Oh what a state this place is very sad I started in the Annexe as a nozzer in Oct 67 then transferred to Granville division mess 25 It was hard graft but I look back on it very fondly it surely shaped my life I still use some of the same values to this day. Also joined the Bugle Band Sgt Rickard from the Royal Marines was the musical dorector he was a great guy and like anything else you did if you put the effort in the PO's CPO's noticed and would help you out CPO Ritchie was our Leader
" Walk around the outside"???????? the cameraman is walking along the hallowed Quarter-deck, where I was fell in as part of the guard to welcome the new CO, Captain Geoffrey Place VC in 1964. The building on the left was officers admin. The long covered way was to the right. Shame to see it in such a state now...........Jim Peggie
Only just found this, joined in september1970, spent 12 months here before going to HMS Mercury, tough but great fun too. Very fond memories, looked it up on Google Earth to find it all gone!
feb 75 .....633 class( leander )...our p.o was p.o.snowball....ibought a zippo lighter at the naafi with the ganges crest i still have it n it still works ......shame the same cant be said for the establishment
Im having a Ganges nite can u tell.seriously i live in NI,our daughter is 5 how can i take her 2 see this its so sad, her dad would be heartboken.Thanks 4 letting me see Ganges
This brought back so many memories. I joined Ganges in November '71, 30 Recruitment, Blake 10 Mess. The Lomg Covered way is long gone in the vid but I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
Was there 1973-4, remember it fondly no matter how barbaric some say it was. Was part of the Chair Tricks team who did The Royal Tournament and Colchester Tattoo, fantastic time.
Was in Blake Division can`t remember the Mess number, about third or fourth on the right as you went down Long Covered Way.
Never forgot my training. Went onto HMS Collingwood as JCEM.
Anyone remember Green Gilbert, the ghost of the Laundry ?
Green Gilbert! I had forgotten that but the again I am getting long in the tooth (1969 entrant!) I remember Doby dust thought and those excellent dryers in the laundry. Also have memories of spray starch and doing creases using the id card to separate them! Anyone remember the small hovercraft at the top of Frobisher Division? I was on the deck next to it! and the PTI's making us run up and down that bloody hill! Swines lol Truly life making days!
By the way, does anyone else remember a tour of the Tolly Cobold (shpelling?!) brewery? I seem to remember so young lads sat on the bog the whole of the next day!
Dad was a POW for 3.5 yrs in Nagasaki WW2 after HMS Exeter was sunk in the Java Sea...He LOVED the place and said it helped him survive the POW camps.
I was there briefly in 1971. Ashanti mess then in Frobisher 17 mess. Got to admit I hated the place with a vengeance. D by R'd at the first opportunity. Still a bit saddened by whats happened to the place.
40 recruitment 72/73....Hard but bloody good fun at times!...Set me up for being able to look after myself and have respect for others. If this sort of place was in existance today,it would make the street 'gangs' look like right nonces!
So sad it taught me respect you cant find teaching places like that nowadays thats why we have so much trouble with the young ones today. spent a happy year there blake division no.12 recruitment 1969/70.
Blake 8 Mess 71/72. so sad to see the place we loved to hate, that probably made us the good people we are today. laying in a heap of rubble. sad times
I visited around the same time and took the walk from the maingate to the sailing centre. I doubled across the quarterdeck just incase the 'screaming skull' was hiding by the Admin block!
the plan is to develope the site with retirement type housing retaining the mast as a community focal point.
I was there in 1958-59, and have been back twice since it closed. Both times I could not get past the main gate, which were securely locked. The last time was about 6 years ago and it appears to have gone down hill since then. When one thinks of the uses it could be put to, and yet has been left deserted all these years. Amazing!
what more is ther to say love the place or hate the place its where a lot of us where taught lots of lessons in life and to see it like this is just so sad. i was there in 71/72 25th recruitment
thats just wrong, something like that to go to waste...it was closed before i was even born, but why not clean it up and re-open it as a new sea cadet unit? it certainly would be used well, although i think on climbing the mast a little more than a shilling may need to be given to the 'button boy'
Sad to see this important piece of history in such a state,can we not at least ensure the mast is kept in good condition, that in itself was/is the icon of HMS Ganges.
I visited again back 1991, at least then what remained was in reasonable condition.
There is no doubt the profound effect my time at Ganges had on me.... it was tough, it had to be... I suspect that many of the ex boys have gone onto greater things as a result of this place.
It is criminal to have let this establishment go to ruin when it has so much history and so much to give even if as a detention centre for illegal immigrants !
Oh what a state this place is very sad I started in the Annexe as a nozzer in Oct 67 then transferred to Granville division mess 25 It was hard graft but I look back on it very fondly it surely shaped my life I still use some of the same values to this day. Also joined the Bugle Band Sgt Rickard from the Royal Marines was the musical dorector he was a great guy and like anything else you did if you put the effort in the PO's CPO's noticed and would help you out CPO Ritchie was our Leader
krisfirth 1 year ago
" Walk around the outside"???????? the cameraman is walking along the hallowed Quarter-deck, where I was fell in as part of the guard to welcome the new CO, Captain Geoffrey Place VC in 1964. The building on the left was officers admin. The long covered way was to the right. Shame to see it in such a state now...........Jim Peggie
superpeploe 1 year ago
16 September 1975.......Lovely.
gotland483 1 year ago
Only just found this, joined in september1970, spent 12 months here before going to HMS Mercury, tough but great fun too. Very fond memories, looked it up on Google Earth to find it all gone!
