Plymouth Nautical College .. Portland Place

[derekhore]

Anyone else down at Plymouth from 1970 onwards, BP or otherwise?

Days of Bill Currie as head warden; Chiefy Tozer for signals, flag break on the teaching block roof and drill on Saturday mornings; Mr Lester for GSK; Seamanship with Mr Mitchell & Captain Hyde at the Seamanship Centre down at Cattedown; Fire Courses at Ernesettle fire station ... the list goes on!

Many other Deck Cadets there from Shell, Reardon Smith, Blue Star, RFA, New Zealand Shipping .. plus a lot of Engineer cadets too.

Sparkies also did their Radio Courses at Plymouth Poly.


After the Induction Course at the main residential building (paid for by Shell), Phase 2 was spent either there again or in Merrifield Hall or Standard House.

Happy days, even though we had to wear uniform during the day, including all visits into the City Centre!

[pete]

Did my all my tickets in Plymouth College (as it was then) finishing in 1974. I remember Chiefy Tozer well but I can also remember Capt Day (Planetarium) and Capt Fifield who was my saviour with his Formulae for splitting "B". I've forgotten it now (ravages of time) but it was bl**dy handy) cheers........pete

[Tom Condren]

'Splitting B'? Now you've ruined my Saturday!!

[derekhore]

Don't recall a Capt Fifield ... but Capt Day and the Planetarium, along with the Plymouth city skyline I remember well!

A quick pint at the James Street Vaults (still there) just behind the residential block .. or a trip down to the Goodies (Good Companions) in Drakes Circus, which has now gone.
Also the Unity by the multi-storey car park .. and a trip down Union Street on a Friday night to see the MP's deal with drunken matelots at closing time!

[RCFC]

Phase I in 1971, Phase III in1974 in Standard House with Warden Pop Howard.... happy days

[derekhore]

Good old Pop Howard, would lock the doors dead on time but always leave a downstairs window open!

Standard House was handy for the station .. and for the Penny-Come-Quick pub .. which I notice now is all boarded up.

Many preferred Merrifield Hall over in Greenbank Road - only because it was next to the nurses home!!

[duquesa]

Did all my ticket studying there in the 60's. Fantastic memories. Moreby was the senior lecturer (Not the principal). Fifield was also a senior staff member. Day and Danton (of TV weather fame) also. The other names will filter back as I think about it. I think I spent more time in the Navigation Bar at the Bedford Arms drinking brown ale than I did in the tech. Another chap taught stability and had written a text book on it which we used.

[derekhore]

Graham Danton was a regular on our local Westward televison doing the nightly weather forecast.

I still have a near pristine copy of his "Dantons Seamanship"!!

[Cornish Wrecker]

Joined 1960 after interview with Capt Johnson who sadly passed away.Capt Hughs took over as principal. Remember well Capt Fifield who looked after the Shell Cadets.Capt Day took us for Gyro Compass work,Capt Danton wrote his own seamanship book of which we all had a copy he went on to appear on the then Westward Television and later Radio Devon.Capt Gibson took us for boatwork on a ketch at Mutton Cove-he with his guitar sang the background music for an old film "Fire Down Below". Chiefy Tozer was there as well as Capt Hyde. Bumped into Capt Moreby on Paddington Station going to join the Egyptian Prince in West India Docks. I believe next year would be 150years of the School of Navigation so might be some celebration?. There is a training ketch called "Tectona" back in Plymouth I beleive it was used by Shell Cadets all those years ago. We used to have to go to the Naval Barracks at HMS Drake for drill with Navy Gunnery Instructers on the parade ground they used to take delight at putting their nose next to yours to yell at you-good old days.

[derekhore]

The Tectona was still going in the 70's .. used for survival courses etc.

Fisherman's Nose down on the Hoe, just a long from the Barbican was where we did all our radar courses.
Boatwork was done at Cattedown

[Ian Brown]

Did all my ticket studying there in the 60's. Fantastic memories. Moreby was the senior lecturer (Not the principal). Fifield was also a senior staff member. Day and Danton (of TV weather fame) also. The other names will filter back as I think about it. I think I spent more time in the Navigation Bar at the Bedford Arms drinking brown ale than I did in the tech. Another chap taught stability and had written a text book on it which we used.

