Edward Phillips Statham

“ Mistakes may have been made at headquarters, errors in discipline, teaching, and so on, may have crept in on board from time to time. To err is human, and a great administrative department such as the British Admiralty must, of necessity, deal largely in compromises. You cannot find, on this earth, any corporation, institution, or structure which combines the highest degree of excellence in all the attributes which go to make up its composition; and in the conduct of the Britannia there must always have been conflicting elements difficult to reconcile. ”

“ On March 17th, 1897, while both the captain and the wardroom officers were entertaining guests at dinner, a sensational incident occurred. The Britannia, it will be recollected, has a solitary mast; not a large one for a vessel of her size, but sufficiently lofty to be a target for lightning, and provided with the usual copper strip for conductor. While dinner was in progress there was a shock, plainly felt throughout the ship, and a blinding glare, while a tremendous peal of thunder simultaneously resounded overhead ”

“ Another source of regret—entirely sentimental, no doubt; but are not sailors proverbially sentimental?—is the final disappearance of the big ship under a cloud of canvas. Such [Pg 234] a sight as the cadets were called from their studies to witness one day at Portland, when the Revenge, a very handsome two-decker, was beating into the roads; Captain Harris stood on the poop, a veritable sea-dog, and criticised every movement.
A big battleship or cruiser is a fine sight, the embodiment of power and dangerous energy; but she cannot hold a candle to the Revenge as a picture! ”

“ On the whole, all whose opinions are much esteemed are convinced that you have done great good. There is no man in England whose opportunity of doing good to our country for ages to come is greater than yours; and assuredly the Navy is greatly your debtor.
Sir Sydney Dacres, on September 14th, 1862, writes:—
I must write to congratulate you on the success that has attended your exertions in working out such an important change in the education and training of our young gentlemen, as the system pursued in the Illustrious and Britannia most certainly has proved itself to be. ”

“ This question was put, no doubt, on account of the view, expressed by two witnesses, that it was a bad thing to have a training ship, as the boy’s first acquaintance with a captain would place him, to them, in the light of a schoolmaster; but this is surely a fantastic idea, and one which no one who has been through the Britannia would endorse. “The captain” is always a distinct and novel personality to them, while the naval instructor is as distinctly a schoolmaster. ”

“ We are past the Kingswear pontoon before the sails are furled, and we are now steaming up the harbour at our usual breathless speed, at which rate it is not long before we again make fast to the buoy and return on board, most of us having thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, and had our appetites whetted for the good dinner which is awaiting us.
After our meal we do the usual hour and a half’s work, which to-day is mathematics, and then have our dip. F. and I make for the cricket field, and spend a short time playing at the nets, there being no game got up for to-day. ”

“ No murders and horrors—that is not news—but reports of games, racket matches, runs with the beagles, sports of all kinds; authentic reports, where the right fellows win, not the people that the reporters choose to make win the day after. What we want to know and remember is which watch is the strongest, who plays the best hand at rackets, makes the biggest score at cricket, and is in at the kill. ”

“ Moreover, the art of seamanship—i.e. of handling a ship on all occasions to the best advantage—can never become obsolete so long as there are ships afloat; it may change its nature, and the consequent requirements of a good seaman, who is still, however, par excellence, the man who can efficiently manage the ship or boat committed to his charge.
There are some who should know better than “Veritas”—as, for instance, Captain (now Admiral) Fitzgerald—who at this very time complained that seamanship was too much sacrificed in the Britannia to a multiplicity of other subjects. ”

“ The editor gives some fatherly advice to cricket aspirants:
“The practice at the nets is not all that it should be; instead of trying to play with care and learning to defend the wicket, by far the greater number of cadets seem to think it is a good opportunity for a slog. By all means play the ball hard, but it is the ruin of any boy’s cricket when once he begins to slog at everything in practice.” ”