Pommey82 2 years ago
feb 75 .....633 class( leander )...our p.o was p.o.snowball....ibought a zippo lighter at the naafi with the ganges crest i still have it n it still works ......shame the same cant be said for the establishment
CHILLO1231 2 years ago
@CHILLO1231 fucking miserable isnt it :(
IRememberTheOldDays 6 months ago
Im having a Ganges nite can u tell.seriously i live in NI,our daughter is 5 how can i take her 2 see this its so sad, her dad would be heartboken.Thanks 4 letting me see Ganges
beardysgirl 2 years ago
This brought back so many memories. I joined Ganges in November '71, 30 Recruitment, Blake 10 Mess. The Lomg Covered way is long gone in the vid but I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
PeterAnthony1999 2 years ago
Was there 1973-4, remember it fondly no matter how barbaric some say it was. Was part of the Chair Tricks team who did The Royal Tournament and Colchester Tattoo, fantastic time.
Was in Blake Division can`t remember the Mess number, about third or fourth on the right as you went down Long Covered Way.
Never forgot my training. Went onto HMS Collingwood as JCEM.
Anyone remember Green Gilbert, the ghost of the Laundry ?
carl2456 2 years ago
@carl2456
Green Gilbert! I had forgotten that but the again I am getting long in the tooth (1969 entrant!) I remember Doby dust thought and those excellent dryers in the laundry. Also have memories of spray starch and doing creases using the id card to separate them! Anyone remember the small hovercraft at the top of Frobisher Division? I was on the deck next to it! and the PTI's making us run up and down that bloody hill! Swines lol Truly life making days!
Llamehtdos2 1 year ago
@Llamehtdos2
By the way, does anyone else remember a tour of the Tolly Cobold (shpelling?!) brewery? I seem to remember so young lads sat on the bog the whole of the next day!
Llamehtdos2 1 year ago
@Llamehtdos2 I remember having to run up and down Faith, Hope and Charity...that was bloody murder.
blagger56 11 months ago
@blagger56 all three women at once!? Christ!
IRememberTheOldDays 6 months ago
so sad to see ganges like this ??
bilbobagins1951 2 years ago
Dad was a POW for 3.5 yrs in Nagasaki WW2 after HMS Exeter was sunk in the Java Sea...He LOVED the place and said it helped him survive the POW camps.
WELLBRAN 3 years ago
I was there briefly in 1971. Ashanti mess then in Frobisher 17 mess. Got to admit I hated the place with a vengeance. D by R'd at the first opportunity. Still a bit saddened by whats happened to the place.
carolinesmammaries 3 years ago
40 recruitment 72/73....Hard but bloody good fun at times!...Set me up for being able to look after myself and have respect for others. If this sort of place was in existance today,it would make the street 'gangs' look like right nonces!
dazjvans 3 years ago
So sad it taught me respect you cant find teaching places like that nowadays thats why we have so much trouble with the young ones today. spent a happy year there blake division no.12 recruitment 1969/70.
haylabretttt 3 years ago
Blake 8 Mess 71/72. so sad to see the place we loved to hate, that probably made us the good people we are today. laying in a heap of rubble. sad times
sunsoka 3 years ago
I visited around the same time and took the walk from the maingate to the sailing centre. I doubled across the quarterdeck just incase the 'screaming skull' was hiding by the Admin block!
the plan is to develope the site with retirement type housing retaining the mast as a community focal point.
The Joss, 38 recruitment 72
F72ariadne 3 years ago
I was there in 1974, but it still angers me to see such a fine piece of history swept away by a Government that has no interest iits own Country.
gillettsibert1 3 years ago
I was there 64/65. Tiger in the Annex and Exmouth in the main camp. They should never have closed the place.
Green1812Arrow 3 years ago 2
I was there in 1958-59, and have been back twice since it closed. Both times I could not get past the main gate, which were securely locked. The last time was about 6 years ago and it appears to have gone down hill since then. When one thinks of the uses it could be put to, and yet has been left deserted all these years. Amazing!
peedeebee15 3 years ago 2
what more is ther to say love the place or hate the place its where a lot of us where taught lots of lessons in life and to see it like this is just so sad. i was there in 71/72 25th recruitment
gazzer56 3 years ago 2
thats just wrong, something like that to go to waste...it was closed before i was even born, but why not clean it up and re-open it as a new sea cadet unit? it certainly would be used well, although i think on climbing the mast a little more than a shilling may need to be given to the 'button boy'
zlister415 3 years ago 2
Sad to see this important piece of history in such a state,can we not at least ensure the mast is kept in good condition, that in itself was/is the icon of HMS Ganges.
I visited again back 1991, at least then what remained was in reasonable condition.
There is no doubt the profound effect my time at Ganges had on me.... it was tough, it had to be... I suspect that many of the ex boys have gone onto greater things as a result of this place.
Muzzo
Frobisher 11 mess 1971 23 Recruitment
Muzzo5 3 years ago 2
Very sad to watch.
Frobisher div, Benbow Lane.
32 mess, 87 rec. 1966
catchelot 3 years ago 2
anyone there 1960 to 1961
HENRYFOLEY 3 years ago
Really sad to see that magnificent mast decaying , I was there in 69.
gillybob333 3 years ago
Hi I was there in 69 blake division No 12 recruitment.Will Carruthers.
haylabretttt 3 years ago
What a shame to see the place like this after so, so many man hours were spent keeping the site spotless over the years.
It brought a tear to my eyes.
Mick.
Elsucava 3 years ago
It is criminal to have let this establishment go to ruin when it has so much history and so much to give even if as a detention centre for illegal immigrants !
ganpafixit 3 years ago
How sad to see the old place
pincher20 4 years ago
How sad. Was there in 1965, such a pitty that things have to decay. But time moves on. PINCHER
pincher20 4 years ago