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The Official Organ of the Seven Seas Club

Volume 89, No. 2

WINTER 2013

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COMMITTEE MEMBERS

President – Mr. Martin Earp

Vice President – Mr. Bill Murray

Immediate Past President – Mr David Watson

Mr. Mark Scoular, Mr. Graham Capel, Capt. Chris Esplin-Jones C.B.E.,

Capt. Louis Roskell & Mr. Fez Wood.

OFFICERS

Acting Hon. Secretary / Historical and Protocol Adviser

– Cdr. John Mankerty O.B.E., RN

Hon. Treasurer – Mr. Derek Bevan

Hon. Membership & Dinner Secretary – Mr. Dominique Watson

Hon. Almoner – Mr. Martin Earp

Hon. Magazine Editor – Mr. John Callcut

OTHER POSITIONS

Hon. Life Members – Mr. Paul Antrobus, Mr. George Kingston,

Capt. David Matthews, Capt. Richard Woodman & Mr. Ray Williams

Hon. Chaplains – Revd. Canon Paul Thomas O.B.E. & Revd. Peter Dennett

Hon. Auditor – Mr. M.J. Buck

The committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month throughout the dinner ‘season’.

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CONTENTS

Editorial

President’s Address

Secretary’s Corner

Membership

Almoner’s Report

Club Dates

Obituaries

Sister Clubs South Africa

Australia

Dinners Dinner Photographs and Reports

Features

Unpublished Pictures – an ongoing feature

The loss of ss Laristan by Glyn Evans

Minutes of the 89th AGM

Free Fronts – Free Franks by Graham Capel

Dinner Protocol by Commander John Mankerty O.B.E., R.N.

South Africa 2013 Report by Sipho Wanliss

The Seven Seas Trophy

Slop Chest

Front Cover – This picture appeared on the front cover of the Seven

Seas Shanty Book under the title ‘Rolling down to Rio’.

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EDITORIAL

When David Watson approached me about editing the Seven Seas magazine I must admit that I

was taken somewhat by surprise. True, I have submitted a number of articles, but surely this is a

job for someone who has served in either the Royal or Merchant Navy, someone who has

travelled the world and was familiar with nautical ways and the feel of wind in their hair and

salt on their lips!

Apparently this is not a prerequisite so here I am and I hope to produce a magazine which will

be of interest and will ‘promote and foster the comradeship of the sea.’

I do have a limited amount of publishing experience having produced the magazine for our local

history society for the past seventeen years and having two local history books and one book

about World War One published, so I hope that I can live up to the standards set by our former

editors.

Whilst on the subject of David Watson, the Committee has asked me to pass on their thanks for

all his efforts in holding down the Secretary’s job as well as all the other posts he has so ably

filled.

I do enjoy delving through old newspapers and records and I hope to discover some interesting

stories about the club for inclusion in the magazine. For instance did you know that when the

club was first formed, dinners were held in the Cecil Hotel which was the largest hotel in

Europe when it was completed in 1896. It was demolished in 1930 and made way for the former

Shell Mex House. A thousand members (not quite sure how they squeezed in as the Grand Hall

was only designed for 600 diners!) came to hear Admiral Carpenter VC talk about disarmament.

Admiral Carpenter was a distinguished naval officer and I can see an article looming about him!

I will be relying on the committee to provide me with up to date information about the club and

I will be relying upon you, the members, to provide articles and to let me know of any nautical

events that you have recently participated in.

Turning to this magazine I have deliberately not strayed too much from the existing format as it

provides the members with current information about the club and a record and memories of

past activities.

We all know about the Laristan fund but I was intrigued to learn about the tragic ship and her

master. At the same time that I was researching records for an article, unbeknownst to me Glyn

Evans was doing the same thing, so we shared information and have produced an article which

we hope you will find to be of interest. I also hope that the other articles in this magazine will

similarly prove to be interesting.

John Callcut – john.callcut@btinternet.com

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

I hope most sincerely that the Seven Seas Club will continue to thrive and prosper during my

term of office. I would like to express my thanks to Mr. James O‘Neill for proposing me and

Mr. Chris Hulbert for seconding me, and for the support of Mr. David Watson and the

committee for putting my name forward.

I would like to thank Commander John Mankerty, at the helm, who maintains the traditions of

our club and I would also like to express my thanks to the hard working members of the

committee, who despite many other pressures, have put in considerable time and effort, in order

to ensure that our club continues to prosper. I would also like particularly to mention Mr. Dom

Watson, Mr. Derek Bevan and Mr. Bill Murray who has accepted the position of Mr Vice.

I am sure that the combination of the impressive surroundings and the helpfulness of the staff of

the National Liberal Club contribute greatly to the atmosphere enjoyed at our dinners and long

may it continue.

The success of the club depends upon all of its members taking part, attending functions,

inviting guests and encouraging new membership. We must also encourage those of our

members who, for one reason or another, have been unable to attend as often as they might.

I extend a very warm welcome to you, and look forward to seeing you at one of our dinners and

hope you benefit and continue to enjoy promoting and fostering the comradeship of the sea.

Kind regards & best wishes,

Martin Earp

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SECRETARY’S CORNER

It would be useful in this section to highlight to Members the work of the Committee and to

briefly describe its work. The Committee works on behalf of Members and our overriding

function is the organisation of dinners the discussion of which takes up most of the Committee’s

time. Other functions such as news of Members, correspondence, disciplinary matters are also

dealt with.

This year for the first time in many years the Committee is actually at its full compliment.

Further, the balance of the committee now represents all Members.

For the last few years the Committee have met on the first Tuesday of each month (during the

dinner season) between September and May) in the Laurence Robson room at the National

Liberal Club at 1830 hours. Before this we used to meet at the Hand and Shears pub near the

Barbican. The agenda covers a fairly similar format at each meeting. A typical agenda would

be as follows:

Apologies

Minutes of last meeting

Matters not on the agenda

Financial report

Correspondence (applications, resignations, news of members)

Report on the previous dinner

Almoners report

Speakers

Any other business (organise other functions such as the ANSS Service at St. Pauls,

the Ceremony of the Keys, Pimms on the Poop Deck, the annual armistice day

Memorial Service at the Merchant Navy Memorial) ordering Club ties, wreaths,

slops, valuations of Club regalia and any other business to make the Club run

smoothly.

Date of next meeting

The Committee runs the Club on behalf of its Members and so it is felt appropriate, especially

so soon after appointing a new committee this year, to advise Members who is on the

Committee and who you can approach if it is felt there is anything you wish to discuss about the

Club’s affairs. David Watson

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MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Club currently stands at 242 Members. This has increased from

225 when the last magazine was printed in February, 2013 with an additional 3

Members who joined between the January and February listing (i.e. between the

listing and the completion of the magazine).

In that time there have been no resignations.

New Members since February, 2013 are as follows:

Name: Date accepted by the Committee

Phillip Bridge 28th August, 2013

Martyn Brooks 2nd April, 2013

Jeremy Chidson 5th March, 2013

Ruari Chisholm 5th March, 2013

Roger Dobson 5th March, 2013

Kurt Eyre 5th March, 2013

Tony Goodhead 28th August, 2013

Brian Harrison 28th August, 2013

David Heaton 5th March, 2013

Russell Hicks 5th February, 2013

Brian Joyles 2nd April, 2013

Stephen King 5th February, 2013

Patrick Moore 5th February, 2013

Dan O’Mahoney 5th March, 2013

Stephen O’Shea 2nd April, 2013

John Tinney 28th August, 2013

Howard Trotter 5th February, 2013

Michael Waller 5th February, 2013

Nigel Wheatcroft 7th May, 2013

Dennis Wing 5th March, 2013

David Watson

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ALMONER’S REPORT

I have kept in touch with members of the Seven Seas Club who have found themselves facing

misfortune as well as the widows of former members.

While we have members who are constantly in our minds because of permanent disability or

degenerative conditions, we have had members who for one reason or another have been

prevented from attending the club’s functions.

In these circumstances their non attendance has been noted, the committee have made enquiries

and if thought necessary I have given them a telephone call and passed on our best wishes.

With regards to member’s widows at the moment we have twenty ladies that are in our

thoughts, to whom I speak to regularly, sadly two widows recently slipped their cables, cards of

sympathy were sent on behalf of the club to the bereaved. At Christmas the club sends each

widow £75 worth of Marks and Spencer vouchers, a copy of the club’s magazine and a letter

from me wishing them a happy and healthy new year.

This brings me neatly to request you to fill in and post your Almoner cards if you are unwell,

and I as well as the committee would be very interested in any information concerning sick and

distressed members. I wish you all happy times ahead.

Martin Earp

CLUB DATES

Remembrance Day Services

Trinity House – 10th November 2013 Graspan Memorial Service – 9th November 2013.

