Shotley Barracks in WW1

Shotley Barracks in WW1

Manufacturing Anti-submarine Wire Netting plus other devices

Written by Godfrey Dykes

© RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

The demand for a lighter type of submarine net than the heavy and bulky standard net, produced in 1915, a light net woven of 5/8-inch flexible steel wire with 12-foot square meshes, floated by steel barrel buoys with 1,000-pound weights attached to the foot at intervals and moored to anchors at the ends. It was laid from ships underway, three paddle steamers, the "Mona Isle", "Prince Edward" and "Queen Victoria", being converted from this service by removing fittings from the after decks and substituting troughs on either side to take the nets, weights and floats, the mooring anchors being hung over the stern. The dimensions of the ships were, Length 330 feet, beam 30 feet, draught 15 feet. They were capable of making 11 knots, the usual laying speed being 7 knots. It is reported that the Mona's Isle loaded one mile of this net, approximately 96 tons, in six hours and laid the defence the same day.

Wire dragged off reels.

This is my sketch of what a diver might have seen of a light weight submarine net lowered into position. A twelve foot square hole seems a rather large aperture but for a marauding submarine it is but a tiny space. Were a submarine to bang into the net or attempt to cut it with a cutter controlled from within the submarine, the net woud shake and this shake would be transmitted to the surface steel barrel buoys. In this case the movement would be spotted by the barrier/boom guard boat and due counter action would be taken. Sections of the net would be willingly sacrificed were a depth charge dropped to try and cripple the boat. Even a two-man charioteer with detachable limpet mines would experience some difficulty!


Diver view.	Turning and Splicing Shed.	Adding an eyelet.	Adding an eyelet	Miles of 5/8 inch cable.


Laying out the net.	Assembling the net	Repairing submarine nets

This next section covers photographs of Shotley Barracks taken in WW1


Main Dining Hall	Bayonet Training	Seamanship Training	Seamanship Training	Entering Church
	Filling sand bags	Flag Signalling Instructions	Position of Mast FS1

Fleet manoeuvres. Each boy was a separate ship with a triditional mast on which to hoist and lower flag signals, depicted by the hand flag he was carrying. The command of the CPO's at left (PO's back then wore class II uniforms calle 'square rig' the same as all other ordinary sailors) saw given as a single word sometimes followed by digits or the word 'answer' abbreviated to 'ans' = 5 like for example Corpen Port 4 ans meant wheel to port by 45 degrees, etc. When the command was given, each boy would raise his flag to indicate that he understood the required manoeuvre, and when all flags were raised, he would shout out 'execute'. At this, the boys would lower their flags and wheel (corpen) or turn (turn) the number of degrees ordered, maintaining that line of approach until the net command was given etc.

This was the original cricket pitch and to the left are the field gun sheds. For many years the establishment didn't have a parade ground, and all ceremony was done on grass over strewn with sand and gavel. These boys are marching towards the mast. Eventually part of this area you see was turned into a tar-macadam parade ground, the filed gun shed into Nelson Hall and behind this squad's position was built the Petty Officer's Mess.


Gunnery Instruction	Knotting and Splicing	Learning how to splice	Harwich Minesweeper Men	Anchors and Cables
Physical Jerks	Fieldgun Training	Dry land pulling	Slewing Fieldguns	Gunnery Instruction
Divisions	Church Parade	Morse Flags	Nancy	Shotely Barracks Souvenires
Ceremonial Divisions	Trench Machine Gun	Old and bold vets	Dhobeying	Drawing food rations
Semaphore	Shotley CO and XO	Flag Hoisting	Gunnery Instruction	Boys in Gymnasium
Chain and Rope Work	Typical Boys Mess	Construction of sailing vessels	Musketry	Portable W/T Communications


The Quarterdeck	Blocks and Tackle	Present Arms	No Smiles

In the period 1880 until 1908 CPO's lapel badges were designed by a variety of sub-branches all with their own standards in a most confusing manner. Admiralty decreed that there would be three badges only, one for gunnery and one for torpedos each with standard, well understood, additions, and for those without a specialisation, a small killick anchor would be worn. Such CPOs were professional seamen just like officers without a specialisation, and they were called 'salt horses' - I served under several captains who were all salt horses. A CPO without a gunnery or a torpedo specialisation was usually known as a mate, a mate to a warrant officer, either a Chief Bosuns Mate or a Chief Gunners Mate, and earlier a Chief Carpenters Mate. Clever men from the lower deck could become Mates to lieutenants and eventually they became sub lieutenants.

For further information on badges see this file Badges 19th - 20th Century

and finally

In the summer months and well before breakfast is taken, the boys of Shotley Barracks take divisional group physical exercises. Four ranks deep and goodness knows how many files, with another division in the background top left. They are wearing blue checked shirts (the original name for white fronts) duck trousers issued for sports use, black webbing belts and black gaiters (some are clearly not) with brown canvas shoes. Then at 7am (the twenty four hour clock was not used at this time) the boys washed and cleaned into their rough duck suits worn for instructions and non-dirty working parties, before mustering for the breakfast parade!


		Class I is fore and aft rig, and II is square rig. Class III fore and aft rig for cooks, stewards, writers etc but with red cap badge and black tuni coat buttons. Note 'blue check shirts' are 'white fronts' and that boys had to sew white securing tapes to their collars on issue.

A cholera belt was a flat strip of flannel or knitted wool about six feet long and six inches wide which was twisted around the abdomen before wearing a shirt and purported to be a preventative measure against cholers.

Boys were 15 years of age on entry. Youths were 16^1/2 years of entry. In the case of Shotley, generally boys were accommodated in Shotley Barracks whilst youths were accommodated in HMS Ganges II afloat.