Early background History of Gravesend Sea School

[Chris Champion]

Hi All,

I am in the process of compiling a book based on my fathers time in the Merchant Navy between 1946 to 1955. As part of my research I have published some background history about Gravesend Sea School on my website, which I hope you will find of interest.

http://championfh.net/genealogy/cham...ool%20V1.0.pdf

Chris
www.championfh.net

[Frederick Lacey]

Hi Chris, Thanks for that, lots of memories.

Was there from 28-12-1949 till 10-2-1950.

Fred. R525985.

[John Albert Evans]

Hello Chris,
I was there from January to March 1957. I was 16 years of age and in the Catering Department. I always thought that the Training School was an ex H.M.Prison, it felt like it sometimes when I was there the accomodation certainly looked and felt like a prison cell. Its also nice to know how the name peanut came about. I wish you all the best with you book, when its published please say so on this site as I for one with buy a copy. Its 57 years since I was there and memories tend to fade a little but the most memorable thing I remember was the toilets, oh my, They were situated outside in a long row no doors were fitted so you were open to the weather,there was no flush but instead there was running water like a stream and quite often someone at the top end would have made a paper boat and set light to it so it floated all the way down burnng everyones bottom on its travel Once again Good Luck with your book. I'm sure everyone on here will help with any information they have, myself included.

John Albert Evans

[happy daze john in oz]

Hello Chris,
I was there from January to March 1957. I was 16 years of age and in the Catering Department. I always thought that the Training School was an ex H.M.Prison, it felt like it sometimes when I was there the accomodation certainly looked and felt like a prison cell. Its also nice to know how the name peanut came about. I wish you all the best with you book, when its published please say so on this site as I for one with buy a copy. Its 57 years since I was there and memories tend to fade a little but the most memorable thing I remember was the toilets, oh my, They were situated outside in a long row no doors were fitted so you were open to the weather,there was no flush but instead there was running water like a stream and quite often someone at the top end would have made a paper boat and set light to it so it floated all the way down burnng everyones bottom on its travel Once again Good Luck with your book. I'm sure everyone on here will help with any information they have, myself included.

John Albert Evans

Now mate I am getting a bit worried about you. Comparing the school to a prison, don't tell me that was from personal experience? LOL

[John Albert Evans]

LOL John,

I've been inside lots and lots of H.M.Prisons but NOT as an inmate I hasten to add and must say they were more modern than The Gravesend Sea Training School that we are discussing about here.

John

[happy daze john in oz]

LOL John,

I've been inside lots and lots of H.M.Prisons but NOT as an inmate I hasten to add and must say they were more modern than The Gravesend Sea Training School that we are discussing about here.

John

Here in Oz most of the prisons are more like hotels, hardly doing hard time any more.

[John Ensall]

I was in gravesend sea training school in1963 at the tender age of 15yrs. under the watchful eyes of Mr Hoskins, what a bloke, it may sound daft but I really enjoyed my time at the sea training school. Talk about rough and ready I was brought up in the dingle in Liverpool, which was a sweet paradise compared to Gravesend, however it put me in good stead for life at sea away from home for months at a time. I only wish the young people of today could enjoy the same experience

[Keith at Tregenna]

Can only say in all honesty that the links work, heavy week, will look further in the morning. K.

[John Albert Evans]

Hello Chris,
I was there from January to March 1957. I was 16 years of age and in the Catering Department. I always thought that the Training School was an ex H.M.Prison, it felt like it sometimes when I was there the accomodation certainly looked and felt like a prison cell. Its also nice to know how the name peanut came about. I wish you all the best with you book, when its published please say so on this site as I for one with buy a copy. Its 57 years since I was there and memories tend to fade a little but the most memorable thing I remember was the toilets, oh my, They were situated outside in a long row no doors were fitted so you were open to the weather,there was no flush but instead there was running water like a stream and quite often someone at the top end would have made a paper boat and set light to it so it floated all the way down burnng everyones bottom on its travel Once again Good Luck with your book. I'm sure everyone on here will help with any information they have, myself included.

John Albert Evans

Attached are two photographs in the intake I was with at Gravesend.

gravesend 001.jpg....gravesend 001.jpg

They were taken in February 1957. I have the names witten on the back on one of them but of course they are faded with age, but if you think they may be of any help to you or anyone else on site I'll try and decypher some of them. PLease let me know. The Instructor was a Mr Barton.

John

[Jim Brady]

As you know John i left there about 2 weeks before you arrived.You've got me confused now about the toilets,as far as i was aware they were all single pan jobs with their own flush.What I do remember was as you were on the bog no doors or nothing and you could touch the guy on the back having a wash in the wash basin.The new intake would'nt use the toilets to embarassed,it was three days before you got shore leave me and a couple of mates in my class as soon as we were let loose we went into town to the public toilets and blew our brains out.
Regards.
Jim.B.