Of Girls' Schools and Warships

[Justin Moretti]

From the Roedean School Magazine, Summer 1914:

The Expedition to the Fleet.

It was only two days before that never-to-be-forgotten Wednesday that Miss Lawrence told the School at the close of 'prayers' that we were to have a whole holiday on that day, owing to the distinctions gained at College by two old girls. Most of us, I think, knew what was to follow; there had been rumours floating about the houses for some days, but no one was certain, therefore there was an almost breathless silence when Miss Lawrence, after saying that in the morning the house matches would be continued, said slowly "and in the afternoon the whole School will be shown over the fleet, owing to the great kindness of Captain Royds.

To cut a long story short, four flags were presented to four "host" ships by the four School Houses. A photocopy I have of Roedean's magazine lists them as HMS Collingwood, Superb (struck through and corrected to Hercules), Canterbury and Neptune.

The Official History of the first 100 years of the school adds:

At the outbreak of the 1914-1918 war the four Houses presented the White Ensigns to the four ships that had entertained Roedeanians when the fleet was anchored in the Channel off Brighton in 1914; when these ships - HMS Collingwood, HMS Hercules, HMS Canterbury, HMS Neptune - were put out of commission, the flags returned to "their home". We still continued (until recently) to exchange greetings each year on Trafalgar Day with the Captain, Officers and Men of HMS Collingwood.

Andrew Gordon's "The Rules of the Game" mentions the flag-ship-school connection, p417 of my paperback edition,and confirms the ships' names mentioned in the Centenary history. However, EHH Archibald's "The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy" lists HMS Canterbury as a cruiser launched in 1915. (It seems she got a flag rather than it going to a fourth dreadnought because her captain, P. Royds, was the father of the two old girls whose success triggered the expedition.)

I have two sources - one primary, one secondary - which seem to imply that HMS Canterbury was indeed there, as the ships which hosted girls were the ones which got flags. Most if not all of the Old Roedeanians who went aboard must be dead by now, but each girl is supposed to have got a cap and ribbon with their ship's name on it.

Can anyone sort out the mystery? Are there any Old Roedeanians' descendants out there with a battered sailor's cap that once belonged to their great grandmother or great aunt, with HMS Canterbury on it? Are any members of the Expedition still alive to tell the tale? (And do they browse the internet? )

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Although she was not launched until 1915, HMS Canterbury was laid down in 1914. To sort it out someone will need to check the 'Navy List' or his service to see when Captain Royds was allocated to the ship.

[Justin Moretti]

What makes it confusing is that the girls describe going inside the four host ships which received flags - from spotting tower to engine room - so unless they actually went down some other ship and simply presented Canterbury with a flag, it still leaves things up in the air. The text does seem to describe them boarding four dreadnoughts, but even a cruiser might have seemed big and impressive to someone who doesn't know much about warships and is all overcome with excitement at the thrill of simply being on board.

One also gets the idea from the larger context that this visit was just before the war.

[ionia]

The battleships named belonged to the 1st BS. This squadron's attached light cruiser was the BELLONA, Captain Percy Royds. He removed from the BELLONA to the CANTERBURY.

I suggest that the flag was presented to Royds who took it with him to the CANTERBURY and this was known to the donors.

His daughters must have been precocious - one source says that he married in 1898.

[Justin Moretti]

That would certainly be a reasonable explanation. The magazine does go on to say that Royds had been called away at the last minute and could not be present to see the girls, but doubtless they would have had a way of getting the flag to him.

On re-reading, all four ships are only named as host ships in retrospect in the 1985 version of the school history, which may not necessarily be perfect. It could well have been the Bellona which was the fourth host ship, but all the historian knew was that the Canterbury was the ship which returned the flag. And with most or all of the girls dead or extremely old by then, there may not have been anybody to correct the matter. The 1919 Magazine refers to the flags being presented to the four named ships including the Canterbury, but Royds' ship would have been prominent in the girls' memory (he sent them letters), and could well have been remembered as 'a ship to which a flag was presented', via the continuity of its captain.

The first-hand account of one of the girls I have quoted from above does not actually name ANY of the ships that are visited; the only records are those sailors' hats bearing the names of all four ships that were given out so long ago.

Thanks for this piece of information. I am in touch with Roedean's archivist from time to time, and will pass it back to her.

[rugby-137]

HMS Canterbury