Greetings From The UK
Saluting, Make & Mends And Rabbits
Mid music file...Stranger on the shore
Mid music file...Stranger on the shore
Today we see a Salute as a mark of respect especially in the Military. But that is not how it started.
Life on the old sailing Galleons of the Royal Navy was harsh and often very violent. Military Discipline would inflict extremely harsh punishment for some of the smallest crimes. Officers would control every aspect of the sailors life and often their presence was resented.
Following several personal knife attacks where officers were injured, the Royal Navy of that day introduced a Salute which every Sailor had to give to any approaching officer before he came within reach. As most men were right handed this salute was given with the right hand. Its function was to openly display the fact that the Sailor did not have a knife in his hand, and therefore the officer could approach safely.
Officers would never mix with the crew unless their duties required, then they would always be accompanied by the Bosun who was paid sufficient to ensure he would act as a bodyguard.
Such was the need to safeguard the Officer from personal attacks that the stern quarter of the upper deck was out of bounds to the ships crew. This raised portion of the deck became known as the Quarterdeck and it is present in the most modern of warships designed today. It is still the restricted domain of the officer class.
It was customary to rise from the dinner table, standing to toast the King as another form of salute. But the headroom in a sailing galleon is very limited. The visiting King of the day sat whilst the officers stood to raise their glasses in the toast. The Admiral present on this occasion was very tall and in standing cracked his head so hard on the overhead beam that it rendered him unconscious. The King responded by allowing the Royal Navy to toast from a sitting position. This tradition is still carried on to this day, but only in the Navy not in the other armed services.
A sailing galleon approaching a foreign port would need to discharge all his canon before entering the port boundaries if his visit was intended to be peaceful. Remember that there was no effective ship shore communications and if the canon were not discharged the port authorities would assume the ships visit was hostile and open fire on the ship from the shore based canon defences which were often formidable.
This forms the bases for our 21 gun salute used today as a mark of respect. British warships today, including aircraft carriers, carry a small saluting canon. This fires no projectile but makes a noise on par with the old canon. As a mark of respect this saluting canon will be fired on entering a foreign port to indicate peaceful intentions. So the tradition continues.
Now consider life on a sailing galleon. The crew had to make their own clothes and any other domestic item required for normal day to day living. Therefore in their precious off-watch time they would busy themselves making or mending what ever they needed. The ships captain had no choice to allow the crew to use the ships facilities enabling then to make or mend as per the individuals requirements of the day.
Today on a modern Warship all the facilities are available for the ships crew to use in their off watch time with the only restriction being that the man must be qualified to operate any machine he may require to use. This is a basic personal safety restriction, nothing more. Today if a man would like time off for some reason he will request to be granted a Make & Mend. Usually this means an afternoon off from normal duties.
As explained earlier many men forming the crew would have come from a farming background. When allowed ashore on some foreign land, these men were skilled in catching rabbits. This was a prime food source for a man who may have been deprived of reasonable food for the last few months.
So rabbits and other small animals would be caught and taken back to the shoreline or ship to be cooked and eaten. This was private food for the individual and would only be shared with close mess mates.
In today's modern warships, the sailor will carry on with his hobby often using any useful resource the ship has available. Keeping active in your off-watch time is actively encouraged. So today as the sailor does some sort of job the results of which is for his own private use or collection, he is referred to as making a Rabbit. These rabbits cover the entire spectrum of items manufactured or moulded in some way utilising the ships resources
Not a lot of people knows that.... as Michael Caine would say
Life on the old sailing Galleons of the Royal Navy was harsh and often very violent. Military Discipline would inflict extremely harsh punishment for some of the smallest crimes. Officers would control every aspect of the sailors life and often their presence was resented.
Following several personal knife attacks where officers were injured, the Royal Navy of that day introduced a Salute which every Sailor had to give to any approaching officer before he came within reach. As most men were right handed this salute was given with the right hand. Its function was to openly display the fact that the Sailor did not have a knife in his hand, and therefore the officer could approach safely.
Officers would never mix with the crew unless their duties required, then they would always be accompanied by the Bosun who was paid sufficient to ensure he would act as a bodyguard.
Such was the need to safeguard the Officer from personal attacks that the stern quarter of the upper deck was out of bounds to the ships crew. This raised portion of the deck became known as the Quarterdeck and it is present in the most modern of warships designed today. It is still the restricted domain of the officer class.
It was customary to rise from the dinner table, standing to toast the King as another form of salute. But the headroom in a sailing galleon is very limited. The visiting King of the day sat whilst the officers stood to raise their glasses in the toast. The Admiral present on this occasion was very tall and in standing cracked his head so hard on the overhead beam that it rendered him unconscious. The King responded by allowing the Royal Navy to toast from a sitting position. This tradition is still carried on to this day, but only in the Navy not in the other armed services.
A sailing galleon approaching a foreign port would need to discharge all his canon before entering the port boundaries if his visit was intended to be peaceful. Remember that there was no effective ship shore communications and if the canon were not discharged the port authorities would assume the ships visit was hostile and open fire on the ship from the shore based canon defences which were often formidable.
This forms the bases for our 21 gun salute used today as a mark of respect. British warships today, including aircraft carriers, carry a small saluting canon. This fires no projectile but makes a noise on par with the old canon. As a mark of respect this saluting canon will be fired on entering a foreign port to indicate peaceful intentions. So the tradition continues.
Now consider life on a sailing galleon. The crew had to make their own clothes and any other domestic item required for normal day to day living. Therefore in their precious off-watch time they would busy themselves making or mending what ever they needed. The ships captain had no choice to allow the crew to use the ships facilities enabling then to make or mend as per the individuals requirements of the day.
Today on a modern Warship all the facilities are available for the ships crew to use in their off watch time with the only restriction being that the man must be qualified to operate any machine he may require to use. This is a basic personal safety restriction, nothing more. Today if a man would like time off for some reason he will request to be granted a Make & Mend. Usually this means an afternoon off from normal duties.
As explained earlier many men forming the crew would have come from a farming background. When allowed ashore on some foreign land, these men were skilled in catching rabbits. This was a prime food source for a man who may have been deprived of reasonable food for the last few months.
So rabbits and other small animals would be caught and taken back to the shoreline or ship to be cooked and eaten. This was private food for the individual and would only be shared with close mess mates.
In today's modern warships, the sailor will carry on with his hobby often using any useful resource the ship has available. Keeping active in your off-watch time is actively encouraged. So today as the sailor does some sort of job the results of which is for his own private use or collection, he is referred to as making a Rabbit. These rabbits cover the entire spectrum of items manufactured or moulded in some way utilising the ships resources
Not a lot of people knows that.... as Michael Caine would say
Simply Steve
