I was talking in text form to my fourteen year old grandson the other day and and I asked him what he wanted to be when he left School and he said "No Idea" with one of those emoticons tagged onto the end of the phrase.
I don't think I knew then either really. I joined the Royal Navy because I thought. I would get a decent enough life. It was better than that, it was having a job where something different occurred every day. A job where work was fun. People around you sometimes made their fun about you. This was called "banter" and its something that can get you trouble these days if you say the wrong things.
But the RN developed its own language and thanks to Commander Rick Jolly and his hobby of collecting all the banter in the book JACKSPEAK. With cartoons by TUGG who regularly scripted for the monthly paper version of "Navy News", which sailors bought at the NAAFI - times and technology may have changed but I am willing to bet, that sailors still look at these things of which I and many of my especial friends or chums or oppo's (a term derived from 'opposite number', or the person who is on watch, when you are off') did regularly in my old ships and units of which I had the honour to serve with.
So inspired, by my texting this week with this young lad called Dylan, the poem follows called "crossing the line".
Now for those not so conversant this term is given to the unofficial ceremony enacted whenever a "grey warrior" (or HM Ship), crosses the equator but in the poem you may find a different meaning at the end.
If you don't want to learn any 'Jackspeak' - I have put a basic definition where a piece of it appears in the poem and will explained and shown by the italics near the item of banter used.
Crossing the Line or When I Grow Up, I Want …
In days gone by, like every young boy, he smiled, at those who worked for joy.
“That’s what I want”, to work- each smile, would say, something different day by day.
He did the usual stuff at school, but ended up with nothing cool. Until he said ‘I saw a job for me’ , in Noz ones and twos - of the Roy-al Navy. (Uniform)
He joined and trained and worked, made friends, many days at sea, many “make and mends”. (period in a ship's daily routine set aside for the repair and maintenance of Jack's personal clothing and kit or just for taking a nap) Went far and wide, he often sought, that girl to find in every port. (everyone thought that sailors would score in every port with all the girls hence "all the nice girls love a sailor")
Got a medal or two then left to find, something close to that job he left behind.
Now a “strawberry” some call him, it’s “Jack” for Civvy ; Look – that’s just rhyming slang for “Strawberry Mivvi”.
He loved those ice creams, his ice cream suit, (white trousers and white shoes - and a white tunic which buttoned up the neck worn in the tropics) tropical shoes in hot sun to boot.
Learned what he called “flex ops”, (Flexible Operations done to keep the maintenance appraised a list of jobs given to a mechanic working on Aircraft used in the Fleet Air Arm became flex ops) could even work a lathe, he relished the "pipe" -(a series of notes produced on a bosun's whistle, or "Bosun's Call; followed usually by a tannoy or loud speaker announcement) when they called “hands to bathe”. (Ships used to allow the crew to swim and by jumping over the side of the ship when this was announced - it was called out "hands to bathe" the ship usually stopping in a sunny area - sometimes in shark infested waters! - well hopefully not, although machine gun watch was also a duty if that order was announced).
Crossing the line or even the ice, (there is a similar ritual for that imaginary line in the Arctic Circle) the job he said “he is proud , He said “It was nice”..
So, when kids are deciding a career at fourteen, just remember old granddad and where he has been.
For he did see the world, although at Uckers (modified by Jack, this game of Ludo was usually manufactured from a piece of wood then painted with the LUDO scheme of play, with old broom handles cut into pieces which when piled up became "blobs" which if of the same colour would block anyone else coming through - if a set of different colours would pile up - this would be a "Mixy Blob" and the block would lose its requirements - different rules are played in the general service to those in the Air Arm which were called WAFU rules, I wont say what that meant to the General Service who the WAFUs called "Fish-heads" ) he’d cheat, he had days of “field gun bunnies, ” ( hunky blokes used to pull and push naval field guns over an obstacle course and around every time the competition was on as an event, which finally performed at the Earl Court Royal Tournament their supporters, usually women and mostly WRNS (Womens Royal Naval Service pronounced as Wrens) - followed the Royal Navy Field Gun Crew -were called "Gunny Bunnies" Historically this had commenced in 1896 which saw the first “all-naval” display appeared in the programme, and which comprised of cutlass drill and a field gun drill by forty ratings from HMS Excellent. In 1998, the Royal Navy staged the last inter command Field Gun Competition at the Tournament you can read more here and creeping the reep.(This means visiting Hamburg and the famous Reeper Bahn)
Heard “Chinese whispers”, (people hear only what they want to hear and rumours abound which might or might not be real) got a C.126, (A stores form which had to be filled in for losing loaned kit) for losing his hard hat on 706. ( A naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose; which I and many other Naval Mechanics, Apprentices and Officers served at some time in their naval (Fleet Air Arm) career.
Getting “blue liners” (cigarettes called "Blue Liners" came in silver foil packs of 100, one for each stamp (coupon). 300 being the monthly maximum whilst ashore. These were made for the RN by Sobrane or British Associated Tobaccos. They carried the blue line down the length of the cigarette with the words H.M. Ships only. On crossing the 12-mile excise barrier when at sea, your allowance changed to 600 per month with a different stamp (coupon) of any chosen brand purchased through the NAAFI Canteen onboard. Blue Liner stamps (coupons) were maroon but changed colours at the end of the enforceable month and were provided free when you requested stamps at pay day where you queue, salute the paymaster and present your pay book, a green hard bound covered record book possessed by ratings to record everything of value ) with stamps placed in the pay book, met three badge stokers (not to be confused with an Army Stripe, these Chevrons displayed and worn on the sleeve of Jack's uniform up to the rank of Petty Officer - having three badges with no rank showed great experience and brought in the rhyme "three badges golds. too bloody old". Stokers were sometimes called badgers because of the flight deck jersey colours of Balck and White they were General Service engine room branch) and chefs who could cook. (Naval Chefs made great breakfasts and eggs on a raft - eggs on toast, they kept us fed and watered always - they are now trained at Worthy Down ;not far from my residence, here in Winchester. The Navy having moved them from HMS Raleigh in Devon under the Tri-Service format, you may find it interesting to read about the singing chef here)
Yes, he must have upset drafty, (the board which decides what ship you are going to serve in next) as he moved him, and closed, his comfortable time at RNAS Culdrose. (The Air Station in Helston, Cornwall called also HMS SEAHAWK)
But he still had the joy, of MASU (Mobile Aircraft Support Unit based was based in Royal Naval Aircraft Yard FLEETLANDS and those who had no residence there lived at HMS SULTAN near Lee On the Solent which was once the training ground of Part Two and Three for aircraft mechanics then held at HMS DAEDALUS which was actually in Lee itself), although this life’s not for all sorts, some went RDP. (Taken from the Shep Wooley song "Ram it - I'm RDP" which stood for RUN DOWN PERIOD when you requested to leave the mob)
He remembers his home port, the ships and abroad, he laughed in the messdeck (where everyone lived on board and congregated was the mess and the floor was its deck) and shouted “Upboard”. (Back to Uckers, that LUDO game, if you lost badly, you would rapidly turn the board over and shout upboard)
When he left the old Andrew, (Some say, including the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, the nickname 'Andrew' derives from a man called Andrew Miller, a zealous officer of the Impress Service (a Royal Navy recruitment service) during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic War) and that great life so fine, he said, “I pass on this message to you, yours and mine.
Believe in those early smiles and the joy time after time and remember this grand-dad whose now crossing his line.
# Crossing the Line (Full unedited poem also posted)