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Bernard de Neumann

City, University of London, School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, Emeritus

City, University of London, Mathematics, Emeritus

University of Essex, University Court, Member of Court

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Educated at The Royal Hospital School, and the University of Birmingham. I also, when appropriate, use the form of my name Bernhard von Neumann. I am a member of the Court of the University of Essex. My career was principally as a mathematician, but also involved me in computer science , systems, and software engineering. This Academia site contains some of my writings from after my retirement in 1999. My published papers from before my retirement are mainly detectable via Google Scholar. Since I retired I've mainly concentrated upon naval history, genealogy, and industrial and engineering history. Immediately prior to my retirement I worked on "Intelligent Software Agents", specifically "Command Agents", which are used for a variety of purposes, including command and control nodes in computerised gaming. I've also recently given talks on Bayesian search theory, Software Engineering, .....

Amongst my extramural activities, I am Naval Awards Advisor, and Schools' Liaison Officer, for The Gallantry Medallists' League.

My portrait, titled "Professor Bernard de Neumann - The Mathematician", attached herewith, by John Wonnacott, won the 2005 Ondaatje Prize of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.

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Michael Gladwin

University of Cambridge

Glenn M Stein, FRGS, FRCGS

John B Hattendorf

U.S. Naval War College

Niall Brannigan

Istanbul University

The Open University

SUNY: Empire State College

Hacettepe University

University College London

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Papers by Bernard de Neumann

Log of U-69 as relevant to the sinking of ship Tewkesbury

Jost Metzler's log for U-boat U-69 relating to the sinking of Tewkesbury on 21 May 1941.

Contribution to a Register of George Medals

Acts of Courage: A Register of the George Medal, 1940 -2015

Bernard Peter de Neumann was born in Hadleigh, Essex, in September 1917, and spent most of his ch... more Bernard Peter de Neumann was born in Hadleigh, Essex, in September 1917, and spent most of his childhood as an orphan before being sent to sea. His father was killed when his ship was destroyed in an explosion in October 1920, probably through striking a drifting mine in the English Channel, and wreckage was washed ashore between Broadstairs and Weymouth. He and his sister were placed under the care of the Rochford Hundred Board of Guardians, and were fostered out to several families during their childhoods, which entailed enduring a disrupted education. Eventually he was placed aboard TS Exmouth, where he was trained for the sea until he was sixteen. He then went to sea as a cadet, and became a successful ships' officer, becoming a ships' captain at age 29. His great courage during the Second World War was recognised by awards of both the George Medal and the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea. His ship Tewkesbury returned from the River Plate in January 1941, and after unloading in London, went to the Tyne to be fitted out with AA and LA guns. She then loaded up with produce and made her way to the Forth to join a convoy around the north coast of Scotland, following which she was to join an Atlantic convoy and make her way back to the River Plate. They departed the Forth on 1 March 1941 in the late afternoon, with a storm approaching, a strong north-easterly wind, and a heavy swell. An air attack developed half-an-hour after sunset, off Aberdeen, and his ship, Tewkesbury, and another ship, Atheltemplar, a tanker, came under attack by three He 111s as they led the two columns of the convoy between a minefield and the Scottish shore. The tanker was hit by three 250kg bombs, killing all her executive officers including the captain,-except for the Chief Officer who was blown about 200 feet through the air onto the forecastle and severely injured. The tanker burst into a huge inferno that could be seen for 25 miles. Tewkesbury, about 800 yards away, then became the centre of the Heinkels' attention and they straffed her whilst she returned fire. The bombers circled around and then launched two 250 kg bombs at her, one just missed the starboard side and exploded in the water severely shaking the ship. The other, after passing through an engine-room skylight, came to rest perched precariously on the second engine-room grating. The engineer, Gerard Turner, was at his controls in the bowels of the ship, and beneath where the bomb came to rest, and so when he saw it he immediately climbed the ladder to get to it, and sat on it to stop it rolling off and plummeting to the bottom of the ship. Peter de Neumann, who was directing Tewkesbury's guns from the bridge, ran to see what had happened to the bomb, and saw Turner deep in the engine-room struggling with the bomb. Neumann immediately went to the engineer's assistance, racing down the ladders to reach Turner and the bomb. The crew, except the quartermaster and a forward lookout, were evacuated to the stern, whilst a party selected by the captain made a sling and rigged blocks and tackle to lift the bomb up the 30 feet or so to the main deck. Neumann and Turner were responsible for handling and manouvering the bomb from below, with no means of escape should it slip and fall. The bomb was manouvered and lifted onto the next grating up, before the hoist to the top engine-room grating, during which Turner and Neumann had to stand on the engine cylinder tops (at about 200°C). It was then slid across the grating, lifted over a "weather-step", manouvred along a passage, over another weather-step and out onto the open deck. A section of railing was then removed, and the bomb rolled over the side at an opportune moment. The bomb took about ninety minutes to clear, but Tewkesbury could not stop whilst the bomb was being dealt with as she was being followed by the other ships in the convoy, and their courses were severely constrained by the minefield. Later in the voyage Tewkesbury was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-69 on May 21, 1941. All of the crew survived and got away in two boats; his boat was picked up by (US) Exhibitor, and later he transferred to HMS Cilicia. [The other boat from Tewkesbury was picked up by (US) Antinous after 13 days.] Cilicia arrived in Freetown on May 17, 1941, and Neumann volunteered as Second Officer aboard the RN prize vessel Criton (captured from the Vichy French) – she had carried shells to replenish the shore batteries at Dakar after de Gaulle's aborted landings there. Criton sailed from Freetown for the UK on June 19, 1941, but was intercepted by two Vichy French warships, Air France IV and Edith Germaine, on June 21, and sunk by gunfire. Criton's crew were picked up from the water and escorted under armed guard to a concentration camp in the jungle just outside Conakry. After a month Criton's seaman officers were tried and found guilty of piracy by a Vichy French naval court martial and, after an extremely

