A soldier so strange, he was labeled “Mad Jack” | REACTION! 

If I remember my history correctly, ''Mad'' Jack Churchill is recorded as the last British soldier to get a confirmed kill with a longbow in combat.

look up Adrian Carton de Wiart He served in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War. He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; was blinded in his left eye; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor declined to amputate them. Describing his experiences in the First World War, he wrote, "Frankly, I had enjoyed the war."

Yeah, the Brits deserve eternal credit for their ability to troll the enemy. Edit: They have these people and they don't shout about it but when it goes down, they tend to pull one out of the bag.

People from other countries often wonder how our small country managed to have the biggest empire in history. Then they learn about people like Mad Jack Churchill and they begin to understand.

Proof positive that us Brits are just plain crazy. Eccentricity runs in our blood.

Someone "Hey Jack. Where are you going?" Jack - "I'm just off to win at life. Bye"

Mad Jack captured over 40 Germans using his sword

7:58 ‘You gotta have the skill and the talent to back up your insanity’ ... worthy of an entry entitled ‘Daniel’s Declaration’ in ‘The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations’.

You won't be expecting that. A bow and arrow and a broad sword.

SAS formed in Egypt thanks to David Stirling, Army Commando’s were formed in England thanks to Winston Churchill.

Mad Jack the last recorded kill with a Longbow in combat

He brought a bow an arrow and sword to a gun fight lol

Tell me you were born in the wrong century, without telling me you were born in the wrong century...... guy proceeds to charge into modern battle with medieval weapons......😅

Not just any bow, but a longbow.

He taught Rambo everything he knows.

Commandos weren't exactly a precursor to the SAS. However the SAS was created by a couple of Commando officers, Lt David Stirling and Lt Jock Lewes, who wanted to create a new highly elite unit and recruited only the absolute best guys in the commando units who themselves already had endured a rigious selection process.

I served in the uk during the late 80's to nearly 2000. Mad jack was legendary. Whilst serving, I met a guy who was albino in our company who was odd and we met as our regiments were combined - amalgamated ( Royal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire ) I was Wiltshire reg. previously Wessex regt. This guy was " out there", he seemed off but his stories were backed up by our major. This albino guy frightened the locals ( looking ghostly) and did scary sh!t by hooking up with Russians who sold their equipment, ( this was a European conflict) and he went rampaging with phosphorus grenades supplied by Russian soldiers against the Serbs........ the guy was unhinged ( not on drugs) but was off his tree..... and his stories may well come out ........ He had drinks bought for him all night. This is / was true Brit life. Not this homogeneous shite we see today. Although I never saw action, I met others that did. One who was my sergeant who took his life after coming home. It hit us hard. War is always rich folk sending the poor to fight their battles. RIP Douggie. Longmoor 94 was the best.

as a teen i was quite into archery as a hobby, there are many longbow competitions in England named after, in honour of or attempting to recreate some of the famous shots of mad jack. i never personally did any of them as i could never get the hang of a longbow (i shot recurve) but the story of mad jack is well known in archery circles. the first time i heard it as a teen i assumed the older members of the club were just playing a joke on me, untill i ended up finding a few books about him.

My uncle,who was a boy soldier in 1935, answered Winston Churchills call for commando units in 1940.He volunteered and passed Commando training and served with No5 Army Commando in the far east.

when people ask how G.B. conquered the world ..... we had people like this =/ ... kinda scary. big love to all people :)

Our little island really does produce a very high amount of successful eccentrics - British history is filled with them - and it really why the Empire came into existence. Crazy mavericks going out into the world, impressing the hell out of bemused locals and making it British (and it rarely had anything to do with the Government!)

I love to imagine you watching Mad Jack from a safe zone with your jaw dropped the whole time as he just does what he wants

If anyone asked what we mean by British spirit then Mad Jack sums it all up.

As someone Scottish born (ethnically Irish,) fuck yeah! bagpipes induce fanaticism! The Commandos were originally army (The Greatest Raid of All) but later became the standard training for Royal Marines. (There are still Army Commandos, for example all of the field artillery units assigned to the RM. I used to play airsoft with one of these guys and he was barely human in how he talked. (He said "Yomp" when he meant "Tab" and other baffling phrases. He once bit off a guys nose in the pub. Allegedly, it was for reasons but was never explained. Another (more human) airsoft team mate was a former Para but volunteered as a leader for Marine Cadets (and did so wearing the Green Beret.)

you need to check out Paddy Mayne next an original WW2 SAS officer nearly as mad as Jack!

Ahh Mad Jack, one of a trilogy of heroes of WW2 along with Adrian Carton de Wiart and Paddy Mayne.

For Sale: One Basket-Hilted Scottish Broadsword. One Yew Longbow, complete with Quiver and Arrows. One Full Set of Scottish Weapon of War Bagpipes, African blackwood, full silver, engraved and hall-marked. One used Kilt and Sporran. One well worn Leather Briefcase. (IYKYK) One pair of Military Grade Motorcycle Goggles. One Surf Longboard.

