Oral History Recording with John Pratt
Digital sound recording in one part
Subject: Royal Navy; Merchant Navy; Signals Branch; Deck Department: Signal Boy, Master
OHY/6/91/1 - 2.28 GB; 01:46:12
OHY/6/91/2 - 3.98 GB; 03:05:39
John Pratt was born in 1889 in Portsmouth. The interview opens with a description of his father’s service as an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. He went to India on HMS Crocodile for four years when John was 11 months old and the family later learned he was involved in some kind of ‘special service’ for which he earned the rank of Lieutenant. He later transferred to work in the Coast Guard, which was under the Royal Navy at the time. He says that his godmother was a woman called Agnes Weston, who Pratt says was a woman well-known in Portsmouth for her support of sailor’s wives and the godmother to many children in the city. Weston was involved in many philanthropic efforts to support the Navy, some based around temperance and for her work she was the first woman ever to be buried with full naval honours.
The family moved to Ilfracombe and Pratt attended Royal Hospital School and was signal boy on HMS Exmouth. His first ship was HMS Hercules which he joined in Portsmouth. He describes rigid discipline and corporal punishment. He discusses his early career in the Navy including training in gunnery and signalling and attending the Fleet Review at Spithead just prior to the First World War. He also took classes at the training establishment in Portsmouth and one of his students was the then Prince of Wales.
Pratt joined the Merchant Navy after the First World War and ultimately served as captain. Much of his interview covers his life and work in this role. There are number of interesting anecdotes, including meeting the Prince of Wales again later in his career and being off the coast of Naples when Vesuvius erupted in 1904 – he took a piece of lava home.
Administrative / biographical background
Oral history with John Pratt conducted by Campbell McMurray
Subject: Royal Navy; Merchant Navy; Signals Branch; Deck Department: Signal Boy, Master
OHY/6/91/1 - 2.28 GB; 01:46:12
OHY/6/91/2 - 3.98 GB; 03:05:39
John Pratt was born in 1889 in Portsmouth. The interview opens with a description of his father’s service as an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. He went to India on HMS Crocodile for four years when John was 11 months old and the family later learned he was involved in some kind of ‘special service’ for which he earned the rank of Lieutenant. He later transferred to work in the Coast Guard, which was under the Royal Navy at the time. He says that his godmother was a woman called Agnes Weston, who Pratt says was a woman well-known in Portsmouth for her support of sailor’s wives and the godmother to many children in the city. Weston was involved in many philanthropic efforts to support the Navy, some based around temperance and for her work she was the first woman ever to be buried with full naval honours.
The family moved to Ilfracombe and Pratt attended Royal Hospital School and was signal boy on HMS Exmouth. His first ship was HMS Hercules which he joined in Portsmouth. He describes rigid discipline and corporal punishment. He discusses his early career in the Navy including training in gunnery and signalling and attending the Fleet Review at Spithead just prior to the First World War. He also took classes at the training establishment in Portsmouth and one of his students was the then Prince of Wales.
Pratt joined the Merchant Navy after the First World War and ultimately served as captain. Much of his interview covers his life and work in this role. There are number of interesting anecdotes, including meeting the Prince of Wales again later in his career and being off the coast of Naples when Vesuvius erupted in 1904 – he took a piece of lava home.
Administrative / biographical background
Oral history with John Pratt conducted by Campbell McMurray
Record details
| Item reference: | OHY/6/91 |
|---|---|
| Level: | FILE |
| Date made: | 1970 - 1980 |
| Creator: | Pratt, John; McMurray, Campbell |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |