Share your memories on the Ganges?

8) Hello once again,

I been reading through this forum, and i see a lot of ex-service men/women talking about the ganges... And was wondering what its all about.. and were is it, what went on...

Share your memories and knoledge with me, im interested to hear it, i'm joining the navy in a month or so... Hopefully as a clearance diver.

Thanks, Dean # 8)

 

Don't encourage them any more, every topic, it seems, is taken over by Ganges remarks, the place has its own website, do a search and find it. In the mean time it would be nice to see the odd thread that doesn't tell us all how hard they were treated. You would have thought that they would have got over it by now, or gone into therepy. :lol:

 

Try www.hmsgangesassoc.org

This is the Ganges site, you should get a lot of info from here.

 

Most were damaged by their experience but just don't see it.

I think they are all a bit wierd.

 

Weird? Us? Nah! You're getting us muddled up with the ex-St.Vincent boys. We are all quite unweird

I'd agree: most of us probably were damaged by the experience (some of us badly) that's why we have a NEED to talk Ganges. Some matelots only remember the good times (or claim to) others like me only remember the bad times (Ganges, and little else!!!). As for therapy, well I though that's what Rum Ration was to help with? I wouldn't worry Nemo: you won't be treated like we were. I suggest you take Janner's advice and look at the specific Ganges threads on the site.

Visit: http://www.rumration.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=650.html

and: http://www.rumration.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=380.html

And for a more positive look at the place, visit Geoff Wessex's (Chalcraft) site at: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/career/67-70.html

 

D3 -------Ganges was a new entry training establishment for kids aged Fifteen to Fifteen and a half maximum age group. Kids of that age are quite impressionable -----------so the training was different --call it that if you like . The Navy required the boys parents to relinquish their guardianship before the enlistment could take place.
The instructors recieved no formal training so some did interpret the course notes in their own way. However most of them acheived what was required .
To teach and educate young people how to look afterthemselves and to prepare them for a useful life in the RN .


You will no doubt go to the new entry training establishment called HMS Raleigh ------------be prepared to learn lots and always keep a smile on your face .

 

Nozzy----------------------less of the derogatory remarks about us superior
boys at St Vincent :lol: :lol: :lol:


We wuz exactly the same as the roughs and scruffs at Ganges --however we just happened to be the brains ----------- and deserved slightly better. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I'd agree. They took us on as boys and made us men. However I've always been a bit worried after reading Gathorne-Hardy's discussion of the effects of a Public School education: '...but what kind of men?' :| Of course we all thought we were men when we joined up!

 

It took some brain power to be a JRO: especially remembering to read flag semaphore signals 'back-to-front' once you had (barely) mastered waving the things in the first place. We were only roughs and scruffs because Chiefy didn't tuck us in our beds at night and tell us all how life would be incalculably better after we left that place! Now had we had some St.Vincent style TLC, as you clearly experienced Greenie, we'd have been OK :lol: :lol: :lol: The nearest Ganges got to TLC was an officer walking through the Annexe on our first (?) night away from home holding a hurricane lamp up to make sure we were all tucked up in bed. O the excitement. O the anticipation. O the shock the following morning!!! 8O

 

Anyone would think we are trying to take over the world.

Ganges once imprisoned you will never forget, may be the best thing to happen to me gave an education a yearning to learn a set of morals and don’t forget we were there for a year as very young impressionable boys

 

I didn't really want to extend this thread - perhaps the moderator could throw all the Ganges thread together. However, one of the useful things about Ganges was that we still had to go to school (bearing in mind we were 15/16) and improved our spelling and grammar - hence lots of ex-Ganges people able to correspond regularly on here.
Joining as a Clearance Diver, eh? It's a shame that Careers Offices are directing people into Branches that are really 'specialisations' - I always think youngsters should spend a few years in the RN in a basic 'trade' before specialising. Find their feet first, so to speak. Elsewhere on this Forum we have people yet to join who want to be Divers, Information Systems Engineers" (starting out as Lieutenants!), Regulating Branch, PTIs, Submariners etc.

 

I think that was the same Walt, Geoff, going to join them all (or more probably none), I expect He's already got his Dolphins, Green Beret, Wings etc from ebay 8O

 

There are people interested in joining the Regulating Branch? Obviously some people have no shame. Ganges was also very good at teaching us chartwork, though I must admit my map reading skills are another matter. Never did quite master using a compass in conjunction with a map! :lol:

 

The one thing that you can't fail to miss about Ganges boys is their undying love for the place even tho they were all treated like convicts in Georgian nick.

 

Yes strange isn’t it? I have been trying to figure that one out for longer than I care to remember, still drag out photos (taken by you know who) from time to time

 

Any TROGs out there remember the ditty:

'HMS Ganges is a wonderful place,
But the way that they run it is a f****g disgrace...'

etc etc ??

 

Of course one of the great skills taught to us RP's was the ability to read and write both upside down and back to front. Now back to front is a dead and usless art but the upside down bit has held me in good stead during interviews, clashes with bank clerks/managers, solicitors etc. when you can read their notes and papers from your side of the fence. Even better when I was Old Bill all CID Officers should be taught the art.

Nutty

PS. The World is populated by two types of people TROG's and the rest.

 

Reading back to front I can see........but upside down ???

 

Picture an Attack Plot (an electric chart table) at the side of a submarine control room....... Skipper, standing at a periscope, has to see the right picture, as would the Navvy, and usually the RP1 or RP2 who's 'running' the plot and making helpful suggestions about the 'firing solution', then there's an RO or RP making timing records on the chart. But that table isn't that big, so some of you have to stand on the wrong side, so some notes are written (and read) upside down.
The back to front stuff, as you say, is more obvious, with the RPs making pretty pictures with chinagraphs at the back of a perspex plot.
Funny ole game, the submarine attack - also the only time I've ever used trigonometry in anger since skool.

 

Sorry,

Still can't see the upside down bit.

Do try again.