Pomp and Circumstance by Dame Penny Mordaunt & Chris Lewis.

A Book Review by Chris Penney – courtesy of our friends at the Friends of the FAA Museum

[Ed: there is a good section on submarines]

While His Majesty’s Armed Forces are at the heart of this title co-written by Penny Mordaunt, who served ten years with the RNR, its focus goes far beyond our world- renowned regal pageantry. From cheese rolling in Gloucestershire to the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade of Trooping the Colour, it’s a wonderful journey through the many, varied and often quirky traditions celebrated because of our rich island history down the centuries. But it also explains why such traditions have endured and reassuringly points out that they remain a guiding constant in our often-changing world. 

Penny’s role in the Monarch’s Coronation spawned the book after she was deluged with letters from schoolchildren about the unique and singularly British ceremony. Chapters include “The End of an Era” marking the termination of her political career, during which she served as Secretary of State for Defence and “Who Are We”, looking at the British character and how geography has shaped us and why we have been the first in so many fields of human endeavour. 

The chapter Defence of the Realm reveals how military units cling to outdated traditions while highlighting the idiosyncratic ways of some, which buck the rigid conformity that uniformed service demands. 

Each service gets an exploratory paragraph detailing its formations and under the Royal Navy the authors have chosen to spotlight the Silent Service. Why are our submarines allowed to fly the Jolly Roger on war patrols? Answer: because during the Great War the Admiralty couldn’t stop the practice and it’s now a recognised and established naval tradition. 

Disappointingly the origin of Taranto night anniversary dinners is overlooked. It’s hard to convey music in writing but the authors manage it – by dotting QR codes throughout for an instant listen. Finally, there is a comprehensive nationwide list of traditional annual events listed by month for easy reference. 

As the subtitle suggests this absorbing book is about so much more than all the King’s horses and all the King’s men and women.