At our evening meal one of our number said an appropriate Grace which brought forward much laughter and applause.....
Jim might approve..Bless us gathered here, we pray, mindful as we are of the bounteous gifts we received 50 years ago ...... plentiful wholesome fare, and lashings of bromide in the limers; abundant fresh air night and day, wet or dry, with imaginative and diverse opportunities for physical exercise; a wardrobe to die for; a privileged education into the mysteries of such as the Sidereal Hour Angle and the procedure for “Catting the Anchor”; wise, avuncular and be-medalled staff, ever-present, and steadfast in their conviction that we were the lowest form of marine life in that world of river and ramps and rollickings. And that precious time allowed for our chosen charitable work, distributing much of our meagre pay generously among the needy landlords and innkeepers of Dartmouth and beyond. Bless our company and the comradeship forged in those far off days, bless our ladies and in particular those here present who face the prospect of our interminable reminiscences; bless our food and those who have prepared and will serve it, and know that for these and all Your gifts we are most truly grateful. Amen
