WHEN Glasgow’s Tall Ship Glenlee set sail from Australia in 1918, with a cargo of wheat bound for South Africa, young apprentice Ernest M Andersen was on board.
Back then, the ship was known as the Islamount, and Ernest – known as Andy - updated the logbook nearly every day of the 81-day voyage, recording the dramas and mysteries on board, the weather and the position of the ship.
On August 20, 1918, as the ship left Sydney, he wrote: “At nine o'clock the coast lights were faintly visible astern and it was Good-Bye to sunny Australia.
“The wind freshened and changed to a fair one so we headed to the Eastwards. The Steward borrowed a cat and forgot to return it to the tug so we now have 1 dog, 1 cat, 5 fowls, and 2 Cockatoos with other animals I will not mention. I went below at midnight for four hours repose feeling somewhat tired having had no sleep for seventeen hours."
Now berthed at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow Harbour, The Tall Ship Glenlee is celebrating Scotland’s Year of Stories by sharing Andy’s logbook tales.
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The Apprentice’s Tale exhibition tells the story of the Liverpool lad who joined the crew as an apprentice aged 16 in 1916.
The display brings the logbook to life, detailing aspects of daily life which would otherwise have been lost with the passage of time, such as the friendships, rivalries and living conditions on board. Personal belongings of Andy’s, such as his sextant (a navigation device) and tobacco tin, are also on display.
Andy was one of around six apprentices on board at the time, some of whom were as young as 14 and whose families would pay the captain to take their son on. They were expected to do the same work as the rest of the crew but slept in a separate area of the ship. They would eventually receive training in navigation and managing a ship that would prepare them for the next stage in their careers.
Andy left school at age 14 and joined the sea cadets, before signing on as an apprentice to the Islamount in 1916. Over the next two years he sailed around the world during the Great War. After the Islamount was sold in 1918, Andy was released from his apprentice contract and sat his Second Mate’s Examination before sailing between New York and South America. He got married in London in 1922 and settled down to a life back in Britain.
Andy’s logbook was lent to The Tall Ship Glenlee by his granddaughter Stephanie Champion.
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She said: “Having shared our archive of Andy’s time on the Islamount with The Tall Ship, we are excited to support them in creating this unique educational experience. The different parts of the Apprentice Tale project will really allow Andy’s words and world to come to life. As a family we are honoured to have our grandad remembered in this way and to share his voyage with today’s visitors.”
From November 15 to 18, the Tall Ship Glenlee will host a number of performances for schools by storyteller Ailsa Dixon, who will bring Andy’s logbook to life. On Saturday, November 19, there will be a day of free public performances which can be booked on the Tall Ship website.
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