New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
"Star Spangled Banner"
Finds Recognition With
Martial Airs of England
Nations Ships Mingle
Port Is Common Haven for
Fleets, as Well as Nau-
tical School

AN ENNLlSH fCRl, Jan. 81 By
maiD Hundreds of English boys, in
training here for the British navy, arc
learning "The Star-Spanglcd Banner" |
along with their own national anthems.
For behind the lines, as we'll as on the
high seas whore the ships of Great
Britain and America are jointly run
ming down the submarines, they arc
playing the martial airs of both ma
tons every day.
This quaint, picturesque place has
become a sort of melting pot out of
which there arc already many who be-
licvc vii! emerge the new navy of the
proposed league of nations whose spe-
cial mission will be to make the world
safe for democracy"
British and American ships come and
sc very much as if this port had ever
been common ground for the navics oil
the two great Anglo Saxon countries.
In the spacious buildings ashore, where
young Englishmcn for many years have
been trained for life at sea, as we'll as
on the ships that fly tho British flag,
Americans apparently arc as welcome as
they would be at Annapolis or on their
own warships.
Train on Old Ships
Unlike Other Allied bases in Euro
pcan waters, this is essentially Il train
ing centre It's harbors tccm with relics
of DAYS that were proud ones in Eng
fish history huge frlgates that still
remind one of Nelson's triumphs and
countless other attributes of past glory
It is ON these old ships that tho Eng
lish youths arc learning the rudiments
of seamanship. The old guns, which
poked their noses so imprcssively
through the many portfolios in days
gone by, have given way to newer and
moro modern ones, and, except for ca
terror appearances, there is scarcely a
trace of the linc which separated the
past FROM the present.
Inscribed on the masthead Of one OF
tho old frigatcs. so that all VINO pass
may read, are those immortal words,
"England Expects Every Man To DO
His Duty
Apparently nothing has been left un-
done that would contribute to tho
PHYSICAL as we'll as mental training
of the youth OF England The boys,
who come from all parts of the empire,
are first taught TO care for their own
clothes. A correspondent of The Asso-
ciatcd Press, who was permitted to In
spect the training schools, saw scores
of them all ranging in age from six
teen to eighteen sewing buttons on
their garments and otherwise putting
their kits in order. Along with this,
they arc taught table manners, for
which prizes arc regularly awarded.
They also arc taught to care for their
teeth and their bodies, and arc subject
cd to frequent examinations by the
medical and dental authorities.
Ten Months Training
The course Of training for ordinary
scamen extends over y period OF about
ten months, and after the preliminary
instruction looking to the physical fit
ness and decorum Of the young mon,
they are IN turn drilled, taught the
meaning and uses Of all parts of ship
and instructed in gunnery, swimming,
first aid, signalling, life saving and
other necessary requirements in the
life of scamen. A certain period each
day also is devoted to teaching them
reading, writing, history, geography
and arithmetic.
Aside from the training school for
seamen. the port boasts Of special
school for stokers, as we'll as one Of
the most complete naval engineering <
schools in the world Young men Who
enter the latter are put through a
course of practical engineering, cx-
tending over four years, after which
they arc required to serve twelve years
aboard ship.
The war has let down the bars to- a
very great extent so far as promotions
! arc concerned. and the boy who now
passes through any Of these training
schools may in time reach the top rung
of the ladder in any branch of the
British navy. depending, of course, on
his adaptability and initiative.