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. Were you a 'button boy'? He was quite good too. 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. On October 28 the White Ensign was lowered for the last time and the ships figurehead was transferred to Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. 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. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. HMS Ganges being broken up after training was transferred to the land base at Shotley (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). Was anything in this navy free from fear? 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. The Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley (known within the Royal Navy as HMS Ganges) was established in southern Suffolk in 1905. He went on to be an SD subby. Read about our approach to external linking. . Today lots of those instructors (JIs and Badgeboys included) would be in front of the beak for various abuses, harassment and bullying. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Ganges. No way would the Royal Navy let the opportunity to instill fear into a young boy pass them by, So began another nine months of laughter and tears, disaster and joy. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. They faced what was without doubt the most severe punishment, cuts. 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. 2023 BBC. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. 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. CHARGE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER (WEA) Served from 1974 - 1997 Served in HMS Ganges. David Colwill. Roger Jones, chairman at the HMS Ganges Museum said: "HMS Ganges was originally a ship of the wooden wall, launched in 1821. 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. 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. Im quite sure few if any boys receiving cuts ever thought to run away again. Picture: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, The Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges in June 1973 Picture: ARCHANT. 1937. 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. Finally he withdrew his hand and declared I passed the test. 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. Back in the mess, this safe haven shielding us from those torturous sounds, the junior instructors' suspiciously cheerful faces greeted us. H.M.S. She was based alternately in Falmouth, Harwich (from 1899) and Shotley (from 1905). Developers Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes plan to build almost 300 homes on the site and include a restored mast in the development. Aerial artist's impression of one of the green spaces earmarked for the former HMS. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. 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. Among his many punishments, he suffered cuts, a particularly brutal form of Naval punishment. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. George Blake joined the Navy in 1935 and served up to 1950. After initial training we were marched from the training camp. Doesnt sound too bad does it. 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 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. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The HMS Ganges training base, which opened in 1905, closed in 1976 and has remained . I did climb that mast. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Sailors' uniforms were a familiar sight in our area until HMS Ganges closed in June 1976. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. 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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! 1971. contact the editor here. Saw your message. 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. When I say there was sexual abuse Im speaking from personal experience. While I probably believed the stories, I was still determined to quality for my chain. After eating I dashed down to the boat sheds to report for my test. She was the last wooden wall ship to be a flagship, and the last to sail around cape horn unassisted. 11.00 to 17.00 Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of October. We had no one to confide in, our instructors would more than likely told us not to tell tales. Click here to remove banner ads from this forum. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant). We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. Royal Navy 238217 Boy 2nd Class HMS Ganges II. "They had a hard life, but they were fed and looked after. It had been HO (Hostilities-only) traing during the war. 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. 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. 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. LEADING SEAMAN Served from 1961 - 1970 Served in HMS Ganges. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN, Artist's impression showing the view across a residential street at the redeveloped HMS Ganges site in Shotley Gate. Editors' Code of Practice. Allegations of Abuse. 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. HMS Ganges was a training ship and later stone frigate of the Royal Navy. The culprit was brought before the Commanders table, the punishment was awarded as six or twelve cuts. . Well this seems a good time to see if this site works properly. "Boys came into Ganges at age 15 and went into the navy as men at 16. MT2 Served from 1965 - 2021 Served in HMS Ganges. You are using an out of date browser. in the RN with the nickname Doc. This was where the roped rigging jutted out some ten feet - above it, the platform. "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. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. 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. contact the editor here. [1] "A lot of the boys came from foster homes, or Barnardos. 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. Editors' Code of Practice. George Douglas Blake HMS Warspite. 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. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's It closed in 1998 or something. Statistics for the 1930s indicate some 200 official canings per year in HMS Ganges alone, an average of four per week. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. "The rest of the buildings, including Nelsons Hall and the swimming pool will be converted into flats, shops and a sports centre. Roe told me "I don't like you." ", The honours board from the HMS Ganges, showing the victories of all the Royal Navy ships bearing the name (Image: HMS Ganges Museum). 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! Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Shotley Marina, Shotley Gate, Ipswich, IP9 1QJ. But this was Ganges, we never got away with anything. 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. One person found this helpful. Didn't like it, there are better ways of teaching than violence, but it hardened me up and made me self disciplined. Did my intro to Pusser at HMS Raleigh in ' 52 . Some 100 boy-sailors were in the canteen, chewing and chattering; clattering knives forks and spoons against plates and bowls. She had taken on the previous duties from the wooden ship H.M.S. 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. Tony Hayden. 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. It. 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. They looked smarter, more confident, or even downright dejected. 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. In 1907, its famous training mast was erected on the parade ground. An appeal by Woolverstone Parish Council was turned down two years later. Our kit was stowed in small silver lockers that we polished daily, but not like any normal person would stow their clothes. 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. 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 HMS Ganges site was initially opened in 1904 acted as a boys training facility for the Royal Navy. This site uses cookies. 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. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Read about our approach to external linking. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. 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. First Royal Navy ship to visit Eire, post independence? Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from HMS Ganges. 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. We were ushered in as a group of naked boys and told to wash thoroughly. (LogOut/ 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. Even by naval training standards life there was controlled by a very strict regime. A planning application for the site was submitted and outline permission was granted in 2015. 2Nd Class HMS Ganges ship and later stone frigate of the iconic mast the... Lot of the iconic mast at the former HMS ships figurehead was transferred to Royal Hospital,! If any boys receiving cuts ever thought to run away again previous duties from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired ' callback.!, IP9 1QJ well this seems a good time to see if this site is of.: CLAGUE ARCHITECTS, the Duke of Edinburgh visiting HMS Ganges the HMS Ganges )... 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