Transcriber’s Note
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MEMORIES
[Portrait by J. C. Beresford.
Lord Fisher, 1917.
Admiral of the Fleet.
MEMORIES
BY
ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET
LORD FISHER
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
MCMXIX
Readers of this book will quickly observe that Admiralof the Fleet Lord Fisher has small faith in the printed word;and those who have enjoyed the privilege of having “hisfist shaken in their faces” will readily admit that theprinted word, though faithfully taken down from his dictation,must lack a large measure of the power—the “aroma,”as he calls it—which his personality lends to his spokenword.
Had Lord Fisher been allowed his own way, there wouldhave been no Book. Not for the first time in his career,the need of serving his country and his country’s Navy hasover-ridden his personal feeling. These “Memories,” therefore,must be regarded as a compromise (“the beastliestword in the English language”—see “The Times” ofSeptember 9th, 1919) between the No-Book of LordFisher’s inclination and the orderly, complete Autobiographywhich the public wishes to possess.
The book consists in the main of the author’s ipsissimaverba, dictated during the month of September, 1919.One or two chapters have been put together from fugitivewritings which Lord Fisher had collected and printed (innoble and eloquently various type) as a gift to his friendsafter his death. The discreeter passages of the letters whichhe wrote to Lord Esher between 1903 and 1912 illustratesome portions of the life’s work which—caring little forthe past and much for the future,1 much for the idea andlittle for the fact—Lord Fisher has successfully declined todescribe in his own words.
Preamble
There is no plan norsequence! Just as thethoughts have arisenso have they beenwritten or dictated! The spokenword has not been amended—betterthe fragrance of thefresh picked flower than tryingto get more scent out of it byadding hot water afterwards!Also it is more life-like tohave the first impulse of theheart than vainly to endeavourafter studied phrases! Perhapsthe only curiosity is that Ibegin my life backwards andleave my birth and being