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T.S Vindicatrix History
Vindicatrix was British built and sailed under the Red Ensign for the first 17 years of her life. Then sold to a German firm, she became a hulk and then an accommodation ship for U-boat officers.
After WW1, she was repossessed and given to the Shipping Federation; She sat in London docks, until she became a training ship for boys in 1939 at Sharpness.
The ship was berthed on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal at the location of the current Sharpness Marina. The red brick building which is now a chandlery was a toilet block.
Initially, the T.S. Vindicatrix was used for accommodation as well as training. So numbers could be increased, a camp was soon built on the high ground above the canal.
The training camp was closed in 1966 after around 70,000 boys mostly aged between 14 and 17 had trained at the Vindicatrix.
The camp was mostly demolished in 1967 and the area has returned naturally to nature. But foundations and some overgrown building remains can still be found amongst the trees.
The 'Vindi Boys'
The Vindi Boys may sound like the name of a boy band but it refers to 70,000 lads who came to Sharpness between 1939 and 1966.
They each spent 2 or 3 months training to get a job in the Merchant Navy.
Most were only 14 to 17 years old. Today, those who have not yet ‘crossed the bar’ are all of pension age – the youngest being born 1951 – but they still call themselves Vindi Boys. (The minimum school leaving age rose from age 14 to 15 in 1947.)
Being a sailor in the Merchant Navy during the war transpired to be even more dangerous than fighting in the military forces, with the likelihood of dying being six times higher.
Sadly, many of the Vindi Boys who came to Sharpness during the early years lost their young lives at sea. Others sailed until they married, whilst others sailed on and spent their working lives at sea, visiting all corners of the earth. Many eventually settled abroad. Some became captains.
Training on the T.S Vindicatrix
Training took place on and around an old hulk ship which during the lead up to World War II in 1939 was renamed T.S. Vindicatrix and moved from the Thames to Sharpness to become a sea school.
Although such a location may seem strange for preparing for life on the ocean waves, Sharpness was chosen as being relatively sheltered from enemy air raids. In that era – long before modern container ships – there was growing demand for trained men to work above and below deck in the Merchant Navy.
The course was typically 12 weeks for deck hands, and 8 weeks for stewards who worked below deck. Such a career with the opportunity to travel or escape their roots was appealing to many a young lad. During the war, government propaganda was published to persuade young lads – and their parents – that this was the life.
The T.S.Vindicatrix Association
It is believed that something in the region of 70,000 boys passed through the Sharpness establishment, so far the TSVA have found close to 5000.
There is a membership of some 2700 spanning a number of countries, the majority of whom live in the UK.
The present subscription for membership & further details can be found at: https://www.vindicatrix.net/join-the-tvsa
There are established branches of the Association in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Check out the Vindicatrix website for more information: https://www.vindicatrix.net/