Think the Stability text book must have been Capt. Derret.

I was a victim of Chiefy Tozer being the only Denholms cadet that year but after his 'teaching by terror' I never had any trouble passing the exams.
We hung out at the 'Chichester' on the Barbican. Long gone now.

[duquesa]

Derret was indeed the chap. Many thanks.

[derekhore]

We hung out at the 'Chichester' on the Barbican. Long gone now.

Sadly most of the pubs used by MN Cadets have now long gone .. as I say, only the "Jamie" still trades just behind the old residential block.


Deck Cadets used to be in a bit of a minority .. as Engineers Cadets used to be there long term .... being given terms as CC's & CCC's (Cadet Captains & Chief Cadet Captains) and responsible for the claenliness of all the rooms, showers etc - carrying out daily inspections before breakfast!

Shell mainly funded the college, but there were Cadets there from all Companies ...BP, Esso, RFA, Denholms, Irish Shipping, Bibby Line, P & O, Reardon Smith, New Zealand Shipping, Houlder Bros .. to name just a few!

Uniform worn all day, especially if visiting the city centre; flag break on the teaching block roof every morning at 08.45, overseen by Chiefy Tozer who also carried out a 'length of hair' inspection at the same time, drill in the carpark on Saturday mornings .... etc.

Peggy duties in the canteen at breakfast & lunchtimes - a real pain that was!!

Head Warden at the time was Bill Curry .. who lived in the "Penthouse" at the top of the block.

[duquesa]

When I was there it was "The Tech". We wore what the heck we liked and there wasn't an engineer in sight. (==D)

[derekhore]

I was there on & off from 1970 onwards ... so it took a turn for the worse after your time!

[derekhore]

There is a training ketch called "Tectona" back in Plymouth I beleive it was used by Shell Cadets all those years ago.


More on the Tectona here:

http://www.tectona.org.uk/index.html

[Steve G]

I was there from September 1972 for 2 years, remember it well. Cheques to LR Mills in the 'Jamie' (max value £3 but it paid for a whole weekend on the p including a night out in Tiffanies) Chiefey Towzer etc, etc

[derekhore]

Happy days - the 'Jamie' is still there I think, though we used the 'Goodies' more, now long gone.
I was there partly during 1972 .. first 3 months I think

[saltyswamp]

Sadly most of the pubs used by MN Cadets have now long gone .. as I say, only the "Jamie" still trades just behind the old residential block.


Deck Cadets used to be in a bit of a minority .. as Engineers Cadets used to be there long term .... being given terms as CC's & CCC's (Cadet Captains & Chief Cadet Captains) and responsible for the claenliness of all the rooms, showers etc - carrying out daily inspections before breakfast!

Shell mainly funded the college, but there were Cadets there from all Companies ...BP, Esso, RFA, Denholms, Irish Shipping, Bibby Line, P & O, Reardon Smith, New Zealand Shipping, Houlder Bros .. to name just a few!

Uniform worn all day, especially if visiting the city centre; flag break on the teaching block roof every morning at 08.45, overseen by Chiefy Tozer who also carried out a 'length of hair' inspection at the same time, drill in the carpark on Saturday mornings .... etc.

Peggy duties in the canteen at breakfast & lunchtimes - a real pain that was!!

Head Warden at the time was Bill Curry .. who lived in the "Penthouse" at the top of the block.

Hi I was There
At tech for two years sept 71 to June73 remember them all. 18th birthday in the jamie after revision ratarsed in an hour.
Mainly we were posh and went to the wellington.
Was with Houlders on 2 Eng Course They called me Kettle.

[derekhore]

The Wellie .. an upmarket pub - almost as good as the Unity at the top of Union Street!!

[saltyswamp]

Do you remember the early evening classes before dinner. One of the best the ballroom dancing with the girls from the local school.
Names I Can remember are John Ash (Shell), Tony Bray(Shell),Hamish(Shaw Savill), David? Massey(Houlders) & Robin from Soding Chipbury. All eng cadets Will have to dig out my old adress book.
Still think the wellie was hard to beat

[derekhore]

Don't recall those classes!! .. perhaps they were 'exclusive' for the Eng Cadets.

