F is for Flagship

-


F is for Flagship (and fathom!)

From Brian Lavery's Able Seamen - the lower deck of the Royal Navy 1850 - 1939:

A ship carrying an admiral and therefore flying his flag.
                                                                                         (Lavery, p. 321)

 My great-grandfather, Edwin Conner, served on two flagships - HMS Duke of Wellington and also HMS Victory.  However I hasten to add this was not when the ships were in battle but rather when they were in port, serving as a training ships or general depot ship in the 1890s.  

 But they were both magnificent ships in their day.

 Here I am as a small tot looking at the Victory with Great Aunt Win.

Last but not least, just in case you were wondering...a fathom is a way of measuring the depth of water and equals 6 feet or 1.8 metres.

 I hope you've learned something today on the Blogging A - Z challenge.

Comments

Wendy said…
I know what fathom means, but I honestly did not realize that the flagship carried the admiral. It never occurred to me that he needed a particular ride. I guess I thought "flagship" simply meant the best of the bunch. Yes, I'm learning something today.
April 7, 2016 at 8:25 AM
GeniAus said…
Love the pic with your great aunt and... yes I am learning.
April 7, 2016 at 10:24 AM
Shelley said…
What a fantastic family history photo to have!
April 7, 2016 at 1:11 PM
Suzanne McClendon said…
What a treasure having this photo. I love your little outfit, so cute!

Your posts have prompted me to try even harder to find the name of my Uncle Robert's ship. Thank you!
April 7, 2016 at 2:10 PM
Cassmob (Pauleen) said…
You are so tiny but lapping it up. I can ver remember what a fathom equals...not that much really.

Pauleem
April 8, 2016 at 10:27 PM
Alex Daw said…
Dear Suzanne...don't forget to let us know if you find it!
April 13, 2016 at 7:17 AM
Alex Daw said…
Fathom is such a good word isn't it...real olde worlde stuff.
April 13, 2016 at 7:18 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Family Lore

-
Image
Image by hurk from Pixabay Amy Johnson Crow challenges us to write about our Family History again in 2024 using her 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.  The theme for Week 1 is "Family Lore." Many of us have heard stories from our grandparents about incredible feats our ancestors did or a famous person we're related to. What's a tale that has been passed down in your family? Did it end up being true or did it turn out to just be a good story? You can join the challenge too her e. The most famous/shocking story handed down in our family was that my father's great-grandfather was meant to have shot himself.  Lo and behold it wasn't the entire truth (he lived to tell the tale) but there was certainly a large kernel of truth in the story handed down by my grandmother.  You can read the story of Edward Conner's life here . Of course there's always more to be done isn't there?  I ordered his death certificate years ago but it was lost in transit so
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks - Week 3 - Favourite Photo

-
Image
      The theme for Week 3 is "Favorite Photo." Amy Johnson Crow has devised these prompts and you can participate too by signing up here. Tell the story of a favorite photo: Who is in it, when and where it was taken, and why it was taken. (That last part is often left out!)   Barbara Conner hanging up washing in Edinburgh     This is a photo of my mother hanging up the washing when we were living in Edinburgh in the 60s. I think my father took it to record what ordinary life was like at the time and to send back to the folks at home in Australia.  I'm sure my mother was not pleased but I am so grateful because you can see so much in this photo.  They had a kettle, something like a Sunbeam electric frypan.  I think I can spot a toaster and a radio up on the top shelf.  You can see that the glass came in milk bottles in those days and that the twin tub washing machine was in the kitchen.  There are canisters for things like tea and coffee.   When MyHeritage brought out the
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Origins

-
Image
Image by Ekaterine Kantaria from Pixabay The theme for Week 2 is "Origins." Genealogists often get the question, "Where is your family from?" With this week's theme, you could explore an immigrant ancestor, but you could also think about the origin of other aspects of your family. Who was the first person in your family to settle in a particular town? If you have a long line of people with the same occupation, talent, etc, who was the first person you know who did it? If you want to join the challenge, sign up here. Here is my latest ethnicity estimate from Ancestry which, if you have taken a test with Ancesry, you can find under the DNA tab, sub-heading Origins. This has changed over time and there are reasons for that but I don't claim to be a DNA expert so you will have to look elsewhere for an answer.  Suffice it to say that my Irish percentage has increased significantly.  And in my youth I did have a lot of people tell me that I looked very Iri
Read more