Book Reviews
JIM, FIRST OF THE PACK
by Admiral Sir James Eberle GCB
ISBN: 0-85131-326-4
Originally published by J. A. Allen
I have come to this book rather late in its life. It was, after all, first published in 1982 and is the story of the first hundred years of the Britannia Beagles, a pack established at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1878 and which still continues to hunt the country on either side of the River Dart in South Devon.
Some years ago (longer than I care to mention) I was a Joint Master of the Colchester Garrison Beagles, one of the army beagle packs who were then established at various military centres throughout the country. These also included the Catterick; the Aldershot; the Shrivenham; the Pimpernel; the School of Infantry and the Sandhurst, all of which were strongly supported by the Army and which were usually financed, or at least heavily subsidised, by them. A similar situation existed with the Per Ardua (RAF) Beagles at Cranwell and, of course, the Britannia Beagles at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Their original purpose was to give all ranks of service personnel an opportunity to experience the physical exercise, field craft, the venery and the camaraderie of the hunting field each Wednesday and Saturday afternoon during the season and this was usually regarded by their commanding officers as part of their essential training.
Times have since changed and the military establishments have suffered from what we will all know as “cuts”. These usually followed one of the regular internal audits carried out by the Ministry of Defence, who did not see the military packs in the same way as the earlier commanding officers. They noticed that in recent years a very high percentage of the followers of the pack were civilians and saw little reason why a cash-strapped government should continue to pay for their hobby. Military personnel were by then being trained much more intensively and no longer had the time available to hunt in the season. Nowadays most of the packs are no longer connected to military establishments and have become completely self-financing with an independent existence.
The Britannia Beagles are still kenneled in the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, but their situation has changed too and they now receive no direct financial support from the Royal Navy, but also have fewer cadets involved than hitherto and rely much more heavily on local civilian support. Jim Eberle regrets the effects of this change and puts it well in his book as follows:
After a hundred years of hunting during a period in which there was greater change and discovery than in the previous two thousand years, change has come again to the Britannia Beagles. The system of officer entry in which a young man might spend not less than two or three years at Dartmouth has given way to one in which the majority spend no more than two terms there. In this short time the pressures are such that there is too little time for enjoyment of the countryside or for the pursuit of country sports. There is no doubt that something has been lost. Dartmouth has ceased to become an “alma mater” for young Naval officers. Instead, it is a “transition” for a life which is to be spent in the business of the sea.”
The title of the book, which I found rather puzzling, is explained as referring to a terrier called Jim, whose marked gravestone can still be seen in the grounds of the College. He was said to be the first “hound” of about four couples of various canines who formed the original “pack” and whose origin is obscure and undoubtedly rather dubious.
The story of the development of the pack from this beginning is an interesting one and very well written. Now a retired Admiral, the author first arrived at Dartmouth in 1957 and has been a Joint Master of the pack since 1966. He has, personally, experienced much of its history and the earlier days had been very well documented in The Britannia Magazine, the journal of the Royal Naval College. This proved to be an invaluable source of information for the book, which is beautifully produced and of high quality. It is illustrated with nineteen fascinating black and white photographs, some of which are over a hundred years old. There are also many charming illustrations by Sarah Eberle.
The original publishers (J. A. Allen) no longer exist, but I understand that a limited number of copies can still be had from the Hon. Secretary of the Britannia Beagles at the price of £25 per copy (postage and packing inclusive) and the book will make a most interesting addition to a sporting library.
Cheques should be made payable to Britannia Beagles and sent to Rory Jackson, Belton Gate, Higher Lincombe Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 2EY.
Reviewed by:
David Hindle