When I Was on the " Tartar " : and Other Sea Stories

by Michael Payne

The book is about my experiences in the Royal Navy throughout the seventies. It isn't about war, it is about my escapades, the people I met, the people I annoyed,and the people who annoyed me. It's about my training, my times abroad, my mates, the winding-up,the runs ashore, the interminable exercises,the 'getting-in-to-trouble', the getting out of trouble....It's been described as a 'valuable document of social history', of the Navy during that period, utterly authentic, as a naval version of 'Men Behaving Badly',and the epitome of the lower deck during that period.There ARE no other books available which so exactly encapsulate Jack's life afloat and ashore.'When I Was On The Tartar...' WILL appeal to anyone with an interest in Naval History as well as anyone who has served in the Royal Navy.

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Julian Spenceley · Rating 3 out of 5]

226 pages to describe the adventures and mishaps of 12 years in the service! I cannot help but feel that the author compressed his book and failed to do justice to his time in the Navy.
I would have liked to see more content on the characters he met and dealt with both on board and ashore. Poor Gracie Fields just got one line!
The book reads more like a diary, but the author did do justice to the jargon and customs of the RN.

[gerald morson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I'm very lucky to have know Michael to me his name is elbow because of an injury to said part we met in dryad where we drank ,drank and did stupid things ,only problem he spelt my last name wrong Morson not moorson,his book is true to life and brilliantly wrote so it gets my full endorsement RP2,NAV,A YEO




in not moorson

[Stephen h humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Very entertaining and well written, if you don't know the naval jargon he always explains
Really enjoyed the book and strongly recommend for anyone interested in Royal Navy stories