H.M.S. Several tales about bullying and the harsh regime generally, not so much about the famous and frequent official canings. John Garrett. Ken said: It was a dreadful winter. 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. RO1 (T) Served from 1970 - 1975 Served in HMS Ganges. Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. A history of the Royal Navy Training Establishment HMS Ganges. As Rudyard Kipping wrote in his famous poem IF the you will be a man my son. Artist's impression showing the view across a residential street at the redeveloped HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. Richard Dunn. An appeal by Woolverstone Parish Council was turned down two years later. 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. Crowds of boys from HMS Ganges would visit Ipswich when they were given a day off from the harsh naval discipline at Shotley. 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 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.. Some 100 boy-sailors were in the canteen, chewing and chattering; clattering knives forks and spoons against plates and bowls. So as I have said already, we kept our heads down aiming for that final day when wed be drafted to a ship. Did my intro to Pusser at HMS Raleigh in ' 52 . Peter Cook. I was ordered to report for my test one evening after supper. 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. Padre Weekes was always good for a fag and Jim Conroy (PTI) taught me to yodel. For spite I think, because it wasn't compulsory. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, The Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges in June 1973 Picture: ARCHANT. Read about our approach to external linking. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Didn't like it, there are better ways of teaching than violence, but it hardened me up and made me self disciplined. in the RN with the nickname Doc. After such a long time I think it will be a welcome relief for a lot of people. Life at Ganges was recalled recently in The Evening Star when a book about the base by Alan Peck was published. CHARGE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER (WEA) Served from 1974 - 1997 Served in HMS Ganges. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please A Gannett Company. BBC Blue Peter presenter John Noakes attempted to climb to the top of the mast. Back in the mess, this safe haven shielding us from those torturous sounds, the junior instructors' suspiciously cheerful faces greeted us. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 1971. They faced what was without doubt the most severe punishment, cuts. . "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? 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. Observer career path/ real life experience. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. HMS Ganges in Shotley Gate, Suffolk, was a land-based training centre for recruits between 1905 and 1976. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. The overall height is 143 feet 10 inches, with the button being 11 inches diameter and 3 inches thick. what an incredible article, thanks for that dave, how far did you get up that mast? They looked smarter, more confident, or even downright dejected. Welcome to our next documentary, investigating the decaying remains and iconic abandoned swimming pool of HMS Ganges Royal Naval training school, as well as . A Gannett Company. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Ganges Tales of the T.R.O.G.s Paperback - 22 Nov. 1995 by John Douglas (Author), John Wheatley (Illustrator) 6 ratings Paperback 12.00 8 Used from 8.90 H.M.S. 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 . Roe told me "I don't like you." This was where the roped rigging jutted out some ten feet - above it, the platform. It used to be a training camp for the Navy until 1976, and in later years it was a police training school. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). On the parade ground the order went something like On the command fix! The left hand went behind the cheek of your left buttock and twisted the bayonet and scabbard upward. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. 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 . Steve Tarr. "It's very high - you get a good view though.". The mast has been a local landmark since it was. 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. But this was Ganges, we never got away with anything. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 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. 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 just finished PT before going to supper, so I was in shorts. Free (donations towards running costs are welcome) Two other ratings are recorded as 'drowning' whilst on the books of HMS Ganges and both were in 1944. First Royal Navy ship to visit Eire, post independence? Discipline was severe, routine constant and fear of punishment loomed at every turn. Maurice was nothing to do with HMS Ganges, in fact he had been a crew member of HMS Hambledon. The training was tough, brutal at times, yet many of those who came through remember HMS Ganges, at Shotley Gate, with a certain fondness. Im here as my Son (15) wants to join the RN - Wellbeck route AIB soon. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. 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. Ganges training establishment. Bob Roberts. they said. CMEM (M) Served from 1972 - 1987 Served in HMS Ganges. You are using an out of date browser. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN, Artist's impression showing the view across a residential street at the redeveloped HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. Name Hetzner Online GmbH - Contact Role. H.M.S. Shotley Marina, Shotley Gate, Ipswich, IP9 1QJ. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. It may not display this or other websites correctly. HMS Ganges as a training ship in the 1900s, HMS Ganges being broken up after training was transferred to the land base at Shotley, The boys climbed the mast whenever the base received high-status visitors, and as part of their training, The sailors in training doing exercises outside the gym, The honours board from the HMS Ganges, showing the victories of all the Royal Navy ships bearing the name. Mr Davis added: They have had the last conditions, including the fire hydrants agreed. Boys were permitted to march through the streets of Ipswich with bayonets fixed. Tangible progress to transform a former Suffolk naval training base into nearly 300 homes, a sports park, shops and a GP surgery could be seen once the coronavirus lockdown is over. Most boys just wanted to complete their year and go to sea. