Issue XIV
Contents
I
Articles of War
II Crossroads
by Kim Reeman
III Pipe All Hands!
IV The Only Victor
V Three Tape
Cassettes
I
Articles of War
"Articles of War are certain regulations for the
betterment of the navy, and may be altered at the pleasure of the King.
They are printed and hung up in the most public place in every ship of
the Royal Navy and are ordered to be read aloud at least every month to
the ship's company. ”
This was how theng instruction
of the Act of Parliament was worded, and what was to become the unwavering
guidance in the fleet, and all ships, whether in company or sailing alone,
perhaps thousands of miles from any senior authority.
Passed in 1749, the Articles,
and there were some thirty-six of them, were intended to support every
commander and sea officer, whether he be in charge of a tiny armed transport
like the ill-fated Bounty or the flagship of some powerful and distinguished
admiral.
Ships sailing alone were always
at risk, and not necessarily from the King's enemies. The merest
hint of dissension between decks, let alone the dreaded suggestion of mutiny,
made the Articles of War a captain's first line of defence, hence the need
to read them aloud to his company every month as a reminder of the consequences.
“If any officer, mariner, soldier,
or other person in the fleet shall strike any of his superior officers,
draw, or offer to draw, or lift up any weapon against him, being in the
execution of his office, on any pretext whatsoever, every such person being
convicted of any such offence by the sentence of a court-martial, shall
suffer death. . . ”
Just as they were read by a
captain when a man was brought aft for punishment: a flogging at the gangway,
and the relevant charge underlined.
Lieutenant William Bligh of
the Bounty, probably the most maligned and slandered sea officer of all
time, especially in the fictional assassination of Hollywood, was a fine
seaman, and his punishment-book is neither savage nor unfair as is so often
proclaimed. Another captain, Hugh Pigot of the frigate Hermione,
was such a sadist as to actually enjoy the degrading spectacle of a flogging,
and he caused his ship to explode in the bloodiest mutiny in British naval
history. It happened in 1797, the time of the other great uprisings
at Spithead and the Nore against foul conditions and brutal discipline,
which shocked a nation in daily fear of a French invasion.
Conversely, the same Articles
which were intended to protect the navy's far-flung authority and the men
who acted in the King's name, could also turn around and destroy them.
“Every flag officer, captain,
and commander in the fleet, who, upon signal or order of fight, or sight
of any ship or ships which it may be his duty to engage, or who, upon likelihood
of engagement, shall not make the necessary preparations for fight, and
shall not in his own person, and according to his place, encourage the
inferior officers and men to fight courageously, shall suffer death, or
such punishment as from the nature of the degree of the offence a court-martial
shall deem him to deserve. . . ”
It was often said that if a
senior officer acted with dash and skill while carrying out an attack in
the defence of vessels under his command, others, namely the Admiralty,
would take the credit. If he made a wrong decision, or failed to
act to the letter of these same articles, he alone would take the blame
with a court-martial and all its grim consequences as the end result. Even
today, the Articles of War retain much of their original content, so that
unlike civil law an accused officer must prove his innocence, rather than
have the prosecutor establish his guilt.
The drama, the long drawn-out
ceremony of a court-martial must remain unrivaled in tension and despair.
From the boom of the warning gun as the court-martial jack breaks to the
wind, it is a man's career, his reputation, and in many cases his very
life which is on trial. The moment of truth as the accused is marched
in with his escort for the verdict -- will his sword, laid upon the court's
table throughout the proceedings, be pointed towards him? If so,
there is no hope left. If on the other hand the hilt is nearest to
him, what Herrick would call “Lady Luck” has triumphed.
Even the highest ranks were
not so secure that they could not suffer the same fate. As a result
of failing to take Minorca from the French in 1756, Admiral the Honourable
John Byng was severely criticised both by the lords of Admiralty and by
the King himself. He was court-martialled, and condemned to death.
The following year, showing great fortitude on board HMS Monarque
in Portsmouth where he took charge of his own firing-squad, Byng made his
last signal to them and was shot dead.
His execution and the interpretation
of the Articles which found him guilty were to act like an icy hand on
the shoulder of many a senior commander for a long time to come.
