Chapter & Verse.

My uncle, and names sake was in the Royal Navy for 22 years & the Merchant Navy for another 30. He often used Bible verses to send messages at sea. Here is an extract describing the history of this practice.

There was a well-founded tradition in the Royal Navy and in the Royal Canadian Navy of using Biblical quotations as shorthand for sending messages.
Any pithy, witty or just plain snippy words to the wise were relayed via Biblical quotes, which had the virtue of being concise, to the point, and suitable for a range of occasions and eventualities.

References to quotations (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15-33)1 were used singly or as part of a longer message. Brevity was especially important during wartime. Most signals sent at sea during World War II were conveyed using light or by radio. The sender had to keep messages short, for the sake of efficiency and security.
Even those unfamiliar with scripture were able to use this technique, thanks to a portable digest of Biblical chapter and verse known as a "vade mecum".
Latin for 'go with me', vade mecum refers to a handbook that is carried on the person and consulted as required. Equipped with a copy of this handbook, even people who were not scholars of the Bible could borrow its verses to make a point or deliver a rebuke.
In any case, some knowledge of the Bible was almost a given during the period when such handbooks were in use. Many schoolchildren received a good grounding in scriptural chapter and verse, whether they received this education at school, Sunday school, home, or all three.
Thus the ship's Captain, signalmen, or personnel working on the bridge took advantage of Biblical writings to make a few short words go a very long way.
It became almost a craze among senior escort officers in Britain's Royal Navy to embed Biblical references in their signals. Examples of such exchanges include the following:

From a submarine returning from war patrol to the flotilla Captain:
Psalm 17, verse 4 "Concerning the works of men by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the path of the destroyers"

Reply to signal received by an officer, congratulating him on his promotion:
Psalm 140, 2nd half of verse "They have set gins for me"

Situations when Bible quotes were used were many and varied. These occasions might include:

When a ship collided with the jetty while docking:
Proverbs 22-28 "Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set"

When a ship was not keeping proper 'station', station being the location to which a ship or fleet is assigned for duty:
Psalm 77-19 "Thy way is in the sea and thy path in the great waters and thy footsteps are not known"
Proverbs 4-26 "Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established"
To reprimand someone who hadn't followed instructions properly, or disobeyed them entirely:
Job 31-11 "For this is a heinous crime, yea it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges"
Proverbs 8-33 "Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it not"

To request a report on a particular action or event:
Revelations 1-19 "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter"

To give direction:
Deuteronomy 2-3 "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough, turn ye northward"

To chide someone who was overly concerned with promoting his own career or prospects:
Psalm 75-6 "For promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west not from the south"

When one ship said goodbye to another ship:
Acts 21-6 "And when we had taken our leave of one another, we took ship, and they returned home again"

The content of such Biblically-based messages was often light-hearted, but it could also be serious:

In the case of a victory at sea:
Psalm 18-37 "I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them, neither did I turn again until they were consumed"

By way of a warning against rebellious behaviour by crew members:
Philippians 3-14 "Do all things without murmurings and disputings"

Whether the intention was to praise, rebuke, or simply to entertain and enlighten, the practice of using Biblical quotations for messaging and signalling was a clever way of getting complex ideas across in a succinct fashion.

PS.

I was given my uncle's Bible when he retired. It is inscribed " Awarded to Robert Grice for excellence in religious knowledge." Dated 1929.
I was born 20 years later.








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Re: Chapter & Verse.

Very entertaining and informative post Robert.
I'm sure if raised plenty of laughs in the Navy as well as being a useful way of sending messages during those worrying times.
Leaves me wondering did any crew members take up holy orders after the war, as they used to say when sailing the North Sea "Many are cold but few are frozen."

Re: Chapter & Verse.

"Many are cold but few are frozen"

Jem, you are a gem, that's a a cracker.


I'm pleased you found this post interesting,I try and find new subjects to think about.

My rascally namesake BOB, my uncle left everything to me when he died of cirrhosis of the liver,in a TESCO carrier bag. The bag contained his navy records and passbooks, his medals, his dentures and his hearing aid.He was the embodiment of the concept of coming into the world with nothing and going out with nothing.

No sign of his Crown & Anchor setup though.

Re: Chapter & Verse.

That was my first good laugh of the day.

Re: Chapter & Verse.

In more modern times there's an even better one Sue darlin'. Back in the 1960s there was a radio programme entitled the 'Navy Lark'. One of the sayings that emanated from that was: "Left hand down a bit Mr Phillips". (Lesley Phillips was one of the stars of the show - another one was Jon Pertwee).

Some years ago, there was a serios accident at sea involving HMS Nottingham - a City class Destroyer. It hit 'Wolf Rock' off the Eastern coast of Australia. The ship very nearly sank and had to be piggy-backed home for repairs which cost £Millions. I sent an email to the relevant Government Minister at the time telling him he should have told the Captain "Left hand down a bit".

The actual nautical instruction would have been "port 10 degrees" (for turning left) - for turning right the instruction would be "Starboard 10 degrees".

Re: Chapter & Verse.

Very good post which made me smile, Robert

You paint a picture with your words

Re: Chapter & Verse.

Good one! And did you get a reply?

Re: Chapter & Verse.

Not on that Sue darlin' but as is my wont I have lodged complaints numerous occasions and received responses.