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HMS Powerful, Gunner Sims and the Boer War

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Author
Subjects
Ship design and development
Tags
Boer War, HMS Powerful (Australia Station), Gunnery
RAN Ships
None noted.
Publication
September 1999 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

On November 9th a twenty-one gun salute with live shells was fired in honour of the Prince of Wales’s birthday. It is stated that “the correct interval between the rounds was given by flag signal from the conning tower,” but it is a safe bet that Mr Sims was checking the timing as gunners have always done … and probably always will. “If I wasn’t a gunner I wouldn’t be here, fire 2, if I wasn’t a gunner I wouldn’t be here, fire 3,” and so on.

On May 2nd 1900 Gunner W. Sims, HMS Powerful, was specially promoted to Lieutenant for “his brilliant services in the field,” a rare distinction! I have no further details of his career, except that he subsequently transferred to the Coastguard. He was in fact one of only four Warrant Officers promoted for conspicuous service during the period, the others being: Gunner R.A. Cathie H.M.S. Sphinx Eastern Soudan, 1884. Promoted to Lieutenant. 2nd June 1887. Retired as Commander. Boatswain Webber. Nile expedition. 1885. Promoted Chief Gunner in the field and to Lieutenant in the Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Died 1903. Gunner T.J.S. Lyne. In command of a Torpedo Boat during the Boer War. Promoted Lieutenant, 1902. Retired as a Rear Admiral K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O., in 1924, having started as a boy seaman.

SOURCES

  • Naval Brigades in the South African War. 1899-1900. Edited Surgeon T.T. Jeans. R.N. Sampson. Low, Marston and Co. 1901
  • Our Fighting Seamen. Lionel Yexley. Stanley Paul and Co. 1901.
  • Something about a Sailor. Rear Admiral T.J.S. Lyne. Jarrolds. 1940.
  • The Naval Brigades of the Victorian Era Unpublished manuscript.
  • Thank God we kept the Flag Flying. K. Griffith. Hutchinson. 1974.
  • With the Flag to Pretoria. Vol II H.W. Wilson. Harmsworth. 1901. (Photo of Gunner Sims.)

ARTICLE FROM THE YEAR BOOK 1995 OF THE FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL NAVAL MUSEUM AND H.M.S. “VICTORY”. (By kind permission of the Editor.)

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