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. 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Helpful Report abuse Kindle Customer Sorting The Wheat From The Chaff Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014 Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. Commander was Trick and a good egg. Attempts have been made to contact developers Haylink Ltd but have been unsucessfull. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS (Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS). Posted on February 5, 2019 by irishroverpei. interesting .. photos of the old pool. Every new recruit was required to climb it, not to the very top but to the half moon, about thirty-feet from the top. Was anything in this navy free from fear? It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. First the older of the two, Maurice WRIGHT JX 657902. Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. the reason i remember the date is that it was my 15th birthday, We got shipped out to Suez in October 1956 cutting short our training by a couple of months. Free (donations towards running costs are welcome) HMS Ganges '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 ' His early life was hard by any standards. Observer career path/ real life 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. "Boys came into Ganges at age 15 and went into the navy as men at 16. A Gannett Company. First Royal Navy ship to visit Eire, post independence? 4 reviews When Peter Broadbent entered HMS Ganges, the toughest training establishment for young recruits to the Royal Navy, he was a naive 15-year-old Yorkshire schoolboy, entranced with the idea of seeing the world, proud of his drainpipe trousers and DA hairstyle, and eager to meet girls. Read about our approach to external linking. 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 . Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, The Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges in June 1973 Picture: ARCHANT. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. I recall watching a boy, who had been thrown in the deep end of the swimming pool, struggling in the water while a sadistic instructor smiled, saying, 'Look what happens if you can't bloody well swim?' 11.00 to 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of October. 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. The kindly chef asked me whether I intended to eat the mountain of food I'd heaped on my plate or climb it! Among his many punishments, he suffered cuts, a particularly brutal form of Naval punishment. Developers Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes plan to build almost 300 homes on the site and include a restored mast in the development. He was subsequently dismissed from the service and returned to civilian life. For breakfast porridge was on offer, that salt-coated gruel I'd been forced to eat every morning of my schoolboy days. Shotley Marina, Shotley Gate, Ipswich, IP9 1QJ. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. Martin Foster was treasurer for veterans who served at HMS Ganges training base in Sufffolk. Mr Jones also offered reassurance around the historic mast, despite fears about its dilapidated state. They looked smarter, more confident, or even downright dejected. From it came bloodcurdling cries of command, so frightening that I most surely would have obeyed them myself, if had I understood what they meant. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. HMS Ganges. He went on to be an SD subby. While I was going through the various calls I felt his hand slipping up the back of my shorts. Restoration of the historic HMS Ganges Mast is well under way at Barrelmans Point in Shotley. Royal Navy 238217 Boy 1st Class HMS Ganges II. Drake 39 mess At least the cubicles in the heads had doors on this time. Discipline was severe, routine constant and fear of punishment loomed at every turn. Jon Sparks. yes I was there in 92 .Essex, Nolfolk , Herts Suffolk and Cambs police all used it. They were both Ordinary Seamen, one aged 17 and the other aged 18. Roe told me "I don't like you." Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS. Welcome Guest. During the third disastrous week, it spent so much time on the deck I thought I might as well leave it there! 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. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. The greatest fear was of messing up, this meant the whole class was punished. 10/01/36- 08/02/36 HMS Pembroke. I heard many boys saying things like , dont bend over in front of the seamanship officer, or always face him dont turn around. I came across a clip on youtube that really saddened me and it tells its own story about the UK as it is now and the real fact that such things as pride, standards etc have long been lost and decay and neglect are the order of the day, I do not need to walk very far from my home to see with my own eyes the evidence all around me. "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. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. After initial training we were marched from the training camp. Ganges Museum is located at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, in what was the Enright Block, on the foreshore of the former H.M.S. While I probably believed the stories, I was still determined to quality for my chain. 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. Didn't like it, there are better ways of teaching than violence, but it hardened me up and made me self disciplined. 5.0 out of 5 stars A real trip down memory lane. Researched and compiled by A. S. Grimmer (Solent Division) who sadly crossed the bar 6th January 2007. 1971. 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. My instructors were Nobby Clarke and Ted Roe. 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?'. Read about our approach to external linking. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. 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. GANGES; the ship had previously anchored out in the harbour below, at Shotley Gate, on the east coast opposite Harwich. 