<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Welcome aboard the world of Thomas Kydd! + SPECIAL RE-ENACTMENT ISSUE + This is the second of our occasional Special Feature Issues (the first, on ship modelling, was published October 2002). VOL. 4, ISSUE 11, November 2004 + Shipmate Ambassador Programme extended to Canada + If any Canadian Shipmate would like a special Shipmate Ambassador Pack to help "spread the word" about Julian's books, just email Bosun@JulianStockwin.com with your full postal address and "AMBASSADOR" in the subject line. 1 NEWS & VIEWS 2 ASK JULIAN 3 BOOKSHELF 4 SALTY SAYINGS 5 FEATURE 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR 7 CONTEST 8 NAUTICALIA 9 NEW ON THE WEB ==================== 1 NEWS & VIEWS --- publishing happenings, author events, Shipmates ahoy! --- + QUARTERDECK Out now in Canada, Australia and South Africa. In Halifax, the Book Room, Canada's oldest bookstore, has made QUARTERDECK a lead title to celebrate their 165th anniversary. + SEAFLOWER BBC Audiobooks has published the unabridged version of SEAFLOWER, read by Christian Rodska. Special price of %17.99 plus p&p. www.audiobookcollection.com + MEET JULIAN ABOARD THE CUTTY SARK! Reservations are going fast for the wine & cheese fund-raising aboard the Cutty Sark, November 19, 7-9 pm. Julian will give readings about the sea, there's a raffle with great prizes - and a chance to learn first-hand about the plans to save the grand old lady of the sea! http://www.petitionthem.com/?sect=detail&pet=1263 Tickets are %20. 0208 8582698 + PICKLE NIGHT Julian has been invited to be the after-dinner speaker at Pickle Night (see September issue) at HMS Collingwood on November 5. He has promised to report back for the December issue. + JAMES CRAIG Australian Shipmate Peter Davey edits the newsletter for the crew of the 1874 iron barque James Craig, part of Australia's Heritage Fleet. Julian remembers her, (she was actually Joseph Conrad's old ship), moored in the bay in Hobart when he was living in Tasmania. http://www.australianheritagefleet.com.au This newsletter can be downloaded from: http://www.australianheritagefleet.com.au/JCFullBy/FBAug04transfer.htm l ===================== 2 ASK JULIAN --- a forum for Shipmates' questions --- David Hextall emailed: "I'm always intrigued as to what authors read for relaxation - can I ask what's on your bedside table at the moment?" Julian replies: "As you can probably imagine, it's to do with the sea; it's a delightful little volume called 'I Remember the Tall Ships' by New Zealander Frank Brookesmith who sailed in two of the last of the square-rigged ships to fly the Red Ensign. Brookesmith writes compellingly both of the hardships of day to day life and the timeless lure of the sea." www.seafarerbooks.com --- + Julian, on writing... Shipmate Dan Twohig emailed asking Julian for some insights into "the nuts and bolts of the writing process". Dan has sailed for most of his adult life and now wants to put some of his stories down on paper. We're planning a section in the website early in the New Year with Julian's tips for writers, but here's his answers to Dan's specific questions: How do you develop the outline of each book? Julian: You have to remember that I am writing a series. I'm dealing with a man's life, his journey from pressed man to Admiral. I divided this into book-size chunks, paying attention to the major historical events of the time. Within each book I outline the major elements - what ship, what geographic areas, etc.- and then weave in the plot. What are the main things to bear in mind about character development? Julian: I think that getting the central character right is absolutely critical. The reader must really care about him/her. Plot development comes very much after character, and is really only the stage on which your character shows his true colours. How do you research the story? Julian: In some ways I have been doing this all my life as I have always loved the sea and read widely. I have an excellent personal library and there are superb nautical resources in England such as the National Maritime Museum. I also find the internet is a valuable tool. Can you tell me about your research trips? Julian: Kathy and I plan these months in advance. We work out what we need to see, who we need to contact etc. But there also has to be an element of flexibility as one contact can lead to something quite unexpected sometimes. A digital camera is essential! How is your writing day spent? Julian: I write in the mornings, starting at my desk around eight. I have a short break mid-morning, then work through to about one o'clock and lunch. The afternoon is usually devoted to research and answering emails. [Julian regrets he cannot give an opinion on a story idea, or a manuscript.] ==================== 3 BOOKSHELF --- books, magazines and journals about the sea --- NAVAL OCCURRENCES OF THE WAR OF 1812 By William James. Conway Maritime Press. James wrote "Naval Occurrences of the War of 1812" to counter the version of the war put forward by American authors and concluded that "no American ship of war has...captured a British ship of the same force." (William James is of course known for his later 6-volume epic "The Naval History of Great Britain", from which, however, many of his more controversial passages about the 1812-1815 war were trimmed.) For a chance to win a copy, see CONTESTS. ==================== 4 SALTY SAYINGS --- what today's English owes to Jack Tar --- Round robin Today if we talk about a round robin we are referring to a letter signed by a number of people, or a sports tournament where all contestants play each other at least once. In Kydd's time sailors had a ploy for challenging conditions aboard ship or airing grievances against an officer - they'd sign a petition in which their names were written in a circle; no-one could then be identified as the ringleader! The practice, although quickly taken up by sailors, did not originate at sea - the term is a corruption of the French words "round" (round) and "ruban" (ribbon); French officials signed petitions on ribbons that encircled documents. ==================== 5 FEATURE - RE-ENACTMENT WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? No one knows when people first starting dressing up and recreating the past for amusement - but it is an ancient practice (the Romans, for example, re-fought past victories in the Coliseum, famously flooding the arena to create naval battles). Until fairly recently, most re-enactments were staged by the state or