Battle Fleet (2007) by Paul Dowswell

Author:Paul Dowswell [Dowswell, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young/Adult/Naval
Published: 2012-09-26T23:00:00+00:00

It was disappointing to discover the answer to such a curious conundrum was merely the letter A.

Our village parson, the Reverend Chatham, had donated books and instructive toys now his own children had grown up. There were puzzles, paper dolls, table games – all battered and faded, but still quite usable – and all far too expensive for the village children to own themselves. These items were almost sacred to my father – he was a strong believer in learning through play, a fanciful modern notion to some of the parents who believed only the birch could instil the rudiments of the alphabet in their children. When Italy went missing from the jigsaw of Europe, there was a grand inquisition. Nobody confessed but the piece turned up the next day.

I was asked to tell the children which countries I’d visited and they listened spellbound as I stood before the map of the world. I told them of the Barbary apes of Gibraltar, the kangaroos of New South Wales and the tigers of Sumatra. I liked to think I planted a seed in the minds of some of the boys, and they too would one day go to sea to find adventure. I spoke too, as gently as I could, about the hardship and cruelty of life in the Navy. I was determined they should be told the full story. I felt quite elated when I’d finished. ‘You’re a natural, Sam,’ said my father.

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