I believe that the Service was suspended in the aspic of time, almost ever since the days of Nelson – until the war, with the sudden alterations in thought and deed which that emergency and the introduction of civilians forced upon it. In turn the Nelson syndrome was thrust upon us at every opportunity by… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, The Charade of Defaulters
Month: July 2007
Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Fishcake McKay
In the sailor’s induction course we were taught to handle a whaler, a thirty-foot, double-ended, clinker-built life-boat,. We rowed in unison with cries like ‘Give way together’. Our instructions were laced with colourful language by, the Coxswain, or ‘Chief’, and there was swearing in the body of the boat as the blisters began to build.… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Fishcake McKay
Random Thoughts 17, Judcial Correction Urgently Needed
With people in such dire straits, up and down the country, with their houses and their lives in disarray as a result of the flooding, it seems ludicrous to write what I propose, but it is nonetheless, in my view fairly important. During this past week there was a programme on television which I did… Continue reading Random Thoughts 17, Judcial Correction Urgently Needed
Targets, the labour Spur to a better Britain
The introduction of targets by Tony Blair was, I believe an insult to the intelligence of the nation. We all have targets, some are very simple like mowing the lawn, which we allow ourselves to put off if we have a good enough excuse. In business, five-year rolling plans and some other targets have been… Continue reading Targets, the labour Spur to a better Britain
Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order,It Had To Rear Its Head Sometime
If you have led a sheltered life, in a house full of women, the services will soon change all that. You soon become aware of life as it is lived. My first brush was when we had come in from convoy and repairs had to be carried out to the relief of us all –… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order,It Had To Rear Its Head Sometime
Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order,The First Boiler Clean and Kissing
At intervals the Hunt destroyer had to go into dock to have the boiler tubes cleaned as they became choked with salts from the water used to make steam. Part of the crew not on watch was allowed on leave for the four days it took. I decided to go London to see my Mother… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order,The First Boiler Clean and Kissing
Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, In Praise of a lost Art
The making of a ‘Prick’ of tobacco. The ration was supplied in leaf form, as the name implied, with stalks and all, and I intended to turn this mass of dried cabbage into a plug of tobacco, which could challenge any in a tobacconists shop. Just writing that has made me realise there are few… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, In Praise of a lost Art
Royal Navy 1941 to 46 in order,Baccy.
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 respect to ‘baccy’, some perhaps, long… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to 46 in order,Baccy.
Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Naval Rum, Part 3 of 3
It All Started With A Fish Box 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 shaped the sides, added supports to the bottom, made a hinged towing… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Naval Rum, Part 3 of 3
Random Thiughts 15, Has Society lost its values?
This is not a bleat about those earning prodigious sums, but a plea on behalf of those on the other end of the scale. Living as I have in so many different societies, from life in the British Raj, through rural Britain, working-class London, to the rarefied atmosphere of Northern Ireland, I have seen such… Continue reading Random Thiughts 15, Has Society lost its values?