|
|
Lightvessel pastimes Harry Barnes spent some fourty years afloat on lightvessels. During
a recent conversation we got talking about the hobbies and pastimes
that the lightsmen followed to while away their off-duty hours. As
might be suspected they were many and varied, including reading, rug
making, painting in oils, marquetry, fishing and photography. Quite
a few of the men were proficient at playing musical instruments, too,
and it was not unknown for a crew to be able to make up an impromptu
concert with a harmonica, dulcimer, trumpet, mandolin and banjo. From "Lamp" No. 51/2001
There was a keenness to manufacture items that could be sold, either
to visitors to the vessel, or to friends and neighbours after a lightsman
had gone ashore. Dried and vanished starfish were popular, as were
rope-soled sloppers, which fetched ten shillings. Ornaments made from
shells and stones glued together would sell for five bob. Rugs and
mats would find ready buyers. The latter once caused a problem for
crewmember Harry Barnes, who discovered that his bunk was invaded
by fleas, and on one occasion killed twentyone at a single seccion.
Being a fastidious gentlemen, he was very keen to locate the source
of the pests, and, after much enquiry and argument with others, they
were traced to rangs from jumble sales brought aboard for rug making
by someone who was thereafter not very popular.
Harryīs speciality was putting ships in bottles and he made many of
them during his years of service, starting in the oil lit foīcīsle
of the wooden vessels. In this context his colleauge Joe Gibbens has
told an amusing tale. On one occasion a report was received that one
of the lightvessels on the Harwich stream moorings had been boarded
and some items, including one of the shipīs boats, had been stolen.
A couple of Trinity Depot personnel went with Joe to investigate.
On boarding the ship they noted which items were missing but on going
below, to their surprise, they found something additional which they
had not expected. This was a case of Dutch gin. One of the party suggested
that it must have been Dutchmen who raided the ship, but Joe suggested
that if it was, they were hardly likely to leave a case of gin behind
and nobody believed it was left as compensation for the items stolen.
After agreeing and upon further reflection, the two Depot staff said
there was no point in leavng all the gin there as it had obviously
been abdandoned and so they each left with a bottle.
Some time later Joe Gibbens happened to mention the event to Harry
Barnes and concluded by saying: "The strangest thing was the cause
of Dutch gin in the masterīs cabin." Without a momentīs hesitation
Harry replied: "The bottles were mine. I had obtained them to put
ships in but had only got as far as washing them out and leaving them
full of water." Joe pleaded ignorance when asked if any were missing.
He heard no more from those who had taken the samples ashore.
Most of these pastimes were abandoned once television sets were presented
to the lightvessels.
