[BITList] Re : RFA

[HUGH]

Fred,

I remember being bollocked along with Sandy Souter on Chakdara for putting it on a bit while having a beer with my elders and betters.  I reckoned I had not been an ignorant yokel when I joined BI, and the consensus of opinion in that cabin was that all new fivers were ignoramuses who had to be taught what to do.  The criticism didn't stop at that, it went on to include our underwear, and I decided there was no point farting against thunder and kept my mouth shut thereafter, as did Sandy.

But we had a point, or at least I did - I can't recall what Sandy said.  I'd been crawling around steam and diesel engines and boilers for 4 years then spent 3 on piping, shafting, propellers, torsional vibration and engine layout, before going to sea.  And I'd been on more than a few sea trials and shop tests.  I definitely wasn't alone in all of that, and those like Tommy Walker (a great 3rd I sailed with) who had worked on nothing more exciting than lifts before going to sea, had had to bring themselves up to scratch quickly and did so admirably.

We all operated independently, and didn't need to be given orders. The only time I was ever given an order in BI I declined to carry it out and got reported to the 2nd who bollocked the 4th for complaining about me and thus showing incompetence - he said nothing to me.  So the RFA view is bull.

Hugh.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com/pipermail/bitlist/attachments/20081224/8ea4c336/attachment.shtml