Description
Object description
British boy seaman trained on HMS Impregnable and at Chatham Barracks, GB, 1914-1917; served aboard HMS Theseus in Mediterranean and Black Sea, 1917-1919; served as storekeeper on HMS Vernon/Warrior at Portsmouth dockyard, 1920-1924
Content description
REEL 1: Background in Brighton and Worthing, 1900-1914: family; reason for joining Royal Navy, 1914; enlistment procedure and medical. Aspects of training as boy seaman on HMS Impregnable in GB, 1914-1917: attitude to naval life and discipline; story of contracting diptheria; opinion of food; sleeping arrangements; opinion of instructors and problem of bullying; story of deserter and punishment; rates of pay; posted to Chatham Barracks for six weeks; description of air raid on Barracks and casualties; description of journey to Crete via Italy; posted to HMS Theseus, 1917. Aspects of operations aboard HMS Theseus in Mediterranean and Black Sea, 1917-1919: role of Theseus in escort duties; description of gunnery training at Whale Island; description of role based at Batoum guarding oil fields in Baku area, Southern Russia, 1918.
REEL 2 Continues: political situation in Russia; living conditions; story of Cossack; question of fraternization with Russian women; story of leave in GB and fishing patrol duties in Scotland, 1919-1920. Aspects of period as storekeeper aboard HMS Vernon/Warrior at Portsmouth, GB, 1920-1924: role as storekeeper and daily duties; messing arrangements; description of HMS Warrior and HMS Vernon and function as international torpedo school; relations with dockyard workers; uniform; problem of rats and cockroaches in stores; question of development of naval technology during war and after; relations with local civilians.
REEL 3 Continues: amusing story of Australian seaman; memory of Invergordon Mutiny; opinion of Aggie Weston's. Aspects of period as seaman with Atlantic Fleet, 1924: post-war popularity of Royal Navy; tobacco and rum ration; question of sodomy in Navy and punishment; reason for having tattoo on arm.