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Rooting around for unrecorded material (see “Fair weather and foul” – in THE NAVIES page), from any source, whether serious or funny, I met up with MCPO Jansen, one of the Navy’s many raconteurs extraordinary. Both of us retirees by then. I suggested that he write some of his legendary yarns.
“What writing for old fellows like me , sir, but….tell you what, sir, I’ll yarn and you write! So what do you want me to tell ?”
And that was just what we did. Thank you, Chief, how I wish I had started this when you were living! Others, too, yarned to me. I was privileged to share the Wardroom at HMCyS “Rangalla” in Diyatalawa with “Mr.” Mahasen Weliwitigoda (that was how Officers promoted from the lower deck were addressed: his rank was “Senior Commissioned Bo’sun”) and “Mr.” Pius Alles (ditto) who both became Lieutenant Commanders later. They had joined as sailors in the days before or shortly after the Navy Act, and had spent typically “matelot” lives in England or at sea, and filled me in on the Life outside the Wardroom – and Ceylon! When “Weli”, in late retirement, was confined to his house, I used to visit him because he was so knowledgeable and ended up taping his rambling stories! Pius, after been made a ‘land lubber’ turned English teacher and I gave him all my books. To the very end he would ring me for help with Crosswords! Then there were PO Thiele, and all the others who chipped in when I sought stories at Old Sailors’ get-togethers -or whever they spied my on the horizon.
There were Officers, too, who gave (often more factual) accounts of the Navy that I was unaware of. Some were "Okapi Navy" types like Lt.Cdr.Anlanson Caldera, RAdm. Victor Hunter, Cdr.(s) Henneth Martinus, Capt.(s) Dennis Cooray. I served with others of later vintage: my cousin Capt.(s) Gunapala Devendra, Lt.Cdr. "Dingo" Dominic, Capt.(L) Ivan Attanayake, Adm. Asoka de Silva, Instr. Cdr. M.G.S.("Steve") de Silva, Cdr.(E) E.L.("Papa") Matthysz. I cannot list out everyone who chipped in with facts and outrageous narratives - but have acknowledged them all. Thank you all, Gentlemen.
"Bless them all, bless them all,
The long and the short and the tall"