“ An average of over 11 runs an over; rather demoralising for the bowlers!
Well, this delightful afternoon is over, all too soon; “time” is called all round, and soon there is a general exodus from the fields, cadets and officers streaming off in groups down the steps, discussing the play in enthusiastic fashion; and so off to the ship, happy and hungry, in spite of the “stodge” in the pavilion.
During a first eleven match this season a curious misunderstanding occurred. It was a “full strength” game, and Britannia, going in first, scored freely, declaring at 244 for eight wickets. ”

“ The cadets going on leave took their departure before dinner, rowing ashore to the platform abreast of the Britannia, where trains stop by special order.
I have arranged to walk over to Stoke Fleming this afternoon with F., and accordingly we start as soon as we can land after dinner. We take it easy, so it is an hour before we arrive at our destination. The road leads across the hills at the back of Dartmouth towards the open sea, which here breaks at the foot of steep and high cliffs. We are each provided with a book, and finding a shady place on the cliffs, we have a rest and a read. ”

“ Captain Digby would be considered by those who knew him to be an ideal commander for an institution like the Britannia. Of a most agreeable personality, combining great kindliness with the capacity for a due amount of severity if needed, he appeared to be cut out for the work; and yet it was his lot to bring to light a rascally sort of bullying which had, as he himself admits, been going on for a long time, and to be made the object of repeated attacks in the columns of the Times ”

“ The Navy being the right arm of our national defence, it will be satisfactory to those who take an interest in the welfare and efficiency of the young officers who are in future to command our ships and fleets, to be enabled to form some correct idea as to what extent the cadets sent out from the training ship since her first establishment have maintained the classification assigned them on leaving—that is, whether on passing their examinations for sub-lieutenant they have or have not kept the position they were considered to merit, as indicated by the certificates originally awarded them. ”

“ It is now time to take leave of the Britannia. Her story has been followed pretty closely for 46 years, from the day on which Captain Harris received his first batch of cadets on board the Illustrious; and it is hoped that the life on board and the various vicissitudes of the ship under successive administrations have been described with sufficient accuracy to give a true picture of this institution—an institution which has had a bearing and influence upon the efficiency of the [Pg 241] Navy during all these years, the importance of which can scarcely be overrated. ”

“ Lord is the Britannia professional, a left-hander, and an artful dodger in the matter of an unexpected “break back.”
Britannia’s score was 101 at the fall of the eighth wicket; Cadet Whetham was bowled first ball—six runs still wanted when Glasgow came in. He had taken six wickets, and now he came to the rescue with the bat, and he and Mr. Royse, the chaplain, won the match by steady play at a critical moment.
To a lover of beautiful scenery and keen cricket, it would be difficult to find a more attractive spot than the Britannia cricket grounds on a fine half holiday. ”

“ The Britannia was, as has been stated, fully rigged in those days; and the cadets were allowed, and encouraged, to go aloft at all times: the “cheeky new fellows,” indeed, had to go over the topmast head every morning, nolens volens.
In summer there were always a number of lads climbing about on the mainmast and mizenmast, and the more active and venturesome used to compete with one another in the performance of sundry more or less dangerous feats. One cadet endeavoured to immortalise himself by coming down over the “futtocks” with one arm and one leg. ”

“ A little practice is worth a ton of precept, and when the lads find that the lieutenant who inspects them at divisions, the instructor who teaches them spherical trigonometry, the doctor who physics them in the sick bay, or the paymaster who sends in the account to their parents are well able to take a bat and show them how to play a fast “yorker,” or bowl them with a “break-back” on occasions, there is sure to be a far keener spirit about cricket than if they were left to themselves. ”

“ The chief of the staff has to keep the cadets’ defaulters books, see all punishments on board properly carried out, take charge of the sleeping decks, messroom, servants’ mess place, and to see that the cadets’ servants are clean and tidy and perform their duties properly; and is, altogether, a sort of sub-executive officer, and no doubt invaluable to the commander. ”

