World War I US Navy Veteran - Part 3 of 3 Video

World War I US Navy Veteran Lester Hillegass talks with his family about his time in the US Navy in World War I. This includes the tale of the Rat Tail Soup and facing court martial for skylarking in church. Not mentioned on the tape, he saw the first plane to cross the Atlantic - the NC-4. After leaving the Navy, he worked in business, and also served over 60 years as a Methodist minister in Western Pennsylvania. He was married for 67 years and passed away in 1989.

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ejdiii333: interesting about being in the brig with bread and water, and yet full rations on the third day. prior to 1910 he would have been shackled to the top deck, and feed only bread and water, but the efforts of a Lt. Frank I. Hill (former chief boatswainsmate) who ran the prison. he had been put in shackles back 1870s , and for several months endured the hardship. around 1902 he became warden of the navy prison, and fought for change in navy punishment and imprisonment. He retired in 1921.

ejdiii333: Frank hill was also a Medal of honor sailor, a few years after in 1878, and was a chief boatswain in the spanish american war of 1898, he was warden of the prison as a chief boatswain, which was unheard of, he arugued all his changes in washington with officials, and was promoted into the rank of luitenent. your grandfather sure was in the navy at an intersting time. He was on the first dreadnoughts, and at scapa flow for the surrender, that is something.

ly776: Thanks for the additional information on Navy prison conditions. It is very interesting. I always thought that the punishment for my grandfather's skylarking was pretty severe. But guess he was lucky it did not happen in earlier years.

ejdiii333: I agree with you on the punishment being pretty severe for the crime of Skylarking. I think thenavy's punshments kept many from making it a career.

Author: ly776; Uploaded: Nov 7, 2009; Duration: 7:37; Views: 98

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