One Eng Cadet who I remember, he was the CEC on our floor I think, was Jimmy Landry - not liked by anyone, least of all those from the deck side!

[saltyswamp]

Don't recall those classes!! .. perhaps they were 'exclusive' for the Eng Cadets.

One Eng Cadet who I remember, he was the CEC on our floor I think, was Jimmy Landry - not liked by anyone, least of all those from the deck side!

rather loud and full of himself,
I think the classes were an option which unless you knew were a no no

[derekhore]

rather loud and full of himself,


That is an understatement!!

I think one or two of us took the wind out of his sails as we were promoted to 3/O's during our Phase 2 sea time .. and went back to Plymouth for our final phase wearing one band of braid on our uniform cuffs rather than just a Cadets markings.

He used to leave us alone then!!

[saltyswamp]

trying to find address book for names
stuart

[Steve G]

Hi I was There
At tech for two years sept 71 to June73 remember them all. 18th birthday in the jamie after revision ratarsed in an hour.
Mainly we were posh and went to the wellington.
Was with Houlders on 2 Eng Course They called me Kettle.

I was there (engineer) 72-74 so we must have overlapped by a year. I spent my first year in a dorm of 6 with a 2nd year NZS cadet in charge, name if Ian Gadene (also known as 'flower') You may remember him.

[saltyswamp]

I was there (engineer) 72-74 so we must have overlapped by a year. I spent my first year in a dorm of 6 with a 2nd year NZS cadet in charge, name if Ian Gadene (also known as 'flower') You may remember him.

Hi
Can remember him just, I can picture him in my head always had a floppy cap?
stuart

[Shaun Jones]

Did all my tickets in Plymouth. Ended up living in Ivybridge and then Ugborough as it was cheaper to have a mortgage as opposed to paying for digs during my Mates ticket. Chiefy Tozer was a hoot and I can still read light and do semaphore 38 years later! Other names:- Cornish, Rich, Danton, Day, Carter.... Mainly RFA, Irish Shipping, Shell, Mobile, P&O (all 3 divisions) in my time and lodged in Merrifield Hall. Most of the Cadets had gone by the time I did Masters in the mid-80's and will never forget "splitting B".

[derekhore]

Graham Danton took us on Phase 1 for Seamanship ... pushing his own book of course!!

I was at Standard House for Phase 3 .. handy for the station!

[Stuart]

Hi

I did my RO's ticket in Plymouth 70 to 73. My local was the Fortesque up on Mutley Plain as I was in digs localy. I had been drinking there for about 18 months,(two pints of reb barel and a castella cigar), when the landlord came into the bar (Mr Tregenna?) and said. "I hear it's your birthday, have a pint on me. How Old are you?" He did not speak to me again after I said I was 18 today. Ah the ignorance of youth!

Rgds

Stuart

[wharferat]

As an Eng Cadet 1977 -79, the Jamie was a regular watering hole in the first year, but in the second, a few of us started using the Fortescue. The Goodies was a stop on the way to the Barbican or Union Street.
For all those that drank in the Goodies, once they'd proved how old they were, that past cannot be repeated, & the future is uncertain.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Boarded-Plymouth-city-centre-pub-make-way-200/story-15050887-detail/story.html

[derekhore]

Indeed it is a sad end for the Goodies, I only used it on a Sunday night.
The regular used by myself and other Deck Cadets was the Penny-Come-Quick, or the PCQ, which was the other side of the mainline station on the roundabout. Sadly that too is now boarded up and awaiting demolition for flats I believe.

http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/24016/wm/pd2374745.jpg

Hard to remember Union Street as it used to be .. with a railway arch over the top end, taking the line down to Millbay Docks ... now the track etc is the site of the Plymouth Pavilions & Toys-R-Us and Union Street is a shadow of its former glory, all opened up now. Many a night we went down there to see the MP's dragging drunken Matelots into the back of their Lad Rovers and taking them back to Devonport!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/111/288407193_bf392c2d22.jpg

Samuel Feneck, the naval outfitters was down there and I think still is!

