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EJF Records

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Off duty

Life onboard HMS Endeavour was not all work and in his entries Records details some of the social exploits of the ship's company. Drunkenness, fighting and other amusements fill the majority of Records' diaries.

Records participated in gambling games and bets. However, his best friend, a Royal Marine nicknamed 'Kong', was a lot better at it than he was as he recounts on Thursday 31 January -

'I don't know why I gamble, as at cards I'm about the unluckiest person unhung. Kong started banker at 20 cts. After a few hands it was changed to "shoot". The pool started at 20 cts but the pool started eventually at 50 cts and a dollar. Between 5 and half six I lost $14, and between 8 and 11 o'clock I lost $6. 20 all told. Quite a number of times when I had the pool it mounted up to between 4 and 8 and it was shot by the last person who could do. Now £1 will find itself home in lieu of £3 that we picked up extra [in] Hard lying money.'

Sailors and a Royal Marine gambling on deck. (RMM)

Three months later, and Records still had not learnt his lesson. On Saturday 27 April he writes -

'Lost 5 dollars to Kong on how many teams in the 2nd Div. Sometimes I wonder if I'm all there top side. Pick up my pay this month but don't own a cent of it.'

Records diaries serve as evidence of the past times of a ship's company. It seems that gambling rife aboard HMS Endeavour. On Sunday 27 January he writes -

'...Quite 75% of the ship's company has a bet with one or other of his ship mates every week on different matches. Some fellows practically make it their business to follow form so to bet with any and everybody. Kong outlays anything up to 20 dollars where he fancies his chances on one match.'

Related External Links

• HMS London