The British Second World War Merchant Navy Graves in Timbuctoo

The above photograph by Tim Insoll shows the two lone British war graves in the European Cemetery... more The above photograph by Tim Insoll shows the two lone British war graves in the European Cemetery at Timbuctoo. They are the graves of Chief Engineer William Soutter (died 28 May 1942 age 60) and AB John Turnbull Graham (died 2 May 1942 age 23). Both of the ss Allende (Cardiff). Allende was sunk 17th March 1942 off the South coast of West Africa, by U68. How do they come to be there? What is the story behind these wartime graves of British Merchant seamen who died in the legendary city so far from the sea? The story really emanates from the fate of the ship's company of the ss Criton , a Vichy French vessel arrested by the RN for carrying contraband, and escorted into Freetown. In Freetown she was manned by a scratch British Prize crew of recently released prisoners, other DBS, and native firemen from Sierra Leone. Her Master was Captain Dobeson, ex Wray Castle , and the remainder of the officers and crew came from various sunken ships; she also carried a token RN officer, and a stowaway. Criton sailed in convoy SL78 on 19th June 1941 carrying a cargo of iron ore, but kept breaking down, and could not keep up with the convoy – she had been extensively sabotaged by her former Vichy French crew. Criton was ordered back to Freetown alone by the escort AMC HMS Esperance Bay at noon on the 20th. She was spotted off Conakry on the morning of the 21st and intercepted by two Vichy French sloops, one of which fired a shell over the Criton from the port quarter. Although ordered to stop, Criton refused, so one of the sloops ( Air France IV), after two-and-a-half-hours of arguing through megaphones, swept the decks with machine gun fire from a range of about fifty yards. Criton 's firemen panicked and rushed the starboard boat, and Dobeson ordered " abandon ship ". The starboard boat was launched under the orders of de Neumann (Second Officer), and the port boat under the orders of Chalmers (Chief Officer). The port boat cleared the Criton smartly, but with the firemen's panic, it was difficult to launch and clear away the starboard boat. Before the starboard boat had completed launching the sloop opened up with her main armament, and shells went right through the Criton narrowly missing the starboard boat on the far side. On leaving his ship, Dobeson fell into the starboard boat and injured himself, leaving de Neumann to get the boat clear. The crew in the two boats were picked up by the sloop after she had wrecked Criton with 46 salvoes, and escorted under guard to Conakry. They were then thrown into a special section of a camp in the jungle containing other merchant seamen, but Criton 's crew was separated off by barbed wire, and everyone was warned that they would be shot if they

CAPPER, ALEXANDER & CO – ALEXANDER SHIPPING CO LTD

During the Second World War, and, indeed the Great War, the Merchant Navy took heavy losses both ... more

Some Notes on the Neumanns

Here are my notes on various Neumanns that I have found details of in the course of my genealogic... more

Transcription of Dilkes Loveless's Report of 1859 on The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich

The Loveless Report was prepared for a Commission of Enquiry into the state of Greenwich Hospital... more The Loveless Report was prepared for a Commission of Enquiry into the state of Greenwich Hospital, of which Loveless was Secretary. He is recognised as an authority on the history of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich, generally known as Greenwich Hospital. It is known that a previous history of the school was prepared by Loveless's predecessor, but this has long been lost, making Loveless's version the oldest extant history.

