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Date Posted: 03:29:21 05/05/01 Sat
Author: Albert Spavins
Subject: Re: T.S.Indefatigable
In reply to: Derek Evans 's message, "T.S.Indefatigable" on 12:59:24 01/20/01 Sat

I joined the Indefatigable in 1942. There were 169 boys in the company at the time. My number was 167. It was a number that I never forgot just as I was never able to dismiss from my mind my army number.
There were two watches and four divisions. The second and fourth divisions were in the Port Watch and the other two in the Starboard Watch. The fourth division was the Cock Division because of winning the Annual Sports Day events.
The ships company consisted of boys from the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society, various homes for uncontrollable boys and those who like myself were paid for by their fathers.
The ages of the boys varied from 13 to 17.
There was a great deal of bullying and violence among the boys.
I vividly remember my first night with the company.(The ship had been evacuated from Rock Ferry Birkenhead to Clawd Newydd in Denbighshire, near Ruthin, in N.Wales.) In my division, the fourth, the first thing the boy chief petty officer , by the name of TWIST wanted to know if I could fight. Knowing very well that if I refused to fight I would be kicked around by everybody I fought. My chosen opponent was a red headed boy called Adams. I gave a reasonable account of myself and was left alone after that.
There was also homosexuality among some of the company. Larger boys tended to bully smaller boys into being their victims.
I made friends with boys of my own age and size and we found that by joining with each other against the bullies we were left alone.
The food was awful by any standards but we all seemed to thrive and when I went home on leave people commented on how well I looked. For breakfast we had something that was supposed to be porridge. We called it BURGOO. The description was more accurate. A great treat was a slice of bread dipped in fat.
Almost everyone smoked. Some boys bought cigarettes and sold them for a penny each.
I got parcels from home on a fairly regular basis and my friends looked forward to me recieving them almost as much as myself.
In the mornings we attended school for academic subjects which included among other things English, Mathematics,History,Geography, Geometry and Trigonometry. Trig was important for those who intended to take up navigation at a later date.
Our instructors were extremely competent and conveyed their love of learning in their teaching methods.
After dinner we did seamanship and knots and splices and recognition of masthead lights. Semaphore was another skill taught.
Once a week, by division, we marched five miles to the nearest lake for sailing and longboat rowing. Since I was small for my age I found it extremely difficult to manage the heavy oars.
As winter approached we were moved from our huts into the heated schoolroom. Double tiered bunks were set up for us.
It was warm and snug and I remember I found it very pleasant after the cold huts.
In spring and summer each week we had to scrub wooden floors with huge cobs of sunlight soap and jars of disinfectant. I had chilblains and the disinfectant caused my fingers to swells badly.
My best friend was Archie Holdcroft who came from Wolverhampton. One day Archie removed a few cobs of soap from the soap locker and posted them home to his mother. (During the war soap was in great demand). He was seen by a boy called Shearer. Shearer informed on him to the Captain. Archie was to be given 6 of the best. (however, Archie had been given six the week before and his backside was still very raw. He therefore ran away home. His mother brought him back and he was given some other form of punishment.However, Shearer was from that moment on known as Shearer the snitcher.
The Captain was Captain Bambra and the first offer was James Omwin.
The Indefatigable was run by the BIBBY LINE out of Liverpool. It was intended primarily as a source of future seamen for their merchant navy ships.
I must admit that my experience with the Indefatigable was most positive. Never in my life was I ever to find anything difficult or hard to bear.
I have often wondered what happened to the "Indie" when it left Clawd Newydd.
Can someone somewhere enlighten me?

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