I was in London on Wednesday and, whilst I was there, I spent a few hours at the National Archives. My main purpose was to see if I could satisfy the family lore which suggests that Harvey’s grandad, Cyril Ellen, had set up a dark room on a ship.
Cyril joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a Chief Petty Officer in April 1915 attached to the photographic department and he also undertook observer duties. I know he was on HMS Riviera from July 1915 to November 1916 so I looked up some of the ship’s logs but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything helpful. I didn’t have time to order the logs for every month that he served on the ship so I picked out various individual months but nothing popped up.
The only mention of Cyril which I could find was on the 30th June 1915 at about 5pm and this wasn’t a mention by name. This was the day before his service record states he joined HMS Riviera and simply reads…
“One C.P.O. (Air Service) rating joined ship”.
Ship’s Log for HMS Riviera – 30th June 1915 (click to enlarge)
Riviera was a seaplane tender which had been converted in 1914 from a cross-channel packet ship. She underwent a second conversion in early 1915 and saw service with the Dover Patrol whilst Cyril was on the ship. I’m aware there was a dark room onboard by 1918 but the exact date it was put there remains elusive. I also know Cyril got into a couple of scrapes in May and June 1916 but the log didn’t reveal anything about these incidents.
After he left HMS Riviera, Cyril gained a Commission and was drafted to Stavros in Greece (which, by the time he arrived, was an airfield adjacent to the sea) where he was engaged in photographic flights at low altitudes for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross gallantry medal.
So the question as to whether Cyril set up a dark room on a ship is still outstanding. I wonder if we’ll ever find documentary evidence in support of this family tale.
