Dr Jack Sanders in Northern Ireland 1942
My father relates little incident that occurred in the officer's mess, in the training camp on Northern Ireland at St. John's Point:
Our battalion was under British administrative and quartermaster supply, including meals. The officer's dining room was very thoughtfully placed in an unused glass greenhouse. This was great, except for the annoying bees that flew around from time to time.
The British (being British) expected that all officers wear their formal officers' blouse with medals and decorations to the evening meal. Other than my medical insignia on my collar and a 1st Lt.'s single bar, my chest was conspicuously empty of medals. Brigadier Richards and our colonel sat at the head table.
Unbeknown to the American officers, the British mess sergeant had caught a batch of lobsters in the Irish Sea. Well, as they portioned out the lobster parts to each of us, the British captain sitting beside me reached into the inner pocket of his blouse and took out a canvas roll. It was a complete set of lobster tools with cruncher, picks and little forks. “Help yourself, lieutenant,” he casually said. How about that? This British officer went off to war with his lobster tools.
Hail, Britannia. I could just hear Churchill's speech ringing in my ears...
“We will fight them in the air; we will fight them on the water. We will fight them on the beaches, we will never surrender.”