TS Mercury
Encyclopedia
The Training Ship Mercury, or the TS Mercury, was a shore-based naval training establishment at Hamble
in Hampshire
.
, with the objective of rescuing poor boys of good character and training them for naval service. Initially the facility was based at Binstead
on the Isle of Wight where the boys lived in the barque
Illovo. Over the years the establishment was increasingly managed by Charles Hoare's mistress Beatrice Holme-Sumner, with whom he was to have a son (Robin Hoare
) and a daughter. The entire establishment was moved from Binstead to Hamble
near Southampton in 1892.
In June 1898 Beatrice Holme-Sumner married C. B. Fry, the great England cricketer and all-round sportsman, and in 1908, after the death of Hoare, Fry became the Mercury's Captain-Superintendent. In 1914 the former Royal Navy sloop HMS Gannet
was loaned from the Admiralty for use mainly as a floating dormitory and the old Illovo was sold in 1916. In 1950 C.B. Fry retired and handed over command of TS Mercury to Commander Matthew Bradby RN Rtd. who set about shaking off the last of its harsh Victorian image. Its last Captain Superintendent was Commander R. F. Hoyle RNR who took charge in 1960 and operated it for eight years before the Mercury was closed in 1968. The 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) shore establishment was later cleared for a housing development. Memorials to the Mercury and the 5,000 boys it trained for service at sea in both the Royal and Merchant Navies are located at Hamble Parish Church and near the former Mercury slipway. HMS Gannet was towed out of the Hamble River in 1970 and is now restored and preserved at the Chatham Historic Dockyard
.
Hamble-le-Rice
Hamble-le-Rice is a village in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, UK. It is best known for being an aircraft training centre during the Second World War and is a popular yachting location...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
History
The T S Mercury was one of a number of similar, mostly static training ships located round the coasts of Britain and founded during the Victorian period to provide boy recruits for the Royal Navy. It was founded in 1885 as a charitable venture by Charles Arthur Richard Hoare, a partner in the banking firm of C. Hoare & CoC. Hoare & Co
C. Hoare & Co. is England's oldest privately owned banking house. Founded in 1672 by Sir Richard Hoare, C. Hoare & Co. remains family owned and is currently managed by the 11th generation of Hoare's direct descendants....
, with the objective of rescuing poor boys of good character and training them for naval service. Initially the facility was based at Binstead
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast of the Island, two kilometres west of Ryde on the main road between Ryde and Newport.-Amenities:...
on the Isle of Wight where the boys lived in the barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Illovo. Over the years the establishment was increasingly managed by Charles Hoare's mistress Beatrice Holme-Sumner, with whom he was to have a son (Robin Hoare
Robin Hoare
Lieutenant Commander Keith Robin Hoare DSO & Bar, DSC, AM was a British recipient of the Albert Medal, formerly the highest decoration for gallantry awarded to civilians or to military personnel for actions "not in the face of the enemy" in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth...
) and a daughter. The entire establishment was moved from Binstead to Hamble
Hamble-le-Rice
Hamble-le-Rice is a village in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, UK. It is best known for being an aircraft training centre during the Second World War and is a popular yachting location...
near Southampton in 1892.
In June 1898 Beatrice Holme-Sumner married C. B. Fry, the great England cricketer and all-round sportsman, and in 1908, after the death of Hoare, Fry became the Mercury's Captain-Superintendent. In 1914 the former Royal Navy sloop HMS Gannet
HMS Gannet (1878)
HMS Gannet was a Royal Navy screw sloop launched on 31 August 1878. She became a training ship in the Thames in 1903, and was then lent as a training ship for boys in the Hamble from 1913...
was loaned from the Admiralty for use mainly as a floating dormitory and the old Illovo was sold in 1916. In 1950 C.B. Fry retired and handed over command of TS Mercury to Commander Matthew Bradby RN Rtd. who set about shaking off the last of its harsh Victorian image. Its last Captain Superintendent was Commander R. F. Hoyle RNR who took charge in 1960 and operated it for eight years before the Mercury was closed in 1968. The 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) shore establishment was later cleared for a housing development. Memorials to the Mercury and the 5,000 boys it trained for service at sea in both the Royal and Merchant Navies are located at Hamble Parish Church and near the former Mercury slipway. HMS Gannet was towed out of the Hamble River in 1970 and is now restored and preserved at the Chatham Historic Dockyard
Chatham Historic Dockyard
Chatham Historic Dockyard is a maritime museum on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham in Kent, England.Chatham Dockyard covered 400 acres and was one of the Royal Navy's main facilities for several hundred years until it was closed in 1984. After closure the dockyard was...
.