Mark Hayes

I think this slide may be from Queen Vistoris's Diamond Jubilee Naval review at Spithead in 1887. In total 165 British warships assembled and gradually formed themselves into four lines, each five miles in length. It was a remarkable display of naval power,

Plod of old, a former soldier. 'PC 12' painted by C F Tunnicliffe in 1935.

Unusual binoculars by Karl Zeiss the German optical company. Dating from the early 1900s the revolving eyepieces give two different magnifications. This particular pair was used by Admiral Togo at the Battle of Tsushima and he gave his name to the type.

The Rotunda Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich Common. (Sadly closed in the early 2000s)

He’s a fascinating character; he converted to Catholicism as a teenager, then goes the the Naval Academy. Fluent in English and French, he was a Naval attache in Italy in WWI. Present at Versailles, he later accompanied then Prince Hirohito to Europe in 1921; met several Popes.

There was another future Admiral Yamamoto at Tsushima and this one also died in the 1940’s but of natural causes. He was also a Boxer Rebellion veteran and devout Catholic as well as tutor and advisor to the Emperor.

When Battle of Tsushima, He was wounded in battle and was at risk of having his left arm amputated, but he recovered.😓

At 8pm on 17th July 1717 King George I embarked on the royal barge at Whitehall for a trip up the Thames to Chelsea. Musicians on an accompanying barge gave the first performance of the 'Water Music' by G F Handel. The King was delighted and the music was repeated on his return.

"Life is a shipwreck, sing in lifeboats."

These 2 books were among John F Kennedy's favourite reading. He once told Harold Macmillan that if he could come back in another life as another politician It would be as Lord Melbourne.

Melbourne was the subject of the classic, literary 2-volume biography by Lord David Cecil (himself the grandson of a former PM) - "The Young Melbourne" & "Lord M"