Where shall I start? I say this because there is very little information about the first four years of my life, and it is only in the last year or two that I have had access to my records in Barnardos and have pieced things together. Perhaps a good point would be the time of my first clear recollection: on the 9 September 1936, when I was five years old, I was sent to the Boys Garden City, a Barnardo Home at Woodford in Essex, and the only memories of my wanderings prior to that time are of being on a big ferry, and of competing with a dog for its food and receiving a bite on the wrist.

This “Garden City” in which I found myself consisted of twenty houses each holding twenty five boys. My particular house was called "Union Jack". In charge of each house was a Matron and her assistant. The other buildings in the Garden City included a large dining hall, several wooden school huts and a chapel. The uniform consisted of grey shorts, shirt, and jumper, grey socks with a green stripe, and a green tie; black boots were worn in winter and sandals or bare feet in the summer. When going out for walks in the winter we wore a black coat. The food was adequate, I suppose, but not very appetising at times; the horrible lumpy porridge at breakfast we called "pongy", the cabbage was better known as "gritty greens" and the greasy fat stew was known as "skilly".

After customary school lessons during the week, together with home-work, it was games on Saturday, Church on Sunday, and long walks on Sunday afternoons. There were special treats at holiday times, and parties and gifts of toys at Christmas. At that time, one of the highlights of the year was a combined display by all the Barnardos Homes before a large audience at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The entertainment included gymnastics, marching bands and a large choir. I did not quite make the top of the bill but in 1937 I drove round in a pedal car as part of a road safety display and the following year I was a snowball in a sketch called "The Battle of the Sun over Winter".

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Prior to the second World War, Barnardos had a scheme whereby hundreds of young boys and girls were sent out to Australia to start new lives on farms and other occupations and while I was fostered out to the Birchenough family, plans were made for me to join a party for emigration. By that time the German submarines were inflicting heavy losses on British shipping and it was therefore considered unsafe for any more emigrant ships to sail from the England, and so, for me, and for many other youngsters with the same hopes, the dream of a new life 'Down Under' came to an end because of the war.

I then received a visit from a Barnardo official who explained the situation to me and asked if I would like to go to a Training School for a career in the Merchant Navy. I was bitterly disappointed that I would not be sailing off to Australia but soon agreed to the idea of a life on the ocean wave as an exciting prospect. Thus, in February 1942, after twenty happy months living a comparatively free life, I bade a sad farewell to the Birchenough family in Leek and travelled to Parkstone in Dorset to join the "Russell Cotes Nautical School" - a Barnardo Sea Training School.

I was admitted into Howard House where, because of the war and the risk of bombing, the dormitory was on the ground floor and the recreation rooms on the floor above. The other buildings in the school consisted of a large dining hall, classrooms, gymnasium, chapel and sick bay. There was a large parade ground, a swimming pool and an upper and lower playing field. From the upper playing field there was a lovely panoramic view of Poole harbour. The staff included the Captain, Chief Officer and two assistant Officers, kitchen and sick bay staff, a Steward, and a caretaker. The boys aged under fourteen were called 'elementaries' and wore dark blue jumpers and shorts, a white shirt with a square blue neck band, and a round sailor's cap with a ribbon marked 'RCNS'. The older boys, termed 'nauticals', wore bell-bottom trousers, naval jackets and collars with a black neck ribbon and lanyard, and a naval pill-box cap the same as their juniors.

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As you can well imagine, with such a large school for boys it was necessary to maintain strict discipline. A set of rules was laid down and if we broke these we were punished accordingly. One of the worst offences was absconding from school (called 'doing a bunk'), which happened quite often, and for this six strokes of the cane were given on the backsides of the retrieved offenders, who also lost extra privileges for some time. A record of each boy's behaviour was kept, and to encourage good conduct arm badges were given which carried extra pocket money with them. Extra pocket money could also be earned by passing exams in seamanship and signalling, and also by joining the school band or gymnastics team. Promotion to positions such as leader('Leading Hand') among the elementaries, or Petty Officer among the nauticals, also qualified for extra privileges and pocket money. I was able to achieve all these objectives and was also awarded the honour of "Boy of the Year".

Shaping a Future

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At the age of sixteen it would be time to say goodbye to Barnardos, and to make my own way in the outside world. It was a strange feeling: on the one hand, I was pleased and excited at the thought of being free and away from the strict regime of Russell-Cotes and to start earning my own living, on the other hand, the uncertainty of leaving the security of Barnardos, and of how would I cope on my own in the relatively strange world outside. When that time came, Russell Cotes had an arrangement with the Union Castle Shipping Company to employ boys as deck-hands on their ships, but as far as I was concerned, it did not happen that way - my path was to lead in a different direction. One day, just before I reached sixteen, I was called into the Commander's office. He said: "Richmond I have a proposal to make to you and the choice will be yours". I could either join the Union Castle Line in the normal way or there was a post available for a deckhand on a Thames Spritsail Barge called the "Black Swan" at eight pound per month and all found. The "Black Swan" was owned by a Mr Arthur Hoare who was a Private Banker in Fleet Street, London. The barge had been converted from a commercial boat into a pleasure craft and would be sailing around the English coast at a somewhat leisurely pace. After some thought, I decided to take up the post on the "Black Swan" and if it did not work out I could still join the Merchant Navy at a later date.

