Midge Ure – Being briefed for shore leave

When you know you’re going into for instance, a port, you’ll have a visit liaison talk in the Mess. Somebody will come in and brief you on ,”Right, last time we were here, we found that the services at the Base were all OK. We had water, we had food, all that sort of stuff was taken care of. Access in and out is good, do this, do that, show that, take your passport or don’t take your passport” or whatever. So, they tell you all that good information.

Then you go on to the “This is where you should go and visit” and then at the end they say, “This is the places not to go”, so they’ll tell you the nice hospitable places but they tell you the places ‘do not go here’ so of course what the Matelots do, “I’ll write that down and I’ll head there” so that’s where they go so invariably they end up in all sorts of trouble.

Simon: Why are they marked as ‘do not go there’?

It would generally be Bars where there was known prostitutes or gangsters or trouble before, previously maybe the Landlord because somebody hadn’t paid or something like that.

In the Middle East it was once you started going into the black flag areas, like the Sudanese and the Shiites and stuff. Certain areas you’re ok, once you start to see this, you go no further.

I personally found myself in some of those areas and you soon know when you’re there. It’s like windows start shutting on you and you can’t be here. You get out before any diplomatic incidents.