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HMS Lion. Part of the Vanguard Class
of second rate 80 gun ships of the line launched in July 1847. She was
turned into a screw-ship in 1859 and by 1896 she was the training ship
at Devonport. Sister ships included HMS Vanguard, HMS Collingwood, HMS
Goliath, HMS Superb, HMS Meeanee, HMS Centurion, HMS Colossus and HMS
Mars. |
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A Marching Out Battalion Parade on Board the
Training Ship Lion 1896
As men of war were liable to be called on at any time to carry on
shore operations with an enemy, or in cases of emergency when regular
troops were not on spot, or before soldiers could be sent out from home
to begin hostilities, the tuition of bluejackets in landing party and
battalion exercise was a necessary part of the sailor's education. It
was carried out by sending men ashore equipped with small arms and
fitted as an infantry battalion, with pioneers and a stretcher party for
ambulance work, and the ship's band to play the troops from the landing
place during the march to the scene of the manoeuvre and back to the
boats. The photograph shows the sailors of the training ship Lion
stationed in the Hamoze, paraded with rifles and fixed bayonets on board
ship, as for an infantry march on inland, with their pioneers (axe on
shoulder) at the head of the column in fours, and stretcher bearers all
fallen in and awaiting the order to go forward. |
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Model of HMS Vanguard. c.1892 |
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