Due to
cultural differences, American and British sailors didn't always get along very
well and often bar fights would break out. The British were usually very
devoted to the Crown and were particularly sensitive about any slur regarding
members of the Royal Family.
Our storyteller said he was once in a club in Halifax, Nova Scotia where American and British sailors were about evenly mixed. In an effort to be congenial, he, and his friends, started socializing with a group of British sailors. They were all getting along quite well when the topic of conversation drifted around to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In regard to the Duchess, one British sailor remarked,
Our storyteller said he was once in a club in Halifax, Nova Scotia where American and British sailors were about evenly mixed. In an effort to be congenial, he, and his friends, started socializing with a group of British sailors. They were all getting along quite well when the topic of conversation drifted around to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In regard to the Duchess, one British sailor remarked,
"She is
nothing but an American prostitute!".
Without thinking, an American sailor quickly replied,
Without thinking, an American sailor quickly replied,
"Well
you may be right but she was good enough for the King of England!".
That did it,
and, the fight was on!
American sailors soon learned about this sensitivity of British sailors concerning members of the Royal Family and took great delight in baiting them whenever they could. One shipmate told of a time when his ship was docked in an English port. British sailors usually wore hobnailed shoes that made a lot of noise when they walked. One evening, a group of American sailors were gathered at the rail when they heard someone walking up the deserted dock. Finally a lone, diminutive British sailor appeared in the one light on the dock. An American sailor shouted down,
American sailors soon learned about this sensitivity of British sailors concerning members of the Royal Family and took great delight in baiting them whenever they could. One shipmate told of a time when his ship was docked in an English port. British sailors usually wore hobnailed shoes that made a lot of noise when they walked. One evening, a group of American sailors were gathered at the rail when they heard someone walking up the deserted dock. Finally a lone, diminutive British sailor appeared in the one light on the dock. An American sailor shouted down,
"Hey,
Limey!".
"What
you want, Yank?"
… Came the
reply …
"Fuck the King!"
The enraged
Brit then stamped his feet several times and shook his fist. Finally he said…
"Hey
Yank. Fuck Babe Ruth!"
… And
marched off into the darkness.
Not all Brits rose to this kind of baiting, however. One story was told about similar circumstances wherein an American said…
"Fuck
the Queen!"
The Limey calmly replied…
"Fuck
her? You can't even approach her!"
Fun ones{grin}. Back in the '70's I was with the 82d & we had a young Limey in the unit going for citizenship. We we having a Brigade parade & the band was tootling along loosening up. Somebody went over & had a whisper with the bandleader. They started up with "The Battle of New Orleans" & a couple guys started quietly singing along. He started pitching a not-so-quiet little fit{LOL}.
ReplyDeleteI was in a bar in Pompey (Portsmouth England for you untravelled) just after Lord Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb and the lads who were heavily outnumbered Started singing I'm Off to Dublin in the Green (a song about wanting to join the IRA) It was a most painful experience.
ReplyDeleteTurn your glass upside down in the bar, usually was enough to get things going.
ReplyDelete