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14. Navy Blue

  Most of us can differentiate between officers and ratings uniforms and most of us can pick out naval uniforms which are not British.

  But, do you know why virtually every naval uniform and mercantile navy uniform irrespective of country, is basically dark or navy blue with some white parts and some gold or yellow parts ?

  Admiralty sources reveal that a King of ours [British] admired [or did he fancy] the way a certain lady dressed when out horse riding.

  She evidently wore a navy blue tunic [long dress] - no jodhpurs or hard hats in those days - draped down her legs [side saddle fashion] with a white silk hat band adorning her blue felt hat, white gloves and white blouse. However, knowing ladies of my social standing never mind rich ladies, you can bet that she wore many different colours and many different outfits, but the King fancied her wearing these colours.

  She, the Duchess of Bedford, was the wife of the First Lord of the Admiralty, one John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford, and the then King, King George II decreed that his navy should also dress in these colours. Thus all naval uniforms, colour but not necessarily style, date from the mid 18th century and all copied Britain.

  Now, they say history always repeats itself and there is some truth in that in the following story.

  Lady Diana Spencer was born in 1710 daughter of Charles Spencer and Lady Anne Churchill daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. For much of her youth she lived with her maternal grandmother Sarah Churchill Duchess of Marlborough in Windsor. The old Duchess wanted most of all a marriage for Lady Diana to none other than the Prince of Wales. However the King, George II and the Prime Minister Robert Walpole turned down the match and instead, Lady Diana married, in 1731, John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford. As 'our' Lady Diana [Princess Diana] died very young when aged 36, so too did this Lady Diana, in 1735 when just 25 years of age. The Duke of Bedford remarried in 1737 Lady Gertrude Leveson-Gower, and it is this lady who caught the eye of the King whilst out riding.

  Lady Gertrude [died in 1794], as the Duchess of Bedford is an important lady for other reasons in British history now firmly with 'our' Lady Diana [Princess Diana] in mind.! In generational terms she is the;
Great Great Great Great Grandmother of Winston Churchill
Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother of Princess Diana
Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother of Prince William

  Just to give you a quick history lesson, the following dates will help.
    King George II [born 1683, King from 1727 to death in 1760].
    4th Duke of Bedford [born 1710, died 1771].
    King George III [born 1738, King from 1760 until death in 1820].
    Lord Horatio Nelson, Admiral [born 1758 died 1805] apart from first two years, lived the whole of his life under King George III.

During my researches I have found several authoritative definitions of the abbreviation DOB. If we were to add the Duchess of Bedford, some of them were:
    DOB - meaning Date of Birth
    DOB - Duchess of Bedford
    DOB - Died on Board {usually, when a person died on board, he was marked as DD = Discharged Dead, and if at sea, his body
    would be committed to the sea and if in harbour, taken ashore for burial. However, in very rare circumstances, if at sea and the
    body was not to be disposed of, i.e. it was not to be discharged [into the sea] it was retained and landed, recorded simply as
    Dying [or Died] on Board}. Lord Nelson was one such case.
    DOB - Duty on Board as opposed to 'Ashore on Duty'.
    DOB - Disease on Board. An expression used in the PRATIQUE International system of signalling the health of a ship and its
    company or manifest on arrival at a Port of Call.
    DOB - Discharge of Bilges.
    DOB - Diesel Oil Bunkering -used in the early days to differentiate between diesel and FFO [Furnace Fuel Oil].

  P.S. This detail, of the reason for naval uniform colours, is recorded in The Early Georgian Navy [Admiral Roger Prendergast] and also in BR1938 [dated 31st October 1951] Page 27, fourth paragraph last sentence.

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15. Who Said What to Whom

Just a piece of trivia - funny and clever!

  Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes SOMERVILLE [a Signal Officer and wireless specialist], evidently with a sharp tongue and 'blue' language, who was well known for his earthy quips making him one of the lower decks most favourite flag officers, was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1937. At the beginning of the war in 1939, he was appointed as a KCB [a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]. Not too long afterwards, in 1941 he was appointed as a KBE [Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]. At the second appointment his friend and colleague who had long been the C-in-C Mediterranean, namely Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham sent him the following signal which Somerville cherished.

"WHAT, TWICE A KNIGHT AT YOUR AGE ?"

