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26 Jul 55 Julius on board 'War Spirit' Mother Portland Place, Worthing ______________________________________________________________________________________________

On board the troop Ship

Warspirit

Thursday, July 26th 1855

My dear Mother

I sent you a letter at Gibraltar which I hope you have got by this time. We arrived at Gibraltar on Sunday the 15th, stayed there that night & started the next day at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Most of the Officers went on shore & it is not to be wondered at that after being 11 days on board ship with very bad food &c. we enjoyed ourselves. A party of us went all over the fortifications & rode through the galleries (which were pitch dark) & all over the rock. At last we fetched upon the barracks where the 54th are stationed, & were asked in for breakfast.

On the voyage to Gibraltar we got in sight of the ‘Lord Raglan’ which was conveying the 3rd Lancashire Militia there, who were stationed at Preston & although they started 4 days before us, we were only half an hour after them. The ‘Caradoc’ which had the body of Lord Raglan* on board weighed anchor at Gibraltar at the same time as we did (of course we went in opposite directions) & we heard the minute guns* going on for a long time.

I have noted down a few things every day as a kind of diary. I am afraid it would not be very interesting or I would send you a copy.

The other day I had a new forage cap, badge, & all knocked off my head by a rope & had the pleasure of watching it till it was out of sight. We have lowered boats 2 or 3 times & gone for a row (anything for a change). Yesterday about half a dozen fellows were lowering one of the boats & got in it. As there was a calm, when they had got about 20 yards off they found that it was filling fast & by the time they got back again it was more than half full.

We have been very badly fed; in fact lately there has only been half ration of water issued & yesterday we were informed that there was no more preserved milk. One of the Ship boys disappeared the other day. It was assumed he fell over board & was eaten by the sharks, but he has not been heard of since and in all probability never will be again.

There is an Of'er in the ship with the Crimea medal & clasps both form Alma & Inkerman & it seems to me a great shame to send him out again so soon. Some of the Of'ers on board have been to both places, say that it is quite as hot at Malta as in India. I suppose we shall all have a good shining.

We have been a very long time on our voyage as yet, in a steamer we should have been in the Crimea by this time. (It is not the fault of the ship but the weather). I believe I told you before that there was not room on board for all of us. I & five other fellows sleep in the Saloon in cots. We have no where to wash or dress or even to put our clothes in.

Friday, July 27th /55. Last night about ½ past 7, 1 man of the 28th was drowned over board. He was the cook & it turned out that he had drunk all the brandy that ought to have been put into the plum pudding. He had got drunk & ought properly to have been confined, but they let him sit on the side of the Forecastle with handcuffs on & a sentry was placed over him & I believe he threw himself backwards & hit his head on the side of the vessel as he descended. We were going at the rate of 11 knots an hour. Life buoys were thrown out to him but it was so dark that he probably could not see them & as soon as the ship was stopped, a boat was lowered but they could not see any signs of him. I suppose it would have been light at 7 or 8 in England at this time of year but in these latitudes there is no twilight, so directly the sun goes down, it gets quite dark.

We are looking especially to get to Malta either tonight or tomorrow morning. I had some very good sport yesterday. There were a number of porpoises about & I hit two of them which is considered very good.

I hope you have had good accounts from John & Peter. I wish I could remember the name of the ship he is on board of. Tell Arthur not to eat too many good things during the Holidays (I suppose they are at present going on) .

With love &c. to all at home & elsewhere, I remain

Yr. affect. son

Julius, Dyson, Laurie

Ens 34th Foot

P.S. I am going to write to John directly.

* Lord Raglan – Field Marshal Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, (1788-1855), gave distinguished service in the Peninsular War, lost an arm at Waterloo, and was appointed full General in command of the British troops in the Crimea. There he was heavily criticised for his military incompetence and neglect of the welfare of his soldiers. After he succumbed to dysentery, his remains were returned to Badminton House for interment.

* minute guns – Guns fired at one minute intervals are associated with military and state funerals

* Jordan – Capt. Joseph Jordan, injured 18th June 1855