Service Record: Frank Birch

[Batstiger]

I came across this whilst viewing the pics for sale on ebay and thought I would bring it to the attention of the serious collectors:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HMS-BERWICK-30...3286.m14.l1318

It is well worth a visit just to view the pictures and a most interesting look at the service records of this man Frank Birch an ex miner from Wolverhampton who Joined as a Boy seaman at HMS Ganges in 1926.
The going price to date is £9.99 I think it will go for considerably more.
Unfortunately there are no writings under the photographs but he was plainly at the scene of the sinking of the Poseidon.
I am attaching a couple of takes of his service documents.
Should anybody be interested I would be keen to learn if a purchase was made.

Regards, Bob.

[Harley]

I wonder what the nature of his being "physically unfit" was - only in his mid-thirties when he was discharged during the war.

The only name I recognised (let alone was able to read) of his captains was that of Cyril Gordon Sedgewick who commanded "Berwick" from '32-'34 - he'd been a well-respected gunnery officer during and after the Great War, before dying somewhat prematurely in 1948 at the age of 63.

Harley

[astraltrader]

Thanks for the info Bob. Looks interesting athough I dont believe the photo`s to be of a particularly high standard.

[Batstiger]

It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.
The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.
Thus,it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?

[astraltrader]

Brilliant Bob - makes total sense. As you said - I always thought it was a reference to an unfortunate primates private parts! Nevertheless it would be interesting to discover why the plates were called monkeys?

[hmsposeidon]

Bob,

I purchased the album you highlighted from eBay. It did indeed include images from the sinking of the Poseidon, most of which I had seen before. Once I have the photos of the Poseidon and some of Wei-hai-wei and Liu Gong Island scanned, I could make the album available for purchase if there are interested parties.

[Batstiger]

Congratulations on your purchase!
It would be very nice if you could share your good fortune with the forum, I am certain they would be of great interest to all concerned.

Cheers, Bob.