coppersmith, plumber and painter By Lawrence Trott Half a century ago the British ship MV Georgic took 49 young Bermudian men on a voyage that would change their lives.

Now, 50 years to the date -- September 9 -- that the Dockyard Apprentices sailed to Portsmouth, England, they will honour the occasion with a gala anniversary banquet at the Clocktower.

Twelve have died, including three in the last nine months, but for those surviving members who will be attending the function it promises to be a night of fond memories as the men reminisce.

Most of the 37 still surviving will be there for the reunion, including those from places like England, Australia and the United States which they now call home. Twenty six returned to Bermuda at the completion of the apprenticeship while three others remained in England.

"Of the three in the England, two stated they would be attempting to return while I did not get a reply from the other one,'' said Guilden Gilbert, a shipwright by trade and one of the organisers of the black-tie function where he will be master of ceremonies.

They were all teenagers when they boarded the ship on Friday, September 9, 1950, ranging in age from 15 to 18. Mr. Gilbert, 16 himself, was the youngest ever apprentice at the Dockyard three years earlier at the tender age of 13.

Many of the apprentices were travelling abroad for the first time and the experience was frightening as most suffered seasickness.

"There was a hurricane just off Bermuda at that time and it was quite rough,'' Mr. Gilbert recalls of the journey.

"Once we cleared Bermuda many of us were quite seasick. We landed in Cork in the south of Ireland and from Cork went to Liverpool but because it was so rough the ship had to motor up the coast of Wales.

"Then the pilot boat came up to take us to Liverpool itself and from there were met by officials from the Dockyard and transported to London by train and then on another train to Portsmouth, approximately 70 miles from London.'' Lodgings were arranged for the young men and of the 56 shillings and nine pence they received in their first year 2 (40 shillings) went towards their lodgings which left only about 14 shillings to live on after national insurance was also taken out.

In addition to their practical training the young men went to school one full day and two evenings a week.

"I can assure you it was tough,'' says Mr. Gilbert who remained in England for three years after his training ended and married an English woman. He and Sylvia have now been married 431 years.

"I enjoyed living in England, in fact I had the best time of my life there,'' the former shipwright explained.

"I played amateur football for some seven seasons and used to run track and field, 100 and 220 yards, belonged to many youth clubs and the people were first class. Other than the ex-Dockyard apprentices that I grew up with, most of my good friends are in England.'' The pay increased to 59 shillings and six pence in the second year, 67 shillings in the third year, 71 shillings and thruppence in the fourth year and 77 shillings and thruppence.

"Through being paid that kind of money it allowed up to know what money was worth,'' said Mr. Gilbert, now retired and residing in St. David's.'' Learning a trade "My mother, Mrs. Hattie Gilbert, formed a committee in Somerset immediately after we left and arranged fashions shows and dances, anything to help make a few shillings to be sent to the apprentices to assist them.

"Just recently while looking through some of her belongings (she is now deceased) I found numerous letters written by some of the apprentices to her thanking them for assisting them. We were in dire straights, I can assure you of that.'' Some of the apprentices stayed in England for 18 months, two years or five years, while a few others made their homes there. The trades they learned included electrical fitter, engine fitter and shipwright, considered the top three trades, shipfitter, joiner, carpenter, pattern maker, blacksmith, coppersmith, plumber and painter.

"Wherever the British went during the 1600s and 1700s, wherever it was possible they built Naval yards where they were able to keep their circuit ships, from sailing ships to the war ships of today,'' said Mr. Gilbert.

"Throughout the Caribbean, the Bermuda Dockyard and through Asia they had Naval yards. With the Naval yards they had to have mechanics and the British realised the mechanics would eventually become old men, so they decided they would have apprentices to follow up and this kept the Naval yards in operation.

"At the Portsmouth Dockyard at one time there were in excess of 1000 apprentices being trained every year.'' Mr. Gilbert says it's a misconception that if a person is not academically inclined they can "just go into a trade''.

"They don't realise that a good tradesman has to have a good academic background,'' he stressed.

"This is why tradesmen of yesterday were very good. We were the first and largest group of young men ever to be sent from Bermuda to learn a trade.

"You did not get into Dockyard unless you reached certain academic standards.

First of all before you entered the Dockyard you had to sit an exam, and depending on what position you came you were able to choose your trade.'' Mr. Gilbert's father, Willis, was a shipwright before him who went to Dockyard as an apprentice in 1916.

The men on that 1950 trip was the only group from Bermuda to travel to Portsmouth on the apprentice scheme, though there were hundreds before them learning their trades at Dockyard.

The Dockyard closed the following year in 1951.

"The Dockyard affected the whole of Bermuda, it was the largest employer at that time,'' stated Allan Lister, another shipwright apprentice in the '50s.

Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Lister and Shirley Harney took on the task of planning for the reunion, but Mr. Harney died two months ago.

"Shirley was so involved with this function that it's a shame he didn't live to see it,'' said Mr. Gilbert of the loss of another close friend.

"He was going to have all the former apprentices at his house for cocktails the Friday night before the reunion.'' It is with that in mind that the apprentices, all now in their mid to late 60s, appreciate how precious time is.

"This is one of the reasons why we're trying to make the 50th anniversary something of a success,'' said Mr. Gilbert, who turns 67 in October.

"After that all of us will be in our 70s. Since the last function 10 years ago at least six have died, including three in the last nine months.'' It is fitting that the 50th anniversary should come in the new millennium.

"When we left here I had never even heard of the millennium,'' Mr. Gilbert admits.

"Like the computer it was not a part of our vocabulary, that's how advanced we have become.'' The ticket for the banquet is beautifully designed with a photo of the MV Georgic as the background. Tickets (available by calling Jack Fraser at 234-1624 or Hilton Wingood at 234-0839) are selling for $65 per person and it is anticipated there will be some 200 people in attendance at the upstairs hall at the Clocktower. Entertainment will be provided by the Max Maybury Orchestra.

Guilden Gilbert: Master of Ceremonies