In his book ‘The English’, Jeremy Paxman mentions a 1940 article in the Daily Express reporting that a Mrs Betty Tylee and a Miss Jean Smithson approached a downed German pilot in Kent. They declined to shoot him but instead offered him a cup of tea.
Will You Shoot Me Now?
No, we don’t do that in England
said Mrs Betty Tylee
would you like a cup of tea?
Though one thing we do do
is put milk in first.
The military police
aren’t due until three
said Miss Jean Smithson
as she rummaged in
the biscuit tin.
Gosh, your Messerschmitt’s in
a bit of a mess.
Not to mention my garden
said Mrs Betty Tylee
unsmilingly.
Here’s a teaspoon.
Cheers.
Then she stabbed him with
her garden shears.