The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-02 00:00:00

THE ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOLS, GREEN:

WICH.

The Prince of Wales distributed the prizes awarded to the
successful sailor boys in the Royal Hospital School at Green-
wich on Satarday. He was accompanied by the Princess of
Wales, Prince Victor, Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge,
and the First Lord of the Admiralty.—In noticing the pre-
sentation, the Daily News gives the following description of
the proceedings
"The Institution might be called a kindergarten of
the sea. The boys who have happily gained admission
to it realise every part of a seaman's life except its
dangers and its adventures, pad" for these they are
elaborately prepared m their different class-rooms.
They are taught the sailor's work while playing, :14 it
were, at being sailors, and when they leave to join
their ships are already versed in all the duties to which
they are likely to be put.. From the hour they enter
the school, whose history m itself constitutes a memo-
rial of the great naval victory of La Hogue, till the
hour they leave it, they are practically on board ship,
acquiring all kinds of nautical knowledge fitted to
make them useful and cell-reliant at sea.

"The Royal visitors were deeply interested in wit-
nessing the work of the school, which they did as soon
as the inspection on parade was over. The boys on
parade got through their drill with soldierly smartness
—marching past, advancing in line, forming square,
and taking up Ere-quarters. When this was over,
they all ran to their several shops and class-rooms.
While they were there settling to work the visitors
were inspecting the Victory Dormitory, a large airy
room containing 118 beds, and a fair sample of the
nine dormitories in the institution, bearing similarly
naval names. Thence they proceeded to the work-
shops, where the boys were as busy as bees—in one
room as carpenters, in others as plumbers, gasfitters,
or blacksmiths; here baking their own bread, there
doing their own laundry work, or, still more entertain-
ing., repairing their own linen. It is perhaps worth
mentioning that over half a million pieces were washed
in the laundry last year. In all these industrial occu-
pations the Princess was so deeply absorbed that the
progress through the buildings occupied a good deal
more time than had been anticipated.

"In nearly every room, and especially in the car-
pentane shop, where her Royal Highness was bent
upon seeing a smart little fellow finish a drawer frame
which ho was dovetailing—the Princess fixed her at-
tention upon some little worker and followed his
fingers, or it might be his machine, with undisguised
interest. The sock-knitting room, in which there
were four machines at work, particularly pleased the
Royal visitors. This was the last room seen in the
east wing.

_ _
"In crossing the parade to the west wing the centre
hall of the Queen's House was entered. This hall
was ablaze with colour and fragrant with sweet per-
fume. From a miniature fountain in the centre clear
water trickled among sweet flowers, whose luxuriance
all but hid the basin ; and behind the little fount
rose a high bank of the choicest foliage and flowering
plants. Among these also the refreshing waters seemed
to play, and came murmuring cascade-like over an imi-
tation rock. Surrounding this elaborate floral trophy
was an illuminated shield bearing the Prince of Wales's
feathers and the motto, ' Long live the Prince of Wales,'
and again, from this there sprang six prize banners
In blue and gold, the honours won by the school at
public-school sports and in divers competitions.
Each window-sill was a bank of ferns and flowers,
and overhead, from the galleries, were flying the Eng-
lish and Danish standards, the Prince's flag, the
Admiralty colours, and the Union Jack. Thence this
Royal party were taken through the tailoring, shirt-
stvleurbking shop.. There were wore
I,•rty 1,-Wll,g tlia,,}llll;t4 /IA work durinv to Lisir,
Tito fiv,l.earnanvhip rooms naturally evoker-1 iivoly
interest. Here theory and practice in shipboard work
are taught in happy combination. Diagrams or paint-
ings on the walls convey the theoretic instruction, and
the ship materials and models on the floors gives oppor-
tunities for practice. In one room there is actually a
swinging model of a ship which answers her helm,
and enables the lads to test their own progress in re.

sponding to directions respecting the wearing and
tacking of a vessel. On one diagram ships are seen
lying to' under all kinds of canvas in gales of wind,
while from the floors rise models upon which the lads
practice the mode of setting and taking in the sails.
Knotting, splicing, reefing, throwing the lead, work-
ing the compass, slinging casks and hammocks—every
description of seamanlike operation is performed in
the seamanship rooms.
"From these the Prince and Princess went into the
Dining Hall, the magnificent building erected in 1876.
The ceiling of this great room, in which the thousand
inmates of the school may all dine at once, is pan-
nelled. and the panels are filled in with paintings com-
memorative of naval triumphs and illustrative of the
various handicrafts which the boys are taught. Wel-
lington and Nelson, of course, find a place in the
artistic scheme; and the walls, besides exhibiting
medallions of the Queen and the late Prince Consort,
are adorned with huge allegorical representations of
Neptune and Brittania. The two prominent wall
paintings, however, are those of William and Mary,
the founders of Greenwich Hospital. The Princess
was asked to bestow her name upon the dining•hall,
and, as her permission was readily granted, the room
is henceforth to be known as the Alexandra.' The
wall space opposite the pictures of the founders will
probably be soon filled with the portraits of the Prince
and Princess of Wales.

