Watched this with pride in my brother who was the Button Boy at HMS Ganges as a boy sailor. He was pretty small then and was only about 5 feet 4 inches tall as an adult. Little guy but totally fearless. He was in the Royal Navy for 15 years. RIP Ted. Loved you brother
I did my Police Training at HMS Ganges in 1991. An amazing place and the mast was still there although we weren’t allowed to climb it. Sorry for your loss
I joined St. Vincent in 1967 as an adult entry. Six weeks basic training, then HMS Collingwood - or "Collingrad" as it came to be known! 🤣 Even under basic training, we still had to climb that darned mast!
If the Royal Marine band doesn't look like the US Marine band. But the US marine band DOES look like the Royal marine band. Then by that logic the Royal marine band looks EXACTLY like the US marine band. What's your point here, Hugh Jarse?
@@KissMyFatAxe I'd say they're pointing out the order, ie who came first and hence who is modelled on/resembles who, in other words the one that follows on looks like the one that was there first, so Royal Marines formed 1664 vs US Marines in 1775 & 1798.
Hearts of oak are our ships , jolly Tars are our men . We'll always be ready . Steady boys Steady . We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again . I'm 70yrs old and remember the centuries old folk songs and the history of Britain and the Republic of Ireland . God bless my long dead music and history teacher's who inspired me when I was a child , I still need to carry on learning . Those are the words to the music being played by the Royal Navy @ 10.32 .🇬🇧🦁🦁
An old colleague of mine was a comms officer on a ship during the Falklands war. During a storm in the South Atlantic, they lost an antenna. They were left without any comms. He had to man the communications mast, in the middle of high seas. The ship was swaying such that he was swinging way beyond the gunwales, both port and starboard, to re-establish communications with the fleet.
Like colonising other nations and performing routine genocide, enslavement and oppression on the natives was not a good tradition. Bet you like to sweep that one under the jolly old rug what, what ticketty boo.
Shaun your comment was so funny , I myself decided no deep water for me so joined the RAF as a boy entrant and the real reason for this was ,so that upon demob I had a job for life with BEA and then BA, But wasnt that young girl cadet so brave 140 ft amazing . Huge respect for the training of the RN ,the are second to none.
These traditional events are why the UK armed forces are the bravest of the brave. It's sad to see people voting this video down. They are the people that expect to be protected but then complain unnecessary force.
THOSE SO CALLED PEOPLE VOTED AGAINST THIS BRILLIANT VIDEO HAVE NOT GOT THE GUTS TO SERVE NOR RESPECT FOR THE BRAVE PERSONNEL WHO RISKS THEIR LIVES WHILST IN THE ARMED FORCES. THEY HAVE NOT GOT RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES. YET WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY SUCH AS NOW WITH PANDEMIC THEY CRY OUT FOR HELP FOR THE MILITARY TO ASSIST. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A LOAD OF BLOODY COWARDS.
Let there be a Curse on all Snowflakes, and upon the 'Politicians' who seem determined to cut our beloved Armed Services to the bone. It is now well past the time to Re-Arm and make the Forces attractive again, the recruitment ads are good, but the experienced are leaving due to underfunding
I love how respectful you are to the navy ratings doing this 'ceremony'. You certainly appreciate their discipline, training, strength... and even the 'balls' that that girl had to climb to the top and then stand and salute there! Man, I'm ex-Royal Navy too, Submarine Service, but I'm terrified of climbing up a ladder against a house! Total respect to you, dude... and your total respect for military personnel of all services, whether American or otherwise.
I think that saying could apply to all men in the age of sail. Here in the US I could see OSHA (occupational safety & health agency) losing their minds over even thinking about climbing a mast without safety gear. Lol, sometimes I think people need to realize that life has & will never be "safe", no matter how much people try to say otherwise.
I was in contact on Facebook a couple of years ago with an old gentleman whose brother had been a button boy at HMS Ganges before WW2. Sadly he was lost with the sinking of HMS Hood in 1941. He told me the button boy got an extra shilling a week for standing atop the mast. Small reward for such extraordinary courage in one so young. I'm no longer on Facebook and regretfully I don't remember the name of the old man though his brother was called Kenneth. It is no surprise that RN ship crews were always happy when boys from HMS Ganges were posted to them because they knew they were very well-trained.
@@bahoonies Maybe much time has elapsed since your mail. Get in touch with the HMS Ganges museum at Shotley Gate Suffolk and maybe the name of the person you spoke about can be located from past history stored.
@068694 Yes indeed, it's 3 years since I wrote that comment. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into that. I'm sure it would be easy to identify him. He's probably listed on the HMS Hood Association crew list too. There can't have been many very young sailors called Kenneth lost on Hood.They were an extraordinary breed of boys. Where they got the courage to stand on the button I'll never know.
Bring back the Field Gun Race, the Royal Tournament, manning the mast at RN junior sailor training and the Para balloon jump. The old days were the best!
I really like the way you can appreciate navy traditions and not just SF stuff .I saw your reaction to the field gun competition too and enjoyed it enormously. 👍
The flags will be signal flags they used them in the age of sail to communicate in battle and most if not all navies still use them today mainly for ceramonial purposes.
@@WJS774 no reason whatsoever, using those method, as well as flags was part of my dads job in the Royal Navy. But as one rather farfetched reason, all electrics onboard being dead
I served with the Royal Navy and trained at HMS Ganges from 1972. I was in that years Mast Manning on the second yardarm but di stand on the button on many occasion during the sports days [every Wednesday if i remember correctly] The mast is over 144 foot tall. I even took photos from the button. I was 15 when i first climbed the mast, it was mandatory. You say you hate heights, well believe it or not so do I but that never stopped me :-) I was also part of the Gun Crew on the Gun Wheel. After serving a few years in the Navy i left and joined the Parachute regiment [3 Para] The question many ask is WHY? I ran away from home to get away from the constant beatings of my step father. To be honest anything was better than home. As for the strength, it wasn't necessary, being that young it was more bravado than anything, shimmying up the last bit to the button was more fear than anything and the lightning conductor on the button was grasped by the knees [as that is as tall the conductor was, up to the knees. I am now 64 and this training set me up for the future me. I believe YOU are in the Marines and for that i salute you too, never think what we did was any different than you do today, The forces ALWAYS turn raw recruits ionto MEN, and there is NO going back when one becomes a MAN in this way. I salute YOU. Well done young man.
Total respect to you man. You come across as a fair minded very bright good US marine. You should be proud of yourself . and your country should be proud of you. All the best from the UK
It's called the Senior Service because it's been around the longest, having being formed in 1546, nearly 100 years before England established its first standing army.
I think you will find theres only one rope on a ship, and thats the one hanging from the bell. All the rest are cables, mooring line, sheets, halyards, downhauls, topping lift etc.
" ..How long is a price of string.." If you go to Chatham Historic Dockyard you will find out in The Ropery.. They are still making cables of all sizes even today..well worth a visit...M C..
As boys in training, we all had to climb the mast, there were no exceptions. I was there as a 15 yr old boy trainee telegraphist (radio operator) After the first time, which to me was terrifying, it became just another thing to do and I often went up in my spare time on Sunday afternoons. On several occasions, we were pulled out of bed at night by an enthusiastic instructor who had declared that we were talking after lights out and sent over the mast in our PJ's with the message that the last boy back would have to go over again because of this we would slide down the guy ropes as fast as we could. Only one boy was ever known to fall to his death. I was there in 1951 before going to sea and think that it all ceased during the '70s, however, it had been going since the late 1800's when HMS GANGES first became a boys training establishment. It is now closed.
Hi, I was there in 1973, 15 years old, 41 rec. I used to climb the mast just to get out of sports go back to my mess and do my kit. The very top of the mast ( button ) was the size of a dinner plate. HMS GANGES turned boy's into men . I don't think you can join the forces that early in the USA. We spent 9 months training there, then went on to your specific branch training establishment, in my case HMS VERNON, anti submarine warfare. I guess it was a bit like your Annapolis, just younger.
Now imagine climbing up the mast of a tall ship* and out on to the spars on a moving ship, in stormy weather and poor light. The movement of the ship would be magnified many times at the top of the mast. This is why the "Topsail men" got paid more and had huge respect amongst the crew. * To give you an idea the height of the main mast from the waterline for HMS Victory (Nelson's flagship) is 205ft.
I done it on a STA 3 masted square rigged top sail schooner the Sir Winston Churchill and volunteered to go up in conditions you described but we had a safety harness.
