“Naughty Boys’ Ship” Exhibition Opens – Updated
In North Wales, an unusual exhibition has just opened depicting the harsh life on board a wooden vessel used as a training ship for orphaned and delinquent boys.
The Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in North Wales opened an exhibition on what was known locally as “The Naughty Boys’ Ship” last week illuminating life on board the former HMS CLIO, a former naval gunship moored off Bangor pier in Gwynedd for over 40 years from 1877.
Project Manager, Alun Thomas, requested public help in mounting the exhibit, calling for memorabilia from the CLIO. The public responded with a number of items from its training ship era, a life ring with the ship’s name, a carving by the ships carpenter and three beams from a demolished farm building near Bangor that reputedly came from the CLIO as she was scrapped. Mr. Thomas added, in an email to MaritimeMatters; “Another point which might interest your readers is that within a mere three days of the exhibition opening I received an email from an expert of ships’ figureheads enclosing a photograph of a local mariner (from the UK publication ‘Sea Breezes’ dated April, 1924) standing next to the head portion of the Clio figurehead in the grounds of a Bangor hotel (an artefact we assumed had been lost in the Menai Straits). Now the search is on to see if she still ‘resides’ in this area.”
Thomas described how some of the boys lived on board for four or five years, learning how to make their own clothes and shoes, how they received a general education and were prepared for a life at sea. Known as the “naughty boys’ ship” because its function was to rehabilitate hundreds of teenage delinquents by training them for a life in the royal or merchant navy, the exhibition examines life on board through photographs and artifacts. The exhibition includes the story of David Livingstone Evans, aged 11, who was sent to the CLIO in 1908 after stealing “three dolls, a football and a ‘fancy basket’ from Bangor Market”. Livingstone remained on the ship until he was 16.
The HMS CLIO was a wooden 22-gun Pearl-class corvette built at Sheerness Dockyard and launched on August 28, 1858. Her first commission was on the Pacific Station (a geographical division where the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities). Bad weather forced her return to England where she was placed in the reserve fleet. Later, HMS CLIO became the flagship of the Australia Station in 1870. However, in 1871, she struck an uncharted rock in Bligh Sound, South Island of New Zealand and was beached to prevent sinking. After temporary repairs, she reached Wellington, where she was further repaired before to sailing on to Sydney for dry-docking. In 1873, her flagship pennant was handed on and she return to the UK. In 1877, was stationed on the Menai Strait at Bangor, Wales and opened as a training ship for some 260 “pupils”. After becoming a training ship, her original engine and boiler rooms were removed to make more space for the boys. The ship was permanently moored off Bangor’s pier head until she was scrapped in 1920.
The exhibition will run from March until September 17, 2011 at The Gwynedd Museum and Gallery, Bangor, Wales
Special thanks to The Gwynedd Museum and Gallery, Bangor, Wales, Alun Thomas and Annette Hastings
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Interesting. Perhaps we should revive this idea along similar lines for today’s delinquents.
One thing in the article that puzzles me is how did a sailing ship built in 1858 and when she became a training ship in 1877 “her engine and boiler room were removed” ?
Hi Pat, I also was trying to get to the bottom of that boiler business, and have sent a message to the curator for more information, if it exists.
The ship was built with engines and a full sailing rig. Steam propulsion had become common by the 1850s and most ships were built with engines and sails. Sails were a good back up in case of engine failure, plus sailing long distances with sails saved fuel.
Thanks Tom for the clarification, my references made no mention of the engine. Much appreciated – Martin
Beautiful picture- now that is some history. Imagine being on that deck in that harbour looking out on those mountains. Ahhhh! That is amazing technology for 1858.
Hmmmm – I’m not convinced by the ‘naughty boys’ tag. Both my maternal grandfather and great grandfather became cadets at the age of 12, then going on to sign up for 12 years with the RN on their 18th birthdays. There is no evidence they were delinquent, conversely their Naval records show they were G and VG in all respects. For poor families – for my forbears, Scots with a maritime background – this was a way of learning a trade and attaining regular employment with the Forces. The same still applies today!
HMS Clio was an RN school ship not a reformatory. The ‘naughty boy’ tag, though doubtless applied by the snobs of Bangor to ‘lively lads’, should NOT have been promoted by a contemporary exhibition. The facts would be that most of these lads would have advanced themselves in a harsh market economy and doubtless, some would have died for the dubious purposes of defending Britain’s shores and interests.
Mike Legett
Thank you for actually poiting out the need and in fact, the purpose of these ships.
Having taught (US) highschool, in special ed capacity, to teen boys that had very special needs, some tragic, such a program could/would undeed be successful today, although, it probably would not even be given a thought, here or elsewhere.
Luckily, in a VERY FEW states here, there are state funded programs to help with raising the self esteem of unfortunate children in the public school sysytem and there are programs from the private sector as well.
My great uncle was aboard the CLIO in 1891, at the time he was living with his mother in Dublin. I am puzzled as to how he went to Wales as he certainly didn’t suffer from this experience, he went on to work at the General Post Office in Dublin. Because he didn’t have a father alive then so maybe he was a handful for his poor mother.
