WW2 Archives - Expat In Bacolod

Prince of Wales: WIP Research Progress Report

Published by Stephen Bentley on August 30, 2016

The previous articles about the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales in 1941 have been met with some interest which is pleasing. In case you missed them they are here and here. A tentative start has been made on the book but only in the sense that I needed to settle on a format or device in order to do the story justice. What I mean by that is I did not wish to write a straightforward historical non-fiction book. It required a device to let my grandfather “tell his own story.” I have settled on such a ‘writer’s device’ but I’m keeping it under wraps for the time being. It is very much a work in progress (WIP). Prince of Wales Research Progress Report…

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Why Spooky Scary Sixth Sense Should Not Be Sniffed At

Published by Stephen Bentley on August 19, 2016

Call it a “spooky scary sixth sense” or something similar, I’m sure many of you have experienced those moments. They maybe give you a sense of spirituality, familiarity or even déjà vu . Those moments have been experienced by me and it’s only now that I am able to make any sense of them. Allow me to explain and to do that you need to know I recently wrote about my paternal grandfather. Since I wrote that article I have made some progress in my research for the book. Only today I found and read this passage from an eye witness account of the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse: Finally, at 1735 hours on December 8, 1941 with all other immediate…

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Hands Off Cocks Put On Socks – Wonderful Navy Saying Not Sex

Published by Stephen Bentley on August 16, 2016

“Hands off cocks put on socks” is an expression I first heard when I was a rookie cop in Kirkby, Liverpool when I was 19 years old. I was learning about the “ways of the world.” An older worldly-wise cop was the source and was fond of saying it. He was maybe 10 years older than me, also a rookie, but had served in the British Royal Navy before joining the police. He explained to me that it was the barked order from the ship’s Petty Officer (PO) at reveille time designed to encourage ratings to get up and stow the hammock. Those words are likely to be the title of my next book. All plans have changed since reading a fellow blogger’s post. I…

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Prince of Wales: WIP Research Progress Report

Why Spooky Scary Sixth Sense Should Not Be Sniffed At

Hands Off Cocks Put On Socks – Wonderful Navy Saying Not Sex