@@johnmclean1046 The Sir Winston Churchill had a sister ship , the Malcolm Miller. they were both part of the Tall Ships Youth Trust . I crewed on the latter in various rallies and races. Also , as a Sea Cadet , sailed on TS Royalist. It took some balls to climb those masts and get out on the yards in the middle of the night in a heaving seaway, but we did it! this was during the 70s and the safety harnesses were very basic. it was just a strap around your waist and if you were unfortunate enough to fall it could have broken your back . No one fell !
HMS Ganges was a training ship and later known as a "stone" frigate by members of the Royal Navy. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. The original ship was based alternately in Falmouth, Cornwall and Harwich, Essex (from 1899) and Shotley Gate, Suffolk (from 1905). She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976 and trained boy seaman from the age of 15 years of age to 16. The mast at Ganges, at 142 feet, has sadly fallen into disrepair and collapsed. I've climbed it myself in 1967 and reached the button. I wouldn't do it again though, thinking about it, instant death had I'd fallen. The only safety device, a steel wire net some seven/eight feet from the ground!
My uncle (passed away now RIP) was 'Button boy' at HMS Ganges (RN training base) Shotley in Suffolk when he trained there as a boy in 1935. Button boy stood on the mast top with only a metal spike to hold onto, the button was about 30cm in diameter.
@@CombatArmsChannel Bit of a family connection as well. In 1987 It had been de-commissioned as a Naval Training base but I did my initial training as a cop there when it was a District Training Centre (academy in US parlance) I've been retired for three years now after a 30 year career but still fondly remember morning parades and PT ! It's now a retirement village but I believe the mast is still there.
A friend of my father's was button boy at the top of the training mast just gripping with his knees on the lightning conductor at the top. Having started his training in the Royal Navy as a boy sailor. He would tell of one of his jobs as a young sailer was a buoy boy. This intailed being rowed out to a permanent buoy in the estuary jumping onto the buoy and connecting the large mooring rope of a warship through the buoy ring. Very dangerous in rough seas. He said he fell off many a time. He stay in the Royal Navy all his working life and finished as a Lieutenant Commander Gunnery Officer. He died in his late seventies after falling from a ladder whilst cleaning his upstairs windows.
@@Silverback0687 Yes awaiting a full refurbishment, but no one will ever be allowed to climb it again except for maintenance staff, WH&S forbid it. As 15 yr olds, we used to do it in our leisure time as well as during instructions. I was there in 1951 before going to sea to enjoy my ambition of seeing the world
HMS Ganges... A training ship in Shotley . My father joined aged 15 . I wish I had seen this before he passed away . I would have understood what he achieved when he was the Button Boy . He served pre war , during the war and after the war . Sixteen years Royal Navy then two years Merchant . I sent off for his Arctic Star medal after his death. He never wanted any medal . Loved the " Grog " or " Nelson's Blood " which used to be a daily serving. Thank you all servicemen . Especially thank you dad ❤️🇬🇧
I was thinking of HMS Ganges when I watched this. That mast is 143 feet from the ground to the button. Sadly the mast at Shotley has fallen into disrepair and both the mast and the yards look as though they will eventually collapse. Someone who lives in Shotley told me that the owner of the site is meant to maintain the mast, but it does not appear to be happening.
You mentioned Cadence. The boys and girls are climbing to a beat to avoid setting up a harmonic in the rigging, similar reason for soldiers marching and breaking step when they cross a bridge.
The tune is known to me as Westering Home, a Scottish folk song about returning to one's home after a long time away. This is the first time I've heard it in a military application. Anyone know any more about that?
I think this is something the Naval Cadets do on the training ships. The RN always sent the youngest up the rigging in the old days cos they were lighter and more agile (and (sadly) more expendable).
Its a holdover from the days of sailing ships when it was done when a warship returned to port or greeted an admiral. First mention of it is from 1596.
Erm, no, the topmen, as the men in the masts were called were all very highly trained, highy skilled and very highly regarded in the Navy. They were considered an elite amongst sailors, not an expendable asset. It took a mixture of agility, strength and endurance to trim, reef and furl sails in all weathers, including storms. The masts were NOT a place for barely trained boys, and no Captain of a sailing ship would send boys up to work the masts. Not as topmen anyway. Boys might be sent into the tops to act as lookouts (in the so called Crows Nest), but they would not be working on the spars or sails.
There is great respect between UK and US forces, we fight side by side. But the ignorant US citizens say the most stupid thing ever " if it wasn't for us you'd be speaking German" That I cannot believe they believe in. I told one " you are wrong and ignorant, we defeated the Germans at The Battle of Britain and they gave up and went to Russia. How would you have landed in England if we were speaking German?" lock it up, but the usual response is " I'm not interested" I replied " then it proves you are brainwashed by Hollywood war films that only show US soldiers in it making you believe that no other country in a World War fought in Germany so you like the dumb character played by John Travolta think you saved Europe from the Germans. Which in fact the Russians entered Berlin first.
Watching the young sailors climbing up to 'man the mast' was impressive enough, but that Button 'Boy' coming down on the rope was terrifying! No sliders, no karabiners, no safety line - she earned her rum! FYI the Royal Navy has a strong tradition of youth training - Sea Cadets, Naval Cadets and the like, from the age of 12 upward, so as others have said these were all probably trainees.
I was at Ganges in 1971 and we could go up the mast on a Wednesday afternoon. I only went up to the crows nest I was in Drake division half way down the long covered way. I remember a lot especially the swimming. Also the jogging before breakfast and the punishment gym. As I was the smallest boy in the mess I would be in the blanket to be dragged up and down to polish the floor Greetings to all former Ganges boys it was very hard at 15 years old possibly the worst 10 months of my life 😢
Hi Bert i was there 71,eagle mess in the annex then over to frobisher. i have climed and touched the button but no way i was going to stand on it.hard times but great memories.
The manning the mast dates back around 600yrs ago and the saddest part of this is the age of the boys who were forced into Service ( 9 to 10 yrs old ) I just thank God those days are behind us .
My father, Ted Barnes, was a Button Boy. He served 25 years in the Royal Navy ending up as Master at Arms. He went on to serve 20 more years as a Sea Cadet Officer. I was so proud of my father. HMS Ganges was a land establishment, not an actual ship. Thank you for reviving this memory of Dad.
I was a Ganges boy 1962-3. it was a Royal Navy training shore establishment on the East coast of England, at the end of the Shotley peninsula in Suffolk. Boys joined at 15 years old, Ganges training lasted a full calendar year. The initial engagement was 12 years, 3 years boys time and 9 years man time. Ganges training included branch training, on completion the boy joined the fleet as a fully trained seaman, communicator, engineer etc. At any time there were 2000 of us under training which was very tough and very demanding. Training started in an adjoining camp called The Annex, it was very basic, teaching boys to look after their kit and lots of drill. The Annex training was also used to asses whether a boy was suitable for further training, not everyone made it through. The right of passage out of the Annex was climbing the mast over on the main establishment. We all had to go up and over the Half Moon, the total mast height was 142 feet, the Half Moon was about 100 foot high. If a boy couldn’t hack it he went back to the Annex for further assessment. The mast came from an original 19th century wooden RN ship anchored at Shotley before the shore establishment was built. The mast manning in the video was only conducted on parents day in July every year. The boys who took part were a selected senior class, they were expected to take part. The boy who went to the top, to stand on the button was a volunteer. The rehearsals for mast manning took about a month. It no longer takes place, Ganges closed in the mid 70’s, it could never be replicated. A Ganges trained boy joining the fleet was considered to be a cut above ratings who had been trained in other establishments, and we were.
Ganges was a training establishment. I was there in 1968...THE MAST WAS 143FT , we were allowed to climb it at weekends, I myself climbed all the way to the button many times in my year there. Ganges closed in 1975 the mast in now in disrepair and the old site is to become a housing estate, we are told there is plans to restore the mast. Visitors can visit the Ganges Museum in Shotley.
I live on the leeward side of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Out of my living room window, across the bay, I can see Salt Spring Island. The main Village on Salt Spring is named after HMS GANGES which visited around 1860. HMS Ganges was built at a time when Britain was running out of sufficient oak trees to build ships but had not yet committed to iron. She was therefore built out of teak, in India. Royal naval teak ships were usually given the names of Indian Rivers. Unfortunately, there was a problem with teak ships. Whereas a flying oak splinter could create a nasty wound, a flying teak splinter would create a nasty septic wound. These ships therefore, did not have a long service history. HMS Ganges avoided the graving yard and was refitted to become cadet training vessel. The first clip you showed was of HMS Ganges the training ship. She survived for a long time and is a shame she was not preserved. The second clip was probably of HMS Ganges the training depot: the ship herself having been decommissioned. Shore stations carry the designation HMS as well but are usually referred to as stone frigates by British sailors who can't resist nicknaming everything. The ceremony depicted in these clips was what was carried out many times a day by sailors, in all weathers, and often with a boatswain chivying them along with a starter. Sliding down the shrouds was actually the quickest and safest way back to the deck but the tar would have payed hell on those white duck trousers the cadets were wearing.
