Really excited! Guess where I am going tomorrow?

I'm meeting my friend Simon at Portsmouth Harbour train station - where do you think I am going?
Hope you have a great holiday!

Your Challenge!

In groups you will be expected to use film making software (we have it on all the computers at school) to produce a Tour Guide/information programme for Sea the History: the solent and shipbuilding
You should feature:

• historic dockyard at Portsmouth
• museums
• HMS Victory
• Nelson and Battle of Trafalgar
• Bucklers Hard
• shipbuilding
• Fort Nelson

and any other ideas!

Sale raised....

£179 but then the builder said he'd make a donation so we actually raised £200!!
Will add photos later!
Well done you did very well!!

More Great Pics of our trip!

What were the best bits?

21st May 2009 trip to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

My favourite pics:

Captions - you could do a comic life piece again!

What a fab day- loved it!!!

Sam Robbin's Diary

How is this an effective diary entry?

Can you post your own entry for Sam's diary?

Diary of Sam Robbins, Ship’s boy on HMS Victory

20^th October 1805

“All hands ahoy!” The call of the Boatswain’s mate woke me up with a start. I tumbled out of my hammock, fearful that if I wasn’t awake immediately, the hammock would be cut down when I was still inside. Barely awake, the boys around me began to lash up their hammocks, ready to be stored. Below deck, it was dark, cold and pungent. Shadows danced on the walls, the only light provided by the lamps hung from the ceiling.

I clambered up the stairs to the upper deck, looking forward to the fresh air and sea breeze. It was a beautiful morning, the sun beginning to rise above the horizon, the sky shades of orange, pink and red. Because a hammock could be used as a lifejacket, it had to be passed through a measuring hoop and stowed I the netting. When I had finished, I was sent below deck to prepare the mess table for breakfast. Today, breakfast was ship’s biscuit, rock hard and full of maggots.

This morning, I was sent to scrub the decks and wash the beams. I had to roll up my trousers, kneel down and scrub the decks with large blocks of sandstone. Then, I had to wash the overhead beams with vinegar to disinfect them. The vinegar felt like fire on my raw and blistered hands. When I’d finished, I found a quiet corner near the manger where some other boys were working. My hands burned as I tried to sew up the many holes in my clothes.

At 11:00am, today’s punishment took place on the quarter deck. 10 men had been found drunk, and would be flogged. One of the seamen being punished was Henry; he was one of the older seamen on board, and he took me under his wing when I started on HMS Victory. Most of the sailors treated us ‘Powder monkeys’ as slaves. Henry was stripped to the waist, and whipped by the captain with the ‘cat-of-nine-tails’. His skin tore apart and blood trickled down his lacerated back. Why did Henry have to be punished? Lots of other sailors deserved this more than him. I winced as the whip cracked for the final time. He screamed in pain as he was led below deck to see the ship’s surgeon who would rub salt into his wounds.

When the punishment was finished, it was time for dinner. Dinner was the only hot meal of the day; today it was salted pork and rice. We also received half of our daily ration of beer. Dinner was the highlight of the day, and I savoured every mouthful. As a ship’s boy, I received half of the seaman’s ration, and was paid for the other half. I saved up my money, to try and buy some new clothes. In the afternoon, we had gun drill. I had to run down to the stores, and carry powder cartridges to the guns. The cartridges were heavy and cumbersome, and carrying them during battle was had work.

After supper, ‘Down hammocks’ was called and we had fifteen minutes to get our hammocks from the netting and hang the up. With 800 men trying to do this, my size was an advantage in struggling through the chaos. I couldn’t get to sleep, knowing that any day we could go into battle. I was excited, I had the chance to serve my country and beat the French. But I’m also very nervous, knowing that this could be the last time I write in my diary.

Horatio Nelson

What do you want to find out about Nelson?