Description
Object description
British boy seaman and seaman served aboard HMS Empress of India and HMS Benbow, 4th Battle Sqdn in Black Sea and Mediterranean, 1918-1923; seaman served with HMS Pembroke, Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, GB, 1923
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of background in South Shields, GB, 1903-1914: father's service as naval blacksmith; social circumstances. Recollections of period as boy with Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, GB, 1914-1918: stories illustrating inexperience of London; reception; showering; swimming pool; homesickness; washing; preparing beds and method of scrubbing and polishing floors in dormitory; breakfast.
REEL 2 Continues: breakfast; role of 'cooks of mess'; food; morning divisions; education and seamanship classes; work sewing in laundry repair shop; roller skating; dormitories and boot locker; punishments recieved from petty officer boys; instructors' use of 'stonnicky'; punishment for fighting; reaction to discipline; uniform.
REEL 3 Continues: adaptations to uniform, lanyards and caps; question of various types of 'firms' operating aboard ships to supplement pay; tradition of resolving quarrels between boys before going on leave; examples of slang employed amongst boys.
REEL 4 Continues: later examples of slang experienced in Royal Navy; origins of boys. Aspects of training as boy seaman with HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 6/1918-8/1918: gun drill; drill; comparison of mess with Royal Hospital School; method of pointing and grafting hammock lashings; recreational activities; rowing cutters; status as boys from Royal Hospital School; masthead drill. Recollections of period as boy seaman and seaman aboard HMS Empress of India and HMS Benbow, 4th Battle Sqdn in Black Sea and Mediterranean, 1918-1923: preparing merchant ships to carry Russian refugees.
REEL 5 Continues: preparing merchant ships to carry Russian refugees; state of Russian refugees; firing BL 13.5 Naval Guns at Soviet shore battery; construction of refugee camp at Mudros, Lemnos Island, Greece; attitude to operations against Soviet forces; situation during visit to Constantinople, Turkey; question of recreational activities and disciplinary offences during shore leave at Malta; role of Maltese civilian staff including contract for food refuse collection and harbour boats; description of naval regattas including training and method of preparing various classes of boats.
REEL 6 Continues: description of naval regattas including importance of seamens' cutter race and layout of course; competitive nature of naval evolutions including anchor drill and fitting collision mats; reputation for 'spit and polish' aboard HMS Benbow including polishing guns and brasswork, type of polish used and scrubbing decks.
REEL 7 Continues: holystoning decks and care taken in cleaning ship's boats aboard HMS Benbow; description of coaling ship including question of cleaning canvas suits, difficulties getting clean with minimal washing facilities and accidents; painting ship; canteen messing system including food and victualling allowance for purchasing extra food.
REEL 8 Continues: canteen messing system including role of leading seamen of mess in choice of menu, role of 'cooks of mess', method of preparing food for cooking in galley and typical meals; nature of messdeck; preparations for Sunday church service on quarterdeck; role of canteen committees in apportioning expenditures from canteen fund; food storage problems and iron rations.
REEL 9 Continues: iron rations; issue of rum ration and question of extra rations and bartering; duties as boy seamen aboard HMS Emperor of India; training and qualification as acting seaman torpedoman; question of prevalence of homosexuality; status of and relations between various naval branches; mess lifestyle.
REEL 10 Continues: question of gambling; comparison of conditions of service and discipline aboard ship with HMS Pembroke, Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham; nature of discipline; crew morale; role and opinion of ship's regulating personnel; question of inadequacy of pay and clothing allowance.
REEL 11 Continues: financial problems after getting married. Aspects of period as seaman at HMS Pembroke, Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, GB, 1923: opinion of general messing system; running across parade ground, fatigue parties; station cards; efforts of barrack staff to avoid sea going drafts, opinion of barrack guards; nature of inspections prior to going on leave' question of corruption in dealings between catering staff and civilian butcher; tobacco smuggling, recreational and sporting activities; opinion of Salvation Army Rest Homes and Fleet Club during visits to Chatham.
REEL 12 Continues: Reflections on service with Royal Navy: morning divisions and prayers; preparations for Sunday church service on quarterdeck; ships' chapel; opinion of naval chaplains and their welfare role; story of making confession to chaplain; difficulties in maintaining religious lifestyle.