Nicknames

[j.sabourn]

As other post re Doc. I can see how some came about like Clarke being Nobby, and Jones being Davy, but one of my mates at school was called Gibson and he got Kipper, must have gone from Gibber to kipper. Big lads were called Tiny, and fat lads just plain fatty. Today that would be classed as bullying. JS

John reckon your post in other post on poetry about Louis the fly . I reckon on his first trip , someone tried to take Louis for a mark, and Louis saw through it and said, “ there’s no flys on me mate “ and ever since he was called Louis the fly.
JS

[robpage]

Now living in the Portsmouth area I find that we've got an awful lot of retired naval people and you'll find an amazing amount of , chalky whites, Nobby Clarks , smudger Smith , taffy Evans , to the extent that I believe that all ex servicemen run around under an assumed name

[Graham Payne]

What about "Wacker Payne" not me though I'm a bloody coward (big time)

[Trader]

Pincher Martin is another one.

[happy daze john in oz]

Any one who ever sailed to a foreign country and gave his correct name to any one there was a mug.

But names that go with people can at times be very odd.
We had a skipper by the name of Oakley always known as Annie
Captain Smythe was known as Grannie
Then of course the Lloyds, Logger and swivel eye.

A captain North often known as Birds Eye for some reason?

A head waiter called by most as that mad Dutchman

But Annie was also at times called,

That humpty back jumped up never come down black enameled barsteward.

Apparently he had suffered a back injury with the RN in WW2.