Charles
William Dyer –
ships carpenter
Our
interest in Charles William Dyer, who died on the Captain,
is as the grandfather of Elinor Brent-Dyer, the well-known author of
girls' school stories and creator of the celebrated Chalet School
series.
Charles
William Dyer was born in Chatham on 15 May 1828. He came from a family
many of whom were employed in the naval dockyards and appear to have
moved from Chatham to Portsea, near Portsmouth.
Charles Dyer's naval service began in 1845 on the shore based HMS
Victory, and over the following twenty five years served generally
as carpenter’s mate, later promoted to carpenter, on many Royal Navy
ships
Despite generally receiving
good reports, he was court-martialled and dismissed his ship for
drunkenness in 1863 (whilst serving under an unusually strict
disciplinarian captain). However, by 1867 he had resumed his naval
career under Captain Burgoyne on HMS
Wivern, and Burgoyne was not the only one to write “Given me great
satisfaction”. It is quite likely that he was, three years later,
Captain Burgoyne’s specific choice to serve on the ill-fated HMS
Captain, which Dyer joined in April 1870 to superintend the fittings
of the Captain. He did not survive the disaster five months later.
Whilst serving on HMS Hydra off
the southern African coast, Dyer had married a widow, Christiana Johnson
(1824-1892). They returned to Portsmouth, where Dyer served on the
gunnery school HMS Excellent, and their son, Charles Morris Brent Dyer RN, was born
at Portsea in 1856. In 1872, Charles (the son) started training as an
engineer in the Royal Navy, and served as an engineer on various ships
for ten years, before retiring on grounds of ill health; he was the
father of Elinor Brent-Dyer, the author, and more information about her
and her Chalet School books can be found on www.newchaletclub.co.uk.
(Evelyn
and Christopher Wilcock –
Brent-Dyer researchers)
HMS Captain
1870