  Later on, as Admiral Somerville approached his retirement, he was promoted to the very top of the ladder to an Admiral of the Fleet as a reward for his dedicated and long service to the nation. At that point his KCB became a GCB and his KBE became at GBE, the 'G' meaning 'Knight Grand Cross. These are the highest ranks in these orders.

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16. Before the days of a National Naval Museum

  One hundred and four years ago at least, there was no such thing [or place] as a British National Naval Museum.

  Whilst researching, I came across this letter to the Times newspaper published on November 30th 1905 around the time when His Majesty's Training Establishment [HMTE] Shotley, Suffolk, was in its embryonic stages. HMTE Shotley became RNTE [Royal Naval Training Establishment] Shotley and then finally HMS Ganges.

  The letter is not only interesting but in itself, it is a mini history lesson. Enjoy the read.

Before the days of a National Naval Museum

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17. Captain Roskill

  From a 1976 cutting, in which it was suggested by a famous naval officer Captain Roskill RN, that the dates of WW2, assuming the start was always to be at Hitler's behest, should have been 1939-November 1944!

  I said that Captain Roskill was a famous Naval officer and well he might have been, but comparing his war career with those of his contemporaries who fought the European/Atlantic war, he has much to compete with and he doesn't really shine! What Captain Roskill is really famous for, is his second career as the UK's premier WW2 historian appointed as such by the highest of academia, and a man sought after on an international basis as a lecturer. I well remember his work "THE WAR AT SEA" and how, back in the 1950's I couldn't afford the cost of the volume set, so I used to go to the reference library in Portsmouth and read them piecemeal when time allowed, and was sometimes thought of as a weirdo by my pals, who chose to spend their free time in different Portsmouth establishments!

  I have long owned a DVD-set called the "War at Sea", as I have that most desirable of all DVD-sets "The World at War", and the melodious but haunting voice of Laurence Olivier as the series narrator still stirs goose pimples. So too did the music and the start images. The book, by the same name, became one of my Christmas presents in the 1970's, a book I often consult and occasionally read a chapter or part thereof.

  So here is an article of blame, name-calling, regrets, suppositions and mis, or is that mal management at the top of that august body known to us as 'Their Lordships'. (Re-typed for ease of reading).

TOO LITTLE, TO LATE

Henry Stanhope

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18. NoK WW1 Memorials

PRIVATE AND PERSONAL NEXT-OF-KIN WW1 WAR MEMORIALS

  I was reading through a database recently when I came across this story published 13th August 1917.

  The personal memorials were to be designed as metal plaques. I say were, but I have never seen one. Did the idea get off the ground I wonder?

  There are many hundreds of thousands of paper scrolls signed by HM The King lamenting the deaths of our fighting men which were sent to the Next of Kin, still to be found within families, passed down by long ago deceased grandparents/parents, covering both world war's: but bronze plaques, I don't think so?

  Given the durability of a bronze plaque vis-a-vis a piece of paper, one would think, had they been issued, that virtually all of them would have survived in some form or another, and after all, the total British military losses in WW1 from all causes was 735,204 souls. I maintain that even if 50% were lost or melted down [if it is possible to melt down bronze] then the remaining 367,602 would still be considered ubiquitous!

  Assuming my observations and accompanying thoughts are correct, I wonder why the project didn't win the hearts and minds of the people, or was it that come 1918 we had run out of bronze?

  In my family I had several great uncles at the Front taking part in the fiercest of battles, but all survived death but not life-changing injuries, so I have no first hand experience of WW1 death's in the period 1914-1918. On the other hand, I have inherited most of their records and medal cards as well as some of their medals, silver badges, uniform chevrons and regimental uniform badges.

  If you could enlighten me with documentary evidence, I would be delighted to hear from you. Thank you.

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19. Sheer Legs

  We, in the Royal Navy call a fixed or a jury-rigged heavy lifting device a SHEER LEGS [sometimes written as sheerleg, or shear legs, either made of wood or steel, fixed or mobile. This is one type and a quite small one at that mounted on a floatable base for maritime mobility purposes and this one, extempore meaning rigged with little or no preparation, is an 'A' frame and its tackle will lift heavy weights through hatches, ergo, through decks. This picture shows a sheer legs being raised into position on terra firma, ready for a big lift, and it is the type of evolution given to members of the petty officers leadership course run in my time in 1960 in HMS Royal Arthur, Corsham, Wiltshire.

