<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 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 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> May 2009 In this issue: Julian muses on his time in the Navy, Chatham Dockyard's connection with President Obama - and if you haven't done so already, why not enter our great contest; there's 10 sets of books up for grabs - STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY +plus+ INVASION! 1 DISPATCHES 2 SHIPMATES AHOY! 3 FEATURE 4 CONTEST 5 THE ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND 6 CHATHAM/OBAMA 7 ROWLANDSON, GEORGIAN CARICATURIST ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + TREACHERY paperback The UK edition of the paperback of TREACHERY is published on the 14th of this month. It includes two specially commissioned maps of the Channel Islands and surrounding area, where the book is set. ISBN 978 0 340 96113 1 + Fly Navy This year is the centenary year of naval aviation. On 7 May 1909 the Admiralty set aside GBP35,000 for the development of an airship; this led to the formation of the Fleet Air Arm as we know it today. The Fleet Air Arm is the Royal Navy's air force. It numbers some 6200 people, which is 11.5% of the total Royal Naval strength, operating about 200 combat aircraft and over 50 support/training aircraft. Its helicopters and fixed wing aircraft provide the Royal Navy with a multi-role airborne combat capability able to operate independently at short notice, in all environments, day and night, over the sea and land. The highlight of the anniversary events this year will be on 7 May at Greenwich, London, with a flypast of historic and current Fleet Air Arm aircraft over the aircraft carrier HMS "Illustrious" and a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on 8 May will formally recognise and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by the Royal Naval Air Service and the Fleet Air Arm. Various other activities are also planned. http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/operations-and-support/fleet-air-arm/fly-navy-100/fly-navy-100-events-2009/ + STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY Special Offer! Receive 25% off plus free P&P when you purchase Julian's fascinating non-fiction compilation from the Golden Age of Sail from rBooks. Simply visit www.rbooks.co.uk/maritime click 'Pre-Order now' and add the promotional code MARITIME at the basket before making your purchase. Offer expires 02.07.2009 and cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts. + The face of Kydd Julian was gob-smacked to receive an email with an attachment of a portrait of Thomas Kydd, master's mate, dated around 1800. Take a look on the website to see for yourself. An eagle-eyed Shipmate spotted it while browsing items for sale in a London auction. www.julianstockwin.com -> Shipmates Album + Round the buoy again... We've heard from a number of readers that they have re-read the entire Kydd series to date and have certainly not become bored the second time! Please get in touch if you've done this, too, and let us know what particularly stood out for you. + Our Man in Sudan In the July 2008 issue of the Chronicle we featured Shipmate and Canadian Naval Reservist Jim Parker - and his deployment to Sudan as a U.N. Military Observer. Jim has just written a fascinating first-hand account of his time there for the magazine "Diplomat and International Canada". You can read Jim's article via the link below, just click on the cover page of the latest issue and trawl down till you reach page 16! http://www.diplomatonline.com/ ==================== 2 SHIPMATES AHOY Two Shipmates on opposite sides of the world have found some fascinating naval ancestors... Audrey Cox, 84, retired from her position of coastguard radio operator at Kai Iwi Beach (on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island) last May but still keeps radio watch and broadcasts weather and condition reports every morning at 0750. For many years Audrey and her husband enjoyed fishing - she thinks she probably still holds the New Zealand Angling Association women's record for a groper caught on a hand line, a tad under 82 pounds! One of her nautical ancestors, Nathaniel Rowe, sailed around the world with Anson on the ill-fated voyage that was decimated by scurvy. Of the six ships that left England in 1741 only one returned. Another, Henry Nathaniel Rowe, was a lieutenant aboard "Ajax" at the Battle of Trafalgar. At the second Battle of Copenhagen his ship received a direct hit and Henry was very badly injured; his leg was shattered, his collar bone broken and his body lacerated. His face was so violently bruised that he was temporarily blinded. He fell into the sea but a sailor pulled him into a boat from "Thunder"; he was taken aboard that ship and his leg amputated. Back in England, in consideration of his suffering the Patriotic Society awarded him GBP200, and he was given a pension. Henry went on to serve the navy for many more years, in the Dardenelles under Admiral Duckworth (where his ship was struck by a marble shot 6 feet 11 inches in diameter, which carried away the mainmast and dismounted the guns) and the West Indies, in command of several sloops. In September 1840 he was appointed post captain, and retired. He died in 1860. Audrey's immediate family has a number of sea connections, too. Several nephews served in the RNZN and her brother is a fine marine painter, now living in Australia. === Gordon Simmonds, who lives in Portsmouth, England, is a historical re-enactor with the Historical Maritime Society. His regular role is a signals lieutenant and he goes under the name of Edward Greenswood. Both Gordon and his wife are great fans of the Kydd series. Gordon says he was struck by the parallels between Thomas Kydd's career and his ancestor Edward