During WWII, the Royal Navy expanded at a great clip, which required staffing hundreds of ships with new officers. The shore training camp that turned civilians into Royal Navy officers was HMS King Alfred, in Hove, Sussex. It was commanded by one Captain John Noel Pelly, who was recalled from retirement at the start of the war. A few years later, in September 1943, he wrote a short book titled Officer’s Aide Memoire that distilled hundreds of years of sea-going knowledge from the Royal Navy into words. It was widely read among the over twenty-two thousand naval officers that eventually completed the course.
It was more recently reprinted as part of a larger book, The Royal Navy Officer’s Pocket-Book, compiled and edited by Brian Lavery in 2007. Here is some of Captain Pelly’s writing:
“‘Safety First’ was invented to preserve the blind and ignorant amongst shore–goers. It implies delay afloat and has no place, as we depend for safety on a quick-eye and rapid action.”
“Do not be too proud to study the Seamanship Manuals of other technical books; they are the teachings of many generations of experience.
Do not despise advice tendered to you by your subordinates.
On taking up a new job, keep your eyes and ears wide open and, unless and until you know something about it, your mouth shut.”“Never be afraid to ask questions. Bluff is a trait of the bad Officer.”
“Life at sea differs essentially from life ashore. We are far more dependent at sea on the whims of the elements. These have an uncomfortable habit of upsetting our plans and routines unexpectedly unless we use forethought.”
“Look ahead; do not wait until something goes wrong. If you anticipate that you may run into bad weather, have that rope, that hugger, the heaving line, that strop or that hand pike handy in the place where you may want it.”
“Look above the level of your head, and train the men to do the same. Most of us are born with a tendency to look only along the level of our noses.”
He also quotes Napoleon:
“If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering any undertaking I have meditated long and have foreseen what may occur. It is not genius which reveals to me what I should do; it is thought and meditation.”
“Napoleon’s secret was little more that careful concentration of his thoughts, the carrying out of a mental ‘dummy run’ whenever possible.”
Flying highly computerized jets is a new business. But this seamanship advice from seventy-five years ago shows that some wisdom is timeless.
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