REMEMBER THE DAYS,WHEN YOU AS A MATELOT,YOU WAS 'OFF CAPS' AND GOT PAID ON YOUR HAT AND THEN GOT PICKED UP FOR A HAIRCUT ,A BUTTON MISSING,GRUBBY HAT ,MINTY SHOES ETC ETC BY THE MASTER AT ARMS.WELL IN 1972 I WAS IN HMS SULTAN,LEARNING THE FINER POINTS OF BEING A LEADING STOKER,HOW TO MAKE SOUP UNDER A STEAM DRAIN,COOKING SPUDS UNDER THE LAGGING,AND HOW TO USE A BUCKET AS A DHOBY MACHINE WITH A BROOMSTICK IN THE CORRECT WASHING CYCLE,AND TO LEAVE NO TRACES OF BLOOD ON STROPPY JUNIOR RATES WELL ABOUT THIS TIME THE RIGHT ROYAL PRINCESS ANNE,HAD ANNOUNCED ,SHE WAS GETTING HITCHED TO FOGGY PHILLIPS. THE OFFICERS(NATURALLY) THOUGHT IT A GOOD IDEA TO BUY HER AND FOGGY A WEDDING PRESENT FROM 'THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF HMS SULTAN' SORT OF THING.WELL IN THEM DAYS THE LOWEST DENOMINATION YOU WHERE PAID WAS A TEN BOB NOTE,WHICH WHEN YOU WERE ONLY ON £12 A WEEK BEFORE STOPPAGES FOR A KILLICK WAS SOME WEDGE.ANYHOW ON THIS PAYDAY ,AT EACH PAY TABLE WAS A BRIGHT NEW SHINY BUCKET TO COLLECT PROCEDES,THERE WHERE SEVERAL THOUSANDS THERE(LOTS OF STEAM WARSHIPS ,BIG SHIPS COMPANIES ETC ETC) WELL I HAVE TO REPORT AT THE END OF THE PAY PARADE THESE BUCKETS WERE ALL EMPTY I ENDED UP GETTING A RIGHT BOLLOCKING,FOR MY COMMENT OF 'NICE PRESENT,BUT WHATS SHE WANT WITH A FERKIN DHOBY BUCKET AS WE NOW KNOW SHE DUMPED FOGGY LATER,AND DID WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE IN FIRST PLACE,YEP MARRIED A MATELOT