What is a Stoker 1st class, Boiler Maker & Carpenters Crew?

[drobbo]

Dear Listers

I'm trying to find out more about family who served in the Royal Navy from 1850-WW2..

After looking at Census and some service history, I have found that two served in the late 1800s and one in the WW2....

What does Stoker 1st class mean? My ancestor Reginald Fox served on HMS Glorious (which was sunk by German destroyers) and his job was stoker 1st class..... I am keen to understand what this job involved and the conditions on board etc....

Two other family members (Robert Lang Rice and Robert Langworthy Rice) served on HMS St George, Princess Royal, Duke of Wellington, Royal Adelaide between 1867/1884 .... the latter was invalided in 1887 in Plymouth Hospital. One was a carpenters crew and the other a boiler maker ...

How can I find out more about what these jobs involve, what conditions were like on board these ships and where these ships went during this time

DRobbo

[km1971]

Stokers feed coal to the boilers. The lowest rank was Stoker 2nd Class, then 1st Class, then Petty Officer Stoker, then Chief Petty Officer Stoker.

As the name suggests Carpenters Crew worked with wood. I dont believe there was a RN rank called boiler maker. So that would have been a civilian job.

Ken

[drobbo]

thanks Ken

[Heilan'man60]

Boilermaker was not a rank but a trade.  Some Engineroom Artificers ( Petty Officer and Chief Petty Officer) were Boilermakers.  In later years the title of  "Queens Boilermaker" was cherished.  There were also Coppersmiths, Enginesmiths, Fitters, Turners and an occasional Patternmaker.

Stokers did as described and much more in engine rooms and boiler rooms.  In later years "Stokers" became "Marine Engineering Mechanics"...a name change for recruiting purposes!

[Temic]

My late grandfather was a stoker in WWII (HMS Whitehall), and my g.grandfather a stoker 1900-1912 on pre-Dreadnought battleships.

Usually, "promotion" from 2nd Class to 1st Class was - at least, in my g.grandfather's time - on conduct. My g.grandfather had a habit of being thrown into the cells for drunkeness, so found it difficult to maintain his 1st Class status.

My understanding accords with what's already been said: my g.grandfather would have spent a lot of his time shoveling coal, but my grandfather did more in the way of engine maintenance, reflecting the change from steam engines to internal combustion engines.