Tattooing has a long and abiding association with seamen. The image of the sailor, his arms bedecked with anchors, swallows and rigged ships, 'Hold Fast' across his knuckles, seem to be so commonplace and symbolically obvious as to not be worthy of further comment.
In this episode, we talk to Sarah Weston. Having undertaken a comprehensive study of the entire crew of HMS Invincible, sunk at the battle of Jutland in 1916, Sarah has recorded the tattoos of each and every sailor and, in doing so, has uncovered a world of complex and unexpected imagery.
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