Figure 1 . Depot living quarters, hammocks slung and put away
(Toulon 5me Dépot des Équipages de la Flotte postcard set in
author’s possession)
Apprentice sailors followed a daily routine during training. Brucelle’s
next letter described the schedule and activities:
In the morning wake-up call at 5:30 am. We have half an hour to get
dressed, make hammocks, and then go down to have coffee in the refectory
at 7 am, exercise until 8:30 am. From 8:45 am to 10 am physical culture.
At 10:15 am breakfast. Between breakfast and resumption of work we have
to pack our bags, all of us, our bathing suits, and you talk if I’m the
type to do the laundry, that’s not bad for me. I hired myself out as a
washer on my way back. I’ve already used up a 14 cent bar of soap bought
at my own expense. This afternoon boating school and football, then
after I became a seamstress to sew all the canvas labels onto our
clothing. I pricked my hands a bit. So all of a sudden you have a model
son, and this evening before supper, we went swimming. I passed my
swimming instructor certificate. I serve as quartermaster at the school
for the soldiers. I am a monitor. I tell you another 6 months and I am
an admiral. But with the sun beating down on us, I have become dark
skinned. So, you see that we are not too unhappy. The most annoying
thing is that we won’t be able to go out to town for the first time for
10 days, but we don’t even have enough time for that to bother us. In
any case, we are 6 Parisians, we are the highest rated in the squad. You
wouldn’t recognize me anymore.11Letter, 23 May 1913.
Some apprentice sailors without means took on washing and domestic
duties from others to earn extra money. New friendships formed.
Brucelle, intelligent and motivated, was still very much an enthusiastic
recruit and enjoying the experience: “I’m still happy with my new life.
I went to Cannes in a motorboat to take some luggage to the Captain and
I assure you everything was pleasant.”22Letter, 29 May 1913.
Special duty interrupted the normal routine’s monotony.
The visit of Raymond Poincaré, France’s president elected the previous
January, to the area prompted much ceremony and celebration for theMarine nationale . Apprentice sailors received fresh fish as an
extra supplement at parties in the president’s honour, though Brucelle
fell sick to the stomach and spent a full week in the infirmary: “I
resumed my service this morning, but decidedly the fish does not suit
me. We have them here once a week. Glad I never eat it.”33Letter,
18 June 1913. Brucelle went on to describe his participation in the
festivities:
For me here, these days have been fun. In the morning we went to form
Poincaré’s escort to take him from the station to where he embarked on a
speed launch which took him to the cruiser Jules Micheletanchored in the roadstead. Saturday afternoon we had rest and midnight
leave, and as the whole town was celebrating, we took advantage of it.
Woke up on Sunday at 3 am for the grand parade of all the garrison
troops. It was a splendid sight. In the evening for the return of the
President to Toulon, the whole squadron was illuminated - viewed from my
window, it was magical. I have never seen anything so pretty, and at 11
pm, we returned to the platform to take Poincaré back to the train which
returned him to Paris. You see that our 2 days were well spent and if I
had not been ill, everything would have been perfect.
Sailors were both participants and backdrops for these ceremonial events
that involved public and naval figures. Brucelle surprisingly wrote
little about his day-to-day training at the depot, which according to a
1913 edition of the standard recruit manual included dress and
deportment, discipline, drill with and without rifles, basic seamanship
skills including rope knots, hygiene and physical conditioning, first
aid, compass fundamentals, and signalling.44Marine
nationale, Manuel des recrues des équipages de la flotte ,
1st edn. (Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1913), 4
parts. Sailors went on long group marches and walks in the
countryside covering many kilometers. Brucelle commented: “This morning
we paraded to the sound of music to prepare for 14 July. We are already
there since it will be the same as for Poincaré. All that makes me
laugh, I thought I was following the torchlight procession of Nogent
with my company, with the music and Little Father Matz in front. I’m
telling you there’s no such thing in the fleet. That’s the good
view…Can you send me my certificate of studies because it must be
presented to the Captain for the torpedo specialty. Send it to me within
the week if possible.”55Letter, 25 June 1913. Tiring of
barracks life in the depot, Brucelle was already planning for the next
tranche of more advanced training and selected one of the most technical
specialities to pursue. Brucelle scribbled on 9 July 1913: “I resumed
my service this morning and to start we had an inspection from the
Admiral, then we left for town all the companies together to do a mock
parade and review for 14 July”.66Letter, 9 July 1913.