Warspite

We’ve spoke before on this blog about a training ship moored in Birkenhead called the Indefatigable. The Refuge had an arrangement with the committee of the Indefatigable to take boys who entered the Refuge and had a constitution for the sea. Hundreds made the short trip across to Merseyside to learn the sailor life and went on to have successful careers in the Navy.

On board the Indefatigable

However, Birkenhead wasn’t the only destination for those with sea legs. In the early days many lads were also sent south to Woolwich to be taken aboard the Warspite. This ship had been owned by the Marine Society since 1862 and trained up to 200 lads for a life at sea. 

It is unknown why so many of the boys who had been born and raised in Manchester would be sent to a training ship down in London. It is possibly the case that the Indefatigable could not cater for the amount of boys sent by the charity. Or perhaps some boys were sent away from potentially negative influences in Manchester to be able to start a new life in a different area.

Dressed in sailor attire

What is recorded during their admission, however, is how many were desirous to go to sea and, if considered medically fit for this type of work, were sent with the charity’s blessing. It of course has to be remembered that in those early days of the Manchester Refuges most of the boys admitted were aged 14 and above and considered to be of working age. It was just another career option provided to the ‘waifs and strays’ of Manchester’s slums.