Intrepid's,

As promised to those at the Birmingham Reunion, and now to you the reader's, here are some details about the Play (Wot I Rote).

Title - "San Carlos Hilton"

(HMS Intrepid, and a Sailor's 25 year Battle with the Falklands war).

Fustrated at the lack of coverage our ship got during that campaign, and at risk of our exploits and our ship, being consigned to the dusty corner of our fading memory, I have written this story to pay tribute to all my shipmates who served on L11, throughout her whole time with the fleet.

In '82 was I just a young Steward, in awe of you guy's and our embarked forces, and ofcourse to our Captain.

The Plot: Based on actual events- there were plenty of them, I have knitted together a chain of scenes that try within the limits of an amatuer Play to evoke the atmosphere onboard, the messdeck banter, the run ashore in pompey, the Jack speak, and the battles.

It also attempts to address difficulties in adapting to life after Armed Service, and for this purpose, the "lead" character is based on our own Neil "Wilky" Wilkinson.

Neil was credited with shooting down two Argentine planes. The plot spans 3 decades, and is full of nostalgia.

The Aim. help you draw some sense out of that crazy life in a Blue Suit. Acknowledge your experiences, I salute you all.
To take this project as far as possible, bearing in mind the 30th Anniversary in 2012.

Performance: Starting modestly, I have no experience of these things, the Play will be performed along with next years AGM in Shrewsbury next June in a small local venue.

Next : Just keep tabs with us on this, and you are free to contact me via the PM or e.mail.

good for you quinny. so next years agm in june is in shrewsbury?

Cold Puppy: Yeh it's not officially confirmed as Shrewsbury yet (AGM-Reunion 2010), but the consensus from the Committee was to marry the above with my Play, as it had been booked for the same few days .

I have been working to get good venues sorted, as the local guy, and details will be confirmed in due course when the Committee are happy through Brum Knowles our Social Secretary for it to go ahead.

Cheers.

BZ MATE

sounds good.

Well done, Quinny!

(note to self, send Quinny your diary entries!)

That reminds me Mike,(thanks)

I've finished the writing and got a few mates to" read "for me, the plot is more or less there,

However, if anyone has any memories, wether serious, or funny, or just a few thoughts on that time, please get in touch. This is a "Jack" tribute about you, not a luvvies version of a Navy story, I've tried to get the feel of lower messdeck life as I remember. So go on, this our chance to tell them what it was like.

That's it for now, I'm going to put my towel up round my pit.

Quinny, are you still looking for gems etc?

Anything mate,
I have massed a large collection of Kit (The Mrs luv's it Haha), and props and gizzit type things.

If you have any Dits or anything let me know.

I have half a Cast now, that's the next bit

Cheers.

Guys, do you remember the Skipper making a series of pipes that went something along these lines:
"D'you hear there, Captain speaking from ops. Things have settled down a bit now that we have the forward Radar in place, so I thought I'd tell you a little of what's going on....two Puke-aras have been detected and two CAP aircraft have been sent to look after them.....
(A little while later)
D'you hear there, Captain speaking, just to give you a sitrep: one of the pucaras was splashed and the other one dropped his bombs into the ocean and was last seen heading back towards the mainland at top speed. I don't think we'll be seeing him again today!!!"
My AS was Delta switchboard and even with clips on, I heard the section base TWO decks above me in the NAAFI flat!!
Yeah, 18 hours a day on my own - no wonder I am so well-adjusted now!

Spod, I assume you had a good supply of 'reading' material, being on your own. Was your eyesight affected, as a result of those long hours?

Funny, that now I think about it, I only become a four-eyed twit AFTER I joined the Mob (that's The Jolly Old Andrew to Darby at al)...
I remembering listening to a cassette player a lot. Bloody thing tended to chew it's way through batteries at a rate of knots, so I "borrowed" a couple of emergency lighting batteries and recharged them using the emergency light in the switchboard...had to make up a lead to connect them.
Can anyone confirm with any authority if the Commander WAS growing those tomatoes in his cabin that we ate in those rolls every day?

Spod

Damn I had tried so hard to forget the tomatoes.

Don't talk to me about those effing tomatoes...I had to store 'em

I can eat ham and tomatoes, or cheese and ham, but I will never again eat a cheese and, and, and sorry lads got stuck in a do loop...what was I saying?