Hi My Father was a Boy entrant into the Royal Navy in 1954 at age 15yrs old and you were sent to HMS Ganges which has trained young boy sailors since 1865 firstly on old ships then in 1905 in was formed into a shore base and the Mast 143 feet high was rigged from HMS Cordeila an old Steam Corvette My father also was a "Button Boy" which was a Sailor who stood at the very top of the Mast on a 12inch wooden button it was to give the young sailors Courage and to conquer their fears they were also paid a shilling . My father was a man who spoke his mind and didn't suffer fools but was a great man in my eyes and he went on to fly in the RN and in the airline industry in the end as a Capt on Boeing 747s. He was so proud of me when I took him flying in a sailplane while I was serving in the RAF Sadly HMS Ganges was closed to Royal Navy boy training in 1976 and is now rotting away
This ceremony eventually moved indoors and was carried out at the royal military tournament, it was performed every day in exactly the same way as the gun run.
I entered the Royal Navy in 1961 at HMS Ganges which was a shore establishment in Shotley Gate Suffolk England, the mast was the center piece of the whole establishment (Barracks) and as boys of 15 years of age as we all were we were not cadets but full members of the Royal Navy in training to join the fleet after one year of learning everything to be able and fit to join a ship. Everyone had to go up the mast as part of the training. The mast was from 2 ships one part of HMS Ganges and the bottom section was from HMS Cordelia 2 warships built in the early 1800s. Ganges was built in India and was the first ship built of Teak, she served in the Pacific and was stationed in Vancouver Canada. The mast is 143 ' tall to the button and is under a preservation order to this day. The mast in the 2nd video is only half the height of the Ganges mast and was a permanent fixture at HMS Daedlus.
HMS Ganges shore training establishment closed in 1976 . The mast still exists and is 143 Ft in height. It is in some disrepair but there are plans to restore it to its former glory . My father trained at Ganges during WW2 .Thanks for the video 👍
My Dad was in the military, he was a guardsman in the Coldstream guards, so not the Navy, but he was always rather disappointed that I didn't enlist. But I would never have had that level of discipline required to be in the services. It was incredible to see this again, even though heights terrify me, hahaha. My stomach was up in my throat. Hell, I couldn't even get a tattoo. :-)
Just seen your video. I'll try to give as much info as I can but I was not navy, my grandfather was, 32 years including 4 years as a boy. Manning the mast goes way back before the days of Nelson, the admiral not the battleship. Note that they are wearing white trousers which marks them out as boys and not adult sailors. The mast in the black and white film was at the top of the drill square at HMS Gangees. By the way HMS Gangees was one of those unsinkable ships on account of it being built out of bricks and mortar. Yes, Gangees was a depot training centre for cadets. Every passing off the cadets would dress mast as part of the display for their mums and dads. By the by, my grandfather was button boy at Gangees and the first ship he went on was HMS Warrior Britain's first ironclad battleship though, it was just a training ship by the time my grandfather was on board. Also the height of the mast at Gangees was the same as the main mast on HMS Victory, from waterline to button 205ft. When you started talking about the ropes I could hear granddad spinning in his grave. He would tell you, as he told me several times, that there are only two ropes on a sailing ship, the anchor rope and the bell rope. Everything else is a line. Take a minus two for not knowing that but you get a plus three for the extra large bag of Yorkshire tea. Hope this helps a little and keep up the good work.
HMS Ganges (shore establishment) a shore based Royal NAVY Cadet training base. In 1907 the 143-foot (44 m)-high mast of the old steam corvette HMS Cordelia was erected. It is a major landmark.
It was not for cadets You joined the Navy at 15 and after 10 months training you went to your first draft. You were known as Juniors, I was a JME in 1969 at HMS Ganges JME = Junior Marine Engineer. Not Cadet.
When i first did the Ganges mast in 1961, there was a patch in the post office roof under the mast. The buzz was that someone had gone direct from the mast, to be posted home....
@@RomeoMike22 Yes - and that is probably the most famous signal sent by flag to ships in a fleet in the Royal Navy. Was originally meant to read "Nelson confides that every man will do his duty" but that would have needed to spelt out as "Nelson" & "confides" was not in the signal book hence it was changed
More than likely, if matelots still have the same sense of humour as when I was in the RN, its a rude message, on the grounds that very few people could read it.
We did that at HMS Ganges, a Royal Navy land base {I believe it has now been closed down) in the early 70's. It is just a mast. They are climbing up the ratlines which support the mast. The procedure dates back to Henry the VIII. The ceremony was started at the turn of the century. My Mother had an 8mm film of this with myself participating but she turned the camera sideways to fit the whole mast into the frame!
The combination of flags would likely have a specific meaning that will be known to mariners. Similar to the signal that Nelson sent before engaging the French and Spanish fleets off the Cape of Trafalgar. "England expects every man to do his duty."
I was in the Royal Navy and trained at HMS Ganges it was a shore training establishment. Manning the mast was conducted every year with a different division taking part - HMS Ganges was closed in the 1970's - the mast was 140feet high and was situated on the edge of the parade ground. I was part of the team when we manned the mast in 1957.
They made my Dad the "button boy" during his training at HMS Ganges in 1939 because he was so short! He signed up aged 16 and spent the war as a radio operators in small Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) doing minesweeping, the invasion of Sicily etc. MTBs also acted as a decoy night invasion before El Alamein - they hung torches from blown up condoms so it looked like big ships were coming in!
I was a member of the Royal Navy Display Team in 1984. I was also a Button Boy. I have no idea how I managed to do it now! We were based at HMS Excellent in Whale Island Portsmouth. The mast was 90ft high and there were no safety harnesses. We used to do this display as well as the sailors hornpipe (which was a traditional dance) and the window ladder. We performed all over the UK culminating in the Royal Tournament at Earls Court in London. We also performed at a tournament in Paris. At that tournament we appeared alongside other military displays such as the French Foreign Legion and the US Marines Marching Twenty Four (I think that's what they were called). It was a silent precision rifle display. It was incredible. I recommend you look it up. By the way, the Field Gunners were much fitter than us. It's wonderful to see a U.S. Marine taking an interest in this an giving it publicity. Thankyou, you are bringing back a lot of memories.
My late father was a “Ganges” button boy. He did this in 1937 or 1938 as a boy sailor, this was part of his pass out ceremony. HMS Ganges was a shore establishment and the button was 12inches in diameter, there was a narrow lightening rod to help them to climb onto the button and they had to stand to attention and salute. The “Ganges” mast stood almost 100 feet from ground level to the top of the button, the ceremony was intended to emulate the tradition of “dressing the mast” when ships came into their home port after a deployment.
This was something that the Royal Navy did up until the mid to late 1990s. During their trade training at RN establishments classes would be selected to train at this and other displays which demonstrated some of the history of the RN. These display teams would go around country shows around the U.K. doing these displays. The participants are all RN Personnel in training and would carry out training for the display in their free time. The other displays are the Field Gun Competition and the Window Ladder display. They ended in the mid to late 1990s due to reductions in personnel numbers meaning the RN did not have the people available to continue these displays. The display teams would generally be accompanied by one of the Bands of Her Majesties Royal Marines at the shows to provide the needed musical accompaniment.
My father was a "button boy" when he joined the Royal Navy in 1942 at the age of 17. He trained at HMS Ganges in the East of England before being posted to submarine duty the same year. The only attachment on the button was a T-bar to just below knee height.
The first mast at HMS Ganges was 142 feet high. Ganges was a shore training base, all naval shore stations were regarded as ships hence the HMS , my late father trained at Ganges and was the button boy in front of the late king George VI with the Queen and the two princess. He stood on the button with only the lightning rod for support. He was then presented to the king and received a silver sixpence from him. His name was Henry Huntly John Gardiner.
We were all 15, training lasted about 10 months at Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges) we still did schooling but with harsh discipline, marching and some specialist training, I was a gunner and went on to HMS Cambridge another shore establishment near Plymouth to complete my gunnery training, eventually leaving the Royal Navy 24 years later. The best years of my life, with the best mates you could ever ask for.
