Rum, Sodomy, Prayers, and the Lash Revisited: Winston Churchill and Social Reform in the Royal Navy, 1900-1915

by Matthew S. Seligmann

Book Overview

"Naval tradition? Naval tradition? Monstrous. Nothing but rum, sodomy, prayers and the lash." This quotation, from Winston Churchill, is frequently dismissed as apocryphal or a jest, but, interestingly, all four of the areas of naval life singled out in it were ones that were subject to major reform initiatives while Churchill was in charge of the Royal Navy between October 1911 and May 1915. During this period, not only were there major improvements...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198759975
• ISBN13: 9780198759973
• Release Date: August 2018
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.3"