Naval Knickers continued...

Well really. We're barely a fortnight into the New Year and already by flist is plumbing the depths.

Not to be outdone by Admiral James Saumarez and his new range of swanky Ethical Lingerie, nodbear and volgivagant decided that Admirals Sir Edward Pellew and Cuthbert Collingwood also needed their own lingerie lines.

volgivagant suggested:

Pellew Panties - robust, straighforward, no-nonsense underwear for a good day´s work. (We don´t do French designs.)

Collingwood Lingerie - our new double-sided collection: nonchalant navy by day, naughty Northumbrian by night!

Personally I feel that Pellew was sufficiently dashing for his no nonsense undies to be accessorised with at least a little gold braid. And perhaps a line of waterproof panties would be useful for those occasions when one simply has to leap into the sea to save sundry drowning middies or the odd 600 folk from shipwreck.

nodbear however decided that one lingerie line was insufficient for Sir Edward, who is after all, known affectionately by mylodon's acquaintance Pompey Poll as Ned "Mainmast" Pellew. (And we now have evidence that Poll knew what she was talking about!!). So Ned now has an entire store cornering the market in underpinnings for the larger admiral:

Licence To Frill
5 Pellew Arcade/Teign St.
Teignmouth, Devon

nodbear was kind enough to forward the following missive from Ned advertising his new commercial venture...

Indeed we have been developing several ranges dear lady and currently are impressed with Madam Volgivagant's version of the themed range - though I suspect our Cochrane range will be most popular amongst admirals, having forgotten that one should not confuse youthful bravura and mature panache!

And whilst I do not think we carry a French range my dear friend Jacques Bergeret has recently opened L'Avenue de Bergeret in the Rue Cambon catering for those middys and lieutenants searching for that special something for a loved one back home or indeed in the next bunk.

Nodbear tells me I should think about the size guides. She rightly thinks no naval hero wants to be heard asking for the "sloop" range rather than the "74" or even "flagship" range though I have been persuaded that I should model the latter ...

Like I said...plumbing the depths.

Clearly I am above all such sniggering and innuendo and intend to post a serious piece of research on 18th century undergarments sometime next week. Now, if I could just get Archie to take his breeches off...

In Memoriam: Indefatigable, Amazon, Droits de L'Homme

Tonight marks the anniversary of one of the most famous frigate engagements of the French Revolutionary Wars when the frigates Indefatigable, captain Sir Edward Pellew and Amazon, captain Robert Carthew Reynolds, took on the French 74 gun ship of the line the Droits de L'Homme, captain Raymond de Lacrosse on the 13th of January 1797. Many accounts have been written of this fearsome engagement which took place at night in a storm on a lee shore. None are more authoritative than the account of Sir Edward Pellew himself written four days after the engagement. I'll let Sir Edward tell the story in his own words.



( I instantly made the signal to the Amazon for a general chace )

There was enormous personal respect between Captains Pellew and de Lacrosse and in further recognition of this remarkable engagement nodbear has posted an extract of one of de Lacrosse's letters to Pellew over at her journal My dear and honoured adversary...