Life Cycle Cost Models

Electronic Systems Effectiveness and Life Cycle Costing, 1983

The Economics of Software

Software System Design Methods, 1986

Scope methodology for safety

Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 1994

Description of the Ceiling of the Painted Hall, Greenwich

Thornton's allegorical paintings decorating the Painted Hall in Greenwich are justly famous. A b... more

Brief History of The Royal Hospital School

The Royal Hospital School began in Greenwich in 1712, and rapidly rose to be the premier school i... more

Presentation to the Software Reliability & Metrics Club, 2002

Failures in large-scale British Government-procured software are discussed in the light of their ... more

Philipp de Neumann (Philipp von Neumann)'s Journey to Brazil in 1826/1827

Philipp de Neumann had many adventures during his career, and in December 1826 he was sent on a s... more Philipp de Neumann had many adventures during his career, and in December 1826 he was sent on a special mission to Brazil aboard frigate HMS La Forte to negotiate the marriage of Don Pedro's daughter Maria to his brother Miguel, and the demand by Miguel that he be recognised as regent of Portugal. The following account is quoted verbatim from his diary, and the account is of historical interest as it reveals much about the standards of the time.

Outbreak of WW1 at Sea

Major losses on both sides at sea were incurred early in the war, until German, and its allied sh... more

Contribution to a book on Mathematics and Greenwich

Describes the evolution of the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, and its success in developing th... more

Anthony Ralston interview: January 10, 2006

Acknowledgement: ACM thanks William Asprey and Bernard deNeumann for their pro bono work on this ... more

Drafts by Bernard de Neumann

History of Greenwich Royal Hospital School Buildings and land

Notes on the history of the land and buildings of Greenwich Royal Hospital and its schools

The Philanthropy of Gifford Sherman Reade

An attempt to reveal the biography of Gifford Sherman Reade.

National Archives Pupil Admission and Discharge Papers

This paper is a start, and perhaps an end, to locating details of former pupils of The Royal Hosp... more

Royal Hospital School pupils and the First World War

During the so-called Great War, former pupils and staff took heavy losses, and this paper is inte... more

Log of U-69 as relevant to the sinking of ship Tewkesbury

Jost Metzler's log for U-boat U-69 relating to the sinking of Tewkesbury on 21 May 1941.