  In the U.S.A, mentioning sheer legs might raise some eyebrows because you would be referring to womens-wear, and specifically to their leg-wear. Sheer legs are essentially stockings which put the legs into the best light [as it were] and what our girls might call 15 denier see-through quality, referring to the finest possible nylons a girl could get. It's almost amusing looking back to WW2 when the Yanks, especially their sailors, gave sheers legs as romantic presents!

  That leaves the issue as to what the American's call our sheer legs?

  Well they use the same lifting tackle in much the same way as we do, but they call their devices "GIN POLES". Now 'aint that sweet? With massive poetic licence for which I apologise, there is only one vowel in that name which stops gin pole from becoming the anagram 'upon legs', so they perhaps had the right idea!

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20. The Dickey

  A dickey (alternately written as dickie or dicky; sometimes known as a tuxedo front or tux front) is a type of false shirt-front - originally known as a detachable bosom - designed to be worn with a tuxedo or men's white tie, usually attached to the collar and then tucked into the waistcoat or cummerbund. The rigid plastic dickey came into fashion in the latter years of the 19th century, and was one of the first successful commercial applications of celluloid. Royal Naval officers wore a dickie with mess undress and for other social occasions.

  Dickeys came in three types - Celluloid, Cardboard & Cloth Celluloid (Hard Plastic)

  Celluloid dickeys were popular for their waterproof and stain-resistant properties. Unlike traditional cloth shirt-fronts, they remained sleek, bright white, and did not wilt or wrinkle. Celluloid dickeys simulated the look of a formal shirt bib for day and evening wear. They were designed in a variety of patents, such as: rounded, flat-end, no restraints, a restraint tab at the end of the bib or side straps that tied at the wearer's back. For this reason, they were popular with entertainers, musicians, and other performers. Nevertheless, they were frequently maligned and spoofed for their stiffness, unmanageability, and tendency to pop out of place. In one notable Looney Tunes segment, Bugs Bunny conducts an arrogant opera singer and makes him hold a note so long that his dickey snaps out of his waistcoat and rolls up to his throat. "The flapping dickey", a famous Vaudeville cliché, involves a dickey which has been intentionally rigged to flap in a comical fashion.

  Cardboard dickies were worn in theatre and service professions to save money from using linen formal shirts for uniforms. Examples of professions that used cardboard dickies include waiters, hotel managers, doormen, bellboys, limo drivers, and servants. Cardboard dickeys are still manufactured.

  Cloth dickeys simulate many different styles, some often seen examples include dress shirt front and collar, formal frilled shirt front.

  The name "Dickie Bow Tie" was an appendage to the dickie, and socially at the time of its introduction, they were either white or black. Nowadays, they can be any colour or pattern under the sun.

  By the time of the 1937 'Coronation Day' which was planned for Edward VIII but used instead for George VI namely the 12th of May, Ganges boys' had long worn winter and summer uniforms. Both uniforms consisted of a white duck suit [for working and whilst under instructions] and a blue serge suit [for ceremonial and leave outside the Establishment], and in summer they were with white hats and white fronts, with black hats and dark blue sea jerseys for winter. The original white front had long sleeves which had to be uniformly rolled up and neatly folded just above the elbow. Sailors in the fleet wore more or less the same uniforms. White singlets [vests] were issued to be worn underneath both the white front and the sea jersey. In BTE's [boys' training establishments] it was easy for all boys to be turned-out in an immaculate manner, each having a brilliant white but non bleached white front, where the top blue band, dyed dark blue, often ran when placed in water, but largely remained the colour of its issue if washed using a soap-bar issued by the navy. In the fleet, sailors wouldn't have been seen dead in such a garment, and like their broad blue collars, everything was bleached until the blue was barely discernable: wearing such tampered garments was a sign of being and "old sailor" ! Bleaching, rotted the fabric stitching of the garments and was not recommended.

