TOPIC:

I wondered if anyone knows the identity of the 'Handy man' from HMS POWERFUL whose image appears on this cigarette card?

Ian

I thought I'd recycle this post just in case someone didn't see it the first time.

I found this article online, which states that the image was taken by a Southsea (Portsmouth) photographer at the HMS Excellent gunnery school on Whale Island, Portsmouth. There were a couple of variants of the image.

www.karkeeweb.com/patterns/sea_service/t...splays.html#backbone

Searching for "Stephen Cribb" and "Southsea" in the newspaper search facility incorporated in my FMP membership produces the following hits:

3 for 1899
27 for 1900
17 for 1901
15 for 1902
and another 59 for 1903-1910

Below is the product of the first one chronologically which does not answer your question but does bear some relevance.

As the rain is raining once again in Pembrokeshire and they keep closing and opening the Cleddau Bridge I shall visit the rest today up to the end of 1902 and report back but I might be gone some while.

Regards, David

Thank you David,

I recognise Cosham railway station in the image you have posted.

The karkeeweb article states that Cribb had a contract with the Navy, which probably extended to the War Office in general, so I would imagine that he was responsible for many photographs that we see from the period.

I am still hoping that there is a reference somewhere to the identity of "The handy man".

The image isn't perfect, but I think I see crossed anchors on his left sleeve above his long service and good conduct stripes, so he would have been a Petty Officer.

I think I may have seen the building behind the 'Handy man' at HMS Excellent during my time in the Navy.

I have not identified the name of the sailor described as “One of our Handy Men of H.M.S Powerful” on the Ogden’s Guinea Gold cigarette card. I have viewed quite a few interesting photos relating to the Boer War.

“Handy Man/Men” seems to have been a collective term for sailors a bit like “Jack Tar” and hence does not signify any sort of rank or function. As these two extracts from The Sketch show:





I have found two of the photos shown on the karkewee website in The Sketch of 18th April 1900:



The article they are embedded in is nothing to do with them – they are overspill from the article on the preceding two pages and entitled “The return of Jack from the war”. It is about the return of the Powerful to Portsmouth and a bit satirical in nature. It starts by saying there are more sailors called Bill than Jack. Then reports the crew of the Powerful are not happy to be home as they are missing out on some “fun”. Then it reports the local lads and sailors on other ships are not happy because the local lasses are only interested in lads with “Powerful” on their caps.

The set of cigarette cards is first advertised in August 1900 to promote the sale of the cigarettes.



Stephen Cribb lived until at least February 1955 when he was 80. In 1919 he became a Director of Portsmouth FC and still was when he was 80.. He must have spent a short while in S Africa during the ABW as one of the photos attributed to him is obviously taken in S Africa.