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Dispatches from the North: An Adventure in Southwest Scotland

May 26, 2010 By Lisa Leave a Comment

In my opinion one of the biggest advantages to living in the North of England is that you are just a short drive from Scotland. My husband has worked in Scotland for over a decade stationed at both of the Royal Navy bases in Scotland, Rosyth right outside of Edinburgh on the East coast of Scotland and Faslane just outside of Glasgow on the West coast of Scotland.

My husband at work, imagine if that was the view out your office window?

Despite the close proximity I’ve only been to Scotland twice, once four years ago when I first visited Britain and then again last week. They tell me that the weather there is usually cold, gray and rainy but both times I have been there the weather has been clear, sunny and warm. I’m thinking the Scottish Tourist Board should consider hiring me to come up and visit during major events because I seem to bring unusually gorgeous weather with me when I visit Scotland. I feel quite privileged that I have seen Scotland only at its very best.

Last week my husband needed to drive up to HMNB Clyde in Faslane so he could pick up all of his gear that had been shipped back after he returned from his last deployment in the Persian Gulf. Instead of making the 4 hour drive on his own and turning right back around we decided to make a little vacation out of the trip. We booked one night at a RSR (Royal Sailors Rest), also known as an “Aggie” which is a kind of retreat/B&B that can usually be found in the areas surrounding Britain’s Naval Bases. The RSR is a faith-based charity geared toward giving sailors and their families a relaxing refuge in an alcohol and smoke free environment. The RSRs were created by Agnes Weston (hence the term “Aggies”) for the Victorian Navy at a time when the Royal Navy was plagued by alcohol abuse among its sailors. The RSRs were started as a “pub with no beer” and provided respite for sailors in a Christian environment. The RSRs still provide spiritual, alcohol-free recreation and accommodation for serving Royal Navy personell and their families. This RSR Hotel, Braeholm, was open to the public as well but Royal Navy and Royal Marines personell receive 20% off the room rate which also includes a delicious breakfast in the morning.

RSR Hotel Braeholm in Helensburgh, Scotland outside HMNB Clyde

We had such a relaxing stay at Braeholm and a lovely drive around Gare Loch where HMNB Clyde is situated. After one night at RSR Braeholm and an amazing breakfast in the morning we headed out for home. There is something about Scotland that gives my husband and me a sense of adventure. On our first trip to Scotland we stayed one night in Edinburgh which turned into a drive up into the Highlands and lunch at a game lodge which had been converted into a B&B which then turned into another night staying there in the middle of nowhere up in Highlands. This time around as we were driving we passed one of those familiar brown road signs pointing the way to a landmark or attraction which you see all over Britain. My husband mentioned he had passed this sign for Drumlanrig Castle nearly every week for years and had never actually gotten off the motorway to see it. So we immediately put on our indicator, exited the motorway and took a little detour in search of this castle.

Even if the castle had been a disappointment, which is wasn’t, the drive there on a long winding road through the Southwestern hills of Scotland was breathtaking. It was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on and totally worth the detour. We pulled along the side of the road to snap some photos and visit some Scottish sheep.

On the way to Drumlanrig Castle

After this pleasant, winding drive we finally arrived at Drumlanrig Castle. It was nothing like I expected, and although smaller and less opulent, it instantly reminded me of Versailles with the long tree lined drive and carefully maintained hedges and gardens. As soon as you turn the corner to the long drive leading up to it you suddenly feel you should be approaching by horse and carriage. I felt I should at least have a pair of coconut shells to bash together for effect.

The long whimsical drive up to Drumlanrig Castle

We didn’t have the time to go inside the castle, but exploring the grounds was definitely worth the trip out.

From the back garden of Drumlanrig Castle

I hope it won’t be another four years before my next visit to Scotland, but I do hope that the sense of adventure strikes us each time and we discover more of Scotland’s hidden gems in visits to come.

Filed Under: British Military, Dispatches from the North, Scotland Tagged With: Drumlanrig Castle, Faslane, Royal Sailors Rest, Scotland

Dispatches from the North: Lest We Forget

November 11, 2009 By Lisa 4 Comments

Last year I wrote a post on my blog Anglophile’s Digest about Poppy Day, I had actually forgotten about what I had written, but when I was going back to check out what I had written about last year I decided to repost it here. As I have mentioned before, my husband is in the Royal Navy so Poppy Day is really important to him and both of our families.

