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Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners)

Seaweed

War Hero
RIP
Book Reviewer
'Sea Warfare' by Rudyard Kipling (Macmillan 1916) is a compendium of three shorter groups of short stories, 'The Fringes of the Fleet' (1915) (which includes a section on submarines and submariners), 'Tales of the Trade' (1916) and 'Destroyers at Jutland' (1916). Kipling has an amazingly sure feel for the people he reports on and here as everywhere else exhibits a tremendous loyalty to servicemen in general, of which with his pebble lenses he could never be one. In a couple of articles he makes a particular point of mentioning some engine room ratings by name, who normally never get a look in. Strongly recommended, particularly for underwater readers.
 
Re: Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners

You may find this of interest:

http://www.kipling.org.uk/rg_navy1.htm

Re Kipling's deep empathy with the Armed Forces, this can only have been intensified by the desperately sad loss of his son John aged barely 18 at the Battle of Loos in 1915. I saw the grave said to be that of John Kipling when I was in the region just a few weeks ago (although it is widely said that the grave is that of another casualty from the nearby dressing station and not John's at all).
 
Re: Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners

soleil said:
Re Kipling's deep empathy with the Armed Forces, this can only have been intensified by the desperately sad loss of his son John aged barely 18 at the Battle of Loos in 1915.

I'm not into poetry but I like this one by Kipling, published to coincide with the death of Jackie Cornwell VC. As soleil points out he struggled to come to terms with the loss of his son, probably indicated in his poem...

'My Boy Jack' (1916)

'Have you news of my boy Jack?'
Not this tide.
'When d'you think that he'll come back?'
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

'Has any one else had word of him?'
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

'Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?'
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind –
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!
 
Re: Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners

Have got a large book of all Kiplings works '

Great poet and writer .

He definately did see the world as it was in his day.

The RN writings I think he spent time with the Fleet as a guest and
visited most types of vessel and got with the crews aswell to see they way they worked and lived .


:nemo: :nemo:
 
Re: Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners

Guzzler said:
Shame about the cakes though.

Awful.

I rather enjoyed his apple pies

But "Tommy" and "Fuzzy Wuzzy"* take some beating

*(er...correct title?)
 
Re: Rudyard Kipling and the RN (and particularly submariners

Ballistic said:
Guzzler said:
Shame about the cakes though.

Awful.

I rather enjoyed his apple pies

But "Tommy" and "Fuzzy Wuzzy"* take some beating

*(er...correct title?)

Racialist.

Innit?

:yawnstretch: :thumright:
 

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