Grandad

The other evening we watched the movie Master and Commander, and it made me think of my grandfather.  He died in 1964 aged 84, which means he was born in 1880.  He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy and at first spent some time under sail, before he graduated to the engine rooms as an E.R.A. (Engine Room Artificer,) which was a fairly low rank. 

Lt. Commdr. William Victor Summons (1880 - 1964) in his formal uniform.
I have the sword under his picture in my office.

He served in the first world war and was in the Battle of Jutland.  He retired but was brought back again at the start of WWII to serve in motor torpedo boats up and down the English Channel.
One of his great heroes was Admiral Lord Nelson, who considering that he had already been dead for 75 years when my grandad was born, just shows how big the man was in naval folklore.

The movie, if you haven't seen it, is about as good a portrayal of life aboard a fighting ship in the time of Nelson with all its violence, and danger.  It also shows how a good commander can lead his men through these trials with an intimate knowledge of everyone on board.  It's one of my favorite movies.

As for my grandfather, he was a wonderful man and in the extremely unlikely event that we have the chance to meet up again after this particular ride in space, I should want to spend a lot of time with him as I did when I was a boy, and then a young man.