Adventures with an Englishman

…Coleford House was haunted, as my Fiancée Sheila found out. She felt someone was watching her.

  …The boys threw stones at an Owl, and broke its wing. My Dad brought it home and set it.

…A Golden Eagle flew over my boat. He eyed me, my fishing gear, and my lunch. I was perturbed about the lunch. What fascinated me was being examined with intent should the situation warrant it. I was not sure of winning.

…WW2 started, and as it progressed our flock of white fantail pigeons got smaller, I must assume they made good Pigeon Pie.

…A group of Mummers arrived that Christmas and in the setting of the great fireplace, they performed their silent play, binding us in a spell, enthralled.

…My best friend at Dartmouth, Bill Dundas, was the only officer of three survivors from Hood. Philip (my brother) had been appointed to Hood but missed her when she went to sea, he would not have survived. Bill said from the time of the explosions aft, it took just about sixty seconds for the ship to sink.

…The Liston family, were delightful, “Jiminy Cricket”, Pam and my Daphne, who was only fourteen: I was accused on board of baby snatching.

…We were invited out to dinner with a family called David. They had a beautiful home in a lovely garden setting very much in Oriental style. They were Chinese and delightful company.

 …I teemed up with one of the daughters, it would have developed into something special but the Japanese took care of that on December seventh

…Goldsmith in the fighting top was now almost over the water below him, he said a man decided to risk it and jumped: not far enough, he hit the deck. That was the worst decision he ever had to make; the fighting top was at a hundred and thirty feet.

…The collision broke the stem piece, we shipped about three hundred tons of water. The ship flexed: I could see it.

…I rolled over towards the armour plate, looking up saw bombs falling. I remember seeing eight crossing my vision; there were nine bombers so there should be nine bombs.

…There were two men the first had no face, a terrible bloody mess the other’s intestines were hanging out and he was trying desperately to push them back into his stomach.

…He started to float off the net, the man the other side grabbed his arm to pull him back: all the flesh came off his arm, leaving just bare bone

…During the trip down to London a woman in my compartment made snide remarks about those who wouldn’t do their part in one of the services. In her opinion we were all cowards. Her remarks were made directly at me.

…The first time in ages that I was sunbathing in the company of girls, who were in the WRNS, taking the afternoon to relax for a few hours: Shangri La. Oh La La indeed.

…There is a phenomenon called St. Elmo’s lights. In pitch dark the outline of the ship and every rope and line above the deck glows and shimmers with an eerie blue green light

…It lasts for perhaps a half hour slowly receding until gone. You are left standing there in awe, wondering what you have been introduced to.

…They were there to look into whether I should stay in the Navy or be invalided.

…Finally they offered me a lump sum of £5,000. I thought of all these fat cats and decided I really didn’t like them very much

…Sheila got to wear a nice engagement ring.

…The help I got in Northern Rhodesia was a thousand times better than anything done in England.

…Adolphus was a Southern Ground Hornbill His beak was 9 inches long; I measured it. And of all things he had eyelashes.

…he would fly by and tap me on the head with his beak lightly as if to say “I’m here, see you in a bit.”… Closed his beak and crushed the skull instantly; and I had been playing tug-of-war with him, my hand in his beak!

…The wake was in a pub and the dear departed was lying in state up in a bedroom where the people could look upon him one last time.

…“Ah! Master Harry tis good to see the like’s o’ you back from the wars an’ all. Will ye no have a drink to celebrate?”

…She took him into the room where the dear departed lay in state, lifted his head by his hair, took a bottle out from under the pillow and with a glass handed it to Harry whereupon they drank to his return with the silent audience alongside.

…When he came to my name he said “Get that man on the payroll.” It entailed certain problems however because I was still an “Alien.”

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