My father in law went to sea at the age of fifteen. A note in his log book says “Daddy asked me to get him a monkey.” As he could not find a suitable monkey, he brought back an ethnic water jar made of thick pottery, slightly listing to one side, with two jug eared handles sticking out from the neck.

“Daddy”, our grandfather, Arthur Lindegaard, a naturalised British citizen who had returned to his native Denmark was pleased with the souvenir and commemorated the voyage by writing “MED “MINSK” TIL ALGIER 1923” in black ink round the swelling of the bowl and drew imagined scenes from North African life round the belly. Long after, in the 50s or 60s, somebody attempted to turn the pot into a table lamp: the result of this regrettable enterprise, a broken electrical plug, is still stuck in the neck. Aesthetically, the thing is hideous. So far so ordinary.

The 1960s come and we inherit the pot. In between Arthur’s decorations, his squatting Arabs, donkey riders, camels and so on there is tiny faded writing. We can see dates, starting in 1940, and recognisable words: Curfew, Mussolini, Afrika, “Kbhn”, Casablanca, Leningrad…..

An English-Danish Dictionary is called for. On 20^th March 1940 the “Minsk” was torpedoed and sunk; Arthur wrote it on the pot. He expands his idea globally. He somehow manages to listen to the BBC news. He writes notes, one after another on the pot. It becomes a history of the Second World War. Armies march across Europe and Africa and around the pot. Stalingrad, Tunis, Casablanca, Tripoli, Naples…. Then “Invasion Normandiet 6 Jun 1944” he records, followed by a verifiable list of Allied successes: “Rumania, 23 Aug, Paris 24 Aug, Bulgaria, 26 Aug, Athens, 14 Oct, Belgrade, 20 Oct.” Only “Finland 3 Oct” seems out of place in the world picture. It is easy to check. Arthur seems to have been shocked that on this day three “Soviet infiltrators” were shot in Helsinki. He was happier on 20^th October when Yugoslav partisans and the Red Army occupied Belgrade.

The entry for “15 Nov 1943” is particularly poignant. “Kirke Kionkerne i Englund Ringede” he writes. It is “Ring the Bells”, Churchill’s order after El Alamein, when church bells were rung for the first time since 1939. Churchill famously said it was “not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning”. Tears come to my eyes.

So I see Arthur crouched over a crackling wireless set. It is in occupied Denmark. It is our grandfather’s little resistance in a mad world. My thoughts run riot.

How did he even come by a radio? Where did he hide it? Where did he hide the pot? His courage astounds me. I worry for what could have been.

Sadly, Arthur died suddenly on 14^th March 1945, aged 68. He never knew the end of the story.

Obituaries of Bristol mariners and their families in Bristol Gazette, 1844/45 & Bristol Mercury (BM), 1844

Captain AYSH, died of apoplexy, en route to Dublin, formerly of Africa trade. (19.12.44)

William BODY. chief mate of barque “Congo” en route to Africa, 21st October 1844, aged 27. (14.8.45)

Ellen CUNDY. On June 2nd aged 7 years, Ellen youngest daughter of the Late Mr John CUNDY, master mariner, of this port. (BM 8.6.44)

Captain E. DOBLE of “Ness”, aged 39, twenty years in the service of Baillie and Evans. (19.6.45)

Thomas DUNN, son of Mr Dunn, baker of Bristol, aged 29, died June 6th 1844, due to the upsetting of his ship, “Delphos”, Liverpool on North West Coast. (12.6.45)

Thomas R. GRIFFITHS, mariner, late mate of the ship “George” of this port, died Dec 30th 1843, aged 34. (BM 6.1.44)

Captain George HOLLAND aged 28, of the “John Cabot” died June 5th of consumption, off Africa Coast. (15.8.44)

Captain John JONES, died March 25th en route Mauritius-London, “Anna” of Bristol. (10.7.45)

Sarah JONES. Sarah, wife of J. Jones, mariner, aged 30, most affectionate wife and mother leaving a husband and three children to deplore their loss. (31.7.45)

Maria SMITH, died May 8th aged 23, at Duke Street, of consumption, wife of Captain Thomas SMITH, “Pamona”, Bristol. (May, 1844)

Fanny WAGSTAFFE. Fanny, wife of Captain George Wagstaffe of this port. (30.10.45)