[wharferat]

The bridge had gone by 1977, so I never had the pleasure of walking underneath it from civilisation to no-mans land.
Joe Fenecks is still there, but since the death of Joe many years ago, now trades as "Fenecks", run by his daughter, I think..

[derekhore]

Cannot remember exactly what was under the bridge, though pretty sure there was a cafe, a taxi firm and definitely there was a second hand clothing shop ... as I bought (& still have) a Plymouth City Transport great coat - put BP buttons on it and wore it to sea around the Scandinavian coast in winter!! A great asset to my uniform.
This would have been around 1973-74 when I was there are my first sea period away.

[Mikepg]

I was there 1970 -72 doing Phase One. A couple of lecturers names that I remember are Mr Mathews (Jack?), Mr Weddell, and Mr Watson, who took us for Mar.Eng.Practice and explained the principles of the steam catapult more than once - he was ex RN and quite easily 'blown off course'. Chiefy Tozer would have us trying to march in the car park on Saturday mornings, and Sundays would sometimes see us dropped off on Dartmoor as practice for the rescue team. Morning breaks often involved a trip to the 'Marquee' bar (on the other side of Tavistock Road) for coffee. There were weekly outings (or were they 'turn about' with the boat centre?) on the coach over the Torpoint Ferry to HMS Raleigh for workshop practice, where we could amble across the parade ground whilst the 'Tiffys' had to double. Evenings sometimes had to be occupied sat at a desk outside the lifts in the main residential block, doing (fire?) duty or some such thing, and occasionally time was spent doing boat duty at the Boat Centre, from where we would row Whalers or Cutters, or sail RNSAs, about once a fortnight. And who could forget the scramble for the (pay) telephones in the evenings, just off of the Foyer. Somewhere here I've some photographs that I pictured from one of the 'cabins' which I'll try to post if I can find them.

[derekhore]

Were you there when there used to be the odd scrap with local gangs from round the area .. a call would go out over the tannoy from the Duty Cadet in the front office .."Motor cycle club to assemble in the foyer"

[Mikepg]

Now that you mention it I do recall something happening along those lines, but I wasn't involved personally--'onest guv! I do remember 'Soapy', quite a well built fellow, short hair, who used to ride a modified Lambretta or some such, but I don't think that he was the sort to get involved in scraps. I've a feeling that he was one of Cayzer's Eng Cdts, like myself. I do remember that the Matelots used to bomb us with beer bottles as we exitted the subways under one of the City centre roundabouts in the evenings. Happy days, regards, Mike

[derekhore]

Turning the tags in reception from 'Out' to 'In' if your mate was going to be late back - then leaving the window on the hook in the 'bridge' leading to the refectory, by the down pipe!
Head Warden Bill Curry always seemed to know though, sure he had cctv directed on those windows!

[Mikepg]

I was one of a group who were invited to join an RN ship for a day at Plymouth. We boarded this vessel, an oldish destroyer I think and I believe the last of her type, down at Devonport one morning and sailed out into the Channel, where we spent the next few hours policing an exclusion zone around what I believe was a small coaster. Apparently she'd arrived in port with a cargo of (or including) explosives, which were weaping and had been deemed unstable. Anyway, at dusk there was quite a vivid flash on the horizon as that little ship was blown asunder, followed a few seconds later by the shock wave. A few bits of timber marked the spot where she'd been, and then it was full speed back to port. Boy, did she motor! I seem to remember standing on the stern looking up at the standing wave from her props, illuminated by the deck lights. She was steam turbine powered, and had a pressurised boiler-room to provide combustion air, accessed by air locks, but her name escapes me, and I don't think that I was ever aware of the name of the coaster.
As an aside, does the name 'Bridget' ring any bells?
Regards, Mike

[derekhore]

What year was this Mike??

Sounds a bit 'iffy' !!