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. If not, you would do it repeatedly, until you dropped dead if necessary. October, new Shore Establishment created and commissioned as Royal Navy Training Establishment, Shotley. 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. the top rung of a six foot ladder is about my limit! Saw your message. 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. Posted on February 5, 2019 by irishroverpei. 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. The former treasurer of a naval veterans' organisation has been jailed for 18 months after nearly 80,000 was withdrawn from its accounts. "In 1860 she was decommissioned and laid up, and in 1866 she was turned into a training ship, and her guns were removed. 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. 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. The Cattlemarket area of Ipswich would be busy at weekends with boys in full naval uniform. HMS Ganges 2 in the harbour put all boys ashore and was then used as Naval Operations Ship, Harwich. Mast erected using the foremast of HMS Cordelia, which was broken up 1904. They say you never forget the place and I agree. At 14 he ran away to join the Royal Navy and 'signed on' for 12 years. I took a bowl and ate the lot. 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. Attempts have been made to contact developers Haylink Ltd but have been unsucessfull. 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. [1] CLICK ABOVE TO OPEN GALLERY. The greatest fear was of messing up, this meant the whole class was punished. Change). 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Thus was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime. 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. The boy was made lower his trousers, but kept is underpants on, he was made to bend over a chair. Editors' Code of Practice. Martin Foster, 54, of Haig Road, Uxbridge, had already admitted two charges of fraud by abuse of position. Tony Hayden. This page is dedicated to the memory of Tony whose commitment to the Royal Navy and especially HMS Ganges was unlimited. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. HP10 9TY. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. Yes indeed, they were the best of times and the worst of times. The lower portion of the mast is steel, extending 18 feet (5.5 m) below ground and 30 feet (9.1 m) above ground. 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. ", HMS Ganges as a warship (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Allegations of Abuse. Every new recruit was required to climb it, not to the very top but to the half moon, about thirty-feet from the top. 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. LEADING SEAMAN Served from 1961 - 1970 Served in HMS Ganges. 1906. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Ganges. 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. "They had a hard life, but they were fed and looked after. 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. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. 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. 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. Our kit was stowed in small silver lockers that we polished daily, but not like any normal person would stow their clothes. At about 60 feet was the Devil's Elbow, the most dangerous and frightening part. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 2023 BBC. MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. This site uses cookies. HMS Ganges is a little bit different though, because they have to get the spine road in first and do some prep work. Used to have chats with old Tick-Tock and RPO Salmon gave me my 1 postal order when the max was really ten bob. 10/01/36- 08/02/36 HMS Pembroke. Coronation Day of George VI. Engineer commander had been on Amethyst up the Yangtse and was quite sympathetic when he was OOD. George Douglas Blake HMS Warspite. She had taken on the previous duties from the wooden ship H.M.S. In 1907, its famous 143ft (44m)-high training . One person found this helpful. Old men on the HMS Ganges Facebook page and it helps keep alive my time spent there. later times). Maybe we boxed each other in the Shotley annexe! The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. 1937. HP10 9TY. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. David Colwill. The test consisted of two lengths of the pool while wearing a boiler suit, then floating for five minutes. Helpful Report abuse Kindle Customer Sorting The Wheat From The Chaff Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014 These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. A Gannett Company. The inquiry was carried out by Hampshire Police after debit card transactions of 4,200 and cash machine withdrawals totalling 74,000 were made from the association's bank accounts between August 2010 and June 2012. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. When the Gunnery Instructor was finally satisfied, you put the lot back in your locker as before. H.M.S. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. 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?'. It was hard, often . 'Letters back to front, remember!' While I was going through the various calls I felt his hand slipping up the back of my shorts. However lessons, culminating in a test, were much more difficult. After eating I dashed down to the boat sheds to report for my test. He was the officer that tested us when we endeavoured to qualify with a bosuns pipe. Mr Jones also offered reassurance around the historic mast, despite fears about its dilapidated state. I wondered, sewing, perhaps! In the first week of January it was snowed even harder and it snowed until March. The money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. The water was freezing cold, we never had hot water. We were ordered to turn around and bend over, if the instructor was satisfied we were clean, we were allowed out. Today lots of those instructors (JIs and Badgeboys included) would be in front of the beak for various abuses, harassment and bullying. Unfortunately HMS Ganges is no longer there apart from a few buildings and what is left of the mast. HMS Ganges moved moorings from Harwich to Shotley. Martin Foster was treasurer for veterans who served at HMS Ganges training base in Sufffolk. This punishment was something I never witnessed and can only describe from what other boys told me. He deserted on numerous occasions and willfully disobeyed orders . A historic Grade II listed former Royal Navy training mast has been taken down ahead of restoration work. 