21m Ctierry Picker for Hire

knew. Topmen were the elite of a crew and messed together; their skill-based hierarchy determined their status. To get the job she must have been amongst the very best on board and her messmates were probably proud of her.

Another woman, Tom Bowling, remained apparently undetected throughout her service.Only years later when arraigned before a mag istrate on a petty charge, did she cite her 20 years as a Boatswain's Mate in His Majest%''s Navy (and her subsequent pension) as evi dence of her good character.

One of the questions we might ask is why these women chose such an arduous and sometimes danger ous job. The classic reason is the wife or lover who follows her hus band to sea, usually disguised as a boy. Sometimes that was the case; early in the century a marine called WiUiam Prothero was discovered to be an 18 year old Welsh girl who had followed her lover to sea. Dur ing the Battle of Trafalgar, jeanette Colin, a young French woman was pulled stark naked from the sea when the French Achille exploded. She was fished out by the Pickle and handed over to the Rez'enge where the sailors provided her with cloth ing materials including sprigged muslim; a present for a sweetheart perhaps or maybe from another woman on board?

Her story was that when the fleet left Cadiz she had decided to stay with her husband. So, dressing as a sailor she had gone aboard and then served alongside him until he was killed during the battle. Re venge delivered her to Gibraltar, where she quickly disappeared. At around the same time, the Britan nia had rescued another woman

Mariuii VVakelin inv.ikL'linfliiK'LiiiLMifL Jusl to say 1 loiind my old penfriend in Gibraltar •iboul 3 weeks ago J Acolina and was .ible to talk to him on the phone.It was delightful and we talked of old times 1960.

Steve Meredith

.iL'\ iem^l8C" hotniail.com Looking for lt<xi Castrey or Wayne Warwick - both pawiousownersof The Bloemfontain' ,ind the T860 Tavern'(One and the ame bar). Let me know whether you till live fellas.

Bryan Whiteman brvansev'-" aol.com I was a teacher al St.Georges,Queensway from 1969 un til July 1972.1 would like to hear from anvone who remembers me. 1 was the fanatical Sunderland supporter.

Lynn Bates nthiTwisetash2("hotmail.ct'm Hi I am here to ask for help in finding my mother and grand parents.-. My moth er's name is Diane Valentine Fortee my father's name is Sydney Bates, 1 dent know my grand parents name Any help would be great, please email any info... Lynn who had also been serv ing in the Achitle.

Other reasons are less romantic. The Navy of fered around 25 shil lings a month, three scjuan' meals every day (eaten off a square wooden trencher) and escape from poverty ashore. If you had been, displaced by the high land clearances, for ex ample, or by the enclo sure acts which were driving subsistence farmers off the common land, then pay with meals might seem par ticularly attractiveThere was the addi tional possibility ot prize money — the crew shared a small fraction of the value of a cap tured enemy vessel and little opportunity to spend what you might earn whilst afloat, that is, provided you survived.

Ofcourse there were women who shipped on board as women.Nancy Pcrriam served in Orion as Captain's servant to make and mend his clothes. However, she was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797 and the Nile 1798, where she carried gunpowder to the decks from the magazine and helped the surgeon in the orlop; one the most dangerous and the other the most unpleasant task on board.

A number of women who had served at the Nile successfully pe titioned for their award of the com memorative medal, claiming they had served a gun during the battle. Others were less fortunate,some of them were wounded and a woman from Leith died of her wounds.

John Nichol who served in the powder magazine of Goliath at the Nile was kept up to date on the state of the battle by the women car rying powder cartridges to the guns."The women behaved as well as the men" he recorded "and 1 am very much indebted to the gunner's wife who gave her husband and me a drink every now and then". He didn't record the discoveries made at Aboukir Island a year or two ago, where archaeologists unearthed a number of womens' bodies amongst the graves of the fallen.

At least one woman from Edin burgh gave birth to a son in the heart of the action at the Nile. Four years earlier, at the very height of the Battle of the Glorious T'of June Mrs Mackenzie was delivered of a bov in the breadroom of the Tremen dous. He was named Daniel Tremen dous Mackenzie and awarded the Naval General Service Medal for his part in the ac tion, and was rated... baby.

Commissioned and Warrant Officers', wives frequently ac companied their hus bands to sea, but when battle commenced they had to earn their keep, often attending to the wounded, running dressing stations and running powder car tridges up from below. When enemy actions holed a ship they were obliged to pump, alongside all hands. The gu nners' wives traditionally looked af ter the smaller children — often first voyagers — aboard. These youngsters of 8 and 9 were often placed by their parents with experienced captains, to start accumulating sea time, usually as a precursor to becoming midshipmen.

But the fighting women,the ones that a Victorian Admiralty would prefer you didn't know about, are the women like Hannah Snell who famously served for five years as a seaman, a soldier and a marine. Who at the Battle of Pondicherry was wounded in 12 places and re moved one bullet herself; to avoid detection!

Or women like Jane Townshend,of the Defiance, who after Trafalgar in 1805, applied for her medal; "pre senting strong and highly satisfactory certificates ofher useful service during the combat". No wonder they built an empire... eh?

During the Battle ef Trafalgar,ieanene Colin,a young French woman was pnlled stark nakedfrom the sea when the French"Achllle'exploded. "Revenge'delivered her to Glhraltar,where she quickly disappeared

Jazz Thursdays at the Eliott Hotel

Every Thursday. Jazz Session at the Eliott Hotel the (resident) George Posso Trio with Special Guests, Jammers, and others, Date: Recurring Event. Venue: Ellott Hotel, Governor's Parade, Gibraltar.

Helneken Friday Jazz Nights

Every Friday, Jazz session with the (resident) George Posso Trio and special guests,jammers and others. Date: Recurring Event. Venue: Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay, Gibraltar.

Sarah Howard at the Lord Nelson

Every Friday, Saturday and Monday from 20:30. Sarah Howard made a massive impression when she per formed here two months ago. The singer/songwriter guitarist begins her summer residency at the Lordy. Date: Recurring Event. Venue: The Lord Nelson, Casemates Square.

No Direction b Mellowmind

• Eastern Beach!

Two Brilliant bands will be entertaining the crowds on Saturday. Sun,sea, rock music, what else does one need?

Date: Sat 30th Jul 2005 - Time: 8:00.

Venue: Sunrise Playground, Eastern Beach

MellowMind and Cyonida

Two of Gibraltar's up and coming young bands perform ing for all at the Youth Centre. Date: Sun 14th Aug 2005Time: 21:30. Venue: Youth Centre.

For latest live music details visit www.gibraltarlivemusic.com/ whatson.

Q: From where does the name come?

The word Casemates, meaning a bomb proof compartment, usually of masonry, to house a magazine or troop quarters, comes from the Italian 'Casamatta' from the Latin 'Casa'(housel and 'Matto'(mad) originating from the Latin 'Mattus'(drunk)!

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