"We'll send you tae The Mars" - Dundee Training ship

[maggbill]

Having an ancestor who as a young boy in Glasgow was left destitute and ended up on The Mars Training Ship in Dundee in 1910, I was delighted to obtain a very well researched book about the ships history.  I can recommend it to anyone with interests in Dundee, in fact Scotland wide interest in the "child welfare? systems" of days gone past.  It is called "We'll send ye Tae The Mars" - author Gordon Douglas, and available through sales@shakeyhandspublishing.co.uk  Regardless of the spartan upbringing and discipline, the training ship certainly gave youngsters the possibility of a life "on the sea" and future progress instead of often a life of dire poverty and even criminality.  Worth checking out the website too www.sonofthemars.com

[maggbill]

Photo of The Mars book

[Rosinish]

Maggbill, Sounds like it would be a very interesting read!

Can you tell us whether names/surnames/areas etc. are mentioned or just the history etc. of the Mars?

Is your ancestor mentioned?

Annie

[maggbill]

Hi Annie

It is more the story of the Mars - does include info on some of the original boys, but certainly not details of the hundreds of others.  I do believe however that the website and possibly also another earlier book "Sons of the Mars" by the same author possibly gives more details on individuals.  I haven't seen any sign of my ancestor - but am lucky to have his actual admission details.  Am just half way through the book now, and it is very well written - will give another check to the website too, cos it is quite some time since I checked it out - will have changed.  Do you have any direct links with the Ship? 

[dowdstree]

Interesting as my father was from Dundee and I remember my grandad speaking about the Mars when I was a youngster.

maggbill you mention "Sons of The Mars" by Gordon Douglas. In this book there is a list of the boys names from the 1901 Census.

just google or whatever  www.sonsofthemars.com

Wonder if you can get a list from the 1911 census on scotlandspeople?

Dorrie

[maggbill]

Hi Dorrie,

I am not sure how you would go about getting list of the 1911 Mars census, if you don't have a name to start off with - and then ?pay extra to go back and forward to get a full list?  Does that make sense?  duhhh….   I did find my ancestor - will attach the page - and also the "front" page - which says up in the corner 750 - surely there weren't 750 boys on it then? I do know at any given stage there could be about 400 boys on the ship.. Will see if I can attach my pages here

[maggbill]

And here is the enumerators book/front page

[maggbill]

Interestingly when The Mars first was established in 1870 - most of the first Boys were from around the Dundee and surrounding areas.  Much later on, - as you can see from the "place of birth" on the census page I attached, a rather high percentage seem to have come from Glasgow.   Not sure of the logic of this - might find out the reason as I read on with the book.  Was interested to see a boy born in USA at the top of the page! 

[Rosinish]

Hi Magbill,

No immediate connection I know of but enjoy reading about such things & thinking this could answer a few questions as to where peoples ancestors were, so young & why, having disappeared from their home towns on census records with no known/immediate link to Dundee/Fife.

Seems an impressive size...

https://www.frigateunicorn.org/2019/06/14/training-ship-mars


"The wooden ship that made iron men — Mars boys fall-in on Woodhaven Pier with Dundee beyond. More than 6,560 passed through the training ship during its 60 years of service."

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01oes/

Annie