Sacks of West Indian groundnuts

From How the Line Held by J. Enoch Powell, The Spectator 23 January 1993. A book review of The Ben Line, 1825-1982: An Anecdotal History by Michael Strachan.

Book reviews have always been a strength of The Spectator, often with many obscure books beyond the highways of public awareness. This would be one instance. British history is so full of odd connections and interesting knowledge not easily found elsewhere.

In this instance of odd connections, author and reviewer know each other from their shared service in World War II.

Michael Strachan, the brother officer who coached me to drive a 30-cwt-lorry across the North African desert in 1943 and bequeathed his account of the experience to literature, had two peacetime careers – one as the employee, partner and eventually chairman of a Scottish shipping line, the Ben Line, and the other as a historian of early English contacts with India by way of definitive biographies of Coryat and Sir Thomas Roe.

And interesting knowledge not easily found elsewhere.

I am not sure it was wise to dismiss itself as 'anecdotal', enjoyable though it may be to learn that sacks of West Indian groundnuts can be economically stowed

in the evening after the day's work had ended, by steaming full ahead and full astern, to shake them down and make room for more.

How wonderfully Scottish.