# Ronin question: "What color is the boathouse at Hereford?"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 20, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241 "2003-11-20T03:08:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/1 "2003-11-20T03:08:42Z")
In the DeNiro film _Ronin_ there’s a minor character at the beginning – forget his name – who claims to be British ex-military, from Hereford. DeNiro puts him on the spot by demanding, “What color is the boathouse at Hereford?” I assumed Hereford must be the location of a military academy – the British equivalent of West Point – but I did a search and apparently it’s just a town and there’s no academy there. WTF?
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### Author:  [@No\_Disguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Disguise)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/2 "2003-11-20T03:27:29Z")
DeNiro’s character asked that question as if he knew the answer to see how that person (who’s name I’ve forgotten as well) reeacted. He only did it to prove that the person hadn’t ever even been there, and was lying about being ex military. Wether or not there was a military academy there was inconsequential. DeNiro didn’t need to know anything about the place. The person being asked obviously didn’t know what he was talking about. That’s probably why your search turned up nothing.
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### Author:  [@Sinungaling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinungaling)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/3 "2003-11-20T04:40:00Z")
I thought Hereford was the place where the Special Air Service (SAS) trained, the unit that Sean Bean’s character claimed to be an ex-member of. I don’t know if there’s an actual boathouse there, but that question certainly put the faker on the spot.
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### Author:  [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/4 "2003-11-20T06:49:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sinungaling \*
> \*\*I thought Hereford was the place where the Special Air Service (SAS) trained, the unit that Sean Bean’s character claimed to be an ex-member of. I don’t know if there’s an actual boathouse there, but that question certainly put the faker on the spot. \*\*
That’s my understanding as well.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/5 "2003-11-20T13:25:57Z")
Thank you, [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/trivia):
> [@](#):
>
> Sean Bean claims to be an S.A.S. veteran based in Hereford… Hereford (on the England/Wales border) is the site of the S.A.S. regimental headquarters, known as Stirling Lines.
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### Author:  [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/6 "2003-11-21T08:44:37Z")
Well, what _is_ the color of the boathouse at Hereford?
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### Author:  [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/7 "2003-11-21T15:06:02Z")
To my knowledge there isn’t one - it was just a ploy (since the faker (Sean Bean) wouldn’t know either way).
in the words of an Ex-SAS mate (who we once asked this question of in the pub):
“If there was a f\*cking boathouse i never saw it.”
Also, if i remember correctly, De Niro pronounces “Hereford” Heeer-ford (two syllables). In actuality its more He-Re-Fud (three syllables).
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### Author:  [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/8 "2003-11-21T15:53:54Z")
Why, of course there is a boathouse at Hereford. Actually, there are two. Take a close look at the picture [in the top right corner of this link.](http://www.herefordrc.co.uk) The eights boathouse (looks like it’s brown and white) is on the left, the “old” boathouse, which is red, is on the right.
Don’t know if that’s the one Sean Bean was referring to, and frankly I doubt it. But there certainly is a boathouse in Hereford, if not at the SAS headquarters.
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### Author:  [@12thmanonthebalcony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/12thmanonthebalcony)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2022, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronin-question-what-color-is-the-boathouse-at-hereford/214241/9 "2022-08-25T02:54:41Z")
Don’t tell him Pike.