Somalia Pirates

[robpage]

Good thugs to be on your side when there is a skirmish though . I always thought of the HLI as the Glasgow regiment and the Argylls were based at Stirling , Still what would a politician know , Hows the snow up there ?

[Bill Cameron]

A previous post mentioned Mad Mitch. I was on a Blue funnel ship in the area when the Crater area of Aden was taken by Colonel Mitchell. The area was put under what he called "Argyll Law" and a politician referred to his regiment the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as "A bunch of Glasgow Thugs".

My younger brother served with Colonel "Mad" Mitchell in Crater, his Argyll's thought the world of him.

[jimmys]

The HLI was known as the "City of Glasgow" Regiment (also the poison dwarfs). In WW1 they put approx 30 Battalions into the battle mostly raised in Glasgow. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders raised 10 Battalions from Clyde-side alone mainly from West side of Glasgow, Paisley, Greenock and Dumbarton. A good friend Jim Carroll joined the Argylls in the late fifties as a fifteen year old and went into an Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion for one year and then to the Regiment at sixteen. He was in Aden.

There has been about three inches of snow here in South Glasgow but it is extremely cold. The main roads are all clear but the side roads are bad. Minus 7 deg. cent. last night and below zero all day. Its been very cold for at least ten days. I have a little weather station in my garden and I record conditions for the RSPB, I am filling feeders every day and birds I dont usually see are appearing. Worse temperatures in the countryside they are trying to feed and get heat.

regards
jimmy

[robpage]

YI was once told that the " Poisened dwarf " title referred to te malnourished conditions of the men in tenements , having stunted their growth as children . I dont know if that is true or legend , but those guys from all over the UK always seem to put up a hell of a fight . Nowdays I was talking to a guy just back from Afghanistan , and Moral seems to be at an all time low for the troops . The fighting spirit seems to be waning . What a great pity if it is . The number of times this collection of kingdoms has gone out to righht wrongs in te face of bullies and dictators , would be a shame if we lost the tradition


Our snow has gone down here and it has warmed up considerably , Have a good Hogmanay !!!1

[jimmys]

When I was a wee boy in the forties I lived in a tenement, near Paisley. They were built for Ironstone ,coal and shale miners around 1860's. The tenements were built in a square, The Square. There was no entrances to the housing around the perimeter of the square except a pen (like a tunnel). This took you into the internal square. The ground floor houses were all around this square. Circular stair wells like a lighthouse stair took you to the first floor and second floor. There was two houses to a stair landing. It was outside toilets in the landing each house had its own toilet. Wash houses and midgies (household rubbish area) were in the centre of the square. They were communal. Water was heated by coal and wood in big built in basins called bines. Young children as well as clothes were washed there. Adults washed at the house sink (the jawbox) or a tin bath. Water was heated by a back boiler from the cooking range fire also coal. There was two gas rings and a combi coal fire/gas oven. No fitted bath in the house. Gas mantles but some electric light was also fitted. No power electrics as there was no national grid there.One room and one kitchen beds were in recesses.
In that area basic food was plentiful, porridge, mutton, herring and other fish. Local apples only no bananas or oranges.Plenty potatoes, large local tomato houses and other veg was cheap and available.
I was 5ft 9ins and was considered quite tall, average around 5ft5ins.
As you got into Central Glasgow the tenements were worse, in the Calton near Glasgow Cross everything was crushed up and there was no space and the men were a lot shorter around 5ft3ins.
I think a combination of lack of light, space and very very basic food.
The battlefield was not a great shock to them.
The Highland Regiments all 5ft10ins to six foot.
Its difficult to think back. But what was good was the schooling, strong discipline, the boys were lined up and strapped ruthlessly by the Lochgelly strap (the belt) for any misbehavior.

regards
jimmy

[robpage]

Working for a Glasgow company in teh 1960's " Clan Line " there was a majority of guys , ex shipyard and tenement , we were poor , I come from a mining family in the North Midlands , but when you were told the stories of childhood in the tenements it could be quite spine chilling , The guys I sailed with wanted to see their families away from central Glasgow , and that was a great driving force , all seemed to have a great respect for how hard life had been and how you could learn and work your way out of that life . It taught me a respect for education and what benefits it can reap .

[jimmys]

Another British Flag vessel being reported as taken by the pirates. The Asian Glory a car carrier.
No British nationals on board. That is the second British ship this week. The Asian Glory is part of our wonderful Merchant Navy which Mr John Prescott has told us he has built up over the years with his brilliant financial incentives.
It is protected by our wonderful Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the envy of our own Glasgow Model Club who sail boats in our local ponds who are of more use than both of them.

regards
jimmy

[Bill Cameron]

I love these Armchair Heroes, sitting in comfort and safety at their computer screens, and daring to slag off our hard done by RN and the RFA, for not controlling the situation in the Gulf of Aden.
There is no easy answer to this problem, the UK Government past and present decided long ago that there would be NO negotiation in any hostage situation and I agree with that.
As for the statement that John Prescott causing the destruction of the Merchant Navy, I consider that a load of tosh. Shipping owners caused the demise of the MN, firstly by introducing Flags of Convenience, and then employing non British crews, even in my day is was well known that P&O and Ben line could employ Goanese and Chinese crew on a ratio of 3 foreign ratings for the cost of one Brit.
Tsccch Meerkat sounds Simples.

[jimmys]

You are indeed correct Bill our RN and RFA are not in control of the situation in the Gulf of Aden, that is the problem. Any navy that can't control a few lightly armed pirates in those waters is not worthy of calling itself a navy.
No flag state would ever allow a Shipping Company to control its flag, Gov UK changed British law to allow these ships to trade in British ports and carry British cargoes.They even scrubbed the British Master.
I was a senior officer on British flag vessels in the mid seventies and we could not get a British crew,the boys did not want to go boating. We went to international pool to give time . Still no boys to go boating and the vessel went to Indian crew, they had no problems going boating.
I think I was in a different Merchant Navy from you. I have never been a hero so nothing has changed. Its great to be retired you can slag off everybody. I was restricted as a Civil Servant and for five years after retirement.

regards
jimmy

[jimmys]

If you look in my gallery you will see a copy of a Liberian Licence. Thats what I was reduced to to make money to keep my family. A different Merchant Navy. I sometimes wonder if you and other people are on the same world as me.
An armchair hero !!! Every ship you went to you had a different licence. I will look out more . sorry about the quality it was a long time ago.
Wars, Aden, canal closing , Veitnam, Gulf I have lost count, The ship I was on in 1982 was selected for that sh-t in the South Atlantic but thank god it never went. 20 knot product carrier. The Yanks did not want their ships there. Everybody in a war wants a tanker. Nobody in their right minds want to go near it.

regards
jimmy