One recent evening, we were honoured to be invited to join the Royal Naval Tot
Club of Antigua and Barbuda in their daily Loyal Toast to Her Majesty
the Queen.
On weekdays the Club gathers at the Copper and Lumber Store, part
of Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour and nowadays providing
hospitality to visitors from all over the world as an hotel.
 We
watched, fascinated, as one of this week's joint Rum Stewards prepared
the exactly measured tots, while her husband (the other Rum Steward on
duty) marked the register with the names of Members and guests (your
executive editor included) and then it was time for the assembled
individuals to go out into the beautiful courtyard and form a circle.
The Rum Steward made the day's announcements and her husband proposed
the Loyal Toast. This being a Wednesday the toast was:
"Ourselves! As no-one else is liable to consider themselves
with our welfare. The Queen, God Bless Her!"
 This
combines both the traditional Officer's toast of a Wednesday and the
unchanging daily toast of the lower decks - if you would like the full
explanation you will find it in the Information for Prospective Members,
below.
 The
Tot Club was formed twenty-one years, to the day, (31st July 1991) after
the Royal Navy's last rum issue (31st July 1970) and has achieved
official recognition from the Establishment, even being permitted to run
up the coveted White Ensign on various occasions, on a splendid mast
built especially for the purpose, seen near the centre in the picture of
Nelson's Dockyard.
 After
the Loyal Toast, Chairman and Founder of the Royal Naval Tot
Club of Antigua & Barbuda, Mike Rose, informed us that the political
correctness continues apace...
Apparently our traditional steamed pudding, the Spotted Dick has been
re-named the Spotted Richard...the lights are on in Great Britain but is
there anybody home?
With kind permission, we reproduce the
INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE
MEMBERS leaflet in its entirety on a separate page. It is a
fascinating document and well worth perusing. If, after you have read it
through you would like to be considered for membership, you may like to
enquire as to the likelihood of your application being
accepted before you book your passage to Antigua...
Be warned, infractions of the rules lead to Courts Martial - Walking The
Plank is only one of the punishments meted out and there are photographs
in the Tot Club album to prove it!
E-mail: totclub@candw.ag
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