In Which We Serve Page #6

- Let me know when you're ready.

- Trainer on.

Look out. Here she comes.

What's the damage, No.1?

Mess deck bulkheads are being shored up.

It looks as if they're all right.

But there's a good deal of damage aft.

We'll be a nice sitting target when it gets light.

Is Captain D alive?

Yes, old chap. You haven't succeeded

to the command of this flotilla yet.

- What did you do to Jerry?

- Sunk one.

The rest escaped in a smoke screen

and one was badly damaged.

Not too bad.

Tell Tancred to take me in tow.

Aye aye, sir.

How far are we from home, Pilot?

About 120 miles, sir.

Snotty, ask the First Lieutenant

if he's all ready to tow for'ard.

- We have all the guns working in hand, sir.

- Good. We shall need'em, I expect.

Well, Blake. Don't move.

How are you feeling?

Fine, sir, thank you.

Got concussed a bit, didn't you?

Yes, sir. I think I did, sir.

The First Lieutenant tells me

that you stood by the gun

even when most of the crew were knocked out.

Well, sir... somebody had to do it, sir.

- You did damn well. I'm very proud of you.

- Thank you, sir.

I want to see my captain.

It's all right, old man. I'm here.

Don't try to talk. Just rest.

(Explosion)

(Rapid gunfire)

Are the bulkheads holding all right?

Yes, sir, they're taking it very well.

How far have we made good the last two days?

We're about halfway there, sir.

The RAF ought to be here soon.

A nice nippy little fighter squadron,

that's what we want.

- I wish they'd get a move on.

- Give'em time, old boy.

I'm sick of wallowing about here

like a sitting duck.

Hurray! Bravo!

(Cheering)

Bravo!

Hooray!

(Cheering)

Make yourselves comfortable.

We're all pretty tired.

There are one or two things I want to say.

First...

First, I'll hold

a short memorial service next Sunday

for our 36 shipmates who lost their lives,

and return thanks that the old ship

came through with so many of her complement.

I expect that Hitler is conferring the Iron Cross

on the man who claims to have sunk us.

Secondly, I want to tell you

that you all did pretty well

in the trying time we've been through.

When a torpedo hits

so small a ship as a destroyer,

the result is bound to be fairly devastating,

if not fatal.

And I can understand

the tremendous temptation

to think of your own skin first

and the ship and your shipmates second.

I suppose, in a way, it's gratifying to feel

that out of a ship's company of 244 men,

243 have behaved

as I hoped and expected they would.

One man, however, did not.

That man has been charged

with leaving his post without permission.

I needn't tell you how serious

an offence of this nature is in time of war,

nor how drastic is the punishment

that normally follows.

You will be surprised, therefore, to learn

that I have let him off with a caution.

Or perhaps I should say with two cautions -

one to him, and one to me.

For in a way,

I feel that what happened was my fault.

This man has only been in the Navy

for six months.

He has only been in this ship for two months.

Even so I feel that in that time

I should have been able to make it clear to him

that I did not expect

and would not tolerate such behaviour.

I feel I should have been able to get at least

that much of my creed across, but I failed.

I will not punish a man for an action

for which I must hold myself largely to blame.

But I should like you all to know

that after this, there will be no more cautions.

The next time we run into trouble -

and as leader of a striking force,

this ship's bound to be in more scraps -

I know that, come what may,

no-one will fail to do his duty to the very end.

Thank you all for making my task so easy,

and the Torrin a ship to be so very proud of.

- Carry on, No.1.

- Aye aye, sir.

Ship's company...'shun.

Turn for'ard Dismiss.

Look here, I've got to close up now.

It's no use your staying on any longer.

You can't have any more to drink.

It's after hours.

What's the matter with having some music?

If you've got a penny, you can have it.

If not, you can't.

I have.

Well, put it in the slot, then.

That's what it's there for.

I will.

(Pianola plays Run Rabbit Run)

Will you be requiring anything more

before we close?

Look here, miss. Judging by all

I've had tonight, I ought to be drunk, see.

I want to be drunk.

I want to be drunk more than

I've ever wanted anything in my whole life.

Who says sailors don't care?

#... farmer his fun, fun, fun

# He'll get by without his rabbit pie

# Run, rabbit, run, rabbit

# Run, run, run

# Run, rabbit, run, rabbit...

Oh, play another tune, for God's sake!

Anything to oblige.

(Plays Roll Out The Barrel)

#... the barrel

# We'll have a barrel of fun

# Roll out the barrel

# We've got the blues on the run

# Zing boom tararrel

# We'll have a bowl of good cheer

# Now's the time to roll...

# Now the gang's all here.

All together, boys.

# Roll out the barrel

# We'll have a barrel of fun

# Roll out the barrel

# We've got the blues on the run

# Zing boom tararrel

# Sing out a song of good cheer

# Now's the time to roll the barrel

# For the gang's all here

(Cheering)

Bravo! Bravo!

(Whistling)

Well... goodbye, Walter.

Goodbye, Freda.

Don't go overexerting yourself, now.

- Cheerio, Kath.

- Be good.

Go on, Freda. Go on up to the gate with him.

I'll wait here.

You shouldn't have come. It's bad for you.

Don't be silly.

It would be much worse sitting at home.

Besides, we've had an extra half-hour together.

It doesn't seem so bad this time, somehow.

Perhaps I'm getting used to it.

Come on, give us a kiss and hop it.

No sense hanging about.

All right.

Now, then. None of that.

Go on. Be a good boy. Don't get your feet wet.

I won't forget about having the mower mended.

That's right. And if things do get bad,

you can always go to Dorothy's.

They'll have to be good and bad

before I do that.

- All right, obstinate. Cheerio.

- Cheerio.

You know what you can do

with all your Packards and all your Cadillacs.

Give me a Rolls-Royce every time.

You're old-fashioned, that's what you are.

Time marches on, you know.

- What does the King have?

- A Daimler.

I suppose you think that's old-fashioned.

Well, so it is,

compared to a snappy 1940 Packard.

You couldn't have the King

whizzing along the streets in a flash roadster.

Who said anything about roadsters?

I said before, and I'll say it again,

there is nothing on land or sea

to touch a good old conservative British make.

Give me a Daimler every time.

You wanted a Rolls-Royce just now.

You can't have both. Looks like profiteering.

- Look here, old man...

- Oh, give it a rest.

I will.

How do you spell porpoise?

P-O-R-P-O-U-S, I suppose. Why?

I've told my missus

we've been escorting a convoy of'em.

Anybody seen the Chief

after the royal raspberry he got this morning?

- Poor old Chiefy.

- He hasn't been in to lunch yet.

- Hello, Chief. We were just talking about you.

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