The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society Annual Report 2014 Caring for seafarers 1 The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society Annual Report 2014 PatrON: H.R.H. The Princess Royal Head Office, Weston Acres, Woodmansterne Lane, Banstead, Surrey SM7 3HB T 01737 353763 F 01737 362678 E
[email protected] W www.royalalfredseafarers.com Royal Alfred Seafarers @RASeafarers royalalfredseafarerssociety Registered as a Charity No. 209776 FRONT COVer PIctUre: The maritime images on pages 8, 17, 38, 40 and 42 are courtesy of Gary Davies at Maritime Photographic SS GREAT BRITAIN: a world beating ship by Isambard Brunel, with the first ever iron clad hull, combined steam www.maritimephotographic.co.uk. The image on the right of page 16, and those on page 46 have been kindly engine and sails, and propeller. She started service on the trans-atlantic run at the time of the Royal Alfred’s supplied by The Wellington Trust. The image on the left of page 16 has been reproduced by kind permission of formation - two extraordinary and complimentary creations for British merchant seafarers together P&O Heritage Collection www.poheritage.com 2 3 INTRODUCTION I would like to quote the opening words of the had become Captain the Hon. Francis Maude R.N., in first chapter of The Royal Alfred Story’: incensed at moving a resolution in support of the Proposal, the terrible stated that while the seamen of the Royal conditions Navy had their Greenwich and the Army merchant their Chelsea Hospitals, there was no similar “Unbelievably crowded and insanitary seamen faced, provision for merchant seamen, who numbered accommodation; unsuitable and and Parliament more than quarter of a million men, when inadequate food, resulting in many cases was petitioned worn out and disabled.