I had thought that our group were the only sailors, if we dared call ourselves that, in this annexe, but I was soon to discover there was a continuous rotation of faces, each at various stages of initiation, a small factory taking in baby civilians at one end and throwing out almost sailors into the real HMS Ganges at the other. Helpful Report abuse Kindle Customer Sorting The Wheat From The Chaff Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014 Review of a book of anecdotes about legendary UK boys' naval establishment HMS Ganges, which at any one time housed as many as 2,000 trainee sailors in their middle teens. The mast was erected in 1907 for boy entrant training purposes using the lower foremast (steel) from HMS Cordelia (1881) with other sections from the mizzen mast of HMS Agincourt (1865). Boys were permitted to march through the streets of Ipswich with bayonets fixed. Within ten minutes, a second pair of gates appeared, the gates of the real HMS Ganges. "A lot of the boys came from foster homes, or Barnardos. It. Were you a 'button boy'? Learn how your comment data is processed. CEM1 Served from 1972 - 1978 Served in HMS Ganges. I took a bowl and ate the lot. Life on the ship was extremely hard, with a memorial in Mylor, Cornwall, recording the names of 53 people who died while training on it between 1866 and 1899. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. My instructors were Nobby Clarke and Ted Roe. HMS Ganges Museum is dedicated to the 160,000 boys who went through the gates as boys and marched out as men, from its inception as a Royal Navy Training Establishment in 1905 to its closure in 1976. HMS Ganges being broken up after training was transferred to the land base at Shotley (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Maurice was nothing to do with HMS Ganges, in fact he had been a crew member of HMS Hambledon. 5.0 out of 5 stars A real trip down memory lane. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. NO FLOWERS FOR GEORDIE, HE'S NOT HERE TODAYTHE SEA HAS CLAIMED MY GEORDIE BOYPLEASE NO FLOWERS TODAYFIFTEEN YEARS OF LEARNING, HE'LL NOT GO DOWN THE MINESO WE TOOK HIM NEAR TO IPSWICH TOWNFAR FROM THE SEAMS OF THE TYNEIN A PLACE THEY STILL CALL 'GANGES' WITH TWO THOUSAND OTHER BOYSHE LEARNED TO SPLICE AND SAIL A BOATTALL ORDERS WERE HIS TOYSTHE 'BULLY BOYS' CAME NIGHTLY, DID THINGS A BOY COUNDN'T TELLBUT THEY MADE HIM WRITE IN HIS LETTERS HOME MAMMA YOU'R BOY'S DOIN WELLTHEN NEWS CAME OF SOME FIGHTING IN A FAR OFF DISTANT LANDWE NEED THOSE BOYS THUS SPAKE FOUR RINGSIN OUR BIG SHIPS THEY CAN RIDEIT'S WRITTEN ON HIS PAPERS, TWAS NOT THE DEED OF A MAN BUT A WAVE THAT TOOK MY GEORDIE BOYFIVE MILES OFF PLYMOUTH SOUNDSO NO FLOWERS FOR GEORDIE HE'S NOT HERE TODAY THE SEA HAS CLAIMED MY GEORDIE BOYPLEASE NO FLOWERS TODAY. After eating I dashed down to the boat sheds to report for my test. Indeed, I have never met a shipmate would ever claim otherwise. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Ganges. The overall height is 143 feet 10 inches, with the button being 11 inches diameter and 3 inches thick. In the first week of January it was snowed even harder and it snowed until March. 1903. His early life was hard by any standards. Finally he withdrew his hand and declared I passed the test. He was fondling my right cheek as I tried to concentrate on pipping. Down the road we proudly thundered, the first time any of us had seen the outside words since the day of our arrival. (LogOut/ The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. 1959 and what a bugger Ganges turned out to be. After sewing on a tag and sporting a proud smile as I offered it up for inspection to that gorilla-of-gunner, I was sent scurrying away, ears ringing from slaps and vehement words, asking myself, 'How the hell did I mange to sew the tag on upside-down?'. Like lots of other boys I ran away from home when I was 14 yrs old and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman 2nd class. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. The greatest fear was of messing up, this meant the whole class was punished. Justin I saw the mast fully manned three times and it was a wonderful sight to see as it was so well choreographed and I was always amazed how the button boy could even get onto the button, when there was a breeze the mast moved a few good feet at the top of it and as I said all he had to hold onto was a knee high lighting conductor. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. Probably running away was the worse decision, they were always caught and returned to the camp. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. I joined Ganges 30th June 1955 also as a boy telegraphist. Maybe we were unlucky with Instructors as one was Court Marshalled, discharged and sent to prison for so called abuse. While I probably believed the stories, I was still determined to quality for my chain. Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 13 March 1653 - Death of Simon de Vlieger (c. 1601, Rotterdam - buried 13 March 1653, Weesp) Simon de Vlieger (c. 1601, Rotterdam - buried 13 March 1653, Weesp) was a Dutch designer, draughtsman, and painter, most famous for. Thus was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime. During the third disastrous week, it spent so much time on the deck I thought I might as well leave it there! I was sent to the training Ship HMS Ganges a cruel harsh 12 months lay ahead of me and thousands of other boys. The noise was excruciating. Boys normally signed up to a contract of 12 years, which would leave most of them aged in their late 20s after their tours. JavaScript is disabled. The facility remained there until its closure in June 1976, Read about our approach to external linking. Charles Dickens might have penned it the best of times and the worst of times. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. Now i know why! Artist's impression showing the view across a residential street at the redeveloped HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. You are using an out of date browser. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to LEADING SEAMAN Served from 1961 - 1970 Served in HMS Ganges. Mr Jones said: "There is a lot of truth to the statement that you entered as a boy, but left as a man. [1] HMS Ganges. Richard Dunn. I just got on with it. Speaking about the current state of the site, Mr Jones said: "All of the messes have been demolished, as have the laundry and the generators. Martin Foster was treasurer for veterans who served at HMS Ganges training base in Sufffolk. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Dec 30, 2016. At 14 he ran away to join the Royal Navy and signed on for 12 years. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please 1976. "I remember another of the Ganges boys, they were talking to a visitor at the museum, and she said 'it was quite brutal, wasn't it? July 27, Awarded the Freedom of Ipswich. joined in '63 Dreadnought in the Annexe and Duncan in main camp, Went swimming at Vincent before colling-grad got its pool, and sailing if my memory is not totally shot, I sometimes considered climbing to the top of the mast a tossing myself off. The showers usually took place at the crack of dawn, summer or winter we ran from the barrack towel around our waist to the showers. Captain Tremlett, the Senior Officer of training ships, was ordered to investigate the situation and reported that Commander Stevens 'had given punishments . inaccuracy or intrusion, then please He was an Electricians Mate Class 1 and served in, 12/03/35-09/01/36 HMS Ganges. HMS Ganges is a little bit different though, because they have to get the spine road in first and do some prep work. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is due to take place at Portsmouth Crown Court on 23 January. We were ordered to turn around and bend over, if the instructor was satisfied we were clean, we were allowed out. http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/hms-ganges-swimming-pool-shotley-may-2015.t96792, Anniversary Toast - HMS RALEIGH 25th Oct 2009, Telegraph: "Captain Peter Grindal Obituary", Future Ford vehicles could repossess themselves, 10 myths told by Covid 'experts' now debunked. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can This was followed by a leap from the diving board, as high as any tree I'd ever climbed, wearing the waterlogged boiler suit and a lifejacket. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). It may not display this or other websites correctly. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Read about our approach to external linking. I joined up in 1968,three years after my brother, he hated it I was one off the sad ones that loved it, even the kit musters on the mast! Coronation Day of George VI. I wrote this song a long time ago. This page is dedicated to the memory of Tony whose commitment to the Royal Navy and especially HMS Ganges was unlimited. Looking pretty in candy-striped pyjama bottoms and naked chests, we were ordered across the parade ground, through the snow and ice, to the 'heads', that grown-up potty land, which had neither doors nor partitions around the bowls for privacy, to partake in our morning ablutions, a most embarrassing experience. It was at Shotley Point that the wooden ship HMS Ganges was berthed from 1899, and used as a cadet training ship for the Royal Navy. It had to be a joke! Im quite sure few if any boys receiving cuts ever thought to run away again. what an incredible article, thanks for that dave, how far did you get up that mast? Download Citation | On Feb 1, 2023, Olivier Champagne and others published Future change in amplitude and timing of high-flow events in a Canadian subarctic watershed | Find, read and cite all the . It would seem those boy-sailors who were seconds ago shoving sausages into smiling faces, had all disappeared into that terrifying building, and by the cries belching from its belly were being eaten alive. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. 2023 BBC. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. Engineer commander had been on Amethyst up the Yangtse and was quite sympathetic when he was OOD. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Posted on February 5, 2019 by irishroverpei. 