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 ~ Soldiers Suicide Pact - Wednesday, 30 August 1916

Impression sketch; 'Soldiers Suicide Pact' - by Jamie.

i

In Dorset’s Ancient County sat Wimborne,

A market town where smugglers and kings

And age-old legends made history - a place

New war had left untouched, where the Stour

River passed through in silence - its waters

Attracting walkers and fishermen - in August's

Sun, Mr Street sat himself down to catch fish.

The day’s hour passed quietly, to provide

No sign of the gruesome discovery Mr Street

Was soon to make - Feeling a pull on his rod

Mr Street reacted, to gently tug on the catch.

Yet a resistance came, prompting him to pull

Harder - a strange weight resisted him, then

With another tug, surfaced submerged bodies.

Street had made discovery of two drowned

Soldiers bound together - idetification found

One man of a Royal Naval division, the other

A soldier of a Lancaster Regiment - a letter

And photo on the latter provided his name -

Why and how had these two men drowned?

Found far away from regiments and homes.

Puttees had been tied about their wrists in

Death's embrace - had they willingly met

An end together, or an act of murder that
had gone wrong? The letter in the pocket, 

Un-posted, contained a photograph of him

Addressed to the family's home; puzzles

Answered in part contained by his words.

ii

Taking up a pen in a nervous hand, Private

James Wood aged 21 began to put down

His thoughts - perhaps by letter's end they

Might change his intentions - Woods hoped

His father Joseph and mother Mary Ann

Might then understand his desperation -

James considered what had led him there.

Their son Albert, his brother, had been

Killed and his own wound had plagued him,

For a month James had not slept - so why

Then was the other man he died with there?

What reasons, connections might they have

Had in traveling to Wimborne in Dorset, in

Whatever purpose other than to drown?

A clue to the other man was a RND cap

Ribbon pushed into his pocket - identity

Could not be certain, though it seemed

He might be a Private Parker  - also

To be from Manchester - very likely

To have been a declared deserter,

Perhaps supporting Pt. James Wood.

Did then Parker RND sit and wait

As Pt. Wood 17060 finished his letter,

To ask his family for their forgiveness.

Was this some absurd murder plot?

The two took a walk down to the river 
Stour, maybe avoiding any witness,

To stop and bind their wrists together.

The deserter Able Seaman Parker

Stood with Private Wood who decided

That he could go on no longer - what

Words would have been said between

Them? Unrolling Wood's khaki puttee

They carefully  secured themselves

Together, in shared desperation to die.

iii

Time then passed their bodies pulled 

Out the Stour by a fisherman - to make

Another mystery for Wimborne history.
The coroner declared their act of suicide

Happened while in an unsound mind -

To leave a dispute, regarding identifying

the name of the drowned able seaman.

James Mason or James Lennon? the

Latter deserting 3 August 1916.To believe

This was the most likely man, his parents
Informed he had drowned; then Lennon
Returned to camp on 1 September 1916. 
An unsolvable mystery was left,as to why

They chose to drown together; as brothers

Effected by shell shock? Or by strange pact?

By Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Battlefield Souvenirs - Boche Fire At Wounded. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 25 August 1916. P.5. Col.2. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12212859/Daily-Telegraph-August-25-1916.html> [Accessed: 22 August 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 22 August 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12212857/Daily-Telegraph-August-23-1916.html

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Poem ~ RMS Alacantra Versus SMS Greif - Tuesday, 29 February 1916

Impression sketch of RMS Alcantara engaging the German raider Grief, 29 February 1916 - by Jamie. From an original image that can be seen at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alcantara_1916.jpg> [Accessed: 29 February 2016]

i

In construction for the Royal Mail

Steam Packet Company, Alcantara

Began her voyages by 1913 - one

Of the final 'A' series of ships

Powered by three propellers.

An Ocean Liner for peaceful voyages,

To sail from Southampton down

To Buenos Aires over the waters,

Was a German commissioned steel 

Hulled cargo steamship, Guben.

Built for the German Australian Line -

Matters changed when Guben

Became SMS Greif - converted

For navel service; given torpedoes,

Four 15 cm and 10.5 rapid guns.

Not so far behind, RMS Alcantara

Was requisitioned as an armed

Merchant cruiser - provided depth

Charges, anti aircraft gunnery,

With six 6-in guns - RMS was ready.

As part of the northern sea patrol,

Alcantara's mission was to halt

Any German access about North

Atlantic - activity about Russia's

Archangelsk sent her to investigate.

With belief of a German submarine

Base situated in the Arctic Ocean,

Alcantara arrived at volcanic isle

Of Jan Mayen - a party found only

Remains of a North Pole expedition.

