Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-30
Written for The Star.

Although from time immemorial It has
been canon in the naval profession that
women have no place in warships. 1t is a
fact that, not only in European fleets, but
in our own, women have served as men-of-
war with credit to themselves and to the
flag they fought under. In some Of the
greatest battles In naval history women
have taken conspicuous parts in caring for
the wounded, and, while instances like that
of Molly Pitcher, who took q very active
part in land battle by loading cannon
to which her husband was attached as 4
gunner, are rare in sea records, 1t is known
that women have braved all the dangers
aboard war craft while in action, and in
attending to the more humane service OF
minding the wounded. exposed themselves
to missiles of death quite as much as the
male participants.
Women With Nelson.
In that greatest naval battle of all his
tory, Trafalgar. it is on record that in
nearly every ship under Nelson's command
there were several women, the wives Of
some members Of the crews In the flag
ship Victory, at the moment the great Eng.
lish hero was shot-which was at the height
Of the action-it Is recorded that three good
women walked the spar deck, the most
exposed place in the ship giving aid and
comfort to the wounded; seemingly obliv-
ious to the very great danger they them
selves were in. They were as cool and col
lected as If the battle was out of sight and
hearing.
AT first glance 1t might seem remarkable
that any of the gentler sex would be per-
| mitted aboard militant craft in time of
war, but when we recall the conditions gov
erning enlistment in English men-of-war in
Nelson's time the anomaly is explained.
By resorting to the pressgang the ad-
miralty caused many good citizens to be
| seized in the public streets and compelled
| to serve in the navy against their will.
Early In the nineteenth century England
experienced great difficulty in filling out
| the compliments of her enormous fleets
| and had recourse to the questionable meth
| DDS of coercion. The commander Of a frig-
ate on finding himself short Of men would
| arm six or ten Of his best men, send then,
| ashore, usually at night, under the care OF
| a petty officer, with instructions to seize
| any able-bodied man they met and bring
| him aboard.
By this method 1t frequently happened
| that grave injustice was inflicted on the
victim, and, as some palliation of the out
rage. If. the man CHANGED to be married,
| his wife, by special dispensation from the
admiralty, was permitted to live with hin,
aboard the warship during his term of
seryice-which usually was for life.
Women in the War Of 1912.
| iOii tiiC uidiy VI Oil fAiletlCdH SedHidit
| by the name of White, who served in the
war of 1872, we get an interesting sidelight
on this peculiar phase of naval life. White,
in December, 1914, shipped in a famous
American privateer, and, when only a few
days out from Boston, was captured and
taken aboard the English fifty-gun ship
Leander, Capt. Sir George Collier. In his
graphic description of the scenes aboard
the British frigate, he tells of an English
gunner and his wife who had been together
in the navy seven years. having been
shipped from one man-of-war to another
The gunner had been hard working
tradesman in London From small Begin
nings he accumulated small capital and
opened a little store on the Surrey side of
the Thames. Having well established him.
self In business, he married woman of re-
night, after locking up his store a little
when a pressgang seized him and hurried
him aboard man-of-war, despite his
pleadings and protests. His case was one
of many, and his prayers fell on deaf ears.
Through the influence of his wife's rela-
tives he obtained permission to have his
wife aboard with him; and SO for seven
years they had sailed together, changing
about from one ship to another as the
exgencies of the service required How
many more years they served Mr.. White
does not inform us, but impressed men
generally were kept as long as the officers
deemed it necessary for 1.-The good of the
SERVICE" it is highly probable that their