Contribution to a Register of George Medals

Acts of Courage: A Register of the George Medal, 1940 -2015

Bernard Peter de Neumann was born in Hadleigh, Essex, in September 1917, and spent most of his ch... more Bernard Peter de Neumann was born in Hadleigh, Essex, in September 1917, and spent most of his childhood as an orphan before being sent to sea. His father was killed when his ship was destroyed in an explosion in October 1920, probably through striking a drifting mine in the English Channel, and wreckage was washed ashore between Broadstairs and Weymouth. He and his sister were placed under the care of the Rochford Hundred Board of Guardians, and were fostered out to several families during their childhoods, which entailed enduring a disrupted education. Eventually he was placed aboard TS Exmouth, where he was trained for the sea until he was sixteen. He then went to sea as a cadet, and became a successful ships' officer, becoming a ships' captain at age 29. His great courage during the Second World War was recognised by awards of both the George Medal and the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea. His ship Tewkesbury returned from the River Plate in January 1941, and after unloading in London, went to the Tyne to be fitted out with AA and LA guns. She then loaded up with produce and made her way to the Forth to join a convoy around the north coast of Scotland, following which she was to join an Atlantic convoy and make her way back to the River Plate. They departed the Forth on 1 March 1941 in the late afternoon, with a storm approaching, a strong north-easterly wind, and a heavy swell. An air attack developed half-an-hour after sunset, off Aberdeen, and his ship, Tewkesbury, and another ship, Atheltemplar, a tanker, came under attack by three He 111s as they led the two columns of the convoy between a minefield and the Scottish shore. The tanker was hit by three 250kg bombs, killing all her executive officers including the captain,-except for the Chief Officer who was blown about 200 feet through the air onto the forecastle and severely injured. The tanker burst into a huge inferno that could be seen for 25 miles. Tewkesbury, about 800 yards away, then became the centre of the Heinkels' attention and they straffed her whilst she returned fire. The bombers circled around and then launched two 250 kg bombs at her, one just missed the starboard side and exploded in the water severely shaking the ship. The other, after passing through an engine-room skylight, came to rest perched precariously on the second engine-room grating. The engineer, Gerard Turner, was at his controls in the bowels of the ship, and beneath where the bomb came to rest, and so when he saw it he immediately climbed the ladder to get to it, and sat on it to stop it rolling off and plummeting to the bottom of the ship. Peter de Neumann, who was directing Tewkesbury's guns from the bridge, ran to see what had happened to the bomb, and saw Turner deep in the engine-room struggling with the bomb. Neumann immediately went to the engineer's assistance, racing down the ladders to reach Turner and the bomb. The crew, except the quartermaster and a forward lookout, were evacuated to the stern, whilst a party selected by the captain made a sling and rigged blocks and tackle to lift the bomb up the 30 feet or so to the main deck. Neumann and Turner were responsible for handling and manouvering the bomb from below, with no means of escape should it slip and fall. The bomb was manouvered and lifted onto the next grating up, before the hoist to the top engine-room grating, during which Turner and Neumann had to stand on the engine cylinder tops (at about 200°C). It was then slid across the grating, lifted over a "weather-step", manouvred along a passage, over another weather-step and out onto the open deck. A section of railing was then removed, and the bomb rolled over the side at an opportune moment. The bomb took about ninety minutes to clear, but Tewkesbury could not stop whilst the bomb was being dealt with as she was being followed by the other ships in the convoy, and their courses were severely constrained by the minefield. Later in the voyage Tewkesbury was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-69 on May 21, 1941. All of the crew survived and got away in two boats; his boat was picked up by (US) Exhibitor, and later he transferred to HMS Cilicia. [The other boat from Tewkesbury was picked up by (US) Antinous after 13 days.] Cilicia arrived in Freetown on May 17, 1941, and Neumann volunteered as Second Officer aboard the RN prize vessel Criton (captured from the Vichy French) – she had carried shells to replenish the shore batteries at Dakar after de Gaulle's aborted landings there. Criton sailed from Freetown for the UK on June 19, 1941, but was intercepted by two Vichy French warships, Air France IV and Edith Germaine, on June 21, and sunk by gunfire. Criton's crew were picked up from the water and escorted under armed guard to a concentration camp in the jungle just outside Conakry. After a month Criton's seaman officers were tried and found guilty of piracy by a Vichy French naval court martial and, after an extremely

The British Second World War Merchant Navy Graves in Timbuctoo

The above photograph by Tim Insoll shows the two lone British war graves in the European Cemetery... more The above photograph by Tim Insoll shows the two lone British war graves in the European Cemetery at Timbuctoo. They are the graves of Chief Engineer William Soutter (died 28 May 1942 age 60) and AB John Turnbull Graham (died 2 May 1942 age 23). Both of the ss Allende (Cardiff). Allende was sunk 17th March 1942 off the South coast of West Africa, by U68. How do they come to be there? What is the story behind these wartime graves of British Merchant seamen who died in the legendary city so far from the sea? The story really emanates from the fate of the ship's company of the ss Criton , a Vichy French vessel arrested by the RN for carrying contraband, and escorted into Freetown. In Freetown she was manned by a scratch British Prize crew of recently released prisoners, other DBS, and native firemen from Sierra Leone. Her Master was Captain Dobeson, ex Wray Castle , and the remainder of the officers and crew came from various sunken ships; she also carried a token RN officer, and a stowaway. Criton sailed in convoy SL78 on 19th June 1941 carrying a cargo of iron ore, but kept breaking down, and could not keep up with the convoy – she had been extensively sabotaged by her former Vichy French crew. Criton was ordered back to Freetown alone by the escort AMC HMS Esperance Bay at noon on the 20th. She was spotted off Conakry on the morning of the 21st and intercepted by two Vichy French sloops, one of which fired a shell over the Criton from the port quarter. Although ordered to stop, Criton refused, so one of the sloops ( Air France IV), after two-and-a-half-hours of arguing through megaphones, swept the decks with machine gun fire from a range of about fifty yards. Criton 's firemen panicked and rushed the starboard boat, and Dobeson ordered " abandon ship ". The starboard boat was launched under the orders of de Neumann (Second Officer), and the port boat under the orders of Chalmers (Chief Officer). The port boat cleared the Criton smartly, but with the firemen's panic, it was difficult to launch and clear away the starboard boat. Before the starboard boat had completed launching the sloop opened up with her main armament, and shells went right through the Criton narrowly missing the starboard boat on the far side. On leaving his ship, Dobeson fell into the starboard boat and injured himself, leaving de Neumann to get the boat clear. The crew in the two boats were picked up by the sloop after she had wrecked Criton with 46 salvoes, and escorted under guard to Conakry. They were then thrown into a special section of a camp in the jungle containing other merchant seamen, but Criton 's crew was separated off by barbed wire, and everyone was warned that they would be shot if they