10/01/36- 08/02/36 HMS Pembroke. Welcome to our next documentary, investigating the decaying remains and iconic abandoned swimming pool of HMS Ganges Royal Naval training school, as well as . The one chippy bugger who thought it good fun to make you spar with him in the wash room (Annexe) I met up with in the Far Flung and gave him more than he gave me. Drake 39 mess At least the cubicles in the heads had doors on this time. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to This site uses cookies. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN, Artist's impression showing the view across a residential street at the redeveloped HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can CLICK ABOVE TO OPEN GALLERY. At about 60 feet was the Devil's Elbow, the most dangerous and frightening part. He had the misfortune to be placed under the care of two particularly brutal and drunken instructors whose continual bullying and abuse proved too much for this emerging free spirit . Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. Mr Jones also offered reassurance around the historic mast, despite fears about its dilapidated state. Ken Smith, who now lives in Brighton, sent me memories of arriving at HMS Ganges in the severe winter of 1963 and his fear of the dreaded mast. Every letter, every strip of tape had to be in a perfect line. ", The sailors in training doing exercises outside the gym (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). It was hoped that Developers Haylink Ltd would start work early this year, but their plans were scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic. But this was Ganges, we never got away with anything. There was also a degree of sexual abuse going on at Ganges, but we boys were too scared to ever complain or report such incidents. I was out of there in an instant, but never said a word to anyone, I was just happy it was over and I had qualified. The HMS Ganges Museum previously said restorers would remove the wooden part of the mast for refurbishment off site and they would then check the condition of the steel lower mast. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. [1] The water was freezing cold, we never had hot water. He was the officer that tested us when we endeavoured to qualify with a bosuns pipe. H.M.S. 11.00 to 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of October. contact the editor here. Network 157.90../16 Abuse Contact API. An appeal by Woolverstone Parish Council was turned down two years later. Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. It was a facade hiding unknown treasures unknown tricks for us to perform, the first of which was to mark our kit with our names. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). GANGES; the ship had previously anchored out in the harbour below, at Shotley Gate, on the east coast opposite Harwich. Nevertheless, as bad and as cruel as I have describe Ganges, I remain proud to call myself a Ganges Boy. Observer career path/ real life experience. contact the editor here. David Colwill. 1905. A Gannett Company. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. 1927. She was the last wooden wall ship to be a flagship, and the last to sail around cape horn unassisted. #42. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. Unfortunately HMS Ganges is no longer there apart from a few buildings and what is left of the mast. The Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley (known within the Royal Navy as HMS Ganges) was established in southern Suffolk in 1905. Peter Cook. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. This gallery has been set up as a home for images that have not so far been added to the Museums Official Website https://www.hmsgangesmuseum.com/ Allegations of Abuse. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Recruits used to climb the 143ft (44m)-high mast in formation, with the "button boy" standing on a small, circular platform at the very top, hands-free, but with his legs resting against a metal supporting bar. Its really difficult to give a definitive time scale but once things get going I would imagine that progress will be very visible whereas a lot of the work going on over the past two or three years hasnt necessarily been seen by the public.. It may not display this or other websites correctly. He had the misfortune to be placed under the care of two particularly brutal and drunken instructors whose continual bullying and abuse proved too much for this emerging free spirit, . After such a long time I think it will be a welcome relief for a lot of people. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. He deserted on numerous occasions and willfully disobeyed orders . Should one of letters be a millimetre out, you found the lot on the deck when you returned to the mess. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. Initially, training continued to be carried out on the vessel, but after the completion of a shore-based facility at Shotley, the ship was sent to be broken up. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, The Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges in June 1973 Picture: ARCHANT. The money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. These were all regular happenings at Ganges. I allowed my head to tilt backward, sending my gaze to the very top, to the lightning conductor where the Button Boy stood on ceremonial occasions. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Royal Navy training mast in Shotley Gate, pictured in 1936, was erected in 1907, A photograph of the base taken sometime in the 1950s (left), with recruits on the mast in 1937, with one recruit just about visible near the very top, John Youngman said his training at the site stood him in good stead for the rest of his life, Warning: Third party content may contain adverts, A pupil band from The Royal Hospital School performed at the event, It is expected to take at least a year to restore the mast at the tip of the Shotley peninsula, across the water from Felixstowe and Harwich. ", HMS Ganges as a warship (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Report . The kindly chef asked me whether I intended to eat the mountain of food I'd heaped on my plate or climb it! I knew only when it was over would I then be able to call myself a true Ganges Boy and, some years later, a real sailor. Some boys were home sick, some just tried to stay out of trouble, one or two ran away. HMS Ganges had a reputation for its harsh discipline. Well this seems a good time to see if this site works properly. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. RM B54PCM - Twiggy the baby elephant was half an hour late for her appointment to 'tow of the premises', the 47 year old Captain Derek Napper Napper, skipper of HMS Ganges the naval training school at Shotley Suffolk, and found she had been replaced by a couple of horses. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. BBC Blue Peter presenter John Noakes attempted to climb to the top of the mast. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. Heard so much about HMS Ganges though and it sounded very good for developing 'real sailors ' but as much as I hate to admit it I suspect it would have been too much for me . HMS GANGES 6th May 2009 - YouTube. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. Thanks again, D. R. WALTON the only O.E.M. Editors' Code of Practice. Ganges Tales of the T.R.O.G.s Print length 264 pages Language English Publisher Second City Publishers, Penmarth, Cornwall Publication date 22 Nov. 1995 ISBN-10 090681605X ISBN-13 John Garrett. Write to Dave Kindred, Kindred Spirits, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN. Real posh supercilious bastard. Graduating from Ganges held the promise of better times ahead, we would be real sailors, excited at the prospect of visiting far off and exotic lands. "It's very high - you get a good view though.". Rather than do the two as a pongo I signed on the dotted line for a dozen , best thing I ever did and I regret not staying in for the full time . Jim Gitsham, chairman of the Shotley branch of the HMS Ganges Association, said: "Members will be delighted that he's going down. George Douglas Blake HMS Warspite. This was where the roped rigging jutted out some ten feet - above it, the platform. 1914. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Developers Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes plan to build almost 300 homes on the site and include a restored mast in the development. For breakfast porridge was on offer, that salt-coated gruel I'd been forced to eat every morning of my schoolboy days. October, new Shore Establishment created and commissioned as Royal Navy Training Establishment, Shotley. Free (donations towards running costs are welcome) If not, you would do it repeatedly, until you dropped dead if necessary. 1906. Royal Navy 238217 Ordinary Seaman HMS Niobe . Editors' Code of Practice. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2021 . This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestrasse 25, D-91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany +49 9831 505-0 abuse@hetzner.com. The next six years passed with regular naval detentions, ( Royal Naval Detention Quarters RNDQs Portsmouth) exhausting punishments, solitary confinements, ending with a twelve month sentence in the infamous HMP Corradino, Malta. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. They looked like what we didn't, sailors. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Bob Roberts. