The San Francisco call., 1908-05-10
FAMOUS HFROINES
IN BRITISH NAVY
Records of Women Who Fought
Bravely in Ships
of War
Their Courage and Fortitnde Un-
der Fire Equals That
of Men

Among the many aspects of oldtime
sea life which the student of naval his
tory chances upon in his researches
none is more curious and none more
frequently met with of women, says
the London Globe. They are divided
into two classes, those who went to
sea by permission with their husbands,
who In the hour of oattle rose to the
occasion and did yeonans service be-
hind the guns, and those who for one
reason and another donned male Co.'S
tune and enlisted in the ordinary way.
In the prosaic times in which we live it
is well nigh Impossible for any ro-
mantle girl to get to sea In man-of-
war. though in recent novel the lady
correspondent OF daily paper is made
to attend maneuvers and some terrible
complications follow her incursions
into tactics and strategy, Up till the
middle of the last century. however, it
was mo uncommon thing for captains
and even seamen to take their wives to
sea. 1t is recorded that at the battle
of Camperdown woman assisted in
firing the gun where her husband was
quartered and stuck grimly to her post
until, with one leg shot oft and the
other wounded. she was carried below
to the surgeons care.
A curios case arose as the result Of
women being present at Trafalgar In
the official record OF the applicants
for the naval war medal in 1S47 occurs
the entry, 'Jane Townshend, of his
maiesty's ship Defiance" Sir T. Byam
Martin noted against this that the or
der directing that all who were present
at the action should have q medal was
made without any reservation as to
sex. He adds: "As this woman pro-
duces from the captain of the Defiance
strong and highly satisfactory certifi-
Gates of her useful services during the
action. she is fully entitled to a
medal" After further consideration,
however, 1t was decided that the claim
could not be allowed; there were many
women In the fleet equally useful, and
II will leave the admiralty exposed 70
innumerable applications of the same
nature" The state of things in some
of our men of war in that time may
be gathered from an entry in the diary
of a naval surgeon of the period. He
tells US that when the Magnanime, of
$50 men, was ordered to be repaired at
Portsmouth. her crew was turned over
to the Canterbury. but no snore leave
was given, permission being accorded
instead for the mems wives to come
on board. In consequence the con-
sumption of beer was so large that the
puIser had to. enter a complaint. The
admiral ordered the females on board
TO be mustered, and there were 4e2
of them. They all declared themselves
married women, and were acknowl-
edged by the sailors as their wives.
Two of the most famous nautical he
roines were Mary Anne Talbot and
Hannah Shell. The former served for
many years in the navy. and ultimately
retired on a pension of f20 year
granted to her for wounds received In
action. Hannah Smell was a royal ma
rine. and her memory is honored by
the sea regiment TO this day. She
served first In the army, but. desert
ing. tramped to Portsmouth, enlisted in
the marines, and went out to the East
Indies in the sloop Swallow. She was
wounded at the siege of Pondicherry
and remained in hospital three months
without her sex being discovered. In
1850 she returned to England. was pen
stoned off, and then announced her sex.
She continued. however. to wear male
costume down to the day of her death,
with sword and ruffles. laced hat and
eockade, and she added to her income
by appearing on the stage, singing a
song and doing military exercises.
Rebecca Anne johnson, another female
sailor, who lived on the lower deck as
a man, may be said to have inherited
her seafaring instincts. for her mother
fought and fell at Copenhagen under
Nelson, and her father also was sailor
She was found out, however, after
serving seven years at sea. and was
forthwith put ashore. In another case
young seaman" named Waddell, of
the Oxford, when ordered to receive
two dozen lashes for desertion, was
found to be a girl. She declared that
she had enlisted in the Oxford be-
lieving the man she was In love with
to be on board that ship. When she
found he was not she had deserted In
stead OF being lashed, she was pre-
sented by the admiral with half a
guinea, the other officer sent the hat
round and she was given enough to
take her back TO Hull. her native town.