CAPPER, ALEXANDER & CO – ALEXANDER SHIPPING CO LTD

During the Second World War, and, indeed the Great War, the Merchant Navy took heavy losses both ... more

Some Notes on the Neumanns

Here are my notes on various Neumanns that I have found details of in the course of my genealogic... more

Transcription of Dilkes Loveless's Report of 1859 on The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich

The Loveless Report was prepared for a Commission of Enquiry into the state of Greenwich Hospital... more The Loveless Report was prepared for a Commission of Enquiry into the state of Greenwich Hospital, of which Loveless was Secretary. He is recognised as an authority on the history of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich, generally known as Greenwich Hospital. It is known that a previous history of the school was prepared by Loveless's predecessor, but this has long been lost, making Loveless's version the oldest extant history.

Life Cycle Cost Models

Electronic Systems Effectiveness and Life Cycle Costing, 1983

The Economics of Software

Software System Design Methods, 1986

Scope methodology for safety

Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 1994

Description of the Ceiling of the Painted Hall, Greenwich

Thornton's allegorical paintings decorating the Painted Hall in Greenwich are justly famous. A b... more

Brief History of The Royal Hospital School

The Royal Hospital School began in Greenwich in 1712, and rapidly rose to be the premier school i... more

Presentation to the Software Reliability & Metrics Club, 2002

Failures in large-scale British Government-procured software are discussed in the light of their ... more

Philipp de Neumann (Philipp von Neumann)'s Journey to Brazil in 1826/1827

Philipp de Neumann had many adventures during his career, and in December 1826 he was sent on a s... more Philipp de Neumann had many adventures during his career, and in December 1826 he was sent on a special mission to Brazil aboard frigate HMS La Forte to negotiate the marriage of Don Pedro's daughter Maria to his brother Miguel, and the demand by Miguel that he be recognised as regent of Portugal. The following account is quoted verbatim from his diary, and the account is of historical interest as it reveals much about the standards of the time.

Outbreak of WW1 at Sea

Major losses on both sides at sea were incurred early in the war, until German, and its allied sh... more

Contribution to a book on Mathematics and Greenwich

Describes the evolution of the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, and its success in developing th... more

Anthony Ralston interview: January 10, 2006

Acknowledgement: ACM thanks William Asprey and Bernard deNeumann for their pro bono work on this ... more

History of Greenwich Royal Hospital School Buildings and land

Notes on the history of the land and buildings of Greenwich Royal Hospital and its schools

The Philanthropy of Gifford Sherman Reade

An attempt to reveal the biography of Gifford Sherman Reade.

National Archives Pupil Admission and Discharge Papers

This paper is a start, and perhaps an end, to locating details of former pupils of The Royal Hosp... more

Royal Hospital School pupils and the First World War

During the so-called Great War, former pupils and staff took heavy losses, and this paper is inte... more

Principal Officers of the Royal Hospital School and its predecessors

This paper sets down the names and positions of the Principal Officers of the Royal Hospital Scho... more

Notes on Marconi in WW1, The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, and the Secret Intelligence Service

