contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. It began snowing on Boxing Day. The water was freezing cold, we never had hot water. Indeed, I have never met a shipmate would ever claim otherwise. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 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. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Did my intro to Pusser at HMS Raleigh in ' 52 . We caught up with Jim Dines, Director of TS Rigging, whose team. interesting .. photos of the old pool. 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. 1971. Didn't like it, there are better ways of teaching than violence, but it hardened me up and made me self disciplined. Among his many punishments, he suffered cuts, a particularly brutal form of Naval punishment. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. 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. 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. Finally he withdrew his hand and declared I passed the test. 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. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). Editors' Code of Practice. Ronald Carr. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. Unfortunately HMS Ganges is no longer there apart from a few buildings and what is left of the mast. Ganges Museum is located at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, in what was the Enright Block, on the foreshore of the former H.M.S. 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. George Douglas Blake HMS Warspite. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. I shuddered to the bone, as I'm sure did other boys. 'Letters back to front, remember!' 1976. At 14 he ran away to join the Royal Navy and signed on for 12 years. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Maybe we boxed each other in the Shotley annexe! A historic Grade II listed former Royal Navy training mast has been taken down ahead of restoration work. 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. Thus was the nature of Ganges harsh training regime. Captain Tremlett, the Senior Officer of training ships, was ordered to investigate the situation and reported that Commander Stevens 'had given punishments . LRO (G) Served from 1975 - 1998 Served in HMS Ganges. Former recruit John Youngman said it would be "nice to see it restored to its former glory". 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. 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. When I say there was sexual abuse Im speaking from personal experience. 2023 BBC. Network 157.90../16 Abuse Contact API. They say you never forget the place and I agree. Crowned on June 2, 1953, at the age of 25, Elizabeth II went on to have the longest reign for a British queen. The HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. Were you a 'button boy'? We had just finished PT before going to supper, so I was in shorts. There was a way to bypass it for cowards like me, but God help you if you tried using it. . Royal Navy 238217 Boy 1st Class HMS Ganges II. Peter Ohara. Researched and compiled by A. S. Grimmer (Solent Division) who sadly crossed the bar 6th January 2007. 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. 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. The Cattlemarket area of Ipswich would be busy at weekends with boys in full naval uniform. It closed in 1998 or something. Click here to remove banner ads from this forum. Every letter, every strip of tape had to be in a perfect line. The 142-foot high (43 m) mast was erected in 1907. 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. George Blake joined the Navy in 1935 and served up to 1950. He was an Electricians Mate Class 1 and served in, 12/03/35-09/01/36 HMS Ganges. 10/01/36- 08/02/36 HMS Pembroke. He deserted on numerous occasions and willfully disobeyed orders . Im quite sure few if any boys receiving cuts ever thought to run away again. 1905. I joined Ganges 30th June 1955 also as a boy telegraphist. Down the road we proudly thundered, the first time any of us had seen the outside words since the day of our arrival. MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. Some boys were home sick, some just tried to stay out of trouble, one or two ran away. Richard Dunn. HMS Ganges. She had taken on the previous duties from the wooden ship H.M.S. HMS Ganges closed on June 6. 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. Statistics for the 1930s indicate some 200 official canings per year in HMS Ganges alone, an average of four per week. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. The rest of the class were not pleased to suffer because of one boys stupidity and sometimes made a cruel point of letting the culprit know. 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. Boys normally signed up to a contract of 12 years, which would leave most of them aged in their late 20s after their tours. I was ordered to report for my test one evening after supper. 1905 - 1976 She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich and Shotley . 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. His early life was hard by any standards. 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. Used to have chats with old Tick-Tock and RPO Salmon gave me my 1 postal order when the max was really ten bob. Our abuse contact API returns data containing information belonging to the abuse contact of every IP address on the Internet. Ken said: It was a dreadful winter. 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. 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 I was sent to the training Ship HMS Ganges a cruel harsh 12 months lay ahead of me and thousands of other boys. There were stories of many similar violations but none ever reported. I just got on with it. The kindly chef asked me whether I intended to eat the mountain of food I'd heaped on my plate or climb it! 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 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. There was a seamanship officer at the boat sheds. HP10 9TY. You are using an out of date browser. Should one of letters be a millimetre out, you found the lot on the deck when you returned to the mess. Write to Dave Kindred, Kindred Spirits, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. In 1907, its famous 143ft (44m)-high training . Roe told me "I don't like you." Observer career path/ real life experience. I told him "I don't give a flying feck!" At about 60 feet was the Devil's Elbow, the most dangerous and frightening part. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. 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 . 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/ Back in the mess, this safe haven shielding us from those torturous sounds, the junior instructors' suspiciously cheerful faces greeted us. He was fondling my right cheek as I tried to concentrate on pipping. 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. First the older of the two, Maurice WRIGHT JX 657902. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. HMS GANGES 6th May 2009 - YouTube. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. We were ordered to turn around and bend over, if the instructor was satisfied we were clean, we were allowed out. To get out of the showers we had to stand before our instructor legs apart arms raised for inspection. 1914. LEADING SEAMAN Served from 1961 - 1970 Served in HMS Ganges. 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. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. 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. From the top of the mast, its a long way to come ! Recruits are shown how to stow a hammock - date of photograph unknown. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. 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.. 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. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Old men on the HMS Ganges Facebook page and it helps keep alive my time spent there. HMS Ganges 2 in the harbour put all boys ashore and was then used as Naval Operations Ship, Harwich. I arrived at Ganges in the late afternoon on March 15th 1955, along with roughly a hundred other fifteen year old boys. 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. 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 money belonged to the HMS Ganges Association for people who served at the former naval training base at Shotley Gate near Ipswich, Suffolk. Joined Ganges Feb '61..went through the same as everyone else. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. This portion was taken from the foremast of the corvette Cordelia which was paid off . Roughly a hundred other fifteen year old boys former Royal Navy we never hot. 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