HMS GANGES
ASSOCIATION
Notice Board

Members and Visitors to the 'Ganges' pages are cordially invited to submit
items of interest for the attention of Ganges Association members by emailing
The Webmaster
Please send replies to messages on the Notice Board
to the message originator 'NOT' the Webmaster, thank you.

July 2007

Crossed the bar

Yet another Ganges boy has sailed off into the deep blue yonder.
Dave Balkham, joined Ganges 8 September 1953, Hawke Division, 47 Mess.
Dave was a stalwart of the Merseyside division, he crossed the bar Wednesday 25 July 2007 after an extremely long fight against the big "C".
Dave was a real character and very well liked, he will be sadly missed by all of us.
Funeral at St. Peters Church, Woolton Village, Liverpool. 1515 Thursday 2 August 2007
May he find safe anchorage.

Stu Shaw <stuandedna@ntlworld.com>
Honorary Secretary
Merseyside Division

EGM Voting Results

The official EGM Voting Results are now available via the members only 'minutes' section of the website.
Basil, Chief Scroot. <bazval@btinternet.com>

Remembrance Day 11/11/2007

Members wishing to take part in the remembrance day parade at the cenotaph are requested to contact
David Tait <davestait@hotmail.com> as soon as possible as there are limited places available.

Thames Valley Social

I held the first gathering of the Thames Valley Area social at my humble abode on the 23rd June of which there were 15 attendees.
All went off reasonably well considering there was a threat of more rain. We had a little bit of a bit of a deluge about two hours before everyone was due to arrive, (just after I had got out all the chairs etc), but once these had been dried off, folks started to arrive, and the lamp swinging and barbi kicked off in pleasant evening sunshine.
The next social is due on the Saturday 13th October, Please let me know by e-mail or phone if you intend coming so that I, sorry we (myself and my good lady Cecily that is) have some idea for the buffet.
Topsy <philip.turner@ntlworld.com>

Crossed the bar

East Kent Mercury, Thursday, July 26, 2007.
Funeral to be held for Navy hero
Frank Thomson
A former naval officer from Deal who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) has died in hospital.
Francis Thomson, who was known as Frank, was 87 and lived in Victoria Road.
He died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Margate on Sunday and his funeral is due to be held on Wednesday.
Mr Thomson's son Christopher said his father was well known and liked by people in the town.
"My father was presented with the DSC by King George VI for his actions as commander of a motor torpedo boat involved in capturing a well-known German E-boat captain in the Second World War."
Mr Thomson also leaves a widow Stephanie.
The funeral will be at 1345 at St. Georges Church, Deal.
Frank was an ex HMS Ganges boy and was visited regularly by ex Chief Yeoman Alan Bell. (Ganges '52).

Veterans Gather To Commemorate The Demise Of The Royal Naval Rum Issue

Since the cessation of the issue of a daily tot of rum to the Royal Navy on 31 July 1970, veterans have gathered annually at the Corner House Public House on Portland to re-enact the ceremony and "Splice the Mainbrace".

The daily rum issue, which has been traced back to Jamaica in 1665 when a half gill or one eighth of an imperial pint was issued to all the Ship's Company who were not "under age" or "given to temperance".
To ensure fairness and equality the rum was issued under strict supervision with military precision which gradually evolved into the ceremony of rum issue fondly remembered by many Naval veterans to this day.

"This was an important part of Naval life for many years" said Dan Sherren, ex Warrant Officer and Public Relations Officer for the Portland Royal Naval Association "We are obviously keen supporters of the event and hope it will continue to be observed for years to come".

In recent years the rum issue has been held on the Saturday nearest the 31st July, which this year falls on Saturday 28th, when Naval veterans and many interested onlookers will gather at 1200 precisely to hear a short explanation of the rum issue before "Up-spirits" is piped on a traditional Bosun's call and a carefully measured issue of rum decanted and served to each of those present.

"Traditionally, the Naval or "Pussers" tot of rum was a secret blend of rum from 5 Carribean distilleries" explained ex Chief Petty Officer Jeff Chitty, now landlord of the Corner House "Nowadays we now use commercially bought rum which provokes a great deal of comparison with that issued in the "good old days""

If you understand the terms "sippers", "gulpers" or "sandy bottoms" or are interested in finding out, you can be assured of a warm welcome and a most practical history lesson.

Further information is available from Andy Porter, by e-mail to <skitek2000@btconnect.com> or phone (01305) 759435

The Ballot papers will soon be with the registered Voters.

I had no input into the content of the papers, that was down to the Acting Chairman and his committee so any questions in that direction please contact them.
It would be appreciated if you only e-mailed me if you thought your paper was not going to make it in time. E-MAIL facility is mostly for the benefit of our overseas members or if it really goes wobbly with the Postal strike.
Don't forget. NO VOTE - NO MOAN.

Basil, Chief Scroot. <bazval@btinternet.com>

100 YEARS OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
IN THE ROYAL NAVY
26th - 29th October 2007

HMS Ganges Association will celebrate the Centenary of Wireless Telegraphists in the Royal Navy at a reunion to be held at the Savoy Hotel, Bournemouth over the weekend of Friday 26th to Monday 29th October 2007.

Many thousands of Boy & Junior Telegraphists, later known as RO's, were trained at HMS Ganges (RNTE Shotley, near Harwich) from 1907 until the establishments closure in 1976. Young 16 year old trained Telegraphists then went to sea and/or on to more advanced training at HMS Mercury (Leydene, Hants) the RN's School of Communication. This role is now centred at HMS Collingwood, Fareham, Hants.

In support of this event and over the weekend the ROYAL NAVAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY intend to feature:-

1. A large display of antique naval radio equipment dating from the turn of the century.
(by courtesy of the Royal Navy Communications Museum - Curator Lt.Cdr Bill Legg RN)

2. A visit to the Royal Army Signals Museum - Blandford, Dorset.

3. A formal - black tie - Dinner.

4. Finally culminating with a replication - on Sunday 28th October from 1500 - of Marconi's first transmission across the water from Bournemouth to Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight. This will be done using Ofcom's Special Events Callsign - GB100WT - and will be received on the Isle of Wight by the Brickfield Amateur Radio Society.

Participating will be members of Portland Amateur Radio Society (PARC), Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society (RNARS), Brickfield Amateur Radio Society (BARS) plus others.

For further information contact:-

David MacLeod (Ganges 46/47)
180 Weston Street
Portland
Dorset, DT5 2DH
England
Tel: 0044 (0)1305 862221
Email: <porp1dgmacleod46@onetel.com>

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HMS GANGESASSOCIATIONNotice Board

Crossed the bar

EGM Voting Results

Thames Valley Social

Crossed the bar

Veterans Gather To Commemorate The Demise Of The Royal Naval Rum Issue

The Ballot papers will soon be with the registered Voters.

100 YEARS OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY IN THE ROYAL NAVY 26th - 29th October 2007

HMS GANGES
ASSOCIATION
Notice Board

100 YEARS OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
IN THE ROYAL NAVY
26th - 29th October 2007