Can you help interpret this 1885-1920 record?

[dermotb]

I have this Navy record and am wondering what some of the initials (eg rating) and comments mean

https://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9e16b420.png

Thank you very much if you have time to help me

[Allan F Sparrow]

You have probably guessed these:

FE = First Entry

Boy I = Boy, First Class

Ord Sea = Ordinary Seaman

A S = Able Seaman

Sat = Satisfactory

and of course VG = Very Good.

I could not see any other point which I could elucidate, but someone else may do better, especially if you point out exactly what is troubling you.

[dermotb]

Thank you for that, I didn't know most of those ratings (this is my first navy record)

I see that most of his ratings are to do with being a steward (not terribly heroic!), but there is one cryptic entry in the ratings column that looks like VCPONS, that has me baffled.

Also, can you tell me what the column "List and No." means?

[Allan F Sparrow]

I see that most of his ratings are to do with being a steward (not terribly heroic!), but there is one cryptic entry in the ratings column that looks like VCPONS, that has me baffled.

Also, can you tell me what the column "List and No." means?

I am not seeing where you get the steward bit from, but probably I'm having a "senior moment".

I think the VCPONs is actually VIDE something or other, VIDE being Latin for see: Latin brief phrases were often used in official documents. The abbreviation Q.V. = quod vide = which see, i.e. see that bit as well as this!

I don't know what to make of the List and No.

By the way, it says "Run", which means he deserted, apparently in Mombasa, East Africa.

[dermotb]

No, it's me that's having a senior moment, because I posted the wrong record. I'm glad I did, because I wouldn't have seen the significance of "Run". Wow.

This is the record I meant to post, my sincere apologies.

https://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/...psddfe1e31.png

So now I have a ship's steward and a deserter in my ancestors. Oh boy.

[Allan F Sparrow]

I do see steward now! This guy stuck to the navy life a lot longer than the other. The list of ships he served on demonstrates how the navy loved to keep using the same old names, often commemorating great admirals of the sailing age.

[dermotb]

Well, thank you for the deserter tip.

My family is giving me stick now because instead of admirals, I have waiters and deserters in my past. Oh well.

[Allan F Sparrow]

Waiters and deserters were much more numerous than admirals, so the odds were stacked against you!

Good luck with your researches. Glad I was some use!

[LOVAT#]

Also, can you tell me what the column "List and No." means?

'List and No' concerns pay ledgers on each of his ships. The No. would be his Ship's Book No. I may be wrong [it was a while ago ] but I am sure in the early days of my training, before compulsory banking, we ratings were 'fallen in' in Ship's Book Number order to receive our pay.

Regards
Hugh

[Allan F Sparrow]

That sounds, Oh so likely! I well remember my elder brother telling us how he had to recite his number, name and rank, when he was doing National Service in the RAF back in the 1950s.