Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2016 Editorial By Shipmate Norrie Millen Hi! Shipmates, The Rum Tub or Norrie’s Nocturnal and Nautical n answer to my appeal that you Natter Iacknowledge my emails, especially in regards to the newsletter I received 32 In this issue acknowledgements; not bad out of 80 odd Editorial ................................... 1 in database, certainly better that the usually Because I am a man .................. 2 7 or 8. For all of you that took the time to respond Real field gun story Part IV ...... 3-4 A fascinating piece of history ... 5-6 many thanks indeed. Still a few of you that need to RMS Brittanic ........................ 7-11 look out and sharpen those quills though! VC Recipient remembered .... 11-12 S we move into another new year and reflect on the past one, we must turn our thoughts to our Along-term future. Apart from ships associations such as ours, RNA Branches and indeed Legions are folding all over the country. The prime reason must be that the modern day serviceman does not seem Law of Mechanical Repair - After interested in joining these groups. Therefore, as the your hands become coated with average age of our members grows higher, the grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee. associations and Branches grows smaller until forced Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, to fold. I feel that the main reason is the way we run bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll our events, there is not enough social events to attract to the least accessible place in the the younger prospective member. Maybe if we universe. encouraged our children and grandchildren to join us Law of Probability - The probability of being watched, is at our functions and reunions and ensured that there directly proportional to the stupidity was something to interest them enough to keep of your act. returning year after year We have already seen Law of Random Numbers - If you shipmates attend one, possible two reunions never to dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal; someone always be seen again. The faithful few that continue to meet answers. each year miss you guys, so how about meeting up Law of the Bath - When the body again or indeed for the first time. We always have a is fully immersed in water, the lot of fun and laughs. telephone will ring. Law of the Result - When you try As a small association or rather group, it is a to prove to someone that a challenge, as naturally, people some who are still machine won't work, IT WILL!! working all week do not normally want to commit to Law of Physical Appearance - If weekend functions. For us ‘older’ retired members we the clothes fit, they're ugly. seem to have even less time these days since we left Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find a the work force. product that you really like, they will stop making it OR the store will The way I see it anyway! stop selling it! Volume 5 Issue 1 February 2016 BECAUSE I'M A MAN Because I'm a man, I think what you're wearing is Because I'm a man, when I lock my keys in the fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes car, I will fiddle with a coat hanger long after ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With hypothermia has set in. Calling AA is not an the belt or without it, looks fine. Your hair is fine. option. I will win. You look fine. Can we just go now? Because I'm a man, when the car isn't running Because I'm a man, and this is, after all, the year very well I will pop the hood and stare at the 2016, I will share equally in the housework. You engine as if I know what I'm looking at. If just do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, the another man shows up, one of us will say to the vacuuming, and the dishes, and I’ll do the rest...... other, 'I used to be able to fix these things, but Like wandering around in the garden with a beer wondering what to do. now with all these computers and everything, I wouldn't know where to start.' We will then drink This has been a public service message for a couple of beers and break wind, as a form of women to better understand men. Holy Communion. Because I'm a man, when I catch a cold, I need someone to bring me soup and take care of me while I lie in bed and moan. You're a woman. You never get as sick as I do, so for you, this is no problem. Because I’m a man, I can be relied upon to purchase basic groceries at the store, like beer, milk or bread. I cannot be expected to find exotic items like 'cumin' or 'tofu.' For all I know, these are the same thing. Because I'm a man, when one of our appliances stops working, I will insist on taking it apart, despite evidence that this will just cost me twice as much once the repair person gets here and has to put it back together. Because I'm a man, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I may miss a whole show looking for it though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator Because I'm a man, there is no need to ask me what I'm thinking about. The true answer is always either sex, cars, sex, sports or sex. I have to make up something else when you ask, so don't ask. Because I'm a man, I do not want to visit your mother, or have your mother come visit us, or talk to her when she calls, or think about her any more than I have to. Whatever you got her for Mother's Day is fine. Because I'm a man, you don't have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you're crying at the end of it, I didn't and if you are feeling amorous afterwards then I will certainly at least remember the name and recommend it to others. Rum Tub Page - 2 Volume 5 Issue 1 February 2016 The Real Field Gun Story Part IV Submitted by Ken Jones –HMS Tenby Association – HMS Ulster 1961-63 hurried on Eastwards and had got ahead of Kimberly to Bloomfontain, via Cronje's force at Paarderberg. Paarderberg. Then Pompey for some, Hong Kong for others. On closing the range to within 3,000 yards, of Cronje's wagon train, but well within sniper Following the relief of Kimberly, the Naval range, they proceeded to destroy the Boers Brigade in the West learned that they wagons aided by an army balloon troop were to swing to the East and spotter. follow the advancing army into the Boer heartland. Water and food became a The pace was hectic problem as the Boers had and the going very polluted the river with heavy over areas of dead horses and oxen, soft red sand which so during the battle the threw up clouds of Stokers foraged for choking dust, over spring water and sheep, rocky obstacles and dry which were grazing in the ravines till they reached area. Waterval Drift, which had During this time Christian De steep rocky sides and no easy Wet, having stocked up on the way across. The Royal Canadian abandoned army wagon train, had followed Regiment was tasked to assist and all available his ears and joined Cronje's force and a pitched drag ropes were used to haul the guns and wagons battle ensued which lasted for 3 days with heavy across by manpower alone. casualties on both sides. This ended with a final The Army wagon train which followed them was infantry advance by the Gordon Highlanders at 3 not so lucky as they were jumped whilst a.m. And the Boers, finding themselves in a attempting the crossing by Christian De Wet's hopeless position, surrendered. Thus ended the commando and abandoned to the Boers. battle of Paarderburg. Then followed an exhausting series of forced Following this the Naval Brigade continued on its marches by the Naval Brigade as described by way Eastward in support of the army in a series of Surgeon Lt. Jeans of Monarch who wrote: "In battles cumulating at Bloomfontain. front of the Naval guns, under a white dust cloud In Natal Province, after Ladysmith was relieved were the two batteries, the rumble of wheels and the Powerful's handed their guns over to the the thud of hooves muffled by the sand, in front Royal Artillery who kept them in place against of each plodded a bluejacket guide, staggering as any further Boer attacks whilst the other Naval if half asleep and yet over and over a left or right Brigade with General Buller s column continued hand would come up in order to guide the guns their push Northwards and fought their way up to from danger, the little Bushman leader Johannesburg, before swinging East of the ox teams responding to again and eventually reached every motion. When a Komati Poort, on the short halt was called the Portuguese East African sailors flopped to the border where remnants of ground and slept in the Boer forces fled to.