Greensword, whose life he has been researching in some depth. Gordon points out how in MUTINY Kydd is appointed a master's mate aboard HMS "Triumph"; Greensword too was a master's mate in "Triumph" and, like Kydd, served in that rate at the battle of Camperdown. Both Kydd and Greensword were appointed acting lieutenants; Kydd went on to pass his examination and have his commission confirmed while Greensword, who had been made acting lieutenant until a replacement lieutenant could be found, was in that position for four weeks only. Greensword did finally become lieutenant and went on to command two gun-brigs under overall command of Sir James Saumarez, whom of course Kydd serves in TREACHERY. http://www.hms.org.uk/ =================== 3 FEATURE The old and the new... With the appearance of the first of the Royal Navy's six new Type 45 Destroyers, HMS "Daring", Julian took up the challenge to talk about the similarities and differences in the Navy he knew - and the Service that is exemplified by "Daring". ["Daring", currently still undergoing sea trails before going operational, has a complement of 191, utilises a novel fully integrated electrical propulsion system and can provide naval gunfire support at a range of 22 km. She's the world's most advanced anti-air warfare ship. Living conditions on board are the best in the fleet with many senior ratings having their own cabins. ] Over to Julian... "I'm 'Old Navy' - my service began in the sixties, mainly with the Royal Australian Navy, which was very similar to the Royal Navy. I transferred Down Under when my parents emigrated to Tasmania. Life aboard then was in some ways closer to Nelson's time than to conditions modern sailors enjoy in "Daring" - for much of my time at sea I slept in a hammock, was in a Kydd-style broadside mess with a small group of messmates (not in a large communal mess), and of course it was an all-male environment. "Daring", I believe, is designed to sustain missions for up to 45 days. We went to sea for long periods, sometimes for 10 months or more, like the ships Kydd served in. In those days you were really cut off from the shore - no emails, radio, television. We got our news from a short bulletin posted each day by the sparkies who listened to Morse Code transmissions. In this respect I can really empathise with Thomas Kydd, living in a self-contained environment with a great degree of interdependence. This is not to take away from what our boys at sea are achieving today - it just points up the fundamental difference in the relationship to the land that has occured. And of course there was still the rum ration in my day - a very welcome sup after a cold watch! There's beer aboard 'Daring' but the demise of 'Nelson's Blood' was a sad occurrence. As I write this I can't help but wonder how I would fit into this New Navy if, by some miracle I could lose a couple of decades, and perhaps a few pounds... After the initial acclimatising, I think I would feel right at home. Some things never change in the Navy - the professionalism, the mate-ship, the love of the sea... To my mind a naval career is a great life for any young man - or woman - today." ==================== 4 CONTESTS Ten chances to win 2 Stockwin titles! To mark the publication of the two books by Julian this year - STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY in July and Book Ten in the Kydd Series, INVASION - in October, we have ten of each of these titles to give away to ten lucky winners! This is how it works: just email Bosun@JulianStockwin.com with the name of your favourite Kydd title and the name of the publisher of Stockwin's Maritime Miscellany, plus your full postal details. You can enter as many times as you like between now and the end of June, when the contest closes. We'll then draw ten names from the hat and the lucky winners will each receive a copy of the two books on publication: STOCKWIN'S MARITIME MISCELLANY in early July and INVASION in early October. --- Congratulations to last month's winners : the set of nautical cards goes to Neville Thompson and Fred Wyatt wins the mystery sea prize. ==================== 5 THE ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND "When mighty roast beef was the Englishman's food It ennobled our hearts and enriched our blood Our soldiers were brave, our courtiers good Oh the roast beef of old England And old England's roast beef! But since we have learnt from all-vapouring France To eat their ragouts as well as to dance We're fed up with nothing but vain complaisance Oh the roast beef of Old England And old England's roast beef! Then, Britons from all nice dainties refrain Which effeminate Italy, France and Spain And mighty roast beef shall command on the main Oh the roast beef of old England And old England's roast beef!" In the eighteenth century the English were parodied abroad as "rosbifs", echoing the belief that this method of cooking was the only one the English knew. Voltaire sneered that the English had a hundred religions but only one sauce. The English, by contrast, mocked the French as a nation starved of meat, not able to appreciate a decent joint of roast beef. In 1731 Henry Fielding set his poem "The Roast Beef of Old England" to the tune of a catchy air. The singer Richard Leveridge popularised it and added more verses. Part lament for affectations picked up from continental neighbours, part call to arms, it became a huge hit. If the country would but remember its red-blooded gastronomic heritage, it enjoined, there would be dominion over England's enemies and national pride. But the Georgians did not just sing the praises of British beef, they also founded clubs devoted to celebrating it. Among the most notable was the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks. Dating from 1735, membership was restricted to 24 and the