What’s the good of wearing braces? An interesting question, and one this post most definitely won’t answer 😜.

Along much of the Roman road we recently walked – a subject covered by Jeff in his recent post – woad plants were present.

I find the irony of this quite amusing – something stemming squarely from my time in the Scouts where we became familiar with “The National Anthem of the Ancient Britons”, also known as “Woad” or “The Woad Ode”. I suspect knowledge of this is likely geographically restricted to the U.K. Scouts, as it didn’t enter Jeff’s consciousness from his time in the New Zealand Scouts.

In said ode, anonymous ancient Brits attack the Romans for their attire, and big up the choice of woad as the better sartorial choice.

The takeaway from the anthem is that woad is very useful as a blue dye: the leaves and stems contain a bluish sap that can be extracted and used.

For those unfamiliar with the ode, read the following to the tune of “Men of Harlech”:

What’s the good of wearing braces,

Vests and pants and boots with laces,

Spats or hats you buy in places

Down in Brompton Road?

What’s the use of shirts of cotton,

Studs that always get forgotten?

These affairs are simply rotten:

Better far is woad.

Woad’s the stuff to show, men.

Woad to scare your foemen:

Boil it to a brilliant hue

And rub it on your back and your abdomen.

Ancient Briton ne’er did hit on

Anything as good as woad to fit on

Neck, or knees, or where you sit on.

Tailors, you be blowed.

Romans came across the Channel

All wrapped up in tin and flannel:

Half a pint of woad per man’ll

Dress us more than these.

Saxons, you can waste your stitches

Building beds for bugs in britches:

We have woad to clothe us, which is

Not a nest for fleas.

Romans keep your armours;

Saxons your pyjamas:

Hairy coats were meant for goats,

Gorillas, yaks, retriever dogs and llamas.

Tramp up Snowdon with our woad on:

Never mind if we get rained or blowed on.

Never want a button sewed on.

Go it, Ancient Bs.

William Hope-Jones

You can read more about the anthem at Wikipedia.