On the 3rd June 1947, after five years at Russell-Cotes and twelve days short of my sixteenth birthday, I left to join the "Black Swan". I was given two sets of civilian clothes from Barnardos and departed with a blue kitbag containing all my worldly possessions plus twenty pounds in my pocket. I was also given a bible and prayer book. Inscribed in the front of the bible was a reference to St.Matthew, Chapter VII, verse 12 which reads: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the law and the prophets". In additon to the leaving gifts from Barnardos Headquarters, I was given a declaration signed by the Commander of Russell Cotes saying that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, I had been born on 15th day of June, 1931, at Ealing, London. This did little to increase knowledge of myself and my origins, but was intended to guarantee my age to future employers.

The "Black Swan" was lying at Milton Creek, Sittingbourne, Kent. Mr Hoare, the owner, was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, which entitled him to fly the White Ensign. The converted barge had sufficient accommodation for five passengers and a crew of five. Two Chrysler engines were installed to assist entering and leaving harbour, but once clear of port it was sailing all the way. The idea was to sail during the day and then put into the nearest port for the night with an occasional overnight run. It took six months to sail clockwise around the coast of England, Wales and Scotland. Sometimes we would spend a week or more in port, whilst the owner was away on other activities. From time to time, Mr.Hoare would invite relatives or friends on board for short holidays.

I had a variety of duties which included helping on deck, assisting the engineer, cleaning cabins, and serving the owner and his guests in the dining saloon. I would add that, during the mackerel season, as we sailed along at about four or five knots, I would be stationed at the stern attending the mackerel line spinners. My haul of fresh mackerel would be passed on to Jock, the owner's personal chef, who would fry them in bread crumbs and serve them as a very tasty dish.

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After my six month's experience on the Black Swan, it was time for me to prepare for a career in the Merchant Navy and it was understood that Sam would become my Guardian and assist my career in any way that he could. I was introduced to the Managing Director of the Ellerman-Wilson Shipping Line who lived in Hornsea, a few miles from Hull, which was the Home Port of the Line at that time. With his help I soon had an interview with Captain Duncan the Marine Superintendent.

Officer Cadet

The outcome of the interview was that, at the age of sixteen, I was accepted as a young cadet in the Ellerman Wilson Line. On the 7th January 1948, dressed in my smart new cadets uniform, I travelled from Hull to London to join the SS Albano lying at Hays Wharf in the Pool of London. The SS Albano was trading between London and Denmark every two weeks, and accommodated twelve passengers. It was a strange but exciting feeling as I stepped on board - there was such a buzz of activity everywhere. The ship was preparing to move from the Pool of London down river to Millwall Dock on the Isle of Dogs. The Chief Officer showed me to my cabin and then told me to go up to the Navigating Bridge and observe proceedings. Two tug boats swung the ship round and Tower Bridge was lifted to allow us to proceed down river. The feeling of excitement continued and I thought what a great life this is! The next morning I came down to earth (the deck) with a bump; I was ordered to get into my working dungarees and to clean all the outside and inside brasswork on the bridge!

Almost a Son

Whenever we were in dock for any length of time I returned north to stay with Sam Long in Hornsea. He continued to concern himself over my welfare and progress, and to provide me with a clothing allowance to supplement my small earnings as a cadet. In order to improve my speech and presentation he arranged for me to have elocution and dancing lessons. It was his expressed intention to adopt me but in his exchanges with the Barnardo officials was unable to progress in this direction, and he came away with the information that, in addition to being born in Ealing, I had also been baptised there, at St. Matthews, and that at some time I was under the care of of a good lady in Coleraine, Londonderry. The vicar of the church in Ealing kindly supplied me with a copy of the baptism entry which states my mother's full name but no other parent or godparent was entered. My aroused curiosity was not satisfied any further at that stage, for both Sam and I felt that its pursuit might be more upsetting than helpful, and we continued our close friendship through my frequent visits to Hornsea.

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Trading to the USA began to fall off and because of that the MV Sacramento was chartered by another shipping company; consequently, I saw more of the world. The ship was away from Hull for seven months and during that time we visited South Africa, India, Sri Lanka , and came back through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean to Canada, the USA and home again. This voyage was a great adventure for me. The various cargoes we shipped included cotton, tea, carpets, iron ore, fruit, and grain. The countries were each very different - the people, language, culture and religion. As well as riches, there was extreme poverty in India, apartheid in South Africa, and a progressive, modernising North America.