An abandoned base of 1882, where

Arctic fox cubs roamed, to be kept

Briefly as Alcantara pets - by 1916

The cruiser left for their squadrons

10th patrol to return on 1st March.

The fully kitted SMS Greif begun

Her tour to sail 27 February, under

Guise of flying a Norwegian flag -

Sailing with concealed armaments,

Her role to be a commercial raider.

ii

The assigned route of Greif was to sail

Into the Atlantic from Iceland’s north,

To aim for German East Africa - should

Need arise - calmly steaming a course,

Greif maintained appearance of Rena.

On one day that exists only every four

Years, Alcantara set to meet Andes -

Sailing close to Shetland to be notified

To halt - should a suspicious ship make

An appearance. A look out made a check.

At a distance the Andes had seen smoke

Of a two funneled boat, whose identity

Was in doubt - the Alcantara look out

Felt the boat authentic - yet to make check,

A cutter lowered, as the boat received a note.

The Andes had signaled Captain Wardle,

Who advised this was the suspicious boat.

Then the Rena revealed self as Greif -

Revealing their full gunnery, they fired down

On boarding cutter, then at the boat's bridge.

Alcantara's steering gear was hit - Captain

Waddle ordered return fire - with emergency

Gear in place, the exchange of close

Quarters continued, as the Greif turned

Starboard to aim for the Alcantara's waterline.

From only 2000 to 750 yard enemy shells cut

Into the engine room - Greif attempted

Torpedoes, yet evasive moves supposedly

Avoided these, when a hit struck at her

Portside - Alcantara's 6-inch gun fired back.

Ammunitions of Greif's aft gun was struck,

Put out of action by 10.15 a.m. - the ships

Bridge was on fire to halt at 10.22 a.m. -

Boats began to leave, as Alcantara ceased

Fire - Still the encounter was not quite over.

At 3 knots without any working steering

Gear, Alcantara at 10.35 a.m. became

Jammed turning starboard  - a flooded

Engine room did not receive message to

Halt - all then seemed lost for Alcantara.

Within 30 minutes tilting on her beam end,

The abandoned Alfantara went down -

The Andes and Munster had then arrived.

Greif was still afloat, when a final shot

Discharged by a raging fire made final show.

With assistance of Comus and the Andes,

The Greif went down in a final explosion -

To lose 230 crew  - as rescue manoeuvres 

In reaching lifeboats was delayed, by idea

Of a submarine - but rescues went ahead.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Action of 29 February 1916. Wikipedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_29_February_1916> Accessed 29 February 2016

Source: File: RMS Alcantara (1913). Wikipedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Alcantara_%281913%29> Accessed 29 February 2016

Source: File: SMS Greif (1914). Wikipedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Alcantara_%281913%29> Accessed 29 February 2016

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

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Poem ~ Sailors In The Trenches - Wednesday, 5 January 1916

Source: File: Royal Navy Handymen To Fight On Land And Sea.jpg. [online] An original image is Available at: <http://www.ww1propaganda.com/ww1-poster/royal-naval-division-handymen-fight-land-sea-men-wanted> [Accessed: 5 January 2016]

On the cusp of a year to another,

With the fabric of time's clock

Poised, to tick across times zones,

A vicious howling gale, marked

Out the pace on a western front.

Drenched fields and the hiss

Of wind, echoed fact that there

Lacked peace of earth for men -

One reporter Philip Gibbs, gave

Witness along an edge of France.

A countdown was beaten over

Tops of wrecked miners cottages,

Squatting on a battlefield's edge.

Reporter Gibbs walking a road,

Flinched at flashes of allied barrels.

Such light lit many pathetic sights

Of half destroyed, squat, brick

Homes, where he gave witness

To see a ghost like face beyond

A cracked pane, to peer back.

Briefly alone in crowded fields

Gave witness to jagged heaps

Of Hullich and Huisnes - under

The beaten rain's mist, stood out
Ridge of Notre Dame de Lorette.

Therein concealed rot of human

Lives - Gibbs looked out across

Sterility from a shell hole shelter,

Over to a skeletal tower bridge

Of Loos, to echo London home.

That stark iron framework -

A landmark to rear of Loos -

Shaped as London’s tower 

Bridge - had passed between

Hands as observation post.

In odd proximity to encounter

Land locked naval fighters

Jolly Jacks of stoker’s rating's

And petty officers, emerged

From ditches of dead fields.

Incongruous and at home

In the wet, the Jollies came

In hurried provisions of khaki,

From Union Jack Club stores -

Almost as if fallen from a ship.

Clean-shaved, ships ribbons

On their caps, Gibbs' quarrel

Led to friendship, after fleets

Idea of Tommy making out

A softer time than Jolly Jack.

