James Rowe - Able Seaman

James Rowe joined the Royal Navy on the 3rd March 1915 on a Special Service Engagement. These were not something brought in during the war they were actually introduced 1903 and allowed Stokers the opportunity of 5 years service in the Royal Navy and then a further 7 years in the Royal Fleet Reserve. It was intended to encourage the recruitment of adults into the Stoker Branch as normal recruitment measures couldn't meet the demand as ships were bigger and required more and more stokers than previously. Following the success of the Special Service Engagements in the Stoker Branch of the navy it was extended to include seaman as well as stokers. Those on a Special Service Engagement or Short Service as it was commonly known had the prefix "SS" on their service numbers.

James was born on 30th August 1885 at Preston in Lancashire. His occupation at the time of enlistment was that of a "...Piecer"  The entry is illegible on his Service Record. He was described as being 5' 3' tall with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He had a scar under his chin. From the 3rd March to 31st July 1915 James was based at two training establishments and was rated as an Ordinary Seaman.Following his 5 months training James was posted to his first ship HMS Spanker on 1st August.

HMS Spanker

HMS Spanker was a Sharpshooter Class Torpedo Boat which was launched on 22nd February 1889. In 1906, she took part in a Royal Navy investigation of deep-sea diving. Lieutenant Damant and Gunner Catto, from Spanker, descended into a Scottish loch in diving-suits to the depth of 210 feet (64 m), at that time a record for the British Isles. By 1909 HMS Spanker and her four sister ships were converted to minesweepers^. Their torpedo tubes were removed, but the ships retained their guns. The mine sweeping equipment constituted a kite winch and gallows fitted on the quarterdeck. She was assigned to the North Sea Fisheries under the orders of the Admiral Commanding the Coast Guard and Reserves. On 15 April 1913 Spanker was recommissioned at Portsmouth and served throughout World War I. From 1914, she served in the North Sea^. From 1917 and formed part of the 13th Fast Minesweeping Flotilla at Oban. James Rowe was to spend over 2 years on board Spanker first as an Ordinary Seaman and then as an Able Seaman or Able Bodied. His character was rated as "Very Good" whilst serving on the ship.

After leaving Spanker James spent 3 months serving on a Tender Ship for torpedo boats and then returned to shore and various training establishments until he was posted to HMS Kent. Kent was a Monmouth Class Armoured Cruiser which was launched in 1901. She had fought in the Battle of  the Falklands in 1914 and the Battle of  Mas a Tierra in 1915.

HMS Kent

James joined HMS Kent on 10th June 1918 and was to spend just over a year on board. The First World War finished in November 1918 however HMS Kent was sent to Vladivostok as part of the Siberian Intervention. This was an expedition to support the White Russian forces during the Russian Civil War. The United Kingdom and France decided to militarily intervene in the Russian Civil War against the Bolshevik government. They had three objectives that they hoped to achieve:

1. prevent the Allied war material stockpiles in Russia from falling into German or Bolshevik hands
2. help the Czechoslovak Legion and return it to the European front
3. resurrect the Eastern Front by installing a White Russian-backed government

In the Summer of 1919, the White regime in Siberia collapsed^, after the capture and execution of Admiral Kolchak by the Red Army. In June 1920, the Americans, British and the remaining allied coalition partners withdrew from Vladivostok. The evacuation of the Czechoslovak Legion was also carried out in the same year.

On the 28th July 1919 Kent called at the China Station and transferred several ratings, including James Rowe, onto HMS Bee. HMS Bee was an Insect Class gunboat launched on the 8th December 1915. These ships were also known as "Large China Gunboats"  Initially built for service on the River Danube, after the First World War the "Insects" were transported to China and served on the Yangtze River In 1920, Bee became the flagship of the Yangtze patrol.

HMS Bee

James served on HMS Bee patrolling the Yangtze River from 28th July to 7th September 1919. The log for HMS Bee records the activities of the boat along the huge Yangtze River. There are meetings with Japanese and American patrol vessels and of course also with other Royal Navy patrol boats such as HMS Gnat, HMS Scarab and HMS Kinsha. On the 9th August the Officer of the watch visited an American and Chinese gunboat visits which were reciprocated by the Americans on the 11th and 13th August. At 10am on the 22nd August the log records "one of the deck watch was lost overboard by accident" presumably the unfortunate sailor drowned in the Yangtze River. There are also recorded the transfer of ratings and stores between other River Gunboats and then on the 7th September in the evening 13 ratings were transferred from HMS Bee to Scarab to be to conveyed to Colombo. James Rowe was amongst this group.

HMS Colombo was a C Class Light Cruiser launched in December 1918. She spent 7 years serving in the Eastern Fleet between 1919 and 1926. She was to take James back to the United Kingdom. James arrived back in Britain on 12th November 1919 and spent the remainder of his initial 5 year period of service at shore based training establishments.

On the 8th April 1920 James Rowe left the Royal Navy and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve to commence 7 years with the reserves as part of his Special Service Engagement. Throughout his 5 years service with the Royal Navy his character had consistently been described as "Very Good". For his wartime service James was paid a War Gratuity and was also awarded the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal. James continued to serve in the Royal Fleet Reserve after his initial 7 years and therefore qualified for the RFR Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. sometime in the 1930's.

James Rowe died at Preston, his hometown, in 1975.

James'  British War Medal, Allied Victory Medal and Royal Fleet Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct Medal 

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