Sea Cadet Corps.

[Jim Brady]

I'm sure that there are quite a few on here who were in the Sea Cadets,I must admit it was one of the most interesting times in my life.We spent quite a lot of our childhood down the dock road looking through the fence at the ships and all the goings on on the docks.The secret was to get in there and get amongst it,get aboard the ships and whatever other mischief you could get upto.The answer was to join the cadets,you recieved a pass"Please allow this cadet to be shown around your ship or establishment" this was like pure gold.When I joined I was to young so I gave in a false date of birth,the date being 5/11/39,how could I ever forget Bonfire Night.Kitted out in our uniforms and down to the docks the first available Sunday.first ship we seen HMS Montclare Gladstone Graving Dock.I think it was the Montclare I know it was a submarine mother ship.We were down the mess and given a Lemon Cheese Butty and a cup of cocoa by the sailors,we came ashore and bumped into an old hand (cadet)"You dont go aboard them ships you come down here to get aboard the American cargo boats"That was it,we had a small library on the corner of our street,every friday we would be in there and get the Journal Of Commerce ( the commerce was necessary around there due to the amount of seaman living in the area)We scanned the Commerce to see what was in,we knew every dock and had our day planned out for Sunday.We became quite friendly with Captains and crew on the Lykes boats and some of the others.They made sure we had a good meal and then as much apple pie and ice cream as we liked.We also came home with lots of cigarettes.When there was no ships in we got upto all kinds of mischief like racing each other up and down the sheds on the Bogies.
Back to the cadets,I never missed a parade Monday Wednesday and Friday nights.I ended up A.B.and my own Division (Anson).I took to the Semaphore quite readily and I must say I became very fast at both sending and recieving.
Another perk of being a cadet was doing a trip on a Coaster to the Continent,Antwerp,Amsterdam and Rotterdam,imagine that as a 14 year old,all you had todo was pay 7s6d insurance I was certainly up for that.It was all being set up for me to go when this new officer joined the unit.He informed me "this unit has not got any badges so before you go anywhere you will go and get a semaphore badge"I had to agree and I was tobe sent to I think a place called Streatham.We came to fill out the paper work for this semaphore gig and I gave my correct date of birth as I was old enough by then,this clown queeried this and puffing my chest out I told him I had given a wrong date of birth in when joining.I was thinking of all these WW1and WW11 heroes who had joined when to young giving a false DOB.He was not amused and took off on me good style shouting and raving "I dont like boys who tell lies".The cadets was a big part of my life at the time and I must admit I got home and cried my eyes out.To use present day parlance I felt my position was untenable so I packed my uniform into a cardboard box and when my mates called for me for the next parade I handed them the box to return my uniform,as they walked down the road another tear came to my eye.
Yes it was a good two years spoilt by a clown who had no idea how to deal with kids.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Neil Morton]

Hello Jim thank you for your post. No I was not in the Sea Cadets, I was in the RAF cadets. As a boy Biggles was my hero, and most likely most of us were fans, convieniently the cadet hall was just across the road from our house. I desperately wanted to go to Cranwell and become a pilot. Two monster probs kept me out ne was a total lack of mathmatical calculation the other a dodgey right eye. However if I get the drift of your post correctley those of us that joined whether it be the Boy Scouts, the Boys Brigade etc we wanted to participate and had an ambition to serve.
With that came church parades, country camps, harvest festival at the parish church, stuff which is I must confess as the years drift by I miss and bore folks crazy with given half a chance.
Cheers mate Neil.

[Captain Kong]

I did four years years in the Sea Cadets, 12 to 16, loved it, The Uniform was great for picking up the girls in the early teens, My cap band said , TS DIDO, I then changed it after we left the drill hall to HM SUBMARINES,
The lamps were swinging with seafaring yarns of how I won the war . couldnt go wrong with the girls.
.
It was good training tho`, they taught us Seamanship, the usual bends, hitches, splicing, rigging blocks and tackle , Bosuns Chairs and rigging stages.I did training courses on some great ships , HMS DUKE of York, 35,000 ton battleship that sank the SCHARNHORST. HMS s DIDO, and SIRIUS, 10,000 ton Cruisers, Went to HMS SOMETHING? at Portsmouth where we did a Submarine course on HM Submarines. Gunnery courses at Whale Island Portsmouth, shooting down German planes in the Dome, a week at HMS BLACKCAP a Naval Air station near Warrington and many other events. So when I joined the Vindicatrix I was well trained in what they were doing.
Kids today instead of moaning they have nothing to do so they hang about street corners should all be made to join these services, they could have some good adventures. I loved it.
.
A couple of years ago they had a 65th anniversary dinner at the HQ and then they got some of us old Cadets to do a demonstration of Rifle Drill and Marching for the young ones. I was amazed at the weight of an old Le Enfield 303 rifle with bayonet attached when we did the rifle drill, When we were kids it was so easy. For us old timers we did quite good and got a good encore from al the guests. I have the photos on my computer which is in dry dock at the moment. I can put them on when I get it back.

