HMS Ganges at Shotley Gate: What was it like to train on the Royal Navy base near Ipswich which turned ‘boys to men’?

A few miles outside Ipswich lies one of the most prestigious training bases for young boys who wished to join the Royal Navy.

Between 1905 and 1976, more than 160,000 boys, as young as 15 and often from troubled backgrounds, were trained at Royal Naval Training Establishment Shotley in Shotley Gate.

The base was colloquially known as HMS Ganges, after the ship that used to be moored there.

HMS Ganges had a rich history dating back to 1779, with several ships going under the name. The 84-gun ship that forms the basis of our story was commissioned in 1821 and was turned into a training ship in 1865.

The base has inspired friendships and a community with the boys who served there.

But, what was it like to get training there?

Colin Chapman, the chairman of the HMS Ganges museum, is a former ‘Ganges boy’ and underwent training at the base between 1963 and 1964.

He said the regimen turned ‘boys into men’ – which has become a motto of the museum.

Mr Chapman said: “It’s easy to say the training was hard, but I also felt it was fair.

“Many of the boys came from troubled backgrounds – they were orphans, on the streets, would otherwise turn to crime – and the regimen installed a sense of discipline. I think one of the reasons it was so hard was because it was different.

“After I left, I came back to HMS Ganges to train boys in the 1970s. By then they’d had to reduce hard discipline, and got a little softer, although they still commanded and demanded respect. It didn’t change that much.

“While the discipline was important, the boys also formed life-long friendships. I’m from Colchester and served alongside my best friend who I went to school with, and the museum and legacy of the base kept us together and gave us a story to share.”

Mr Chapman said boys came from all over the UK and Ireland to be trained at HMS Ganges.

During World War Two, the boys at HMS Ganges were moved to the Isle of Man. A further 60,000 people were trained for service at sea there.

HMS Ganges first moored in Harwich in 1899 and was sent across the River Stour to Shotley in 1903.

The medical wing was the first thing to be built at the base, followed by accommodation for the boys in 1904. Mr Chapman said conditions could be harsh and cramped aboard the ship before the crew came to shore, which they did in 1905.

In the early days, instructors slept in the same mess as the boys, which lasted until 1920.

The base was heavily developed in the following decades, which included the building which now houses the museum, which was constructed in 1963.

There were many things the recruits had to do or learn during their time at HMS Ganges.

Mandatory activities included boxing, embroidering names into uniforms, learning to swim, and weaving hammocks.

In addition to military discipline, the boys were also taught a trade and received further schooling.

As many as 2,000 boys could be training at once.

John Arbon, a trustee for the museum, served at HMS Ganges in 1959 to 1960. He trained as a seaman.

Punishments could be strict, he said. One famous form of discipline included getting the boys to dress in an oil skin coat and carry a Lee Enfield rifle above their heads. They were then commanded to run up and down steps known as ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’.

Mr Arbon said the oil skin coat was removed when one boy ‘dropped down dead’.

The museum said beatings were also common in the early days.

Mr Arbon stated: “As many boys came from rough backgrounds, HMS Ganges may have been the first time they had three square meals, a roof over their heads, clothes, friends, sports, a trade, and the chance to get a proper education. Service also gave them a history to cling to and feel a part of.

“Boys ate, slept and lived in the Mess. We had to weave our own hammocks, which would be lashed up and stood against the hull when not in use – a tradition that dates back centuries as a way of shielding against cannon fire. We were also given pocket money, although smoking was forbidden.

“For the first six weeks, we would be at the Annex. There, we would learn to shoot, march, rifle drill, and climb the mast. You were also taught the basics of how to look after yourself. We were young boys, and there was a good chance most boys’ mothers did much of the looking after before they came here.

“Many were also taught to swim, which would be done in about a week. This was a baptism by fire for some, as we were told to get on a diving board, and if you didn’t jump into the deep end, they’d push you. For your test you’d have to swim in a full canvas uniform.

“There was typically a stark difference between when boys came to HMS Ganges versus when they left. They’d fill out, become fit. We were sent to other bases in the UK before finally going out to sea.”

HMS Ganges was broken up in 1930 and its timber was fashioned into various things, including a grand staircase on an estate in South Devon, a cocktail bar in a small hotel on Burgh Island in South Devon, and numerous miniature rum barrels and other items, the museum said.

The base stopped accepting boys in 1973 after the school leaving age went up to 16, and so started taking adult recruits. And the base shut down for good in 1976.

The mast of HMS Ganges was recently restored to its former glory, and has gone back on display at Shotley Gate.

During induction, boys would have to learn to climb at least one-third of the way up. Those who didn’t, wouldn’t make the cut.

Museum staff are currently looking to the future.

Mr Arbon said they want to prepare for a time when there are no Ganges boys left, and are currently recruiting people to help with technology to prepare the museum for the future.

This will include getting pictures to talk, to allow them to tell their stories.

Mr Arbon added: “Skippers were always keen to recruit Ganges boys. The training was second-to-none, and in some ways, we felt we were ‘above the rest’, so to speak.