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. Life at Ganges was recalled recently in The Evening Star when a book about the base by Alan Peck was published. If not, you would do it repeatedly, until you dropped dead if necessary. Peter Cook. Ganges will for ever be the legacy of every young boy who passed through those distant gates to emerge as a sailor and a man. Mr W Im sure the surprise and very welcome CD that popped through my letter box today was from you dear sir, so thanks very much and Im looking forward to listening to it very soon. 1903. Find out more about HMS Ganges at www.hmsgangesmuseum.com, or visit the museum, located at the end of King Edward VII Drive, in Shotley, IP9 1QJ. Statistics for the 1930s indicate some 200 official canings per year in HMS Ganges alone, an average of four per week. Most boys just wanted to complete their year and go to sea. The money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. Im here as my Son (15) wants to join the RN - Wellbeck route AIB soon. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to I took a bowl and ate the lot. He was fondling my right cheek as I tried to concentrate on pipping. On the remainder of the command 'Bayonets' the left hand pulled the bayonet from the scabbard, placed it on the barrel of the rifle and, with a quick twist of the wrist, secured it in place. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 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. My heart sank and my elation evaporated as I desperately tried to quash all fears of my body falling from the Devil's Elbow. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. Thanks again, D. R. WALTON the only O.E.M. George Douglas Blake HMS Warspite. STANDING on a wooden disc about a foot in diameter, and saluting, does not sound too much of a challenge, unless it is 143feet above the ground and you only have a lightning conductor to grip between your knees. . 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Our abuse contact API returns data containing information belonging to the abuse contact of every IP address on the Internet. 1905 to 1976 saw 150,000 recruits pass through HMS Ganges. Frederick "Ben" Rodgers author of "Lily & Me", "The Royal Navy & Me" and collector of Rover automobiles, Review from Newfoundland CraigChurchill. 1906. 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. HMS Ganges is situated on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk. You are using an out of date browser. Mr Youngman, who joined the navy aged 15 in 1965, said he had previously climbed up to the top of the mast but "couldn't wait to get back down". Helpful. H.M.S. They faced what was without doubt the most severe punishment, cuts. HMS Ganges 2 in the harbour put all boys ashore and was then used as Naval Operations Ship, Harwich. The test consisted of two lengths of the pool while wearing a boiler suit, then floating for five minutes. Reaching high into the sunlit sky stood the mast; its yardarms spread wide like a giant crucifix. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. Observer career path/ real life experience. 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. The pipe (whistle) was used aboard ship for passing orders and instructions. For spite I think, because it wasn't compulsory. [1] Royal Navy 238217 Boy 2nd Class HMS Ganges II. "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? There was one hell to come, the Ganges mast! It may not display this or other websites correctly. CHARGE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER (WEA) Served from 1974 - 1997 Served in HMS Ganges. Saw your message. CMEM (M) Served from 1972 - 1987 Served in HMS Ganges. A Gannett Company. The training was tough, brutal at times, yet many of those who came through remember HMS Ganges, at Shotley Gate, with a certain fondness. Steve Tarr. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. ( Royal Naval Detention Quarters RNDQs Portsmouth), Listen to No Flowers for Geordie on SoundCloud. At the tip of the Shotley peninsular sits a cluster of abandoned buildings that were once home to hundreds of young lads right at the start of their lives at sea. 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. St George IOM Boys training 3/5/45 Christmas leave 45 took all kit and returned to Ipswich station, then by the ubiquitous 3 ton Bedford to Shotley where we reopened HMS Ganges as a boys establishment. 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. Maybe we boxed each other in the Shotley annexe! At about 60 feet was the Devil's Elbow, the most dangerous and frightening part. I wrote this song a long time ago. Royal Navy 238217 Ordinary Seaman HMS Niobe . Editors' Code of Practice. Each of us was required to construct a printing block using letters carved in wood. 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. Each evening after we had cleaned the mess, we took everything out of the locker rolled each item into a nine-inch sausage, tied white tape around both ends, and then placed every item on a blanket. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. St George IOM Boys training 3/5/45 Christmas leave 45 took all kit and returned to Ipswich station, then by the ubiquitous 3 ton Bedford to Shotley where we reopened HMS Ganges as a boys establishment. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. We were ordered to turn around and bend over, if the instructor was satisfied we were clean, we were allowed out. Dave Walton RN retired. 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. The showers at Ganges were just one bare room with several shower heads, no privacy. 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. Roger Jones, chairman at the HMS Ganges Museum said: "HMS Ganges was originally a ship of the wooden wall, launched in 1821. It had to be neatly folded and stacked, each item one above the other, with each item measuring exactly nine inches wide and one inch flat. Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. 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. 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. All thanks to my Instructor CMEM LUCKENS . later times). Read about our approach to external linking. The overall height is 143 feet 10 inches, with the button being 11 inches diameter and 3 inches thick. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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 HMS Ganges was the name given to several Royal Navy ships from 1779 onwards, but in 1905 it was chosen for a new training base at Shotley Gate, near Ipswich, where about 500 boy recruits were stationed. