Posted by John Lambert on January 05, 2010 at 19:16:53 user John.
In Reply to: Re: Ages in GN posted by Ross Cossar on January 05, 2010 at 12:29:58:
Sorry, Ross, I don't agree. I can't think of any mother (or father) who would allow their children to embark on a sea voyage rather than attending school. I doubt very much that Mrs. Walker et al would have agreed to the trip, and certainly not 80 years ago. Commander (or Captain) Walker would most firmly have put his foot down. He, perhaps more than the other parents, would have realized the importance of formal education, including Latin for Roger and French verbs for Titty. You wouldn't get far in the Royal Navy without proper education, and Walker, R.N. knew this. Maybe Latin and French weren't essential to a naval career, but Maths, Physics, Geography, Navigation, etc. were, and still are. Titty may have become a WREN during the war, so proper education would have been necessary for her, too.