The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
‘Proffing’ is an old naval term for acquiring an item without the owner’s authority, which in landsman’s language is sometimes called ‘stealing’. In the good old naval tradition of having many names for the same thing (to confuse the lubbers), proffing was also often referred to as ‘unhooking’.
The heads were the so-called seats of ease, where the crew carried out their unavoidable natural bodily functions.
The Captain of the Heads was the name given to the crew-member whose duties included cleaning the heads, and those parts of the ship’s hull beneath them that inevitably got soiled. This duty was given to a minor recalcitrant, and so the title was gleefully passed on quickly to the next ‘victim’.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Fiddler's Green was slang for an easy life.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
To add a bit more to that Dave.
Fiddler's Green is a legendary supposed afterlife, where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire. In 19th-century maritime folklore it was a kind of afterlife for sailors who have served at least 50 years at sea.
As I walked by the dockside one evening so rare
To view the still waters and take the salt air
I heard an old fisherman singing this song,
Oh take me away boys, me time is not long
[Chorus]
Lock me up in me oilskins and jumper
No more on the docks I'll be seen
Just tell me old shipmates I'm takin a trip mates
I'll see you someday in Fiddler's Green
Oh in Fiddler's Green is a place I've heard tell
Where sailormen go if they don't go to hell
Where the weather is fair and the dolphins do play
And the cold coast of Greenland is far far away
[Chorus]
Where the skies are all clear and there's never a gale
And the fish jump on board with a swish of their tails
Where you lie at your leisure - there's no work to do
And the skipper's below making tea for the crew
[Chorus]
Oh and when you are docked and the long trip is through
There's pubs and there's clubs and there's lassies there too
Where the girls are all pretty and the beer is all free
And there's bottles of rum growin off every tree
[Chorus]
Oh I don't want a harp nor a halo, not me
Just give me a breeze and a good rollin sea
And I'll play me auld squeezebox as we sail along
With the wind in the riggin to sing me this song
[Chorus]
Lock me up in me oilskins and jumper
No more on the docks I'll be seen
Just tell me old shipmates I'm takin a trip mates
I'll see you someday in Fiddler's Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voZbWF9DLlo
Rob.
Last edited by Bligh; 05-13-2017 at 03:00.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Thank you for that, Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
* I believe that in the Royal Navy the term for the toilet is Head not the plural Heads.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
RN - plural
USN - singular
Thanks for the correction Dave. i knew it was different just got it back to front!
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Captain of the Heads was the name given to the crew-member whose duties included cleaning the heads, and those parts of the ship’s hull beneath them that inevitably got soiled. This duty was given to a minor recalcitrant, and so the title was gleefully passed on quickly to the next ‘victim’.
Able Cat Emily is a crewmember on the Old Barky Sarky and appears in many AB&OS cartoons strips – usually taking about as much notice of what is going on as she is here – if that much (much as she carries on in real life in Galf’s home).
The Brodie Stove was introduced in the 1780s and was always extinguished during action. On a 74 gun ship, such as HMS Sardonique, it would be used to prepare meals for a crew of about 620, in a single sitting for roughly 80% of them.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Jaunty is/was the seamen’s name for the Master-at-Arms, or the ship’s policeman, who was one of the Bosun’s mates. Not always the most popular crew member with the ‘other ranks’ because the Jaunty’s main calling in life was to prevent them doing what comes naturally.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
About this the cartoonist wrote,"George Washington referred to Congressman John Trumbull as “my Brother Jonathan”, which became the generic term for New Englanders, and soon for all North Americans.
If any Jonathans are reading this – of course you are not as arrogant, big-headed and loud-mouthed as us Limeys – it’s just a cartoon joke!
This year (2012) is the two hundredth anniversary of the start of The American War (1812-14), which was basically a trade war. Britain was at war with France and America wanted to trade with the French, which Britain didn’t like. So Britain stopped and searched American ships for goods on the way to France and if they found British seamen on board, pressed them into the RN, neither of which America liked. So, obviously, the only solution was to go to war. The war was finally stopped when all the talking that should have happened before happened afterwards – as with all wars."
Good to get a bit of historical background into the thread.
Thanks Dave.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Galf frequently provides a footnote to his cartoons, Rob. About this one he wrote,"Abie and Os are smoking their pipes beside HMS Sardonique‘s Brodie stove, which is the only place crew members were allowed to smoke."
Unfortunately my source does not have any footnotes Dave.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
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