  When the Coronation organisation sprang into action, three lieutenants from HMS Ganges - nobody else - were temporarily appointed to HMS Pembroke, the Chatham Depot of the Nore Command, to be trained to be 'Street Liners'. Hundreds of men from the Nore Command were drafted into HMS Pembroke also to be trained for the same role. These sailors came from far and wide {shore stations in the Command; submarines; small ships; large ships and in-transit ratings awaiting draft to any of the foregoing} and their kits were as diverse as their ships, and all of course "old sailor" kits. Those that didn't posses a good cap or a respectable best blue suit with gold badges were made to pay for cleaning at best, or sent to SLOPS to purchase [on the ledger] new replacements. Those without good boots were issued with them on temporary loan for the duration. For the rehearsal days [all except for the dress rehearsal] they continued to wear their own kit but for the dress rehearsal and Coronation Day proper they were each issued with a HMS Pembroke cap ribbon [tally], a lanyard, one blue collar with the caveat "not to be washed", and one WHITE FLANNEL DICKIE which became known [especially to the wardroom] as a WHITE FLANNEL "RICHARD". Whilst not recorded as such, it is reasonable to believe that in a class-conscious navy, the word "dickie" was a wardroom article of clothing, and if ratings were to wear a device achieving the same ends as did the dickie albeit in a totally different form, it would have to be renamed. Since dickie and richard are synonymous, it was an easy and obvious transition. All of this was on temporary loan to be returned to the Depot on completion of the parade.

  The white flannel "richard" was a cheap expedient to ensure that all sailors had a pure white frontal appearance to their uniforms which had a dark blue [unbleached] top. Just like the dickie mentioned above, it was tied at the rear with tie-tapes and once the jumper had been donned, the "richard" was tucked into the edges of the jumper and down to the bell bottom trouser top and pulled taught so that no creases were seen.

  During this period, the white flannel "richard" was discussed by the officers appointed to Coronation Duties [subsequently written down, referred on to the Admiralty and recorded for posterity] that the adoption of the white flannel "richard" for pan-naval use would save the Admiralty a handsome sum of money for wear with a jumper i.e., for ceremonial and liberty occasions, and moreover, all sailors irrespective of age or time in the Service, would wear an identical white flannel "richard" and matching collar of course ! For half blues or half white duck suit wear, the traditional long sleeved flannel white front would still be issued. Much thought was given to the suggestion and after the three lieutenants had returned to their duties back in HMS Ganges, they wrote of their experiences as 'Street Liners' and forewarned the boys' of the forthcoming introduction of the "richard". For those of you who can visit the Ganges Museum, try and source the Summer Shotley Magazine for the Term ending August 1937 and have a read of Page 12 entitled "Street Lining" by A.D.O. The article has four pages -12 through 15- but if you don't want to read them all just read the fifth paragraph on page 12 starting with "On Saturday....." For those of you who cannot visit the Museum, and, just in case the Museum does not have this edition in their archive, here is that short paragraph.

  In the event, the Admiralty dropped the idea and instead, before WW2 had commenced [September 1939], had introduced white flannel fronts with short sleeves.

  In my time in the Service [at Ganges 13th October 1953 to 5th February 1955] as soon as we left Ganges and came under the influence of older sailors serving in our first ships, we 'modified' articles of kit obtained from official sources [SLOPS] and made a bee-line for the naval civilian tailors for a real tidily 'going ashore' blue suit. In defence of the navy I have to add here that upon joining, clothing was bulk issued and not made to measure. However, near to the end of our time in Ganges we were measured-up for a "draft suit" and whilst the quality of the serge was still relatively poor [clothing was still on rationing from the war], at least the suit fitted properly. In addition to tidily suits, we also wore tidily white fronts. These were manufactured with a light pale blue top [so no bleaching required] and were low cut so as to reveal ones hairy chest. The jumper of the blue suit had to be skin tight and had a large u-shaped finish where the tape fastening beckets were instead of the official issue v-shape. Blue collars were purchased [or bleached] to a light blue colour and the bottom holding strap was cut, allowing the collar to be spread around the manufactured u-shape hugging the rib cage. Lanyards, bleached of course, were stretched to half the diameter of official issue, and tapes were elongated to twice the length dictated in dress regulations. Silks were ironed after running a candle inside the material so when they cooled, they were stiffer and almost shone with the melted candle grease/wax. Trousers were manufactured so that they hugged [not over tight] ones legs until below the knees, when they would then mushroom out to bell-bottoms to sizes around the twenty two inch mark when standard issue was fifteen inches. Service issued trousers were often wetted and then stretched over an up-turned bucket and left to dry. The hat, blancoed white in summer and brushed port and starboard in winter, was subtly bent or moulded so it fitted snugly both on top and at the back of ones head, and the joint in the gold wire cap ribbon/tally culminated with a grand and tidily bow as near to the left eye as possible. None of this was worth the effort without addressing the shoes, which were spit and polished. In those days, the great coat was the norm as an overcoat, but in the mid 50's this was replaced by the Burberry rain coat. It was much better than the heavy and cumbersome naval great coat but was belted whereas officers Burberry's were not. Whenever possible, we would purchase a naval tailor's model which was unbelted and hung in tidily fashion. When at home on leave, the addition of a white scarf tucked through the silk finished the desired aim, which was to attract the girls and to get the mum's touching ones collar for luck, whilst at the same time making impressionable young men envious and desirous of becoming a Royal Sailor.

