Many books of quotations include a caustic quote attributed to Winston Churchill (1874-1965) in which he supposedly called British naval tradition nothing but “rum, sodomy, and the lash.” (Sometimes given as “rum, buggery and the lash,” using the old British slang term “buggery” to refer to homosexual sex.)
The earliest source commonly cited for this quip is the diary of former British diplomat, politician and author Harold Nicolson (1886-1968).
The British Navy was said to have traditions as well:
In a diary entry dated August 17, 1950, Nicolson recorded some anecdotes about Churchill.
One involves a version of the “rum, sodomy, and the lash” quote.
But the version Nicolson wrote about that day included “prayers” in the litany. His diary entry says:
…when Winston was at the Admiralty, the Board objected to some suggestion of his on the grounds that it would not be in accord with naval tradition. ‘Naval tradition? Naval tradition?’ said Winston. ‘Monstrous. Nothing but rum, sodomy, prayers and the lash.’
This is why some books of quotations give the alleged Churchill quote as “rum, sodomy, prayers and the lash.