RNR IN LEEDS

Most people within the RNR community have come into contact with Ceres Division (HMS Sherwood) at some time or another and will know that a weekend with Ceres is usually one that you dont forget in a hurry.
However there are people out there (believe it or not) who haven't heard of Ceres Division. A travesty i know but i'm afraid its true.

So for those of you who haven't heard of Ceres, both inside and outside the RNR, let me take this opportunity to enlighten you. And before you ask yes this is a blatent atempt to use this formum to recruit people but its not as such by the RNR but by members of Ceres who wish to spead the love.

Ceres Division is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and is the newest, and possibly the smallest Royal Navy shore establishment in the UK. With just 35 officers and ratings on their books Ceres manage to muster on average over half that number every Thursday evening. As a Tender unit to HMS Sherwood it is the duty of Ceres Division to represent the Royal Navy throughout Yorkshire. Opened in 2005 the unit is perfectly situated at Carlton Lodge, Carlton Barracks, less than a mile from Leeds train station.

Anyone interested in coming to Ceres should contact us at;
CARR LODGE,
CARLTON BARRACKS,
CARLTON GATE.
LEEDS
LS7 1HE.
Tel: 01904 668688.
email: [email protected]

Please be aware Ceres is only manned from 19.30-2130 on Thursday evenings.

 

Say 'Hi' to Brix for us shipmate.

 

Not heard of Ceres, but did meet a CPO from Sherwood the other week...

 

HMS Ceres was a training establishment in Wetherby on the York Road opposite the Race Course. I was built in 1942 as a hostel to house the workers from the munition's factory at Thorp Arch. As soon as it was built the Admiralty took it over and called it HMS Cabot. It wasn't long before Lord Haw Haw claimed that this "ship" had been sunk. In 1943 it was renamed HMS Demitrius, this was later changed to HMS Ceres. After the war cooks and stewards were trained here until 1958 when they were all moved to Chatham. The camp then became a Borstal. The previous Ceres was a light cruiser: launched in 1917, served in WW11 and broken up in 1946.

 

Seen the new building. Suprised to hear this is the only RNR in Yorkshire.

What trades do you offer/want?

 

HMS CERES (RNR) was a Communications Training Centre (with a thriving and committed ship's company spanning a wide range of specialisations) near to Leeds/Bradford airport in Yeadon (north Leeds) and was closed as part of the 'Options for Change' measures in 1994 - a bit of a disgrace really because it left the largest county in England without any RNR representation.

I am delighted that CERES Division has re-emerged (and in the very place we (former HMS CERES people) suggested it could relocate to).

I harbour high hopes that one day it will come back as an HMS in its own right.

 

good to hear from ceres trehorn, i was on LRCC with a few sherwoods in apr/may this year. good bunch.

in a parallel universe, HMS Camperdown, Dundee, was axed under aforemention option for change.
in 2000 a satellite of HMS Scotia was opened , guess where ?

the old Camperdown building - boom boom .
you could not make it up.

 

Actually - it's worse than that.

The old Camperdown building was demolished, but beforehand the MoD said that no cadet organisations would be inconvenienced by Options for Change. Therefore, the MoD gave the Dundee Sea Cadets - who were based at Camperdown - a grant to build a new unit.

So the cadets went off, built their new unit at the other end of the docks, and Camperdown was demolished.

A few years later and Tay Division RNR, a sattelite of Scotia, is now paying to use the new cadets building!!

 

Same thing happened in swansea, HMS Dragon was closed down, and soon after, a satelite unit (Tawe division) opened in shared accom with TS Ajax SCC, and i believe this building is not a million miles away from the old HMS Dragon Building.

 

Smacks of error admission on a small scale perhaps.....

 

Ceres is mainly GSSR but is hoping to launch a Logisitics branch in the near future.

There is also moves afoot to locate an RMR unit at Ceres.

 

Anyone seen this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_Division

Ceres Division on Wikipedia

Looks rather informative doesn't it! 8O

 

It does indeed look impressive but, regrettably is inaccurate in at least one detail - "The decision to change the name to Ceres Division came from the previous HMS Ceres Reserve Training Centre based in Wetherby. Closed in 1994 along with HMS Hallam and many other RNR Units this left Yorkshire without a Royal Navy presence."

The last HMS CERES was in Yeadon (North Leeds) near to Leeds Bradford Airport and not in Wetherby.

Wetherby was where the WW11 base (now the Young Offenders prison) was located.

The Yeadon base was a not very impressive wooden hut with 2 portacabins to the rear and, latterly, a 4 portacabin classroom set-up at the end of the car-park - though the 'prize' was the former ROC bunker complete with Ops Room and humming machinery that made the place feel distinclty more military.

When we closed down the hut went to the cadets (not sure if it was Sea Cadets or ATC) and the bunker was supposed to have been taken on by the police as a Crisis Response Cell for the airport but I was told later that someone had omitted to keep the power switched on and by the time anyone came to look at it nature (in the form of water) had taken a bit of a serious grip. I would love to know if this was a gen dit or whether the bunker is still alive and well - I have many happy memories of the old HMS CERES.

 

Am hoping to go to Uni in Leeds in Sep 07, so would certainly think of attending yr drills nights to keep my hand in. However I am neither GSSR nor logs but I guess you would do NGT now on a drill night and branch training at weekends? That is what our branch does. I would still go home to my parent unit or whichever region requires instructors for our branch weekends. Do you think that might be possible?

 

I dont think that would be a problem. drill nights are - like you say mainly NGT. Most of us tend to do admin and prepare for our weekends on a drill night. Our branch training is undertaken 99% at weekends. The new entries are given NE instruction.
The POM from Sherwood attends about once a month for WHT or baton training.

 

Thanks I shall look into that from about the end of this year when I start making plans! I will need the money if I am to be a student!

 

Hi !

Am I right to think that Ceres is now located in the old LUOTC building ?

FP

 

She's in Carlton Barracks, at the far end. Don't know if its the old LUOTC building or not.

 

"Ceres Division provides ratings for the Above-Water Force Protection (AWFP), Communications and Information Systems (CIS) and Logistics (LOGS) specialisations as well as training for junior Officers."

AWFP sounds genuinely nautical and even warry - I have images of RNR scudding over the waves armed to the teeth transporting bootnecks to visit the Somali Sea Fishing Club. Interesting mobilisation opportunities ? Or is the reality marigolds and mops ?

FP

 

AWFP is the meat and bones of the RNR. It's the most common specialisation in it. And plenty of mobilisation opportunities. If you want any more info, PM me.