I went to HMS Ganges in 1963/64. The mast was taken off an old three master and set in concrete. Ganges was a training ship, we did 11 months basic there at the age of 15. Everyone had to go over the mast at least once, over the Devils Elbow and up to the half moon. This video is of the display team, anyone could volunteer for this. On Sundays we would very often climb the mast and sit on the spars looking out over the ocean, very calming! Ganges shut down in '75 I think when they raised the school leaving age. The mast has fallen into disrepair sadly but we have a club and are trying to get it repaired.
I agree with the International Man of Mystery comment below Fred Dibnah is well worth watching. He was a steeple Jack who climbed old victoriana industrial chimneys to lower the top before bringing them down. I recommend his you tube videos taken from his TV series.
1 thing you may not be aware of is that all the boys going up the mast are just 15 years of age. HMS Ganges was the training base for Junior sailors. New recruits of the age of 16 (at least in the 1960s) would not go to Ganges but to a different training base instead. Thing is back then the school leaving age was 15 and those boys sent to Ganges mostly joined up straight from school.
That Dude was a 15 year old called boy sailors but still in the Royal Navy full time.Hms Ganges mast was a proper full mast and is far better to see than the Daedalus one.
The DVD you are showing was filmed at HMS Ganges which is a shore base and not a ship, it was a training base for young sailors like myself, I was there in 1966 and also took part in the mast manning. The mast is approximately 147ft high, the button on the top is 9" in diameter, the button boy who stands on top has to clamp his legs on to the lightning conductor which sticks up above the button by about 30". I was 16 when I did this, it was compulsory for all boy entrants to climb the mast to the half moon which is just below the button. The button boy has to shin up to the button from the half moon platform and haul himself on to the button. There is a safety net at the bottom but the rope it is made of is so thick if you fell from the top and hit the safety net you would almost certainly die. HMS Ganges closed many years ago but the mast is still there and is now classed as a listed monument so it can't be removed.
Square rigs. Ie squuare sails. The navy uniform for seamen was also called 'square rig' I went in as an artificer in 1969. Did 12 years. Never climbed a mast. But we all did something akin.
I Climbed that mast after joining HMS GANGES in 1965. It did not seem that easy at the time but once you had managed going over the Devils Elbow, it got easier. There were trainees who were frightened of the height but most trainees were encouraged to climb it at least once. The Button boy was specially chosen. This video brought back long forgotten memories
My grandad trained on hms ganges and faught on hms tiger in 1964 - unknown, he gave me an original book that got after he completed training it has all the pictures of the people on the masts (he's still alive at the time of writing this btw)
Small statistic: 53 boys died whilst training on HMS Ganges between 1866 and 1899. There is a memorial to them at Mylor churchyard in Cornwall. HMS Ganges was stationed offshore near there during those 33 years.
My Dad joined the RN in 1952 at the age of 15, he lied about his age, grandad was furious with him but have his permission and Dad went off to HMS Ganges.
HMS Ganges was a wooden ship of the line. It was retired to River Stour as a training ship and was eventually scrapped. The shore base (a stone frigate)was established 1905 with the purpose of training boy entrants(TROGS Trainee Ratings of Ganges) to the navy in seamanship. The mast on shore was a composite of masts and spars from other ships. The button on the top was some 140 feet from the ground and 18 inches in diameter. A lightning conductor at the top supported the Button Boy. The shore base closed in 1973 and the mast is now in a state of near collapse. Living at Shotley I have seen the mast manned many times..... "when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel"
Watched this with pride in my brother who was the Button Boy at HMS Ganges as a boy sailor. He was pretty small then and was only about 5 feet 4 inches tall as an adult. Little guy but totally fearless. He was in the Royal Navy for 15 years. RIP Ted. Loved you brother
So sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your loss, I recently saw a video on here of a guy exploring Ganges and the mast is still there.
ruclips.net/video/0h6nG-0SjC0/видео.html
A hero. Thank you for your service, Ted.
I did my Police Training at HMS Ganges in 1991. An amazing place and the mast was still there although we weren’t allowed to climb it. Sorry for your loss
I am now 80. I joined HMS St Vincent aged 15, went over the mast in the first week. I was Button Boy in 1958.
My father was also with HMS St Vincent. He left the crew around the 1960s. 🫡
Best regards from a nozzer of 1962.Prick who did this vid should stick to what he knows
I joined St. Vincent in 1967 as an adult entry. Six weeks basic training, then HMS Collingwood - or "Collingrad" as it came to be known! 🤣
Even under basic training, we still had to climb that darned mast!
Point of order: The Royal Marines band does NOT look like the US Marines band, The US Marines band looks like the Royal Marines band.
Marines are Marines the world over. Don't get into a fight with any of them.
From a US Marine's perspective, that's how it's said lol
If the Royal Marine band doesn't look like the US Marine band. But the US marine band DOES look like the Royal marine band. Then by that logic the Royal marine band looks EXACTLY like the US marine band.
What's your point here, Hugh Jarse?
@@KissMyFatAxe I'd say they're pointing out the order, ie who came first and hence who is modelled on/resembles who, in other words the one that follows on looks like the one that was there first, so Royal Marines formed 1664 vs US Marines in 1775 & 1798.
@@ChrisAndCats fair point, well stated 😂👍 didn't really think of it that way. I gotta quit getting high
Hearts of oak are our ships , jolly Tars are our men . We'll always be ready . Steady boys Steady . We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again . I'm 70yrs old and remember the centuries old folk songs and the history of Britain and the Republic of Ireland . God bless my long dead music and history teacher's who inspired me when I was a child , I still need to carry on learning . Those are the words to the music being played by the Royal Navy @ 10.32 .🇬🇧🦁🦁
An old colleague of mine was a comms officer on a ship during the Falklands war. During a storm in the South Atlantic, they lost an antenna. They were left without any comms. He had to man the communications mast, in the middle of high seas. The ship was swaying such that he was swinging way beyond the gunwales, both port and starboard, to re-establish communications with the fleet.
We have so many fucking awesome traditions. I love this country so much 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@Suzies Place All of them? or just some of them! With the English its subjective, very subjective.
@@alimantado373 OH pleauuuuse
Like colonising other nations and performing routine genocide, enslavement and oppression on the natives was not a good tradition. Bet you like to sweep that one under the jolly old rug what, what ticketty boo.
@@triarb5790 those are my favourite ones
Shaun your comment was so funny , I myself decided no deep water for me so joined the RAF as a boy entrant and the real reason for this was ,so that upon demob I had a job for life with BEA and then BA, But wasnt that young girl cadet so brave 140 ft amazing . Huge respect for the training of the RN ,the are second to none.
These traditional events are why the UK armed forces are the bravest of the brave. It's sad to see people voting this video down. They are the people that expect to be protected but then complain unnecessary force.
THOSE SO CALLED PEOPLE VOTED AGAINST THIS BRILLIANT VIDEO HAVE NOT GOT THE GUTS TO SERVE NOR RESPECT FOR THE BRAVE PERSONNEL WHO RISKS THEIR LIVES WHILST IN THE ARMED FORCES. THEY HAVE NOT GOT RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES. YET WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY SUCH AS NOW WITH PANDEMIC THEY CRY OUT FOR HELP FOR THE MILITARY TO ASSIST. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A LOAD OF BLOODY COWARDS.
@@jamesmcleesh2688 Snowflakes who will soon melt, if we are lucky!
@@suetindall1727 THE SOONER THE BETTER !!!
@@jamesmcleesh2688 A long time ago, Kipling wrote a poem spelling that out.
Let there be a Curse on all Snowflakes, and upon the 'Politicians' who seem determined to cut our beloved Armed Services to the bone.
It is now well past the time to Re-Arm and make the Forces attractive again, the recruitment ads are good, but the experienced are leaving due to underfunding
Please RESPECT the Royal Navy. Underestimate them at your peril.
They are the Senior Service.
I did 10 years U. S. Army and we never did anything this like this ! These were young boys of 15 - 16 years old ! WOW ! You get my salute !
I love how respectful you are to the navy ratings doing this 'ceremony'. You certainly appreciate their discipline, training, strength... and even the 'balls' that that girl had to climb to the top and then stand and salute there! Man, I'm ex-Royal Navy too, Submarine Service, but I'm terrified of climbing up a ladder against a house! Total respect to you, dude... and your total respect for military personnel of all services, whether American or otherwise.
There was an expression used in looking back to the days of naval engagements fighting in sailing ships, it was: "wooden ships and iron men"!
WITH HEARTS OF SOLID OAK. ENGLISH OAK.
A great saying.
