The Loss of the Royal George

Ben Truscott remembers entering naval life as a small boy whose father serves as boatswain aboard the Royal George. Taken from his games at Gosport to a crowded warship in Portsmouth harbour, he learns his way among decks, guns and rigging. His father places him in the care of Jerry Dix, a one-legged fiddler and cook's mate, and their friendship gives the account a personal centre amid the noise and discipline of shipboard life.

William Henry Giles Kingston tells this historical sea story through Ben's first-person recollections. The opening follows Admiral Hawke's fleet during the Seven Years' War, while a later passage puts readers beside a close engagement with the French frigate Cléopâtre. Boys carrying ammunition, sailors managing damaged masts and officers directing an attack make naval service concrete. The book suits readers interested in young sailors, old sailing ships and the mixture of duty, danger and attachment within their crews.