John Keel

2011-04-14T17:12:46Z

143.167.216.73:

{{Character Data
|title= John Keel
|photo=
|name=
|age=
|race= human
|occupation= Sergeant-at-Arms, [[Ankh-Morpork]] [[City Watch]]
|appearance= Wears an eyepatch
|residence= [[Ankh-Morpork]]
|death= Originally died on the barricades during the defense of the [[People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road]], however when S. Vimes travels back in time, Keel is mugged and killed before the revolution.
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=
|books=
|cameos=
}}
John Keel was a sergeant (possibly sergeant-at-arms) in the [[Ankh-Morpork City Watch]] during the last days of the reign of [[Winder|Lord Winder]]. Keel was a tough man, and an incorruptible copper. Upon his arrival in [[Ankh-Morpork]], he took a young [[Samuel Vimes|Sam Vimes]] under his wing and taught him how to be a watchman; according to Vimes, he learned from Keel that, to manage as a watchman, he had to stay alert, think for himself, and not worry about fighting dirty today if it meant that you would be available to fight again tomorrow.

However, in ''[[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]'', [[Samuel Vimes|Vimes]] and [[Carcer]] are sent back in time to the day Keel first came to town. Carcer joined with two other thugs and murdered Keel, who in the original timeline had overcome the two.

Keel had a large scar and a damaged eye from this attack, which, mysteriously, Vimes acquired after falling back in time (A fact that [[Lu-Tze]] speculated was evidence of the idea of the self-correcting history). Vimes assumed Keel's identity, and fulfilled his place in history, though slightly differently; while in the original history Keel's side lost the revolution and were killed in the fight, in the new history they won but 'Keel' was sentenced to death by [[Snapcase|Mad Lord Snapcase]] out of fear of what he might do in the long term after accomplishing so much in just a few days. The [[History Monks|Monks of Time]] ensure that both timelines fit back into the normal timeline, with some residuals from both remaining. As a result, Vimes was taught all he knew by both Keel and himself.

Throughout the Watch series, Vimes occasionally refers to his "old sergeant", whom we can assume is Keel.

Sergeant Keel's Watch number is 354 and was first seen worn by [[Samuel Vimes|Old Vimes]] on the hardback cover of ''[[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]'' and then on a charity pin sold in aid of the Alzheimer's Research Trust to celebrate the [[Glorious Revolution]] and worn by Terry Pratchett in his hat on BBC One's "The One Show"

According to Lady [[Roberta Meserole]], Keel was known in [[Pseudopolis]] (his former home) as "slow, thoughtful and sensible," adding that he has certainly seemed to have bloomed in Ankh-Morpork - not knowing, however, that who she knows as Keel is actually Vimes.

Keel's gravestone is in the [[Small Gods' Cemetery]], and is the second best-maintained of all the graves of the dead of the Glorious Revolution (The first being the grave of [[Reg Shoe]], who takes care of the maintenance of his resting place himself). Every 25th of May it is decorated with lilac and a hard-boiled egg.

[[Image:Egg.jpg]]

==Annotations==

On [[Roundworld]], there is also a ufologist called {{wp|John_Keel|John Keel}}, known as one of ufology's most original and controversial researchers. However, it's not an uncommon name so it can be doubted that TP is using him as a basis for the character.

A possible inspiration for the Vimes version of John Keel is Sir Robert Peel, founder of Scotland Yard. It because of him that UK police are called "Bobbies" and sometimes as "Peelers" in Ireland. Similarly police trained in Vimes's style, which he learned from John Keel, are called "[[Sammies]]". Peel is considered the father of modern policing. He developed the Peelian Principles which define the ethics of an effective police force. His most memorable principle was, "the police are the public, and the public are the police."

There is a great old marching song about a certain John '''P'''eel (1776-1854) of Cumbria, a passionate British huntsman who was immortalised by his friend John Woodcock Graves. The song is the regimental marching song of the {{wp|Border_Regiment|Border Regiment}} in which {{wp|George_MacDonald_Fraser|George MacDonald Fraser}}, one of Pratchett's favorite authors served. See his book ''Quartered Safe Out Here'' for more on this.

And a great march it is: click here [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Y6TlZ7uLk] to hear it.

