If you’ve experienced it yourself it’s easy to imagine the excitement that accompanied William Henry (Harry) Brown as he entered the foreboding portals of  the Gravesend Sea School. Excitement tempered with a fair dose of apprehension over what lay ahead of him.

Like any growing  lad his main thoughts would be on what the catering arrangements were, and how much his survival would rely on food parcels from home. Thanks to his devoted mother he survived the course and thanks again to her we have a record of some of Harry’s days in training.

She carefully preserved his letters and thanks again to his son Mike who sent me copies, I am able to copy at least one in full. Unfortunately they did not copy  too well through the computer because the handwriting is excellent.

The  River Thames at that time would have been seething with activity as buys tugs nuzzled the great ocean liners of the day in and out of Tilbury Docks. The sounds of ships sirens would be heard throughout the night as Harry and his fellow trainees lay listening to them and dreaming of far away exotic places.

Even the sight of Liners, cargo ships, tugs and barges would add incentive to survive and pass the training course and feel the throbbing decks beneath their feet.

In the meantime Harry was discovering that while food was provided in training, there was never enough of it. In one of his letters home he writes;

Dear  Mother,

In reply to your letter I received your most welcome parcel last night and was very glad to get it. Thank you very much for the shirt is come very handy. The khaki shirt that I brought down with me is broke down the back but I think I can sew it up.When I got the cakes the gang nearly went mad. On Friday night I went out and bought some polonies and pies and tin of salmon. Then we went in and mixed it all up and had a good feast between us. We had salmon, polonies, pies broth and bread and dripping and coffee. The chief boy in the galley by the name of Jimmy Brice is a great friend of ours and we get plenty of spare grub (Thank The Lord for small Mercies)

I’m keeping the cakes for Sunday teatime. The apples went down fine you bet.

I’ve passed the signal class, and knots and splices and Boat Pulling class. Next week I’m going aboard the T.S Triton for three weeks so Sunday night will be my last night out for three weeks. But by the talk it’s much better over there. You get better grub and an easy time, so I’m glad I’m going over there.

Just write the same address as before because they send over the boat. There have been some fine fun in the school this week. On Wednesday one of the stewards was

expelled for stealing a blanket from the Triton. He treid to sell it in town but he was caught. This morning one of the lads ran away to try and get home. He only lives in London so he’ll get home alright. Don’t think it’s hard down here. It isn’t.

It’s fine only some boys are soft they can’t stick it. Don’t make a row about my money. It’s all the more put away for me. I’ll explain later.

I had a shilling from Margorie today.

            Ever Yours              Harry              write soon

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the above letter we can see that Harry was well into his period of training which I think was three months at the time for ‘Deckies’.

It has been quite some experience typing out a copy of Harry’s letter written twenty years before I attended the GSS. For a little while I was back there with Harry reliving a most memorable expeience.

Harry spent almost a month on the Triton , which Mike tells me was described as the prettiest ship in Victoria’s Navy.

Built in Poplar, London in 1882 as a Marine Research vessel she spent time in the Pacific before being withdrawn from service in the 1900’s.

She then became a Harbour Guard ship during the war years 1914-1918 and was then loaned to the Gravesend Sea School for additional training facilities.

She was later taken back and used as a Docker’s canteen before finally being scrapped in Belgium in the 1960’s.

Mike tells me the figurehead vanished some years before she was scrapped and wonders where it is now.

What a treat if we could track it down.

Further extracts will appear from Harry’s letters later.

Gordon Tumber