"In the gymnasium of the school—an ambitious
building, 250 feet in length, with an arched glass and
iron roof like that of a railway terminus—a large
number of ladies and gentlemen had assembled to see
the Prince of Wales distributing the prizes to the suc-
cessful pupils. The Royal party sat in the proscenium
at the further end of the hall. Prior to the prize die-
tribution those of the boys who were assembled in the
hall sang 'God Bless the Prince of Wales,' and a
charming echo song, the echo being taken up by their
comrades outside at a distance of nearly 300 yards.
The scholars whose general attainments and good
conduct, or whose proficiency in special branches
of knowledge in seamanship or in trades, had
entitled them to prizes, had then the satisfac-
tion of receiving their books, medals, and other prizes,
from the Prince's own hand. T. 13eynon, who was
presented with Burney's Young Seaman's Minial
for being "the smartest boy aloft," had the generous
plaudits of envious comrades. The Prince increased
his popularity with the boys by also insisting on de-
livering the certificates, and when the First Lord of
the Admiralty afterwards proposed thanks to the
Royal Princes and the Princess, and warmly com-
mended to the audience the deep interest taken by the
Prince of Wales in the Navy, there were most enthu-
siastic juvenile cheers."
The Prince of Wales in ackowledging the vote of
thanks, said :—I cannot tell you the pleasure it has
given me to be here to•day. I should have regretted
it deeply if I had not been able to come and to present
the prizes to you. A school like this is one in which
it is impossible to help feeling the deepest interest.
It was founded in the 17th century, but at the com-
mencement of the last one there were only ten boys in
the school. At the commencement of the present
century, I believe the number came up to two
hundred. Now there are over a thousand boys. The
change speaks for itself. (Cheers.) In the course
of every year two hundred boys are sent to sea.
Not only have they had the advantage of an
excellent training as respects the profession which
they are about to enter, but theyihave had besides that
as good general teaching as it is possible to get, and
have learned all the best and most profitable trades a
youngster can learn. The boys receive this education
because their parents have been killed or wounded, or
contracted sickness, or grown old in the service; and I
am sure that, impressed with such service to their
country, they will determine not to fall short of those
who have gone before them, but to be—what I hope
British sailors always will be—a credit to their country
in every sense of the word. (Cheers.) 1 repeat that
it has given me great pleasure to come with the Princess
and my two boys to visit this most interesting and ex-
cellent establishment.

Ringing cheers again broke forth, and were followed
by a repetition of the sounds in honour of the Duke
of Cambridge and the army (says the Daily Telegraph,
in their account of the proceedings) ; and then, at the
word of command from Captain Burney, the central
line of space down the entire length of the gymnasium
was cleared for athletic exercises. Two lads on the
swinging-bar, or "double trapeze," performed feats as
wonderful as any that the ordinary professional acrobat
achieves; and a pretty sight was afforded by the swarm-
ing of a great number of little fellows up the ropes which
hung from the roof, The scene was, indeed, strikingly
animated, and in the applause which it evoked the
Prince of Wales took the lead. Their Royal High.
nesses were then escorted to the swimming school,
where some of the lads competed in a race, the course
being impeded with boats, spars, and other obstacles
which they had to surmount. Some clever somersault.
throwing, backwards and forwards, into the water,
next ensued; and the Prince of Wales, standing with
the Princess and the two young Princes on the bridge,
threw half-crowns to the young divers, who, without
regard for the striped black and white silk dress
in which, with the addition of roses, red, yellow,•
and pink, the Princess was most becomingly
arrayed, splashed her Royal Highness unmercifully.
Then followed the startling episode of a fall into the
bath, by a youth who, pretending that he could not
swim, floundered about, sank, rose to the surface, and
shrieked, "Save me, save me," in a well-feigned tone
of terror. Saved, of course, he was, by a lad smaller
than himself, who plunged gallantly to the rescue, and
held the drowning person before him, secundem artem.
From the swimming school, the Royal party walked
to Captain Burney's quarters, in passing towards
which, along the private garden that abuts on Green-
wich Park—being separated therefrom only by a
palisade and hah-hah—they came into view of many
delighted holiday-makers, who, quickly drawing to-
gether, saluted the Prince and Princess with the
waving of hats and handkerchiefs. After entering
Queen's House, and taking some light refreshment,
their Royal Highnesses left the institution, having
remained nearly three hours, and drove back to
London.