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's I joined Ganges 30th June 1955 also as a boy telegraphist. It was hoped that Developers Haylink Ltd would start work early this year, but their plans were scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic. 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. This site uses cookies. In attendance was a senior officer, medical officer and the master at arms. Tony Hayden. After eating I dashed down to the boat sheds to report for my test. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). contact the editor here. The white letters would then be transformed, by our nimble fingers, into red with silk thread using the chain stitch. (LogOut/ HMS Ganges - part of front gate Having completed the New Entry training over at the Annex (I think it took six weeks), we then marched over to Drake 39 mess over in the Main Establishment. Even by naval training standards life there was controlled by a very strict regime. As Rudyard Kipping wrote in his famous poem IF the you will be a man my son. The cold water often caused some boys to duck in and out of the water quickly or sometimes not at all. Ronald Carr. Unfortunately HMS Ganges is no longer there apart from a few buildings and what is left of the mast. Back in the mess, this safe haven shielding us from those torturous sounds, the junior instructors' suspiciously cheerful faces greeted us. Standing at 143ft, the mast is made up of three main parts; the main 75ft mast came from HMS Cordelia, a steam corvette built in Portsmouth, the top mast of 47.5 ft wooden ruffle box from HMS Agincourt, which was renamed HMS Boscawen, and then Ganges II. The only thing I can remember of that awesome night, apart from collecting a kit bag and filling it to capacity with kit, was sobbing myself to sleep and that I ate the biggest meal I'd ever eaten in my entire 15 years of life. 1905. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. It closed in 1998 or something. No way would the Royal Navy let the opportunity to instill fear into a young boy pass them by, So began another nine months of laughter and tears, disaster and joy. Contents 1 Foundation and early history 1.1 Allegations of abuse 2 Ganges at Harwich 3 Ganges at Shotley 3.1 1906 changes 3.2 Later developments 3.3 First World War 3.4 Post war developments 3.5 Ganges in the Second World War 3.6 Postwar and closure 4 References 5 External links Several tales about bullying and the harsh regime generally, not so much about the famous and frequent official canings. (LogOut/ Our kit was stowed in small silver lockers that we polished daily, but not like any normal person would stow their clothes. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Write to Dave Kindred, Kindred Spirits, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN. One not only suffered the punishment such as doubling up and down the steps of laundry hill with a 303 rifle held high. He would lay on the number of cuts prescribed, each cut raised a welt on the boys buttocks. He was sitting on a stool and told me to stand in front of him and begin. The master at arms held a long thin bamboo cane, the instrument of the punishment. When I say there was sexual abuse Im speaking from personal experience. 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. Such a tragedy that this historical place has been left to rot. 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/ MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. One lad, a Geordie, was drafted early to a Destroyer bound for the Mediterraniann sailed from Plymouth He was washed overboard on his first few hours at sea..His parents never knew of the misery he suffered at Ganges. HMS Ganges was a "stone frigate" or land-based institution for the Royal Navy, and between 1905 and 1976 was one of the key training bases used to prepare sailors to defend Great Britain. Network 157.90../16 Abuse Contact API. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. 2023 BBC. I was so fearful of that oncoming event I was becoming a nervous wreck, each night reading the next day's daily orders, wondering if tomorrow would be the day I crapped my pants in public. Report . attempted to climb to the top of the mast, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Fungus case forces Jack Daniels to halt construction, Aboriginal spears taken in 1770 to return to Sydney, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart. The 142-foot high (43 m) mast was erected in 1907. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 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. By creating an account you agree to us emailing you with newsletters and discounts, which you can switch off in your account at any time. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. Abuse Details. It began snowing on Boxing Day. HMS Ganges was also known as Shotley Training Establishment . 1937. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Were you a 'button boy'? 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. When the Gunnery Instructor was finally satisfied, you put the lot back in your locker as before. First time ever looking at any RN sights. The Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley (known within the Royal Navy as HMS Ganges) was established in southern Suffolk in 1905. Once the situation eases a bit there will be tangible progress to be seen.. Doesnt sound too bad does it. Jim Gitsham, chairman of the Shotley branch of the HMS Ganges Association, said: "Members will be delighted that he's going down. Learn how your comment data is processed. Mast erected using the foremast of HMS Cordelia, which was broken up 1904. Realizing his mistake he fought back and with no way out he had no choice but to work his ticket. . 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. 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. [1] It was named after a pre-existing training ship by the same name that was launched from Bombay and based at Shotley. A planning application for the site was submitted and outline permission was granted in 2015. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. A Gannett Company. 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