Bows and arrows don't need silencers and claymore swords don't need reloading.

A bow and arrow is silent, too.

His sword today resides at RAF Northolt. My mate is stationed there and has held it

The Severn bore isn’t a huge wave but it goes up river for many, many miles and they attempt to ride this wave every year.

It's funny that the only difference between insanity and genius is being good at something 😮

First of all thank you for your service good sir. Secondly thank you for another outstanding reaction video. I was secretly hoping that you would cover either Mad Jack Churchill, Mad Mike Calvert or the scariest Irishman of WW2 - Paddy Mayne in one of your reaction videos. And finally thank you for recognising warriors from both sides of the pond regardless of the flag they fought for.

Can't stop laughing 😂like you said they got to make a film about this man.

British during both ww1 and ww2 experimented with pygmy Battlions, the idea smaller people are less likely to be hit with anything and the stat's proved taller people was a easier target.

If you put yourself in the enemies' shoes; 1. Your expiration date is today haha class

Yup that's an eccentric Brit for you .... we love them. King Canute to answer an obsequious courtier had them take his throne down to the shore line and ordered the sea to halt. We liked that story enough that the story was carried through history so that every school child of my generation knew about him. Our books and films and television are full of British eccentrics.

This story never gets old

Hi Daniel, I thought you would find him interesting. For another try Blair "Paddy" Mayne, he helped create the S.A.S. but sadly died at only 40 Yrs old. You have choices of sites with videos long/short, (THE ULYSSES FILES - The SAS Soldier Terrorized Germans in WW2) 14 Mins 24 Secs, (LordAshcroftGallery - The Bravest Man Never To Have Been Awarded The VC) 11 Mins 27 Secs, ( EPIC WORLD WAR II - In The Footsteps Of Blair Mayne - The Most Decorated British Soldier During WWII) 58 Mins 44 Secs.

If you look into bullets and sand bags you will see that even in combat in 2024 crossbows are still a viable weapon

Someone else you should look up is the story of Anders Lassen, a Danish, British commando who served in the British, "Special Boat Service" (SBS).

No it isn't the sas, but the sas were formed by 3 officers who were in the commandos who were based in nth Africa under the command of Laycock and was known as layforce, they got the go ahead to recruit to form a new unit now known as the sas.

If you aren’t aware of him already you should look up Eddie Chapman, also known as Agent Zigzag. Incredible true story.

The person he escaped with from sachenhauen was a pilot called Bertrand James or Jimmy James. He was a survivor of the great escape from salag luft 3. I went to Jimmy's funeral in Shropshire

Original Ring Dinker! Longbow and a broad sword - legend!!

No, he had the bagpipes as a side-arm. The bagpipes are fully recognised throughout the UK as lethal weapons, and they should probably be banned by the Geneva Convention.

It was a Longbow, the 357 Magnum of the "bow and Arrow" world at the time .

I think you'd like to check out Adrian Carton de Wiart....great character.

Another truly insane military story is The Voyage Of The Damned, by Drachinifel. It's the story of how the Russian Navy nearly triggered WW1 10 years early, just through incompetence. It's got everything - Drugs, Snakes, The Kamchatka, Fishing fleets, Stupidity, Parrots, The Kamchatka, Fuel-Air Bombs, Chameleons, Every STD known to man (and probably a couple of unknown), Sharks, Genuine Insanity and, The Kamchatka. Well worth a view. Be sure to catch the second part too...

Mad Jack Chapman was effing brilliant in his choice of insanity. One of the many great generally unknown heroes of WWII. I still say Nic is better, and how dare you compare them, but this one's really good too. 🙂 Still waiting to see if Nic will cover Simo Hayha: The White Death. Apparently there is a character based incredibly strongly on Mad Jack in the 2024 movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which also includes a character based on real life British spy Ian Fleming who himself created fictional British spy James Bond. And Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

to be honest officers of the time carried a pistol/revolver and maybe a stick, so a longbow and a claymore were a MASSIVE upgrade. Plus Brits are a little eccentric

Love your stuff Daniel, like this channel very much,

there was also the Paratrooper who fought with an Umbrella Digby Tatham-Warter

I'm Pvt. Nobody with my Rifle and Bayonet and I see some Madman coming at me with a big Sword and screaming..... Sorry Lads I'm off.!!

Must admit would have liked to share a pint with guy

One of the things not mentioned is that several German soldiers were captured after Mad Jack’s bag pipes and broadsword storming of the beach. When asked why they didn’t shoot the guy literally marching up and down in front of them, playing the bagpipes, they answered “but he was obviously mad, we just didn’t know what to do about that”.

Man, you're getting through the best war stories here... hope you get to do THE BATTLE OF WAKE ISLAND, that's my favourite tale of American heroism from WW2.

I don't think there is a movie...largely because the plot would be too unbelievable.