Today is Armistice Day. I didn’t realize until now that this is the one non-religious holiday that America and Britain share. In America, Veteran’s Day is also commemorated on the day of the Armistice. Having experienced both holidays in both countries I am sad to say that America’s observation pales in comparison to the honor which the British bestow upon their veterans on this day. If you asked the average American civilian what date Veteran’s Day is, if they aren’t looking at a November calendar chances are they couldn’t tell you. I am sure this morning when everyone turned the page on their day to day desk calendar, more than one office worker turned to a coworker and commented “Hey, did you know today is Veteran’s Day?” I find it sad that Americans need a small italicized reminder on their calendar or date book to remember such an important day in our history. By contrast, if you asked a British citizen what date Armistice or “Poppy Day” falls on they will quickly answer “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”.

For about a month leading up to Poppy Day, everyone wears a paper poppy on their lapel. The proceeds go to the British Legion and one of the most amazing things is that every single television personality makes the poppy a permanent part of their wardrobe for the month leading up to Armistice Day. Even the contestants on The X Factor (Britain’s version of American Idol) wear a poppy on their outfits on stage. I guess it could be compared to the American flag lapel pin, no Member of Parliament would be caught dead without one pinned to their suit.

I suppose here both World Wars quite literally hit closer to home. The British isles were heavily bombed by the Germans and there are still reminders everywhere of the death and destruction. Here in the North, one of the biggest reminders is the depressed economy.

Before the World Wars, Hartlepool was a major English port and a hub of industry with several dozen shipping companies calling the port of Hartlepool home, accounting for nearly 250 ships. Hartlepool’s position as a major British port made it a strategic target for the Germans. On the morning of December 16, 1914 Hartlepool became the first town in Britain to be bombed by the Germans. On this day over 1000 shells rained down on Hartlepool from German ships. Guns on the Heugh (pronounced “Yuff”) Gun Battery in Hartlepool fired back around 150 shells with more accuracy than the German ships and initiated the first and only land to sea attack from the British mainland and severely damaged the attacking ships. Despite this contribution, World War I and the following Depression crippled the once robust Hartlepool shipping industry only to be revived again during World War II. Yet again, this prosperity made Hartlepool a prime target for the Nazi forces and Hartlepool was raided from the air 43 times during the course of World War II. This once and for all cut off the Hartlepool shipping industry and it has never recovered since.

Hartlepool’s story is similar to many other British towns, which is maybe the reason that Armistice Day and honoring their veterans is such a hallowed tradition here. Particularly in the working class towns of the North where the economic effects of war are still relevant decades later, these stories still hit close to home and in many cases the people who lived through them are still around to remember.

I am sitting here in my front room, I live in an old Victorian home on the sea front that was converted to flats. I imagine that the residents of this house would have had a front row seat for that first bombing in 1914. As I sit here I can see the peninsula of the Headland much as it would have looked back then. Although it is a misty day I can see a few cargo ships out to sea, but I have seen naval ships out here as well and ships of war look much different from the merchant ships the residents of this house would have been used to seeing from their front windows. I can only imagine what it would have felt like for whoever who sat right here and watched the shells being launched from the German ships onto the Headland from this distance, far enough away that the falling shells probably didn’t make much sound to penetrate the quiet of that early December morning, but close enough to see the flashes and smoke. It must have been horrific to watch.

A plaque at the Headland War Memorial with the names of the men killed in the December 16th Bombardment of Hartlepool. A Remembrance Day service is held at this memorial every year on the Sunday before the Armistice.

If you had by chance forgotten that it is Veteran’s Day, please take a moment to reflect and to remember the veterans who fought for their countries and to protect their loved ones and families back home. I will leave you with the poem (written by a Canadian soldier in WWI) that was the inspiration for making the poppy the symbol for remembering those who give their lives for their country.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

Filed Under: Anglophile Factoids, British Military, Dispatches from the North, Hartlepool, History Tagged With: Armistice, Poppy Day, Veteran's Day

Dispatches From The North: Ruling the Waves – Life in Britain’s Royal Navy

August 26, 2009 By Lisa 2 Comments

Alright, so the Royal Navy doesn’t exactly rule the waves these days as they have in the past. In fact, the Royal Navy currently has less than 40,000 personnel which is fewer than the number of students at my alma mater, Michigan State University. Still, the Royal Navy is the Senior Service (original branch of the British military) and a prestigious institution, and I am a proud Royal Navy wife.

