We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. . These were all regular happenings at Ganges. Within ten minutes, a second pair of gates appeared, the gates of the real HMS Ganges. 2023 BBC. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS (Image: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS). HP10 9TY. For spite I think, because it wasn't compulsory. There were stories of many similar violations but none ever reported. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Recruits are shown how to stow a hammock - date of photograph unknown. Report abuse. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. At about 60 feet was the Devil's Elbow, the most dangerous and frightening part. Yes, I got it wrong! The cold water often caused some boys to duck in and out of the water quickly or sometimes not at all. Maybe we boxed each other in the Shotley annexe! 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. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. Shotley Marina, Shotley Gate, Ipswich, IP9 1QJ. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. 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. As Rudyard Kipping wrote in his famous poem IF the you will be a man my son. His early life was hard by any standards. 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. H.M.S. HMS GANGES MUSEUM. I told him "I don't give a flying feck!" July 5 The old HMS Ganges sails out of Harwich Harbour. Used to have chats with old Tick-Tock and RPO Salmon gave me my 1 postal order when the max was really ten bob. 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. 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). 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/ 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. John Garrett. "A lot of the boys came from foster homes, or Barnardos. They looked like what we didn't, sailors. 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?'. Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestrasse 25, D-91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany +49 9831 505-0 abuse@hetzner.com. Well this seems a good time to see if this site works properly. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. Mr Davis added: They have had the last conditions, including the fire hydrants agreed. The Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges in June 1973 Picture: ARCHANT (Image: Archant). Shotly Jan 7 1967 , 4 weeks in the annex, 11months in the main establishment,left the RN after 26 years, as C.C.MEA(P) and you could tell Ganges trained men a mile off, Regrets not a bit.Sorry for the lad in my class that drank a pint of pussers disinfectant (The black stuff that turned white when you added water) I believe he got his Discharge. 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 . Developers Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes plan to build almost 300 homes on the site and include a restored mast in the development. Each of us was required to construct a printing block using letters carved in wood. First Royal Navy ship to visit Eire, post independence? If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can The skipper was HS McKenzie who went FOSM. 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 . 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. The showers at Ganges were just one bare room with several shower heads, no privacy. Was anything in this navy free from fear? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Through the year the training was intense, probably a good thing, it gave us little time to regret joining the navy. I wrote this song a long time ago. It closed in 1998 or something. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. "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? 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 . While I was going through the various calls I felt his hand slipping up the back of my shorts. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. The HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1905, closed in 1976 and has remained derelict. In attendance was a senior officer, medical officer and the master at arms. I wondered, sewing, perhaps! 1905. I heard many boys saying things like , dont bend over in front of the seamanship officer, or always face him dont turn around. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can 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. Researched and compiled by A. S. Grimmer (Solent Division) who sadly crossed the bar 6th January 2007. Steve Tarr. 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. 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. 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. This portion was taken from the foremast of the corvette Cordelia which was paid off . A history of the Royal Navy Training Establishment HMS Ganges. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. 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. Realizing his mistake he fought back and with no way out he had no choice but to work his ticket. 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. 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. Real posh supercilious bastard. I would like to see the mast and museum moved to the safety of HMS Raleigh though to ensure its upkeep and maintenance. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Richard Dunn. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. It used to be a training camp for the Navy until 1976, and in later years it was a police training school. Thus was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime. Nevertheless, as bad and as cruel as I have describe Ganges, I remain proud to call myself a Ganges Boy. If you cracked on and didn't buckle you were okay, but I wouldn't want to do it again. 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. 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 was also a degree of sexual abuse going on at Ganges, but we boys were too scared to ever complain or report such incidents. Welcome Guest. 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. 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. To get out of the showers we had to stand before our instructor legs apart arms raised for inspection. I knew a gentleman who said when he was at Ganges in 1947 he had his first taste of hot food. Coronation Day of George VI. Rumour had it many years ago a boy did fall, bouncing off the safety net and through the Post Office roof. Read about our approach to external linking. contact the editor here. Restoration of the historic HMS Ganges Mast is well under way at Barrelmans Point in Shotley. Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. After such a long time I think it will be a welcome relief for a lot of people. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. 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! The money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. 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. HMS Ganges is situated on the Shotley Peninsula in Suffolk. Every letter of our names had to be perfectly in line. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. 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. From the top of the mast, its a long way to come ! Dec 30, 2016. 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. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please In 1907, its famous training mast was erected on the parade ground. Should one of letters be a millimetre out, you found the lot on the deck when you returned to the mess. 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. Crowds of boys from HMS Ganges would visit Ipswich when they were given a day off from the harsh naval discipline at Shotley. 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. later times). Once the situation eases a bit there will be tangible progress to be seen.. [1] The kindly chef asked me whether I intended to eat the mountain of food I'd heaped on my plate or climb it! Drake 39 mess At least the cubicles in the heads had doors on this time. CPO (OPS) (EW) Served from 1966 - 1991 Served in HMS Ganges. May 46 to HMS Wakeful, Training Flotilla for a twelve-week tour from . Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. HMS Ganges being broken up after training was transferred to the land base at Shotley (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Were you a 'button boy'? 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. and I got seven days 9s. Sadists most of them and that's from a 15 year old who was in a council care home before he joined, streetwise to fcuk and kept my head down. The training was tough, brutal at times, yet many of those who came through remember HMS Ganges, at Shotley Gate, with a certain fondness. Royal Navy 238217 Boy 1st Class HMS Ganges II. . Bob Roberts. HMS Ganges is a little bit different though, because they have to get the spine road in first and do some prep work. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. 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. Peter Cook. David Colwill. 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. It. Jim Gitsham, chairman of the Shotley branch of the HMS Ganges Association, said: "Members will be delighted that he's going down. GANGES was the shore training establishment for boy entrants into the Royal Navy from 1905 until 1976. Charles Dickens might have penned it the best of times and the worst of times. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. HMS GANGES 6th May 2009 - YouTube. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. 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