The stick thing has been said to have been originally for sword training, dont know if thats true or not, but I used to do a martial art called Escrima in which we fought with sticks and some of the movements are very like how we trained, we used a stick in each hand though, but I could see how music and drills go could go togeher for basic sword training.

Thanks Emily, I had never heard of the Black act, mind you, any way to disguise your face if you were seen poaching would have been a good idea.  A lot of it went on in this country as the class divide was and still is immense, the havs have a lot and those who dont do what they can. 

Never hear about that explosion you mention greg, could well have happened though as there are lots of mines in this area. Liverpool actually had some great buildings but now theres only really St Georges hall and the museums nearby, the rest was almost totally destroyed during the war with German bombing, thats why my family moved from there to the town close by where I live, they moved from Ireland, dublin and downpatrick to liverpool then when their house got blown up moved to were I was born and now live. Some good stuff in Liverpòol lots of tourists now, also in Manchester as well they actually have tourist tours now I find it quite amusing.

There was a series of tunnels dug under part of the city by an eccentric fellow at one time may have been a disaster with that, they are opening them to the public .