Hello everybody,
Seeing the smaller company's releasing is always good to have happen and one of these is Paul Blaber Miniatures , those that went to Euro would have seen the man himself ably assisted by his partner ( she was the pretty one...lol) set up next to CGS .
Paul's range isn't specific though he has got a penchant for the Crimean period I think !!!
Paul has been a very keen modeller since the tender age of 9 and as well as having his own range of figures ...and busts ( ye hah!!) is a respected member of our community and carry's out the job of a judge at Euro Militaire ...he is also a keen biker and a fisherman though how he does these at the same time I do not know..lol!
The figure we are looking at was released by him at this years Euro along with a couple of busts adding to his range .
There was no box art available the subject ...a Crimean Able Seaman
Lets have a bit about the victorian Navy :
Sailors in those days did not sign on for a particular length of time as soldiers did. They signed on particular ships for a commission & when that commission was completed they were “paid off” & discharged to shore. So a sailor could pick & choose the ships & stations he wished to serve on. If a particular ship was to be stationed on the Pacific station, for say 4 yrs, he may or may not elect to sign onto that ship - it would depend upon how long he wished to be away from home & also how he felt about serving under certain Captains.
Some Captains in those days could be quite brutal – flogging was still commonplace in the early Victorian navy & life & discipline on board some ships was harsh at best.
A sailor signed on in a certain “rating” (ie: AB, Captain of the Maintop, Captain of the Forecastle, Quartermaster, etc) depending upon his experience. If a ship was in need of say top men & a man was a qualified Foretopman then he would sign on as a 2nd Captain, or
Captain of the Foretop, for that commission. He would have to produce a certificate from his former ship’s Captain to indicate his former service & rates. A rating could be promoted for his knowledge, experience, & ability during a commission as well.
A man was paid by his rating & what GCB’s (Good conduct badges) he was awarded. GCB’s were introduced into the RN in Jan ’49 awarded for 5, 10, & 15 yrs service. In 1860 the time requirement was altered to 3, 8, & 13 yrs respectively. A man could be awarded a maximum of 3 GCB’s & they were worn with his rank badge on his left sleeve.
To be awarded GCB’s a rating had to be assessed with an Exemplary or Very Good conduct each commission he signed on for. Anything less & he was ineligible for the award of GCB’s. Later in the century he was also paid for obtaining Seaman Gunner & Torpedo qualification.
In June 1853 this system was changed considerably. Ratings were given the option of signing on for a period of ”Continuous Service” & after a period of 21yrs (later reduced to 20 yrs) could qualify for a pension & Long service medal. The initial period of ‘sign on’ was
10 years with a renewal of term for a further 10 years. This meant that a rating was not “paid off” with the ship at the end of a commission, but was drafted to a depot (manning) ship until he was drafted to another ship. Thus his pay & allowances were continuous & he was assured of a life pension when he completed his full period of service
A rating held two important positions in the Victorian Navy – his Rate & his Rank.
Rate was what he specialized in – i.e.: his ’trade’.
Rank was his position in the naval hierarchy.
The ranks were:
Boy 2nd class, Boy 1st class, ORD, AB, LS, PO2, PO1 & Chief PO.
So a man signed on as a Boy (if he was under 18 yrs of age) & was promoted to ORD (ordinary Seaman) on or after his 18th birthday (depending upon the time frame), then to AB (Able Seaman) after a period of two or so years. He is at this point usually rated a TM (Trained Man) as well & this means just what is says - basically he is trained & can ‘get around’ fairly competently on board a ship. In general, in those days, ratings were ‘top men’ – they worked the sails & rigging of the sailing ships of the period, & it was hard arduous work in all kinds of weather conditions.
As he gained experience & knowledge he might be promoted to LS (Leading Seaman), then to PO2 (Petty Officer 2nd class) & PO1 (Petty Officer 1st class). At that time he would have held a rating of say 2nd Captain of the Mizzen Top – this meant his rank was PO2. When he was promoted to Captain of the Mizzen Top he would have been promoted to PO1. There are many ratings in the RN & they vary from time to time during the Victorian period. When Continuous service was introduced the ranks of LS & CPO were created. An upper deck Chief PO would have as his rating Chief Boatswain’s Mate, or Chief Quartermaster. These senior men were at the ‘top of the rating’s ladder’ so to speak,would be very experienced, very reliable & very very valuable to a Captain or First Lt on the ship
Life in the Navy was hard and dangerous not only from enemy action but also from the tough life in general .
Books are interesting to get hold of both on Naval uniforms and the Victorian Navy in general here are a couple you might like.