Snow flakes? why not? Fred Dibnah? good stuff.
I think that saying could apply to all men in the age of sail. Here in the US I could see OSHA (occupational safety & health agency) losing their minds over even thinking about climbing a mast without safety gear. Lol, sometimes I think people need to realize that life has & will never be "safe", no matter how much people try to say otherwise.
That is Her Majesty's Band of the Royal Marines.
Pomp and Circumstance.
You are an adopted Brit. Big bag of Yorkshire. Best brew going mate.
ruclips.net/video/popbL1JuGqM/видео.html
I saw that too. I come from Suffolk just down the road from HMS Ganges.
US Marines can't be all bad if they're if they are drinking Yorkshire Tea, proper brew! 👍🏻
Best tea in England !
I saw the tea, too....I'm in north Yorkshire....so well done that man. 🙂🙂
My granddad was Button Boy at HMS Ganges, it was something he was so proud of.
I was in contact on Facebook a couple of years ago with an old gentleman whose brother had been a button boy at HMS Ganges before WW2. Sadly he was lost with the sinking of HMS Hood in 1941. He told me the button boy got an extra shilling a week for standing atop the mast. Small reward for such extraordinary courage in one so young. I'm no longer on Facebook and regretfully I don't remember the name of the old man though his brother was called Kenneth. It is no surprise that RN ship crews were always happy when boys from HMS Ganges were posted to them because they knew they were very well-trained.
Amazing, I'm not surprised he was so proud, you ought to be too.
@@bahoonies Maybe much time has elapsed since your mail. Get in touch with the HMS Ganges museum at Shotley Gate Suffolk and maybe the name of the person you spoke about can be located from past history stored.
@068694 Yes indeed, it's 3 years since I wrote that comment. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into that. I'm sure it would be easy to identify him. He's probably listed on the HMS Hood Association crew list too. There can't have been many very young sailors called Kenneth lost on Hood.They were an extraordinary breed of boys. Where they got the courage to stand on the button I'll never know.
The tradition is almost 500 years old and comes from ships ‘saluting’ each other at sea.
It's as old as tall ships, for entering port. If all the crew are out on the yards then the port can be certain that there is nobody manning the Guns.
Bring back the Field Gun Race, the Royal Tournament, manning the mast at RN junior sailor training and the Para balloon jump. The old days were the best!
I really like the way you can appreciate navy traditions and not just SF stuff .I saw your reaction to the field gun competition too and enjoyed it enormously. 👍
The lass did really well. A real credit to you all. Well done Royal Navy!
The flags will be signal flags they used them in the age of sail to communicate in battle and most if not all navies still use them today mainly for ceramonial purposes.
It'll be the "England expects..." signal from Trafalgar.
Not always for ceremony, theres a lot to be said for communications that cannot be intercepted electronically
We still use them now.
@@89Keith ...But they could be intercepted by Admiral Nelson. Why not just use a signal light and morse code?
@@WJS774 no reason whatsoever, using those method, as well as flags was part of my dads job in the Royal Navy. But as one rather farfetched reason, all electrics onboard being dead
I served with the Royal Navy and trained at HMS Ganges from 1972. I was in that years Mast Manning on the second yardarm but di stand on the button on many occasion during the sports days [every Wednesday if i remember correctly]
The mast is over 144 foot tall. I even took photos from the button.
I was 15 when i first climbed the mast, it was mandatory.
You say you hate heights, well believe it or not so do I but that never stopped me :-)
I was also part of the Gun Crew on the Gun Wheel.
After serving a few years in the Navy i left and joined the Parachute regiment [3 Para]
The question many ask is WHY?
I ran away from home to get away from the constant beatings of my step father. To be honest anything was better than home.
As for the strength, it wasn't necessary, being that young it was more bravado than anything, shimmying up the last bit to the button was more fear than anything and the lightning conductor on the button was grasped by the knees [as that is as tall the conductor was, up to the knees.
I am now 64 and this training set me up for the future me.
I believe YOU are in the Marines and for that i salute you too, never think what we did was any different than you do today, The forces ALWAYS turn raw recruits ionto MEN, and there is NO going back when one becomes a MAN in this way.
I salute YOU.
Well done young man.
Sundays
Total respect to you man. You come across as a fair minded very bright good US marine. You should be proud of yourself . and your country should be proud of you. All the best from the UK
Total Respect to that Young Lady, for bravery shown and all Navy , That's why it's called the Senior Service. Traditions and the highest Training,
It's called the Senior Service because it's been around the longest, having being formed in 1546, nearly 100 years before England established its first standing army.
Tradition and ceremony are very important in the British forces and I'm so glad to see that you recognise from your time in the US forces.
You should check out some of Fred Dibnah's videos climbing mill chimneys in Bolton and surounding areas. As he says "You only fall off once"
The late Fred was a national treasure
deemdoubleu His first aid kit was a bucket and a spade.
And of course falling 150 feet doesn't hurt at all; it's the last two feet that hurt!
don't forget this was taken from what thay actually did at sea in storms and all-weather in between
Mind boggling. 👍
Check out the film of the tea clippers in a storm Well worth a watch too Buttock clenching stuff
SOMETHING THAT THE YANKS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO?
I think you will find theres only one rope on a ship, and thats the one hanging from the bell.
All the rest are cables, mooring line, sheets, halyards, downhauls, topping lift etc.
aye, away at sea at 12 to learn the ropes (not me)
ha ha ha .....dead right Lynda
" ..How long is a price of string.."
If you go to Chatham Historic Dockyard you will find out in The Ropery..
They are still making cables of all sizes even today..well worth a visit...M C..
I couldn't do that for King's ransom. And certainly not in white trousers.
Lol !!!
Bet they wouldn't be white when you'd finished........
😏
@@jacketrussell Thanks
If like me, you were a trainee at Ganges you had to climb the `mast`. All done within the first 6 weeks of entry.
The H.M.S.Ganges mast was 143 feet tall.The trainees who `Manned the Mast`,were all 15 years old.
As boys in training, we all had to climb the mast, there were no exceptions. I was there as a 15 yr old boy trainee telegraphist (radio operator) After the first time, which to me was terrifying, it became just another thing to do and I often went up in my spare time on Sunday afternoons. On several occasions, we were pulled out of bed at night by an enthusiastic instructor who had declared that we were talking after lights out and sent over the mast in our PJ's with the message that the last boy back would have to go over again because of this we would slide down the guy ropes as fast as we could. Only one boy was ever known to fall to his death. I was there in 1951 before going to sea and think that it all ceased during the '70s, however, it had been going since the late 1800's when HMS GANGES first became a boys training establishment. It is now closed.
For some background, the HMS Ganges was a training ship for boys aged 15-17.
Shore based establishment in Portsmouth.
Terry Norton - no Shotley in Suffolk
My Grandfather was a chief regulator petty officer at Ganges between the wars and trained the button boy. This was no for the faint hearted
@@grantc5587 Sorry, I stand corrected.
started as a training ship then became the training establishment for boy sailors. Moved a few times so based different places over time.
Hi, I was there in 1973, 15 years old, 41 rec. I used to climb the mast just to get out of sports go back to my mess and do my kit. The very top of the mast ( button ) was the size of a dinner plate. HMS GANGES turned boy's into men . I don't think you can join the forces that early in the USA. We spent 9 months training there, then went on to your specific branch training establishment, in my case HMS VERNON, anti submarine warfare. I guess it was a bit like your Annapolis, just younger.
Now imagine climbing up the mast of a tall ship* and out on to the spars on a moving ship, in stormy weather and poor light. The movement of the ship would be magnified many times at the top of the mast. This is why the "Topsail men" got paid more and had huge respect amongst the crew.
* To give you an idea the height of the main mast from the waterline for HMS Victory (Nelson's flagship) is 205ft.
I done it on a STA 3 masted square rigged top sail schooner the Sir Winston Churchill and volunteered to go up in conditions you described but we had a safety harness.
@@johnmclean1046 The Sir Winston Churchill had a sister ship , the Malcolm Miller. they were both part of the Tall Ships Youth Trust . I crewed on the latter in various rallies and races. Also , as a Sea Cadet , sailed on TS Royalist. It took some balls to climb those masts and get out on the yards in the middle of the night in a heaving seaway, but we did it! this was during the 70s and the safety harnesses were very basic. it was just a strap around your waist and if you were unfortunate enough to fall it could have broken your back . No one fell !