rules of the society stated that: "beef steaks shall be the only meat for dinner..." Members wore a distinctive waistcoat, with brass buttons proclaiming "Beef and liberty"! The painter Hogarth depicted a ginormous joint of beef in his 1748 painting "The Gate of Calais". The meat is being delivered to Madam Grandsire's, an English hotel in the French port of Calais. "The Roast Beef of Old England" was soon ubiquitous, from music halls to Royal Navy ships, where it became part of the tradition of calling officers to dinner. The tune is still performed today for formal mess dinners, both in the Royal Navy and other navies around the world. And "The Roast Beef of Old England" was the tune played by the bugler, P.W. Fletcher to call first class passengers to meals aboard "Titanic"... ==================== 6 THE OBAMA/CHATHAM CONNECTION The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent can now boast two more special connections to the new president of the United States. Queen Victoria presented "The Resolute Desk" to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. This splendid item of furniture sits in the Oval Office and has been used by all but three American presidents. HMS "Resolute" was part of a four-ship British squadron under Edward Belcher sent in the early 1850s to search for the missing explorer Sir John Franklin. "Resolute" and one of her sister ships became lodged in the ice. When she finally broke loose after several seasons she was found by an American fishing vessel and towed into port. Congress purchased the vessel and refitted her, then presented her to Queen Victoria in 1856; "Resolute" served the Royal Navy for a further 23 years. When the ship was decommissioned in 1879 a desk was made from her timbers by William Evenden, a skilled joiner at Chatham. Now, 130 years later, a pen holder made from an off-cut of timber taken from the sloop HMS "Gannet" during her restoration has been given pride of place on the Resolute desk by President Obama. The holder was made by ship keepers David Appleton and Chris Jones. HMS "Gannet" entered naval service the same year that "Resolute" was being broken up. Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented the pen holder, along with a framed commission of HMS "Resolute" earlier in the year. HMS "Gannet" is now preserved for posterity at the Historic Dockyard Chatham. http://www.chdt.org.uk/Historic_Warships/HMS_Gannet/hms_gannet.html A replica of the Resolute desk can be viewed at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/tour/ovaloffice/popup/desk.html =================== 7 Rowlandson The eighteenth century produced a number of talented caricaturists, among them Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827). He became one of the most popular artists of his time and a perceptive and talented chronicler of the late Georgian age. "He has covered with his never-flagging pencil enough of charta pura to placard the whole walls of China, and etched as much copper as would sheathe the British Navy" - commented his obituary writer. No one knows exactly how many watercolours, drawings and prints he did, but 10,000 may not be far off the mark. Rowlandson was the only son of a London merchant but following his father's bankruptcy he was brought up by his aunt and uncle from the age of two. His aunt greatly encouraged his artistic leanings and he studied at the Royal Academy. He also travelled widely in England and on the continent. When his aunt died she left him GBP7000 and Rowlandson plunged into a period of dissipation, indulging his passion for gambling, sometimes not leaving the gaming table for 36 hours. Rowlandson's satirical wit is to some extent reminiscent of Hogarth but without his moral rage. His vision can be brutal and harsh but is always vivid. He portrayed the high and the low with a humour that was often bawdy and sometimes what we would see as pornographic today. Among his best-known works were his drawings of the mis-adventures of Dr Syntax, a fictional English clergyman and schoolmaster. His works were usually done in outline with a reed pen and then delicately washed with colour. They were then etched by the artist on copper and then aqua-tinted. Portsmouth Point, the eastern side of the narrow entrance to Portsmouth Harbour facing Gosport on the western side was an area very familiar to Thomas Kydd.[see ARTEMIS] Historically, the Point lay outside the boundaries of Portsmouth and was notorious for its lewd behaviour, pubs and houses of ill repute. There were also a number of boat yards and on the south side military defences protecting the harbour entrance that also contained a prison. Now the area is part of historic Portsmouth, and still retains some of the early defences of the city and the Camber Docks. "Portsmouth Point" is a captivating example of Rowlandson's work. The officer and his lady in the centre of the picture are at odds with the raucous goings-on all around them. It's worth spending a little time just looking at what each of the characters is doing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portsmouth_Point_by_Thomas_Rowlandson.jpg Rowlandson's works are represented in the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and many others around the world. "Portsmouth Point" even inspired a musical celebration of the rumbunctious life of the eighteenth century sailor. In 1925 the English composer William Walton wrote an overture for orchestra of the same name. Walton said that the music had come into his head while riding the no. 22 bus in London! =================== Coming next month: the famous American who called sailors "a brave and valuable order of men"; Julian talks about his upcoming MARITIME MISCELLANY and we'll take a look at another Georgian pastime. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the WebSite ++