Thursday, 21st November 2013 Friday, 20th December 2013

Graham Capel – Tall Ships Christmas Party

Thursday, 30th January 2014 Thursday, 27th February 2014

Chris Martin – Rowing the Pacific Michael Bellows – Doomsday Ship, the

ssRichard Montgomerie

Thursday, 27th March 2014 Friday, 25th April 2014 (Ladies Night)

Graham Capel - Nelson’s First Battle Jim Phillips – London’s lost route to the sea

Thursday, 29th May 2014 The AGM followed by Shep Woolley and friends

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OBITUARY

Herbie Jones was born on 10th June 1933 at Dundee . He was educated locally in

Dundee and he then went to the Abbey School at Fort Augustas at the Southern End of

Loch Ness. This school was run by Benedictine monks and he and his two brothers all

attended there for their secondary education. In May 1951 he was indentured as an

apprentice to Eagle Oil and Shipping and served four years starting out on the MT

San Leonardo. He then served on various vessel during his apprenticeship and after

three years was promoted to 3rd Mate for the

rest of his time.

After passing the 2nd Mate’s certificate he

returned to Eagle Oil and continued to serve

on various vessels until 1960 when he briefly

sailed on the vessels of the Ellerman

Papayani Line. He seemed to like the short

sea trades and in October 1961 he joined

MacAndrews and was promoted to Mate in

1961.

Around this time he went to see a Yehudi

Menuhin concert at the Royal Albert Hall and

met Mara, from Italy who had gone to see the

same concert. They could not get tickets so

instead went to the Cafe de Paris and danced

the night away. Two years later they were

married in Treviso, in Italy but settled in

Shenfield near Brentwood in Essex.

In 1968 Herbie was called by Trinity House to the London North Channel district as a

pilot and with Mara and their children Paul, Robbie and Mark moved to Dovercourt

(Harwich) . He settled well in Harwich and became a well known personality. All

those who knew him were rewarded with the “Happy Herbie” smile. He was one of

life’s gentlemen who always looked on the bright side of life.

He served out of Harwich until the change over in 1988 when he continued to pilot for

Harwich Harbour. He eventually retired in June 1998 at the age of 65 and the

photograph was taken during his retirement party which was held on a Thames barge

that the following day he sailed up the Orwell to Ipswich.

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This was not the end of Herbie’s career in pilotage since he was so fond of ships and

the sea that he became licensed pilot for Brightlingsea and Creeksea. He continued

serving as a pilot there until 2012 when he broke his leg. By this time he was 77 years

young and the oldest serving pilot in the United Kingdom.

In addition to piloting Herbie also served time as navigator onboard the Sail Training

Association vessels Malcolm Miller and Stavros Niachos.

Herbie and Mara had a holiday home in Italy and they loved to go there in the summer

months and spend time in the surrounding vineyard.

Herbie was one of those characters who never seemed troubled and always smiled,

was always happy and looking forward to whatever the day would bring. He will be

sadly missed by all who knew him as witnessed by the numbers who attended his

funeral. He had one request that on his tombstone was the word Seafarer which sums

up his love of the sea and ships. Goodbye to a seafaring gent.

Martin Dicks. (Harwich Retd.)

Obituary reproduced by kind permission of the Pilot Magazine.

Captain Richard Woodman added the following comments

“With regard to Herbie Jones, although I knew him for years I do not know very much

about his background beyond being able to tell you that he was born on the east coast

of Scotland, went to sea as an apprentice (cannot recall which company) and, after

qualifying as a master Mariner, became a licensed Trinity House North Channel pilot

based and domiciled in Harwich. After the 1988 Pilotage Act he continued as a pilot

for the Harwich Haven Authority until his retirement when he remained a pilot for the

River crouch, taking timber ships up to VreeCsea until into his late seventies. Tall and

good looking he was married to Mara, an elegant Italian lady and they had a house

and vineyard in Tuscany. He was a charming man and a delightful raconteur, a

devoted family man and a devout Roman Catholic. I liked him very much and was

shocked when he was rapidly overwhelmed by cancer.”

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SISTER CLUBS

South Africa

Captain Glen Marlow has been in touch with us and sent details of their website so that you can

keep up to date with all their activities.

http://simonstown.com/clubs/sevenseas/

Take a look at the dress code – ‘flip flops and bare feet have their place – not at the Seven Seas

Club’ …. And certainly not, unless you are crazy, in London town!

Australia

The Club Secretary, Barry Allison has also sent us details of their impressive website which was

developed by their past President, Captain Bob Smedley.

http://sevenseasaustralia.com.au

I hope that you find it of interest and if you ever find yourself in South Australia I am sure that

you will receive a warm welcome in more ways than one. When we were last in contact with

Barry in October he said that he was swatting flies in temperatures of 35 degrees C! He reported

that the club has recently raised their glasses to the memory of Nelson and had a great meeting

and toasted Nelson with Nelson’s Rum . ‘A healthy gathering of 40 Members with a guest

speaker talking on the relationship of Nelson and Governor Phillips, who was in charge of the

colonisation of Sydney in 1788 . But for a few days, we could all have been communicating in

French, as the Brits beat the Froggies by 3 days in establishing the beach head at Sydney Cove .

The delay in the French arriving off the coast of Australia was partly attributed to Nelson’s

conquest in Europe at that time.’

Club member Trevor Powell recently took this picture of HMS Daring.

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DINNER REPORTS

Text: David Watson ……. Photographs: Dom Watson

28th February 2013 – Attendance: 78 (incl. 23 guests)

Ties: Andrew Cowan, Tim Green, Stephen King & Fez Wood.

Subject: HMS Swiftsure collision with HMS Diamond

Speaker: Commander John Mankerty O.B.E.

John Mankerty has spoken to the Club many times before and his talks are always

entertaining and spoken from personal experience. This talk was the first time he has

given this talk and the incident was relayed from his position on the bridge of HMS

Swiftsure which was conducting Exercise “Mariner” off Iceland in late 1953 with

many vessels including HMS Eagle, HMS Vanguard and HMS Diamond. John

relayed the circumstances, the decisions made, the

movement of vessels and the cause of the incident. The

result was rather a large hole in HMS Swiftsure’s starboard

side caused by the bow of HMS Diamond resulting in a fire

that eventually spread to the bridge structure. There were

no casualties and eventually both vessels were underway to

Hvalfjord in Iceland for temporary repairs before both

vessels slowly sailed south to Chatham. HMS Diamond

spent three months in dry dock under repair while for HMS

Swiftsure it was decided not to repair the damage thus

ending her operational career. The dinner was very

convivial throughout, the attendance was good and everyone enjoyed themselves.

21st March 2013 – Attendance: 50 (incl. 5 guests)

Ties: Jeremy Chidson & Dennis Wing.

Subject: The Unknown Warrior

Speaker: Mr. Andy Thompson.

Andy Thompson, a retired head teacher, gave a riveting talk on the Unknown Warrior.

The stream of fascinating details which emerged regarding the complex choice of

body by a blindfolded Brig. General Wyatt, the repatriation of the body of the

Unknown Warrior from France by the destroyer HMS Verdun, the escort of six

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destroyers across the channel with one destroyer peeling off and heading to Belgium

to collect the soil for internment, the arrival of the body at Victoria station and the

procession, in silence, to Westminster Abbey for internment. Queen Elizabeth The

Queen Mother laid her wedding bouquet at the tomb an example followed by

subsequent members of the Royal family.

There was a very lively question and answer

session after the talk with Andy interested to

know the feeling amongst Members for

awarding the Unknown Warrior the Victoria

Cross. Again, although, this generated much

debate including strong opinions for both sides

of the argument it was felt to be too political a

subject to put to a vote. This would have also

been rather an un-traditional approach to the

Club’s dinners. The evening was very pleasant with a particularly lively debate after

the talk which could have gone on a lot longer.

26th April 2013 – Attendance: 78 (incl. 38 guests)

Chip Leonard Anchor: Mrs. Carol Cherry Ties: No ties were issued on Ladies

Night

Subject: Ladies Night – Travels to Morocco

Speaker: Mrs. Carol (Cat) Cherry

Cat Cherry has travelled on many expeditions to Africa and the Far East and gave an

illustrated talk of one of her latest journey’s to the Atlas mountains in Morocco. This

trek was certainly off the tourist trail and she described the terrain, means of travel by

donkey, companions and encounters with the locals during her trek of many days.

Ladies Night was well attended and the ladies, in particular, were keen to ask

questions after the talk.

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30th May 2013 – Attendance: 91 (incl. 25 guests)

Chip Leonard Anchor: Mr. Mike Buck ( Hon. Club Accountant)

Ties: Brian Joyles & Tony Goodhead

Subject: AGM Dinner followed by Shep Woolley and friends

Shep Woolley, Bill Mc Cinnon & Garry Blakeley

Shep, Bill and Gary who are also sometimes joined by Alan Hardy (but not on this

occasion) have now been entertaining us at our AGM dinner for several years and it is

always a pleasure to hear their high standard of playing and entertainment interspersed

with light hearted, witty and good humoured

banter throughout the evening. The Sea Shanties

they sing are genuine in that they follow the

traditional format of the sea shanty as intended

when they were written, as an encouragement to

working onboard a ship and to entertain,

sometimes with the minimum of accompaniment.

