Poem ~ A Captain's Mutiny - Saturday, 6 January 1917 - Wednesday 10 January 1917

Impression sketch of Captain Stayman attcking Gunner Gifford by Jamie

With two days to 1916's close,

A Saturday’s magistrate’s court

Took place in Plymouth - Captain

Of a merchant ship was charged,

For grievous bodily harm and

Attempted murder of a crewman.

The merchant ship, Ciaverley,

In November and December

1916, had been on a trading

Tour from Asian city, Rangoon -

For defence the boat equipped

By a naval gun and gunners.

An initial event took place

On Thursday November 30th,

During maneuvering between

Other vessels - Captain Stayman

On the bridge of the Ciaverley

Gave an order to the helmsman.

Yet Chief Officer, John Edward

Jackson, stepped forward and

Countermanded the given order;

To turn about in order to avoid

Colliding with another vessel.

Result; Captain Stayman fumed.

By refusal to listen to reason,

Chief officer Jackson was then

Viciously attacked by the fists

Of the drunk Captain - this act

Being witnessed by the crew;

Stayman's frequent behaviour.

On Friday December 8 1916,

Captain Stayman was again

Very drunk, while they sailed

Across the Mediterranean sea -

Then at a distance, within range

Of their guns was seen a ship.

Captain Stayman was informed

That this vessel was a hospital

Ship - despite this fact he gave

Instructions to the gunner to fire

On the vessel, which sailed in

Range of their defensive guns.

Amid the Royal Naval Reserve

Gunner John Lloyd Gifford

Refused; he stated that the boat

Was not an enemy but hospital

Ship. Stayman said 'I don't give

A damn. Open fire on that boat.'

Reply; 'I will not open fire on

That hospital ship.' Gunner

Gifford turned to the other

Crew who he defied to try

And touch any gunnery -

The incident then passed.

Having not been forgotten

By Captain Stayman, time

Passed until the Boxing Day.

Stayman confronted gunner

Gifford, whom he then asked

If he would report his order.

Would he tell authorities,

That he had ordered Gifford

To fire on the hospital ship?

The 33-year-old Seaman

Said nothing; he turned away

Suggesting that he would.

Stayman had brooded all

Day - both stood on deck.

When Gifford turned about

Walk aft, Stayman launched

At him - fuelled by drink

The captain siezed him.

They struggled and Gifford

Was pushed against the rail.

Stayman was ready to send

Him overboard, as ship lurched

Starboard - Gifford broke free

And ran, hiding on the boat.

Captain Stayman did not

Give in so easily - convinced

The gunner would inform

Authorities of his intent to

Destroy a hospital ship,

He searched high and low,

Until he found the man.

Stayman rushed at Gifford,

Grabbing him with damned

Threats of murder - other

Crew members restrained the

Captain - the strongest had

To lock him up in his cabin.

With hands handcuffed

Behind his back, Stayman

Declared the crew's mutiny -

The Captain was locked away

To be fed via a porthole, while

Ciaverley continued passage.

With the Plymouth magistrates

Hearing the story of witnesses

To number nine crew, who said

Stayman had been frequently

And dangerously drunk - they

All decided to put him in irons.

Gifford confirmed Stayman was

Drunk, when ordering to fire at the

Hospital ship - Captain Stayman

Declared 'not guilty' - with all bail
Withheld, he was charged under 
Defence of realm's naval authority.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Sea Captain Charged. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 01 January 1917. P.5. Col.5. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214057/Daily-Telegraph-January-1-1917.html> [Accessed: 06 January 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 06 January 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214057/Daily-Telegraph-January-1-1917.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Troopers Mutiny - Thursday, 16 March 1916

Impression sketch for Troopers Mutiny - by Jamie.

One certain regiment of a county laying
Within the capital county of London,

Made a show of discontent by way

Of mutiny - amid 5th supernumerary

Company, 9th Battalion Middlesex

Regiment, made private disobedience.

Until a call to war of eighteen months

Before, the Territorial Force of 1908

Had struggled as a home defence -

Three months in, the national reserves

Formed into Protection Companies,

To guard vulnerable home targets.

The protective force saw modification

By March 1915, into supernumerary

Companies - on Parade of 19 February

1916, a new guard inspection made

Witness to actions by three privates,

Towards others of rank into a mutiny.

The Saturday saw a supernumerary

Company on parade ground - amid

Them, a Private Thomas Walker,

Private William Frederick Williams,

And Private Fredrick Charles Poole;

All present for guard inspection.

Superiors of rank overseeing men

Included Lieutenant Anderson and

Lieutenant D'Oyly, while Sergeant

Melroy paraded the guard - already

Known among them was discontent,

As the Sergeant called out orders.

First of the three Private Walker,

At the call of Sergeant Melroy

To 'Right turn,' then stepped away

And said 'Don't do it boy's!' to be

Arrested - another Private Williams

Had separated from the ranks.

