The Parkstone Sea Training School shooting at Watts

When I was at Goldings there was talk about a boy who was transferred from Watts to Goldings in full uniform in the back of the stores wagon along with other boys who had been picked up from other homes.

He allegedly broke into the local ACF armoury in Hertford and stole a .22 rifle. He then allegedly shot one swan and a tramp who had been fishing in the grounds of Goldings. He was taken away by the Police and stood trial for murder, he was found guilty and detained at His Majesties pleasure.

There was also talk of a shooting at Watts in 1940. So two stories, were they just that or was there any truth in the shootings.

Then Gerald Janes who was at Watts when one of the shooting incidents took place in 1940 he wrote: The story about the farmer; who was shot in the backside is true (Guild Messenger, winter 2007). It took place in the late summer of 1940, if my memory serves me right. The shot was fired from the signals' classroom in the tower at Watts, which contained some very old rifles that we were not supposed to touch. But boys will be boys.

We first heard that something was wrong when word went around that local police had been at the school. In the end, it turned out that the senior petty officer and another boy had been cleaning in the classroom and decided to have a look at the rifles. Like most boys would, they took aim at someone working on a local farm, pulled the trigger and, very much to their surprise, the gun went off. Unaware that any damage had been done, they replaced the rifle and said nothing.

The matter was investigated and it was agreed that it was an accident, as the gun must have been loaded for some time. No one was aware of it and it was not possible for the two boys to have had access to such old ammunition. They were both given a good telling off, but as there appeared to be no serious injury. the matter was dropped. I then had a reminder of the incident, when reading the paper in the early '50s. It was reported that a farm worker had been suffering from pains in his back and it was found that he still had some lead shot in him. He related the story about a shot being fired at him from up on a hill. Yes it was Watts! My thanks to Basil George for reviving another long ago memory.

Gerald Janes Watts Naval Training School 1937-1941

The mysterious rifle

In the last issue of the Guild Messenger (summer 2008), I was intrigued by your continuing saga about the stray bullet from a rifle hitting a farmer's backside when it was shot from a tower at Watts. When 'Wiggy' the night duty officer was on leave, his duties were taken over by the Divisional Petty Officer. I was the Petty Officer for Jellicoe Division and whilst I was performing the night watch, I awoke my pal, Fred Baker and we made our way to the tower. There we discovered an old rifle. We took the rifle and hid it in our 'den' which was situated on the heath, running alongside Bintry Lane. When we left Watts in December 1947 to join the Band of the Life Guards, we wrapped the rifle in some material and buried it on the heath. The question is: was this the same rifle as mentioned by Gerald Janes that shot the farmer in the field? Has the rifle we buried ever been uncovered? Is this the final chapter? The mystery continues...

Les Downs Russell Cotes Naval School 1941-43 Watts Naval School 1943-46

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