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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Bob Begin starts his talk by telling the audience that if the mutiny hadn’t occurred, no one would ever have heard of The Bounty, which is an accurate, albeit humorous way to start off an entire lecture on the subject. On Wednesday, April 26, Begin recounted the events leading up to the mutiny at the Walpole Public Library. Despite being perhaps the most famous mutiny in maritime history, specifics regarding the event are not necessarily known by the general population.
Begin spent many years in the publishing and film industries before leaving due to economic discord. Whatever his career has been since then, he has maintained a love for naval history. He also gives talks on the USS Quincy and the USS Constitution, as well as others.
In regards to the Bounty, Begin began by telling the audience that they would know why the mutiny happened after his lecture. The Bounty was a Royal Navy ship on a mission to an exotic island, Tahiti. “What you have to understand is that the British Navy was like Google, it was like Amazon,” Begin explained. “It was unprecedented in its time.” In addition to being unprecedented, it was similar to Amazon or Google in its widespread infiltration of the world. This particular ship was bringing back breadfruit plants – not a particularly exciting or unusual journey, which accounts of the reason this ship would never have been discussed if it weren’t for the mutiny.
The Captain, William Bligh, was considered a harsh disciplinarian, however not as bad as some of his peers. The crew, all volunteers, looked forward to Tahiti after hearing tales of enchanting women, and a comparably easy assignment. The mutiny took place after the men became less and less disciplined, living for five months in Tahiti.
The most incredible part of the story is that Bligh, after being forced from the ship and set adrift with 18 loyalists, managed to make it back to England, where he brought justice to the mutineers. If it weren’t true, it would be unbelievable.
Begin’s passion for this topic and his use of primary sources made for an engaging and lively lecture on an improbable and mesmerizing topic.