HMS Ganges was a training ship and later known as a "stone" frigate by members of the Royal Navy. She was established as a boys' training establishment in 1865, and was based aboard a number of hulks before moving ashore. The original ship was based alternately in Falmouth, Cornwall and Harwich, Essex (from 1899) and Shotley Gate, Suffolk (from 1905). She remained in service at RNTE Shotley until October 1976 and trained boy seaman from the age of 15 years of age to 16. The mast at Ganges, at 142 feet, has sadly fallen into disrepair and collapsed. I've climbed it myself in 1967 and reached the button. I wouldn't do it again though, thinking about it, instant death had I'd fallen. The only safety device, a steel wire net some seven/eight feet from the ground!
My uncle (passed away now RIP) was 'Button boy' at HMS Ganges (RN training base) Shotley in Suffolk when he trained there as a boy in 1935. Button boy stood on the mast top with only a metal spike to hold onto, the button was about 30cm in diameter.
that's very impressive
@@CombatArmsChannel Bit of a family connection as well. In 1987 It had been de-commissioned as a Naval Training base but I did my initial training as a cop there when it was a District Training Centre (academy in US parlance) I've been retired for three years now after a 30 year career but still fondly remember morning parades and PT ! It's now a retirement village but I believe the mast is still there.
A friend of my father's was button boy at the top of the training mast just gripping with his knees on the lightning conductor at the top. Having started his training in the Royal Navy as a boy sailor. He would tell of one of his jobs as a young sailer was a buoy boy. This intailed being rowed out to a permanent buoy in the estuary jumping onto the buoy and connecting the large mooring rope of a warship through the buoy ring. Very dangerous in rough seas. He said he fell off many a time.
He stay in the Royal Navy all his working life and finished as a Lieutenant Commander Gunnery Officer. He died in his late seventies after falling from a ladder whilst cleaning his upstairs windows.
@@Silverback0687 Yes awaiting a full refurbishment, but no one will ever be allowed to climb it again except for maintenance staff, WH&S forbid it. As 15 yr olds, we used to do it in our leisure time as well as during instructions. I was there in 1951 before going to sea to enjoy my ambition of seeing the world
HMS Ganges... A training ship in Shotley . My father joined aged 15 . I wish I had seen this before he passed away .
I would have understood what he achieved when he was the Button Boy . He served pre war , during the war and after the war .
Sixteen years Royal Navy then two years Merchant . I sent off for his Arctic Star medal after his death. He never wanted any medal .
Loved the " Grog " or " Nelson's Blood " which used to be a daily serving.
Thank you all servicemen . Especially thank you dad ❤️🇬🇧
As far as the US is concerned - just give it another 100 years or so and you’ll have this weird stuff too!
Brilliant shows mate.
Kudos 👍👍👍
Not with today's health and safety...😞
I think marines folding the Union flag ceremony is pretty strange.
Don't they have WH&S in the USA as they do in the UK ?
It is the Royal Marines band playing and those climbing, are Royal Navy cadets and the mast is 147ft tall.
Dad as a young man was button boy during WW2.RIP dad.
Loved watching the video as my husband was 15 years old and at HMS Ganges in 1971
many memories of Gangees , i was there in the 70's , average age is 15
I was thinking of HMS Ganges when I watched this. That mast is 143 feet from the ground to the button.
Sadly the mast at Shotley has fallen into disrepair and both the mast and the yards look as though they will eventually collapse. Someone who lives in Shotley told me that the owner of the site is meant to maintain the mast, but it does not appear to be happening.
@@Jon1950 They are repairing it (they being the local council)
Was that last video he showed at the royal show ground as if that is thats only 4miles away from myself
@@46templar Not sure about the last video , but the first was at shotley gate ,near ipswich
Was also in Ganges in the 70s, and did the mast manning, imagine letting a 15 year old do that now
You mentioned Cadence. The boys and girls are climbing to a beat to avoid setting up a harmonic in the rigging, similar reason for soldiers marching and breaking step when they cross a bridge.
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
No girls there then..
That was a girl who came down the rope..
@@cometomyfrontdoor It is a young boy.
The tune is known to me as Westering Home, a Scottish folk song about returning to one's home after a long time away.
This is the first time I've heard it in a military application. Anyone know any more about that?
I think this is something the Naval Cadets do on the training ships. The RN always sent the youngest up the rigging in the old days cos they were lighter and more agile (and (sadly) more expendable).
Its a holdover from the days of sailing ships when it was done when a warship returned to port or greeted an admiral. First mention of it is from 1596.
Erm, no, the topmen, as the men in the masts were called were all very highly trained, highy skilled and very highly regarded in the Navy. They were considered an elite amongst sailors, not an expendable asset. It took a mixture of agility, strength and endurance to trim, reef and furl sails in all weathers, including storms.
The masts were NOT a place for barely trained boys, and no Captain of a sailing ship would send boys up to work the masts. Not as topmen anyway. Boys might be sent into the tops to act as lookouts (in the so called Crows Nest), but they would not be working on the spars or sails.
@@alganhar1 You beat me to it. Topmen were indeed considered to be rather special.
Once done it on the training ship Royalist, 30 years ago when I was in the sea cadets.
@@Naeron66 Back in history time , sailors had to go aloft to gather or release the sails.
It's always nice to see the respect between different countries armed services.
There is great respect between UK and US forces, we fight side by side. But the ignorant US citizens say the most stupid thing ever " if it wasn't for us you'd be speaking German" That I cannot believe they believe in. I told one " you are wrong and ignorant, we defeated the Germans at The Battle of Britain and they gave up and went to Russia. How would you have landed in England if we were speaking German?" lock it up, but the usual response is " I'm not interested" I replied " then it proves you are brainwashed by Hollywood war films that only show US soldiers in it making you believe that no other country in a World War fought in Germany so you like the dumb character played by John Travolta think you saved Europe from the Germans. Which in fact the Russians entered Berlin first.
Watching the young sailors climbing up to 'man the mast' was impressive enough, but that Button 'Boy' coming down on the rope was terrifying! No sliders, no karabiners, no safety line - she earned her rum!
FYI the Royal Navy has a strong tradition of youth training - Sea Cadets, Naval Cadets and the like, from the age of 12 upward, so as others have said these were all probably trainees.
We all slid down the guys when in a hurry.
I was at Ganges in 1971 and we could go up the mast on a Wednesday afternoon. I only went up to the crows nest I was in Drake division half way down the long covered way. I remember a lot especially the swimming. Also the jogging before breakfast and the punishment gym. As I was the smallest boy in the mess I would be in the blanket to be dragged up and down to polish the floor Greetings to all former Ganges boys it was very hard at 15 years old possibly the worst 10 months of my life 😢
Hi Bert i was there 71,eagle mess in the annex then over to frobisher. i have climed and touched the button but no way i was going to stand on it.hard times but great memories.
I can't imagine many 'snow flakes getting that high.
You have to check out Fred Dibnah laddering a chimney. Its on RUclips.
That guy is a legend.
Fred is a star! God rest his soul.
Fred what a legend
They get high alright, just not in altitude.
Fred laddering up a chimney has me weak and sweating his comments on accidents will have him in stitches (see what I did there)
HMS ganges was a training school, for young boys entering the Royal Navy. my brother went there in 1970 aged 15 and everyone had to man the mast
He would have been there at the same time as me then, I was in 17 recruitment, Dreadnaught mess
The flags are signal flags, each one has a different meaning and represent a letter or number as well.
I'd assume it was Nelson's signal "England expects...."
HMS Ganges was a shore base that was the training ship for Royal Navy junior recruits. It was closed back in the 1970's
Rigging might be the term you were looking for, when you said 'ropes'. Props for the Yorkshire tea. My favorite.
The manning the mast dates back around 600yrs ago and the saddest part of this is the age of the boys who were forced into Service ( 9 to 10 yrs old ) I just thank God those days are behind us .
It might surprise him to know that the age of the sailors taking part have an average age of 15- to 17 years old
No from my knowledge and experience we were all at sea before we were 17. Most at 15 and a half.
My father, Ted Barnes, was a Button Boy. He served 25 years in the Royal Navy ending up as Master at Arms. He went on to serve 20 more years as a Sea Cadet Officer. I was so proud of my father. HMS Ganges was a land establishment, not an actual ship. Thank you for reviving this memory of Dad.
The mast is still there at former HMS Ganges in Shotley, Suffolk, UK. it closed in the 70s. Government defence cuts.