Continued in next post
Nap
Seeing the smaller company's releasing is always good to have happen and one of these is Paul Blaber Miniatures , those that went to Euro would have seen the man himself ably assisted by his partner ( she was the pretty one...lol) set up next to CGS .
Paul's range isn't specific though he has got a penchant for the Crimean period I think !!!
Paul has been a very keen modeller since the tender age of 9 and as well as having his own range of figures ...and busts ( ye hah!!) is a respected member of our community and carry's out the job of a judge at Euro Militaire ...he is also a keen biker and a fisherman though how he does these at the same time I do not know..lol!
The figure we are looking at was released by him at this years Euro along with a couple of busts adding to his range .
There was no box art available the subject ...a Crimean Able Seaman
Sailors in those days did not sign on for a particular length of time as soldiers did. They signed on particular ships for a commission & when that commission was completed they were “paid off” & discharged to shore. So a sailor could pick & choose the ships & stations he wished to serve on. If a particular ship was to be stationed on the Pacific station, for say 4 yrs, he may or may not elect to sign onto that ship - it would depend upon how long he wished to be away from home & also how he felt about serving under certain Captains.
Some Captains in those days could be quite brutal – flogging was still commonplace in the early Victorian navy & life & discipline on board some ships was harsh at best.
A sailor signed on in a certain “rating” (ie: AB, Captain of the Maintop, Captain of the Forecastle, Quartermaster, etc) depending upon his experience. If a ship was in need of say top men & a man was a qualified Foretopman then he would sign on as a 2nd Captain, or
Captain of the Foretop, for that commission. He would have to produce a certificate from his former ship’s Captain to indicate his former service & rates. A rating could be promoted for his knowledge, experience, & ability during a commission as well.
A man was paid by his rating & what GCB’s (Good conduct badges) he was awarded. GCB’s were introduced into the RN in Jan ’49 awarded for 5, 10, & 15 yrs service. In 1860 the time requirement was altered to 3, 8, & 13 yrs respectively. A man could be awarded a maximum of 3 GCB’s & they were worn with his rank badge on his left sleeve.
To be awarded GCB’s a rating had to be assessed with an Exemplary or Very Good conduct each commission he signed on for. Anything less & he was ineligible for the award of GCB’s. Later in the century he was also paid for obtaining Seaman Gunner & Torpedo qualification.
In June 1853 this system was changed considerably. Ratings were given the option of signing on for a period of ”Continuous Service” & after a period of 21yrs (later reduced to 20 yrs) could qualify for a pension & Long service medal. The initial period of ‘sign on’ was
10 years with a renewal of term for a further 10 years. This meant that a rating was not “paid off” with the ship at the end of a commission, but was drafted to a depot (manning) ship until he was drafted to another ship. Thus his pay & allowances were continuous & he was assured of a life pension when he completed his full period of service
A rating held two important positions in the Victorian Navy – his Rate & his Rank.
Rate was what he specialized in – i.e.: his ’trade’.
Rank was his position in the naval hierarchy.
The ranks were:
Boy 2nd class, Boy 1st class, ORD, AB, LS, PO2, PO1 & Chief PO.
So a man signed on as a Boy (if he was under 18 yrs of age) & was promoted to ORD (ordinary Seaman) on or after his 18th birthday (depending upon the time frame), then to AB (Able Seaman) after a period of two or so years. He is at this point usually rated a TM (Trained Man) as well & this means just what is says - basically he is trained & can ‘get around’ fairly competently on board a ship. In general, in those days, ratings were ‘top men’ – they worked the sails & rigging of the sailing ships of the period, & it was hard arduous work in all kinds of weather conditions.
As he gained experience & knowledge he might be promoted to LS (Leading Seaman), then to PO2 (Petty Officer 2nd class) & PO1 (Petty Officer 1st class). At that time he would have held a rating of say 2nd Captain of the Mizzen Top – this meant his rank was PO2. When he was promoted to Captain of the Mizzen Top he would have been promoted to PO1. There are many ratings in the RN & they vary from time to time during the Victorian period. When Continuous service was introduced the ranks of LS & CPO were created. An upper deck Chief PO would have as his rating Chief Boatswain’s Mate, or Chief Quartermaster. These senior men were at the ‘top of the rating’s ladder’ so to speak,would be very experienced, very reliable & very very valuable to a Captain or First Lt on the ship
Life in the Navy was hard and dangerous not only from enemy action but also from the tough life in general .
Books are interesting to get hold of both on Naval uniforms and the Victorian Navy in general here are a couple you might like.
Continued in next post
Nap
.
