What I miss about the Navy

I’ve worked out what I miss most about the Navy. Well I say that I miss it most, clearly there are some things I miss more but they don’t count. For obvious reasons I miss being 20 and having hair, I miss being single and in the forces as they seem to go very well together. I miss (sometimes) having no responsibilities whatsoever and every penny of my salary being available for fun. The reason those don’t count is because everyone has to grow out of that no matter what job you do, it’s just about growing older.

What I miss most are good hot Dockyard Mouth-Organs at Stand-Easy. When you were based in Plymouth the Cornish pasty was the treat that told you that you were in your home port. Stand-Easy is the morning break at about 10 and you had to get to the Naafi queue promptly in order to get the best Janner Kebab on offer. Then with a pasty in one hand and a brown sauce sachet in the other you would head down to the mess. You would sit with your Plymouth Smile at your face surrounded by 30 lads all doing the same with Kilroy on the TV ( this was the early 90's). This is quality living, it might not be in the brochures you get from the Navy carears office but probably should be.

The small issue of the lack of a morning pasty is one of the reasons I never liked being based at Portsmouth as much even though I was based at Portsmouth far more than I was at Plymouth. In Portsmouth you could buy a Ginsters and stick it in the microwave but it wasn’t the same. In Plymouth the Oggies were made locally and delivered fresh and piping hot just before Stand-Easy. I’ve seen some nasty moments of near riot when they were delivered late I can tell you

Yes I know we have the Cornish whatever company these days so you could pop to almost any station and get one if you liked but you would never get that feeling of camaraderie that you used to get sat in a room with everyone whom you know eating the same thing. All you get now is sitting in a cold draughty station surrounded by strangers and even then there is no unity. Some of the strangers are eating Pork and Apple, others have Lamb and Mint. Far too much choice, the only choice you should have is if you want to pay the extra 5p for one that hasn’t been dropped on the Naafi floor or not.

Never mind, I’m sure as time goes on I’ll think of some other things that I miss about the Navy, I’m certain that there must be something.

I have to go now though because I’m suddenly feeling peckish and we are pulling into Paddington, what was that place again- West Cornwall Pasty Company?