My husband is a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, which to put in terms of pretty much every other branch of the military in both the US and Britain is equivalent to a Sergeant, but the Royal Navy always insists on being different. He has served 21 years and has been involved in most of the major conflicts in the last two decades including patrolling the Irish Sea during The Troubles, a NATO deployment to Macedonia during the Kosovo conflict and most recently a deployment to the Persian Gulf searching the Straits of Hormuz for mines. He is deployed to the Persian Gulf once again, although for security reasons I can’t share much else about their current mission there. He has had a long and dedicated career, but I am new to the military life myself.

As I was planning my wedding in 2007 I got involved on the message boards on top wedding website theknot.com. I got to know a bit about military life from the woman on the military brides message board andI found that there are so many differences between the US military and British military.

Some differences have more to do with geography than protocol. For example, the “army brat” phenomenon. Children of military families in the US are moved around from one side of the country to the next every few years, never staying at one school too long and leaving their friends and its a hard life for the families. In the UK, you can easily drive from one side of the country to the other in a matter of hours so although there is housing on base, most families opt for staying in their hometown and putting down roots while the service men and women go away to work during the week. Some military families opt to move close to the base so they can have a relatively normal home life, but for the most part family housing on UK military bases is nothing like it is in the US and most families choose to remain in their hometown and away from the base.

Although this means less moving around from place to place, it also can create a bit of alienation. One of the things I really envy about military wives in the US is the communities they form. Especially during deployments they can understand each other and get together and support one another. I love that I can put down roots and build a life in one place, but it would be so nice to be surrounded by people who understand what I am going through and its something many British military wives have a hard time finding.

There is one major difference in protocol that I can identify. British military personnel do not wear their uniforms in public nearly as much as American service men and women. It is customary for members of the American military to wear their dress uniforms for formal occasions and also to wear uniforms while they are traveling. In the British armed forces, its not quite the same. Members of the British armed forces rarely wear uniforms outside of work and military functions. During The Troubles, members of the military were targeted so they were discouraged from identifying themselves as military in public. In the past this protocol was a matter of safety, but the practice has stuck even as the need for anonymity has diminished.

Another major difference is that people stay in the British Armed Forces for much longer, there is a higher concentration of “lifers” than in the US military. With a smaller population but a high position of power on the world stage, its important for Britain to keep a strong and well-trained military. In the US, for many that enlist the military is a stepping stone to higher education and a civilian career. After their initial enlistment is up the military pays for their education, and this is a big part of the US military’s marketing and recruitment process. In the UK, the armed forces are not promoted as a way to pay for college and get on-the-job training. The armed forces are promoted as a career choice and for most who enlist, the military becomes their career.

This culture of long service is perpetuated by a well-structured incentive plan. A “Full Career” in the Royal Navy is 18 years or until the 40th birthday, whichever is later. After a Full Career a member of the Royal Navy can retire and receive a full pension (which they do not pay into) which is based on their salary when they leave the Navy and how long they have served. They also have access to health care that is separate from the NHS, and also free dental care which is a service civilians have to pay for.

Military life and protocol aside, the Royal Navy’s biggest legacy is slang. “Jack Speak” is a language all its own that after centuries of development has even made its way into civilian vernacular. There are many common sayings that originated in the Royal Navy such as letting the cat out of the bag, piping hot, long shot and chewing the fat. Many of these sayings have worked their way out of Jack Speak but left an impression on the English language on both sides of the pond, and it continues to evolve and twist. The US military has a intricate system of abbreviations and acronyms but these are mostly practical and work-related. The Royal Navy on the other hand speaks a language all its own that has less to do with work and more to do with life aboard a ship. I can’t think of any profession in the world whose jargon could match the intricacy and nonsense of Jack Speak.

Along with Jack Speak, the Navy also has a ridiculous culture of nicknames. Nobody is called by their real name, and in many cases people who work on ships together and live together for years never know the real legal name of their fellow shipmates. For example, my husband’s name is Jason but he is know in the Navy as George and few people know his given name. (The name George comes from his North East accent, which is similar to the Geordie accent of Newcastle.) For most people in the Navy, they have a home life where they are called by their given name, and then they have their Navy alter ego where they go by a completely different name altogether.

I never thought that I would become a military wife, and I certainly never thought that I would marry into another country’s military. Before I became a military wife myself I always looked on this life as a very difficult and less than desirable one. Now living through it, being a military wife makes me feel like I can handle pretty much anything, and more importantly that our marriage could survive just about anything. Although this life isn’t what I expected and is often very difficult, its an adventure and I wouldn’t trade it for a normal domestic life.

Further Reading: If you are interested in the full history of the Royal Navy, check out To Rule The Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman. I read it a couple years ago and its one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, it reads more like a novel than a text book. Its a must read for any Anglophile!