[Charlie_Wood]

I was there 1970 -72 doing Phase One. A couple of lecturers names that I remember are Mr Mathews (Jack?), Mr Weddell, and Mr Watson, who took us for Mar.Eng.Practice and explained the principles of the steam catapult more than once - he was ex RN and quite easily 'blown off course'. Chiefy Tozer would have us trying to march in the car park on Saturday mornings, and Sundays would sometimes see us dropped off on Dartmoor as practice for the rescue team. Morning breaks often involved a trip to the 'Marquee' bar (on the other side of Tavistock Road) for coffee. There were weekly outings (or were they 'turn about' with the boat centre?) on the coach over the Torpoint Ferry to HMS Raleigh for workshop practice, where we could amble across the parade ground whilst the 'Tiffys' had to double. Evenings sometimes had to be occupied sat at a desk outside the lifts in the main residential block, doing (fire?) duty or some such thing, and occasionally time was spent doing boat duty at the Boat Centre, from where we would row Whalers or Cutters, or sail RNSAs, about once a fortnight. And who could forget the scramble for the (pay) telephones in the evenings, just off of the Foyer. Somewhere here I've some photographs that I pictured from one of the 'cabins' which I'll try to post if I can find them.

Ha, a legacy from the first term it opened. I moved from "old" Portland Square (only demolished a couple of years ago) to the top floor of the new block. One Sunday night the fire alarms went off and we all trooped down the stairs, moaning at Bill Currie's fire drill timing, to be met by smoke billowing up the stairs which hastened our exit. It transpired that one Roger Crockford, a Shell deck cadet from JO23 had piled up the matresses from one of the lower, as yet unoccupied floors, and set fire to them. He was whisked away and not seen again, I believe his father was high up in Dunlop or Goodyear and it was hushed up.

Several of us from J23 in 1970 still meet fairly regularly for a few drinks in town.

[Mikepg]

I was there from September '70 until '72, so it must have been during that period. I might be able to pinpoint the date through my collection of WSS Marine News', it may have been mentioned there.
Is Bill Currie still about?
Regards, Mike

[derekhore]

Heaven only knows what happened to Bill Currie!

I was down there from mid-71 to early-72 .. then again from late-73 to mid-74, living in the Portland Square block ... then again in later years staying at Standard House and also in digs in North Road East, plus a month I think in Merriefield Hall!

[Powers]

Strong possibility that the old destroyer would have been HMS CAPRICE.

Regards.....Paul

[derekhore]

Don't think it could have been Caprice:

"Finally in 1973, the Caprice, then Navy’s last remaining, serving World War II destroyer was finally taken out of commission and later broken up in November 1979 at Washer Wharf, Queenborough."

[Powers]

Re above post 45.

I'm sorry I don't follow your logic. Mikepg stated that he was in Plymouth from 1970 to 1972 when he went to sea for a day in an old destroyer. HMS CAPRICE was running in and out of Devonport during that period as the Marine Engineering Officers Training ship, which is why I suggested it could have been her. Have I missed something?

Regards.....Paul

[Mikepg]

I do believe that Paul is correct. I've had a look at some of the on-line pictures and they certainly show a similar vessel. The pennant number DO1, the latice main mast and a connection with Manadon all ring bells. From what I've read this evening, she completed a refit at Gibratar in early 1971, after which she worked up at Portland before becoming the Marine Engineering Officers Training Ship, so our trip must have been late 1971 or early 1972. I seem to recall that we sailed on one of those bright but cold winters mornings, and that it was dark when we were running back to Devonport, suggesting late 1971 / early 1972. I'll get back to my Marine News' and see if I can find anything now that the time span is more restricted - they're not the most rivetting reading and my eyelids seem to get heavy after a spell.
Regards, Mike

[Mikepg]

Me again. Marine News, April 1972, page 152 - " Saint Bridget (Oak-64), 709/53-m.v., owned by Strathpark Shipping Co. Ltd., (J. & A. Gardner & Co. Ltd., managers),was blown up and sunk 40 miles south of the Lizard 14/2/72. She had been carrying a cargo of nitroglycerine and while this was being transhipped to Autolycus, 7,420/49 - m.v. in Carrick Roads, Falmouth, 6/2/72 it was discovered that some of the cases were leaking. Hence it was decided that the only course was to blow her up in safety." Perhaps my memory isn't that bad after all. (Coincidentaly my birthday is 6/2/54, and my wife and I
married on 14/2/76 ).
Many thanks for your interest and help,
Regards, Mike
p.s. The reference to 'Bridget' in my earlier post was nothing to do with this vessel - it was the rather irreverent nick-name we used for Bill Curries' wife, and another coincidence I guess.

