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T. E. Lawrence to Paymaster-Captain Archibald
Cooper
13 Birmingham St.
Southampton
8.4.34
Dear Captain Cooper
I had intended to
ring you up from the Dockyard to say 'Thank you' for the Aquarius
before I left - but I went off at 7.30 a.m.; so it seemed too unkind.
Then I travelled for three days, and over the weekend I could not find a
Navy List to get your proper style. So many explanations....
I should apologise
for having rung up the Office. If everybody who felt urgent about his
ship did so, your life would become miserable. But we were a very small
ship, easily overlooked, and (if delayed) very unfit to face the
monsoon: so as soon as the pilot told us that there were no orders, I
dashed to Mount Batten, to ask the Admiral for help.
You will be amused
to hear that no less a personage than the chief pilot came aboard the
Aquarius a minute after I got back to her, after taking your
message. His previous job had been to take the Rodney up. We
boasted 270 tons - reduced to 112 by some chicane when Dock Dues are
payable. However we got to our berth in a few minutes, and there was a
Stores Officer to measure us for a new tarpaulin (it came next day -
excellent) another to ask about oil and water, and three fitting
experts to examine the steering. They plugged in electric light, carried
up a brow - did everything they could. The steering proved to be a
trifle - just a jam in a chain conduit-cover - not worth alarming you
about: but thanks to the despatch of all the other jobs the ship got
away to time, and has reached Gibraltar - where she wants to mend some
sort of a valve, but has no one aboard now to get her priority
treatment.
So thank you very
much... and if you had to involve greater noises in the effort, please
thank them for me, too. We saw the C. in C. landing at Mount Edgcumbe as
we came in, so I expect he was not a party. I shall try not to trespass
on your kindness again - unless it happens again! It was wholly worth
it.
Yours sincerely
T E Shaw
If the Admiral
did hear of it, will you please offer my apologies, and say that I
was filthy and labouring, all that day, and disappeared early the next?
I could not have paid my respects without neglecting my duty.
Please say also that
we are building better and better boats (and the C. in C. Portsmouth has
wangled one for six months out of the Air Ministry, for himself). Better
put the last sentence in very small print! But they are good boats.
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