The Admiral and me


THE ADMIRAL AND ME


( BEING A SAILOR'S ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND )


The greatest naval battle

In the whole of history

Was between the German High Seas Fleet

The Royal Navy, and me.


So sailed out to battle

On the dark North Sea

Cruisers and Battleships

Admirals, and me.


So sailed out to fight

To see what they could see

Dread-naughts and destroyers

Admirals, and me.


We searched for the Germans

And they searched for we

Captains and commodores

Five Admirals and me


But then I had a cunning plan,

With which to beat the enemy

It would have won the victory

Had the admiral, asked me.


We had wireless (jammed), and signal lamps

And flags we couldn't see

We didn't know which way to turn

The admiral and me.


The German shells went through our ships,

Causing huge explosions

But ours bounced off their armour-plate

Their paint was barely chipped


But brave bold admiral Beatty, he was heard to say

There's something wrong, I don't know what's wrong,

With our bloody ships today!


And you'd think that being an admiral

A full one, not just rear!

He'd have had, more or less,

Some idea of where to steer.


One German shell

On our Q turret fell

And showed only too well

That H.M.S. 'Invincible',

Wasn't.


So blew up and sank

With most of her crew

Our admiral's flagship

And yours truly too


Down, down to the bottom

Of the dark North Sea

More than one thousand sailor boys

One admiral and me


But then I bobbed up like a cork

'cos I'm the floating sort!

Rescued from the cold North sea

No admirals, rear admirals

Commodores or captains

Just six men clinging to a raft

And one of them

Was me.



© nigel hallworth 2014



Gunner Bryan Glasson lived to a ripe old age, and had a conversation with the queen on the occasion of the launching of the aircraft carrier ' invincible ' , on 11th. july 1980.


The battle of Jutland, the only full-scale fleet action of the war - was a draw.