During the visit to South Africa we called at Durban where there was a very active "Mission to Seaman". The pardre invited four cadets to march in the Royal Navy parade celebrating Trafalgar Day, and we carried the Red Ensign. The parade was followed by a service in the Cathedral. Later in the day the pardre drove us inland to a Public School at Pietermaritzburg where he preached the sermon at evensong. It was a fascinating day in many ways. It was on this voyage that we had to cross the equator and I, with others, was put through the 'Crossing the Line' ceremony. We were 'tarred and feathered' and shaved, and then thrown into a tub of salt water and finally presented with a certificate - proof of membership of "Ye Ancient and Royal Order of a Son of the Sea" - duly signed and sealed by King Neptune!

My cadetship continued on various ships trading to the USA, all round the Mediterranean countries and around Scandinavia. Between trips, I would rejoin Sam Long in Hornsea. He taught me how to play tennis and golf, and I would often accompany him to social functions. I joined his Church Youth Club and I also learnt how to ride a motorcycle, and to drive a car. These achievements, and my sea career, meant that I was becoming more and more confident but I still retained the niggling feeling that an ex-Barnardo boy was inferior.

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In 1951 I continued trading to the Mediterranean, and was now into my fourth and final year as a cadet. My studies became more intense with the thought of sitting my first examination for my Second Mates Certificate. Around this time my guardian Sam got itchy feet again -he was always looking for new challenges in life - and volunteered to join the South African Railway Mission. With Sam away in Africa, I came ashore in November 1951 and joined Trinity House Nautical College in Hull to complete my studies. In January 1952 I became the very proud owner of a Second Mates Certificate. This achievement was not only very satisfying but it also meant that I had a reasonable job to do and I began to earn a decent salary. When my ship was in port, and under the orders of the Chief Officer, my duty was to assist on deck for the loading and unloading of the ship's cargo. At sea I had my own bridge watch to keep and also to assist in the navigation and safety of the ship. My next aim was to get at least two year's seatime in before becoming eligible to sit for my First Mates Certificate.

In due course Sam returned from South Africa and became a curate at St. Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, in London; I was still sailing out of either London or Hull to Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. When I was in London, Sam and I would go to the theatre to see plays, ballet and opera. Sam was also a member of the Army & Navy Club in Pall Mall. He would take me along and introduce me to high ranking officers, which was very good for a shy young man like me and helped to build my confidence. After leaving Barnardos I would always feel embarrassed if the subject of my being an ex-Barnardo boy ever cropped up, and I would do my best to avoid admitting this to anyone. How did I get over this feeling? Well, as the years went by, it slowly dawned on me that life in the outside world was not all a "bed of roses" - many families were living in poverty and there was lots of family strife and broken homes; Barnardos was not so bad after all I thought: you were brought up in a Christian background, educated to a reasonable standard, fed on a balanced diet, taught to accept discipline, always provided with a clean bed to sleep in and clean clothes to wear: you were trained to a good physical standard, had good medical care and were expected to respect the staff and those in authority, and to get on with your fellow companions. As I began to make a reasonable success in life, it gave me a feeling of pleasure when people around me, who knew my background, said how well I had done.

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I came ashore in October of that year to study at the Boulevard Nautical College in Hull for my First Mates Certificate which (with a great feeling of pride) I obtained two months later. With two gold stripes on my arm I was appointed to the MV Cavallo as Second Officer. Now I had more responsibilities for the safe navigation of the ship and when the Chief Officer was not available I was in charge of the cargo handling activities in port. I also had to do the accounts of the whole of the ship's officers and men and the balances of pay due at the end of each voyage. Apart from holidays and occasional sickness, I spent over two years on the MV Cavallo, trading regularly to the Mediterranean. On the whole I was pretty fit but occasionally I suffered with stomach upsets and nasty back pain, which was sufficiently severe to seek medical attention ashore and to interfere with my duties occasionally.

Recollections of a Master Mariner

As I write, my memory is being jogged of incidents in the past. I was on one ship with a fellow cadet, called 'Foxy', who played the accordion, and I played the flute; when the officers were having a party we would earn our beer money by supplying the music for a sing-song. When I was Third Officer, the Second Officer and I were interested in fencing. We each bought a foil, in Sweden, and made our own face masks. As we improved we would entertain the passengers and crew, and any passers by, as we duelled with each other on deck - it was also very good exercise. Then there was the occasion in Sicily: after a long hot day on deck, loading asphalt, the sun had gone down and I put a light over the side and dived into the sea to cool off. My bathing costume slipped off in the water and either a large jelly fish or squid stung me around my middle. I have never moved so fast in all my life to get back on board. The pain was terrible and it took me some days to get over it.