As always with Shep and friends it was a

thoroughly enjoyable, good humoured evening.

The dinner was slightly later than usual starting

because of the AGM held beforehand in the Lady

Violet room. The new President, Martin Earp

was welcomed by Members and generally the

evening was very pleasant finishing with the

informal rendition of sea shanties by Shep and

friends.

There were, however, a couple of regrettable incidents during the dinner which were

followed up, dealt with and resolved amicably by letter.

26th September 2013 – Attendance: 61 (incl. 5 guests)

Ties: Phillip Bridge, Fleming Pedersen, Eric Tinney & Howard Trotter

Subject: Maritime Painting

Speaker: Captain Louis Roskell

The original talk was intended to be on Maritime Painting by Gordon Frickers.

Unfortunately he was unable to attend and Louis Roskell kindly stepped in to cover.

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As most Members know Louis, being a Maritime artist of repute, was more than

qualified to talk and gave a fascinating and very well received illustrated presentation

of marine artists describing their style, paintings, subject matter and techniques. A

very enjoyable and informative talk with many questions at the end. Although some of

us had seen Father Paul Thomas after our arrival at the NLC and he was expected to

attend dinner anyway, we were unable to discover his whereabouts at the start of

dinner. It turns out that Father Thomas had been mugged outside the National Liberal

Club and it is believed he had his mobile phone stolen. Very commendably he joined

us during dinner, a little shaken but unharmed and kindly said prayers after his arrival.

24th October 2013 – Attendance (75 incl. 17 guests and the speaker)

Chip Leonard Anchor: Commander Will Barker JCD. Cdr. Barker has a long

association with the Club and it was felt appropriate that he should receive the award

not least for cementing our friendship with the Seven Seas Club in Simonstown.

Ties: None given (Members wear black ties, so ties are not presented at Trafalgar

Night)

Subject: My Excavations on Nelson’s Island.

Speaker: Dr. Nick Slope – Chairman of the Nelson Society.

Dr Slope, president of the Nelson Society gave the Club a fascinating illustrated talk

on Nelson Island, the island in Aboukir Bay where many of Nelson’s crew were

buried after the Battle of the Nile in 1798. It is believed the island was also resting

place for those also killed in a land battle there is 1801as well. The graves were only

discovered in 2000 but, due to the redevelopment of the island, during which the

graves will be destroyed there is a process if re-interring the remains in the

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Commonwealth war cemetery. During the discovery’s one body, that of Cdr. James

Russell, has been positively identified.

As part of the internment ceremony HMS Chatham called at Alexandria to provide a

guard of honour, presided over by Lord West.

Dr Slope also gave an insight into forensic archaeology pointing out key features of

the remains and explaining their significance. Father’s John Armitage and Paul

Thomas said prayers during dinner. Cdr. John Mankerty took over as Hon. Secretary

and Bob Jones provided the rum. It was good to see Cdr. Will Barker from South

Africa attending our dinner. Bob Jones, Graham Painter and John Mankerty piped

hands to dinner and also piped the President and guest speaker to dinner.

It was emphasized during the notices that the bar closes at 23.00 hours so Members

wishing to get a drink before then need to get to the bar soon after dinner.

OTHER EVENTS

A number of members visited the Tower of London on the 26th July 2013 to attend the

Ceremony of the Keys. Here is Keith Hanson leading the group.

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UNPUBLISHED PICTURES

I’m sure that many members will have tucked away some unpublished pictures of

ships from their past. Send them in along with a short description and we’ll revive

some old memories.

We’ll kick off with a picture my mother took at Southampton Water in the late 1930s

of the ss Nieuw Amsterdam (36,297 gross tons). She must have been very new when

the photograph was taken as her maiden voyage did not take place until the 10th May

1938. She was built for the Holland-America Line and was known by the Dutch as the

‘Ship of Peace’ as she had no provisions built in for war use. She was, however, used

during World War Two and transported over 350,000 troops. She was scrapped in

1974.

ss Nieuw Amsterdam

I think that the tug on her port side is the Alexandra Towing Company’s Romsey but a

more knowledgeable reader might be able to correct me. The second picture taken at

the same time shows some ‘gentlemen’s’ steam yachts and the same tug.

John Callcut

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The Seven Seas Club ‘ LARISTAN’ Charity Fund by Glyn Evans

Members will be familiar with the name, Laristan, as after every dinner members

generously donate to the Laristan Fund…. But what do we know about the Laristan?

On a voyage from Karachi to Hull with a much-needed cargo of wheat and barley, the

steamship Laristan met her end in the Mediterranean Sea, thirty miles west of Gozo

Island. It was the 4th April 1916 when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German

submarine U-38 after her Master had been taken prisoner

and her crew left to fend for themselves in the ship’s

lifeboats.

Two years later Laristan’s owners, Common Brothers

Ltd., of Newcastle upon Tyne, trading as Hindustan SS

Co., (see house flag to the left) decided to replace her

and purchased the Wilton from the Pyman SS Co., of Harlepool. She had been built in

1916 by William Gray & Co., of West Hartlepool; a steel vessel of 4,239 grt with a

triple expansion engine, giving her a speed of 10 knots. On the 30th June 1918, Wilton

was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-57 and beached near Hastings, later being

re-floated, repaired and re-named Laristan (2).

For eight years Laristan traded uneventfully, until her last voyage when, on 9th January

1926, she sailed from Swansea to New York with a cargo of coal. Her Master, Captain

Frederick Littlehales (1867-1926), was a well known member of the Seven Seas Club.

On 25th January an SOS from Laristan was picked up by the North German Lloyd

(NDL) vessel, Bremen (Captain Wurpts). In mountainous seas, rescue attempts were

only partially successful when one lifeboat was launched from Laristan with seven

crew aboard. One man was lost when that lifeboat was being hauled aboard Bremen.

No further attempts could be made that night and next morning all that could be found

of Laristan and her crew was floating wreckage.

………………………………………………………

The first news appeared in the Western Daily Press of Friday, 29th January 1926.

EPIC OF ATLANTIC TEMPEST

U.S. LINER’S GREAT RESCUE FEAT

BRISTOL TRADERS IN DRAMAS OF OCEAN

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The Brotherhood of the Seas was never more exemplified than in two Atlantic storm

episodes of the past few days.

Two British ships have been lost – one with about 25 men – but the manner in which

two liners kept vigil in the tempest ready to effect rescues makes stirring reading.

The U.S. liner President Roosevelt, after standing by the steamer, Antinoe for four days

and losing two men and six boats, saved her stricken crew; but the German liner

Bremen, having saved six men from the ss Laristan was baulked by the foundering of

the steamer in heavy seas which made rescue impossible. Both lost vessels have traded

to the Bristol docks, the Laristan recently unloading a cargo of grain at Avonmouth.

The following day the paper carried a short report describing the rescue attempt and

further details under the sub-heading,

WOMEN MUST WEEP

The Seaman’s and Fireman’s Union at Swansea yesterday received notification from

the owners of the steamer Laristan lost with 25 hands off Nova Scotia that Seaman

Jones, one of the six saved is James D.D. Jones of Swansea who is married with one

child. His single brother, Thomas Jones, was lost. Fitzgerald, another Swansea man

lost, leaves a widow and six children.

The Laristan floundering, taken from the deck of the Bremen

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The Hull Daily Mail of Monday, 1st February 1926 later took up the story.

RESCUED FROM ATLANTIC’S DEATH CLUTCH

FIGHT FOR LIVES

GERMAN VESSEL’S EFFORTS FOR BRITISH CREW

SIX SAVED, 24 LOST

QUEENSTOWN. Monday – “We regret very much that our continued attempts to

rescue those poor men were not rewarded with better results”. In those simple words the

captain of the North German liner, Bremen, which arrived at Queenstown early this

morning summed up the story of the gallant attempt of the Bremen’s crew to save the

lives of the men of the British steamer Laristan. In a storm so fierce as to make the launch

of a boat from the liner completely impossible, six of the Laristan’s crew were

nevertheless saved by use of a line made fast to a boat. The Laristan sank during the

night, carrying 23 men to their end, and one seaman had been washed out of the boat.

S.O.S OVER WILD SEA

Captain R. Wurpts received a civic welcome and the congratulations of the people of

Queenstown on his achievement. In an interview, Captain Wurpts, gave this report of

this drama of the sea. He stated that his vessel on the passage from New York, met

frequent snowfalls, and heavy hail and snow squalls, with very high wild sea. In 45.08

N., 42.43 W., we received an S.O.S. from the English steamer Laristan giving her

position 46.40 north, 43.06 west. We immediately made towards her given position, but

on account of the heavy north-west storm and wild sea we could proceed with only

medium speed, because the ship was continuously overtaken by the high sea. We went

five knots against the high sea, and therefore we showed from eleven p.m. onwards

rockets and blue lights in order to be seen.

SAW HER ROCKET

The next morning about three o’clock, we reached the place given to us by wireless

without seeing anything of the Laristan. Now we received news that the place of the

disaster was not as given before, but 26 miles more south in 45.12 N., 43.12 W. We

immediately changed our course again and steamed southward, under the continuous

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shooting of rockets and blue lights. At 4.30 a.m. we saw her first rocket right ahead, and

we reached the Laristan at 5 a.m.

