Ernest commenced his naval service on 2nd April 1897 as a Ship's Steward Boy. His Service Record describes his as being five feet tall with black hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion. His height had risen to five feet seven when he commenced his adult service and then finally to five feet ten inches on his second period of enlistment. The Ship's Steward works closely with the cooks and stewards in providing food and provisions for the ship's company.
After spending a short time at a shore based training establishment Ernest spent the next 18 months aboard HMS Black Prince which was a training ship. Black Prince was at the time over thirty years old and was the sister ship of one of the most famous ships of the Royal Navy HMS Warrior. After a brief stay on the Black Prince, HMS Benbow and then HMS Philomel Ernest joined HMS Magicienne on the 5th January 1899.
HMS Magicienne was a Marathon Class Protected Cruiser launched on 12th May 1888. Built at Fairfields of Govan Magicienne was designed for tropical service and was heading for Africa when Ernest joined her.
When the Boer War broke out in October 1899 Magicienne under the command of Captain Fisher was at Port Elizabeth in South Africa after travelling between the ports of Beira and Delagoa Bay she was ordered to patrol the waters off Lourenco Marques in an attempt to intercept supplies that were being sent to the Boers from Germeany. It was on the 27th December that Magicienne stopped the German vessel Bundesrath and boarded her to inspect her cargo. There were several German nationals on board who admitted they were on their way to fight the British with the Boers. The Bundesrath was escorted to Durban where she was interned and searched properly. The international press were indignant that the British had stopped, boarded and searched a ship who was sailing under the German flag and forced her to port.
HMS Magicienne
Magicienne went on to stop a French vessel the Gironde early in 1900. The Gironde was boarded and searched but nothing was found. Magicienne spent most of 1900 enforcing the naval blockade of the coast of South Africa. In November she was ordered to Zanzibar and it was whilst lying here that she was forwarded to the town of Kismayu in Jubaland, Somalia. Magicienne landed a Naval Brigade of 172 men to take up guard duties around the town whilst an expeditionary force was sent out to punish the Ogaden Somalis who had murdered several people following a dispute with the colonial authorities.
Ernest advanced from Ship's Steward Boy to Ship's Steward Assistant on his eigthteenth birthday. He commenced his 12 year Continuous Service from the 12th February 1900. For his role in the Boer war he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with no clasp. He did not land at Kismayu and therefore did not receive the Africa General Service Medal with the clasp Jubaland as he was amongst those members of the crew who remained on board off the coast of Somalia during the campaign.
Ernest advanced from Ship's Steward Assistant to a Ship's Steward in 1906 whilst serving on board HMS Psyche as part of the Royal Navy's Australia Station. He returned to the United Kingdom aboard HMS Crescent at the end of 1907. His character was rated as "Very Good" from 1900 to 1907. Ernest served in several ships around the UK until he was posted to HMS Centurion on 22nd May 1913.
HMS Centurion was one of the Royal Navy's Super Dreadnought Battleships built just prior to the outbreak of the First World War. She carried ten 13.5" guns, sixteen 4" guns and had three torpedo tubes below her waterline. Ernest was to serve on HMS Centurion for six years from May 1913 to May 1919.
HMS Centurion
Centurion was commanded by Captain Michael Culme-Seymour and was part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet which fought the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet at the largest naval engagement of the war the Battle of Jutland on 31st May - 1st June 1916. Centurion fired only four salvos from her main armament at the German Battlecruiser Lutzow during the battle as her line of fire was blocked by HMS Orion.
It was whilst serving on HMS Centurion on the 24th February 1915 that Ernest was awarded his Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. His character had been rated as "Very Good " throughout his entire service.Towards the end of the war in February 1918 Ernest was promoted to the newly created rate of Victualling Chief Petty Officer.
Ernest's final posting was to HMS Pomone which was a Pelorus Class Cruiser which had been disarmed and was used as a stationary training ship for engineers at Royal Naval College Dartmouth. It was whilst serving on Pomone that he was issued with his medals for his service during the First World War. He received the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal.
After serving for 24 years Ernest Arthur Moyse was discharged on the 11th February 1922.
Ernest's Queen's South Africa Medal awarded whilst serving on HMS Magicienne and his Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal awarded whilst serving on HMS Centurion in 1915.
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