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I's the B'y
In typical Fisherian fashion, Vice-Admiral Fisher had elected to directly query the governor of Newfoundland before speaking to any of the necessary organizations usually involved with the oversight of colonial militia establishments. Rumors had previously been circulating within Royal Navy circles that Newfoundland was rapidly coming around to the idea of potentially hosting a branch of the Royal Naval Reserves, mainly since the events of the Colonial Conference of 1897. At the Conference, Newfoundland was directly singled out by the other members in attendance for being the only one of the self-governing colonies to have completely ignored the call from Britain for aid in defense of the Empire. Between the humiliation in front of their peers, the press bringing the issue to the headlines of newspapers and a discussion between the Premier of Newfoundland and the Colonial Secretary. At the meeting, it was confirmed that both the British and Newfoundland desired the establishment of a naval reserve force in Newfoundland.
Once established, the naval reserves became a key part of the Newfoundland identity and their duty to the Empire as a whole, the naval elements within the above sheet music booklet for the 1902 'Ode to Newfoundland' provincial anthem is rather telling in this aspect.
To Fishers surprise, the government of Newfoundland had responded with much more vigor and receptiveness than their contemporaries in Ottawa or any of the Canadian provinces. While they could not offer comment on Fishers requests for specifics regarding the quantity of men expected, location of training areas and so on, the Admiral was reassured that the proper parties were being amassed to convoy the idea to the public. That same winter, posters detailing recruiting and the reserves in general were placed in all of the incoming and outgoing ports throughout Newfoundland. A large enrollment of fishermen was anticipated during their annual period of usual unemployment from June to October however, the issue of wages were pointed out. A Royal Navy reservist pay would indeed be an attractive proposal during the off season however, the seasonally outflow of fishermen over into Canada for their fisheries would be an issue. Newfoundland’s general wages were similar to Britain’s at the time however, the higher wages generally present within Canada could negatively affect the potential of the Newfoundland Reserve.
The initial testing of this idea proved to be a remarkable success. The newly elected governor of Newfoundland embarked on a tour of coastal cities at the end of the 1899 fishing season alongside the local RN Commodore G.A. Giffard, both of them boarding HMS Comus and HMS Columbine. This initial effort produced 300 interested individuals of which 50 would later embark on the following 1900 fall training voyage. This six month long inaugural trip was conducted aboard HMS Charybdis (ironic but not the naval equivalent to Canadian’s ghost of Christmas past, the next of name completed in 1896) and according to Giffard, the results were more than satisfactory. Giffard stated in a report to the Admiralty, “we all consider them to be now a useful and efficient body of men who would be a formidable addition to our stocks of personnel.” 44 of the original 50 men received promotions and the overall success of the operation reinforced the need for a reserve within the colony. Following this, Newfoundland agreed to setup a Reserve and purchase a hulk for training purposes. Although Newfoundland was relatively impoverished and during the setup processed had faced tough realities about funding the projects, monetary contributions from the Admiralty and Britain kept the project afloat to its conclusion.
Newfoundland's quality of personnel and willingness to serve quickly made them fairly well known to the people who relied upon them, this is reflected in the above British propaganda illustration.
With annual contingents of reservists being present aboard Charybdis, the men of Newfoundland quickly cemented their reputation amidst the ranks Royal Navy. The populations of men joining usually came from hard working fishing families who were well at home at sea with monotonous and strenuous work. Their impoverished upbringings caused them to be relatively resourceful problem solvers with their experience of working multiple odd jobs wherever was necessary to make ends meet. Newfoundlander's are quoted by Winston Churchill as "the best small boat men in the world", likely due to their common dory usage in the Atlantic Cod fishery. These men were no strangers to combat either, the 1902-1903 cruise found the Newfoundland reservists blockading Venezuela, shelling coastal emplacements and participating in various shore actions. Throughout these events, the Captain of Charybdis described the men as performing rather credibly, something rare for reservists and especially colonial reservists from a so-called backwater. During this cruise, the Newfoundland reservists were under the tutelage of a certain Gunnery Lieutenant named Walter Hose who ended up forming a great admiration for the people of Newfoundland. So much so it seemed that in his time serving he would marry a young woman from Newfoundland who he had met ashore.
In September of 1902, the screw corvette HMS Calypso was chosen as the training hulk and sailed across the Atlantic to Newfoundland. The placement of this hulk and therefore the reservists home port was something of a contentious topic within Newfoundland. The port town of Argentia was originally considered due to the fact that there was major concerns about placing a stationed 'warship' full of debaucherous sailors within alongside hoping to protect the reservists, of which many were married, from the supposed temptations of alcohol and women found within St. Johns. While there was indeed women and liquor aplenty within St. Johns, these peoples fragile sensibilities seemed to have clouded the fact that St. Johns was a major port and was year long filled with sailors, business as usual for the city. Another supposed reason for the placement in Argentia was it's proximity to the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a common area of territorial and fishing disputes. In the end, the convenience and accessibility of placing the organization within St. Johns was realized and Calypso would arrive for conversion and training ship duties in October of the same year.
