Saturday 26th October – Another first for me! – “Trafalgar Dinner”, courtesy of Accrington Sea Cadets. The invitation to the Mayoress and me came some time ago, but about two weeks ago I got an e-mail from my Secretary entitled “Homework”! Here were details of all the Mess Rules for the Dinner and the fines that had to be paid for breaking the rules! You were advised to take plenty of £1 coins and 50 pence pieces in case you had to pay any fines, as no change would be given! It was with some degree of fear and trepidation therefore that I went to the Dinner, not knowing whether I would get through the evening without breaking any rules and – horror of horrors! – whether I would have to walk the dreaded plank! When we arrived at the Adelaide Suite we were formally piped (by Accrington Pipe Band member) and announced in. We were sitting at the top table – I had the Mess President, Sub-Lieutenant Mark Thompson, on my left and the High Sheriff of Lancashire, Mrs. Ann Dean, on my right. At the beginning of the evening the Mess President explained that although the rules would be applied it would be less rigorous than at a formal naval dinner and that really the system of fines was just a way of fund-raising, along with the raffle and the game cards. The fines were for such infringements as leaving the room (e.g. to go to the loo) before the official “comfort break”, starting to eat any course before the Mess President had started, picking up the decanter of port instead of sliding it along the table, dropping cutlery, spilling drinks, etc. The set menu consisted of “Engage the Enemy” – platter of continental meat and cheeses; “Let Battle Commence” – short rib of beef slow cooked in red wine sauce, served with dauphenoise potatoes and a selection of fresh market vegetables; “Boarding Party” – the Trafalgar Trilogy Dessert; “The Victory” – platter of cheese and biscuits; and “Plymouth Hoe” – tea and coffee. The Guest Speaker was Mr. Richard Anstey from Accrington Lions. He spoke about the Navy but ended with a humorous imagined conversation between Nelson and Hardy, in a scenario of all the policies we have to comply with nowadays – health and safety, equality and diversity, etc. I’d swotted up a bit about Nelson on the internet this afternoon as it was a few years since I read a biography I bought on a visit to the Historic Docks at Chatham. I thought that there would never have been a Nelson victory at the Battle of Trafalgar if present-day rules and regulations had been in place! He went to sea at 13 and always suffered from sea-sickness. By the time he died of a gunshot wound on the HMS Victory, aged only 47, he would long since have been invalided out of the Navy due to earlier losses of an eye and an arm. I read that when he had to have part of his arm amputated on board ship during an earlier battle he got back up on his feet and continued fighting and commanding the ship! In my short speech at the end I said I wondered how many people, especially young ones, had actually heard of Nelson or had any idea of his achievements! Oh, I forgot to mention that when the port was served for the toasts I committed the unforgivable sin of knocking my glass over on the white table cloth in front of the Mess President. I hurriedly paid a suitable fine before I could be made to walk the plank! During the meal I asked the President about the work of the Sea Cadets. There are about 40 young people at present in the Accrington branch. They are aged between 10 and 18, both boys and girls, and most attend two evenings a week. Sometimes because of school work they may only attend once. At the end of the meal I was talking to the High Sheriff. She said she thought cadet training was very important and that young people should put it on their CVs when applying for jobs. More importantly, she thought employers should recognise that cadets have learned valuable life skills which will stand them in good stead in the workplace, not least the ability to turn up each day punctually for work. She said she was going to try and promote this approach throughout Lancashire. I look forward to seeing the Sea Cadets parade in two weeks on Remembrance Sunday, along with all the other uniformed organisations such as Army Cadets, Air Cadets, Scouts, Guides, Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades, etc. It’s good to see our young people joining these organisations where they can learn valuable skills and the importance of teamwork whilst enjoying themselves in the company of other young people!
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:29:36 +0000
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