Read 2004 - Mimi and Toutou Go Forth for Free Online

Spicer’s design, the Thorneycroft yard made some special trailers on which Mimi and Toutou could be carried overland, and cradles in which the whole ensemble could be shipped by sea or rail. There was some disagreement between Spicer and the Thorneycroft engineers about the design of the cradles. Certain details, he says, ‘were altered by the experts, who assured me that the light wheels they put fore and aft and the six-inch-by-two-inch supporting beam would be quite adequate to stand any strains likely to be thrown on them. I had stuck out for a twelve-inch beam…’↓
    ≡ RUSI lecture, 1934.
    On 8 June it was agreed: the boats and guns would be tested on the Thames at Chiswick. Mimi and Toutou looked rather forbidding now with their forecastles removed and the big guns in place. Various members of the team, including Engineer Cross and the dour Chief Petty Officer Waterhouse, joined in the tests. Amy Spicer-Simson even went along for the ride. In a wide-brimmed hat she sat like Cleopatra in the bows of Mimi as the spray flew up on either side. Toutou followed close behind as they made their way downriver.
    Spicer had obtained a licence to fire a practice shell from the three-pounder into an old dockside (actually a disused yard of Messrs Thorneycroft, the boat’s manufacturers). What happened, when the moment came, would in some way set the tone for the whole expedition. As Mimi went past the dock at full throttle Waterhouse took aim and fired. The round hit its target—but the gun and Waterhouse flew off the boat and into the Thames. It had not been properly locked to the deck.
    The following day Mimi and Toutou were driven to Tilbury to be loaded on board the liner Llanstephen Castle , bound for Cape Town on 15 June. The main party would join the ship on the day it sailed.
    The week prior to their departure saw the various members of the expedition collecting the kit and personal items they would take with them. Dr Hanschell had ordered his medical stores using an antiquated Admiralty stocklist. He was not very happy with the proposed material, as most of it came from a pamphlet entitled Medical Stores as Supplied to Gunboats West Africa Station , dated 1898.
    Each member of the expedition was issued with a camp bed and a woollen Jaeger sleeping bag. Only Spicer had a tent—everyone else would sleep under the stars. Tarpaulins were ordered to protect petrol and ammunition from the heat of the sun. For his own protection, each man had a solar topi. Many African veterans believed these to be essential between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM , although lately there had been a movement in favour of the felt hat.
    A Union Jack was ordered for ceremonial purposes and spare cutlasses in case any officer should lose his own. Meals were to be eaten off folding tables and chairs and the main source of protein was canned beef. Concerned about nutrition, Dr Hanschell took precautions against beriberi by bringing plenty of tinned tomatoes, too. A large number of razor blades were also brought—as much for trading with the Africans as to enable the men to shave each day. A few bicycles were packed—up-to-date models with milometers—and some spare parts. Weapons included shotguns and .303 rifles. Spicer had a Webley revolver. He also took a pair of binoculars—an item that would be associated with him later, when Holo-holo tribesmen made his effigy in clay.
    Unfortunately Spicer forgot to order food stores for Lukuga,↓ which he should have logged with the Director of Naval Victualling.
    ≡ Their destination on the lake, it was later christened Albertville by the Belgians. It is now called Kalemie.
    However, he did remember to pick up a supply of personally monogrammed cigarettes from the Army and Navy Stores. He also had his own supply of sherry and vermouth. To trim his beard, the Commander took along his favourite set of cut-throat razors.
    Tyrer had his cases of Worcester sauce and a liqueur glass from which to drink it.