For possibly the last time ever, I want to revive all those stupid rituals real pipe smokers took so much to heart and spoke of with such reverence. Now we rarely see, or even smell a pipe being smoked, I feel I must record the strange, ancient habits of the sailors of my day with… Continue reading Baccy
Month: January 2007
Pompey Barracks’ Lost Navy
When I arrived in Portsmouth barracks I found yet another illustration of the practical use of psychology, and while it was on a more lowly plane it was no less effective, it was the axiom of the ‘Messenger’. Those who wished to remain in barracks without let or hindrance, as the lawyers might say, fully… Continue reading Pompey Barracks’ Lost Navy
Pompey and Psychiatry
Pompey Barracks – Portsmouth. After leaving the ship, in due course I reached barracks in Portsmouth to await another draft. It was the first time I had been there to stay for more than a couple of days and I soon discovered it was a world of its own. Immediately on arrival in barracks everyone… Continue reading Pompey and Psychiatry
The Irish Condition A Near National Disaster
In the 40’s, you would have thought Ireland was nearer Australia than Britain for all the majority of the residents of Britain knew about the place and, I’m afraid, when I was dispatched there by the Navy in ’42, I fell squarely into that category too. In fact I knew more about France, which is… Continue reading The Irish Condition A Near National Disaster
The Highs and Horrors of a Motor-Home
To anyone thinking of buying a motor-home, I would suggest it is a better investment if one is retired, or if one’s employment allows protracted holidays. The two snags in shopping are that one has to tie everything down before setting out, and that, today, with height restrictions at parking sites, the motor-home has to… Continue reading The Highs and Horrors of a Motor-Home
The Building Site – Lessons Learned
Engineering Students were required to have a holiday job on a building site as training. I was taken on at a building site constructing houses, and involved in the supervision of the road and sewer contract, under the guidance of the Clerk of Works, whom I had run in with over the Orangemen. It was… Continue reading The Building Site – Lessons Learned
Are We Past The Pinnacle?
The gales and the damage that have occurred this week caused me to reflect on the past. It made me also realise that we have come a long way since I had to trim oil lamps and put shillings in the gas meter. The changes have not only been extreme but clearly detrimental in many… Continue reading Are We Past The Pinnacle?
How Schools Can Mould Character
I was on board a corvette in Belfast Harbour; while repairing a set and talking to the wireless operator, an officer stuck his head into the office and said “Williams…” and then he stopped. “I thought you were Williams, ” he said, “You sound just like him.” I smiled, he left and I got on… Continue reading How Schools Can Mould Character
Christian Science As I Found It
My Aunt became a Christian Scientist, influenced by an artist friend who lived in Manchester. She passed her ideas on to my mother and after a while my mother became a wishy-washy version herself, never quite at the heart of the movement, but reading a lot, which was a necessity, because Mrs Mary Baker-Eddy based… Continue reading Christian Science As I Found It
It All Started With A Fish Box
This was originally posted on 15th September last, I thought it might amuse some who had not read it. One day, in calm weather, the Petty Officers Messman appeared on deck and sat down to scrape a fish box. No one took any notice, but as the day progressed so did the fish box. He… Continue reading It All Started With A Fish Box