CHAPTER # NO 02
(The Birkenhead Drill)
(ALL QUESTIONS / ANSWERS SINDH BOARD)
Q1: What is the Birkenhead ?
Ans; It was an unfortunate troopship of Royal British Navy, which comes across an accident by colliding against a yet undiscovered rock under the surface of the sea. 1851, the troopship was carrying soldiers and their families. It was sailing from England to South Africa. There were six hundred and thirty people on the ship, out of which one. hundred seventy were women and children. The soldiers on board the Birkenhead were young and experienced, most of whom had joined the army very recently. The officers were very few, they too were young and inexperienced.
Q2:What the text Birkenhead Drill is all about?
ANS; Birkenhead is a story of discipline, obedience, heroism and sacrifice. It's a story of the exemplary heroism displayed by the young and inexperienced British soldiers, who face a tragic incident, unique in its own. Through the discipline and obedience the soldiers set an example and precedent, to give an opportunity to the old and weak, women and children, a chance for life for the ships whenever in danger.
Q3: Who were on board the Birkenhead?
Ans: Some six hundred and thirty soldiers and their families were on board the unfortunate British naval ship: Birkenhead. The soldiers on board the Birkenhead were mostly young and inexperienced. The officers were very few, they too were inexperienced, and most of whom had joined the army very recently.
Q4: Where was the ship sailing to?
Ans: In February, 1851, the ship Birkenhead, a royal British Navy troopship having some Six hundred thirty young and inexperienced soldiers including their families on board, was scheduled from England to Cape Town, the capital city of South Africa.
Q5: Why the ship could not reach its destination?
ANS; At the distance of sixty four kilometers from the Cape Town in South Africa, Birkenhead a royal British troopship, carrying young and inexperienced soldiers and their families from England to South Africa struck the hidden rock unknown and undiscovered in any mass of the sea and split into two and sank along with the dreams of reaching its destination to Cape town, the capital city of South Africa.
Q6:Where did the Birkenhead strike the rock?
Ans: Some sixty four kilometers away from Cape Town, the capital city of South Africa, the destination of the ship, almost at the end of the uneventful voyage, at 2'0 clock in the morning Birkenhead, the troop ship struck against the rock, undiscovered and known in the maps of the sea. Since the rock was not shown in maps of the sea, the crew of the ship cannot be blamed for the incident.
Q7: What happened to the ship as a result of collision with the hidden saa rock?
ANS; As a result of collision with the hidden rock the ship split into two parts, the front part ofthe unfortunate ship soon sank into the waters and the rear part of the ship remainedfloating on the surface of the sea. The sleeping passengers were awakened because of the shock. Fow knew what had happened, but almost everyone knew that something i had happened. Crawling out of the wreckage, fortunately all the passengers managed to reach and gather on the deck. Nobody knew of the future, however, for the time being at least they were safe from the watery grave.
Q8: How many life boats were there on the ship? What was the holding capacity of each life boat?
ANS; Though there were many life boats on the ship but all were damaged or destroyed However, three life boats were in a useful condition. Each life boat could carry 60 passengers. Which means 180 passengers out of 6300including 170 women and children) could be saved.
Q9: What were the expressions and the feelings of the soldiers on the ship at the time of shipwreck?
Ans: The soldiers and the crew of the ship even did not show slightest sign of fear, they showed great heroism, courage and sense of duty, and they displayed and maintained the perfect discipline and the spirit of self sacrifice on the ship. There was no murmur or any complain to be heard. However, some confusion was found to be, for the life is sweet. Anybody who could not find room in the life boats will face certain death, death by drowning and even worse.
Q10: What does the Birkenhead stand for, today?
Ans: The Birkenhead means to stand still facing certain death, so that weaker ones may have a chance of life. Women and children first is the command followed today, whenever any ship is any danger, so that the weaker ones may have a chance of life.
Q11: How did the commander of the Birkenhead sacrificed his own life and saved two soldiers? OR Describe one heroic action that took place after the Birkenhead went down?
Ans:After the ship had wrecked and the saved passenger on the life boats sailed away, the commander of the troops was hanging on some piece of wreckage when he saw two young soldiers struggling for life in the waters. He pushed the wreckage towards them and all the three took the support of the wreckage. The commander realized that the wreckage was not strong enough to support all the three, he let his hand and gave the opportunity of life to the young soldiers.
Q12: How many passengers were there on the ship and out of themhow many were saved ?
ANS; There were six hundred and thirty passengers, the passengers and their families, the women and children on board the ship. Out of 630, one hundred and ninety four wer saved but four hundred and thirty six went into the waters for ever.
Q13: what moral do we learn from the incident of the "Birkenhead Drill ?
Ans We learn from this tremendous sacrifice story that we should face the inevitable death by dare: In the situations when each of the people cannot be saved, the women and children, the old and sick, who are generally left to the mercy of fate, or crushed under the feet or pushed into the waters, in the wild efforts to save one's life, be given a chance of life.
