the blades.

Now able to use a forward-firing machine-gun, went out searching for his first victim. On 1st April 1915, Garros approached a German Albatros B II reconnaissance aircraft. The German pilot was surprised when Garros approached him head-on. The accepted air fighting strategy at the time was to take 'pot-shots' with a revolver or rifle. Instead Garros shot down the Albatros through his whirling propeller.

In the next two weeks Garros shot down four more enemy aircraft. However, the success was short-lived because on 18th April, a rifleman defending Courtrai railway station, managed to fracture the petrol pipe of the aircraft that Garros was flying. Garros was forced to land behind the German front-line and before he could set-fire to his machine it was captured by the Germans. After finding out about Garros' invention, German pilots began using these deflector plates on the blades of their propellers.

In 1918 Garros escaped from Germany and returned to active service on the Western Front. Roland Garros was shot down and killed at Vouziers on 5th October 1918.

RTF · Post by **RTF** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 2:17 am

Yes... that's quite correct i see :rolleyes:

(phew... i thought this 'geezer' was going to be banned or something

)

Actualy the story of the Roland Garros Geezer is avery unique one.
28 years ago a very special boy was born.
Reinier saw his first short skirted nurse on december 17th 1974.
If he had known then what he knows know he would have done something else then crying

He was raised in a small town in the south of the Netherlands. Just becoming more handsome, smarter, funnier and sexier by every day.
After he seduced his first (elementery) teacher to persuade her to make his last grade an A+ also, he went on and eventually he ended up in Amsterdam to 'study' over there.

After lots of heroic actions and adventures he escaped and went to live in Bergen op Zoom in the south of The Netherlands again.

In between work he played the final in the Frech Open Tennis Championship. his life was at many occasions compared with the less famous mr. Roland Garros. Generous as he was, he asked not to name the stadium after himself but to name it Roland Garros. The french girls now liked this modest Dutchman even more. His plan worked again.

Because of his polularity the french car manufacturer Peugeot asked if they could use his name for a special edition version of their cars.
Smart as he was he didn't want to see his name associated with squeaky things and he let the old French geezer take the rap for that again.
Of course he did get a special discount for it and that's why he's driving one now...

Well it's just in a nutshell of course, hope my publisher doesn't mind this little preview

CB · Post by CB » Tue Jun 17, 2003 6:42 am

hve you just let slip your real name RTF???

RTF · Post by **RTF** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 12:04 pm

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 1:21 pm

I had "discussion" about Roland Garos before and established that the Peugeot special additions are not named after the glamourous and heroic WWI fighter pilot bu after a tennis court. The badges on the cars have tennis raquets on them. What we don't know is why the french named the tennis court after the fighter ace (if at all?). Nor do we quite understand why peugoet chose this name for thier special additons. Can't quite seeing it work in the uk.......fancy a MG All england Lawn Tennis And Croquet Club ZR

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:48 pm

We just name them after golf tournaments! Like the Mini British Open Classic, with the full length sun roof (but not as full length as ours, naaah nah ne nah nah

)

tiranova · Post by **tiranova** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 11:32 pm

Very enlightening, thank you all

That dutch bloke is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO modest, isnt he?

tiranova · Post by **tiranova** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 11:33 pm

I had "discussion" about Roland Garos before and established that the Peugeot special additions are not named after the glamourous and heroic WWI fighter pilot bu after a tennis court. The badges on the cars have tennis raquets on them. What we don't know is why the french named the tennis court after the fighter ace (if at all?). Nor do we quite understand why peugoet chose this name for thier special additons. Can't quite seeing it work in the uk.......fancy a MG All england Lawn Tennis And Croquet Club ZR

Maybe RG was a tennis pro in his spare time, or even before the war??????

RTF · Post by **RTF** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 1:24 am

Very enlightening, thank you all

That dutch bloke is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO modest, isnt he?

Thank you Liz!
It's hard, but i'll try to be