|
The Royal Visit In August 1939, His Majesty King George VI was scheduled to visit H.M.S. Courageous during his review of the Reserve Fleet. H.M.S. Effingham was the flagship, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton KCB. DSO, but H.M.S. Courageous was best suited to accommodate the large contingents representing all the other warships for inspection. For days the ships' company was kept busy scrubbing, painting and polishing every inch of the big ship. It was the normally accepted procedure for welcoming high-ranking visitors. This being a Royal visit the preparation went much further including black-leading the enormous steel flight deck. It brought back memories of Captain's Rounds at H.M.S. Ganges. Due to the uncertainty of the weather I was detailed off to attend to His Majesty's raincoat. At first I could not understand why he would be concerned about a few drops of rain as nobody else had a coat. Later when I saw the amount of gold braid and decorations he was carrying I realised the need to keep him dry. I had plenty of instruction beforehand by the Coxswain, and the captain's valet, on how to deal with my moment of glory. Doing my normal duties for the captain I had to be meticulous in my dress. Not to be would have merited a swift 'rocket' from the Coxswain. For this occasion I was especially well turned out, having taken great care with every small detail of my uniform.
The King travelled down from Balmoral on the Royal train and arrived at Weymouth station at 1000 hrs on August 9th. in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet. He drove through the cheering crowds to Bincleave pier to disembark for the Royal Yacht,' Victoria and Albert'. She was lying just inside Portland harbour breakwater next to the Admiralty yacht 'Enchantress'. Waiting to greet His Majesty on arrival were several distinguished high ranking officers including the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Stanhope, Vice-Admiral Sir Dudley North and Admiral Francois Darlan the Chief of the French Naval Staff. After the usual formalities of being presented to the King they joined him on the Royal barge to start the review. The day of the visit turned out grey and wet, with a choppy sea running. On board H.M.S. Courageous, ratings from the different ships had been formed up on the flight deck for some considerable time getting cold and fidgety. Bemoaning what they described as a “bloody waste of time “they were quickly losing any feelings of loyalty to the Monarch. Aft on the Quarter Deck there were signs of nervousness as officers scanned the bay, waiting impatiently for the Royal entourage to make a move. When it did, word was swiftly passed around the ship to "Stand-by". The Guard of Honour realigned itself, the Quartermasters prepared to pipe and the officers readjusted their caps. Escorted by two Motor Torpedo Boats the Royal barge first went to HMS Courageous to inspect 1500 servicemen representing the 12000 men of the fleet.
It came smoothly alongside the after gangway and the King stepped sprightly on to the platform. As he came up the steps, followed by the other top brass, the Guard presented arms, the 'pipes' shrilled the 'Side' and everyone saluted. I was a little taken aback at how small he was, expecting him to be taller. His lack of height was emphasised more so when he stood alongside Captain Makeig-Jones who was a well built powerful man. The King decided to discard his raincoat and I anticipated his intention. With a well-rehearsed dignity and forced casualness I took it off him and folded it over my arm. Later when it started to rain he half turned and I opened his coat and put it over his shoulders. I walked immediately behind him and the captain and in front of Admiral Darlan. The last time I was as close to the French navy was at Shotley when I visited two French warships anchored off Harwich. The ships were dirty and untidy by our standards and left me with a poor impression of their navy for all time. On such visits it was important that the Monarch was treated with every respect and consideration. Anticipating he might take some refreshment before leaving, a mouth-watering spread had been prepared. The captain's cook, his steward and the best of the ships' catering staff had toiled assiduously to demonstrate their culinary skills. The Wardroom tables were beautifully laid out with delicacies not normally associated with naval cuisine. To everyone’s disappointment King George declined the invitation to eat but thanked the captain and congratulated him on the excellent condition of his ship. As a final gesture, which ingratiated him to the ships' company, he told Makeig-Jones to 'splice the main brace'. This traditionally meant an extra tot of rum for the men and limejuice for the boys for work well done. The delicious displays of food in the Wardroom were left to the officers to demolish it was some consolation for the King's absence. The Coxswain came into the pantry with what should have been the table centrepiece, a replica of Windsor Castle made of ice cream. I assumed he was acting on the Captain's instructions, but I always knew he could pull rabbits out of a hat when he wanted to. "Do you like ice cream"? It was a daft question to ask a boy. "Yes Coxswain, I love it" "Well go and get two of your oppos and see this off. And bring your own bloody spoons. Do you hear?" "Yes Swain" I dashed to the boy's messdeck, fearful that someone else might eat it before I got back. Convincing two pals that free ice cream was in the offing was the hardest part, but they followed me in disbelief. Back in the pantry we made the intricately designed masterpiece disappear at a disgusting rate. To be asked to eat the King's ice cream was a treat never to be repeated during my time in the navy.
The King spent forty minutes on 'Courageous' before leaving for the Flagship H.M.S. Effingham. Next he went on board H.M.S. Cardiff and then H.M.S. Exmouth later returning to the Royal Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon His Majesty made a two-hour cruise in the Victoria and Albert to review the rest of the ships that had been 'dressed overall' that morning |
HMS Courageous |
|
HMS Courageous June-September 1939 from the book “Taking the King’s Shilling” by John Cannon |
