Bo'sun Ray's family life aboard ship

AS a youngster, my location in this country was very much decided by efforts to benefit my mother's health. After four years at Littlehampton it was on to the long train journey to Exeter.

Not much to remember about the birthplace, right in the middle of the First World War, but the train journey to the West just leaves me with a vision of a long curve to the left of railway carriages, viewing from the corridor, and long lengths of polished wood rails, no doubt to discourage the hands of passengers going through the large expanses of glass.

It must have been a short instance of freedom; children were expected to behave and I would have needed to be lifted to see that long green line of carriages, yet strangely, no memory of the green monster which must have been pulling us.

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Exeter produced no miracles and father, an Excise officer, got a transfer to Newhaven. Soon after arrival here, sadly, my mother died.

Awaiting house vacation we that were left stayed with the Archer family in Meeching Road, Freddie, Hannah and daughter Olive who, I believe, was the first lady clerk at the harbour offices.

Fred was a foreman docker who wore a peaked cap and uniform, smoked a pipe (what a lovely aroma!) and enjoyed telling me wonderful stories about events in the harbour and the channel steamers at sea, a recent example being the loss of the transport Maine with her cargo of ammunition in the Great War.

The West Bank or Harbour Side was a very different place when I was first taken around it in 1924. One area in particular intrigued me and that was about opposite the present Lifeboat House.

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Here was the base of the 'Maritime Salvors'. Apart from store sheds and an office, spread all around was the greatest possible heap of chains, anchors, pumps, cables, shackles, just everything that could be connected with the raising of sunken vessels.

The recent war had only ended six years before. I remember road sweepers in the town wearing army greatcoats in winter. The salvors could have been here a few years earlier.

Of course, numerous craft had been sunk by enemy action around our coasts. It was certain there would be plenty of salvage work, so based here were two ex-American repair ships, the Reliant and the Restorer.

They had been floating workshops to look after Yankee shipping during the hostilities involving the United States, just ideal for salvage work and they found plenty!

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To complete the three Rs they had their own tug called the Refloater, all very apt names.

Much time would be spent preparing for the raising of a vessel and the Reliant spent a lot of time in port as a base ship, so much so that the bo'sun and his family lived aboard for long periods '“ going ashore to school must have been quite a novelty.

Bo'sun Clarence Ray and his wife had four children, two boys and two girls. I met only one of each, Sid who taught me as a pupil teacher at the boys' school and I believe became deputy head at Tideway, and his sister Pat, who served in the RAF as a WAAF in the last war and only recently left Seaford.

The family home had been at the bottom of Harpers Road and was demolished with Dr Parkhurst's house to make way for the home, Rathan, now on the site.

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Back to Clarence. He was an apprentice on the famous Cutty Sark, running to Australia and back for wool between June 25, 1894 and March 26, 1895.

For this venture he had to make his own sea chest. Only the lid survives. On the underside he painted his ship with various flags. This hangs with just pride in the Newhaven Museum, together with the brass door knocker from the family home, a clipper ship in full sail coming straight at you!

Preserving local history can be so important. We are thankful.

PETER BAILEY

Peter Bailey is curator of the Newhaven Local and Maritime Museum based in its own fascinating premises in the grounds of Paradise Park in Avis Road, Newhaven. Winter opening hours are 2-5pm Saturdays and Sundays or by arrangement. Admission 1 (accompanied children free). Contact the curator on 01273 514760. Log on to the website at www.newhavenmuseum.co.uk

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