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21. Ex Borstal and Ex Approved School Boys

  The following link provides background reading of a record of an approved school held by the National Archives at Kew, due for release into the public domain in 2029 Hereward Approved School, West Road, Bourne, Lincs: Discharge Register

  Given that the vast majority of boys/youths leaving their punishment institutions under licence, left after the normal entry age range for joining the navy as a boy i.e., 15¼ to 16½, which meant that this was not an issue for naval boys' training establishments. However, there were one or two known cases of boy's from these institutions joining as boy seamen, but of course I cannot reveal their names or recruitment dates. It did become an issue for adult entry recruits, but again, no personal details can be published. It should be noted that since approximately 1850 and contrary to what some 'romantics' may tell you, juvenile delinquents were not sent into the navy as a punishment/part punishment, but when considered to be advantageous to the juvenile's rehabilitation they were often sent to Home Office Nautical Schools, and if appropriate, applied to join the navy thereafter.

  In WW2, specifically from 1943 until the end of the war, manpower was always at a premium which meant that men, who in times of peace would not have been considered for the armed forces, were welcomed with open arms. This included men who had been in gaol, and those who had undergone corrective training in Borstals and approved schools, and I can find no record to say that they performed any less well than did the 'conventional' recruit.

  When the war had been successfully prosecuted, these men once more became undesirables [persona non grata] as far as the armed services were concerned, and they were discharged and barred from re-joining. This debarring was finally made law in 1947.

  My story starts with an Admiralty letter written to the Home Office [responsible for gaols, Borstal's and approved schools] on the 19th April 1948. One of the problems at that time but by no means the only one, was the manning of the fleet. The 'clear out' of HO's [hostilities only men called-up for war service only often still in uniform as late as early 1947] coupled with the attrition rate amongst regulars and the poor signing-on, meant that morale was low, pay was poor and advancement was slow and unsure. The navy wanted more men to join and so a re-think {a RECONSIDERATION} on recruiting pre-occupied the Boardroom in the Admiralty.

  This Admiralty Letter dated 1948 was used by the Home Office to set-up procedures for applicants from England and Wales. It did not include Scotland or Northern Ireland. It wasn't until 1953, and no doubt because of cross-office talk, that Northern Ireland decided to 'test the waters' with a view to getting some of its ex-Borstal boy's into the navy.

  This next letter comes from the Stormont and is dated 10th April 1953, addressed to the Director of Naval Recruiting - Stormont Letter 1953

  This next document is a loose minute in the file Loose Minute 1 followed by the letter answering the April 1953 letter June 1953 Letter and the subsequent answer Stormont June 1953 Letter

  The processes above confirmed that previous 'offenders' in the English, Welsh and Northern Ireland Borstal/Approved School systems could, with the reservation shown in the correspondence, join the royal navy. Scotland was not included.

  A few months later [in September 1953], the Scots decided that they wanted to be a part of this "special recruitment opportunity and privilege." A 'canny' or perhaps a shrewd Scot, a Deputy Governor of one of H.M. Institutions north of the border, wrote to the Admiralty and posed a specific question about one of his boys {or at least erstwhile boy} who was an aspirant to joining the royal navy. When received in the Admiralty, whilst it did not 'fall on deaf ears', it landed on a desk of a person not au fait with the Scottish eligibility for inclusion into the newly established 'system'.

  The Deputy Governor's Fakirk Letter September 1953 and the association proverbial Loose Minute 2 The Admiralty re-directed the Falkirk letter to the Scottish Home Department October 1953 for action.

