Arrived Thurso 8.30 A.M. Very nice scenery on journey. Inhabitants quite enthusiastic. Marched about 2 1/2 miles to jetty. Went on board L&N.W.R. steamer “Cambria”. Went round to Scapa Flow w(h)ere Fleet was anchored. Told off for H.M.S. “Centurion”. Got in Picket Boat and was called back told off for H.M.S. “Lion”. Only one of No 1 Company in Party. Arrived on board about 6:30 with 11 Fleet Reserve men. All told off for one mess. No 43. Part of ship: 3rd Sub Foretop. Starboard Watch. Just finished coaling when we got on board. Slept under fore shelter deck.
treetop = foretop. Look at the ‘fore’ in the last line “slept under fore shelter deck”.
Speaking of the ‘fore shelter deck’, this may be the area he means:
http://www.dcfa.com/Prints/Bone/slides/3027.shtml
The man in the doorway is a bugler, he is stood under the fore shelter deck.
Changed as per your comments. I’ve also added a link to the drawing you shared. Thanks!
The whims of fate: you may not have been born had Frank gone on to Centurion! Indeed your family, and maybe all our lives may be slightly different
Anyway, back to Frank: what has probably happened here is he and the other 11 came on board at 6:30 just as the men will be washing the ship, and themselves, after coaling, either there was no room for such a large influx to one mess or the inhabitants were too busy to make room for them, whatever the reason, someone has thought it better to let them sling their hammocks in this area for the night. It’s summer so it wouldn’t be a hardship.
If you look at photos of the ship, there is a row of port-holes and hatches along the top of the ships side. This is the ships ‘Upper’ deck and behind the portholes are the officers cabins and the ships offices.
The next deck down is behind armour, this is the ‘Main’ deck, AKA ‘The lower deck’. This is where the mens mess decks were located. As there was no openings in the armour for portholes, etc, the men had no ventilation except that supplied by fans. Apparently the fug of a morning was pretty strong!
Yes, the whims of fate exactly. Since I started this site, I’ve been in touch with different relatives in England and Australia. I’ve realized that neither side nor any side of the various families involved have ever lost someone at war. This isn’t because of lack of participation. Frank’s brother was interned in the First War and sailed on the Aquitania in the Second. Some men were broken, mind you, but none were killed. There is a story, unconfirmed, of Frank’s nephew being the sole survivor of a ship lost in the Mediterranean. I’ve been searching for wrecks like that but haven’t found any yet.
Thanks for commenting!