[Jim Brady]

Funny you mention the cap ribbons Brian there was an abundance of the m around our way.When the fairground came to town we would put the cap ribbons of ships on and hang around the waltzer etc.Looking back on it I was'nt even 5ft at the time.I remember one time we had ships cap ribbons on and we were down the docks,I forget what one I was wearing but this docker leaned over the side of the ship and shouted to me "Ay lad that F*****g thing was sunk in the first world war".
Joking apart the discipline played a great part in it,kids today would'nt tollerate it.I can't remeber what I did wrong but my punishment was to hold a 303 rifle above my head for as long as this P.O. decided,my arms were buckling keep them up straight was the order.We were always told to carry out the last order.The P.O. was marching us around the yard,we were based on the Leeds and Liverpool canal,we where three abreast and I was in the front three.He marched us strait towards the canal one more pace and we would've ended up in the canal.He shouted halt just as we were about to go in That was always carry out the last order,and believe me we would've marched into the canal had he not shouted halt.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

Good one that Jim, brings back a few memories.
Good days, big adventures for young lads, I never knew if the girls believed us or not,
Thin skinny kids with those hat bands, a big Western Ocean Roll, a ciggy in the mouth and coughing the lungs up with it. trying to be grown up.
At least we were not mugging old ladies or smashing up bus shelters.
Cheers
Brian.

[Jim Brady]

Just learning how to upload following Gullivers instructions.

[Jim Brady]

Previous picture was the first sucess I have had posting. Took me over an hour to get there,Gullivers instructions got me there in the end. as a matter of interst I'm the little kid on the end right.
Brian (Capt Kong)will be interested in seeng your cadet photos when your back up and running.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Ron Kendall]

I too was in the Cadets, I flew from RNAS Anthorn in a De Haviland Dragon Rapide, on a visit to the Cumberland Naval Air Station in 1952, then I didnt fly for40 odd years!, I did a gunnery course at HMS Vernon at Portsmouth, andreally enjoyed the activities, Some years ago when the local unit in Whitehaven was short of Instructors, I offered to help, and before I realised what had happened, I had agreed to go back in uniform, then had serveral trips to sea on the MFV 7, AS a full time bus and coach driver, I took the North West Cadets to HMS Raleigh at Torpoint a number of times, and although retired now, the Chief Po's uniform is still in the wardrobe!I must hand it back sometime...... Happy days!

[alf corbyn]

yes lads. i too was in the sae cadets. got into trouble whilst teaching semaphore sending rude commnts and the co saw me and i got a right rollocking. spent months on the river lee at enfield getting an old whaleboat ready for the water caulking, painting etc. came the great day for putting it in the water, sorry corbyn you can't get in, you can't swim. had a few punchups with the army cadets. my hat silk had stc on it but on the reverse i had hms, cant remeber the name but i also had my brother-in-laws paybook, so could get in the pub for a drink. tried the air cadets but didn't like it. alf

[Hugh]

I, too, was a member of the Sea Cadets. As a youngster I think it set me up for my later career at sea. I remember being taught all the usual things like splicing, bends and hitches, semaphore, seamanship, rifle shooting - the list goes on. I remember my father, who was an ex- MN QM, also teaching me how to box the compass and tie Turk's Head knots.
I remember travelling down to Weymouth and spending a week on board the fleet tender 'BEMBRIDGE'. Others went on the sail training ship 'Royalist' - what a way to give young people life experience it was ideal.

When I later joined the RN, the basics were already there and breezed through the basic training.

Yes, very fond memories of the Sea Cadet Corps and a lot to be thankful for.

Regards
Hugh