Thanks for the message. You are really in the right naval place. Prest man is how it was written in the Victory's log
We would say he had been press-ganged into the navy. Dont know any more about John or where he came from apart from Cornwall. All the Pill family in Gorran and Mevagissey were sailors and revenue men, probably becoming revenue men after service in the navy. Hugh was one of the first of the modern Coastguard Service. I would love to know where he had been before he became a coastguard. I am away from my records down here in the warm living room. I will have to venture up to my attic and dig out what i have got. Many of your names ate familiar to me but some I dont know. Where did you get them. If Jane Rippen was Hughs mother she would have bee almost 60 when he was born. Ebven so I believe she was his mother. I have the parish records for Gorran and they make interesting but confusing reading. If you could give me your e-mail I could send information straight through to you by-passing this small message box. My e=mail is apbinns@hotmail.co.uk. You and I could be blood relatives if we are not careful. My only Pill relative down there is the widow of ? Pill she is called Joy Pill and is elderly and ill. I have never met her. She lives in Elson Gosport. in Hampshire. Her husband was the youngest of three Pill brothers who were definitely descendants from Hugh. They are now all dead. I will now go upstairs and unearth my Pill archives Alan Penrose Binns.