Geoffers
27-11-2008, 11:39 PM
My paternal gt-grandmother's dad was a shipwright and then joined the RN. I traed his service record and he served on various ships, eventually being promoted to the Warrant rank of Carpenter. One thing stuck out in hi service rcord though - he was court matialled, twice. On the first occasion he lost 2 years seniority, on the second occasion he was dismissed the service. Many moons ago I spend a day working through all the RN court martial records I could find at The National Archives, but in spite of reading of some fsacintating case could not trace why he had been convicted.
It was something I put to the back of my mind, occasionally musing over whether he had made some improper susgestion to the Captain' wife.........or worse still an improper uggestion to the Captain.
In a quiet moment whilst upping a cuppa, I searched TNA's catalogue and found the Quarterly Returns of officers' Court Martials. On a shot to nothing, I ent in a digital express order for the dates of the convictions. Success! - the offence is listed. Each offence was for hitting the sauce and getting legless.
He must have amended his ways though, as a couple of years later, he was allowed to rejoin the RN to serve out time to pension.
The documents I obtained from TNA are in WO194/182 and contain the names and offences of several other officers. So on the offchance that the names and offences may help someone else, the others listed on the same pages are:
ADM194/182
1881 Feb-May
Henry John JEFFREYS, Lt HMS Danae - Fell asleep on watch and drunkenness
Francis James NUTHALL, Gunner HMS Modeste - Drunkeness
William Henry Kingdom BRAY, Gunner HMS Pegasus - Drunkeness (2 counts)
Charles PHILLIPS, Carpenter HMS Carysfort - Drunkeness
Joseph MILNE, Engineer HMS Northumberland - Drunkeness
Patrick BARRY, Boatswain HMS Terror - Drunkeness
Cyril Henry SANDHAM, Act.Lt HMS Iron Duke - Embezzlement
Charles William MAY, Lt HMS Serapis - Drinking to such excess as to induce illness
John BROWN, Engineer HMS Hector - Drunkeness
John READ, Boatswain HMS Hector - Drunkenss
Robert GOSDEN, Carpenter HMS Dido - Drunkeness
1882 Nov – 1883 March
John Evans CALLAGHAN, Engineer HMS Foxhound - Drunkeness
George Francis Savage KNOWLING, Lt i/c HMS Fly - Hazarding ship
George John ROSS, Engineer HMS Eclipse - Drunkeness
William AMES, Engineer HMS Nelson - Drinking to such excess as to incapacitate
Rishton Seymour JONES, Ass.Paymaster Lord Warden - Drunkeness
Ernest RICE, Captain HMS Iris - Stranding his ship
Edwin Richard John WILLIAMS, Lt HMSIris - Stranding hi ship
Robert GOSDEN, Carpenter HMS Dragon - Drunkeness
Daniel DONOHUE, Ass.Engineer HMS Invincible – Drunkeness
Edward Wright WILD, Lt HMS Grappler - Drunkeness on shore
Also mentioned was George JAMES, Boatswain of HMS Audacious, who was tried and found not guilty.
It was something I put to the back of my mind, occasionally musing over whether he had made some improper susgestion to the Captain' wife.........or worse still an improper uggestion to the Captain.
In a quiet moment whilst upping a cuppa, I searched TNA's catalogue and found the Quarterly Returns of officers' Court Martials. On a shot to nothing, I ent in a digital express order for the dates of the convictions. Success! - the offence is listed. Each offence was for hitting the sauce and getting legless.
He must have amended his ways though, as a couple of years later, he was allowed to rejoin the RN to serve out time to pension.
The documents I obtained from TNA are in WO194/182 and contain the names and offences of several other officers. So on the offchance that the names and offences may help someone else, the others listed on the same pages are:
ADM194/182
1881 Feb-May
Henry John JEFFREYS, Lt HMS Danae - Fell asleep on watch and drunkenness
Francis James NUTHALL, Gunner HMS Modeste - Drunkeness
William Henry Kingdom BRAY, Gunner HMS Pegasus - Drunkeness (2 counts)
Charles PHILLIPS, Carpenter HMS Carysfort - Drunkeness
Joseph MILNE, Engineer HMS Northumberland - Drunkeness
Patrick BARRY, Boatswain HMS Terror - Drunkeness
Cyril Henry SANDHAM, Act.Lt HMS Iron Duke - Embezzlement
Charles William MAY, Lt HMS Serapis - Drinking to such excess as to induce illness
John BROWN, Engineer HMS Hector - Drunkeness
John READ, Boatswain HMS Hector - Drunkenss
Robert GOSDEN, Carpenter HMS Dido - Drunkeness
1882 Nov – 1883 March
John Evans CALLAGHAN, Engineer HMS Foxhound - Drunkeness
George Francis Savage KNOWLING, Lt i/c HMS Fly - Hazarding ship
George John ROSS, Engineer HMS Eclipse - Drunkeness
William AMES, Engineer HMS Nelson - Drinking to such excess as to incapacitate
Rishton Seymour JONES, Ass.Paymaster Lord Warden - Drunkeness
Ernest RICE, Captain HMS Iris - Stranding his ship
Edwin Richard John WILLIAMS, Lt HMSIris - Stranding hi ship
Robert GOSDEN, Carpenter HMS Dragon - Drunkeness
Daniel DONOHUE, Ass.Engineer HMS Invincible – Drunkeness
Edward Wright WILD, Lt HMS Grappler - Drunkeness on shore
Also mentioned was George JAMES, Boatswain of HMS Audacious, who was tried and found not guilty.