[derekhore]

Re above post 45.

I'm sorry I don't follow your logic. Mikepg stated that he was in Plymouth from 1970 to 1972 when he went to sea for a day in an old destroyer. HMS CAPRICE was running in and out of Devonport during that period as the Marine Engineering Officers Training ship, which is why I suggested it could have been her. Have I missed something?

Regards.....Paul

Sorry, my mistake ... I thought he said the destroyer was scuttled, not the coaster!

Apologies for the confusion!

[Powers]

Derek - I now understand - cheers.

Mikepg - thanks for an interesting story.

Regards......Paul

[Steve G]

Hi
Can remember him just, I can picture him in my head always had a floppy cap?
stuart

The hat was turned down at the sides rather than being floppy. I think he had secret ambitions to be a U boat commander. I have a picture of the class of 72 on my 'gallery'

[saltyswamp]

I think several wanted to be u-boat commanders

[shipahoy]

I was at Plymouth 1977-1980 as a Deck Cadet. We had the 'cabin' right at the end overlooking the city and the Sound. On Phase 1 I shared with two blokes from Reardon Smith. Room next door full of Engineers who bought one record at a time and played it incessantly to an inch of its life, then they bought another and so it went on... Cant listen to Mr Blue Sky without thinking of it

[derekhore]

Good times!
On Phase 1 there were 7 of us in a room (cabin) .. us BP Cadets had to have to top bunks and we had 3 Engineer Cadets from New Zealand Shipping in with us on the bottom bunks; and a Shell Engineer Cadet as our room 'Captain'

Ironique!

[bengey]

I was at Portland Place pre-sea sept 72, phase 1 ONC Sept 73 to Feb 74 and Merrifield phase 3 April to Dec 75
Was with RFA, Bliss, Jones, Carter, Evans , Thomas (RIP) and others from BP, P&O, Irish Shipping and Shell. Summer 75 best time of my life. Goodies every evening, beach or park then Wellington every sat & sun.
Lecturers Gibson, Crookall, Hill, Tozer.
Played football in winter close to Argyles ground, had 500 watching us in first half and nobody in second half
Sat the rest at Warsash,

[derekhore]

Always remember the RFA cadets were top notch with their semaphore & morse code as they used them all the time at sea! I think there were 3 guys with RFA when I was there, half a dozen from BP and the rest a general mix, mainly cargo guys.

The only lecturers name there that rings a bell is Tozer (Chiefy)! Had a guy called Lester for GSK ... Mitchell for Navigation & Seamanship - theory & practical down at Cattedown Boat Centre.
Must have been there at much of the same time .. did my EDH & Lifeboat in January 74 .. Radar Observer down at Fishers Nose in Nov 73, Fire fighting at Camels Head fire station in Nov 73

[stonkingjohn]

I was one of a group who were invited to join an RN ship for a day at Plymouth. We boarded this vessel, an oldish destroyer I think and I believe the last of her type, down at Devonport one morning and sailed out into the Channel, where we spent the next few hours policing an exclusion zone around what I believe was a small coaster. Apparently she'd arrived in port with a cargo of (or including) explosives, which were weaping and had been deemed unstable. Anyway, at dusk there was quite a vivid flash on the horizon as that little ship was blown asunder, followed a few seconds later by the shock wave. A few bits of timber marked the spot where she'd been, and then it was full speed back to port. Boy, did she motor! I seem to remember standing on the stern looking up at the standing wave from her props, illuminated by the deck lights. She was steam turbine powered, and had a pressurised boiler-room to provide combustion air, accessed by air locks, but her name escapes me, and I don't think that I was ever aware of the name of the coaster.
As an aside, does the name 'Bridget' ring any bells?
Regards, Mike

HMS Caprice was still active in the spring of '73. She did a patrol in the Cod War, I think she was there towards the end of Feb. I was on RFA Wave Chief and RASed with her on more than one occasion. She had a terrific turn of speed as well. After searching for a week for a life raft from an Icelandic trawler that had gone down, news came through that it had been sighted. Caprice must have lit up more fires as black smoke poured out of her funnels and she accelerated away from us. She looked very impressive, just like in the old war movies.

