Birkenhead survivors

William Tuck

PRIVATE WILLIAM TUCK like his comrade-in-arms Colour Sergeant  Drake  had experienced exciting adventures prior to the disaster of February, 1852.  He was wrecked in the Torch in 1848. After escaping a second time when the Birkenhead sank he was in the Baltic in 1854 with Sir Charles Napier and in 1855 served there again under Admiral Dundas and was at the bombardment of Sweaborg.  Fifteen years of his Royal Marine service was spent afloat in Naval ships.  Writing from his home at Brockhurst Gosport  he told of his experience that fateful February, half a century before, in these words

“After the Birkenhead struck the first thing I was called upon to do was to get the women and children into a boat and dreadful was the scene!  We had to push some of the women into the boat. I went forward to help with the paddle box boat but I was too late. The foremast went over the starboard side and as soon as the masts were gone she broke in two at the foremost part. I was in the water. She broke again on the quarterdeck and the poop was up on end when I was passing into the water. I was about fifteen hours in the water before I could reach the land and then we did not know where to go. We fell in with several men who got ashore. We wandered about all day, scorched up with the sun, until we reached a house where we stopped two days and a half and were treated well. We had a glass of grog as soon as we arrived there. An officer of the Rhadamanthus came and gave us notice where to get back to  and as soon as I got on board the boatswain’s mate of the Rhadamanthus  who was wrecked with me in the Torch steamer August 15th 1848  treated me like a brother.

I was 21 years and eight days in the Royal Marines. I only wish I were young enough to serve my country again - I would gladly do it,”

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