20th Century
The Merchant Navy Boy
Some of you may recall that I have been trying to claim my deceased father’s WW2 medals as a Merchant Navy seaman. It has taken a year and with a great deal of help from [more…]
Merchant Navy
Arts
Æthelberht’s RFA Christmas
I know there’s plenty of former Pusser types on GP, and even a few who have sailed under the red duster. They’ll all be familiar with the Christmas routines for their respective outfits. I thought [more…]
Biography
The Right Way To Put Out A Fire (Finally)
In March 2013 I was appointed to RFA Fort Austin. Within NATO she is classified as an AFSH, that’s to say a combat stores ship with the necessary facilities on board to embark a helicopter. [more…]
Biography
Still Not The Right Way To Put Out A Fire
You may remember some months back I related a story of my first fire exercise sailing under the Red Duster. I was somewhat unimpressed having come from a different seafaring outfit where these things were [more…]
Biography
The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire
When I left the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2015 I joined a shipping company operating out of Barrow-in-Furness. It was a very small outfit which specialised in carrying nuclear cargo between Europe, the US and [more…]
Peace
It’s time to take a couple of minutes for quiet contemplation
Dedicated to all the men & women of the British Armed Services, especially those killed in the line of duty since WW1 and the countless numbers injured and disabled defending our country and way of [more…]