• Role to play during invasion
  

  Farncomb’s finest hour
  
  A massive invasion followed the D-Day landings. More than 800 ships took part from eight navies.
  
  Amongst the 300 ships of the Royal Navy were the nine escort carriers of Task Force 88, commanded by Rear Admiral Troubridge, with our own Harold Farncomb the senior officer of the five captains of the group. HMS Attacker was a demanding posting, being a British ship and Farncomb’s first to a carrier.
  
  He was equal to the challenge: insisting on flying over the battlefield and seeing it at first hand.
  
  Testimony to his zeal: two mentions in despatches, “for distinguished service and gallantry during the invasion of the south of France” and “for distinguished service, efficiency and zeal while serving in HMS Attacker in the clearance of the Aegean Sea and the relief of Greece during period 1944/45”.
  
  
• What’s in a name?
  Honing in on command
  
  Why do we use the term “ho” for the command of “attention”? Some suggest it might be from “land ho!” or “westward ho”, or even “tally ho”.
  
  And what does “ho” mean? Our British RN cousins use it, but their members do not seem to know why. The Royal Canadian Navy also used it up until the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in the mid-sixties.
  
  The Collins English Dictionary says that the Old French “ho” in fact means “halt”, so that makes sense, when commanding a squad to halt.
  
  However, the term when used to come to attention from the at ease position doesn’t follow. The Concise Oxford Dictionary is a little more illuminating, suggesting that “ho” comes from the Middle English period (1150-1500) and is in fact from the Old Norse exclamation of “surprise, admiration, triumph, derision, or calling attention”.
  
  In other words, “ho” is an old Norse word that means to call to attention.
  
  As to why it has been adopted in naval parlance is unclear. Perhaps the answer lies in the roots of the Royal Navy, which is perhaps the oldest standing navy in the world, and traces its origins from a number of sources
  – including the fighting ships of the Vikings.
  
  — LEUT Tom Lewis
  
  
• Steering the ship
  

  Attempt to bridge the gap
  
  The Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre- Australia, with the assistance of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences,University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, is hosting the fourth King-Hall Naval History Conference, July 21-22.
  
  This will be a major international conference with distinguished speakers invited from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
  
  The conference theme is “sea power ashore and in the air”.
  
  Since the end of the Cold War there has been an increased interest in maritime operations in the littoral environment.
  
  This conference will contribute to this debate by using historical case studies to explore how various nations and commanders have used sea power to prosecute, influence, and support military operations across the joint battlespace.
  
  Venue: National Convention Centre Canberra.
  
  Cost for two day conference including lunch morning afternoon tea $200 per person.
  
  Conference Dinner Australian War Memorial Anzac Hall July 21 $75.
  
  Contact conference coordinator, Sea Power Centre - Australia, telephone (02) 61276514, fax (02) 61276521, e-mail: seapower.conferences@defence.gov.au.

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