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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   2685 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 20, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I like to listen to podcast-type material while working on art projects, and came across this biography of a Royal Navy officer who specialized in fighting convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare in the second World War.

Frederick 'Johnnie' Walker - Gladiator of the Convoys

It's a four-part series, so a couple hours of listening time, but as a teaser, here's Walker's epitaph:

"In the day when the waters had well-nigh overwhelmed us, our brother here departed, apprehending the creative power in man, set himself to the task to conquer the malice of the enemy. In our hour of need he was the doughty protector of them that sailed the seas on our behalf. His heart and his mind extended and expanded to the utmost tiring of the body even unto death; that he might discover and operate means of saving ships from the treacherous foes. Truly many, very many, were saved because he was not disobedient to his vision. Victory has been won and should be won by such as he. May there never be wanting in this realm a succession of men of like spirit in discipline, imagination and valour, humble and unafraid. Not dust, nor the light weight of a stone, but all the sea of the Western Approaches shall be his tomb."

"Escort Commander" about the same fellow was one of my favorites when I was young. Damn good book about one hell of a man.

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