:''D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay1?
:''D'ye ken John Peel at the break o' day?
:''D'ye ken John Peel when he's far, far a-way.
:''With his hounds and his horn in the morning?

Chorus

:''For the sound of his horn brought me from my bed,
:''And the cry of his hounds which he oftime led,
:''Peel's "View, Halloo!" could awaken the dead,
:''Or the fox from his lair in the morning.''

1 Some believe the end of this line to be 'grey', due to the colour of his coat made from local Herdwick wool.

[[Category:Discworld characters|Keel, John]]
[[Category:Human characters|Keel, John]]
[[de:John Keel]]

Blind Hugh

2011-04-13T22:40:58Z

143.167.216.73:

{{Character Data
|title= Blind Hugh
|photo=
|name= Blind Hugh
|age=
|race= Human

|occupation= Beggar
|appearance=

|residence= Ankh Morpork

|death=
|parents=
|relatives=
|children=
|marital status=

|books= {{COM}}
|cameos= {{J}}
}}

Blind Hugh is a beggar first encountered in {{COM}} as one of the first people to be aware of [[Twoflower]]'s arrival in [[Ankh-Morpork]] at [[Pearl Dock]] carrying a disconcertingly large amount of gold. Hugh's report, first to the [[Thieves' Guild]] and then to the [[Patrician]]'s intelligence service, is so full of detail that the suspicion grows that either his other four senses are working overtime to compensate for his lack of sight, or he might just be exaggerating his sensory disability just a teeny bit. (Then again, "Slightly Myopic Hugh" or "Not Quite Twenty-Twenty Vision Hugh" might not have the same sort of ring to fill the ol' begging bowl)

Blind Hugh could also refer to his impact on other's visual system, along the line of "Blind you!", which could be considered a pune, or play on words.

Hugh appears again in {{J}}, where [[Samuel Vimes]] is discussing with [[Carrot Ironfoundersson|Carrot]] as to which active street informants the Watch has who might be able to provide any leads as to the attempted assassination of Prince [[Khufurah]].

"Talk to... Blind Hugh-" 
"I'm afraid he passed away last month, sir" 
"Did he? No-one told me!" 
"I thought I sent you a memo, sir"

({{J}}, Corgi paperback, p107)

However, there appears to be a continuity error here, or perhaps an error not picked up in the editing process, as later in the book, temporary Patrician [[Ronald Rust]] has assembled assorted street beggars and informants, to find out what he can of the circumstances of [[Sir Samuel Vimes' First of Foot]] suddenly setting off for [[Klatch]].

"What did he take the boat ''for''?" asked [[Rust]]. 
"Dunno, m'lord" said Cumbling Michael, scratching his head. 
"Damn! Did anyone else see them?" 
"Oh, there weren't many people around, m'lord" 
"That's a small mercy, at least" 
"Just me and [[Foul Ole Ron]] and the [[The Duck Man|Duck Man]] and '''''[[Blind Hugh]]''''' and [[Ringo Eyebrows]] and [[No Way José]] and [[Sidney Lopsides]] and that bastard [[Grassy Gnoll|Stoolie]] and [[Whistling Dick]] and a few others, m'lord"

({{J}}, Corgi paperback, p220)

Either Carrot was misinformed (unlikely?), or Blind Hugh is a honorific Guild title passed on to deserving members on the demise of the current postholder, or Terry Pratchett's editor missed a continuity error (or Michael is just confused or he's blowing smoke in the direction of an obnoxious toff who isn't as sharp as Vetinari's dog, and probably isn't going to give him any money, either.) Or Cumbling Michael may, like so many Ankh-Morpork beggers, be a few old boots short of a barbecue.

Then again, the name ''Blind Hugh'' sounds as if it could be a pune or play on words on the name of the God ''[[Blind Io]]''. Just as Io is blind yet has lots of eyes, Hugh is blind yet somehow manages to miss nothing of significance going on around him. Perhaps his fellow beggars, sensing a scam of the "not as blind as he claims to be" variety, gave him this nickname in a spirit of dark irony...

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Pew Blind Pew] is also a character in Robert Lewis Stevenson's ''Treasure Island''.

[[Category:Discworld characters|Hugh,Blind]]
[[Category:Human characters|Hugh,Blind]]
[[de:Blinder Hugo]]

Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]

John Keel

Blind Hugh