If anyone has more information on any boys onboard in 189 I would love to hear from you
Dear Miss Jones
Here is a site that may prove invaluable for your search:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/trainingships
Scroll down and you will find the CLIO and see many beautifully restored photos of the lads that sought umbtage on these various vessls.
Thank you Kenneth
Regards
Margaret
The training provided obviously wasn’t without some benefit. The 1901 census reveals one of the boys ‘learning about the sea’ to have been Frederick Fleet – the lookout who was first to spot the fateful iceberg from the crow’s nest of RMS Titanic.
Does anyone know if there are any records of the names of pupils and teachers from HMS Clio?
When i was a child in the 50/60s my mother used to utter the name to me in order to discourage naughty behaviour & ,although i had no idea what the Clio was ,it did work.
I remember the HMS Conway also being moored in the Menai Strait from childhood & i think the Conway caught fire.
Were both ships moored there together at any one time or did the Conway replace the Clio ?
I’m so pleased to have found this post. When I was a child in the 70’s my Nan always used to threaten to send us grandchildren to the Ship Clio if we didn’t stop being naughty. I had no idea it was real until now (probably for the best when I was 6!) She used to pronounce it like ‘Calayo’ though.
I have just found out that my great,grandfather, James Rowbottom in 1881. Now I need to know more. Who or where can help me? Is there an email address to which I may contact?
Jackie Rowbottom
Where may I find out where these inmates ended up as in the 1911 census one of my grandfathers brothers is listed namely Percy Earl.
My grandfather never ever spoke of his family even in passing, never even about his early life (he was a boy soldier in the KSLI by all accounts) and I would dearly love to know more of the family history.
I live in Australia so visiting anywhere cannot be!Thank you
to expand further on the boiler comment above here is relevant blurb..(my ancestor actually sailed on this ship when it was a regular naval vessel on census night 1861 it was at Guaymas harbour on the West Coast of Mexico , it lost the mast in a hurricane but they managed to chop enough wood on a Pacific island to use steam for power instead on their way back…
Steam power was of interest to the Royal Navy from the beginning of the 19th century, since it neatly solved the difficult and dangerous sailing problems encountered in estuaries and other inshore areas. It was first adopted in the Comet of 1821, and in 1824 Lightning accompanied the expedition to Algiers. Steam vessels appeared in greater numbers through the 1830s and 1840s, all using side-mounted paddlewheels; screw propellers were introduced in the 1830s and, after some reluctance, were adopted in the mid-1840s (the famous tug-of-war between the screw-propelled HMS Rattler and the paddlewheeled Alecto was entertaining, but records show the Admiralty had already decided on and ordered screw ships). The first major steam warship was HMS Agamemnon. In the 1850s Naval Arms Race screw battleships and frigates, both conversions and new constructions, were built in large numbers. These ships retained a full capacity for sail as steam engines were not yet efficient enough to permit long ocean voyages under power. Steam power was intended only for use during battle and to allow ships to go to sea at will instead of being held in port by adverse winds. A triple expansion steam engine was introduced in 1881 which was more efficient than earlier ones.
Iron in ship construction was first used for diagonal-cross-bracing in major warships. The adoption of iron hulls for ocean-going ships had to wait until after Admiralty experiments had solved the problem of an iron-hull’s effect on compass deviation. Because iron hulls were much thinner than wooden hulls, they appeared to be more vulnerable to damage when ships ran aground. Although Brunel had adopted iron in the Great Britain, the Admiralty was also concerned about the vulnerability of iron in combat, and experiments with iron in the 1840s seemed to indicate that iron would shatter under impact.
Basil,
Did you ever find a list of pupils? I think my grandfather must have been one. He is recorded on the 1911 census as being in the “Clio” (seafarers) Boys’ Home in Liverpool.
There are quite a few young boys buried at Saint Tegfan Churchyard, Llandegfan, Anglesey Some were killed in accidents aboard the ship. Very interesting reading on the headstones of how they died
I believe my grandfather, George William Simpson, served on the Clio, in 1883. I have a letter from Wm. Millard, Schoolmaster, giving George a good report. (his name could also be Willard). I, too, am interested in a list of names of those who served. Thank you.
David livingstone Evans the boy in this artical is my fatherinlaws uncle my fatherinlaw who is also David livingstone Evans id love to know what happens to him after the ship x Caroline Evans
Would like to know if there was any myths or legend’s circulating around the boys at there time on the clio.
My Grandfather John Edward Jones was sent to the ‘clio’ after repeatedly poaching rabbits from the local landowners property. His home was in Rhayder,mid Wales.
Wow. Just learned about this and as many others wandered about whether my grandfather John William Beautyman 1897/8 1972 was on it. This past 12 weeks or so so hope to find out. Meanwhile am going to check your books. Thank you.
My grandfather was on HMS Clio. I have a photo of him wearing a navy type uniform. It was family lore that he deserted the Royal Navy and joined the Grenadier Gaurds during WW1 went to France where he was killed. How would I go about finding out more about HMS Clio?