ONLY ONE HOPE

It was an absolute impossibility to man a boat in this high sea and swell. We prepared

our cannon to shoot some lines over, also some lines with life rings, reserve and

throwing lines, and storm ladders and boats. A crew for rescuing was ready in case there

would have been even a faint possibility to lower a boat. The only hope for success was

to fetch the people over to us with the lines, because the storm and the sea continued

with the same fury. Hail and snow squalls followed each other.

SHOT LINES ACROSS HER

We continuously tried to get near the ship. We succeeded twice with the cannon and

twice with the lines and life rings. The Laristan had on the starboard side a boat clear,

and she was requested by us to fasten a line to it, so that we could try to get the boat

under our stern, because to get the boat alongside would have wrecked it surely. The line

was fastened but very much to our disappointment only seven men got into it. We got the

boat behind the stern, and took six men in on our ropes. One man was washed off by the

high sea and drowned. The carpenter of the Laristan, who was also in the boat and

already had a line round his body, was also washed off and swung up and down the high

waves, but we succeeded in getting him in. The rope of the boat got tangled in one of our

propellers, but it broke loose and the boat drifted away.

NO MORE CAME

We tried several times again to get near the boat to shoot lines and ropes with life rings,

and we succeeded twice in this effort. To our regret the men of the Laristan did not avail

themselves of this opportunity. Meanwhile we had again long lasting snow squalls, with

extremely heavy winds, and soon darkness fell upon the sea. We stayed near the ship.

There was nothing to be seen anymore of the ship, and the radio station did not receive

any answer. The last time we saw the ship was at 6.12 p.m. A prolonged snow squall

came, then the air became clear for awhile.

FLOTSAM IN MORNING

We remained during the whole night near the place of the steamer, and when day-light

came we noticed a great many pieces of the steamer, like doors, staircases etc. From this

22

fact we drew the conclusion that the steamer sank during the night. We regret very much

that our continued attempts to rescue those poor men were not crowned with better

success. The following are the names of the six survivors of the wrecked Laristan:

Thomas Lazenby, 37, carpenter, Marston Street, South Shields, William Phillips, 32,

seaman, Carmarthen Street, Swansea, James Jones, 22, seaman, Jockey Street, Swansea,

William Croin, 42, seaman, Port of St. Mary, Isle of Man, Bartholomew McGee, 40,

fireman, Chapel Green, Rush, Co. Dublin, Michael McCann, 45, fireman, Lake Road,

Londonderry.

SAW BROTHER DISAPPEAR

In an interview, Jones, who had lost his brother Thomas Jones, seaman, told a pathetic

story of the tragedy. “I came in the boat to which the Bremen captain had instructed us to

attach a line when he shot over. We attached the line to a boat which was hanging from

the davits. Seven of us entered her and were towed to the Bremen. We had to be hauled

up on ropes, and were in danger of being dashed by the waves against the Bremen’s

sides. While dangling in mid air my brother was washed off the line. His body

immediately disappeared.” Lazenby, the Laristan’s carpenter, had a thrilling escape from

death. “I had wound the rope which was lowered to me from the Bremen,” he said,

“around my body and was dashed about on the crest of huge waves for a considerable

time before the Bremen people could pull me aboard.” Michael McCann told how he

also had had a narrow escape from death, his experience being similar to that of James

Jones. McCann expressed admiration of the efficiency, courtesy and attention shown

them by the Germans on the Bremen. “The Germans are good fellows,” he said, “I was

treated as if I was the Kaiser himself.” The survivors were landed at Queenstown

wearing clothes given to them by the Bremen’s crew. A passenger on board stated that

the rescue of the six men was overshadowed by the gloom cast over the survivors and

passengers by the loss of twenty-four of Laristan’s crew. This was specially the case

with Captain Wurpts and his crew who felt very keenly their inability to effect the rescue

of the entire crew.

The Bremen arrived at the entrance to Queenstown harbour with the survivors at 10.30

pm but only docked at four o’clock in the morning due to a heavy swell which made it

difficult for the pilot to get on board. Capt. Wurpt was seen in the saloon by a number of

visitors, who had gone out to the Bremen to congratulate its captain upon the rescue.

Among others who offered congratulations were the Lord Mayor of Cork, Lloyd’s local

representative, representatives of the Irish Free State Government and the National

Lifeboat Institution. The captain expressed his thanks for what had been said of his crew,

his officers and himself, but added that he did not want any thanks because “we know

23

what our duty is”. The Evening Telegraph of Angus in Scotland carried some quotes

from the survivors. “None looked worse for their dreadful experience. M’Kane said the

three firemen saved, of whom he was one, did not see much of what was going on, as

they were down below until the last moment. The only boat was their one chance. It

could not hold more with safety than the number that got into it, so badly was it

damaged. The other boats left were all smashed up, so there was none left fit to bring

over the rest of the crew. The sea at the time was awful. Jack Jones, a deckhand, said that

he was only 22, and his brother only a year older, had his hand injured, and went down

with the ship. Jones said he was seven hours continuously at the wheel before he got into

the boat. M’Kane said that he was almost drowned before they managed to pull him up

over the Bremen’s stern. He said the Germans were great people. All the Laristan

survivors were taken to the Sailor’s Home at Queenstown to wait for the 3.15 train for

Dublin.”

The Bremen was originally launched at the AG Vulcan yard in Stettin in 1900 and was

named the Prinzessin Irene with a tonnage of 10,881 grt. She was impounded at the start

of the First World War and was seized by the U.S.A. in 1917 and renamed Pocahontas.

In 1917 she was repurchased by the Norddeutcher Lloyd Line and became the third ship

within the company to bear the name, Bremen. In 1928 she was renamed the Karlsuhe

and was scrapped in 1932.

24

Capt Wurpts was deemed to be a hero. The Board of Trade awarded him a piece of

plate in recognition of excellent services rendered and upon his arrival in Germany he

received a message on behalf of the Mercantile Marine Service Association conveying

admiration and warm appreciation of the gallantry and humanity displayed

notwithstanding tremendous odds, in going to the aid of the crew of the steamer

Laristan and accomplishing the rescue of five of their number. The message said that

“The heroic and repeated rescue efforts which were made afford striking evidence of

that great brotherhood of the seas, and today British merchant seamen of all ranks

salute you and your brave crew.” (ed. It would seem that the report got the number of

crew members saved wrong))

A poignant letter was printed in the Hull Daily News on the 3rd February 1926.

The following letter has been received by the parents of Wireless Operator, H.W.

Jukes, of the ill-fated steamer Laristan from the radio officers of the Bremen: “Your

son Hubert has asked us, as a last favour to him, to send you his love. To almost the

very last minute we were in constant communication with him, and hoped to be able

to save him. May the knowledge that your son stuck to his post trying to help his

shipmates help to subside your pain of this terrible loss.” Radio Officers ss. Bremen.

During this period there had been a wages dispute by Wireless Operators and in

Parliament on the 9th February Mr. Charles Ammon the labour MP for Camberwell

North specifically asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Antinoe and

the Laristan were equipped with wireless apparatus and whether competent operators

were on board. Sir Philip Cunliffe-Listor confirmed that both ships were equipped

with wireless telegraphy apparatus and carried fully-qualified operators.

The Bremen was no stranger to vessels in distress. In April 1904 she rescued the crew

of the schooner Marije, then five years later, rescued 109 from the shipwrecked

Cunarder Slavonia. From a book “The History of the Marconi Company” we learn

that the Bremen had been directed to the Laristan by means of the Marconi-Bellini-

Tosi direction finding equipment carried by the Canadian Pacific Montnairn. The

Laristan’s actual position was 26 miles distant from that calculated by dead reckoning.

The position of d.f. equipment on all vessels of 5,000 grt and over was made

compulsory in July 1931.

Captain Frederick Gascoyne Littlehales, Master of Laristan, who went down with his

ship, was born in Wimbledon in 1867 (ten years before the first Tennis Championship

there) and went on to serve a two year cadetship (1880 – 1882) in HMS Conway (see

sketch by K.D. Shoesmith, a fellow cadet and Seven Seas Club member) where he

25

would have met fellow-cadet H W Broadbent (later Captain RNR and founder of the

Seven Seas Club.) Frederick Littlehales gained his Mates Certificate in 1890 and his

Masters Certificate two years later.

Proof that Captain Littlehales was held in high regard by his fellow Master Mariners

lies in his being appointed London agent for the Imperial Merchant Guild of

Liverpool. In this office his name appeared in The Straits Times newspaper for

September 1st, 1914 when, under the heading “Steering at Sea,” his opinion in favour

of an International Code for Steering at Sea was quoted. His lobby was for the

adoption of the British system of helm orders where the order “Port” meant that the

ship’s head was to be turned to starboard and vice versa. Supporting his argument for

this, he pointed out (i) the enormous preponderance of British shipping in number of

ships, tonnage etc., (ii) the fact that so many foreign sailors were accustomed to

serving on British vessels and were therefore perhaps more conversant with the British

than other systems.

