PAST FANTASIES

[DeepSea]

See attach.

[Tony Morcom]

Seems to me from that post by DeepSea that the writer wasn't actually a journalist, rather a member of the public writing in with this stupid comment.

[DeepSea]

I have sent the following letter to the Editor of the Mail, so lets see if they print some facts for Mr. Reynolds to absorb.

Dear Editor,
I write to you in reply to a recent letter published in your newspaper reader section titled "Past Fantasies" in which a Mr. Brian Reynolds of Herne Bay made reference to the age of those allowed to serve in the Merchant Navy during WWII. In a quote he stated "As if the government would had allowed boys hardly out of school trousers to join the Merchant Navy. Talk about cloud-cuckoo land" A number of facts for Mr. Reynolds. Firstly the school leaving age during WWII was age fourteen and it was legal for anyone of this age to join the Merchant Navy at this time. Just about every Merchant ship carried Deck Boys, Galley Boys, Mess Boys, Engineers Boys etc made up of this age group. Another fact. In a two year study I did into Merchant Navy casualties I found no less than 500 boys age sixteen and under who died in service of the Merchant Navy in WWII, which included fifteen boy ratings age just fourteen and all are officially recorded with the CWGC. Another fact. The youngest ever recorded service death from WWII was that of a Reginald Earnshaw from the SS North Devon, killed 6th July 1941, age 14 years 152 days old when he died and is buried in Edinburgh's Comely Bank Cemetery, Section P. Grave Space 440. I deal in facts and would gladly forward on all these facts to Mr. Reynolds to prove his statement worthless and disrespectful to those who had served and gave their lives to allow Mr. Reynolds the freedom of speech, even if incorrect.

Billy McGee MNM
MNA Archivist
Merchant Navy Association
Registered charity in England & Wales
Registered No. 1135661
The Merchant Navy Association

[DeepSea]

probably an automated response, but lets see.

"Thank you very much for your recent communication. We receive a great deal of correspondence each day and, although I may not be able to respond to you personally, please rest assured that I do take the time to read all the emails I receive. Those intended for publication on the letters page will be considered carefully.

If you do not see your point of view in print, however, I hope you will appreciate it is only possible to publish a small percentage of the letters we receive. Any emails deemed more appropriate for other departments will be forwarded for their consideration. Thank you for your interest in the Daily Mail, I am grateful to you for taking the time to contact us"
Yours sincerely,

ANDY SIMPSON,
Daily Mail Readers' Letters Editor

[Ivan Cloherty]

Seems to me from that post by DeepSea that the writer wasn't actually a journalist, rather a member of the public writing in with this stupid comment.

Thanks Tony, but see that Billy has put on screen, but have sent you copies of my emails to the Mail

Rgds Ivan

[Jim Brady]

Thanks Tony, but see that Billy has put on screen, but have sent you copies of my emails to the Mail

Rgds Ivan

Ivan,the post by Billy was very dark and I imagine many members like me could not read it,is it possible to have a clearer posting.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Don Rafferty]

Transcribed from the Daily Mail, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Would have posted earlier, but thought there might be copywrite issues????




"Past fantasies
WHY is it that when OAPs recall memories of the past, they become absurd?
One old man I was talking to said that when he was a boy there were three postal deliveries a day. His wife topped that by saying when she was a girl, if you went out,night or day, nine times out of ten you would see a policeman patrolling the streets. Talk about barmy
Another old chap told me that during World War11 everyone had to carry a gas mask inn a little cardboard box. Everyone? As if tens of thousands of kids trooped off to school with one, or women pushing trolleys round the supermarket had one round their neck, or a chap taking his girl to an expensive meal at a posh restaurant had one tucked under his arm.
One old boy, who had been a sailor, said 3,000 merchant ships were sunk in the North Atlantic in the war and practically every one had 16 year old boys on board. As if the Government would have allowed boys hardly out of school trousers to join the Merchant Navy. Talk about cloud-cuckoo land.
One old dear said her biggest treat was on a Saturday when she went to the cinema for sixpence and on the way home she'd visit the fish-and-chip shop for a piece of cod and a bag of chips, costing three pence.
Ridiculous. I'm surprised she didn't say she fed the five thousand on the way home.
BRIAN V. REYNOLDS,
Herne Bay, Kent."


May be typos, for which I apologise.

Must say I'm a bit 'on the fence' on this one, not sure if Brian Reynolds has some sort of 'agenda' or a warped sense of humour, but one quite telling statement is:............'or women pushing trolleys round the supermarket had one round their neck,'..............neither supermarkets or the attendant trolleys were in existence at the time!!

[Bob Hollis]

Transcribed from the Daily Mail, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Would have posted earlier, but thought there might be copywrite issues????




"Past fantasies
WHY is it that when OAPs recall memories of the past, they become absurd?
One old man I was talking to said that when he was a boy there were three postal deliveries a day. His wife topped that by saying when she was a girl, if you went out,night or day, nine times out of ten you would see a policeman patrolling the streets. Talk about barmy
Another old chap told me that during World War11 everyone had to carry a gas mask inn a little cardboard box. Everyone? As if tens of thousands of kids trooped off to school with one, or women pushing trolleys round the supermarket had one round their neck, or a chap taking his girl to an expensive meal at a posh restaurant had one tucked under his arm.
One old boy, who had been a sailor, said 3,000 merchant ships were sunk in the North Atlantic in the war and practically every one had 16 year old boys on board. As if the Government would have allowed boys hardly out of school trousers to join the Merchant Navy. Talk about cloud-cuckoo land.
One old dear said her biggest treat was on a Saturday when she went to the cinema for sixpence and on the way home she'd visit the fish-and-chip shop for a piece of cod and a bag of chips, costing three pence.
Ridiculous. I'm surprised she didn't say she fed the five thousand on the way home.
BRIAN V. REYNOLDS,
Herne Bay, Kent."


May be typos, for which I apologise.

If you read this carefully you will see that it is a wind-up, the reason for doing it is not obvious but the errors are. See my bold. Perhaps he is trying to make a point about how it really was?

[Calvin Kent]

It all seems very tongue in cheek to me as though it was a response to an article or letter we haven't seen.

Regards
Calvin

[Jim Brady]

After having read that I take it for what it is.It's a young person having a laugh at the older generation which we all did when we were young.95% of it is most probably true the only part that is wrong is what we are concerned about on here.Remember when we were reminded that it used to be tuppence a pint and thruppence for 5 cigarettes and things of that nature,that is what the writer is doing.I certainly think that he is not knowl edegable enough and not old enough to know anything about W11 and his comments are tongue in cheek and I cannot understand this upsetting people that have been all around the world.
Regards.
Jim.B.