Hi Daniel, Hope you and yours are well. You've only scratched the surface of Jack Churchill as the video you reacted to had famous sections of jacks exploits missing and inaccuracies. Jack was never in a Concentration Camp but a POW camp. The guy he escaped with was a famous escapee also, and when he escaped the second time it was due to a floodlight failure and he did all the miles escaping with a bust ankle. Skipped over the night he captured loads of Germans from going from trench to trench in the dark with his sword. Never wore a Kilt in WW2 as was with the Cambridgeshire Regiment and the Commando's ( Now the Royal Marines ) until his service with the Seaforth Highlanders in Palastine. Try Simon Whistler's video as it is more accurate and more factual. Still as always enjoyed your reaction and hope you do Paddy Mayne and Adrian Carton Wiart.

There was a commander (cant remember his name) who always went into battle with an umbrella. We are a bit mad in the UK

We might be a tiny nation but we have produced the greatest characters

What can I say, some of us Brits are just wired differently. 😂

I would consider bagpipes a weapon.

Winston Churchill actually had a brother called Jack which is probably why the Germans thought Jack was related to Winston.

Can you imagine him coming down on a parachute with his kilt around his face ?

Can't wait for Kirsty to see this one - kilt! 🤣

In wartime bagpipes are not so much a musical instrument as a terror weapon. Archery, if you are good enough, is very effective [Arrows are shot, or loosed, not "fired" (unless you mean 'fire arrows' used to set stuff burning)] I am assured that kilts are comfortable & practical. Keep Reacting!

He was named ‘mad jack’ because he put milk in the cup before the tea. Everyone knows it’s wrong. Tea is very important. Please correct.

The decline of people such as this existing seems intrinsically linked to the decline of our country

Your reaction to this awesome man is like all of us when we saw this for the first time🤣great job buddy✌️

lived in a village called spean brigde the highlands of scotland, the commando's would march to from the train station to inver garry(15 miles). I worked at spean hotel and the commando's we're absolute legends. The hotel was fully booked every year and they didn't pay

SAS Rogue Heroes is a great watch bbc true drama.. about how the SAS was formed

I had 5 uncles that went to war three army two navy all seen combat and all came back that's some luck

Been waiting for you to react to this!!! Not disappointed one bit!

Mrballen has great videos man

Two corrections, Churchill was not sent to concentration camps, but POW camps ... and he was certainly not averse to carrying a gun on occasion ... I'd love to see " The Fat Electrician " cover him ...

I was hoping you'd get to this one pal. Mad sums him up perfectly😂

The advantage of the long bow there is no bang making it very difficult to find where it came, not giving your position away.

Commandos were indeed precurser to SAS/SBS which was set up by commando Sterling but operated behind enemy lines starting in North Africa. Commandos are now the Royal Marines and their training ethos is no different from WW2, they can fight in any terrain, be it jungle, desert, snow/ice. In fact they train the US green beret in how to cope in snow terrain..

Great video, Mr Ballen does a good job, watch his channel on occasions. Everytime tho his name puts a smile on my face, just a bit of childish humor as a dutch speaker , its litterally-> Mr Balls 😂, MrNuts,MrTesties,...

Ur choice of content is always great . I've never liked and commented on someone's channel as much as urs keep up the good work Colin UK

You love him as a granddad..

Blair 'Paddy' Mayne is another mad SAS Commander

I wonder if Mad Jack was the inspiration for Marvel's Hawkeye? 🤔

May I suggest finding some information on Albert Jacka A.I.F.

Mad Jack Churchill - Superhuman and legend.

If you haven't already done so check out Douglas Bader

Although the army no longer has Commando units, the Royal Marines do, every Royal Marine is Commando trained, they are known by a number, e.g. 42 Commando or 45 Commando. one of them is a support unit for the Royal Navy's special forces unit, the Special Boat Service, most SBS personnel are recruited from the Royal Marines, and are on the level of Seal Team 6.

The fat electrician was better

They were PoW camps and not concentration camps, apart from that, all true

I recall reading about a British officer who only wore tailored army uniforms and once charged at the enemy wearing a silk cravat and was armed with a rolled up copy of vogue magazine.😂

Cool video. Try Count Dankula madlads on Charles Upham.

If it wasn't for people like him we'd all still be living in caves in South Africa, what a guy! There's a brilliant 3 part documentary about the formation of the SAS in North Africa during WW2 called 'SAS: Rogue Warriors', not to be confused with a dramatisation of the same story called 'SAS: Rogue Heroes' and they had their own version of Mad Jack called Paddy Mayne who was a borderline psychopath, the SAS documentary is superb.

Do bagpipes induce adrenalin? While you are charging the enemy at full tilt it does!

He carried an English longbow deadly up too 400 yard's

Check out Douglas Bader another crazy Second World Warrior!

MAD JACK as the Americans would say BAD ASS . We all need a mad jack in conflict . The emeny must have shit bricks when they saw him , great content luv the channel Colin UK

So there you have it America always going on about your superior guns well there it is literally a Brit showing up to a gun fight with a knife !

The arrow was just the ranged weapon, if he got within 5 feet of you... he'd cut you in half!

Problem is his real life is so obsurd that if it was made a movie nobody would believe it.