The first by Mr Kingston of 4 volumes of the same group this starts with the arrival of three new boys at a boarding school for young gentlemen. One boy is English, one is Scottish, and the third is Irish.....................It could be the set-up for 19th & 20th century comedians

Under the influence of various bullies and other schoolboy adversities the three lads learn to stick together, and to look after each other. They join the Navy, and get various postings by which from time to time they meet, usually under the most difficult circumstances. Of course they each survive bravely, though any of the boats’ crews that they have the honour to command are mowed down by the enemy. In other words, some of it is pretty tall stuff, but it was very good fare for the nineteenth century and early twentieth century English schoolboy