  Finally, back came the answer from the Scottish Home Department and the last paragraph puts the case 'to bed'. Home Department October 1953 letter

  So, errant youths were allowed to join the navy from UK applicants from 1953 onwards in the same year as I joined the navy. I joined direct from an "approved school" but mine was approved by the 1944 Education Act as a place fit for formal academic learning from age 5 to 15. Not surprisingly, since the start of 1954 there are not that many volunteers, but, being an ex-Borstal or Approved School boy did not excuse one from doing one's National Service. The navy had relatively few National Servicemen and the 'filter' might have meant that only the best [for all purposes] got through it to be a member of the Senior Service.

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22. RMS Lusitannia

  RMS Lusitania - sunk by German UBoat in WW1 off Ireland. This picture shows WW1 German UBoats in harbour. U20, second from left front row sank the Lusitania.

  So many of us, young and old, are au fait with the tragic story of the liner RMS Lusitania. There are also other stories, mainly about happier times which still many people know about. This story may be less well known and deals with her technical achievements which transcended Germany technology of that period.

  This is the story from the Times Newspaper dated 5th December 1911 which has been re-typed for ease of reading.

THE LUSITANIA’S ROUND TRIPS

  Wednesday 17: Thursday 545: Friday 568: Saturday 543: Sunday 531: Monday 523: and to Daunt’s Rock Lightship 80. At the concert on Saturday the collection for Liverpool and New York seaman’s charities amounted to £115. Mr and Mrs Harry Lauder in conversation with me, said he was as delighted to be back in old England as he had been sorry to leave the New World, where he had a very strenuous time performing in 62 towns in seven weeks. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught were present at Ottawa. The Canadians gave him an equally warm reception in Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal. He opens a weeks engagement at Bristol on Monday. From Boxing Day until the end of February he will be playing in the Manchester pantomime of Little Red Riding Hood as “Simple sandy Shaw, the lad that pleases.” Mr W K Vanderbilt, Lord Hugh Grosvenor and Mr Ian Caryll may be added to the list of passengers.

  British Liners doing the Atlantic run called into Fishguard in Pembrokeshire Wales. This little map shows you the position of that Port shown with the red splodge symbol.

  All trans-Atlantic liners calling into Cork in southern Ireland navigated west past Daunt's Rock [Light or Lightship]. Daunt's Rock, is just outside the western sea-way of Cork's harbour, which infamously wrecked an American Liner at a much earlier time period.

  This picture shows the position of Cork's sea areas ringed in red, and the position the Rock in open sea not far from the harbour entrance.

and this, the other end of the journey, with the narrow channel deep-water navigable route into New York harbour.

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23. Running Aground at 30 knots

  The plight of the Italian Liner Costa Concordia and her unlucky passengers [15th January 2011] in running aground whilst cruising the Mediterranean on the north west coast of Italy reminds me of the words 'panic' and 'havoc'. Fortunately [and here, so we are told, because of the Captain's subsequent action] the ship was in very shallow waters and very close to a land mass so the rescuers were very quickly on the scene. We are also told that many of the 4000 people aboard got ashore without assistance, but that many more were subjected to further fear and doubt as to their safety, by the prevarications of the officers and crew of the ship. Some, regrettably died in the grounding. The cause is said to an error in navigation by the Captain of the vessel.

  Going back to the word 'havoc' above, there was an unfortunate incident in 1942 involving a ship called H.M.S. Havoc.

  Briefly, the daily bombing of Malta and the naval dockyard in Grand Harbour Valetta, precluded this 36-knot destroyer from being repaired in a dock {dry or floating}, so it was decided to move her to Gibraltar. Her damage was severe and above the water line but her engines/boiler houses were fully serviceable and she was seaworthy. It was further decided to use the Havoc to take passengers from Malta to Gibraltar to be out of harms way, making the short journey rather uncomfortable in terms of available accommodation. Havoc left Malta on the the 6th April and was steaming at 30 knots on a course of 350, when she ran aground when within visual sight of the lighthouse at Kelibia Tunisia [another error in navigation ?] which more or less took the bottom out of the ship. Miraculously, there was only one casualty. However, at that time, Tunisia was in the hands of the pro-German Vichy French and all aboard were interned in a POW camp. They were released towards the end of 1942 when Tunisia was invaded by Allied amphibious landings. All of Havoc's classified material [books and machines] were destroyed by the crew and the ship was blown up. Later, there were claims from the Axis forces that it was they who had destroyed the wreck.

