beer a young naval rating came and sat down beside him, carefully placing his white cap on the table. He took out a copy of the
Evening Times
and turned to the sports
page. Harry thought he looked very young with his close-cropped blond hair.
‘Fine day,’ said Harry, after a decent while.
‘It is that,’ said the rating putting down his paper. He seemed lonely.
‘Nice little town you have here,’ he said politely.
‘Yes. Not been here before?’
‘No, can’t say I have. Come from England myself.’
‘Do you know Portsmouth?’ said Harry eagerly.
‘Do I know Portsmouth? Yes, I’ve been in Portsmouth a lot of times.’
‘Good Naafi there,’ said Harry. ‘Big place. Was there during the war, you know.’
‘Oh, you were in the war, sir?’ Very polite, these ratings, Harry thought.
‘I was. In a cruiser. You wouldn’t know it, I suppose. It was called the
Indomitable
. We were after the . . . ’ He was going to say
Bismarck
but stopped
himself in time. ‘We were in the Atlantic most of the time.’
‘Good for you,’ said the rating, looking out of the window as he licked the foam from his lips.
‘I suppose things have changed a lot since then,’ said Harry, taking another swig. ‘I mean, in the ships.’
‘I suppose so,’ said the rating. ‘Not having been in the old ones, I wouldn’t know.’
‘You’ve got rockets now,’ said Harry.
‘Yes, we have.’
‘Never thought of that in the old days. Just guns we had. I was a gunner myself. Used to get hot on your hands, they did.’
‘I suppose they would.’ This rating sounded a bit educated, Harry thought. Not like us.
‘A sight for sore eyes they are,’ said Harry, pointing vaguely out to sea.
‘You mean the Navy? Oh, it’s all right I suppose. Not really much in comparison with the Americans though we wouldn’t say that to them. They’ve got a lot of aircraft
carriers. We’ve only got two.’
‘I was torpedoed once,’ said Harry.
‘Is that right? Well, I expect you’d have been picked up pretty rapid now. All sorts of new equipment. You live here?’
‘Yes. Not all my days though,’ said Harry quickly. ‘I’ve been around. I was in the First World War and then I was in the second one too. That’s where I got my leg
from.’
‘What? Oh, I see. Mean you were wounded?’
‘When we ran into the spot of trouble I was. And my right arm isn’t too good either.’
The rating finished his beer and was about to get up.
‘I’ll get you one,’ said Harry expansively, coming to a decision. ‘Must look after our Navy boys, you know.’ He signalled to the barman to come over.
‘Another pint for my friend here,’ he said.
As the barman was bending down to take their glasses he said,
‘What rank is he this time, Harry? Admiral?’
‘What did he say?’ said the rating after the barman had gone.
‘Oh, nothing. He was only joking. They all know me.’
The barman returned with their beers, and Harry watched the rating drink. Very nice boy he looked, with direct, candid blue eyes.
‘When are you leaving?’ he asked.
‘Not allowed to say that,’ said the rating. ‘But we shouldn’t be here long. There’s a visit tonight. The Prince himself, you know. The good old prince. All the
trimmings. We’re going back about five o’clock. Everyone’s got to be back there by five o’clock. No shore leave tomorrow. Worse luck.’
He reminds me of Robin, thought Harry. The same clean-cut student look. He looked down at his drink.
‘You liked the Navy, sir?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘And what are you doing now, sir?’
‘I’m retired. My son’s in Africa, you know. He’s an administrator. He’s got a top job there. He was in university, you know.’
The rating looked out of the window and drank quickly.
‘There are some people going out to the ships, you know. We’re running boats out tonight. You could come if you wanted to.’
‘I could do that,’ said Harry. The rating looked over
Evening Times
and turned to the sports
page. Harry thought he looked very young with his close-cropped blond hair.
‘Fine day,’ said Harry, after a decent while.
‘It is that,’ said the rating putting down his paper. He seemed lonely.
‘Nice little town you have here,’ he said politely.
‘Yes. Not been here before?’
‘No, can’t say I have. Come from England myself.’
‘Do you know Portsmouth?’ said Harry eagerly.
‘Do I know Portsmouth? Yes, I’ve been in Portsmouth a lot of times.’
‘Good Naafi there,’ said Harry. ‘Big place. Was there during the war, you know.’
‘Oh, you were in the war, sir?’ Very polite, these ratings, Harry thought.
‘I was. In a cruiser. You wouldn’t know it, I suppose. It was called the
Indomitable
. We were after the . . . ’ He was going to say
Bismarck
but stopped
himself in time. ‘We were in the Atlantic most of the time.’
‘Good for you,’ said the rating, looking out of the window as he licked the foam from his lips.
‘I suppose things have changed a lot since then,’ said Harry, taking another swig. ‘I mean, in the ships.’
‘I suppose so,’ said the rating. ‘Not having been in the old ones, I wouldn’t know.’
‘You’ve got rockets now,’ said Harry.
‘Yes, we have.’
‘Never thought of that in the old days. Just guns we had. I was a gunner myself. Used to get hot on your hands, they did.’
‘I suppose they would.’ This rating sounded a bit educated, Harry thought. Not like us.
‘A sight for sore eyes they are,’ said Harry, pointing vaguely out to sea.
‘You mean the Navy? Oh, it’s all right I suppose. Not really much in comparison with the Americans though we wouldn’t say that to them. They’ve got a lot of aircraft
carriers. We’ve only got two.’
‘I was torpedoed once,’ said Harry.
‘Is that right? Well, I expect you’d have been picked up pretty rapid now. All sorts of new equipment. You live here?’
‘Yes. Not all my days though,’ said Harry quickly. ‘I’ve been around. I was in the First World War and then I was in the second one too. That’s where I got my leg
from.’
‘What? Oh, I see. Mean you were wounded?’
‘When we ran into the spot of trouble I was. And my right arm isn’t too good either.’
The rating finished his beer and was about to get up.
‘I’ll get you one,’ said Harry expansively, coming to a decision. ‘Must look after our Navy boys, you know.’ He signalled to the barman to come over.
‘Another pint for my friend here,’ he said.
As the barman was bending down to take their glasses he said,
‘What rank is he this time, Harry? Admiral?’
‘What did he say?’ said the rating after the barman had gone.
‘Oh, nothing. He was only joking. They all know me.’
The barman returned with their beers, and Harry watched the rating drink. Very nice boy he looked, with direct, candid blue eyes.
‘When are you leaving?’ he asked.
‘Not allowed to say that,’ said the rating. ‘But we shouldn’t be here long. There’s a visit tonight. The Prince himself, you know. The good old prince. All the
trimmings. We’re going back about five o’clock. Everyone’s got to be back there by five o’clock. No shore leave tomorrow. Worse luck.’
He reminds me of Robin, thought Harry. The same clean-cut student look. He looked down at his drink.
‘You liked the Navy, sir?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘And what are you doing now, sir?’
‘I’m retired. My son’s in Africa, you know. He’s an administrator. He’s got a top job there. He was in university, you know.’
The rating looked out of the window and drank quickly.
‘There are some people going out to the ships, you know. We’re running boats out tonight. You could come if you wanted to.’
‘I could do that,’ said Harry. The rating looked over
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