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You are here: Home / Article topics / Publications / Naval Historical Review / HMS Belfast – The Missing Spadrem

HMS Belfast – The Missing Spadrem

Whitehouse, John · Jun 3, 2006 · Print This Page

Author
Whitehouse, John
Subjects
Biographies and personal histories, Ship histories and stories
Tags
Naval stores, Audit, HMS Belfast
RAN Ships
None noted.
Publication
June 2006 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

‘My word,’ I said. ‘What a truly magnificent Spadrem, painted grey and all the brass polished.’

Somehow, the audit was successfully passed and the incident forgotten, until many months later, I was in the Captain’s Secretary’s Office.

‘Was it you asking about a Spadrem some months back? Take a look at this.’

I looked at what turned out to be the original list, and halfway down was the item ‘Spade, RM, for the use of . . . 1’.

I was off to the Marine’s Messdeck like a rocket, and quickly found Marine Jeans, (N)’s servant.

‘How come we’ve got a Spade, Royal Marines, for the use of, on our chitty?’

‘Navigator asked for it. Shovel snow off the bridge. I done that. All the time we was in the Arctic.’

‘Where is it now?’

‘Behind my locker. Safe and sound. In case we needs it again.’

So, somewhere, deep down in Belfast, there will be a Spadrem, safe and sound, just as Marine Jeans had promised – because nobody had the authority to ditch it.

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Naval Historical Review, Biographies and personal histories, Ship histories and stories Naval stores, Audit, HMS Belfast

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