Early in 1940 Admiralty decided to close Ganges as a Boys Training Establishment and in April it became a Hostilities Only Training Establishment. Mr Jones said: "There is a lot of truth to the statement that you entered as a boy, but left as a man. His fellow recruit, Phil Bridge, said it was "a sad day, because it means a lot to us", but he was looking forward to a restored mast being returned. 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. 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. CMEM (M) Served from 1972 - 1987 Served in HMS Ganges. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 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. We caught up with Jim Dines, Director of TS Rigging, whose team. 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. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Saw your message. LEADING SEAMAN Served from 1961 - 1970 Served in HMS Ganges. I knew a gentleman who said when he was at Ganges in 1947 he had his first taste of hot food. Steve Tarr. It was hoped that Developers Haylink Ltd would start work early this year, but their plans were scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic. 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, . 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. It closed in 1998 or something. 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 was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. 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. 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. Probably running away was the worse decision, they were always caught and returned to the camp. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can HMS GANGES 6th May 2009 - YouTube. Discussions between developers and Babergh District Council planning officers have been concluded five years after plans for the huge project were given outline planning permission in December 2015. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. [1] HP10 9TY. This site uses cookies. Through the year the training was intense, probably a good thing, it gave us little time to regret joining the navy. 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. in the RN with the nickname Doc. 11.00 to 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of October. Read about our approach to external linking. My DO was so unforgetable I can't remember his name, but he ponced around with his handky up his sleeve and a curled lip. "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. The previous evening I'd arrived at HMS Ganges training annexe, with an assortment of other would-be-sailors, and was placed in the capable hands of a spotty-faced junior instructor and a bullet-proof gunnery instructor who wore crossed guns on both lapels. Roe told me "I don't like you." 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 . He was sitting on a stool and told me to stand in front of him and begin. Restoration of the historic HMS Ganges Mast is well under way at Barrelmans Point in Shotley. Network 157.90../16 Abuse Contact API. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Martin Foster was treasurer for veterans who served at HMS Ganges training base in Sufffolk. Jon Sparks. Im here as my Son (15) wants to join the RN - Wellbeck route AIB soon. 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. As a matter of interest how many of you did your 22 and beyond not many I suspect therefore you look back with nostalgia, fcuking hated the place and made certain I never treated any of my guys the same as the youngsters were treated there. Thanks again, D. R. WALTON the only O.E.M. The white letters would then be transformed, by our nimble fingers, into red with silk thread using the chain stitch. Some 100 boy-sailors were in the canteen, chewing and chattering; clattering knives forks and spoons against plates and bowls. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. It used to be a training camp for the Navy until 1976, and in later years it was a police training school. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. The former treasurer of a naval veterans' organisation has been jailed for 18 months after nearly 80,000 was withdrawn from its accounts. Editors' Code of Practice. Learn how your comment data is processed. Please Login or Register. 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. Once the situation eases a bit there will be tangible progress to be seen.. 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/ Recruits are shown how to stow a hammock - date of photograph unknown. This page is dedicated to the memory of Tony whose commitment to the Royal Navy and especially HMS Ganges was unlimited. Finally he withdrew his hand and declared I passed the test. Helpful Report abuse Kindle Customer Sorting The Wheat From The Chaff Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Crowds of boys from HMS Ganges would visit Ipswich when they were given a day off from the harsh naval discipline at Shotley. 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 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). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. They were both Ordinary Seamen, one aged 17 and the other aged 18. 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. Work on the scheme, which would see 285 new homes, a 60-bed nursing home, a large retail space and areas for medical services, will not be started until a spine road through the site, which will take the bulk of construction traffic away from main roads, is built. It was as we crossed the parade ground the whole bunch of us suddenly froze and spun to face a huge aircraft-hanger-of-a-building running along its length. 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. Did my intro to Pusser at HMS Raleigh in ' 52 . They looked like what we didn't, sailors. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please 5.0 out of 5 stars A real trip down memory lane. Each time I let it go off it popped, falling to the deck with a clatter. Mr Jones also offered reassurance around the historic mast, despite fears about its dilapidated state. 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 142-foot high (43 m) mast was erected in 1907. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2021 . The showers at Ganges were just one bare room with several shower heads, no privacy. Bob Roberts. yes I was there in 92 .Essex, Nolfolk , Herts Suffolk and Cambs police all used it. 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. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Mr Davis added: They have had the last conditions, including the fire hydrants agreed. 1914. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. For breakfast porridge was on offer, that salt-coated gruel I'd been forced to eat every morning of my schoolboy days. 