The Fringes of The Fleet - Kipling's Booklet

Kipling's Booklet

In 1915 Kipling was commissioned by the Daily Telegraph to write a series of six articles on his view of life in less well-known aspects of the defence of the nation on its seas. These were given the general title "The Fringes of the Fleet", and had three sub-titles "The Auxiliaries", "Submarines" and "Patrols", and published between 20 November and 2 December. Each was prefaced by a short poem which did not have a title itself.

Immediately afterwards the poems and essays were re-published in a booklet called "The Fringes of the Fleet".

• 1. The Auxiliaries - I

The text opens with a poem which starts with the words "In Lowestoft a boat was laid, / Mark well what I do say!", later given the title "The Lowestoft Boat" and a subtitle "(East Coast Patrols of the War)".

• 2. The Auxiliaries - II

The text opens with a poem which starts "Dawn off the Foreland - the young flood making / Jumbled and short and steep - ", later titled "Mine Sweepers".

• 3. Submarines - I

The text opens with a poem which resembles the shanty "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies". The original and final title, "Harwich Ladies", was for security reasons at the time changed to "Greenwich Ladies".

• 4. Submarines - II

The text opens with a very short poem (two verses of four lines) titled "Tin Fish". The poem starts "The ships destroy us above / And ensnare us beneath."

• 5. Patrols - I

The text opens with a poem entitled "A Song in Storm", which starts with the words "Be well assured that on our side / Our challenged oceans fight."

• 6. Patrols - II

The final article begins with a poem later called "The North Sea Patrol".