RNA marks 50th anniversary of Black Tot Day
A SMALL, devoted, enthusiastic and hardy band of Royal Naval Association (RNA) Torrevieja Branch shipmates embraced the current social distancing rules and endured the heat on July 31 to commiserate the 50th Anniversary of ‘Black Tot Day’ on Playa Flamenca promenade with the backdrop of the Mediterranean and the branch’s Standard.
The shipmates forwent the traditional banding together around the messdeck table in favour of wearing masks and ‘social distancing’ so that the remainder of the ritual of the time-honoured ‘toasting’ and ‘worldly discussions of all manner of things’ could continue.
The tradition of issuing a tot of rum to each sailor was started in 1740 by Vice Admiral Edward Vernon as a measure to help the wellbeing of all Royal Naval Sailors and was ended on the July 31, 1970, also for the sailors’ wellbeing – and to put it lightly, ‘Jack was not pleased’, hence the day was forever known as ‘Black Tot Day’.
As Royal Naval tradition dictates, a bottle of ‘British Navy Pusser’s Rum’ was duly piped aboard and presented to the ‘Rum Bosun’ for each shipmate’s ration to be added to the ‘Rum Fanny’ (under close scrutiny of the shipmates); the Rum Bosun then transformed the Rum Tot into ‘Grog’ with the adding of an equal measure of water.
At 12.00 local time, the “Up Spirits” was piped and the ‘die hard Jacks’ responded with the traditional saying: “Stand fast the Holy Ghost”.
The Rum Bosun duly issued each shipmate with their ration and the time-honoured privilege of the first toast was then made by the Rum Bosun, Danny Kay of ‘Her Majesty the Queen’.
Each subsequent toast was made by a shipmate (as below) and repeated by all before taking a sip of Grog, until the ritual last toast of ‘Sandy Bottoms’ was made, where all shipmates finish the remainder of Grog in their glass.
Proposed Toasts:
Rum Bosun (Danny Kay): “Her Majesty the Queen”
Maureen Jenkins: “His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain”
Rose Kay: “To Great Britain and all our home ports”
Danny Kay: “The Royal Navy and all those that have served and are serving”
Patrick Deather: “To all Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Mariners past and present”
Ann Deathers: “To all the partners, families and love ones of those at sea”
Paul Edwards: “To all those at sea, may you have fair winds, calm seas and a compass that’s true”
Tony Jenkins: “May your powder remain dry; fuse be short, and aim be true”
Colin Holloway: “To Vice Admiral Edward Vernon for introducing the Tot in 1740”
Tony Jenkins: “To the
Death of Being Issued the Tot – Long live the Tot”
Rum Bosun (Danny Kay): “Sandy Bottoms”
The traditional residue in the Rum Fanny, which has the affectionate name of Queen’s and is caused by the Rum Bosun’s erroneous gauging of each shipmate’s ration of Grog, was duly dished out in equal proportions to each shipmate for the traditional final toast, proposed by Tony Jenkins, of ‘The Queen, God Bless Her’.
Read more or see photos and videos at our website: www.rnatorrevieja.com
The Royal Naval Association Torrevieja Branch welcomes military and non-military personnel into our socially friendly and engaging organisation. Contact Chairman Tony Jenkins on 693 866 709, Membership Secretary Danny Kay on 96 671 62 74 or email rosendanes@ yahoo.co.uk or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 96 692 19 96.