David White – Captain Jim Taylor – a real gentleman. Let David’s Dad use the periscope

This is me trying to illustrate what a great guy that Jim Taylor was, I mean you’d almost think I was in love with the bloke but I wasn’t but one of the few Naval Officers who really inspired me because he was a gentleman.

He didn’t speak down to you like so many of them do. He could, if he was pissed off with you, you knew all about it, but you could engage with him in conversation and he didn’t, he wasn’t aloof but nobody thought a jot less of him, but anyway, so we come to the end of Families Day, I’m in the Galley preparing dinner and I heard this pipe, it’s a broadcast, “Would Mr White, the guest of the Leading Chef please come to the Control Room.”

I, nobody had said anything to me about it so I thought ‘What’s going on here?’ So, I stopped what I was doing and I saw my dad go by and he looked at me and went [makes gesture] and I said, “I have no idea.”

He probably thought I’d set something up, but I hadn’t, so I followed him into the Control Room and Jim Taylor, who I would like to say he was the First Lieutenant, Norman Hodgson was the Captain. 

He said, “Mr White” he said, “I hear you’re an ex-Submariner, wartime” he said. “Yes” and he called him sir, “Yes Sir” and he said, “Have you just lost your eye?” and he said, “I have.” He said “Right, well if you would get on to the for’ard periscope using your good eye of course”, because the for’ard periscope’s only got one eyepiece.

The after periscope is binocular and has two. It’s a big search instrument whereas the forward small periscope is for attack. He said, “Get on to the for’ard periscope” he said, “and when you’re ready, just shout surface” and my dad surfaced the submarine. 

Whilst looking, now in his wildest dreams he wouldn’t have done that when he was serving. 

And he for sure never thought he’d do it after he left the Navy. And so that’s what that bloke did for my dad, and for me, after that he could walk on water. And of course, my dad dined out on that for the rest of his life, so can you imagine every Reunion. “Eh, Knocker, are you the bloke who surfaced the boat?”

He said, “I am, yeah.” So, that’s the kind of bloke Jim Taylor was. An out and out gentleman, and then I had him as my Captain on Orpheus ‘cos he found me at Captain Oliphant’s house for my Cheese Ush and dragged me there.