Guest Book

Thanks for the explanation Ray and whilst I never had the pleasure or otherwise of appearing at the Captain's table I have experienced the irritation of true sailors with those of the Naval Airman Met persuasion.
When on the Victorious and obviously requiring to sleep during the forenoon after an all night Met office watch, I was rudely awakened by the messdecks Chief who screamed in my face "what are you then lad" to which I replied " I am Met chief".
Not knowing what employment this alien being had, he turned away in disgust with the parting words as follows: "WHAT IS THIS MAN'S NAVY COMING TO, SLEEPING IN THE FORENOON, RIDICULOUS"

Ken - the Master at Atms, also known as the Jossman (joss is the Mandarin word for luck) was responsible, amongst other things for issuing draft chits when you left your ship - wpuld it be good or bad luck? Hence the old matrlot song I wonder yes I wonder, if the josssman made a blunder, when he made this draft chit out for me. I think he was a CPO, but very much in charge of the Reg Office, He marched you in to face the Captain, and read out specifically what you weree charged with. Mine at Terror was direct dis-obedience of orders - I was very lucky at the time, as my Divisional Officer (Met Officer) had explained extenuating circumstances beforehand. The Jossman was furious and told me useless airy fairies s ould never be counted as proper sailors.

WHAT IS A MASTER AT ARMS, sorry boys i only spent 6 months at sea when i was a very young newly qualified Met 1. on the Eagle and eighteen months on the Vic.
the rest of my time I spent mostly in civvies, having 2 postings at AFS and one other at Hal Far as part of HAFMED, so strictly speaking can't really call myself a sea going MET Rating.
However, there were some compensations, the West End for one and every other day off at Golden Bay, no sunshades but lots of Basal Cell Carcinomas all over my face in later years, requiring many operations by talented surgeons to ensure that I maintained my classic good looks with just the odd scar to give that dashing, dangerous appearance.
Love to hear from you sea going folks though!

Anyone else had run-ins with the Reg. staff? Or beem punished for petty o ffenses? Let's hear your story......

I remember the Master at Arms very well and also Tim - both of whom I had run-ins with, I was on HMS Tyne for a short while in 1961 and Tim ran me in for not stowing my hammock away by 0700. Seven days stoppage of leave - station card taken from me. Massive co-incidence, as he was also on HMS Hermes with me as well as HMS Terror.
While I was being kept in cells at Terror, information was eventually brought to the Reg Office attention of our watchkeeping pattern, and how many hours we were putting in between us. Eventually I was put before the Captain, who had obvviously beem imformed of this, and I got seven days stoppage of pay and leave. I had to report to the Reg Office three times a day and had to be woken so as not to miss any! I remember crawling out of my pit at 1200 after a night on watch and just making it in tine - the Jossman told me I was just a useless Airy Fairy and not a proper sailor like him, Got away with answering in my best Chinese accent 'Yes Master'
The PO who got me into this mess was told not to disturb the watchkeeoers mess ever again.

.... just remembered the name of the joss - COBBLEDICK ! - went well with crusher Timothy Valentine O'Donovan !!

Yes Ray remember it well. The HMS TERROR Master at Arms did not like 'airy fairies' (and we Mets were the only ones there) and he was a pixxhead who kept a bottle in his desk at work - I know that because I was trooped for riding my motorcycle without crash helmet - only happened because I was parked at the filling station down the road from TERROR and a 'crusher' (L/Reg) called Timothy Valentine O'Donovan stopped across the road in his 'tilly' and beckoned me to come over - so I rode my bike across the road without helmet and he did me for 'riding without helmet ! When I reported to the jossman a 0900 next morning he was hurriedly replacing his bottle top and putting it in his desk drawer. He knew I saw it and I got off without a charge. As for being trooped for sleeping during the day I had that nonsense many many times in HMS PROTECTOR where I had to get up every night to do a 0300 (local) ob (0600 GMT) and plot a chart in prep for the flying brief then back to bed for a quick sleep. The duty PO would come into the mess at 0645 and shake me and relieve me of my 'blue' card (no shore leave) (not that there was much of that in Antarctica - but still had to report to the Cox'n to get it back). I had another run-in with the crushers when I joined Lee for a short 'refresher' in-between my Patrols in PROTECTOR. I joined on a Sunday night (Sep '68) and reported to the reg office just inside the gate on the right, where two L/regs were on duty - on entering and being ignored I asked "which of you is the one who can read and which one can write" - the gruff reply was to "get out" and come back in 'properly' - so I went out and came back in and asked "... so..have you decided yet" . Got away with that one.

Spud - never went to Easter Island, thank goodness, but Bogey Knight did (Ex PO MET)
HMS Terror was a good draft, but we were one in three watchkeeping througghout - Afternoon one day 1300 to 1800? then morning and night 0700 to 1300 and 1800 right through to 0700 the following morning, then off until 1300 the next afternoon. Cannot remember the exact times, but with only three of us to cover 24 hours a day, pretty tirting. I remember going straight to sleep at 0800 one mormimg, and woken by some P.O. who ordererd me to get up. I refused and found myself in cells at the main gate. Part two to follow! Do you remember this?

Ray - I meant to ask if you had done Easter Island ? I was earmarked for it as my first 'proper' draft late 62 early 63 but joined you in Singapore instead. I think the drafts there ended at that time. (- very glad I missed that one !)

Hi Ray
All I remember was being told that he had serious eyesight problems soon after leaving AFS (Admiralty Forecast Section) (not ATS !). He married a Met Wren (I think) and it was a friend of hers that told me after I left PROTECTOR and joined Northwood circa mid 1968 - (all names forgotten i'm afraid).