I was a Ganges boy 1962-3. it was a Royal Navy training shore establishment on the East coast of England, at the end of the Shotley peninsula in Suffolk. Boys joined at 15 years old, Ganges training lasted a full calendar year. The initial engagement was 12 years, 3 years boys time and 9 years man time. Ganges training included branch training, on completion the boy joined the fleet as a fully trained seaman, communicator, engineer etc. At any time there were 2000 of us under training which was very tough and very demanding. Training started in an adjoining camp called The Annex, it was very basic, teaching boys to look after their kit and lots of drill. The Annex training was also used to asses whether a boy was suitable for further training, not everyone made it through. The right of passage out of the Annex was climbing the mast over on the main establishment. We all had to go up and over the Half Moon, the total mast height was 142 feet, the Half Moon was about 100 foot high. If a boy couldn’t hack it he went back to the Annex for further assessment. The mast came from an original 19th century wooden RN ship anchored at Shotley before the shore establishment was built. The mast manning in the video was only conducted on parents day in July every year. The boys who took part were a selected senior class, they were expected to take part. The boy who went to the top, to stand on the button was a volunteer. The rehearsals for mast manning took about a month. It no longer takes place, Ganges closed in the mid 70’s, it could never be replicated. A Ganges trained boy joining the fleet was considered to be a cut above ratings who had been trained in other establishments, and we were.
Have a look at fred dibnah laddering a chimney
Indeed anything else is just playing at it !
@@gegwen7440 fred erecting a scaffold was another heart stopper lol
From my home town.
Ha Ha " did you like that"
ruclips.net/video/3R3-YwDZrzg/видео.html
Ganges was a training establishment. I was there in 1968...THE MAST WAS 143FT , we were allowed to climb it at weekends, I myself climbed all the way to the button many times in my year there. Ganges closed in 1975 the mast in now in disrepair and the old site is to become a housing estate, we are told there is plans to restore the mast. Visitors can visit the Ganges Museum in Shotley.
I live on the leeward side of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Out of my living room window, across the bay, I can see Salt Spring Island. The main Village on Salt Spring is named after HMS GANGES which visited around 1860. HMS Ganges was built at a time when Britain was running out of sufficient oak trees to build ships but had not yet committed to iron. She was therefore built out of teak, in India. Royal naval teak ships were usually given the names of Indian Rivers. Unfortunately, there was a problem with teak ships. Whereas a flying oak splinter could create a nasty wound, a flying teak splinter would create a nasty septic wound. These ships therefore, did not have a long service history. HMS Ganges avoided the graving yard and was refitted to become cadet training vessel. The first clip you showed was of HMS Ganges the training ship. She survived for a long time and is a shame she was not preserved. The second clip was probably of HMS Ganges the training depot: the ship herself having been decommissioned. Shore stations carry the designation HMS as well but are usually referred to as stone frigates by British sailors who can't resist nicknaming everything.
The ceremony depicted in these clips was what was carried out many times a day by sailors, in all weathers, and often with a boatswain chivying them along with a starter. Sliding down the shrouds was actually the quickest and safest way back to the deck but the tar would have payed hell on those white duck trousers the cadets were wearing.
Need to watch the Royal Navy "Window Ladder" display.
I was there in 71 and stood on the button, we also did the Window Ladder display, every one was just 15 years old at the time
You dont have ropes on a ship. You have sheets and stays and shrouds. The flags are semiphore, signal flags
Hi My Father was a Boy entrant into the Royal Navy in 1954 at age 15yrs old and you were sent to HMS Ganges which has trained young boy sailors since 1865 firstly on old ships then in 1905 in was formed into a shore base and the Mast 143 feet high was rigged from HMS Cordeila an old Steam Corvette My father also was a "Button Boy" which was a Sailor who stood at the very top of the Mast on a 12inch wooden button it was to give the young sailors Courage and to conquer their fears they were also paid a shilling . My father was a man who spoke his mind and didn't suffer fools but was a great man in my eyes and he went on to fly in the RN and in the airline industry in the end as a Capt on Boeing 747s. He was so proud of me when I took him flying in a sailplane while I was serving in the RAF Sadly HMS Ganges was closed to Royal Navy boy training in 1976 and is now rotting away
This ceremony eventually moved indoors and was carried out at the royal military tournament, it was performed every day in exactly the same way as the gun run.
I bet there’s safety nets and all that nowadays.
I entered the Royal Navy in 1961 at HMS Ganges which was a shore establishment in Shotley Gate Suffolk England, the mast was the center piece of the whole establishment (Barracks) and as boys of 15 years of age as we all were we were not cadets but full members of the Royal Navy in training to join the fleet after one year of learning everything to be able and fit to join a ship. Everyone had to go up the mast as part of the training. The mast was from 2 ships one part of HMS Ganges and the bottom section was from HMS Cordelia 2 warships built in the early 1800s. Ganges was built in India and was the first ship built of Teak, she served in the Pacific and was stationed in Vancouver Canada. The mast is 143 ' tall to the button and is under a preservation order to this day. The mast in the 2nd video is only half the height of the Ganges mast and was a permanent fixture at HMS Daedlus.
My father did his training at Ganges and he had to do this.
Everybody did.
It could be the calmest day on record and you wouldn't get me up there for anything. Respect!
The smaller flags are signal flags from times before radio or modern communications. Still learnt and used as a back up and also for tradition
I was there in 1963, climbed the mast, sat on the button and took photo's! Great times!
HMS Ganges shore training establishment closed in 1976 . The mast still exists and is 143 Ft in height. It is in some disrepair but there are plans to restore it to its former glory . My father trained at Ganges during WW2 .Thanks for the video 👍
The mast is in its final stages of being fully refurbished and then it will be re-erected.
Legend with Yorkshire tea bags at the ready !! Regards from Sheffield Yorkshire !
Ditto, from another Sheffielder!
My Dad was in the military, he was a guardsman in the Coldstream guards, so not the Navy, but he was always rather disappointed that I didn't enlist. But I would never have had that level of discipline required to be in the services. It was incredible to see this again, even though heights terrify me, hahaha. My stomach was up in my throat. Hell, I couldn't even get a tattoo. :-)
Just seen your video. I'll try to give as much info as I can but I was not navy, my grandfather was, 32 years including 4 years as a boy.
Manning the mast goes way back before the days of Nelson, the admiral not the battleship. Note that they are wearing white trousers which marks them out as boys and not adult sailors. The mast in the black and white film was at the top of the drill square at HMS Gangees. By the way HMS Gangees was one of those unsinkable ships on account of it being built out of bricks and mortar. Yes, Gangees was a depot training centre for cadets.
Every passing off the cadets would dress mast as part of the display for their mums and dads. By the by, my grandfather was button boy at Gangees and the first ship he went on was HMS Warrior Britain's first ironclad battleship though, it was just a training ship by the time my grandfather was on board. Also the height of the mast at Gangees was the same as the main mast on HMS Victory, from waterline to button 205ft.
When you started talking about the ropes I could hear granddad spinning in his grave. He would tell you, as he told me several times, that there are only two ropes on a sailing ship, the anchor rope and the bell rope. Everything else is a line. Take a minus two for not knowing that but you get a plus three for the extra large bag of Yorkshire tea.
Hope this helps a little and keep up the good work.
HMS Ganges (shore establishment) a shore based Royal NAVY Cadet training base. In 1907 the 143-foot (44 m)-high mast of the old steam corvette HMS Cordelia was erected. It is a major landmark.
It was not for cadets You joined the Navy at 15 and after 10 months training you went to your first draft. You were known as Juniors, I was a JME in 1969 at HMS Ganges JME = Junior Marine Engineer. Not Cadet.
When i first did the Ganges mast in 1961, there was a patch in the post office roof under the mast. The buzz was that someone had gone direct from the mast, to be posted home....
The flags on the mast are signal flags - probably says something along the lines of "England expects that every man will do his duty"
More likely to be used for communicating between ships at sea
@@RomeoMike22 Yes - and that is probably the most famous signal sent by flag to ships in a fleet in the Royal Navy. Was originally meant to read "Nelson confides that every man will do his duty" but that would have needed to spelt out as "Nelson" & "confides" was not in the signal book hence it was changed
Hahaaa... Very iconic signal.
More than likely, if matelots still have the same sense of humour as when I was in the RN, its a rude message, on the grounds that very few people could read it.
@@almac2598 A good point and I readily defer to your experience
We did that at HMS Ganges, a Royal Navy land base {I believe it has now been closed down) in the early 70's. It is just a mast. They are climbing up the ratlines which support the mast. The procedure dates back to Henry the VIII. The ceremony was started at the turn of the century. My Mother had an 8mm film of this with myself participating but she turned the camera sideways to fit the whole mast into the frame!