Q14: How did the Birkenhead come to be wrecked? Was any member of her crew No member was to blamed.
ANS: No member of the ship was blamed because the ship struck with the hidden rock in the sea. That rock was even not indicated in any of the maps of the sea. Moreover, the crew of the ship stayed by the passengers till the last moment. They showed the same discipline and heroism and faced the similar destiny.
Q15: Was there enough room in the life boats for all the women and children on the board?
Ans:Yes, all the women and children were saved because the carrying capacity of three life boats was one hundred and eighty and total women and children were one hundred and seventy.
Q16: What would probably have happened, if there had been a panic?
Ans:If there had been a panic and disorder on the ship, not a single soul could have been saved, as it had happened in the similar cases. Three possibilities were there:
a) Either the life boats would have been overloaded and because of the weight went down because of the overload
b) Or, the passengers in their wild efforts to get room in the life boats, had pushed one another into the sea
C) Or the weaker ones, the women and children, the old and the sick had been crushed under the feet. But on the contrary, there was perfect discipline and heroism among the soldiers.
Q17: What was the behavior of the soldiers while the women and children escaped in the boats?
Ans:The soldiers stood in ranks on the deck when women and children were being placed into the life boats, the line upon line of the red coated soldiers stood in attention, as if they were in their daily drill. Despite certain death, the orders were carried out as if the soldiers were going into the life boats instead of going into waters. There was neither murmur nor complain against the looming danger.
Q18: What was the attitude of the soldiers In Birkenhead Drill?
Ans:Over all the soldiers were loyal to their duty. Despite the fact that they were young and inexperienced, not used to facing such kind of situations before, they acted bravely. beyond expectations. The soldiers exerted exemplary discipline, which could ever be produced by the best training. There was observed perfect discipline and heroism among all the heads. Had there been a panic, not a single person could have been saved.
Q19: Were the troops (on board the Birkenhead) experienced and used to facing danger?
Ans:The troops on board were mostly young and inexperienced men, most of whom had joined the army only recently. The officers were very few, they too were young and inexperienced. Though they were not used to facing such dangers but they behaved enthusiastically and showed fine discipline and set an example of bravery and self sacrifice.
Q20: What was the noble example set by the soldiers on board the Birkenhead by their behavior?
Ans: The soldiers on board the Birkenhead set a noble example of sacrifice, bravery, discipline and heroism. The determination, will-power and firmness of all soldiers in the time of severe difficulty, was far more than by any training ever could be produced.
Q21: What heroic deeds did the soldiers perform in the lesson 'Birkenhead Drill'?
Ans:The soldiers on board the Birkenhead were quite loyal to their duty. They maintained perfect discipline and set the noble examples of professional obedience. When the life boats were lowered and passengers placed into the life boats, they stood on the deck with perfect discipline, with their set faces, line upon line of the red coated soldiers standing as if in their daily drill. The orders were being carried out as boarding the life boats instead of going into the waters. There was observed no murmur or complain of any sort.
Q22: How did the people of the wrecked ship manage to reach the deck?
Ans: It was approximately 2:00 O' clock in the morning. Almost all the passengers were sleeping in their cabins. The sea was sound as if a sleep. Suddenly there was a shock, and all the passengers were awakened. Very few knew what had happened, but everyone was dead sure that something terrible had happened. As soon as the ship hit the rock, it split into two parts. The front part soon sank, however, fortunately all the passengers managed to gather on the deck, by crawling through the wrecked pieces of the ship.
Q23: Do you consider "Birkenhead Drill" to be true story of heroic behaviour ?
Ans: It is a true story of the heroic behavior, it tells us the inexperienced troops on board behaved in a heroic way and they faced certain death with perfect calmness. Their morale remained high to sacrifice their life for the safety of the weaker ones. It was a different incident of its kind. Previously nobody could have survived. However, because of the heroic spirit, obedience and discipline the life of one hundred and ninety four passengers could be saved. Moreover it set an example for the ships whenever in danger.
Q24: What lesson do you learn from Birkenhead Drill?
Ans: Birkenhead is the story of heroism, bravery, discipline and sacrifice. Through discipline and sense of sacrifice, in situations of acute danger and inevitable death, death can be faced boldly. Instead of panic, and chaos, through discipline at least a healthy number of lives can be saved, which otherwise is almost impossible. In situations like Birkenhead, when the weaker ones the children, women, old and sick, generally left to the mercy of fate, can be give an fair chance of life.
Q25: What does the 'Birkenhead Drill' mean today?
Ans:The 'Birkenhead Drill' is an order followed on the ships at the time of danger; it means the women and children first. It also means to stand still, facing certain death, so that the weaker one may have a chance to live.
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