<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E All the latest news/views for fans of Julian Stockwin <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> February 2009 We're dedicating this issue of the Chronicle to HMS "Beagle" - and all her sailed in her! Very similar to Kydd's beloved "Teazer", this little brig, which never saw action, became one of the most famous ships in history after she carried a man called Charles Darwin around the world. 2009 sees several important Darwin milestones - the bi-centenary of his birth this month and later in the year we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of his monumental work "On the Origin of the Species." 1 DISPATCHES 2 BOOKSHELF 3 FEATURE 4 NANCY DAWSON 5 CONTESTS 6 WEATHER WORDS 7 SHIPMATES AHOY! 8 ASK JULIAN ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + Crossing the bar Colin White, historian and former director of the Royal Naval Museum, died on 25 December 2008. He was one of the world's leading experts on the life and achievements of Horatio Nelson and such was his reputation and love of the subject that he was called Nelson's "representative on earth." Colin led the Nelson Letters Projects which found more than 1400 unpublished letters around the world. He also spearheaded the Trafalgar Commemorations in 2005, delivering an incredible 300 public lectures during that year. His published books on the great admiral included "The Nelson Companion" and "Nelson's Year of Destiny." One of the accolades of which he was most proud was being appointed an honorary captain in the Royal Navy Reserve. Julian paid this tribute to Colin: "He did so much to help us celebrate Britain's maritime heritage and his passing is indeed a great loss. I had the honour of meeting Colin on a number of occasions and I was always struck by his immense charm and high intelligence." --- William Stone, the UK's last surviving veteran from both the First and Second World Wars, passed away on 10 January, age 108. Bill, as he liked to be called, joined the Royal Navy at 18. During the Second World War he took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk, making five trips to pick up troops from the beaches. In retirement he was an active member of many service organisations. Bill had a huge zest for life and loved to regale people with his fund of naval stories and jokes. On the occasion of his 106th birthday two years ago Julian sent Bill a copy of one of his books. At the party to celebrate the event Shipmate Austin Hawkins quoted some 18th century verse which appeared in SEAFLOWER as best reflecting Bill's philosophy: "Oh! Life is the ocean, and man is the boat That over its surface is destined to float; And joy is the cargo so easily stor'd That he is a fool who takes sorrow on board" + New web facility We have installed a special search facility on Julian's website. Just type in the word or phrase (within "double quotation marks") you are looking for in the special box on each page. + Two manuscripts in one year! Julian and Kathy are taking a weeks' break after having just submitted the manuscript of STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY to Ebury Press. The book is scheduled for publication this July. In December, Julian sent the manuscript of INVASION off to his editor at Hodder & Stoughton, Anne Clarke. This is the tenth in the Kydd series and is due to be published in October, simultaneously in the UK and US. + Correction In last month's newsletter there was a typo in our mention of Richard Woodman's book on the merchant marine. It should have been "Neptune's Trident." + Library accolade Once again, Julian is in the very top reader popularity band, just 1.5 per cent of UK authors. Julian's special Library Display Pack, available on request to librarians, is proving very popular. Why not mention it to your local library? A quick email to the Bosun is all that is required to get a Pack in the post! ==================== 2 BOOKSHELF The Voyage of the Beagle by James Taylor ISBN 978 1 84486 066 1 Conway Maritime have just published this superb book. Charmingly illustrated with actual sketches and charts produced by the shipboard artists and surveyors, it weaves together all the various strands of the "Beagle" story, including how Charles Darwin actually came to be aboard and the characters who circumnavigated the world with him. One of the most interesting chapters in the book is devoted to Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy, whose achievements have been largely overshadowed by Charles Darwin's fame. Fitzroy was a remarkable seafarer, nautical surveyor, and meteorologist - and it was he in fact who was responsible for Darwin joining "Beagle." We have a copy to give away. See CONTESTS ==================== 3 BEAGLE "Beagle" was a 10-gun brig launched on 11 May 1820; in July she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of George IV and was the first ship to sail under the new London Bridge. After that there was no immediate need for her services so she was kept in reserve for five years. She was then adapted for survey work and took part in three expeditions. It was on the second of these, lasting from 1831 to 1835,that she carried Darwin. "Beagle" made an earlier survey voyage in 1826 to Patagonia and a final voyage in 1837, during which time important cartographic work was carried out on the coasts of Australia. Her rig was changed before the first survey voyage and she sailed as a barque with three masts on all the survey voyages. Before the second voyage her deck was raised by 18 inches, increasing space below. It was very fairly cramped, however, with 76 people aboard. It has been suggested that her name was due to a dog-loving admiral or a naval administrator who enjoyed hunting but it was not unusual for the Royal Navy to name such vessels after animals. Among Beagle's sister ships were "Badger", "Weazel" and "Ferret." Sometimes names of ships commissioned as survey ships related to birds and these have included "Cygnet", "Lapwing" and "Woodlark." "Beagle" retired from sea-going service after she returned from the third voyage. For a time she was part of a network of vessels used in anti-smuggling activities. In 1870 she was sold and probably partly broken up for scrap. Dr Robert Prescott and a team of archaeologists have discovered a structure in a muddy river bank in southern Essex which matches the size and shape of "Beagle." This may well be her final resting place. --- In Australia model maker Mike Bass has just completed a superb new model of "Beagle." We got in touch with Mike and he told us about the project: "I have been a professional model maker now for 28 years and have been fortunate to have worked in every field of model making - architectural, film, advertising, maritime etc. in the UK and Australia. My model of "Beagle" is a 1:48th scale. It has been made for the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney for its special