"Hey, we have this bizarre operation that has a shoestring budget, is in the middle of nowhere, and is asking for something to be done that has never been done before. Most likely, if the people sent are ever seen again, it will end in abject failure and humiliation for the officer leading it. Who should we send?"
"Hey, who is that weird 40-yr old LCDR down the hall with all the strange tattoos and whose uniform is all out of wack? I have no idea what he does at that desk, I won't miss him."
"Oh, you mean LCDR Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson?"
"Yes, that chap. He has an eclectic background fitting his personality. I think he just might be the fit."
And so starts a story that inspired books, radio programs and movies ... all for a wee spat in an important but relatively forgotten backwater.
...and below is Spicer-Simpson, right after he captured the German ship Kingani. Yes, he went to war in a skirt.
If you find the naval campaign in Africa interesting, I did another post a few years ago I'd recommend.
Hat tip Campbell. First posted AUG2018.
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