Guglielmo Marconi’s assistant was G S Kemp, an Old Boy of The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich. ... more Guglielmo Marconi’s assistant was G S Kemp, an Old Boy of The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich. Many Marconi WW1 activities emanated from Essex. For example the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Chelmsford built and ran many radio direction finding (rdf) stations and Wireless Intercept (W.I. = Y) stations throughout the UK and elsewhere. Bearing details from the rdf stations enabled the tracking of Zeppelin movements over the North Sea and England, making it possible to intercept them with aircraft. The Y-stations listened into wireless transmissions and forwarded them onto the Admiralty's Room 40 for decryption, German cable telegraph systems having been cut by the British at the outbreak of war. Many Marconi wireless officers serving aboard merchant ships were conscripted into the Royal Navy as soon as their ships returned to British ports. Indeed, such was the contribution of Marconi's to the war effort that a history of the company's wartime activities was commissioned and written, Another example is the Royal Naval Experimental Station, which was in Stratford during WW1. Frank Brock of Brock's fireworks was one of the "brains" behind it. He was the inventor of (i) the incendiary bullets that were used to bring down Zeppelins, (ii) the method used to generate smoke screens used by the Royal Navy in the 1918 Ostend and Zeebrugge raids, (iii) a very bright flare that was set off when in contact with seawater (used by the Dover Patrol to force submarines to submerge in attempting to pass through the Dover Straits, thereby slowing them down and making them more vulnerable to our minefields); and several other chemically inspired devices. He landed at Zeebrugge during the raid, which was to both block the entrance to the canal and prevent submarines from transiting it, and to try and discover the secrets of the "Görtz" sound ranging apparatus that was used to devastating effect by German coastal artillery. He was the "boffin" of the raiding party, in a similar role to that of Jack Nissenthal, who dismantled and brought back to the UK parts of the German radar station at Pourville during the 1942 Dieppe Raid. Nissenthal was accompanied by an armed guard under orders to shoot him if he fell into enemy hands! Unfortunately Brock disappeared during the Zeebrugge raid and was never seen again." There is much more to the story of the Marconi Co's involvement in WW1. Although the British refer to all WW1 German airships as Zeppelins, there were also airships built by Schütte-Lanz, and both the German Navy, and German Army operated them. The raids on England were conducted in the main by the German Navy, and initially it was the responsibility of the RN, and more specifically the RNAS, to intercept and engage with them. Engineers in the Marconi Co quickly realised that spurious transmissions they were picking up were from Zeppelins navigating the North Sea (navigation of Zeppelins was very difficult at the time, because of lack of technology, and over the water they used to transmit some

The Fame's Gingerbread

The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich had a block-ship named Fame, which, having been a famous lan... more The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich had a block-ship named Fame, which, having been a famous landmark in Greenwich, London, England, was dismantled in 1933. Much of the remnants of the ship were destroyed, but parts were retained, with the bows and accoutrements moved to Holbrook in Suffolk, and the stern board moved to Newport News in Virginia, USA.

Luftwaffe Attack on ship Tewkesbury off Aberdeen 1 Mar 1941

Coastal convoys came under regular attack (every two or three days) from Mid February 1941 until ... more Coastal convoys came under regular attack (every two or three days) from Mid February 1941 until that June when much Luftwaffe strength was withdrawn to the Eastern Front. There were several hot-spots off the East Coast of Scotland of which Kinnaird Head/Rattray Head area, where the swept channel inside the minefield was narrow, was one. Here shipping was forced into a narrow channel, convoys passing within five miles of each other. In the narrow swept channel up the East Coast, convoys were always marshalled into two columns about a quarter of a mile apart (colloquially known as tram lines). Convoys passed each other to starboard with much care in these waters, as a small error could lead to hitting a mine, or running aground. In the Pentland Firth, the tide which runs at up to six knots, caused particular difficulties for long, two column convoys. Schedules were tight and, should the convoy be delayed by weather, it would become strung out over many miles with the last ships struggling against a contrary tide.

Royal Hospital School pupils and the First World War

Towards understanding the contribution of, losses of, and awards to, former pupils of the Royal H... more

The Victoria and Albert, the Fame, and the Prince of Wales: Towards a History of The Royal Hospital School's Ships.

This is a brief history of the three full-scale land-based model training ships, which were used ... more This is a brief history of the three full-scale land-based model training ships, which were used by Greenwich Royal Hospital School for the training of its boys before they embarked upon a seafaring career. Mention is also made of their much smaller successors, contained in the school's seamanship room, and the Prince of Wales 22-gun miniature corvette, that was sailed and exercised in bombardment, upon the Serpentine in Hyde Park by boys of the school during the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Chronology of The Royal Hospital School RHS

My present understanding of the chronology of the school

The Royal Hospital School, Gifford Sherman Reade, and the Great War

The Great War at Sea and its influence on the Royal Hospital School