RETURN
TO TOP
II
Crossroads by Kim Reeman
Douglas once said, “I am a great believer in Fate,”
and as surely as fate brought us together, so we are powerfully aware that
it also introduced us to Geoffrey Huband.
We were in Cornwall in the
spring of 1985. I took Douglas to Mousehole, where, although he had
lived for some time in the Duchy, he had never been. While walking
in its steep, narrow streets our attention was caught by a painting in
the window of a gallery. A frigate and a cutter on a clam sea, suffused
with the tranquil light of sunset or sunrise. Every detail was perfect:
authentic, and unlike many maritime paintings, technically accurate.
We bought it, and Douglas, impressed not only by the talent it demonstrated
but by the familiar “feel” and spirit of the ships of the period -- Richard
Bolitho's period -- wrote asking the artist if he would consider doing
jacket paintings for the Bolitho novels. Our relationship with Geoffrey
Huband had begun, or perhaps it had long been ordained.
Geoffrey believes so.
“I often reflect on the circumstances of providence or fate that caused
our paths to meet, a path that began for me many years ago when I bought
my first Reeman story, HMS Saracen. Subsequently I read many
others, but whether Kent or Reeman I always had the same feeling, that
I was envious of the opportunity to illustrate such exciting and authentic
stories.”
Geoffrey Huband was born in
Worcestershire in 1945, and studied at Stourbridge College of Art and Victoria
College, Manchester University. On leaving college he taught, but
in 1970 he moved to Cornwall to paint full-time, and found in its rugged,
maritime beauty the inspiration for paintings which are now commissioned
internationally. His nostalgic oil vignettes of village life are
very much in the “pleine air” tradition of the Newlyn School he admires;
he chooses pure watercolour as the medium for his splendid paintings of
ships and the sea.
“Visually I am intrigued by
the abstracted qualities of maritime painting. The solidity of hulls,
the apparent delicacy of masts and spars, the fragile beauty of sails billowing
or revealing the form of the masts as they are blown aback. I enjoyed
the ordered tracery of rigging seen as a bold statement against the bright
sky . . . My interest in maritime painting is excited as much by the physical
appearance of ships as it is by the romance that time and history have
endowed upon the subject. I am interested in ships for their beauty
as well as for their functional qualities, and I am fascinated by the ingenuity
that has been displayed in their construction and development since earliest
times. The focus of my interest centres, I think, between 1700-1800,
a period I regard as the peak of achievement in the combination of function
and beauty in ships as well as architecture. The fact that this was
also a time of intense scientific discovery, political change and international
strife offers further possibilities of material for exciting historical
paintings. ”
In January 1988, while planning
the preliminary sketches for With All Despatch, Geoffrey was struck
by a car and seriously injured as he was cycling near his home in Cornwall.
For a time his life seemed in danger; certainly his career hung in the
balance as he struggled to overcome his injuries and regain the use of
his right hand. But this remarkable man, in an act of sheer determination,
not only managed to produce the prize-winning entry in an Armada 400 art
competition, but while in hospital with his arm in a series of slings and
pulleys prepared faultless sketches for With All Despatch.
Within weeks, supported by his wife Jacqueline and their two children,
he submitted the final painting.
We salute their faith and their
courage.
RETURN
TO TOP
III
Pipe All Hands!
When I touched on this subject in a previous newsletter
it was because of questions I had received from readers both here and overseas.
It seems that my brief mention under the heading of Naval Customs only
scraped the surface, so for the benefit of newer followers of the Richard
Bolitho series I will endeavour to enlarge slightly on it.
In the 18th and 19th century
navy, communications within the complex world of a fighting ship were as
vital as any in a nuclear submarine. In the old “wooden-walls” with
their overcrowded decks, towering masts and complicated criss-cross of
rigging, the need for swift response to orders from aft was often critical.
Officers shouting through their speaking-trumpets frequently went unheard
in the din of wind and booming canvas, so that the chain of command might
lose all meaning in the bustle of making or reefing sail.
The term pipe was an extension
to other forms of passing orders, like the trumpet or the bugle, or the
dramatic rattle of drums when “beating to quarters” on sighting an enemy.
