Bosun's pipe "Hands to Dinner"
OK troops.... the search is on for any talented cook who can use a bosun's pipe and pipe "hands to dinner" for the 2008 reunion...Other pipes will be included depending on how good the person is..There is plenty of time for someone to learn how to use one between now and July and it won't be me because I missed out on a lot of grog last year because of other duties and this year I won't have a schooner out of my mouth for any length of time...at least not long enough to fiddle with a bosun's pipe and fill it with spit and dribble... cheers...Errol Tomkins

Sounds like Dibby stuff to me Errol . Only time I ever heard "Hands to Dinner ' as a 'pipe' was on the Sydney as an Ord , bloody whistle thingy seemed to go on forever . But , Yeah , great idea :grin:

Cant ever remember hearing the hands to dinner pipe only ever heard the pipe hands to dnner Never heard anyone blowing thge bosuns pipe,well before this The crew were lining up for scran It was the same on depots to every one knows when scran is on so i could never understand why they had to pipe hands to dinner must have something to do with tradition

Quinny , thing was , on the Sydney in '66 , it was all 'Old Navy' . Every announcement over the ships P/A had a Bosun's Call attached to it . Even "Up-Beer" had specific call . How about being 'Drummed to Quarters ' for Action Stations......the same drum rythm used in Nelson's day....was pretty stirring stuff for a 16 year old !!

bosuns pipes
Ah Jaffa I remember those days so well...men of steel and ships of wood..When aloft in the crows nest only a bosuns pipe could be heard above the roar of the storm. I can recall being aloft during a gale with the wind howling and the salt water stinging my face and being weighed down by great heavy oil skins as I was tossed about the crows nest...The only company was a half empty bottle of rum and the foggy memories of a beautiful bar girl in Hongkong the night before. Those were the days the modern Navy can only dream about ! When real sailors new "ALL" the old Navy poems and Dits like Naybob san of Paybob and Abdul The Bull Bull Emir.... The brothels of Egpt are fair to behold and Maidens the fairest of fair, But the fairest a greek was owned by a shiek called Abdul the bull bull Emir, A travelling brothel was brought to the town by a russian who came from afar, And he offered a challenge to all to out shag this Ivan Skavinski Skavaar, A specified date was set for the race and a visit was paid by the Shah, The streets they were lined with maidens entwined for Ivan Skavinski Skavaar, They met on the track with their tools hanging slack as the starters gun punctured the air, They were quick to arise the crowd gasped at the size of this Abdul the Bull Bull Emir, Well the maidens were shorn and no frenchies were worn and Abduls arse revved like a car, But he couldn't compete with the slow steady beat of this Ivan Skavinski Skavaar, When Ivan had won and was cleaning his gun he bent down to polish his pair, When something redhot up his dung funnel shot it was Abdul the Bull Bull Emir, The maidens turned Green and the boys shouted "Queen" they were ordered apart by the Shah, It was bloody bad luck but poor Abdul was stuck up the ring of Skavinski Skavaar, Now the cream of this joke when apart they were broke was laughed at for many a year, How Abdul the fool had buggered his tool on the ring of Skavinski Skavaar, So children take heed of this foul filthy deed of arse holes and suchlike beware, And when you go for a bit don't end up in the shit like ABDUL THE BULL BULL EMIR...... OH ! WHAT HAVE I STARTED HERE...NEXT PLEASE !!!!!

AAAARRRRRRR me hearties!!!!!! Look at that lantern swing.

Errol , I bow (but not that far!!) in great wonderment!

Yes Errol good dit on old Ivan You must be a hit with the grand kids No fairytale books for you mate straight of the top of ya head .Keep em coming .Yes mate its all gone now a lot of these traditions that made the navy mores the pity .