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Description: | British stoker served aboard HMS Hannibal and HMS Colossus with Home Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1911-1918
REEL 1 Background in Devonport, 1894-1910: newspaper round; work with corn and forage merchant; family circumstances. Aspects of volunteering as stoker to join Royal Navy, 1910: prior education; question of educational classes in Royal Navy.
REEL 2 Continues: subsequent role as assistant schoolmaster giving literacy and numeracy classes. Recollections of training as stoker at Devonport Barracks, 1910: recruit situation; barrack accommodation; cooks of mess and food rations; reactions to subsequent introduction of general messing, 1922; kit; rifle training; lectures aboard HMS Phaeton.
REEL 3 Continues: cook of mess; practical boiler training aboard HMS Andromeda and Amphitrite including organisation of stokers, instructions from engine room via Kilroy clock, specialist tools, ash ejectors and expellers, method of cleaning boilers and use of coal skids; coaling ship including methods employed and commonplace accidents.
REEL 4 Continues: coaling ship including comparison of coaling from collier and dockside, subsequent cleaning ship, role of stokers levelling bunkers, difficulty in coaling HMS Hannibal in comparison to HMS Colossus, question of coaling destroyers, wearing fearnaught uniform; effects of introduction of oil fuel; qualification as 2nd class stoker; courses in evaporators, generators and hydraulics; status of stokers in comparison to seamen; status of engineer officers; question of restrictions on stokers on upper deck. Recollections of period as stoker aboard HMS Hannibal and HMS Colossus with Home Fleet, 1911-1914: story illustrating inflexible discipline.
REEL 5 Continues: 'spit and polish'; length of notice required to raise steam; question of influences on crew morale; commissioning and acceptance sea trials aboard HMS Colossus; sporting activities; naval regattas including selection of cutter crew, training, nature of race day and different classes of races.
REEL 6 Continues: naval regattas including different crews involved; visitors to ship and visits ashore whilst 'showing the flag' on south coast. Periods in Devonport Barracks, 1910-1932: question of trouble and recreations during visits to Devonport; visits to Aggie Weston's Sailors Rest Home; routine duties; discipline; inspection before being allowed to leave barracks.
REEL 7 Recollections of period as stoker aboard HMS Colossus, 1st Battle Squadron, Grand Fleet, 1914-1918: preparations for mobilisation and move to Scapa Flow, 7/1914; anti submarine booms across Scapa entrances; aftermath of explosion of HMS Natal at Cromarty; wartime changes in watch system; importance of keeping steam up in all boilers; question of 'spit and polish'; chipping off paint as fire precaution; increase in ship's complement; different origins of ratings; opinion of conscripts and hostilities only ratings. Recollections of Battle of Jutland, 31/5/1916-1/5/1916: fire resulting from hit from 11" shell; duties with fire parties repairing burst water main and using hoses.
REEL 8 Continues: subsequent visit to HMS Tiger and view of damage; opinion of fleet tactics. Effects of marriage on naval service, c1918-1924: story of meeting future wife; improvements in pay and conditions, c1920; question of maintaining relationship with children; increased parental role of mother. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Lance, David G | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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