Amidst murmurings of rising

Discontent, Lieutenant Anderson

Gave Williams an order to step

Back to the ranks - the private

Made hesitation, wanting to air

His complaint to the officer.

His later statement told how

He had not heard order to step

Back, due the shouting noises

At the time - Private Poole was

To follow in arrest, by trying

To persuade others to mutiny.

Lieutenant Anderson after act

Of the second arrest, warned

The men of their serious nature

To disobey orders - he could

Only hear individual complaints

Not collective voices of the men.

'Right turn,' was given by Lieutenant

Anderson. The force obeyed, except

For two, one of who then followed

A repeated order - the other stepped

Forward and called out, effectively

With words, 'throw down your arms!'

Wednesday 15 March 1916, a Court

Martial hearing by Major General

Lord Cheylesmore, saw the three

Accused - two charged to instigate

Mutiny and the other in disobeying

A lawful command by senior officer.

Private Walker’s statement stated

The men's complaint came from

A so-called 'rest' order - how most

Of the men on 18 February had

Been on duty for eighteen hours;

'Not having been treated like man.'

The statement was backed up by

Two other soldiers - while Private

Williams, in having 30 years service

In varied units, had never been part

Of any crime - Williams in 1914 had

Been a sergeant at St James Palace.

The disorganised parade had proved

A tinderbox of discontent for soldiers

Complaints, amid shouting of orders

By officers and men alike - accused

Called witnesses, who backed them;

Court's decision was not announced.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Alleged Camp Mutiny - Soldiers Court-Martialled. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 15 March 1916. P.11. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12193873/Daily-Telegraph-March-15-1916.html [Accessed: 16 March 2016].

Source: File: Reserves and Reservists. Online. Available at: <http://www.1914-1918.net/reserve.htm> Accessed 16 March 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 16 March 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12193875/Daily-Telegraph-March-16-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Calais Mutiny - Monday, 2 November 1914

Travelling from Baltimore, the steamer,

Mermion, was destined to carry a cargo

Of oats for Antwerp, Belgium yet events

Were to make for delays and issues,

Leading to a mutiny among the crew.

The steamer Mermion departed the port

Of Baltimore, within the state of Maryland,

An independent city in the United States.

The Mermion tracked Chesapeake Bay,

By Virginia and Delaware, to Atlantic waters.

The Mermion bringing foodstuff for Belgium,

Under the Captainship of John William Clark,

And Chief Officer Gilbert Milton made progress

Across the sea -yet came unrest amid the crew.

Captain John William Clark explained how

The Mermion arrived at Flamouth, England.

Then being given orders to sail the channel

And proceed to Antwerp – yet due to war

Circumstance, it was no possible to complete

The unloading of cargo at the Belgian port.

The steamer returned to Dover, then orders

Were to go to Zeebrugge and onto Bruges -

Where finally 200 tons of oats were unloaded.

More orders for Mermion to sail onto Ostend

And progress to Calais where some crew,

Nine men in total, refused to do their duty.

On October 29 crew members had asked

The Captain for money – but were refused.

Being given reason of their unruly conduct.

At the port of Calais, this crew then threw

All the ships navigation lamps overboard.

Their recovery needing employing of divers,

As police were involved with their arrests.

The arrested men were first detained at Calais,

Before their removal back to England - escorted

By four gendarmes, armed with fixed bayonets.

The nine men after a formal hearing were charged

Under the Merchant Shipping Act, to be detained

In Folkstone, and remanded to Canterbury Prison.

With the mutiny case presented at the Folkstone

Magistrates Court, Mr Rutley Mowll of Dover,

Defended - the prosecution led by Mr Haines,

Whose outline said that on October 29, at Calais,

Nine men, being part of the crew, had shown

Open and complete disobedience of their captain.

Onboard the men let it be known of dissatisfaction

To the officer of their inadequate drinking water –

Also stating that potaotes supplies being in short

Supply, for some part of the voyage from Baltimore.

Their dissatisfaction of nine aboard the Mermion

Grew with reasons of the meat supply becoming

Rotten, while the water given them was poisoned.

Before the court, Captain Clark stated there were

No grounds for any of these men’s accusations.

Corroboration for the captain was then made,

Given by the Chief Officer, Mr Gilbert Milton.

A defence witness stated fact that all foodstuff

And water was bad - On behalf of the defence

Mr Mowll stated how clear it was, that the men

Had not been treated with any due consideration.

In the outcome of the court the magistrate

Made summary - that while circumstances were

Unusual – deciding court justice would be final.

The nine crew men had already received some

Punishment with regard to their being currently

Imprisoned - first in France and then England.

Added was a fine of £1 each to the men made

Without needs of costs.  In addition Captain

Clark of the Mermion, made swift application,

For the men’s service contracts to be annulled.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Mutiny at Calais – Ships Crew Charged. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 2 Nov. p.3. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11200941/Daily-Telegraph-November-2-1914.html [Accessed: 2 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 2 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11200941/Daily-Telegraph-November-2-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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