"My life as a Sailor Boy"

J G TEDHAM RN

I was born in the little village of Udimore, afew miles inland, only going to the seaside when my parents took me, or with the Sunday School treat. I was named after a famous General, whom I have been told, went to war with a Bible and Prayer book.
Although being named after so good a General I did not follow in his footsteps as a soldier, but at the age of 15 years, I tramped to the little village of Winchelsea, there to enlist as a sailor, but failed to do so. They informed me my speech would improve as I grew older and advised me to return home and go through a course of dum-bell drill and try again at some future date. I returned home and did as advised, going through a course of drill every night before going to bed.

In the meantime, my chum hearing I was going for a sailor decided he would come too, so after a while we went again to Winchelsea to try and pass the test. My chum was successful - there was still a doubt about me, but in the end I was accepted as a special entry much to our joy. Thinking we should be going together we returned home quite pleased with ourselves as they informed us we should be hearing from them at an early date.

During the week I recieved a letter and besides my address were the letters O.H.M.S. I was pleased with this and could almost feel the roll of the ship. This letter told us to be at the station at 9a.m. on a certain date. So rising quite early that morning to be quite sure not to be late we arrived at the appointed time, there being met by the Chief Officer of the Coastguard giving us our instructions of what to do when we arrived at our destination. We were to get out of the train and hold the envelope he had given us so it could easily be seen by the officer who was to meet us, but to our disappointment we were not going together. My chum was going to Chatham and me to Portsmouth.

Taking my seat beside the window so as to be quite sure to get out at the right station, having only travelled a short distance in a train before. This seemed ever so long a journey to me. we passsed station after station and I began to winder when we would getto our journeys end when the train pulled up I could see 'PO' on the station sign. Being very pleased to have got to my journeys end I jumped out of the Train holding the envelope so it could be seen by everybody. No-one took any notice of me till the train got in motion when a porter said "where to sonny" I showed him the envelope, he said "jump in again, you have a long way to go yet, this is POLGATE." I again took my seat beside the window. We again passed station after station. The train pulled up again, this time there could be no mistake for the sign was PORTSMOUTH TOWN STATION in letters as big as I was.

Jumping out of the train I walked up and down the platform holding the envelope so it could be seen but no-one took notice of me. After a while I strolled out into the town to see if I could find my way. I enquired from one and the other, but the only information I could get was to follow the tram lines. The trams were then drawn by horses. I saw a lot of sailors with happy faces and wished I could have felt the same but that was not my lot.

After following the tram lines in and out of the streets darkness set in and I felt more lonely than ever. At 10p.m. I stood on the steps of the Town Hall looking up at the clock deciding what to do. It was blowing and raining ever so hard and very cold. Not having any railway fare I decided to walk back home but which direction to take I did not know, so I took the one I thought pointed homewards.

After walking a little way I came across a red building, it was the Fire and Police Station. Being tired and lonely I went in. A Police officer asked me what I wanted, I told him I wanted to find H.M.S. St Vincent. He told me to sit on a wooden stool and he would see me presently. He then went into another room with some more police officers who were having something to eat and drink. They all seemed so happy and yet me so sad.

After a while a big policeman said come along sonny and he walked so fast I had to run to keep up with him. Having gone a long distance and nearly out of breath, we came to the sea shore. He told me wait abit,then went into a police house to see if he could find someone to take charge of me, shortly he came out with a naval police officer who said he had been looking for me all day and as I did not turn up on the train I was expected, he did not wait any further. It was then that I discovered instead of getting out at PORTSMOUTH TOWN STATION, I ought to have gone on to PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR STATION.

After waiting on the sea shore some time I saw a light on the cold waters and heard splash, splash, this was the oars of the boat coming to fetch us. It was manned by boys from the training ship. On taking a seat beside them they told me not to join. After some time rowing we found ourselves along side H.M.S. St Vincent. Climbing the ladder I found myself on board ship for the first time in my life.

The time now being 11p.m., I was met by the Master at Arms or Chief of Police who spoke to me unkindly.

 

He said, they had been looking for me all day and would see the Captain in the morning to see if could not have a birching. I found it hard to speak as it was, but at this my speach seemed to leave me altogether. I wondered if I should ever speak again. A boy was told to sling a hammock up for me. He then told me to get hold of the two hooks and spring in. I got hold of the two hooks but instead of springing in I sprang clean out, coming down on alot of rifles in a rack. After that he helped me in, asking God to look after me I cried myself off to sleep.

Being awoken the next morning byby the shrill blowing of whistles to the tune of turn out, lash up and stow hammocks.
This I did not know how to do, so a boy seeing my plight came and helped me pointing to a bare wooden table told me I should get my breakfast there. I went over to this table and not knowing anyone I felt like a lost sheep on the mountain side. After a while the boys placed basins on the table and filled them with cocoa, they then cut lumps of bread and fat pork. This was the menu for breakfast and not liking fat pork I had to be content with dry bread. Having this meal the boys all told me not to join and to be colour blind when I went before the doctor for my medical examination.

The next moring I went for my exam, but when it came to colours I said green instead of red, and when they held up red I said green, I was supposed to be colour blind. I was told to go next mornng, but still I failed colours, the doctors talked between themselves and then said they thought I wasshamming, and if I did not say my colours correctly they would see if I' couldn't have a birching. This took all my blindness away, and I said the colours correctly.

For dinner we had two spuds and a piece of meat, at 4pm we had tea, they filled basins with some stuff they called plue, tea with no milk or sugar, then cut out lumps of bread. I sit waiting when a boy asked me if I did not want it, I said I had nothing to eat with it, he said that was all I should get unless I went to the canteen and bought a pennyworth of jam. I had no money but I had a stamp to write home with, so I took the stamp in payment for the jam. The man dipped a wooden spoon into a jar and smeared some jam onto a piece of newspaper, when I got back the boy wanted a taste so I was not much better off.

The next morning I had to go to the hospital, my speach being so bad. The chief of staff asked me if I would like to go home again, I said yes, thinking I was going home. We returned to the ship and I was put under the charge of a soldier. This seemed very strange to me, this soldier was the marine barbar who cut my hair off so close to my head that I could hardly recognise myself in the glass.

We went up some iron steps into a bathroom with a cement floor and rusty iron baths situated around and the wind blowing in enough to sail a windmill. Having my hair cut short, the only conclusion I could come to I was going to prision. I was told to undress and jump into the bath, but no sooner in than I was out, the water was icey cold but I have to have a bath all the same. After this I find myself at the tailors shop and am soon in the uniform of a sailor boy, next morning I was up when it was still dark, scrubbing decks and over the mast head before breakfast, with no shoes or stockings on. Having had breakfast, but still hungry, we start our instructions for a second class boy. Our wages were sixpence per week, but if you were any plates or basins short, then you got nothing, which was often the case. I found there was quite a lot to learn to be a sailor, bag and hammock, compass, knots and splices, bends and hitches, compass and helm brig model, lead and line, and learning all the names and uses of the ropes in a sailing ship.

Having passed these instructions you are rated a First Class boy and wages go up to One shilling per week, providing plates and basins came up to muster. If not, you drop back to nothing until they are paid for. Having learnt all this aboard a stationary ship, we now go to sea in a sailing ship, H.M.S. MARTIN.