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Post by shipoftheline on Mar 20, 2016 0:07:54 GMT
I've been meaning to post this for a while now, alas real life has gotten in the way.
Mr. Ship has been reading books about Winston Churchill recently and he came across a passage he thought we would all enjoy. I believe it was from The Second World War collection, written by Churchill.
Churchill was on the way to the Atlantic Charter conference, august 1941, aboard a British ship commanded by a Captain Leach. In the passage, he talks about about the crossing.
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mmt
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Post by mmt on Mar 20, 2016 20:09:11 GMT
I'm thinking that Churchill is an Honourary Horatian. He made the crossing to Newfoundland for the 1941 conference during the worst of the Battle of the Atlantic. I've been interested in WWII for many years and I recently had an opportunity to at least pretend that I was a part of a convoy on the North Atlantic. Friends and I made the crossing from New York to Southampton on Queen Mary 2. To my great surprise the ocean was like glass until we reached the Channel where rain caught us. In mid-ocean we passed through the southern part of what was called The Black Gap during the war; no air cover was possible from North America or England so the convoys had to go it alone with only destroyer escort against the U-boat wolf packs. I stood on deck trying to imagine what it was like for the men on board the merchant ships bringing vital supplies to England only knowing they were in trouble when a ship exploded in the darkness, and not being successful at it because my photos show what it was like in 2015. It was disconcerting to think that below my feet was a maritime graveyard. In this last photo Queen Mary 2's route passed close to the resting place of Titanic and on this particular day was in the area of the Black Gap.
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Post by Phizz on Mar 20, 2016 20:59:31 GMT
Jan you find the most awesome things to do!!
~Phizz
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mmt
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Post by mmt on Mar 20, 2016 21:14:08 GMT
Thanks Phizz ..... sure beats housework.
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Post by Phizz on Mar 21, 2016 1:31:39 GMT
Thanks Phizz ..... sure beats housework. ANYTHING beats housework ~Phizz
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DianeGretnaGreen
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Post by DianeGretnaGreen on Mar 21, 2016 20:06:46 GMT
Great post about Churchhill! This must have been when Forester was just starting to write things 'Hornblower'.
Yours Aye,
Diane
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HMS Lozzy
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Post by HMS Lozzy on Mar 24, 2016 21:54:51 GMT
A fellow Cunarder mmt, I've sailed Queen Victoria twice, and QE2. Not sailed QM2 yet, but hope too soon.
I'm interested in WWI and have been following events special event these past couple of years. Last year I was on the Queen Victoria's special centenary voyage to remember the Lusitania. At 3am a service was held over the wreck site of the Lusi, with relatives throwing wreaths and roses into the sea. I threw one also to remember all who were lost. During the day I also attended remembrance services held in Cobh, Ireland. It was strange and humbling to be remembering what happened, and to to be stood on your ship thinking that below you lay the wreck of anotheer ship lost 100 years ago. Also another special part of this trip was I was sharing it with a friend who was German, so a 100 years later we are all friends.
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HMSCody
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Post by HMSCody on Mar 25, 2016 15:49:58 GMT
Somewhere along the way I read that Churchill also brought a copy of the movie That Hamilton Woman with him on that trip. He was trying to get the Americans to enter WWII, and thought that the story of the underdog beating Bonaparte would move public sentiment. According to the story, Churchill watched the movie during the crossing something like twelve times.
HMSCody
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Post by Otter on Mar 25, 2016 17:53:37 GMT
Yeah, like one of our cons: Special Ops!
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Post by Otter on Mar 25, 2016 17:55:51 GMT
Jan you find the most awesome things to do!! ~Phizz What she said!
Way cool, mmt. Waaaaaaay cool!
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Post by shipoftheline on Mar 25, 2016 18:48:12 GMT
I love hearing about horatians adventures. If only I could drag Mr. Ship...
The thought of Churchill watching That Hamilton Woman twelve times makes me giggle for some reason.
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HMSCody
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Post by HMSCody on Mar 28, 2016 12:15:27 GMT
The original fanboy.
HMSCody
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mmt
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Post by mmt on Apr 9, 2016 21:43:26 GMT
I was looking through photo files on my laptop and was reminded of something seen on a visit to Chatham in 2005, I think after HH2005 in Portsmouth. I hope this article is still on display in 2016. There is nothing in the second picture to give the scale but I'm thinking it is about 30 feet from top to bottom and at least that from stem to stern.
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Post by Otter on Apr 12, 2016 17:53:03 GMT
There is nothing in the second picture to give the scale but I'm thinking it is about 30 feet from top to bottom and at least that from stem to stern.
No wonder she loved Nelson!
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DianeGretnaGreen
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Post by DianeGretnaGreen on Apr 13, 2016 15:27:18 GMT
Just finished watching THAT HAMILOTN WOMAN. I haven't seen it that many times. I do like it very much though. The recent DVDs have a commentary about the historical aspects of 'the making of'. They go on and on about how it was a propaganda film. OK. So what? Still a good movie. There was also a good interview with Alexander Korda's nephew that gave perspectives about Korda, the times and so forth.
Yours Aye,
Diane
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