Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
Charles Lewis
Royal Navy [1891-1905]
West Africa Station
1900-1904
Notes made for a Church Hall
Talk 1940
This was written in a very
different world from ours today.
He writes ……
“Just a few incidents in the life
of an ordinary common and garden sailor.
We left Las Palmas and called
at St Vincent, where we received orders to proceed at full speed to Bathurst
and send our boats laden with armed men up the River Gambia, to quell a native
uprising. I might mention in passing that all the time it was a common
occurrence for the native tribes to make war on another tribe, our men would be
landed to restore order. Well, we steamed as fast as we could for Bathurst; and
on arrival we found a couple of our ships and a regiment of black soldiers in
readiness, to proceed up the river. Gambia is one of our small colonies. The
river Gambia divides it into two pieces, flowing up for several hundred miles
between the two, into French territory, for Gambia itself is surrounded by
French Possessions. With a little tact and forbearance the natives were
pacified. We were more fortunate than one of our ships which was sent to Gambia
to quell a native disturbance. About 1890, HMS RALEIGH’s boat crew went up the
river Gambia, but the natives ambushed them, killed and ate the whole crew; Of
course, this was before Rationing and the introduction of Coupons, otherwise
they would have been Summoned.
But, to say a word in praise
of Missionaries who often come in for plenty of unjustifiable criticism. Our
crew and I stayed at Bathurst for a while. One Sunday morning our Captain asked
for volunteers to land with him and attend church; I landed with him also a
good few of the ship’s company. The church was built after the style of our
English Churches. We were the only white people in the church on that morning,
it was interesting to watch the black ladies enter and go into their seas; they
were dressed, if anything overdressed in black, some in white silks and satins
and they didn’t forget to rustle their dresses; they must have vied with each
other as to who could make the most noise. I could get a good view of the
congregation, as I had no “better half” nudging me and telling me not to gape
about. A black Parson conducted the Service in a very able manner and preached
an excellent sermon.
We were all pleased with our
adventure and our Captain for the opportunity of going; I believe everyone else
enjoyed it. Another day, several of us landed and sat under the window of the
Village School, listening to the black boys and girls reciting their lessons in
excellent English. Both incidents speak
well for the influence and work of the missionaries.
The chief export from Gambia
seems to be ground (monkey) nuts, it seemed to me the chief occupation of the
women was to sit in front of their huts and ask us for a “penny for monkey
nuts”. The pier was stacked with sacks of monkey nuts waiting shipment to
England. …..
What must have been in the
thoughts of the negro watchman at the entrance of Sierra Leone when he saw the
first steamer coming around the point – he dropped everything and ran as hard
as he could back to the town to give the alarm. By the time the Captain of the
steamer had landed to trade with them, there was not a soul to be seen. They had
all fled into the bush. We had something of the same turn out further down the
coast; our Captain thought he would give the inhabitants a treat by burning
searchlights all night. But, o my, the Creepy Crawleys! I should think all the
insects in West Africa paid us a visit.
Next morning the Commissioner
came and told us we had cleared the village last night; everyone went as fast
as their legs would carry into the bush. To make up for the scare we arranged
and invited as many as cared to come aboard for a gramophone concert.
O
wad some pow’r the giftie gie us
to
see oursels as others see us!
It
wad frae mony a blunder free us,
an’
foolish notion
What
airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us
And
ev’n devotion. - Rabbie Burns
Raymond Forward