With perspective corrected,

In total respect to witness

For themselves, endurance

Of hardships in determined

Cheer and soldierly spirits.

Jolly Jack Bluejackets taken

From 30 grand fleet ships,

Met the humoured ability

Of landsmen, to fire as well

As any grand ship at sea.

Being there to work Bluejackets

Set to tasks, as in one marine,

Over four hours, with wide grin

To tell of his bomb slinging;

As another fired rifle grenades.

A sergeant and petty officer had

Disagreed in periscope's use;

In orders to look over parapet,

This he did to see movements;

Jack held his gun in a shake.

With bayonet fixed he readied

For attack at coming Germans -

To look again - that in fact what

Was moving were the swarms 

Of rats across the sodden fields.

by Jamie Mann.

Gibbs, P., 1916. Bluejackets in the Trenches - New Year's Eve Visit - The Heroes of Loos. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 3 January 1916. P.12. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12072929/Daily-Telegraph-January-3-1916.html [Accessed: 5 January 2016].

Source: File: Loos 1915: Tower Bridge – A Symbol of Loos. Online. Available at: <http://greatwarphotos.com/2012/09/26/loos-1915-tower-bridge-a-symbol-of-loos/> Accessed 5 January 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 5 January 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12072929/Daily-Telegraph-January-3-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ Waistcoat Life Saver - Wednesday, 1 September 1915

 Impression sketch of 'Gieve Life Saving Waistcoat' - by Jamie. Taken from  original at: http://www.google.com/patents/US1143899

Innovations being stuff of war,

Came along with situations -

As in the gas attacks of Germans,

Prompting the devising

Of masks for the soldier, caught

In gas drifts.

There were also the risks

Of travelling by waters across

Seas, where vessels encounter

Enemy submarines -

Safety advertisements began

In 1914.

In the form of an article,

Was a column advertisement -

The heading 'His Vessel Torpedoed.'

Depicted a man, a Trinity

House Pilot, a witness to how

Pilots invested in safety.

The term being fairly

New to become regularly

Used - as a precursor to life jacket,

Or lifebelt came the 'Gieve

Life Saving Waistcoat;'

With sea users quotes.

As one pilot who had been

Taken from the water - being

On the verge of unconsciousness,

Having suffered a scalp

Wound - his life saved, 'having

One of your waistcoats.'

Another example to be quoted

From the Dardanelles, told how

A man had been unconscious in water

For some hours - solely

Saved by a 'Gieve Life Saving

Waistcoat.'

Claims made of witnesses,

Could be multiplied - to quote

Recent disasters; as in Lusitania,

Goliath, Formidable,

And others - where the Gieve

Saved lives.

Lives that would have been

Lost - the aim of the garment

Being for professional sailors; worn

Under military and naval

Garments - to be inflated within

Twenty seconds.

Even more is claim that

The wearer, and two others -

While ideally being inflated before

Hitting the surface - can

All be kept head and shoulders

Above water, indefinitely.

With Patent filed June 22,

1915, by James Watson Grieve -

His invention, to be a life saving serge

Waistcoat, for an ordinary

Seaman - a portion of which can

Be inflated.

In detail, the application

Stated how some extra material

Covered a rubber tube - when inflated

into a hoop shaped bladder,

Designed to support wearer, to hold
Body and head in backwards position.

The tube's mouthpiece having

A valve, allowed wearer to blow

Easily at any given moment - when not

Used this tube laid flat under

Extra material of pocket - held there

By hook and fasteners.

Furthermore, to ensure tipped

Back position in water, the larger

Position extended about wearers chest -

Signed James Watson Grieve -

Being a subject of the King

Of Great Britain.

So the advertisement concluded

That with officers and navy men out

At sea - along with transportation of troops

Overseas - gave caution to wear

Such a waistcoat 24 hours a day,

Was emphasized.

Orders being tailored to fit -

Dependent on chest and girth

Sizes - to be bought for a hefty sum

Of 50/- - the purchaser being

Invited to visit the home

Of Grieve's in London.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Advert 'Gieve Life-saving Waistcoat.' The Daily Telegraph, [online] 1 September. P.3. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11815087/Daily-Telegraph-September-1-1915.html [Accessed: 1 September 2015].

Source: File: Life-savers: Language and self-protection in early WWI [online] Available at: <http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/life-savers-language-and-self-protection-early-wwi> [Accessed: 1 September 2015]

Source: File: Life-saving waistcoat. [online] Available at: <http://www.google.com/patents/US1143899> [Accessed: 1 September 2015]

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 1 September 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11815087/Daily-Telegraph-September-1-1915.html

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

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