the military. One notable exception, in Kydd's day, was the Duke of Buckingham who staged mock Napoleonic naval battles on his lake at Wotton House using boats and firing real cannon balls! In the early 1960s historical re-enactment really started to take off as a popular pastime. One of the catalysts was the centennial commemorations of the American Civil War. (In the States, in 1998, probably the largest re-enactment in history took place, with 25,000 "troops" recreating the Battle of Gettysburg.) The UK's first modern re-enactment group was "The Sealed Knot", formed in 1967. In 1995 the Historical Maritime Society was formed to recreate life in the Royal Navy around the time of Nelson. Next year in the UK there'll be a memorable re-enactment: the New Trafalgar Dispatch 1 July - 11 September. The organising committee intend to recreate the essential elements of Lieutenant Lapenotiere's famous voyage and drive (see September issue). A New Trafalgar Dispatch is being drafted which will emphasise the heroism and humanity of both sides. Copies will be prepared in Spanish, French and English and taken aboard the Jubilee Sailing Trust's "Lord Nelson" to Cadiz and then Brest. From there the ship will sail to Falmouth and a specially built post-chaise will carry the dispatch to the Admiralty in London to arrive on September 10. GETTING STARTED Historical re-enactment is a fast-growing hobby around the world. Although the Napoleonic era is probably the most popular, there are many others from which to choose. WHERE TO LEARN MORE There are specialist magazines, as well as websites and portals devoted to the world of re-enactment:- "Skirmish" Bi-monthly magazine, mainly land-based re-enactment, but does cover naval www.skirmishmagazine.co.uk "Living History Register" Twice-yearly magazine run by re-enactors. Links, articles and diary of events http://www.pidham.vispa.com/lhr/lhr.htm A number of re-enactor links are provided in the Sailing Navies website http://www.sailingnavies.com/show_links.php?cat_id=14&xl= There's also the Naval Re-enactment Porthole www.naval-reenactment.org.uk/ SPOTLIGHT ON THREE GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD * In the UK The Historical Maritime Society is the premier UK re-enactment group depicting the Georgian Navy. Even their ship's biscuit is made from flour from a historical variety of wheat, especially grown for them. www.hms.org.uk * In Australia "Nelson's Navy" was formed in March 2004 and deals with the period 1770-1805. Interests are the famous naval actions of this period as well as colonial Australian exploration and settlement. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~anaaust/members/nelsons/index.htm Contact: John Haskell * In Canada "The Naval Establishment of the Crown Forces North America" focuses on the period 1792-1815. Contact: Victor Suthren ==================== 6 COUNTDOWN TO TRAFALGAR As 2005 draws closer, there's a whole flotilla of titles being published on Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. Here's three that look at the largely previously untold stories of the ordinary men who served in the Fleet. + Nelson's Fleet at Trafalgar By Brian Lavery. National Maritime Museum. %14.99. ISBN 0948065494 By one of the acknowledged experts in the field, this book not only deals with the battle and Nelson and his officers, it also provides a fascinating picture of the daily routines of the British seaman. Superb colour images from the archives of the National Maritime Museum illustrate the book. Shipmates can order a signed copy of the book with a 10% discount by contacting the NMM mail order and quoting reader offer TR002. shopweb@nmm.ac.uk. --- + Trafalgar. The men, the battle, the storm by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig. Hodder & Stoughton. %20. ISBN 0 340 83026 3 Clayton and Craig have written a moving account of Trafalgar and the aftermath - from the claustrophobic turmoil of the gun-decks to men pumping water from sinking hulks in hurricane force winds - told through the voices of the men and women who were there. The well-chosen illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are from "Liber Nauticus" by Dominic and John Thomas Serres. --- + Trafalgar. The Biography of a Battle by Roy Adkins. Little, Brown. %20. ISBN 0 316 72511 0 Adkins makes excellent use of eyewitness material, and presents a vivid history of Trafalgar from both sides of the conflict, including the Spanish who came to the aid of the victors, offering food and wine on the beaches to the English sailors wrecked there. His treatment of the visions of hell on the gun decks during the battle is particularly gripping. ==================== 7 CONTEST Win a copy of "Naval Occurrences of the War of 1812" Who wrote the introduction to this book? Emails to Bosun@JulianStockwin.com. Please include your full postal address and put "CONTEST" in the subject line. Hint: www.conwaymaritime.com. A copy of the book will be sent to the sender of the first correct answer drawn on November 25. Last month's winner of "The Audacious Admiral Cochrane" was Mark Caldon. (Cochrane was accepted back into the Royal Navy in 1832). And, congratulations to Terry Davis and Geoff Young, who won special Cutty Sark memorabilia donated by Chairman of the Trust Richard Doughty. =================== 8 NAUTICALIA --- from courses to cruises --- The Eastney Collection - "Music at Sunset" The Band of HM Royal Marines School of Music is famous world-wide. This CD is a superb collection of 27 historic naval music pieces, a number of which would have been familiar to Kydd. %12, incl p&p worldwide. http://131.103.193.135/acatalog/compactdiscs.html =================== 9 NEW ON THE WEB www.JulianStockwin.com There's a another chance to win a signed copy of QUARTERDECK! Libraries in the UK, Australia, and the States have mounted special displays of Julian's books (a Library Pack is available on request to the Bosun). You can take a look at the exhibition mounted at the Crayford Library in Kent, England. -> AUTHOR -> ALBUM. =================== And special congratulations to Leading Cat Jack of the Royal Naval Service Police HQ in Plymouth, England, who has been awarded a Good Cat Badge after four years' purr-fect service. Jack's Divisional Officer Jan Wills told the Bosun it took the feline recruit just a couple of weeks to rid the base of rodents and his main role now is "helping with public relations". -- Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Back issues of the newsletter downloadable from the website ++