REVOLTING APPRENTICES

In January 1945 I was a 15 year old Aircraft Artificer apprentice undergoing training at HMS Fisgard, the Royal Naval Artificers Training Establishment, Torpoint , which although in Cornwall was near Plymouth , but on the opposite side of the River Tamar.  It was comparatively new, situated just outside the town of Torpoint on the main road, with the gate immediately opposite the entrance to the Seamen’s Training Establishment, HMS Raleigh.
 
The main gate was manned by an armed sentry and inside was the usual quarterdeck and regulating office, housing the regulating staff.  Leading from this was a short road to the parade ground, at the top of which was the admin block, alongside which was the flagstaff flying the white ensign.  From the parade ground a flight of steps led into the admin block and on each side of the staircase, flanking its main entrance, was a brass cannon pointing directly towards the main gate.
 
The various buildings for accommodation, recreation, classrooms etc. were mainly single storey brick, their size depending on what they were used for. They were generally grouped in areas with a common usage, such as accommodation, stores, workshops and so on.
 
One of our privileges was to be able to buy confectionery at below normal retail prices, free of rationing.  Another was, despite our age, the ability to buy a ration of duty-free tobacco each month, known as a “tickler”.  Since it was free of duty, attempting to take tobacco outside the confines of Fisgard, other than in small quantities for personal use, was regarded as smuggling and treated as a very serious offence.  The ration was a half-pound of either cigarette or pipe tobacco in a round sealed tin costing one shilling and sixpence per tin or the equivalent in leaf tobacco. The leaf tobacco consisted of a bundle of moist leaves which the recipient would douse with Pusser’s rum (if he could get it) and roll it into a short cylindrical shape bound as tightly as possible with a length of yarn. The tightly bound cylinder then being put aside to mature into a hard plug of solid black tobacco.  When this had matured, a piece would be cut off the end as required and either be chewed or made into conventional pipe tobacco and smoked in the normal way.  Normally cigarette tobacco was hand rolled into individual cigarettes. These had the advantage of being able to be rolled as thick or as thin as an individual wanted so that the tobacco ration could be made to last longer.  For those who could afford the modest sum it was possible to have the cigarette tobacco made into conventional cigarettes, or ‘tailor-mades’, as they were called.  Not that many could afford them for after various stoppages junior apprentices generally were paid about eight shillings a fortnight.  To get more cash than that you had to get your stoppages down to virtually nil.
 
There were two entries of apprentices each year and each was known as a division and named after a well-known seafarer, generally from years past such as Drake, Frobisher, Cochrane and so forth.  Divisions were divided into classes, each class specialising in a trade such as Engine Room, Ordnance, Aircraft, among others.  In addition all apprentices were given basic general engineering training.
 
Coloured sports shirts formed part of our kit and each division was given a different colour to enable members of divisions to be easily identified, particularly during recreational or sporting activities where there was an element of competition.
 
These coloured sports shirts once led to an incident involving the senior division whose divisional colour was red.  One day after supper, with everybody, apart from the duty watch, changed into night clothing from normal working gear, and ready for a period of relaxation and free time, there were two loud explosions, and a red sports shirt was seen flying from the mast head. Mayhem followed whilst the matter was investigated.  First of all the reason for this totally unexpected event had to be established together with the likelihood of further trouble.  What was the cause of the explosions?  The main gate was closed and locked. The fence and its environs were checked.  HMS Raleigh opposite telephoned to ask whether there had been a mutiny and made themselves available should they be required.  

Finally, the investigation found that the explosions were the result of both cannons having been fired.  Each had had its firing mechanism made operable, then was loaded with a suitably weighted ‘tickler’ tin and enough explosive mixture to enable the cannons to be fired. The shirt was of the type issued to apprentices in the senior division but it bore no identification marks.
 
The obvious culprits would appear to have come from the Ordnance class, but there was sufficient engineering knowledge within the Establishment for anyone to be able to plan and work out what needed to be done. The exploit could easily have been the work of another division or just a group of people, it was impossible to find out. The raw materials would have been easy to obtain, as was the sports shirt, and technical information was easily available. The conclusions were drawn from the investigation were never generally revealed and perhaps the fact that the war was probably not going to last much longer may have affected the eventual outcome.

Ernie Coster								January 2014