Publisher's Synopsis
Jack the Lad RN uncovers a matelot's wit set in verse, odes and prose, accompanied by over 140 cartoons. It is an open illustration of the true spirit in the Royal Navy and beyond, which never waned through the ranks or years. As the youngest of four children, Merry Swan grew up in a post-Royal Navy era of family life. Her father had said he was 'writing a book' - mainly based on his younger life. His 'young life' turns out to have been much enriched. Lt Ted Macey RN was a man of sincerity, passion and humour. The Royal Navy was his life. From his beginnings, aged five in a naval orphanage, he worked his way through WW2 and RN ranks, with hopes and dreams of a better future for all of his kin. After her father's death in 1982, Merry laid claim to the 'manuscript' Ted had been working on. There are thirteen short stories in the book which are based on events her father experienced - encounters he had written down or passed on by word-of-mouth. The reader will discover humour and humility behind the history; making the best of childhood despite being put in an orphanage, seeing the lighter side of life during WW2 despite being torpedoed and bombed, enjoying the dizzy heights of Physical Training Officer despite the looming prospect of being taken off the Active List and finally settling down to some schoolwork again despite being a teacher. His work provides an insight into what he may have been going through when he sacrificed so much for his family. An ordinary Royal Navy man's light-hearted lifetime collection of reminiscences set in poetry, prose and cartoons.
