Fresh RAF reconnaissance photographs reached Illustrious after a Swordfish had waited at Malta for about 24 hours. The joking account of Charles Lamb's errand includes potatoes acquired at Malta, efforts to obtain the photographs from another service, and Admiral Lister's arrangement for expenses through his staff officer. The humour depends on the gap between formal naval records and the less tidy conduct recalled by participants. Personal accounts can preserve details of how an operation worked that official, vetted reports leave out.
Notable Point · 2:25-4:01
Charles Lamb's reconnaissance errand and unofficial wartime history
The delivery of fresh RAF photographs leads into a comparison between official naval records and participants' accounts of how wartime tasks were accomplished.