“ Suffice it to say, that it has always been condemned by a number of officers whose opinion should carry weight, as men who have devoted their lives to the study of the efficiency of the Service, and how best to ensure it; and if their opponents seek to convince them by pointing to results, it is certainly within their right to maintain that these might have been better without limited competition. ”

“ It is an extraordinary thing that if you have a man to run for you, you are almost certain to be run out. He may have the very best intentions, and be a perfect sprinter between the wickets; no matter, he is sure to be out of his ground when the wicket goes down.
In a match against the Engineer students in July, 1885, each played rather a remarkable innings. Britannia went in first, and only scored 80, of which the “pro” made just three-fourths, leaving an average of two runs apiece among the remainder of the eleven. ”

“ They consider that the hours of study are by no means excessive, but they recommend that the midday interval for dinner, etc., be increased from fifty minutes to an hour and a quarter at least in summer, as it is injurious to proceed to study so soon after a full meal. They consider that the brains of the cadets are overtaxed more by the number of subjects than by the length of hours, and recommend the abolition of the following subjects of examination: Grammar, literature, history, Scripture history, physical geography, physics, and the introduction of Latin. ”

“ Under the head of Suggestions, they are bold enough to advocate the abolition of nominations, which they think place artificial difficulties in the way of getting into the Navy; and they suggest that the first test should be the lower certificate of the Oxford and Cambridge Local boards, at about the age of 15, with a further examination at 16 by the Civil Service Commissioners, after which the cadet should have one year’s training in practical navigation and seamanship, in a stationary ship or a college. ”

“ It is obvious that if a stationary ship, instead of a college, is used, she must be so placed that easy communication with the shore is never interrupted by weather.
And then the brigs. Why brigs? Why not a steam vessel, larger and more commodious than the Wave, and fully rigged? She would be able to sail in and out of Dartmouth sometimes, when there happened to be a “soldier’s wind”—by [Pg 142] no means unfrequent there—and at other times there is the screw to fall back upon. ”

“ He has, furthermore, the responsibility of seeing that only third and fourth term cadets use the sailing cutters, that they do not go out in squally weather, and that they are recalled if it turn out squally afterwards. In a landlocked harbour such as Dartmouth very fierce squalls may come down if the wind rises suddenly.
The cadet captains and chief captains have to assist their superiors in maintaining discipline; as the difference in age is not great, it has always been a somewhat difficult matter to get them to do their duty, especially if it entails reporting another cadet. ”

“ Britannia Magazine evidently considers that there is too little looking on and too much dissipation in the way of dancing and attending to fair guests.
The regatta of 1886 was held on a very bad day, the rain coming down heavily towards the end. The editorial remarks are a little bitter:—
“It is hoped that the next time the officers will have an opportunity of seeing some of the races, as they are naturally interested in the performances of the cadets. As at present arranged, we think that their hospitality to their many visitors must make them utterly unable to see a single race.” ”

“ Let us see, then, what were the conditions under which a lad could enter the Navy, in the executive branch, in the eighteenth century.
The method—if method it can be called—was grotesquely haphazard; and the only marvel is that it produced so many good officers and seamen: men who could take their ships anywhere, and win against odds when they got there. Indeed, it was the men who were feared by our enemies ”

“ This is rather hard work while the ship is moving, when you are not accustomed to it, but doubtless will come easy in time. And now we are sent aloft to shake the reef out of the top-sails; this is the work of two or three minutes only, and we proceed towards the harbour mouth with increased speed. The wind is freshening, but the motion is not felt so much now that it is dead aft. While we are passing between the old castles of Kingswear and Dartmouth we go aloft to take in the sails. I am not on the yardarm this time, but next to it. ”

“ Whatever may be the views held by various officers and others as to the advisability of using a stationary ship in preference to a college—and they are many and diverse, as we have seen—there can be but one opinion as to the high state of perfection which has been attained in the Britannia, whether from a sanitary, a disciplinary, or an educational point of view. ”