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. 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. 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. Martin Foster, 54, of Haig Road, Uxbridge, had already admitted two charges of fraud by abuse of position. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich and Shotley . Read about our approach to external linking. For spite I think, because it wasn't compulsory. He was subsequently dismissed from the service and returned to civilian life. H.M.S. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Editors' Code of Practice. My heart sank and my elation evaporated as I desperately tried to quash all fears of my body falling from the Devil's Elbow. in the RN with the nickname Doc. HP10 9TY. 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. 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. Dave Walton RN retired. 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. ", HMS Ganges as a warship (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). "Boys came into Ganges at age 15 and went into the navy as men at 16. Please Login or Register. Attempts have been made to contact developers Haylink Ltd but have been unsucessfull. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Engineer commander had been on Amethyst up the Yangtse and was quite sympathetic when he was OOD. 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/ HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! I knew a gentleman who said when he was at Ganges in 1947 he had his first taste of hot food. H.M.S. The number of air raids at Shotley began to increase dramatically and its ratings soon had to go to the air . Yes indeed, they were the best of times and the worst of times. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to The water was freezing cold, we never had hot water. Should one of letters be a millimetre out, you found the lot on the deck when you returned to the mess. The training was tough, brutal at times, yet many of those who came through remember HMS Ganges, at Shotley Gate, with a certain fondness. 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. 1971. 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. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Ganges. The 142-foot high (43 m) mast was erected in 1907. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). While I probably believed the stories, I was still determined to quality for my chain. Bob Roberts. The Cattlemarket area of Ipswich would be busy at weekends with boys in full naval uniform. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Padre Weekes was always good for a fag and Jim Conroy (PTI) taught me to yodel. and I got seven days 9s. The HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1905, closed in 1976 and has remained derelict. [1] I took a bowl and ate the lot. 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. Researched and compiled by A. S. Grimmer (Solent Division) who sadly crossed the bar 6th January 2007. She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. October, new Shore Establishment created and commissioned as Royal Navy Training Establishment, Shotley. She had taken on the previous duties from the wooden ship H.M.S. Indeed, I have never met a shipmate would ever claim otherwise. Rumour had it many years ago a boy did fall, bouncing off the safety net and through the Post Office roof. later times). Independent Babergh District councillor for Ganges, Derek Davis. 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. the top rung of a six foot ladder is about my limit! The HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1905, closed in 1976 and has remained . There was a seamanship officer at the boat sheds. Doesnt sound too bad does it. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Within ten minutes, a second pair of gates appeared, the gates of the real HMS Ganges. Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. A planning application for the site was submitted and outline permission was granted in 2015. 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. 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 . She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). It was hard, often . Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Write to Dave Kindred, Kindred Spirits, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. Ronald Carr. interesting .. photos of the old pool. The mast has been a local landmark since it was. 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. 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. Commander was Trick and a good egg. 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. HMS GANGES MUSEUM. Some 100 boy-sailors were in the canteen, chewing and chattering; clattering knives forks and spoons against plates and bowls. 1907. 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. . "They had a hard life, but they were fed and looked after. A historic Grade II listed former Royal Navy training mast has been taken down ahead of restoration work. and for those of you who served at ganges and who have't joined the association go on..nothing to lose and you'll find a lot of old shipmates there!! 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. 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. 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. 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. Old men on the HMS Ganges Facebook page and it helps keep alive my time spent there. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 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. From the annexe, I had sometimes seen it, partly hidden by snowy skies as it towered above the buildings, and it looked frightening then, but now, marching beneath its cobweb rigging, it looked truly awesome. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 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. 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. Network 157.90../16 Abuse Contact API. The showers at Ganges were just one bare room with several shower heads, no privacy. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. They looked smarter, more confident, or even downright dejected. A history of the Royal Navy Training Establishment HMS Ganges. 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. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. Maybe we were unlucky with Instructors as one was Court Marshalled, discharged and sent to prison for so called abuse. My instructors were Nobby Clarke and Ted Roe. They faced what was without doubt the most severe punishment, cuts. It was hoped that Developers Haylink Ltd would start work early this year, but their plans were scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic. MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. AboutPressCopyrightContact. The site was closed in 1976 and was used as a maaried quarter estate by the RAF. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. When I say there was sexual abuse Im speaking from personal experience. 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. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. 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. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Ganges training establishment. 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. Mr Davis added: They have had the last conditions, including the fire hydrants agreed. [1] "We're hoping that we can get some of the money back from him, but we don't know if that's going to be possible.". RO1 (T) Served from 1970 - 1975 Served in HMS Ganges. Click here to remove banner ads from this forum. RM B54PCM - Twiggy the baby elephant was half an hour late for her appointment to 'tow of the premises', the 47 year old Captain Derek Napper Napper, skipper of HMS Ganges the naval training school at Shotley Suffolk, and found she had been replaced by a couple of horses. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. 1959 and what a bugger Ganges turned out to be. ( Royal Naval Detention Quarters RNDQs Portsmouth), Listen to No Flowers for Geordie on SoundCloud. Most boys just wanted to complete their year and go to sea. 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. Charles Dickens might have penned it the best of times and the worst of times. 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. 1937. Editors' Code of Practice. Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. 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. HMS Ganges in Shotley Gate, Suffolk, was a land-based training centre for recruits between 1905 and 1976. 1906. 1927. Used to have chats with old Tick-Tock and RPO Salmon gave me my 1 postal order when the max was really ten bob. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He was quite good too. Boys normally signed up to a contract of 12 years, which would leave most of them aged in their late 20s after their tours. . She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. 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. So as I have said already, we kept our heads down aiming for that final day when wed be drafted to a ship. . John Garrett. 2023 BBC. HMS Ganges was also known as Shotley Training Establishment . Such a tragedy that this historical place has been left to rot. The cold water often caused some boys to duck in and out of the water quickly or sometimes not at all. H.M.S. HP10 9TY. They were both Ordinary Seamen, one aged 17 and the other aged 18. Ken said: It was a dreadful winter. However, in the meantime we were still at the mercy of our instructors. Discipline was severe, routine constant and fear of punishment loomed at every turn. Not to the required half-moon, but to the first platform, where, when authoritative eyes were averted, I dashed to the other side and climbed back down.. Sad to see such an establishment close as it was so full of history and meant so much to so many. 11.00 to 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of October. The next six years passed with regular naval detentions, ( Royal Naval Detention Quarters RNDQs Portsmouth) exhausting punishments, solitary confinements, ending with a twelve month sentence in the infamous HMP Corradino, Malta. 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. HMS Ganges. Ken Smith, who now lives in Brighton, sent me memories of arriving at HMS Ganges in the severe winter of 1963 and his fear of the dreaded mast. 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