Battle of Svalbard - Death of the HMS Steel

This extract is from the Battle of Svalbard I'm writing so this extract will be subject of change. 

The Bergen's firepower from her 15-ich guns was intense upon the Triumph and the Steel.  The Bergen's crew certainly knew what they were doing that was for certain. 

     "Her crew must have received special training!" Nelson shouted over the whistling shells has they splashed into the sea with white columns marking their landing spots. 

     "Port five degrees!" Captain Upturn commanded.  "Range?"

     "Twenty-four thousand yards sir!" Came the reply. 

     "Tell the guns to rain all they've got!" Upturn ordered Nelson. 

     "Aye sir."  Nelson replied before heading for the phone room behind the ship's bridge. 


     Upon the HMS Steel, things weren't so good, a shell narrowly missed the bow my metres, quickly followed by another three. 
     "It looks like they've got their range on us sir."  Captain Jameson, a mouse of sixteen years service, commented to Admiral Goodall.  It was to be the last comment he ever made, and no-one knew. 

     "That's too close for my comfort.  Fifteen to starboard!" Admiral Goodall, a fox of forty years service, ordered his captain.  It was to be his last order. 

     The order to shoot was sent to the guns followed by columns of smoke.  No hits except for the sea.  There will be no more shots from the Steel. 

     The Bergen fired back full.  There was the reigning sound of whistling falling shells. 

     From the HMS Triumph's view it happened so quick.  There was the shell's whistle, then a small column of smoke upon the Steel's port side, before it was engulfed by an inferno of fire and a column of smoke.  HMS Steel is dead.  

     All upon the Triumph looked on in surprise and horror, none more so than Commander Theodore Nelson who saw history being repeated before his very eyes.  His captain brought him back to attention. 

     "Nelson, make to Admiralty, tell them-" Upturn's words blocked up in his throat, but Nelson understood in a low voice, "Aye sir."  Nelson headed for the radio, looking away as the black smoke from the Steel rose higher into the air. 

I hope that you enjoy this extract of the Battle of Svalbard and I hope to continue and complete the story soon. 


The first picture is that the Bismarck, representing the Bergen, and the second is that of HMS Pathfinder, representing HMS Steel. 

The HMS Triumph

Extract from The Battle of Svalbard - A Captain Theodore Nelson Story


Bear in mind that all characters are animals not humans. 


     HMS Triumph is the oldest battleship in the British Royal Navy and she's set for retirement age.  She has done her duty to her country's navy fully and without fail.  But she's, sadly, now out of date.  Her large 10-inch guns means that she must get as close as 25 km from her target at best, ships of today can fire up to 36 km away from their targets. 
     Captain Upturn, a fox with fifteen years of naval service behind him, kept his eyes on the HMS Steel, the newest battleship of the British Navy, and rumoured to be the replacement of the Triumph, through his binoculars.  The last message from the Admiralty was to follow the Steel in the their hunt for the Bergen, the Norwegian Pirate Flagship.  Captain Upturn was convinced that with the HMS Steel, the HMS Triumph will have one last victory before her retirement from His Majesty's Royal Navy.  And with this last victory, this nine-year war in Scandinavia will end. 
     "And I will be glad of that."  Captain Upturn sighed to himself as he lowered his binoculars, deciding to get some forty winks before they face the Bergen. 


I hope to expand on this and this extract may be subject to change. 

Connection between Morpeth and The Fighting Temeraire

This is me attempting to connect Morpeth, a county town I used to grow up near by, and HMS Temeraire, a battleship from Trafalgar. 


Morpeth is changing
     Hard to believe at all
Scary of the thought
     I like the county town
I like it as it was
     I like it as I remember
Why must it change?
     Will change be good or bad?
Why can it not stay?
     Why can't be frozen in time?
Morrison's has moved
     New Bus Station and shops
Bookshop is closing by Xmas
     Only Clock Tower has its same face
It's hard to believe
     That Collingwood's Morpeth
Will have to change


I hope that Morpeth
     Will not be Temeraire
Old sail warship of greatest battle
     Pulled by steam tug for last berth
Last berth
     In line of duty
Last berth
     Before its scrapped


Morpeth will not
     Become like Temeraire
New has to come
     Shame that
I love old
     I lived Morpeth


I hope that you enjoy this poem. 

