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| Portrait of a young midshipman, early 19th c |
Midshipmen, ‘middies’, or
‘young gentlemen’, were officer cadets, usually drawn from middle to upper
echelons of British society and with ‘good family’ and some education behind
them.
Like less privileged sailors
they started their naval careers at a very early age - 9 was not uncommon - and learned navigation
and other branches of seamanship while serving at sea. The term midshipman
derived from the area on board ship, ‘amidships’. By the Napoleonic era
(1793-1815) a midshipman would have served at least three years as a volunteer
or able seaman, or as an officer’s servant. After that he would take the
examination for lieutenant which theoretically would make him eligible for
promotion. However, patronage was an important factor: a good patron could make
all the difference to a young gentleman’s progress in the navy.*
Though advantaged in
comparison with the ordinary sailor the middies learnt the ropes in a harsh
school, the general conditions and the horrors of combat soon eclipsing any
romantic ideas they may have had about the navy, its heroes, glorious victories and prize
money.
This world is well-presented
in the Hornblower series of films based on the works of C S Forester and also
in Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World, from the Aubrey-Maturin
novels by Patrick O’Brian. The events depicted also provide a glimpse of
conditions for ordinary ratings who hauled ropes and manned guns and for the
able seamen who did the essential work aloft.
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| Going aloft |
If James Caithness began his
career as a powder monkey he may have graduated to loblolly boy, assisting the
ship’s surgeon by performing various gruesome tasks such as cleaning up after operations.
With time and experience, given that he survived, he would rise to AB (Able
Seaman).
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| Sailor 1799: James Caithness probably wore a similar outfit |
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| Uniform Royal Navy 18th c National Maritime Museum, Greenwich |
* for more on patronage and promotion see www.thedearsurprise.com/?p=1314
2 comments:
From what I understand Mole, the term loblolly was derived from the porridge with chunky vegetables and meat, given by these surgeon's assistants to the injured aiding recovery. Andrew
Lovely detail there, thanks, Andrew. I did wonder about the origin of the term! Mole
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