NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2009 29
Pinta here
Can you tell what
Scapa’s off my
I HAD a few emails from mates
asking what I’d been up to after
they read Navy News and I had
holiday list
no idea what they were on about
until I saw it, it was awesome and
I READ with amazement Capt Clink’s rhapsodic reference to Scapa
I’m like some kind of Z-lister now
Flow (March) and I can recall Ludovic ‘Uckers’ Kennedy’s comment
among my shipmates.
back in the 50s ‘the rare beauty of Scapa Flow’?
I thought I’d take this it is yet?
They must have been at the pink gins! We matelots regarded Scapa
opportunity to keep you updated
as the sinkhole of the UK, land of the constant drizzle and chilly
(now that I’m a star). I’m trying
my hardest to raise money for
THIS YEAR marks the 50th
wind, with an attendant shower of shitehawks wheeling, nagging and
charity, again all the profit from
anniversary of Flag Officer
screaming for gash.
Scapa: where Jack went ashore to the tin canteen and downed vast
my canteen is going to the pot.
Sea Training (FOST) whose
quantities of dodgy NAAFI beer hoping to down the clinging terror of
I cycled the Kiel canal with activities many years ago
his next Russian run.
two other lads, and we threw in were to have a marked
Scapa: where a shore-based matelot brought a small tree from the
20 quid each for the pleasure.
influence on my civilian life mainland and planted it with the sign ‘The only tree in Scapa’. It blew
And last but not least we have
(see pages 36-37).
down, of course. So he nailed it to a post... and that blew down.
finally chosen the two charities
As a young lad back in the 80s I
Perhaps the view from the wardroom ports is a little rosier than that
for this deployment’s effort; the
spent all my holidays in Swanage,
of the mess decks – or am I being a little bit bolshie?
RNA because we feel that they
Dorset.
– Maurice Cross, (ex-Bunting tosser HMS Seagull) Bristol
get overlooked a bit (and it will
I kept illustrated diairies of the
be good to have a beer with
natural history that I observed
them) and Help the Aged.
along the Purbeck coast and
This one is because there is
Bring back Stewards
also recorded the Navy activities
a lady called Jan Lyon who has
offshore (an illustrative page right).
written to RN ships for what
WHOSE jargon-infected mind eg, Caterers, Chefs, Jack Dusties
I did not know at the time that
seems like forever.
devised the present designations and Scribes. Hopefully they have,
I was watching the exercises of
I first saw a letter from her
for members of the RN Supply in spirit anyway, retained their
FOST operating out of Portland,
whilst serving on the Endurance
and Secretariat, sorry Logistics ‘Jackspeak’ names.
and never realised that Thursdays
in the 90s and not only that, she
Branch? ‘Logistician’ is not listed in the
were especially busy – the
sent everyone onboard a small
For example, ‘Logistician Oxford English Dictionary, nor
‘Thursday War’.
gift at Christmas time, God
(Catering Services (Delivery)).’ A
in Chambers, no doubt it’s either
I keenly drew a number of
knows how much that must have
steward is a steward, for God’s
US military jargon or was found
ships, some now consigned to the
cost her, and pretty much every
history books, and a few that are
sake, or to put it another way,
in Wikipedia.
ship I’ve had thereafter has had a
still going strong.
a steward, by any other name,
I wonder if they RAF and Army
letter or ten from Jan.
I took great joy in trying to
remains a steward.
equivalent branches have suffered
So the lads have been sending
steady my binoculars and identify
I have also noticed the abbre-
these aberrations?
her postcards from all our stops
who was doing what and why,
viation Logs(CS(D)) in the Swap
– Michael Carrigan (WOSA
and she loves it. When in one of
dramas unfolding out on the high
Drafts section. Why is Logistician
RN Ret’d) Weymouth
her letters she told us that she
seas.
abbreviated to Logs? If you think it looks bad in Navy
lost her partner of over 30 years,
All of this left its mark, and in
I would be interested to see the News, you should hear them try
we were gutted for her and I
1999 I found myself living and
branch badge abbreviations for the to pipe for a ‘Logistician (Catering
asked if we could raise money for
working in Plymouth – FOST’s
present unfortunate members of Services (Delivery))’ in a ship...
a charity of her choice – so Help
new home.
the so-called RN Logistics branch, – Ed
the Aged it is.
There were great opportunities
– PO(MW) ‘Pinta’ Beer,
for Royal Naval Reservists to get
HMS Brocklesby
LETTERS to the editor should always be Given the volume of letters, we cannot
involved, usually as an ugly mob accompanied by the correspondent’s publish all of your correspondence in
Pinta appeared in Navy News putting a ship through its Force
name and address, not necessarily for Navy News. We do, however, publish
in our December, January and Protection training.
publication. many on our website, www.navynews.
E-mail correspondents are also co.uk, accompanied by images.
February issues. So in March I joined HMS Vivid and have
requested to provide this information. We look particularly for
we couldn’t resist mentioning spent many days since steadying
and why. Reserves gave me direct access Letters cannot be submitted over the correspondence which stimulates
him for no reason at all in our my binoculars on the bridge of The activities of FOST
to them.
telephone. If you submit a photograph debate, makes us laugh or raises
Brocklesby story... Glad to know our fine ships looking back at the demonstrated to me at an Happy Birthday FOST, and
which you did not take yourself, please important issues.
make sure that you have the permission The editor reserves the right to edit
you and your mates are reading coast I know so well, revelling impressionable age the excitement thank you. for us to publish it. your submissions.
us, Pinta! – Ed in my part of who is doing what of Royal Navy operations and the – Lt Rolf Williams, RNR
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