Ganges Boy: A Memoir of a Doleful Time

At the age of fifteen just about the worst thing you could have done was to sign a contract to serve twelve years in the Royal Navy. That kind of life does not suit everyone and the navy had life and death powers over you. If your decision turned out to be a mistake, and at fifteen it probably was, you can't get out of it. Twelve years from the point of view of a fifteen-year-old is effectively a life sentence. You would soon be made familiar with that section of the Naval Discipline Act which emphasizes the penalty of DEATH, general it seemed in the interest of maintaining good order and discipline. Heady stuff at that age. It is in the context of exploited dissatisfaction with the navy that this memoir is written.