Again in 1914 Captain Littlehales gave voice to his opinion through the press, this

time over the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St Lawrence River on the night

of 29th May 1914 following a collision with the Norwegian collier Storstad that

resulted in the loss of 1,012 lives. In his “Notes on Life and Letters” the novelist and

Master Mariner, Joseph Conrad refers to the above loss in a section headed

“Protection of Ocean Liners – 1914.” From this it is apparent he and Captain

Littlehales exchanged views via letters to the press on the simple expedient of a cork

fender. Conrad says “One of them, hung judiciously over the side at the end of its

lanyard by a man who knew what he was about, might perhaps have saved from

destruction the ship and upwards of a thousand lives.”

Conrad’s proposition was a rule that “every steam-ship should carry a permanent

fender across her stern (Did he mean “stem”?) from 2ft to 4ft in diameter in its

26

thickest part in proportion to the size of the ship. It certainly won’t look pretty but I

make bold to say it will save more lives at sea than any amount of the Marconi

installations which are being forced on ship owners on that very ground – the safety of

life at sea“

Although the writer has been unable to track down Captain Littlehales’ letter to the

press it would appear to have been broadly in support of Conrad’s proposition as

Conrad went on to say “Captain Littlehales’ illustration borrowed from boxing is very

apt and, in a certain sense, makes for my contention. Yes, a blow delivered with a

boxing glove will draw blood or knock a man out; but it would not crush his nose flat

or break his jaw for him – at least, not always. And this is exactly my point.”

Sadly for Captain Littlehales and 23 of his crew, a cork fender at the stem of Laristan

would have counted for nothing against the mountainous seas that brought about her

sinking, whereas a Marconi installation did contribute to the saving of six.

Some time after the Laristan tragedy , the BBC produced a radio play by Captain

Frank Shaw, based on this sad story; a number of Seven Seas Club members assisted

with the project. It was broadcast on Trafalgar Day, Thursday 21st October 1926, after

which the BBC sent a cheque for twenty guineas to the Club, to be donated to a

charity of their choice. At the suggestion of a committee member, a Club Benevolent

Fund was founded and named the Laristan Fund. Captain Attenborough himself

contributed the handsome collection box which is still in use today, carved in the form

of a capstan and made from the timber taken from HMS Hindoostan 1888. The fund is

used to support maritime charities including the training of young or disabled aspiring

seafarers, as well as to assist Club members who fall on hard times. Recently, it has

been the custom for the President to allocate any moneys remaining in the fund at the

end of the year to be distributed to the widows of Club members, in the form of

vouchers. Collections for the fund are made at Club dinners.

27

Genealogical Information about Capt. Frederick Littlehales by John Callcut

He was born in Wimbledon in 1867. His father, also called Frederick was a banker,

and he lived comfortably with his parents, siblings and five servants at 10 Victoria

Road, Wimbledon. One of his older brothers, Henry, became an author who in 1898

published ‘Notes on the Road from London to Canterbury in the Middle Ages’, and in

1904 he edited and published the accounts of the Wren church, St. Mary-at-Hill. His

younger brother Arthur Gascoyne Littlehales became a physician. At the age of fifteen

Frederick joined the training ship HMS Conway following the career of his distant

relative, Vice Admiral Bendall Roberts Littlehales (1765-1847). He gained his Mates

Certificate in 1890 and his Masters Certificate two years later. In 1904 he married

Emilie Consuelo Hunter the daughter of a civil engineer and had five children.

Following the outbreak of the First World War he was placed on the Royal Naval

Volunteer List at the age of 47 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander (Tempy) and

commanded the hired armed steam yacht Calan then based at Queenstown (Cobh). He

later transferred to HMY Amy.

Another reference to the

Littlehales name

appeared on the 5th

December 1921 when it

was reported in the

Evening Telegraph that

Capt. J. Littlehales of

35 years experience,

was captain of the

world’s largest

icebreaker, the Sviatogor (above) of 5,168 tons. She sailed to the Baltic via the Kiel

Canal to open up the ice to allow ships to get through to Russia to aid the starving

people.

Frederick’s eldest brother was called John Laurentius Littlehayes.

In his will Frederick Littlehales was described as of 29, Rowfant Road, Balham and

‘lost at sea’. Probate was granted on the 9th March to his brother, Arthur Gascoigne

(sic) Littlehayes, £68. 6s. 4d. This is a very small sum, even for those days, so

possibly many of his belongings went down with the Laristan.

28

MINUTES OF THE 89th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE SEVEN

SEAS CLUB

Minutes of the above meeting held at 18.00 on Thursday 30th May 2013 in the Lady

Violet Room National Liberal Club, London.

1. Notice of Meeting: This was read out by the Hon Secretary.

2. To Receive Apologies: There were 25 apologies.

3. To Agree the Minutes of the 88thMeeting: Agreement of the Minutes was

proposed by Michael Pinner and seconded by Graham Painter. All members present

agreed.

4. To Receive the Club’s Audited Accounts and Adopt Them:

The Hon. Treasurer’s report is attached at Att 1. p1 & p2. The members present

adopted the Club Accounts

5. To Receive the President’s Report: The President’s Report is attached at Att.

Pres Rep 13

k. To Receive a Report on the Activities of the Baxter & Grimshaw Trust:

This Report by Michael Pinner is attached at Att. 3 B&G Rep.

7a. To Receive the Following Proposed Club Rule Amendment From Mr Dom

Watson:

“Any gentleman whose membership application is approved by the Committee shall

undertake to attend at least one dinner and one function per annum. If this is not

achieved then the Committee shall be at liberty to review the application and, if no

reasonable explanation may be given for non-adherence to these conditions, then the

Member’s Proposer will be called by the Committee to explain why, and if no

reasonable cause is found, then Membership of the new Member may be revoked.”.

Dom Watson advised that this new rule would apply only to new Members joining

the Club. There are obviously Members who would not be able to attend every

function due to work or financial constraints. Of the 217 Members listed there is a

core of only 102 who have attended one dinner; there are 8 members who are never

able to attend but who always send apologies. There are a further 107 Members from

whom the Dinner Secretary has heard nothing. The Laristan Fund receives

contributions only by collection at Dinners and it raised £2034:21 this year. The

29

money is used at Christmas for M & S Vouchers to our widows and to seafaring

charities. A future Member who would not attend any function or dinner would not be

a viable concern by an injection of only £20 per annum but receiving possibly 3

magazines a year, Dinner Notices and a free attendance at the Cocktail Party.

The above is a précis of Dom Watson’s statement

Graham Painter, who seconded this proposal, stated that he had noticed that

attendance at Club Dinners had become a bit “thin on the ground” and it would appear

that the Club has many ghost Members . The Club is only as good as its’ Members

and, obviously, some are not actively involved to take the Club forward. There are

Members who, although are all unpaid, work tirelessly behind the scenes and the

Members who fail to attend Dinners are letting these down.

I fully support Dom’s proposal as we do not need these “fair weather sailors” who

only surface when a “freebie” is on offer.

The above is a précis of Graham’s report

7b. To Receive the following proposed Club Rule Amendment from Mr Michael

Pinner:

“That any attempt to change the conditions of Membership for new Members would

require a postal ballot of all Members of the Club who are in good standing”.

This proposal is seconded by Cdr. Will Barker SAN.

Michael was concerned that the proposal by Dom Watson had not been considered by

the Committee and Members who have no email advantage may not even have

received it. Michael had contacted many Members and, in general, there was very

little support for the proposal. Some Members are unable to attend the Club because of

work or even fear of raveling home late at night. If the intention is to keep the Club

afloat financially by increasing profits from the Dinner Fund, a better solution would

be achieved by increasing the annual fees. Michael is also aware that the increase in

the responsibility of a proposer is aimed at Members misbehaving at Club functions,

The Committee should act if misconduct should prevail and have the ability to

relinquish Membership. Michael also believed that all mobile ‘phones should be

“switched off” during club dinners unless the member or guest is on an “emergency

call”

Michael was quite happy to withdraw his proposal should Dom do the same.

The above is a précis of Michael’s statement

John Mankerty, who was aware that the Bar was open and that further arguments from

the floor could take up a lot of time, proposed that these entire proposals be given to

30

the Committee which is about to be appointed and this Committee will discuss all the

options and amend the Club Rules as necessary. This proposal was agreed by all

present

8. To Appoint Cdr John Mankerty as a Temporary Chairman and to Declare all

Offices Vacant:

Cdr Mankerty reported that there was only one nomination for President and Martin

Earp was elected as Club President for the year 2013/14.

Martin then took the Chair and proposed the following nominations which were

agreed by all members present:-

a. Mr. David Watson. Is the Immediate Past President.

b. Mr. Bill Murray was elected as Vice President.

c. Mr. Martin Earp was elected as the Hon Almoner.

d. Mr. David Watson was elected as the Hon Secretary.

e. Mr. Derek Bevan was elected as the Hon. Treasurer.

f.. Mr. Dom Watson was elected as Hon Dinner Secretary.

g. Mr. John Callcut was elected as Hon Magazine Editor.

h. The following were elected as Committee Members: Mr Mark Scoular, Capt.

Chris Esplin-Jones C.B.E., Mr. Graham Capel, Mr. Louis Roskell & Mr. Fez

Wood.

i.. Cdr. John Mankerty O.B.E., was elected as Committee Advisor on Historic and

Protocol Matters.

j. The following were appointed as Hon Chaplains: Revd. Canon Thomas OBE., and

the Revd. Peter Dennett.

k.. Mr. M J Buck was appointed as the Club Auditor.

The meeting closed at 18.40

31

A Word from our Revered Treasurer:

Many a true word is said in jest. Some time ago I pointed out that the Seven Seas Club

is not licensed by the financial authorities to maintain current accounts; neither am I.

Occasionally members pay for dinners, only to have a guest drop out or to be unable

to attend themselves. They then expect the Hon Dinner Secretary (or an assistant

helping him) to recall such an event and to apply those funds at some time in the

future. Others forget and remit money afresh, perhaps months later, adding to the

confusion.

The Committee has decided that in future any such money, not claimed as payment for

the next dinner or refunded by direct request, will be presumed as intended for the

Laristan Fund and will be paid out accordingly.

Derek Bevan.

Free Fronts – Free Franks by Graham Capel

If you have not discovered the world of Free Fronts, or Free Franks as I have also

heard them called, you are not alone. I only discovered them about a year ago. Signed

Nelson letters sell for a fortune, even if you can find one. You can scour the lot

listings for otganisations like International Autograph Auctions. You can find the

occasional Nelson letter, but even an unsigned one which may or not appear in the

Nelson Letter Books will cost you a couple of thousand pounds, and a signed one,

verified and listed will cost you several thousand pounds at least. So, where could you

find a genuine Nelson signature cheaper? Well, try Free Fronts or Free Franks, but I

might add that the only Free Frank that I have ever encountered was a bar tender in a

very dubious bar in Majorca many years ago!

So, what is a Free Front or Free Frank? The answer is that it is the address on a

letter sent by a Member of Parliament or House of Lords before the Penny Black, the

first postage stamp. The ‘noble gentlemen’ of Parliament were allowed the privilege

of sending mail free from the House of Commons and the House of Lords to anywhere

in the country as long as it was signed by the sender so that it could be identified. That

is where you get the genuine signature from. It was usually stamped with a date stamp

or ‘franked’ which is where Frank came in – not the Bar Tender – the stamp, and as

the mail service was FREE, they were called Free Fronts – for the front of the letter, or

Free Franks – as they had been stamped (franked). Incidentally, Free Frank the Bar

Tender did excellent Harvey Wallbangers which nearly blew your head off, but they

weren’t free! It was the sign behind the bar which earned Frank his name – FREE

DRINKS TOMORROW. Of course, tomorrow never comes, and neither di Frank’s

free drinks!

32

Incidentally, the privilege of Free Franking was terminated in 1840 as a result of

various abuses and excesses in the Post Office system. It was shortly after this that the

postage stamp was introduced by Rowland Hill’s reforms and the very collectable and

sought after Penny Black stamp and its successors were born, right up to the postage

stamp of today.

This is a Free Front. I’ll call them that from now on to avoid getting into deeper water

about Free Frank’s bar, and it is Free Fronts that you will find them under on E-Bay or

in dealer’s listings. You can see that this one is addressed to Lord Nelson and signed

by Hood – Lord Hood in his capacity as a Member of the House of Lords and entitled

to send mail free, Look at the date on the stamp – the frank – sorry! It reads November

15 1800 and is addressed to Lord Nelson at what looks like NESOTS HOTEL in

London. Now put these two bits of information together and you have Admiral Lord

Nelson staying at an hotel in London in November 1800 – only a week or so after he

had returned to England from his overland journey with Sir William and the

increasingly pregnant Lady Hamilton after he had resigned his position in the

Mediterranean. They had landed at Yarmouth on the 6th November. Why was he

staying at an hotel? Well, he had just parted from his wife Fanny – they had their last

meeting on his return, so there was obviously no room for him at the family residence

in London anymore! From Yarmouth they must have journeyed to London. Sir

William and Lady Hamilton to stay with friends presumably, and Lord Nelson to an

hotel. So, this letter was written just over a week after Nelson had returned to England

in some degree of disgrace following his resignation and the the growing scandal as

news of his affair with Emma Hamilton grew, but nevertheless still with a degree of

charisma as ‘The Victor of the Nile’. (ed. This is in fact Nerot’s Hotel, 17, King

Street, St. James’s, London where he met his wife and father at 3.00 pm on the

33

afternoon of Sunday, 9th November to the accompaniment of a thunderstorm – in the

literal and metaphorical sense!)

Why was Lord Hood writing to Nelson? Well, Samuel Hood – 1st Viscount Hood, had

been a supporter of Nelson since their days together in the Caribbean and he knew

Nelson’s uncle, Maurice Suckling, well. Hood had joined Rodney in Jamaica in 1780

at the beginning of the American War of Independence. In October 1782 Nelson, as a

newly appointed Post Captain was sent to Jamaica. His first action did not go well

when Nelson in the frigate Albemarle (28) failed in his mission to remove French

troops from Turks Island in the Bahamas. Hood had also introduced the young Nelson

to Prince William Henry who was a serving officer in the Royal Navy and shortly to

become the Duke of Clarence and even later England’s Sailor King William IV,

although he really wanted to become Henry IX! Prince William was one of Nelson’s

principal attendants at his wedding to Frances Nesbitt on the Caribbean island of

Nevis on the 11th March 1787. So, Hood was certainly writing to Nelson to greet him

on his return to England and probably also to the House of Lords. He may or may not

have been offering words of welcome as an old friend or alternatively words of

warning over his now public marital affairs. I wonder if the actual letter in sin the

Hood archives?

See just how much you can learn from an old envelope (Front) which is a lot more

than you would have learned from Free Frank the Bar Tender!

Now, this next Free Front is signed by Nelson himself, or Nelson & Bronte to be

exact. This is how I acquired my genuine Nelson signature at a fraction of the cost of a

Nelson signed letter. This is franked (sorry again!) May 31 1803 and is addressed to

Rear Admiral Campbell. At this time in his career, Nelson was ‘on the beach’. He was

34

on half pay and had taken his seat in the House of Lords since 1802 – so think how

many letters he was sending between his failure with the Channel Fleet and the

bombardment of Boulogne in August 1801 and 16th May 1803 when war was declared

following the short Peace of Amiens when Nelson was employed again. Twenty

months – lots of letters? Sir William Hamilton had died on the 6th April 1803 leaving

his favourite portrait of Emma to Nelson who was living at their ‘beloved Merton’ , in

conjugal bliss with Emma and shortly to be joined by Emma.

But who was Rear Admiral Campbell? If it is the one I think it is, he was to play an

important part in the prelude to the Battle of Trafalgar. On the 13th June 1804 Rear

Admiral Campbell was commanding a small squadron off Toulon where Admiral

Lord Nelson’s fleet were blockading the French fleet. Rear Admiral Campbell in

Canopus (74) engaged a French frigate which fled back to Toulon which led to the

British frigate Phoebe commanded by Captain the Honourable Thomas Capel to be

the first to witness the entire French fleet making to leave port, and he raised the

general alarm. I don’t have a copy of the Nelson letters for 1803, so maybe someone

can tell me if this letter is included? (ed. Nelson sailed in the Victory on the 20th May

1803 so this letter was either written and then posted after he had sailed or had been

written whilst at sea)

There are many other famous Nelson associated personages whose signatures can be

obtained in this way. Here is a Free Front signed by Lord St. Vincent dated 1829 and

accompanied with a period print of the First Lord of the Admiralty which he became

in Nelson’s time and thereafter.

35

Here is another really early one of Earl Howe dated January 12 1793. This was

Richard, the fourth Viscount Howe who was raised to the Peerage in 1782. Of course,

he was famous for his victory at The Glorious First of June in 1794 when his Channel

Fleet engaged the French Fleet of Vice Admiral Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse in mid-

Atlantic who was attempting to protect a French grain convoy of merchant ships from

America to France. Howe’s action resulted in the capture of seven French ships, but

the grain ships got through. This letter was written in 1793, the year before his famous

battle and presumably when he was commanding the Channel Fleet. He died in 1799

with no male heirs so the title passed through his daughter.

I’m not going to tell you how much I paid for my Free Front from Nelson. You will

have to try your luck on E-bay or at the auction houses. As you can see there are many

signatures on Free Fronts from other famous persons of the Nelson era, before and

afterwards.

In December 2012 a Free Front signed by Thomas Masterman Hardy when he was

First Lord of the Admiralty in 1833 sold for as little as £77.89 plus £1.20 postage. The

second signature is of the Fourth Lord of the Admiralty at that time, Admiral

FitzHardinge Berkeley, so you got two signatures for the price of one if you had

bought it – unfortunately I did not. At about the same time there was another Free

Font signed by Wellington which sold for a similar £74.

36

If you work out how many days Nelson might have taken his seat in the House of

Lords from the time he was raised to the peerage following the Battle of the Nile in

1798 and when he was not at sea defending the realm, and bearing in mind that ALL

communications were by hand written letter, and Nelson was a prolific writer, you can

make a rough guess at how many Free Fronts signed by Nelson might have existed –

certainly hundreds. Many of them will not have survived. After all, up to 215 years is

a long time for an old envelope to still exist, but many of his letters have survived. I’ll

bet you, and Free Frank as well (he used to gamble on anything), that there are more

out there to be found.

SEVEN SEAS CLUB DINNERS by Commander John Mankerty

This document is the protocol for attendance at a Club Dinner. Might I remind you

that you are most welcome to bring guests but you are responsible for their conduct

during the evening.

Social customs in this country have changed dramatically since the last world war and

are still changing, and a way of life familiar to the older generations in the days of

their youth now seem to belong to another world.

Consequently the style of dining and the manners and customs of the Seven Seas Club

of 1922, which have evolved and are practiced some 91 years later may require some

explanation.

One may ask what is the overriding rule of our mess and method of dining together

and what deference should be shown within the club? I would sum this up as follows;

37

there should be no distinction of rank in the mess, except the natural deference which

youth owes to age of common courtesy.

Not withstanding the Club is run by the President (elected on a yearly basis), as is the

Committee. The format of the dinner is one that we have inherited and modified over

the years. The format of a typical dinner is as follows and should without variation be

implemented as far as possible on each and every occasion. So, having booked your

place at least 48 hours before the event with the Dinner Secretary and paid by Cheque

or BACS, we gather between 18.00 hrs and 1845 hrs at the National Liberal Club

(NLC) using a corner of the main lounge as an ante room. The NLC set up a bar for

us but unfortunately are unable to supply draught beer at that location. However we

are permitted to enter the NLC Member’s Bar for that purpose, but you should return

to the Lounge with your pint; remember we are NOT members of the NLC. Use of

this Member’s Bar following our dinner is permissible and usual. On the large

polished table in the ante room you will find a menu and table plan for the evening

and one of the NLC staff will take your wine orders for the evening; this is paid for at

the time of ordering and will be before you when you enter the dining room.

At 18.45 hrs the Secretary will bang on the table announcing… ‘Mr President,

Gentlemen, dinner is served’. Members and their guests will make their way to the

dining room, find their place and remain standing to greet the President and our

‘Distinguished Guest’ /Speaker for the evening. They are piped aboard and to the

accompaniment of a steady handclap make their way to the top table.

The President will Gavel once and the ovation will stop. He will then call out, ‘Is

there a Padre aboard’? The Padre will answer ‘Aye Aye Sir’ to which the President

replies, ‘Grace please’. Should there be no Padre aboard the President will call, Mr

Vice ‘Grace please’.

The Club grace is as follows:- ‘God Save the Queen, God bless our dinner, Prosper

our Club and all who sail the Seven Seas, and give us thankful hearts. Amen.’

The silence is now broken as we sit to dinner. During the course of the dinner the

President will make a number of formal announcements each of which will be

preceded by a bang of the Gavel and the courtesy of total silence from Members and

guests present is expected. These announcements will range from the presentation of

the Chip Leonard Anchor to a particular member dining that evening, ties for newly

elected members, to a few short words of welcome to all our guests. He will also call

upon the Club Hon. Secretary for any relevant announcements ranging from Club

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business, forthcoming events, news of members and apologies from members unable

to attend that evening.

As the meal ends Coffee, mints and Decanters of Port are placed on the tables. The

President will order the Port to be passed until all wishing to drink their toasts in port

have filled their glasses. As a point of etiquette the Port is passed immediately to the

left by the person it is in front of and round the table and back to where it began each

member filling ONLY his own glass; the person passing the Port then fills his own

glass. When ladies are present it is usual for a member/guest to pour the Port for the

Lady on his left. The Port should not be drunk until the first toast. The Hon. Secretary

and Mr Vice will stand to inform the President that the Port has been passed in order

that the dinner may continue.

This is instituted by the President using his Gavel and after the company has fallen

silent calling out, ‘Mr Vice’. Mr Vice rises to his feet and invites the company to

stand. Then raising his glass he intones ‘THE QUEEN’; the company reply with

‘THE QUEEN’.

The Company resume their seats. (No other toast may be drunk in conjunction with

that to the Sovereign). Should a Dignitary from another country be present it is

customary to toast also the Sovereign/Head of that Country

After a suitable pause the President will again rise and Gavel and the Company will

follow him to their feet. He will propose ‘The Seven Seas Club Australia, The Seven

Seas Club South Africa and absent friends’. This is repeated word for word without

additions by the Company after which we resume our seats.

The President will then send the Laristan Fund collector round the members and he

will point out that a contribution from guests is NOT expected. Permission will then

be given to leave the table to ‘Pump Ship’ and a time given for all to resume their

seats for the address of the evening by our Distinguished Guest. The Club has long

had a flexible attitude to leaving the table prior to the Loyal toast. (In a Service Mess

or Wardroom no one may leave the table before permission is given.) Due to the

advanced years of some of us the privilege of leaving the table if required is

permissible.

The Seven Seas Club has hard and fast rules in respect of our speakers…they will be

heard politely and quietly, members may ask questions but may NOT make statements

and must avoid political issues. Members wishing to ask a question will attract the

President’s attention and being invited to speak, stand, give their name and ask their

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question. Please bear in mind that we all wish to hear the question and acoustics can

be difficult in the dining room.

Following questions the President will again gavel and call out, ‘Mr Vice’. Mr Vice

will rise and propose a vote of thanks to the Speaker and the company will show their

appreciation in the usual way. The President then makes a small presentation to the

Guest on behalf of the Club and a photograph will be taken. The President again

Gavels and calls the company to their feet asking the Hon. Secretary to propose the

Last Toast, which is drunk in silence. During this toast the lights are dimmed and the

Secretary calls out ‘The Lights are burning bright Sir’

And after a pause the President replies ‘And all’s well.’

The lights go up and the Secretary calls out ‘Please remain standing while our

President and Distinguished Guest leave the room’. They are piped ashore to the

applause of those present.

Members and guests may wish to remain at table and finish any port or repair to the

NLC Member’s Bar which closes at 11.00 pm allowing fifteen minutes to leave the

premises.

Pen Picture: Sipho Wanliss

This item has been sent to us by Mr. Mike Pinner. This young man has been assisted

by the Seven Seas Baxter Grimshaw Trust in the past (not directly on this trip) and

this is his diary covering a recent trip to South Africa.

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa on the 18th May 1995 and moved to the UK at

the age of two. I have one sister, Landa, who lives in London with her partner and

their child. My father, an ordained minister, joined the British Army. I lived in

Kingston-upon-Thames in London, where I was a member of the Hampton Court

Palace choir. In 2005, my father and I moved to Northern Ireland as he had been

posted there to work. I attended the Royal School Armagh as a boarder until 2011. I

also became a member of St Patrick’s Cathedral choir. In 2008 my father retired from

the Army due to medical reasons, and so we moved to Armagh. In 2011, I attended the

Southern Regional College Armagh to complete my A-Levels. I hope to join the

Merchant Navy as a Deck Officer.

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Joining the Sea Cadets was one of the most significant events of my life! I have

amassed a large number of qualifications in boating (rowing, power and sail) and

qualified as a Dinghy Instructor. Whilst a Petty Officer Cadet I was selected to attend

a leadership course at Britannia Royal Naval College, as a result of which I was short-

listed to be interviewed for the Cadet of the Year South Africa Exchange. I was

selected and spent a fantastic month in South Africa with the SA Sea Cadets. During

my time there I met Admiral Piet Potgieter of the Cape Winjammers Education Trust,

who has links with Mr Michael Pinner.

The highlight of my Sea Cadet career has been the various offshore voyages I have

undertaken in the power vessels, TS John Jerwood and Jack Petchy, in the SCC Yacht,

TS Vigilant and the flagship, TS Royalist. That I was able to have these fabulous

experiences is largely due to the generosity of the Baxter & Grimshaw Trust Square

Rigger Club, to whom I am most indebted.

I am an now an adult volunteer with the Sea Cadets and relief watch officer on T.S.

Royalist and the Sea Cadet Power Vessels; thus helping the next generation of Sea

Cadets share the experience.

I continue to enjoy sailing. My shore based hobbies include playing rugby at Armagh

City Rugby Club and singing in the Armagh Cathedral choir.