Arriving in Lisbon late one evening, the Captain and a few others ordered taxis to take us all to a Night Club for the midnight floor show. We invited the hostesses over for drinks and dances and we did not keep a check on what it was costing. When the bill was handed to the Captain, we did not have enough money to pay. The manager called the Police and we were detained until the Purser went back on board to collect sufficient money from the ship's safe to cover the bill! Then there was the occasion when the Duke of Edinburgh was about to inspect the Fleet in the Grand Harbour, Malta. We entered the harbour to pick up our pilot just as the Duke left the quayside in the Royal Barge. There must have been at least ten warships in the harbour with their crews manning the decks from bow to stern. So there we were steaming up the line of ships with the Royal Barge just astern of us. As we passed each ship, the sailors raised their caps with shouts of "Hip Hip Hoorah" in a salute which we shared with the Duke! I do not think the Duke was amused, and our Captain was asked to write a letter of explanation to the Harbour Authority because of the intrusion in the proceedings. I thought it was a grand experience at the time. These stories would amuse our passengers when we shared a table with them in the dining saloon.

I left the MV Cavallo in March 1957, having completed sufficient sea time to sit for my Master Mariners Certificate. I had planned to study at the Boulevard Nautical School in Hull but that had to wait as I was rushed into hospital for a serious stomach operation. After a long spell in hospital I continued my convalescing with my friends in Cottingham. About June of that year, I was well enough to continue my studies and on the 23rd September 1957, I finally qualified as a Master Mariner 'on foreign going steamships'.

During my service on the Black Swan I had kept in touch with the Birchenough family in Leek and also with Alan Tipper and his family. Mr.Spalding, who was the Chief Officer at Russell Cotes, remained a close friend, and when he retired to Brentford, in Essex, we continued to correspond and visit each other for some years. I mentioned earlier how he gave me extra coaching in mathematics, etc., and urged me to be ambitious in life. I was so pleased, and he was delighted, when, in 1957, I was able to tell him that I had become a Master Mariner, and, later, that I had become a Chief Officer in the Merchant Navy.

I had also kept in contact with two or three of my friends after leaving Russell Cotes but, over a period of years, most of us lost touch with each other. Gordon Brocklehurst and I, however, continued to write and to meet up from time to time; we have closely followed each other's careers and also have close family friendships.

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The British Merchant Fleet was beginning to reduce in number and therefore the chances of being promoted to Captain and having a command of my own was becoming very remote. At home the big event in our lives was the birth of our son Andrew on the 28th June 1962. The unhappiness of leaving Gerry alone with the baby became my major concern and I began to look for a post ashore. In the difficult choice between my life-long ambition to have my own command at sea and the creation of a family life for my children, such that I had never had, it was the latter which finally won. My last trip to sea was on the SS Consuelo in December 1962 with a full cargo of grain from the Great Lakes in Canada for Aberdeen and Hull. A month later I moved to the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, and took up a post as a Patrol Officer with the Medway Port Operations Service.

Occasionally I have been asked to give talks to various groups of people on my experiences in Barnardos, and my life since. Public speaking is not easy for me but it has made me aware of the fact that I have got over the feeling of inferiority which had dogged me for years.

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I had, myself, sometimes thought of writing an account of my life, and this has been a good opportunity for me to do so.

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Since I have now been given the full details by Barnardos in the form of an interview at the Aftercare Department, at which my wife, Gerry, was also present, I can end with my beginnings!

I was born in Ealing, on June 15th, 1931. My mother took me to be baptised into the Church of England on 7th July, 1931, at the Parish Church of St. Matthew, Ealing, and it was this Baptism Certificate which I had been able to obtain a copy of in 1953 when the question of being legally adopted by my guardian was being considered; it gives my full name, and that of my mother, but no record of my fathers name, nor that of godparents, nor of any other relatives. When I was only a few months old, my mother, who was about the age of thirty five years at the time, took me to be boarded out with an elderly couple in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, and for twelve months or so, while she was said to be employed 'in service', she paid irregular small sums for my upkeep. She then disappeared, and all trace of her was lost. The elderly couple cared for me over the next three years, and then could afford it no longer. On 10th December, 1935, I was admitted to Barnardos at "The Ever Open Door" in Belfast. For some three months I was in hospital being treated for malnourishment, and was then transferred to Barnardo Headquarters at Stepney, in London; this was the sea-voyage which I have already related as remaining vivdly in my memory. My first admission to the 'Boys Garden City' was on the 9th September, 1936, which is the memory with which I started my story; many ex-Barnardo boys have given some account of this large Barnardo Home.

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