Deptford Feb.16 1854

The whole of the pensioners of the Woolwich, Deptford and Greenwich districts, not serving afloat, assembled at Deptford Dockyard this morning, and Rear-Admiral M.T.F.Berkeley, C.B., with Captain Henderson, C.B., Controller of the Coast Guard, Colonel Tulloch, staff officer, commanding the out-pensioners of the London district, Major Forbes, staff officer of the pensioners of the Woolwich division, arrived about 10 o'clock and made a minute inspection of the pensioners in the Deptford division, and afterwards of the Woolwich division. The men found unfit received a card to that effect, and were to be allowed to return to their work in the dockyard, or in any place where they were employed. The men found capable of service are to hold themselves in readiness to serve in the room of the men of the coastguard who have been draughted for active service at sea. (3)

The Crimean War and the Coastguards. 1854

The Crimean War and the Coastguards. 1854During the war, 3,000 men of the Coastguard were drafted to the Fleet. The Revenue Cruisers were sent to intercept the enemy’s shipping in the Channel and in this they were remarkably successful. Parliament was told in 1856 that the cruisers had captured eleven vessels and that eight had been condemned. Their success was due to information supplied by consular officials in neutral countries. The British Consul in Oporto reported that ’during the last six months four vessels arrived under the Russian flag and left under the Hanovarian flag. Without a change of master or crew’ A Revenue boat from Folkestone, under Lt. George Durbin detained the 400 ton Russian barque ‘Kamschatka’, from Cadiz for Elsinore having a crew of 15 men, with a cargo of salt. In April 1854 the Spithead Revenue cruiser ‘Argus’ boarded and detained the Russian barque ‘Froija’ bound for the Baltic with a cargo of salt.Four days later the same cruiser under Commander Grandy detained the ‘Livonia’ also laden with salt. Two days later the Revenue Cruiser ‘Petrel’ under John Hughes, off St. Catherine’s Point, boarded and detained the barque ‘Fama’ of Wasa from Sardinia with a cargo of salt. The Revenue Cruiser ‘Lion’ captured the Russian brigantine ‘Johannes’, from Cadiz bound for Elsinore with a cargo of salt. This brought the total captures in one week to four and deprived the Russians if not of contraband stores of war, of a large quantity of salt. Before the war ended the enemy had lost another seven vessels to the Revenue cruiser patrols, again mainly loaded with salt. (5)