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The mast has been a local landmark since it was erected a century ago this year at the end of the Shotley peninsular. 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. It. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. 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. Recruits are shown how to stow a hammock - date of photograph unknown. When I say there was sexual abuse Im speaking from personal experience. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant). 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. I would like to see the mast and museum moved to the safety of HMS Raleigh though to ensure its upkeep and maintenance. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The master at arms held a long thin bamboo cane, the instrument of the punishment. 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. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to "Boys came into Ganges at age 15 and went into the navy as men at 16. Nevertheless, as bad and as cruel as I have describe Ganges, I remain proud to call myself a Ganges Boy. HMS Ganges (1821) This page summarises records created by this Organisation The summary includes a brief description of the collection (s) (usually including the covering dates of the. There was one hell to come, the Ganges mast! 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. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Report . I heard many boys saying things like , dont bend over in front of the seamanship officer, or always face him dont turn around. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. Even if it amazingly stayed put, as soon as I slammed the rifle onto the parade ground off it popped again. Frederick "Ben" Rodgers author of "Lily & Me", "The Royal Navy & Me" and collector of Rover automobiles, Review from Newfoundland CraigChurchill. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. 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. They looked like what we didn't, sailors. I just got on with it. Many spars are believed to have come from this ship too. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Former recruit John Youngman said it would be "nice to see it restored to its former glory". She was the last wooden wall ship to be a flagship, and the last to sail around cape horn unassisted. I did climb that mast. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. At Gagnes they spent 12 months training, and they learned everything you need to do to run a ship. It may not display this or other websites correctly. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. 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. 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. He would lay on the number of cuts prescribed, each cut raised a welt on the boys buttocks. Down the road we proudly thundered, the first time any of us had seen the outside words since the day of our arrival. Developers Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes plan to build almost 300 homes on the site and include a restored mast in the development. 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. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. Now i know why! HMS Ganges is situated on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk. (LogOut/ ', and he replied that it was the first time he had a warm bed, three hot meals a day, and a roof over his head that didn't leak. Reaching high into the sunlit sky stood the mast; its yardarms spread wide like a giant crucifix. Thanks again, D. R. WALTON the only O.E.M. He went on to be an SD subby. CPO (OPS) (EW) Served from 1966 - 1991 Served in HMS Ganges. . I shuddered to the bone, as I'm sure did other boys. Boys normally signed up to a contract of 12 years, which would leave most of them aged in their late 20s after their tours. My instructors were Nobby Clarke and Ted Roe. Well this seems a good time to see if this site works properly. Were you a 'button boy'? However, in the meantime we were still at the mercy of our instructors. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please 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?' This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's 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 would not be an exaggeration to say not one of us had the slightest idea of what lay in store for the next year. www.amazon.co.uk/H-m-S-Ganges-Dozen/dp/0906418003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269273975&sr=1-1, www.navy-net.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic/t=134/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=0.html, www.veterans-uk.info/vets_badge/vets_badge.htm. Jim Gitsham, chairman of the Shotley branch of the HMS Ganges Association, said: "Members will be delighted that he's going down. Doesnt sound too bad does it. I had already taught myself to swim. JavaScript is disabled. Probably running away was the worse decision, they were always caught and returned to the camp. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. Editors' Code of Practice. 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. Through the year the training was intense, probably a good thing, it gave us little time to regret joining the navy. Every letter, every strip of tape had to be in a perfect line. While the training ship was originally based in Cornwall, she was moved to Harwich, and then Shotley in the 1890s, in order to be closer to a centre of population. Bayonet and scabbard upward and meant so much to so many already admitted two charges of by. The RN - Wellbeck route AIB soon at RNTE Shotley until October 1976 and as cruel I. The war the Royal Navy and especially HMS Ganges site was initially opened in acted! Davis added: they have had the last to sail around cape horn unassisted this seems a good to... 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