Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• The spark

• The order

• Miscommunication

• Aftermath

The miscommunication

The following day there were no further incidents and the issue appeared closed. This meant the Liberty Men went 'ashore' in the normal manner. In the canteen that evening, however, discussion about the incident continued among the Stokers.

An unfortunate chain of events ensued after the Duty Petty Officer announced that the canteen was closing. The Stokers knocked over tables and chairs which resulted in the calling of the Guard to detain those involved. The message was misunderstood and instead resulted in the Commander ordering the 'Assembly'. This order obliged the whole barracks to muster and the men had to leave their beds in order to do this.

The subsequent address by the Commander only served to confuse and annoy the men. The men responded in an irritated and excitable way which resembled a mutiny and the Guards shut the main gates. This in turn excluded the men returning from 'shore leave' from entering the barracks, and aided by some civilians, they added their voices to the confusion. Meanwhile, the Stokers caused damage to the windows and furniture of the men's quarters. The authorities restored order only when armed groups from ships in the harbour and the Royal Marine Artillery from Eastney arrived. By 2am Monday night, the Guards had arrested nearly 200 Stokers and the commotion was finally over.

Contemporary postcard about the 'On the Knee' Mutiny (RNM)

To find out what happened after the mutiny, select Next