The Story of the "Britannia": The training ship for naval cadets. With some account of previous methods of naval education, and of the new scheme of 1903.Statham, Edward Phillips
History
The Story of the "Britannia": The training ship for naval cadets. With some account of previous methods of naval education, and of the new scheme of 1903.
Statham, Edward Phillips
Britannia (Ship); Great Britain. Royal Navy; Naval education -- Great Britain
The cadets' dinner is at noon on Saturday, and by 1.30 there is
scarcely a boy left on board the ship. Some are away in boats or
sailing cutters, some are off for a walk, others to visit friends in
the neighbourhood, and so on; but we must follow the large contingent
which makes its way to the cricket grounds. Landing at the solid stone
pier abreast the ship, we cross the asphalt tennis courts, and mount
the concrete steps in the far right-hand corner. There are many of
these steps, intercepted by level landings, and winding up the
hillside past the racquet courts, all overshadowed by trees, which
lend a welcome shade, but do not prevent one getting pretty hot during
the ascent. At length the last flight is surmounted, and a broad,
well-kept path, still under trees, leads on past the beagle kennels,
where a loud and inquisitive chorus greets a stranger, to the lower
ground. Play is already in progress, so we dutifully keep to the right
behind the white screen, and passing across the end of the cricket
ground, mount to the upper ground, which is separated from the lower
one by a steep grassy bank some 12 or 15 feet high, with several
flights of stone steps. Here, standing by the edge of the bank, you
can see both grounds to advantage. On the far side is the pavilion, a
long bungalow, with an elevated scoring-box in the centre; and here
are spacious dressing-rooms, a canteen, where excellent "stodge" may
be obtained at the most moderate charges, and a large amount of
sitting accommodation for onlookers. A large tent to the left contains
tea and refreshments for the officers and their friends. The view is
magnificent in every direction, and the full benefit of the summer
breeze is felt at this elevation.
Furthermore, there is a great deal of cricket going on; the first and
third elevens are playing matches on the lower, and the second eleven
on the upper ground; and there is plenty of room for a couple of
picked sides to play in addition.
Anticipating a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in such surroundings, we
take up a commanding position on a seat overlooking the first eleven
pitch.
The match is against Teignbridge, who always play a strong team,
including several county players; so _Britannia_ naturally does all
she knows, and her eleven only contains two cadets, while the "pro" is
included as a matter of course. The remaining eight comprises two
lieutenants, two Engineer lieutenants, the paymaster, the science
master--whose science is not confined to the lecture room--the
chaplain, and one of the doctors.
The "foreigners" have first knock, and are not doing as well as their
strength would lead one to expect. Already several wickets are down,
and the score is small. The deliveries of Lord, the professional, and
Mr. Warner, the science master, are evidently too much for the
batsmen. The fielding, moreover, is very keen; quite up to the mark.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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