Alan Bunce
speaker
257 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard Jul 2026
last heard 18 Jul
Alan Bunce’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.
Appearances
He would have admired him even more if he could have read the captain's cool, unflurried mind.
It might be worth someone's while to try to analyze why the column of water thrown up by an eight-inch shell should be so beautiful.
It possesses a faint yellow tinge, meaning it's of the high-explosive type, and it's really a charming sight against sky and sea.
They're beautiful to watch as long as they miss, and these powerful, all-destructive eight-inches were all distinct misses, showing that the gunnery control instruments in the Italian ship were not lined up as accurately as they should be.
Now the British flagship was leading round to the enemy.
That was the way to deal with them.
If they won't come out and fight, go in and fight them.
It was leading seaman Alfred Lightfoot's job to take ranges quickly.
That was his personal contribution to the perfect fighting hole, which was the ship.
And he did what he was supposed to do without distraction.
Twenty-one seconds ago, he'd seen the flashes of the guns at which he was pointing his range finder, and already Alfred Lightfoot had forgotten them.
During those twenty-one seconds, those eight-inch shells had been hurtling towards the HMS Artemis, hurtling through the air at a speed of more than a mile in two seconds.
Their path was curved, reaching far up into the upper atmosphere, higher than the highest alps, into the freezing stratosphere before plunging downward towards their target.
Suddenly, Alfred Lightfoot heard a noise as of rushing water and of tearing sheets.
And then the field of his rangefinder was blotted out in an immense upheaval of water as the nearest shell of the broad tide pitched close beside the starboard bow of the Arden.
Twenty tons of yellowed water came tumbling on board, deluging the upper works, flooding over Lightfoot's range mine.
Instantly, training and professional pride master, and he deftly twirled the screws and brought the enemy into focus once again.
It was then that paymaster sub-lieutenant James Jerningham saw the Italian ships turn away.
And he gravely noted the time upon the pad in his lap.
Later, the captain's report read... The enemy withdrew.
Showing 101–120 of 257 · page 6 of 13
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