Foreign Fields

A modern poem about the First World War by Christopher Armstrong



British and French troops buried in a mass grave by German troops 1916/1917


Where are we going?

         To a foreign field son

Why are we going?

         My great-great-grandfather did

Why did he go?

         To serve King and Country

When did he go?

         In August of nineteen hundred and fourteen

Did he go alone?

         He went with a hundred thousand fellow Tommies

Did he come back?

         That is what this lone poppy is for

Where are we going?

         To place this lone poppy in a field of poppies

Why a field of poppies?

         For each who didn't return in nineteen hundred and eighteen

In a foreign fields?

         Yes son, in a foreign fields

 

Stone of Remembrance, the Buttes New British Cemetery, Belgium

Between 800,000 and over a million British men died during the Great War.  The sub-total for the British Empire is between 1,030,000 and nearly 1,250,000 soldiers.  The estimated total for all countries involved is over 15 million and over 17 million soldiers.  Unbelievable! 

Wilfred Owen was right is his war poem written between October 1917 and March 1918 Dulce et Decorum est:

The Old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori

In English translated from Latin:

The Old Lie: It is sweet and fitting to die for your country

What Owen wrote has been proven right in the past century till 1914 when wars becomes industrialized on unbelievable scales. 

 

Second Lieutenant Wilfred Owen Military Cross (MC) was killed in action on the 4th of November 1918 - a week before the 11th. 

Rover the Toy Dog and Benjamin Patrick from The Voice in the Wind

An extract of a story I'm hoping to write called The Voice in the Wind.  Ben is looking for a present for his sibling Rachel's eighth birthday. 


The little fluffy toy dog stood among three selves of fluffy dogs.  Each was as identical as identical twins are; small pair of black and grown eyes with ginger straw coloured fur with black paws, noses and ears.  Silver discs dangles from red collars flashing their identical names: Rover. 
       The little Rover stood on the middle shelf with the middle sized brothers with the smaller (and cheaper) brothers on the lower shelf below and the larger (and more expensive) brothers on the upper shelf above.  He has stood no just on the same shelf, but on the same shelf for the past week, the last of the order he was list before the re-orders were sent. 
       Straw haired and sea green eyed Benjamin Patrick step by step passed every book and toy shelf over and over in his late teen head the same question:
       "What would Rachel love to have for her eighth birthday?"
       Ben didn't bring his younger half-sister with him or he wouldn't get her out of the toy store.  He wished that he could remember when he was eight for ideas for what he could get for Rachel.  It was here that he spotted the Rover puppies. 
       He stopped and looked at the three selves, turning left and right and tilting up and down. The little Rover seemed to catch Ben's eye for Rover seemed to have a sense of longing for love.  The price was the full range of Ben's budget after getting a birthday card and some Irish music.  Gently Ben took hold of little Rover and headed for the till and paid the bill.  A bag was provided for. 
       "Rachel is going to love playing with you."  Ben smiled to the little fluffy dog as he placed it into the shop bag beside the card and CD.  "She will love you." 
       As Ben walked out of the shop door, the tune of "A Doggie in the Window" could be heard. 


I'm to expand on this.  I look forward to the comments. 

A New Chapter Begins

A poem about Inverness College UHI by Christopher Armstrong


With a walk through
         a railway station between
Midmills stand on high
         Longman stand in heart
Long history
         has Midmills
Once a school small
         now one piece of large
Shorter history
         has Longman
Standing in industry
         Many jobs are on offer
Even shorter history
         has Commission in Forest
On edge of city
         closer to learning of trees
Many years apart
         one more year apart
One year to join
         many hopeful years together
Found in one place
         more to learn in one place
One more year
         A New Chapter Begins