It was conveyed by a boatswain's call, or small silver whistle which carried
shrilly from deck to deck, to earn it the respected nickname of Spithead
Nightingale. It is claimed that the boatswain's call in one form
or another was in use at sea as far back as the Crusades in 1248, although
more as a mark of rank and respect. But it was put to proper work
as a boatswain's call certainly as far back as the mid-seventeenth century.
In today's navy it is still
used, although more to precede a spoken command over a ship's broadcasting
system or to announce some part of the daily routine. I can well
recall my early-morning gloom when roused by the twittering call and the
cry to all hands to “Lash up and stow! ” That was when warships still
carried hammocks for those lucky enough to find spare hooks from which
to sling them! A rude awakening indeed!
In the old sailing navy they
served another purpose, because with many of a ship's company pressed into
service from foreign merchantmen or even enemy vessels which had been beaten
in battle, the language barrier was very real. The lively calls had
an ability to translate even the most difficult order, from hoisting boats
inboard to their tier, to swaying up embarrassed guests or senior officers
in a boatswain's chair, rather than risk losing them over the side as they
attempted to board a ship while under way.
The latter formed the basis
of piping the side, still in use as a salute and mark of respect for an
admiral or commanding officer when he enters or leaves a ship.
But whereas today the actual
pipes number only twelve, there were many more in the era of the square-riggers;
some variations were even created by a particular boatswain, perhaps to
suit the needs of his own ship.
The call itself has changed
only a little in appearance over the centuries, although in Bolitho's time
it was somewhat smaller. The parts were named just as thoughtfully
as any ship's tackle or armament (see diagram) and it marked the authority
of the man who carried and used it.
From “Hands aloft to reef topsails!”
to “All hands lay aft to witness punishment!” the Spithead Nightingale
was and is apart of our maritime tradition.
RETURN
TO TOP
IV
The Only Victor
 The
Only Victor by Alexander Kent is the 19th Richard Bolitho novel, and
follows chronologically Honour This Day.
In February 1806 the frigate
carrying Vice Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho drops anchor off the shores of
southern Africa. It is only four months since the resounding victory
over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar, and the death of England's
greatest naval hero.
Bolitho's instructions are
to assist in hastening the campaign in Africa, where an expeditionary force
is attempting to recapture Cape Town from the Dutch. Outside Europe
few have yet heard of the battle of Trafalgar and Bolitho's news is met
with both optimism and disappointment as he reminds the senior officers
that despite the victory, Napoleon's final defeat is by no means assured.
Bolitho is still brooding over
the loss of his own flagship, the old Hyperion; and at home his
continuing personal troubles are brightened only by his love for Catherine,
Lady Somervell, while they defy the scandal their relationship arouses
in London society.
Even after his return from
Cape Town there is little peace. A secret mission to Denmark almost
ends in disaster, and the resulting damage to his injured eye only adds
to his determination to fight back, and win.
When diplomacy fails, international
events once more dictate Bolitho's fate. The French are using every
pressure on Scandinavia to close their ports to British trade; and the
Danish fleet, vital to both France and England with their depleted squadrons,
becomes the richest prize of all.
But the men who follow Bolitho's
flag into battle are to discover, not for the first time, that death is
the only victor.
RETURN
TO TOP
V
Three Tape Cassettes
David Rintoul reads In
Danger's Hour
by Douglas Reeman
Set during the dramatic events of the second world
war, this is the story of the fleet minesweeper HMS Rob Roy.
It is also the story of her captain, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Ransome,
and the eighty men in her company. The battle-scarred Rob Roy
is about to face her toughest challenge yet and as the allies mount their
invasion of Italy she has a vital -- and dangerous -- part to play. The
courage of every crewman is tested to the full - but Ransome has to fight
a private war of his own, before he can return home to the woman he loves.
David Rintoul is well known
for his TV work which includes Pride and Prejudice and The Mallens.
8 cassettes complete and unabridged
©Highseas Authors Ltd 1988
©Chivers Audio Books 1988
GO
TO ISSUE XV
RETURN
TO TOP
|