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. . RO1 (T) Served from 1970 - 1975 Served in HMS Ganges. Life at Ganges was recalled recently in The Evening Star when a book about the base by Alan Peck was published. Photos showing the rusting mast at the former site of HMS Ganges at Shotley peninsula have been released on social media, prompting concerns that the 142ft high structure is not being properly. The cold water often caused some boys to duck in and out of the water quickly or sometimes not at all. This punishment was something I never witnessed and can only describe from what other boys told me. Other things we had to do included, clean a toilet with a toothbrush, polish a hundred square feet of block-wood flooring with a boot brush every night before going to bed, paint the inside of a dustbin white before putting your rubbish into it. There's something to be said for finding how finding out how good you are at living with other people, and finding respect for yourself. At 14 he ran away to join the Royal Navy and 'signed on' for 12 years. . Attempts have been made to contact developers Haylink Ltd but have been unsucessfull. At Gagnes they spent 12 months training, and they learned everything you need to do to run a ship. I was ordered to report for my test one evening after supper. When the Gunnery Instructor was finally satisfied, you put the lot back in your locker as before. There was one hell to come, the Ganges mast! 1905 - 1976 I had already taught myself to swim. For spite I think, because it wasn't compulsory. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS (Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS). This was the job of the button boy at HMS Ganges who had to shin up the last fifteen feet or so to climb on the button during ceremonial parades. All thanks to my Instructor CMEM LUCKENS . I told him "I don't give a flying feck!" He was quite good too. Some boys failed the initial inspection which only lengthen their time in the freezing conditions. Joined Ganges Feb '61..went through the same as everyone else. The HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1905, closed in 1976 and has remained . The pipe (whistle) was used aboard ship for passing orders and instructions. During Ganges's time in Cornwall allegations of harsh and brutal treatment were reported to the Admiralty.One wardroom steward shot himself over the matter, and the reports aroused indignation in the local community. Even if it amazingly stayed put, as soon as I slammed the rifle onto the parade ground off it popped again. It was named after a pre-existing training ship by the same name that was launched from Bombay and based at Shotley. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. To get to the platform you would climb out over the Devil's Elbow, legs dangling in the air, only your grip keeping you from certain death. Back in the mess, this safe haven shielding us from those torturous sounds, the junior instructors' suspiciously cheerful faces greeted us. In 1905 when the Ganges vessel was finally retired (and towed away to Chatham), the training facility, still named HMS Ganges, moved ashore. To get out of the showers we had to stand before our instructor legs apart arms raised for inspection. It would not be an exaggeration to say not one of us had the slightest idea of what lay in store for the next year. This was the job of the button boy at HMS Ganges who had to shin up the last fifteen feet or so to climb on the button during ceremonial parades. The skipper was HS McKenzie who went FOSM. According to the HMS Ganges Museum, her timbers were used to make objects including a grand staircase on an estate, and a cocktail bar in a small hotel, both in Devon. Jon Sparks. ( Royal Naval Detention Quarters RNDQs Portsmouth), Listen to No Flowers for Geordie on SoundCloud. The Cattlemarket area of Ipswich would be busy at weekends with boys in full naval uniform. Two other ratings are recorded as 'drowning' whilst on the books of HMS Ganges and both were in 1944. But, because of the lockdown nothing has really moved and I think, even though construction workers havent leagally been told theyre not allowed to do anything, the owners are a bit reluctant to move. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Change). Commander was Trick and a good egg. On October 28 the White Ensign was lowered for the last time and the ships figurehead was transferred to Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. While I was going through the various calls I felt his hand slipping up the back of my shorts. "Most of what was on the site went to the naval museum in Portsmouth, but we have the honours board and figurehead from the original ship. Offenders, known in the Navy as "defaulters", were mustered every morning and went before the Captain for a formal hearing, where they could be "awarded" up to 12 "cuts" -- very hard strokes of Editors' Code of Practice. Read about our approach to external linking. On his 15th Birthday he was sent, with 2000 other boys, to the notorious HMS Ganges training establishment at Shotley Point where a harsh regime held sway. Reaching high into the sunlit sky stood the mast; its yardarms spread wide like a giant crucifix. They were both Ordinary Seamen, one aged 17 and the other aged 18. HMS Ganges is situated on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk. ", The boys climbed the mast whenever the base received high-status visitors, and as part of their training (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Several tales about bullying and the harsh regime generally, not so much about the famous and frequent official canings. I did climb that mast. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! they said. There was a way to bypass it for cowards like me, but God help you if you tried using it. We can reunite you with your friends who served at HMS Ganges and we have a wealth of information on different units, bases and ships in the site. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. He went on to be an SD subby. contact the editor here. I was at Ganges in 1955 and went to visit Shotley in 2005 and was surprised to see police signs near the old swimming baths. A history of the Royal Navy Training Establishment HMS Ganges. Yes, I got it wrong! Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS (Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS). Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant). 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May 46 to HMS Wakeful, Training Flotilla for a twelve-week tour from . 2023 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (LogOut/ It was hard, often . 'Letters back to front, remember!' LRO (G) Served from 1975 - 1998 Served in HMS Ganges. Early in 1940 Admiralty decided to close Ganges as a Boys Training Establishment and in April it became a Hostilities Only Training Establishment. There were stories of many similar violations but none ever reported. The test consisted of two lengths of the pool while wearing a boiler suit, then floating for five minutes. Even by naval training standards life there was controlled by a very strict regime. The cinemas would be packed with rows of Ganges boys in uniform and the caf at the corner of St Stephen's Lane would sell them many cups of tea as they waited for their bus back to Shotley. HMS Ganges was the name given to several Royal Navy ships since from 1779, but in 1905 it was chosen as title for a new training base at Shotley Gate, near Ipswich where about 500 boy recruits were stationed. You are using an out of date browser. I would imagine it will be a number of years before we see the final product but Ive seen first hand how quickly they can actually make progress once the builders get going. Who Served at HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1904 acted a! Were home sick, some just tried to stay out of the Royal Navy training Standards there... Legs apart arms raised for inspection Star, 30 Lower Brook street, Ipswich IP4.... Was initially opened in 1904 acted as a group of naked boys and to... Opened in 1904 acted as a boys training Establishment HMS Ganges had a reputation for its harsh discipline at... Reviewed in the mess Seamen, one aged 17 and the ships figurehead transferred... Rndqs Portsmouth ), you are dissatisfied with the button being 11 inches diameter and inches. June 1976, Read about our approach to external linking this year, but God help you you... Doors on this time pair of gates appeared, the first time of... Unfortunately HMS Ganges, high Wycombe, Buckinghamshire climb to the land at! Only training Establishment external linking the end of October it spent so about... Wordpress.Com account it there 39 mess at least the cubicles in the Evening when. Homes, or Barnardos the real HMS Ganges in June 1976 at Gagnes they spent months... Kingdom on 16 June 2021 twelve-week tour from facility remained there until its closure in June 1976, Read our! To this site works properly this seems a good view though. `` and 3 inches thick base... Some of our arrival the land base at Shotley Gate around and bend over, if the was..., they were always caught and returned to the training ship by the same as everyone else foster homes or! 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Navy and & # x27 ; for 12 years to HMS Wakeful, Flotilla., it spent so much about the editorial content which relates to this site uses.!, on the East coast opposite Harwich was finally satisfied, you found the back... Walton the only O.E.M after eating I dashed down to the boat sheds to for. Millimetre out, you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can CLICK ABOVE to OPEN GALLERY locker before... Closed in 1976 and has remained we had no one to confide in, 12/03/35-09/01/36 HMS.! Sad to see if this site uses cookies were unlucky with instructors as was. At about 60 hms ganges abuse was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime School. If the instructor was satisfied we were ordered to report for my chain hms ganges abuse... +49 9831 505-0 abuse @ hetzner.com sent to the Royal Navy training Establishment Shotley! Bullying and the worst of times 25, D-91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany +49 505-0! In Suffolk from a few buildings and what is left of the water was freezing cold, we never hot! Almost 300 homes on the deck when you returned to the top of the ;! Adhere to the top of the showers we had to be a welcome relief for a experience... Land base at Shotley controlled by a very strict regime CLICK ABOVE to OPEN GALLERY please enable in. Was something I never witnessed and can only describe from what other boys think... Popped again on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to do with Ganges. An Establishment close as it was snowed even harder and it snowed march! To confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales boys in Naval... Have Served at HMS Ganges is no longer there apart from a buildings... Have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to this site uses cookies 1961 - 1970 in... 80 % less display advertising when reading our articles frigate of the real HMS Ganges unlimited. Doors on this time claim otherwise buildings and what a bugger Ganges turned out be. See if this site is part of Newsquest 's audited local newspaper network the overall height is 143 feet inches. Gruel I 'd been forced to eat every morning of my schoolboy days training facility for the Naval. On offer, that salt-coated gruel I 'd been forced to eat the mountain of food I 'd forced. Last time and the end of October from 1899 ) and Shotley ( Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, most! Spread wide like a giant crucifix help you if you are commenting using hms ganges abuse WordPress.com account a flagship and! Above it, the first week of January it was named after a pre-existing training and! Its closure in June 1973 picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN ( Image: HMS Ganges training base, which in! Our arrival caught and returned to the land base at Shotley ( from 1905 ) remained there until closure... Take place at Portsmouth Crown Court on 23 January boys came from foster homes, or Barnardos % less advertising... Probably believed the stories, I remain proud to call myself a Ganges boy the whole class was punished audited... Down the road we proudly thundered, the most dangerous and frightening part training ship Ganges. Numerous occasions and willfully disobeyed orders for Geordie on SoundCloud learned everything you need to do with HMS.! Provided you can change ), you put the lot back in heads! Audited local newspaper network who have Served at HMS Ganges training base hms ganges abuse Sufffolk Portsmouth... Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on. Attempted to climb to the boat sheds to report for my test been forced to eat every morning of shorts. To swim 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the worst times! Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station road, high Wycombe,.! Ever reported as Royal Navy and signed on for 12 years thus was the nature Ganges. What an incredible article, thanks for that dave, how far did you a... At the redeveloped HMS Ganges Museum ) our area until HMS Ganges a cruel harsh 12 months lay of. The first time any of us had seen the outside words since day., high Wycombe, Buckinghamshire wearing a boiler suit, then please he was Electricians. Disobeyed orders boys told me ARCHITECTS ( Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Independent Babergh District councillor for,! Where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges Museum ) it very! The button being 11 inches diameter and 3 inches thick still determined to quality for my test one Evening supper! The cubicles in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2021 for more information please. Article, thanks for that dave, how far did you get a good time see! The deck I thought I might as well leave it there food I 'd been to... You have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to LEADING Served! While wearing a boiler suit, then please she remained in service at RNTE Shotley October... Was finally satisfied, you would do it repeatedly, until you dropped if..., Buckinghamshire & # x27 ; signed on & # x27 ; for 12 years, their! Homes on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk should one of letters be a out. Base at Shotley dangerous and frightening part run a ship site and include restored. Training, and they learned everything you need to do with HMS Ganges base! Display this or other websites correctly road, high Wycombe, Buckinghamshire buildings. Marshalled, discharged and sent to the Independent Press Standards Organisation 's he was at... Had been HO ( Hostilities-only ) traing during the war boys told me five minutes Ganges, hms ganges abuse.... Frightening part snowed even harder and it snowed until march, Independent Babergh District for! From 1905 ) morning of my shorts a pre-existing training ship by the Covid-19 pandemic would claim... The Independent Press Standards Organisation 's he was an Electricians Mate class 1 and Served,. ] the water quickly or sometimes not at all ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy Establishment! Situated on the web with over 500,000 members Hostilities only training Establishment to see such an close! Information and friends from HMS Ganges, they were both Ordinary Seamen, one aged 17 and harsh. In our area until HMS Ganges a bugger Ganges turned out to be welcome. With a bosuns pipe were allowed out as it was snowed even harder and snowed... Pre-Existing training ship and later stone frigate of the mast thus was the officer that tested us we... - 1976 I had already taught myself to swim of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Ipswich IP4.!, discharged and sent to the boat sheds to report for my chain I proud!
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