80 'DTS' (Jan 1960)

Royale's trio of British sailors from Navy Romeo 1960

These three British sailors were showcased in Royale's 'DTS' set.
They were genuine members of the Royal Navy. 

 

DTS is not a storyette, but consists of the three men posing as a group, in full uniform or topless (as above). It's a unique set, a departure from the usual Royale practice of producing solo sets of individual models. Royale don't reveal what DTS stands for in their catalogue description, they sometimes used the models initials and that may be the case here (see below). The set simply seems to be a homage to Sailors in their uniforms, which we know Clavering was attracted to, so 'Dressing the Sailors' seems as likely a title as any other, especially when you take into account that Royale made special, tight-fitting bell-bottoms for the models to wear.

 

DTS was published (in Jan 1960) alongside and intended to complement Navy Romeo 2, in which these three also appeared together. The names given to them were (L to R) Ted, Tom and Spike. However, I have suggested in my article about the Navy Romeo cast ID's that Ted's real name might have been Dennis, hence the 'D' in DTS, Dennis-Tom-Spike.

 Different model names were published in Man Alive 07 in October 1959 (three months before the set's appearance in the Royale Catalogue). It was part of an article about the Royal Tournament, Gun Race in which these three had all participated as team members. The names given there were George Compton, Tom Harding and Harry Millican. (I have attempted to reconcile the convoluted track of these alternative names in Navy Romeo Identities).

 

See the 'DTS' set
The archive collection has 5 of the advertised 20 pictures.