Heron, Albert Arthur (Oral history)

British boy seaman trained aboard HMS Impregnable at Devonport, GB, 1918-1919; served aboard HMS Carlisle, Light Cruiser Squadron on China station, 1919-1920

REEL 1 Recollections of background in London, 1905-1918: social circumstances; educations; work in sausage factory. Recollections of enlistment as boy seaman into Royal Navy at Recruitment Office, Whitehall, London, 1918: reasons; reaction of mother and employer; tests; terms of service; question of nature of service in navy; civilian attitude to sailors. Recollections of conditions of service, lifestyle and daily routine during training aboard HMS Impregnable at Devonport, 6/1918-1/1919: first impressions and reception; hulks used as training ships. REEL 2 Continues: interview with captain; dental and medical inspections; interview with padre and warning against homosexual acts; naval jargon; interview with master at arms; removal of personal possessions; baths and inspection for lice. REEL 3 Continues: issue of uniform and removal of civilian clothes; supper; hammocks and punishment of men wetting themselves; latrines; swimming instruction and compulsory use of breaststroke; issue of uniforms; improvements to uniform. REEL 4 Continues: uniforms; nature of messdeck accommodation and furniture; kitbag storage and security; role of cooks of mess; reveille and morning routine; method of holystoning decks; climbing rigging over masthead; breakfast arrangements. REEL 5 Continues: breakfast arrangements and subsequent cleaning up; role and status of instructor boys including their activities selling cigarettes smuggled aboard ship; brasswork polishing and stowing cleaning equipment; cursory nature of morning medical inspection. REEL 6 Continues: cursory nature of morning medical inspection; divisional parade inspections and prayers; cleaning ship on Saturdays; method of avoiding Sunday service; use of bugles and pipes to give orders; seamanship instruction classes and question of relevance for service aboard modern warship; education classes. REEL 7 Continues: question of educational standards and rejection of advanced course to qualify as signal boy; quality of food at dinner and tea; washing and drying uniform and hammocks; airing bedding; maintenance of hammock ropes; labelling uniform; make and mend sessions. REEL 8 Continues: recreations and games played; writing letters to parents; brushing teeth; lights out; nature of disciplinary offences and punishments including caning. REEL 9 Continues: nature of disciplinary offences and punishments; role of instructor boys, sentries, naval police, officers and petty officers in maintaining discipline; background to strict reputation of gunnery instructors; suspension of ship routine during outbreak of influenza and burial of fatalities. REEL 10 Continues: Recollections of service as boy seaman aboard HMS Carlisle based at Hong Kong on China Station, 2/1919-12/1920: taking over ship on commissioning at Devonport, 2/1919; question of post-war state of morale amongst hostilities only and regular ratings; question of nature of relationship between boys and older seamen 'wingers' with illustration of possible homosexual overtones; question of prevalence and punishment of homosexual relationships; role on crew of captain's galley. REEL 11 Continues: special attention paid to appearance of captain's galley and crew; cleaning ship and erecting quarter deck awning on ceremonial visits 'showing the flag' in Chinese ports; question of level of 'spit and polish'; anti-piracy patrols and story of stopping junk; naval regattas including importance, selection and training of crews. REEL 12 Continues: naval regattas including practice, preparation of boats, different boat crews entered, prior anticipation, nature of races, award of cock trophy to winning ship and subsequent celebrations; adaptations to counter cold during visit to sign peace treaty at Vladivostok, Soviet Union; discipline; role of chief boatswain's mate in running ship and maintaining crew morale. REEL 13 Continues: role of master at arms, petty officers and officers in maintaining crew morale; tropical uniforms and replacements from local Chinese tailors; favourable exchange rates and pay rise; superiority of replacement uniforms supplied by Chinese tailors; tropical shorts and singlets; daily routine of cleaning ship and repairs; washing paint work. REEL 14 Continues: practice in operating Kelvin sounding machine; voluntary educational classes and question of value of certificates; religious services; opinion of padre; boys mess accommodation; sleeping on upper deck; nature of mess accommodation including status as new ordinary seaman, furniture, utensils and personal possessions stored in ditty box; question of stealing. REEL 15 Continues: recreations and crown and anchor games; quiet recreation space; question of control of lower deck 'firms' providing services; 'dhobying' laundry firms; food rations supplemented from ship's canteen; role of leading seaman in determining mess daily menu. REEL 16 Continues: role of leading seaman in paying and dividing mess canteen bills; role of cooks of mess in cleaning mess and method of preparing various meals for cooking; supply of vegetables; emergency rations; supper and breakfast. REEL 17 Continues: breakfast; personal purchases from canteen; tea; fruit; comparison of canteen and general messing systems; operation of ship's canteen supervised by canteen committee; question of fiddles over mess bills operated by leading seamen; issue of rum ration. REEL 18 Continues: question of seamen exchanging rum for services; nature of discipline; role and varying attitudes of master-at-arms and naval police; changing attitude towards overseas commissions after marriage; shore leave in Hong Kong including sailors' rest homes, encouragement to sleep aboard ship, frequency of leave and favourable exchange rates. REEL 19 Continues: Period in Victory, Barracks, Portsmouth, 1921: daily routine; cleaning duties; transient nature of personnel; nature of discipline; strict attitude to kit and uniform inspections; food and general messing system; permanent shore personnel; question of bribery; visiting pubs and activities of prostitutes. REEL 20 Continues: visiting pubs and activities of prostitutes; nature of dance halls; naval patrols; sailors' rest homes including Aggie Weston's; opinion of Devonport and Chatham; relationship between sailors from different home ports; question of adequacy of pay, loans and borrowing; 'The Fleet' newspaper; role of Royal Naval Benevolent Fund.