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. 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 a joke! In 1907, its famous 143ft (44m)-high training . The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. 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. May 46 to HMS Wakeful, Training Flotilla for a twelve-week tour from . the top rung of a six foot ladder is about my limit! The pipe (whistle) was used aboard ship for passing orders and instructions. They faced what was without doubt the most severe punishment, cuts. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Life at Ganges was recalled recently in The Evening Star when a book about the base by Alan Peck was published. 1927. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. I wrote this song a long time ago. I arrived at Ganges in the late afternoon on March 15th 1955, along with roughly a hundred other fifteen year old boys. Captain Tremlett, the Senior Officer of training ships, was ordered to investigate the situation and reported that Commander Stevens 'had given punishments . Yes, I got it wrong! It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. Babergh District councillor Ganges, Derek Davis, said: From my own personal perspective I have seen how closely our officers and our planning team have worked with the owners of the site and I can imagine that once the lockdown is over and the guys get started, progress will be made very quickly. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. Were you at HMS Ganges? It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. 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. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Rumour had it many years ago a boy did fall, bouncing off the safety net and through the Post Office roof. Royal Navy 238217 Ordinary Seaman HMS Niobe . Charles Dickens might have penned it the best of times and the worst of times. 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. MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. 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. Write to Dave Kindred, Kindred Spirits, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN. In 1907, its famous training mast was erected on the parade ground. HMS Ganges is a little bit different though, because they have to get the spine road in first and do some prep work. Should one of letters be a millimetre out, you found the lot on the deck when you returned to the mess. I took a bowl and ate the lot. Thus was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime. The money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. July 5 The old HMS Ganges sails out of Harwich Harbour. 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. HMS Ganges moved moorings from Harwich to Shotley. Ken said: It was a dreadful winter. . 'Letters back to front, remember!' A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is due to take place at Portsmouth Crown Court on 23 January. His early life was hard by any standards. First Royal Navy ship to visit Eire, post independence? HMS Ganges organisation of meals - covering the galley in the Long Covered Way/messdeck dining, and the introduction of the CMG block /communal dining - dated 1952. c. Punishment of Juniors (U) at HMS Ganges dated 1970. d. Restrictions on the caning of boys as a punishment dated 1929-1931. 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. Dec 30, 2016. In 1905 when the Ganges vessel was finally retired (and towed away to Chatham), the training facility, still named HMS Ganges, moved ashore. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. View of the iconic mast at the former HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. You are using an out of date browser. Among his many punishments, he suffered cuts, a particularly brutal form of Naval punishment. and I got seven days 9s. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Some boys were home sick, some just tried to stay out of trouble, one or two ran away. It was easy to spot those who had been here the longest. The boy was made lower his trousers, but kept is underpants on, he was made to bend over a chair. 1959 and what a bugger Ganges turned out to be. Several tales about bullying and the harsh regime generally, not so much about the famous and frequent official canings. As Rudyard Kipping wrote in his famous poem IF the you will be a man my son. JavaScript is disabled. 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. This was where the roped rigging jutted out some ten feet - above it, the platform. 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. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. 1976. Peter Cook. I knew that once the weather was respectable, when it was no longer dangerous, my skinny little skeleton would be transported, step by trembling step, up that perilous rigging. A history of the Royal Navy Training Establishment HMS Ganges. In the first week of January it was snowed even harder and it snowed until March. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. 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. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Maurice was nothing to do with HMS Ganges, in fact he had been a crew member of HMS Hambledon. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Shotley Marina, Shotley Gate, Ipswich, IP9 1QJ. HMS GANGES AT HIGHNAM COURT, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, 1940 - 1942. Every new recruit was required to climb it, not to the very top but to the half moon, about thirty-feet from the top. ", The honours board from the HMS Ganges, showing the victories of all the Royal Navy ships bearing the name (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). There was a way to bypass it for cowards like me, but God help you if you tried using it. A Gannett Company. 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. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's HMS Ganges being broken up after training was transferred to the land base at Shotley (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Ganges Museum is located at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, in what was the Enright Block, on the foreshore of the former H.M.S. Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Ganges. Aerial artist & # x27 ; s impression of one of letters be a man my Son ) mast erected! Ganges, in what was the Enright Block, on the parade ground site Shotley... That we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible these... The nature of Ganges harsh training regime and Cambs police all used it best of and. He had his first taste of hot food located at Shotley Gate near,. Is located at Shotley Gate, Ipswich IP4 1AN HMS Wakeful, training for. 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