The combination of flags would likely have a specific meaning that will be known to mariners. Similar to the signal that Nelson sent before engaging the French and Spanish fleets off the Cape of Trafalgar. "England expects every man to do his duty."
I was in the Royal Navy and trained at HMS Ganges it was a shore training establishment.
Manning the mast was conducted every year with a different division taking part - HMS Ganges was closed in the 1970's - the mast was 140feet high and was situated on the edge of the parade ground. I was part of the team when we manned the mast in 1957.
They made my Dad the "button boy" during his training at HMS Ganges in 1939 because he was so short! He signed up aged 16 and spent the war as a radio operators in small Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) doing minesweeping, the invasion of Sicily etc. MTBs also acted as a decoy night invasion before El Alamein - they hung torches from blown up condoms so it looked like big ships were coming in!
I was a member of the Royal Navy Display Team in 1984. I was also a Button Boy. I have no idea how I managed to do it now! We were based at HMS Excellent in Whale Island Portsmouth. The mast was 90ft high and there were no safety harnesses. We used to do this display as well as the sailors hornpipe (which was a traditional dance) and the window ladder. We performed all over the UK culminating in the Royal Tournament at Earls Court in London. We also performed at a tournament in Paris. At that tournament we appeared alongside other military displays such as the French Foreign Legion and the US Marines Marching Twenty Four (I think that's what they were called). It was a silent precision rifle display. It was incredible. I recommend you look it up. By the way, the Field Gunners were much fitter than us. It's wonderful to see a U.S. Marine taking an interest in this an giving it publicity. Thankyou, you are bringing back a lot of memories.
My late father was a “Ganges” button boy. He did this in 1937 or 1938 as a boy sailor, this was part of his pass out ceremony. HMS Ganges was a shore establishment and the button was 12inches in diameter, there was a narrow lightening rod to help them to climb onto the button and they had to stand to attention and salute. The “Ganges” mast stood almost 100 feet from ground level to the top of the button, the ceremony was intended to emulate the tradition of “dressing the mast” when ships came into their home port after a deployment.
Actually 142 feet three inches.
My dad and I loved watching this every year back in the 1950s.
I witnessed this at Plymouth Navy day early 80's, must've been 12 or 13, just thought fuck that. Proper nerves of steel
I remember seeing this at Chatham Dockyard Navy Day, I think 1976? So impressive the memory of it has stayed with me ever since. Proud to be British.
This was something that the Royal Navy did up until the mid to late 1990s. During their trade training at RN establishments classes would be selected to train at this and other displays which demonstrated some of the history of the RN. These display teams would go around country shows around the U.K. doing these displays. The participants are all RN Personnel in training and would carry out training for the display in their free time.
The other displays are the Field Gun Competition and the Window Ladder display. They ended in the mid to late 1990s due to reductions in personnel numbers meaning the RN did not have the people available to continue these displays.
The display teams would generally be accompanied by one of the Bands of Her Majesties Royal Marines at the shows to provide the needed musical accompaniment.
Just fantastic. Breathtaking stuff.
HMS Gangies was a shore establishment so the mast wasn't on a ship.
The original mast is currently being restored
dude..you just leapt massively in my estimation...Yorkshire tea in backdrop....you are truly refined and a connoisseur of the finer things in life..
My father was a "button boy" when he joined the Royal Navy in 1942 at the age of 17. He trained at HMS Ganges in the East of England before being posted to submarine duty the same year. The only attachment on the button was a T-bar to just below knee height.
The first mast at HMS Ganges was 142 feet high. Ganges was a shore training base, all naval shore stations were regarded as ships hence the HMS , my late father trained at Ganges and was the button boy in front of the late king George VI with the Queen and the two princess. He stood on the button with only the lightning rod for support. He was then presented to the king and received a silver sixpence from him.
His name was Henry Huntly John Gardiner.
You have every reason to be very proud of your father.
The lads doing this are members of the boys navy so under 17
We were all 15, training lasted about 10 months at Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges) we still did schooling but with harsh discipline, marching and some specialist training, I was a gunner and went on to HMS Cambridge another shore establishment near Plymouth to complete my gunnery training, eventually leaving the Royal Navy 24 years later.
The best years of my life, with the best mates you could ever ask for.
@@johnmackenzie6008 thankyou for your service.
I went to HMS Ganges in 1963/64. The mast was taken off an old three master and set in concrete. Ganges was a training ship, we did 11 months basic there at the age of 15. Everyone had to go over the mast at least once, over the Devils Elbow and up to the half moon. This video is of the display team, anyone could volunteer for this. On Sundays we would very often climb the mast and sit on the spars looking out over the ocean, very calming! Ganges shut down in '75 I think when they raised the school leaving age. The mast has fallen into disrepair sadly but we have a club and are trying to get it repaired.
Thankyou for sharing this and good luck to you, I hope you are successful!
I agree with the International Man of Mystery comment below Fred Dibnah is well worth watching. He was a steeple Jack who climbed old victoriana industrial chimneys to lower the top before bringing them down. I recommend his you tube videos taken from his TV series.
He also did lots of repairs too. He was a legend that’s for sure.
1 thing you may not be aware of is that all the boys going up the mast are just 15 years of age. HMS Ganges was the training base for Junior sailors. New recruits of the age of 16 (at least in the 1960s) would not go to Ganges but to a different training base instead. Thing is back then the school leaving age was 15 and those boys sent to Ganges mostly joined up straight from school.
I went to Ganges the older boys went to Raleigh
My Grandad stood on the Button at Shotley before going off to war on landing craft in WW2
That Dude was a 15 year old called boy sailors but still in the Royal Navy full time.Hms Ganges mast was a proper full mast and is far better to see than the Daedalus one.
Have a wonderful cup of Yorkshire tea mate!!!!
The DVD you are showing was filmed at HMS Ganges which is a shore base and not a ship, it was a training base for young sailors like myself, I was there in 1966 and also took part in the mast manning. The mast is approximately 147ft high, the button on the top is 9" in diameter, the button boy who stands on top has to clamp his legs on to the lightning conductor which sticks up above the button by about 30". I was 16 when I did this, it was compulsory for all boy entrants to climb the mast to the half moon which is just below the button. The button boy has to shin up to the button from the half moon platform and haul himself on to the button. There is a safety net at the bottom but the rope it is made of is so thick if you fell from the top and hit the safety net you would almost certainly die. HMS Ganges closed many years ago but the mast is still there and is now classed as a listed monument so it can't be removed.
Not 100% sure but aren't they Clipper ships, you know, the sort that used to transport tea to Americ........uh never mind 😳
Leave it...
Don't mention the war !
(Faulty Towers, TV if you don't know)
@@dave_h_8742 I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it alright!
Funnily enough with that comment I just nuked Boston in Fallout 4
Square rigs.
Ie squuare sails.
The navy uniform for seamen was also called 'square rig'
I went in as an artificer in 1969. Did 12 years. Never climbed a mast. But we all did something akin.
I Climbed that mast after joining HMS GANGES in 1965. It did not seem that easy at the time but once you had managed going over the Devils Elbow, it got easier. There were trainees who were frightened of the height but most trainees were encouraged to climb it at least once. The Button boy was specially chosen. This video brought back long forgotten memories
My grandad trained on hms ganges and faught on hms tiger in 1964 - unknown, he gave me an original book that got after he completed training it has all the pictures of the people on the masts (he's still alive at the time of writing this btw)
I don't think he would have 'fought' on the Tiger in 1964. But I know what you mean.
My brother in law was on the HMS Tiger .
@@kempo899 yeah he was on tiger but i dont think he faught on it
@@l.moorey Tiger was engaged in defence of Bruni malasia 1963 . I was there, got the medal. lol
Why not, i went there in 1951 and am still going strong. lolololol
Small statistic: 53 boys died whilst training on HMS Ganges between 1866 and 1899. There is a memorial to them at Mylor churchyard in Cornwall. HMS Ganges was stationed offshore near there during those 33 years.
My Dad joined the RN in 1952 at the age of 15, he lied about his age, grandad was furious with him but have his permission and Dad went off to HMS Ganges.
HMS Ganges was a wooden ship of the line. It was retired to River Stour as a training ship and was eventually scrapped. The shore base (a stone frigate)was established 1905 with the purpose of training boy entrants(TROGS Trainee Ratings of Ganges) to the navy in seamanship. The mast on shore was a composite of masts and spars from other ships. The button on the top was some 140 feet from the ground and 18 inches in diameter. A lightning conductor at the top supported the Button Boy. The shore base closed in 1973 and the mast is now
in a state of near collapse. Living at Shotley I have seen the mast manned many times..... "when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel"