Page 17 - BR June 2024 with duck - converted

June 2024 June 2024
OVER THE HILL FUNERAL TRIBUTES

What is happening to our world today? During the third week of May, we have
experienced several wonderful sunny days with temperatures above those that was promptly followed by father joining a ship that was
normally expected for the time of year. These weather conditions have seen deploying to the Indian ocean for the next 18
remarkable growth in certain natural vegetative plants, from the wonderful months…..read into that what you may!!
bluebell woodland displays, grassland and cereal crops on our farmland and an By this time father had been promoted to Chief Engine
excellent display of the oak trees foliage Room Artificer, reputedly the youngest Chief ERA in the
compared with the ash trees. The latter of Royal Navy at that time. He commissioned in 1960 and now as a Sub
course tells us we are in for a dry summer, “The Lieutenant (Marine Engineer), was appointed to serve in HMS UNDAUNTED, a
ash before the oak, we will surely get a soak frigate based in Portland. He always said of UNDAUNTED that it was his
but the oak before the ash, we will only have a favourite ship.
splash,” as I mentioned in last months article.
Interestedly, memory of his time in his beloved ship still remains in Portland to
The other great “natural” display, which is this day. If the casual observer was to look closely at the edge of the
visible to all, especially if you are driving along remaining segment of the wartime Mulberry Harbour that located in Portland
the road to Poole is the flowering Harbour, they may notice some slight damage to the seaward side. This was
rhododendron bushes. These are wonderful to caused, apparently, by some young newly appointed marine engineer who
see, especially on these beautiful sunny days. was too slow in responding to his captains order to put the engines in reverse
These shrubs are of course not a native variety as they were engaged in berthing practice against the caisson!!
and were the result of the large land owners
planting them on the edges of their Minor marine collisions aside, it was at this point that mother took this
woodlands. Why? It was because all the large opportunity to move the family to Dorset in order to be closer to father and
estate owners during the late eighteenth, they subsequently moved to ‘The Acorn’ 15 North Street in July 1962.
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had
huge pheasant shoots during the winter Father always used to tell the story of our mother that, having found her ideal
months. ‘Roses around the door’ Dorset country cottage’, she did not wish to view any
further properties. To our mother it was a minor issue that they were unable to
How did the rhododendrons connect to these shoots? It may not seem very raise the money to secure the mortgage!
relevant today but pheasant shoots were a very important part of the
countryside’s social and aristocratic lifestyles during the eighteenth, nineteenth Fortunately, this slight inconvenience was subsequently dealt with by way of
and early twentieth centuries. I grew up in situations where large shooting estates father inviting the local bank manager on board his ship at Portland for a
where very prevalent in the lifestyles of boozy Wardroom lunch ……the extra few hundred pounds required was
the two villages I lived in. In each case subsequently forthcoming!!
the three gamekeepers held very
“important” positions in village life and Jonathan arrived in March 1963 and the family commenced village life. Father
by this time had been appointed to serve with the Royal Marines at Poole and
many of the male villagers earned it was during this time that he received the first of his two Fleet Commendations
additional income going beating . following his actions whilst attempting to save the crew of a landing craft that
Today of course shooting is non overturned in Poole Harbour during a tank landing trial.
existent as it was then and rightly so.
An appointment as the engineering officer in HMS HYDRA, a fleet
However why where rhododendrons hydrographic survey vessel, followed his time at Poole This was followed by him
important to this “sport”? Well being seconded to the Royal Libyan Navy in 1968 to oversee the building of a
pheasants were reared in pens and new fast frigate being built by Vosper Thorney Craft in Southampton, on behalf
when reaching a suitable age and size

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