Tristan Jones
 

Supporters and Detractors (oh ye of little faith....)

Read Dalton's book. I am the earliest contact he could find - sailed
aboard "Cresswell" in the 60's and kept in contact with Arthur until
mid 80's.

I tried to interject some real fact into the old Tristan Jones message
board before it deteriorated into childish nonsense.

I pointed out that I was with Arthur when several things happened that
appeared in his books. Sure, places and contexts were changed but
those events happened.

In the end it seemed an adventurer and great storyteller was lost to
humankind. Most of all I was sorry for those who'd been shown a great
example of how to live - dangerously, on the edge - and who'd sailed
off or named their kids after Arthur (Tristan).

I'm writing now because I came across a reference recently that
relates to Arthur's birth. Way back before I ever put the idea of
writing in his head he used to speak of being born at sea on his
father's ship - hence the location/adopted name Tristan. That appears
in his books somewhere. He also spoke of being welcomed in Spain as
"son of Potato Jones".

Now I don't remember Anthony Dalton mentioning this in his "discovery"
of ******* virgin birth to a poor Welsh girl, but I quote from:

"Freedom's Battle Volume 1 - The War at Sea 1939-1945",

Ed John Wilson,
Foreword / Intro Earl Mountbatten, Peter Padfield.
Republished 2007 Vintage Books
ISBN 9781845950828

Page 44: Dunkirk June 1944:

"As with the boats, so with the crews. The rich and the famous, the
poor and the unknown, as motley a bunch as ever set sail made up this
mercy fleet......... Capt. "Potato Jones", 67 year old skipper of the
"Marie llewellyn" famed for running Franco's blockade through the
Spanish Civil War".

Now Arthur referred to and was was proud of his alleged father for
that. Did Anthony D research sufficiently vigorously to identify and
follow through and find out if a boy was born on that ship in the
South Atlantic? Not as I recall.

As I say above, I knew several of the incidents from his books did
happen, I was with him. Many didn't; there was not and he never
mentioned having had 3 legged Nelson.He didn't throw the fire pump
engine over the side before the Channel Isles - I had to work on the
bloody thing.....

We live in a time when great men are torn down by midgets for a few
pieces of silver;

Laurens van der Post has been shown not to have been cared for by a
San woman and to have little to do with the Bushmen he wrote about -
and he was mentor to Prince Charles, a close friend of the Royal
Family and inspired many with wise philosophies.

Burton the adventurer, Byron and even Joshua Slocum - beloved of all
who go to sea - have been proved to "have vivid imaginations" and
write good tales rather than total truths.

That's the secret. If readers didn't detect the obvious - and probably
deliberate - inconsistencies in Arthur's books they have no grounds
for complaining.

Besides which, it was the publisher who categorised the books non-
fiction.....and who cares.

Well, I do. Dalton has lost mankind a great example, who inspired
thousands despite his faults as a human being.

Ye who live in glass houses ; perhaps that should be who sail
tupperware boats.....?

Anyone want to follow up and unveil the failings and lack of
sufficiently vigorous research in Dalton's book/s? Too many have
accepted as fact what may be no more factual than Arthur's books.

Tristan Jones
 

We live in a time when great men are torn down by midgets for a few
pieces of silver;