South Africa 2013

Report

Day1

I arrived at Cape Town International Airport at

0800 on the 26th June and was met by Lieutenant

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Jacobs, the CO of T.S. Woltemade, who then took me to the unit. I was then met by

the staff and cadets of T.S. Woltemade. The first thing I noticed about the cadets (bar

the fact they were South African) was there utmost discipline. They were the most

well behaved set of teenage children I had encountered, and the same went for all the

Sea Cadets I met. After meeting the cadets I was taken on a tour of SAS Simonstown,

the headquarters of the South African Navy. I was taken on a detailed tour of their

facilities, and shown around their ships, including their submarines. This included a

tour of the South African Naval Museum. After my tour of Simonstown, I was taken

back to the unit to participate in some activities with the cadets.

Day 2

The Thursday was spent doing boating activities with the cadets. We sailed and rowed

on 16 foot Saldanha dinghies, which are fibreglass boats purpose-

built for the SA Sea Cadets. We also kayaked to an island with a bird

sanctuary. All this was done on the Zandvlei Lake, where the unit is

based.

Day 3

The 28th involved an expedition to

with some of the staff members to

the Cape Point Nature Reserve. This

is the point where the Atlantic Ocean

current

and the

Indian

Ocean current meet.

Indeed, many

mistake this as the most

southerly point of Africa, but this is actually Cape Agullhas,

some 100 or so miles east of Cape Point. Still, it was a magnificent experience to be

there. That evening, I departed T.S. Woltemade to stay with Captain Coetzee, a retired

port Captain of Cape Town Harbour.

Day 4

On the 29th, Captain Coetzee took me

on a tour of Cape Town Harbour, and

42

on a tour of Cape Town Waterfront. I visited the old Port Captains offices, and also

the Peace Square, where statues have been erected of South Africa’s four Nobel Peace

Prize winners. I then went on a boat tour of Cape Town Harbour, where it was

explained to me how the harbour area is built on

reclaimed land. Captain Coetzee then took me on a trip

outside Cape Town to Hout Bay, then on a drive up the

coast to Chapman’s Peak and to Kommetjie, before

bringing me to his home in Wynberg.

Day 5

I set off on the 30th at

0600 to Knysna, a

journey of nine hours, arriving in Knysna at 1500,

where I was met by Lieutenant Commander

Erickson, the Commanding Officer of T.S.

Knysna. I was taken to T.S. Knysna, where I was

introduced to the cadets and staff of T.S. Knysna

and given a tour of their unit. Knysna has to be

one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the

unit is situated in the most idyllic of spots on the

Knysna Lagoon.

Day 6

On the Monday I was given a tour of the Knysna Heads Nature Reserve. This is the

headlands that culminate at the entrance to the lagoon, the result being a narrow

channel to the sea, flanked on either side by two dramatic cliff faces. It is truly a

beautiful sight to see. After this I went back to the unit, where I chatted with the staff

and cadets and sat in on a seamanship lesson.

Day 7

On the 2nd of July, the CO and his wife took me to

the Kango Caves, where I was given a tour of the

caves. The caves were

enormous, a truly

spectacular sight to see.

After this, I was taken to

the Oudtshoorn Nature

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Park, which is owned by the CO’s brother. There, I had a fantastic time viewing all the

animals, culminating with a chance to stroke a cheetah, and an exhilarating ride on an

ostrich! This day was by far one of the highlights of my trip in South Africa, and the

experience I had on this day will stick by me for ever.

Day 8

The Wednesday morning was spent participating in drill practise with the cadets.

Their drill is different to ours, but was easy to pick up. For this we had taking the

practise a WO1 Van Rensburg, who was the SA Navy’s chief drill instructor for many

years. The afternoon was spent sailing on a 27 foot Gunter-rigged Montague Whaler, a

boat which I had only seen in copies of the Admiralty

Manual of Seamanship! I learnt a lot on this day, from

some new drill movements to the intricacies of sailing a 27

foot dinghy.

Day 9

On the Thursday morning, I attended the Bondi Commemoration

Ceremony. Bondi was the ship’s dog aboard HMS Verbena, and passed

away when the ship was in Knysna. In the afternoon I went with the

cadets to help finish of the decorating of a crèche which they had

helped to build in the nearby township of Hornlee. This was a steep

learning curve, as I had never been in a township before, and it was a

good opportunity to chat with some of the local people as well as to do

something for a good cause.

Day 10

On the Friday morning I participated in kayaking and

rowing activities with the cadets. This included eight

of us rowing the previously sailed Montague Whaler.

In the afternoon I was asked to take a class on The UK

Sea Cadets and the

Royal Navy. This I

found a bit daunting at

first but really the

cadets just wanted to

44

know more about what we do in the UK Sea Cadets – more of an informal chat rather

than a lesson. In the evening I attended the Admiral’s Ball. This was one of the

culminating events of the Knysna Oyster Festival, which had been running throughout

the week. This took place on the MS John Benn, which is a commercial paddle

steamer. The Admiral attending was Vice Admiral Qubu, who is the Director of Naval

Personnel. I attended the event with the staff and with the Master at Arms, a title given

to their most mature and senior cadet. The event itself was thoroughly enjoyable, and

it was a good opportunity to meet and interact with more of the people of Knysna.

Day 11

Saturday the 6th of July was the Anniversary of Knysna Sea Cadets. This involved a

parade at their unit attended by Admiral Qubu, who spoke

highly not just of T.S. Knysna but of the continued link

between the South African Sea Cadets and The UK Sea

Cadets. After the parade the cadets performed a precision

drill performance. This is something I have never

encountered before and involved the cadets performing

complex drill movements with

Lee Enfield rifles, all to the

beat of a drum – no orders

were given throughout. It was a fantastic thing to view

and is definitely something that I would love to introduce

in my unit.

Day 12

On the Sunday morning I attended a Sea Sunday Church

service at the local Church, also attended by Admiral

Qubu. I then went for a visit to the local yacht club, which

has been active since the early 19th century. In the

afternoon I went on a tour of Knysna Town, which

included the town centre, and the historic sites such as the

old jail and old naval buildings.

Day 13

On the Monday I went on a boat tour of the Knysna Lagoon. This did not include the

whole lagoon, as the lagoon stretches 70 kilometres, but of the Lagoon which

45

encompasses Knysna Town. After this I said my goodbyes and departed T.S. Knysna

and spent my last evening with the Commanding Officer and his wife.

Day 14

I left Knysna at 0600 on Tuesday the 9th for Cape Town. I had been scheduled to visit

Port Elizabeth, but the staff at the Sea Cadet Headquarters in Port Elizabeth had to be

sent to Pretoria in case Nelson Mandela passed away. I arrived in Cape Town at 1500

and was met at the bus station by Captain Toms, the former Captain South African

Sea Cadets, who took me to his home in Fish Hoek, close to T.S. Woltemade. Indeed,

that evening I had a braai (barbeque) with the

staff of T.S.

Woltemade.

Day 15

On the Wednesday

Captain Toms took me

on a visit to Table

Mountain. Table

Mountain is one of the

seven natural wonders of the world, and Cape

Town is situated at its foot. The views from the top are sublime, and it’s only once up

there that you realise just how flat the mountain is. This was one of the highlights of

my trip, and a great way to end such a fantastic trip.

Day 16

Thursday the 11th culminated my time with the South African Sea Cadets. In the

morning I departed Captain Toms to spend a week visiting family in Cape Town.

During my time spent with my family, my uncle was able to organise for me to meet

with Rear Admiral (JG) Piet Potgieter SAN (ret.), the Chairman of the Cape

Windjammers Youth Trust, who has links with Mr Michael Pinner of the Seven Seas

Club.

My time spent with the Sea Cadets in South Africa was really fantastic, and there

wasn’t a thing that I would change (except the daily run at 0500). The opportunity to

visit a South Africa is something I will never forget, and it couldn’t have happened

without the support and kindness of the UK Sea Cadets, whom I thank.

PPO (SCC) Sipho Wanliss

46

THE SEVEN SEAS TROPHY

Vice President, Mr Bill Murray, is seen here presenting the trophy to the

winning crew at Cowes. The Jolie Brise was skippered by Toby Marris from

Dauntsey’s School Sailing Club.

The photograph has been reproduced by kind permission of ASTO and copyright remains with them.

47

SLOP CHEST

Club Tie Multi-motive

£20.00 (plus £2.00 if posted)

Ten Year Silk Tie Roman Numeral X under Club motive

£20.00 (plus £2.00 if posted)

Shield The Club Crest in enamel, mounted on a wooden

shield. An excellent production.

£20.00.

Club Burgee 18 inches, 12 inches on truck

£15.00

Cufflinks Bearing Club crest, per pair

£15.00 (plus £2.00 if posted)

Ladies’ Handbag Mirror As given at Ladies Night

£15.00

Bookmarks As given at Ladies Night

£10.00

Archives Provided on DVD (2.55Gb)

£5.00

Seven Seas Sweatshirts

Members are also reminded that Club Sweatshirts in navy, grey and red are available

in standard, small, medium, large, extra large and double extra large sizes from

Jeremy Miller (to whom cheques should be made payable) at a price of £22.50.

Slops are available from:

Martin Earp, Chestnut Cottage, Village Street, Newdigate, Surrey RH5 5DH

Tel: 01306 631934 / 07921 549097. E-mail – martinearp@hotmail.co.uk

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