commemorations this year. The model took four months to complete and for me proved not only a challenge but a lot of fun. In the planning phase of the project I asked 'do you want a nice shiny museum model or a display that looks like it's been at sea for a couple of months?' Thankfully the weathered look was agreed on and so I created a model that told a story. This is not the first time I have done this. Two years ago I made for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, HMAS Sydney III 'Vung Tau Ferry'. With this model I used historic imagery taken during the Vietnam War to create the diorama at 1:96th scale. My aim with all my creations to tell a story and to create a snapshot of history." You can read Mike's log of the build and view pics of his model - At the exhibition in which Mike's model will be displayed there will also be a mock-up of Darwin's cabin. It was so small that Darwin had to remove drawers from a chest to make room for his feet when lying in his hammock! "Charles Darwin:Voyages and ideas that shook the world" runs from 20 March to 23 August at the Australian National Maritime Museum. ==================== 4 Nancy Dawson Sadly, the hallowed naval tradition of serving rum is no longer. In Kydd's time it was a high point of the day and always done with proper ceremony, including being announced by the playing of the much-loved air "Nancy Dawson" on a fife or fiddle. This was the signal for the mess cooks to repair to the rum tub to draw rations for their messmates. Nancy Dawson was an actual person. She was born around 1730 and became a very popular dancer in Georgian England. She was said to be "extremely agreeable in her figure" and was admired for her kindness as much as for her performances. A ballad sheet of the time sang her praises:- "Of all the girls in our town The black, the fair, the red, the brown, That dance and prance it up and down, There's none like Nancy Dawson. Her easy mien, her shape so neat, She foots, she trips, she looks so sweet, Her every motion's so complete, I die for Nancy Dawson." She danced the hornpipe during the performance of "The Beggar's Opera" at Covent Garden theatre and the tune is still familiar to us in its adaptation of "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush." Nancy Dawson died in May 1767 and was buried in the churchyard of St George's-in-the-Fields in London. A verse from a song about her was cut into her tombstone. The story goes, however that the vicar did not approve and had part of it removed, leaving only the stark phrase "here lies Nancy Dawson." ==================== 5 CONTESTS + "The Voyage of the Beagle" For a chance to win this fascinating book email the Bosun with the answer to this question: On what English bank note would you find a portrait of Charles Darwin? Deadline is February 20. + Paperback of choice On the website, we are offering a Kydd paperback of your choice in an easy-to-enter contest. It is proving so popular we've extended its duration to the end of March. And congratulations to the two winners of the mystery prize offered last month: Tom Bishop and Alan Birch. ==================== 6 WEATHER WORDS One of the aspects of Julian's books that many readers comment on are his wonderful descriptions of the sea, in all its moods. We asked Julian to dip into his salty vocabulary for a dozen or so sailors' descriptions of Kydd's day about the weather and sea conditions, obviously a pretty important topic when on the bounding main... mizzle = a kind of drizzle bruising water = pitching heavily to a head sea a cockling sea = tumbling waves with very short and quick motion blunk = a sudden squall slatch of wind = transitory breeze fret of wind = a squally flaw blowing great guns and muskets = a real blow, together with rain boldering = cloudy and thundery fresh breeze = the technical state in the Royal Navy when sails had to be shortened blashy = dirty, rainy ground sea = rollers are so big that the ship grounds on the sea bed in the troughs swash = sudden cross surge in the seas ==================== 7 SHIPMATES, AHOY! Ray Anderson is the chief master-at-arms for a Boston forum dedicated to the men who served aboard any US Navy ship named "Boston". Beginning in 1776 there have been seven such-named vessels and during Kydd's time there were two frigates with the illustrious name. Ray has just completed reading THE PRIVATEER'S REVENGE (published as TREACHERY in the UK) to which he has awarded a "Bravo Zulu" commendation, high praise indeed... Ray says he finds Julian's books so realistic that he can "feel" the sea under his feet while he is reading them. --- Alan Rootes also has a salty background. A former Royal Navy Jack Dusty, Alan recently sailed aboard the square-rigger "Stavros S Niarchos" on a 9-day voyage from La Coruna in Spain to Gibraltar. Alan climbed out to the t'gallant and cross trees on the foremast and worked the yards on the upper topsails. He says it was a fantastic experience and a real eye-opener to the perils that sailors of such ships would have been up against in Kydd's day. =================== 8 ASK JULIAN Julian has had quite a few emails recently (and questions at various talks he gives) asking whether the Kydd books should be read in the order in which they were published or whether people can just "dip in" to the series at any point. This is what Julian says: "While I do understand that some people prefer to read books in a series in chronological order, I make a point of having each title self-contained, with enough 'back story' to fill in any gaps for people who may not have read earlier titles. I would not like to be prescriptive and say everyone should start at the beginning. There may be a specific location of one of the books that instantly appeals. Having dipped in, so to speak, I know most people then go on to read all of the titles." Here's a handy guide to the books, in the order in which they were published. (They are available in a number of formats - hardbacks, special editions, paperbacks, trade paperbacks, Braille, large print, audiobooks, e-books, foreign language editions. Full details on the website.) KYDD - Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. ARTEMIS - Now a true Jack Tar Kydd ranges the seas in a crack frigate. SEAFLOWER - Kydd enjoys Caribbean adventures aplenty... MUTINY - Kydd faces hard decisions at tshe Nore Mutiny. QUARTERDECK - Kydd becomes an officer and a gentleman. TENACIOUS - Kydd is part of a desperate search for Napoleon. COMMAND - Kydd is thrilled to be given his first ship. THE ADMIRAL'S DAUGHTER - Kydd has to make an agonising personal choice. TREACHERY (THE PRIVATEER'S REVENGE in the US) - Facing disgrace, Kydd turns the table on his accuser Watch out for the next title, INVASION, out this October! COMING NEXT MONTH - The sea-faring Hoods, more on the modellers and all about a favourite Georgian pastime. =================== Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the WebSite ++