T.S. Indefatigable

[Anthony Atkinson]

Hello Indie Boys. Talking of the cutter race, I fell off the cutter as we were coming alongside at that little jetty by the Captains house. What a pallaver it caused. I got a fearfull bollicking from the C/O Mr Wade, but the officer in charge of the boat, got it even worse. I can't recall his name, but he was a small wizened sod, who had a permanent chip on his shoulder. We heard it all from the office, and when we saw the C/O his neck veins were protruding somewhat, that was a sure sign he was livid. He, the C/O, the next day, smiled at me and asked had I enjoyed my swim in the Menia Straits. It was all a wee bit unnerving for a small chap like me. Oh well, those were the days. Anthony

[don683]

Iwas there from1948 to Sept.1949. it was tough but a good grounding for life at sea.I was L.Hand second Divisiopn. Mr French was D/O Mr Strong ,Bandmaster andthe captain wasCaptain Balmbra I was Don Coates (still am)No 48. There is an Old Boys Ass. Iam a member but unfortunately have'nt been able to get to thereunions Don

[phillip tickle]

I was there from 1964-65, 103 Rodney Division.

Wade was still the CO, with Irwin as Capt., Curtis taught seamanship,(stop that yafflin') Nelson was another name I remember but can't remember what he taught.

It wasn't until my last term there that I realised that there was a roughly 50/50 split in the backgrounds of the boys. One half had parents who had paid for their sons to go there, and the other half were there, either from childrens homes or they'd come throught juvenile courts and Inde was seen as a half-way house between Reform School and Borstal, both of which I think were being phased out at the time.

Can you remember the Sunday night supper dish, it was either corned beef hash or potato, cheese and onion pie (followed by ONE tab-nab) I've tried several times to make the pie without success.

yeh i remember those names,ther was also the clothing officer i think we called him BOND,rapped his leg round the parade ground stump and broke it in a few places that would have been 1965. I left there in '66'but still look back on those good old times.I was in Raleigh #63

[clarkecurator]

I was at the Inde 65/67 Most of the time was okay once you learned the system. There was a big black lad called Benny Brown from Liverpool, who was the cock of the school by a mile, in fairness to I never saw him pushing his weight about. Not like one miserable sod from Scotland surname beginning with G, never did see you take on Benny!!!

[Hood 92]

Darrel I was there in 59-60 and my number was 92 and I was in Hood Div. You must have arrived after I left?
I was in Palm Dorm.
I remember a lad called Falkner being drummed out in the same manner as you describe. The whole place was brutal, I hated it. I can still hear Chief Derricks fist knock his hat off, while making sure at least half the force in his fist hit the lad alongside his head. Muggeridge was another Bully. Pete Davis was the only humanitarian there. He left and joined the Coastguard.
There are still a couple of Thugs from those days who I would love to meet again. Grimshaw and Charters.

The Lancashire Boys Homes made up a big percentage of "Inmates" there. The rest were paid for by local education authorities or parents.

The other thing about the place, I was always starving, food was worse than shite!

Only thing It taught me was, not to be a bully. Which is all it did. But that, and that alone stood me in good stead for my 22 years in the Royal Navy.

[Captain Kong]

My younger brother John was at the Indi in 1959 and joined the RAKAIA around 1959/60. He was a Bugle Boy on a ship full of Cadets. he arrived home in June 1960 just in time to join the Strke, not a happy lad
He sailed with me a few times on the Empress of France, KENT, and in ESSO many years later.He worked on the Australian Coast and sailed on the Wongala , a sailing ship, returned to England became a School Teacher in Kirkby, Liverpool and then went back to sea with ESSO, he took his Mates and Masters with me and after Esso closed down the shipping side, he became a Master Brewer and now owns a brewery in Knowlsley, Liverpool. He goes to the Reunions of the Indi Boys and we met a few in Liverpool on Merchant Navy Day.
Cheers
Brian

[John Griffiths]

Hood92, the only account I have ever heard about the Indie being a brutal place and someone admitting they hated it!

I was there - Boy 50 Raleigh Division, Clan Line Dorm - in 69-70-ish. I did almost a year there and then bunked it one night with another lad, Les from Bournemouth. I'd had enoughof the almost casual brutality and victimisation that was going on there. When I got home, as I had breached my indentures, the Police were called and came with Jack Snape, who was the Purser.

I had a discussion with Jack Snape who was a gentleman and who listened to me - my dad paid my £5 breach fee and that was me, out of it! Alas, Les was taken back by the Police.....

No regrets about bunking out of there and despite Captain Wade telling me when I went back with my dad to collect some personal stuff that I would never go to sea, I did 20 years!

My memories of the place are certainly dark ones and I look on it as a period in my life I would not send a dog to undertake.

Like you, the only lesson I took from it was not to bully others.

John

[Hood 92]

Thanks and Hi John Griffiths. I can give you another example of the brutality that took place there. A good friend of mine, we met at Canning Place on the way there. Dave a was a chubby chap and a brilliant brass band player. His dream was to go into the Royal Marines Band after the Indy. It was a no brainer that he would get there. But no, some bullys made him go aloft in that bo/sns chair and then swung him around until he fell off and broke his arm and smashed his elbow. End of musical career.
The lad Faulkner who I mentioned previously, was small in stature and ran away because of bullying, only to return to more bullying and humiliation by his 1st Officer and supposed protector.

There are a lot of Ex Indy boys out there, and you know well who you are, who should be ashamed of what they did to younger, smaller and weaker boys at that place.

[John Griffiths]

Hood - well said.

John

[Anthony Atkinson]

They were aplenty when I was at that place during 62/63. The Master and his Officers should be completely ashamed of the way they ran the place. If those things happened today, the whole bloody lot of them, would be imprisoned for cruelty to minors. I was ATKINSON no;70 Raleigh Division.