Tuesday, 11 June 2024
In the Royal Navy the day is divided into six watches of 4 hours… except the Dog Watch (4pm to 8pm) which was sub-divided (or dogged) into 2 x 2 hour watches to allow sailors to eat their evening meal at the normal time, (5pm or 6pm.)
00:00 to 04:00 - Middle Watch
04:00 to 08:00 - Morning Watch
08:00 to 12:00 - Forenoon Watch
12:00 to 16:00 - Afternoon Watch
{16:00 to 18:00 - First Dog Watch}
{18:00 to 20:00 - Last Dog Watch}
20:00 to 00:00 - First Watch
As a child, I remember hearing that one should not drink an alcoholic beverage “before six bells have sounded.”
Nobody explained to me that this meant six bells in the Forenoon Watch… Therefore, I thought it was perfectly acceptable to have a little tipple with my breakfast, after six bells during the Morning Watch!
Young Boy with a Teapot, 1922
by William George Gillies, 1898/1973, Scottish painter, Royal Scottish Academy Of Art & Architecture, Edinburgh, UK.
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