HMS Calypso under sail.
While Laurier was no doubt very aware of the recent success within Newfoundland, the question of any Canadian naval commitments would yet again be set in it’s accustomed place on the back burner when the very government Canada stood upon was stretched to it’s breaking point by the recently started Boer War.
Once established, the naval reserves became a key part of the Newfoundland identity and their duty to the Empire as a whole, the naval elements within the above sheet music booklet for the 1902 'Ode to Newfoundland' provincial anthem is rather telling in this aspect.
To Fishers surprise, the government of Newfoundland had responded with much more vigor and receptiveness than their contemporaries in Ottawa or any of the Canadian provinces. While they could not offer comment on Fishers requests for specifics regarding the quantity of men expected, location of training areas and so on, the Admiral was reassured that the proper parties were being amassed to convoy the idea to the public. That same winter, posters detailing recruiting and the reserves in general were placed in all of the incoming and outgoing ports throughout Newfoundland. A large enrollment of fishermen was anticipated during their annual period of usual unemployment from June to October however, the issue of wages were pointed out. A Royal Navy reservist pay would indeed be an attractive proposal during the off season however, the seasonally outflow of fishermen over into Canada for their fisheries would be an issue. Newfoundland’s general wages were similar to Britain’s at the time however, the higher wages generally present within Canada could negatively affect the potential of the Newfoundland Reserve.
The initial testing of this idea proved to be a remarkable success. The newly elected governor of Newfoundland embarked on a tour of coastal cities at the end of the 1899 fishing season alongside the local RN Commodore G.A. Giffard, both of them boarding HMS Comus and HMS Columbine. This initial effort produced 300 interested individuals of which 50 would later embark on the following 1900 fall training voyage. This six month long inaugural trip was conducted aboard HMS Charybdis (ironic but not the naval equivalent to Canadian’s ghost of Christmas past, the next of name completed in 1896) and according to Giffard, the results were more than satisfactory. Giffard stated in a report to the Admiralty, “we all consider them to be now a useful and efficient body of men who would be a formidable addition to our stocks of personnel.” 44 of the original 50 men received promotions and the overall success of the operation reinforced the need for a reserve within the colony. Following this, Newfoundland agreed to setup a Reserve and purchase a hulk for training purposes. Although Newfoundland was relatively impoverished and during the setup processed had faced tough realities about funding the projects, monetary contributions from the Admiralty and Britain kept the project afloat to its conclusion.
Newfoundland's quality of personnel and willingness to serve quickly made them fairly well known to the people who relied upon them, this is reflected in the above British propaganda illustration.
With annual contingents of reservists being present aboard Charybdis, the men of Newfoundland quickly cemented their reputation amidst the ranks Royal Navy. The populations of men joining usually came from hard working fishing families who were well at home at sea with monotonous and strenuous work. Their impoverished upbringings caused them to be relatively resourceful problem solvers with their experience of working multiple odd jobs wherever was necessary to make ends meet. Newfoundlander's are quoted by Winston Churchill as "the best small boat men in the world", likely due to their common dory usage in the Atlantic Cod fishery. These men were no strangers to combat either, the 1902-1903 cruise found the Newfoundland reservists blockading Venezuela, shelling coastal emplacements and participating in various shore actions. Throughout these events, the Captain of Charybdis described the men as performing rather credibly, something rare for reservists and especially colonial reservists from a so-called backwater. During this cruise, the Newfoundland reservists were under the tutelage of a certain Gunnery Lieutenant named Walter Hose who ended up forming a great admiration for the people of Newfoundland. So much so it seemed that in his time serving he would marry a young woman from Newfoundland who he had met ashore.
In September of 1902, the screw corvette HMS Calypso was chosen as the training hulk and sailed across the Atlantic to Newfoundland. The placement of this hulk and therefore the reservists home port was something of a contentious topic within Newfoundland. The port town of Argentia was originally considered due to the fact that there was major concerns about placing a stationed 'warship' full of debaucherous sailors within alongside hoping to protect the reservists, of which many were married, from the supposed temptations of alcohol and women found within St. Johns. While there was indeed women and liquor aplenty within St. Johns, these peoples fragile sensibilities seemed to have clouded the fact that St. Johns was a major port and was year long filled with sailors, business as usual for the city. Another supposed reason for the placement in Argentia was it's proximity to the French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a common area of territorial and fishing disputes. In the end, the convenience and accessibility of placing the organization within St. Johns was realized and Calypso would arrive for conversion and training ship duties in October of the same year.
HMS Calypso under sail.
While Laurier was no doubt very aware of the recent success within Newfoundland, the question of any Canadian naval commitments would yet again be set in it’s accustomed place on the back burner when the very government Canada stood upon was stretched to it’s breaking point by the recently started Boer War.
- RelativeGalaxy7
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