" Yes, a good swipe at head height would kill . . . some mother's son, some sister's brother, some lad who'd followed the drum for a shilling and his first new suit. If only he'd been trained, if only she'd had a few weeks stabbing straw men until she could believe that all men were made of straw. "

― Terry Pratchett , Monstrous Regiment (Discworld, #31; Industrial Revolution, #3)