ABANDON
SHIP
before the
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
(A bit of history,Yes you may learn something, I'm Sorry)
Why Women and Children First?
HMS Birkenhead sank off the coast of South
Africa on 26th February 1852. This incident is widely believed to
be the origin of the phrase women and children first. The
ship was carrying 480 British troops and about 26 women and
children. When the ship foundered the soldiers' commander Colonel
Seton told them to 'Stand fast!' and allow the women and children
to make use of the few lifeboats. Most of the soldiers and sailors
on board were drowned or eaten by sharks, but all the women and
children survived. The women and children first ethos was
later called the 'Birkenhead Drill' and was celebrated in verse by
Rudyard Kipling in his moral boosting work Soldier an’
Sailor Too:
To take your chance in the thick of a
rush, with firing all about,
Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, an' leave an'
likin’ to shout;
But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a
damn tough bullet to chew,
An’ they done it, the Jollies - 'Er Majesty’s Jollies -
soldier an' sailor too!
Their work was done when it 'adn’t begun; they was younger
nor me an' you;
Their choice it was plain between drownin' in 'eaps an' bein'
mopped by the screw,
So they stood an' was still to the Birken'ead drill, soldier an'
sailor too!
There's no reason to doubt that the events
on HMS Birkenhead were the origin of the women and children
first practice. It seems that the phrase wasn't used until
later though. It doesn't appear in any of the contemporary reports
of the wreck. Something very close is cited in reference to a later
wreck - that of the Central America, which went down on a voyage to
New York in 1857. This reference is from the magazine Godey's
Lady's Book, December 1857:
"Captain Herndon's first order,
'Save the women and children!' was the
test of this heroism... Every man on board that doomed ship knew
the captain was acting rightly."
The first use of the precise phrase is
from a work of fiction - W. D. O'Connor's Harrington,
1860:
"Back from the boats... The
first man that touches a boat I'll brain. Women and children first,
men."
So what does this have to do with my cache.
Well,no sailor would ever not honor their Captain by
disobeying the Birken'ead drill or the Women and
Children First call
Would They ?
Well unfortunately there was one scurvy kind than quite often
would.
Those low life stowaways ,at the first inkling of trouble, abandon
the ship
even before the Women and Children.
Who were these bottom feeding fiends
well it was
THE RATS (sorry
Lloyd)
or "Rattus rattus" The Ship Rat
When there were wooden ships in common use,
there would always be rats on board.
And often being in the Stow of the ship (bottom) they were
the first to know when trouble was starting
If the ship were to sink or start sinking the rats would jump
off
and swim away because they knew the ship was doomed
and that they needed to swim to safety/shelter.
Oh you dirty Rat !!!!
Well Cachers, it's up to you to uphold the Honor
of
Colonel Seton and find
this Dirty Rat and bring her to Justice.
Find her, and send her to her grave !!!
Be warned, they have been known to travel in
packs of "10" or more.
Please do not hunt until 6am on the 30th of
October, 2010
Please