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24. When Colonel Gaddafi said Goodbye to the Royal Navy

  Well, the Royal Navy certainly helped to say goodbye to Colonel Gaddafi of Libya in the latter part of 2011, what with our submarines firing tomahawk missiles into his bunkers, air defence units and ammunition dumps, our ships harassing his naval units and blockading his seaports thereby starving the despot of necessary incoming goods not to mention oil exports, and HMS Ocean to seaward carrying many rotary wing combat assets. But, did you know, that way before this event, the same Colonel Gaddafi said goodbye to the navy, and probably under his breath, and those of his hosts, said good riddance also?

  Yes, it all happened at the end of March 1979. The venue? HMS St Angelo. The occasion? Flag Officer Malta striking his flag. The time? Midnight on the 31st.

  The C-in-C Mediterranean had long gone by this time [1967] and the Flag Officer of the Island [though not Sea, although he was also the NATO Commander of the South East Mediterranean] was Rear Admiral Cecil CB; the next day [the 1st April] he left Malta in the destroyer HMS London in very choppy waters but to a good send-off from the Maltese crowd. A few weeks later in June, the was Knighted [KBE] and a few months after that in September he retired from the navy.

  The occasion warranted the presence of the Maltese Prime Minister Dom Mintoff [and many other Maltese dignitaries] and Mintoff decided to invite his buddy from across the water, namely Colonel Gaddafi, to the party. Mintoff had made it clear that he intended to invited Gaddafi to use Malta for the Libyan navy, but his navy was too small to be taken seriously and NATO kept a watchful eye over this romantic Sea to check and counter check the expansions of the Russian 'Bear'.

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25. When the Navy had style

In the days when the Royal Navy had STYLE!

Where has all that Charisma gone ?

The proper Admirals and those resplendent Admirals of the Fleet.

Do YOU remember them ?

WHO IS MISSING FROM THIS GROUP OF OFFICERS ?

IT IS THIS MAN

Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fieldhouse GCB photographed when Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse KCB and one of my heroes. Famous submariner and Hero of the Falklands War in 1982 as the Commander-in-Chief.

Sadly, the group above was photographed in February 1992 whilst attending the funeral of Lord Fieldhouse of Gosport.

They are, from left to right:-

Admiral Sir John Kerr KCB	Admiral Sir Julian Oswald KCB promoted Admiral of the Fleet GCB in February 1993	Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin GCB	Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Pollock GCB	Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton GCB	Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Staveley GCB	Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach GCB

Memories of British Ambassador`s and Naval Icons.

Regrettably, they don`t breed men like these anymore !

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26. RNH HAULBOWLINE

Just another little snippet from the past to enrich your knowledge of the Navy.

  In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there was a Royal Naval Dockyard at the Port of Cork in the southwest of Eire [Ireland]. Just off the port [dockyard] was a small island called Haulbowline [just how nautical can a name get?] and on it was built a Royal Naval Hospital [RNH] aptly called RNH Haulbowline. This script I have taken from Hansards [the account of daily happenings in Parliament]. The text and the flow of it between the two speakers is self evident. The year is 1896. Whilst it is of naval interest [at least I think so] the Civil Lord of the Admiralty at that time is also of interest. Mr Austen Chamberlain [who later became Sir Austen Chamberlain] was the half brother of Neville Chamberlain, he of "peace in our time" fame and British Prime Minister from 1937 until 1940. Sir Austen died in 1937 at the age of 74 and didn't witness his half brother becoming the Prime Minister. Below is a picture of Sir Austen.

  RNH Haulbowline did Stirling work during WW1 but closed shortly after that war finished.

HAULBOWLINE HOSPITAL ACCOMMODATION.
05 March 1896 vol 38

DR TANNER - I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the deficient hospital accommodation at Haulbowline, Cork Harbour; and, whether more modern sanitary appliances will be supplied, or what steps will be taken to remedy the present condition of affairs?

THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY [Mr AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN] MP For Worcestershire East - In reply to the hon. Member, I beg to say that no complaints have been made as to the accommodation of the Royal Naval Hospital at Haulbowline being insufficient. At the present time there are 51 patients in the hospital, which has accommodation for 10 officers and 115 men; and as this number is much greater than usual, additional sick-berth staff have been drafted from Plymouth Hospital to supplement the nursing. No complaints as to the sanitary appliances have been received, and the last report was to the effect that the hospital throughout was clean and well cared for.

DR TANNER - Is the hon. Member aware that the hospital has recently been, occupied by a number of men from the Flying Squadron; and also that this place was originally built for a store, and is therefore obviously unfit for hospital purposes?

MR AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN - I am aware that several patients from the Flying Squadron have been accommodated in the hospital, which accounts for the large number of patients at Haulbowline.

DR TANNER - I shall raise this point on the Estimates.

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27. The Last Post

The Words

  Many of you may be surprised to learn that the LAST POST has words, in fact three verses. This is the story of how it all started with regard to it being used for military funerals.

  It all began in 1862 during the American Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

  During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.

  When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

  The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

  The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted.

  The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.

  The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.

  But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.

  The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform.

This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as 'The Last Post' used at military funerals was born.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.

Also Remember Those Who Have Served and Returned; and for those presently Serving in the Armed Forces.

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28. Ship's Biscuits

  We all know what they were but have you ever seen one: that is a real one ? This comes from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich London.

  Providing food at sea was a major problem for both naval and merchant shipping from the 17th century onwards. Several methods of preserving were available to early mariners, particularly smoking and salting. Such methods did not however provide ships' crews with a healthy diet. Some effort went into provisioning ships with fresh food, but on longer voyages this was not possible. The ship's biscuit, has come to signify all that was poor about the early seafaring diet.

  The biscuit is circular and perforated with holes to aid baking process, and backed with paper. It is from one of Sir John Ross's Arctic expeditions 1818, or 1829-33. It may also be from the cache of food left at Fury beach in 1825 by Parry's expedition. As I write this, the weevils are on summer leave.

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29. Long Surnames

  We all know of long surnames and we all know of double barreled surnames which make them even longer.

  I have served with officers with extremely long hyphenated surnames, but have you ever thought about what happens when a man, already with a hyphenated surname meets and marries a lady with her own hyphenated surname? Remember that normally [there are other reasons/causes, for example dynastic/alliances like the surname of our Royal Family, which is Mountbatten-Windsor] there is a perfectly good reason for having a hyphenated surname, which is designed so that the bride can keep her family name alive in the issue[s] of the marriage, and that to me is perfectly reasonable.

  Does either the groom or the bride abandon their surname or do they join them together grooms name first followed by his brides name, or perhaps ladies first?

  Well, the other day whilst researching the 1920's, I came across a surname with four hyphenated words. Just think what could happen if a child of this officer fell in love with a child from a family also with a four word hyphenated surname!

  This, from 1925 times, is the name I found -

Rear-Admiral the Hon. Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax {in 1925}
but later he became
Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL.

  Known throughout the navy as simply 'Drax' took his "extra" names from Estates he inherited from his mother: he was born Plunket. Given human nature, it is easy to see why this man might have been ridiculed because of his name, but quite the reverse was the case! He is recorded as being an officer with a "quick and brilliant brain". He held important appointments in WW1 being Staff Officer to Beatty at Jutland. Mid-wars, he was the C-in-C of several stations abroad and a C-in-C of the Nore 1939-1941 when at aged 61 he took his retirement from the Service. He retired to Dorset and immediately joined their "Dad's Army" as a private. Being the man he was, he saw himself back in the navy and took up a post as a Convoy Commander during the period 1943-1945 and never lost a ship. He died on the 16th October 1967 when aged 87.

Do you know of a longer four word hyphenated surname ?

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30. Difference between an RAF and a FAA PILOT

  Do you know the difference between a RAF [Crabfat] pilot and a Fleet Air Arm pilot ? Well, it is simple really.

  In the Royal Air Force, a landing's OK/ if the pilot gets out and can still walk away/ BUT, in the Fleet Air Arm the prospect is grim/ It's BLOODY hard luck if the pilot can't swim.

  Also this WW2 FAA Canteen Saying...

I don't fly for pleasure,
I don't fly for fun.
It is my ambition to hack down a Hun,
But as for deck landings,
At night after dark,
As I told 'Wings' this morning ----,
----that for a lark!

(Wartime F.A.A. Canteen Song)

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