Sailor's Monologue

I like make-a-mend - it’s an afternoon off, well closest we get.  We have time to make our uniform or mend it as needed. This is why many sailors learn to sew on machines as well as by hand, I’m not very good at sewing yet, but I’m getting better.

But best of all, it gives me time to read my letter from my mum, I like letters from home, helps pass the days, not that I get much free time.

It’s nice to sit on the deck get away from the noise, it's so loud down there my head hurts, and I’m sure I’m getting a bit deaf like the old chief.

Dear Henry,

Hope my letter finds you well.

Well! where does she think I am? I’m a stoker on one of His Majesty’s finest somewhere in the North Sea.

We are all well at home, your sister’s baby grows bigger by the day as you will see from the photograph I have enclosed. We are all praying for news of her husband who is still missing in action.

Poor little bugger growing up without his soldier father.  

Like our James, I always said the Navy has got to be safer than the Army, that’s why I followed him to Sea.

I remember that first day I saw him in his uniform, knew then that one day I would wear the same uniform, So I enlisted as soon as I could, maybe a little sooner than I should have.

Who know’s one day we might both get a medal before this war is over, that’ll make mum proud.

I love this part.

Make sure you wear your vest and wash behind your ears every night.

How old does she think I am? I mean I’m almost 16 not 6, not that anyone here knows that, had to lie about my age to get in, they all think I’m 19 next birthday.

I’m glad I joined, doing my bit for King and country, but sometimes I miss my old life, miss my own bed, miss our dog, I even miss my sisters, never thought I’d say that.

My mum would be in for a shock if she saw my vest, it's a long time since it's been white, a bit like me really.

The problem with letters is what do I write back, I mean my mother loves me but I’m her baby, the youngest, so I guess I’ll always be her baby.

She’d hate to know what I do day to day.

It's hot down in the engine and boiler compartments, so hot, over 120 degrees.

That's hotter than it was when we went to the seaside for that day trip, I’ve got a photo of that day, it was the last day all us had out together before James joined up, before the war that was too.

The job I hate most is bilge cleaning, do you know what the bilge is?

It’s the lowest part of the ship, below the engine room, and boiler compartments, deep in the ship, it's always wet down there, well ships leak, no really they do.

The thing is some of the other stokers, use the bilge as a toilet while they are working, so it always stinks,

worse than being on the farm.

We pump it out, but the pump often gets blocked, normally with poo, and it's not nice having to clean that out.

It’s not just the bilge that needs cleaning, every 4 weeks or so.

We have to get inside the boilers as well, when they have cooled of course, not that's it's ever really cool down there.

It’s horrible hot work, like being down the pit I rekon, least I only have to do it every few weeks and not every day, wouldn’t want that job. We come out covered in soot, all sweaty and stinky.

That soot and the coal dust get into you skin, comes out in your sweat.

I used to cry at night, I was so scared, no terrified.

Why?

Mines a dangerous job, probably the most dangerous one on board, I’m sure.

Because I’m the smallest it's always me who has to scramble between the boilers to open and close valves, do you know the boilers move, like hearts pulsating as if they are alive, I’m sure I could be crushed if I wasn’t careful.

They tell me men have died doing my job, the old chief is always spinning dits.

Leaks and Fires scare me most, not sure which is worse, both can come without warning, I should know I’ve seen both, only small ones thankfully.

Pipes work loose through vibration and occasionally part at flanges.

If the pipe is carrying 'cold' steam like white stuff comes from kettles, it quickly fills the compartment, making it hard to see as well as making it very hot, and of cause whatever was waiting for that steam to fail.

If it’s 'hot' steam, hotter than normal steam, superheated, well that is invisible.  It expel‘s itself from a pipe so powerfully, it could slice a body in two, really.

If it’s carrying oil, that’s really bad. It invariably finds a hot surface and ignites, causing a fire,sometimes a major compartment fire.

If the fire doesn’t kill you, the act of flooding the space with superheated steam to kill the fire will definitely kill you! Not a nice way to go, odd saying can’t think of a nice way to go.

If it’s carrying salt water, straight out of the sea this rapidly causes flooding and the loss of the ship if it were large enough or left unchecked. We have to learn how to fix leaks.

One thing that is fun is called Scuttle running - It’s an illegal race between shipmates, a sailor scrambles out of a scuttle that’s a porthole to you, claw their way to the upper deck, run across the deck, down the other side and into another scuttle. Fastest wins.

It’s dangerous of course, you can fall into the sea and get lost, I’ve not seen that happen yet, but the older hands have told me stories.

I suppose I should be grateful, at least I don’t get sea sick, well not anymore. Dusty does, just can’t seem to stop, he has to nibble on Hard Tak, its vile.

So what do I write?

Dear Mother, Thank you for your letter. Hope you are well, I am.