From the teak of HMS TERRIBLE whose guns relieved Ladysmith
My Mother has recently given me this small collection of items made from the teak of HMS TERRIBLE. All of the items were made by LISTERS WOOD CRAFT. The candle sticks and possibly the match stick holder barrel were given to my Great Grandmother by my Great Uncle and he may have worked for LISTERS. It is possible that they have been in the family since new as the ship was broken up in 1932. The bookends and ashtray were purchased by my mother over the years.
A bit of history about HMS TERRIBLE;
HMS Terrible was a cruiser built by J. G. Thomson and launched at Glasgow in May 1895 and a sister ship to HMS Powerful. In 1899 she was sent to South Africa where she supplied some of her 6-inch and 12-pounder guns for land use. Captain Percy Scott designed mountings to make the guns mobile and they were transported to Ladysmith in HMS Powerful. She also landed a number of her crew in the Naval Brigade.
When the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1900, HMS Terrible re-embarked her crew and guns and went to China. She arrived at the Taku Forts from Hong Kong in June 1900. She carried 300 of the Second Battalion of Royal Welsh Fusiliers commanded by Major Morris, and 40 Royal Engineers.
This force was sent to Tientsin on June 21st. A 12-pounder gun from HMS Terrible was hauled to Tientsin by 100 men of the Wei-hai-Wei Chinese Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Bower. The gun was used in the attack on the Peiyang Arsenal on the 27 June 1900. Four of Terrible's 12-pounder quick-firing guns were used in the successful attack on the town on Tientsin which began on July 13 1900.
After refits in 1902–04, she spent most of her time in reserve. She was employed as a troop ship in 1915 and then served as a accomodation ship until 1920 when she became TS Fisguard III. She was broken up in 1932.
Boxes and other souvenirs were frequently made from the wood and metal of famous ships when they were broken up, salvaged or undergoing a major refit.
The use of the guns from HMS TERRIBLE inspired the Field gun competition;
The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa. The legendary story tells of the siege of the British garrison in Ladysmith in 1899. In support of the British Army, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and Powerful to help in the relief of the siege. The Naval Brigade transported guns over difficult terrain and brought them into action against the Boers.
The Royal Navy landed two 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and four 12-pounder naval guns creating improvised field guns using makeshift gun carriages. The guns were transported inland by rail and then drawn on makeshift carriages by oxen. For the final part of the journey, sailors from the Naval Brigade manhandled the guns over very difficult terrain. One story tells of sailors carrying one of the 12-pounder guns for 2 miles (3.2 km) after one of the wheels collapsed.
The siege of Ladysmith lasted for 120 days until February 1900. On their return home, the sailors from the Naval Brigade paraded their guns through London and appeared at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. Displays of field gun drill continued in subsequent years.
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