John

[ninabaker]

Hi all,
I was a deck cadet with BP at Plymouth for induction, ph 1 and Ph3 of OND, starting summer 1972.
Not, I am afraid, happy memories for me mostly. I was the only woman in the residences and somewhat socially isolated as my own classmates gave me an unrelentingly hard time. I generally socialised with the ONC classes who were better.

I dont recall many names, but someone else on page 1 of this thread mentioned John Ash, a Shell e/c very blond, and I recall him as I went out with him briefly, as also Steve Nolan, also Shell e/c very yorkshire. On the deck side I recall Tony Bateman, one of a load of the welsh cadets, a big guy, very affable. He was CCC in our second term of Ph1 and I was an SEC. Also another nice guy, the only one in my class, was Tim Leighton, a d/c from Bibby's. Tony became a policeman I think.

I really struggled with signals, especially the semaphore - we were the last lot to do it. I had to go to all the evening and saturday classes that Chiefy Tozer put on, just to scrape a pass on signals. Everything else was ok and I seem to recall a rotund Czech lecturer whose idea of teaching navigation was to dictate from the book.

Tectona: OMG! The trip we did was AWFUL - most of us seasick. We managed to totally lose 3 massive dayglo orange buoys in an effort to learn man overboard drill before the instructor felt this was becoming too expensive to continue. I always avoided sailing when it was in dinghies as I never much liked it but loved the rowing in whalers and lifeboats as I had done loads before I joined.

As both Ph1 and Ph3 were during the winters I also recall ghastly games afternoons in the driving rain, doing crosscountry running while the boys did rugby or something.

Nitelife: Goodies - tick - I can scarcely recall going anywhere else. What was the name of that massive barn of a place with no furniture, kitted out like a wildwest saloon, at the far end of Union street? It was wildwest by nature too, very nasty. Also for upscale nasty: The Groin Exchange down on the Hoe?

nina

[derekhore]

The Groin Exchange - - wasn't that Plymouth Sailing Club?
3rd mate Dave Thomas from Hooe, just outside Plymouth, was doing his mates whilst I was doing my Phase 3 - he had a yellow Cortina mark 3 and used to collect me from College and take me there!!
Stayed at Standard House for phase 3 - many stayed at Merriefield Hall because it was next door to the nurses home in Greenbank Road - but I used to get off home every weekend and Standard House was right next to Plymouth railway station ... & Mr 'pop' Howard who was the warden there used to let me off each week.
Shared a room with Geoff Meadway (BP), he had a 3 wheeled Messerschmidt car and was from Kent I think!

[ninabaker]

Mr Cornish popped back into my life here in Glasgow as he was head of the Glasgow Nautical College and used to come to meetings at the department of naval architecture where I used to work at the university. He has now retired I think.

[PaulFuller]

Came across the site by chance. Have just read through the thread - brings back many (mainly good) memories of life as a Shell cadet in the RNC (induction course 1972), Phase 1 1973 with Bill Currie and Phase 3 in 1975 in Standard House with Pop Howard).

Nina, I certainly remember your name and sorry that your memories are not all good.

I certainly remember the dancing classes on Phase 3 or was it Phase 1 with the girls from Sherwood School - great fun.

Spent most of free time in Goodies until Ron (landlord) moved to Three Crowns. Scottie Dunn, Alan Jones, Peter Sim, Dave Isaacs et al.

Mid-week we used to go to Halfway House and Sundays was either Plume of Feathers or over to the Ship at Noss Mayo.

Tectona was a nightmare went to France and I was sick as a dog until made cook which seemed to cure it probably because it was non stop and you didn't have to time to be sea sick.

Remember being late for signals with Chiefy Tozer having I think just taken driving test - he went ballistic and I spent Saturday morning cutting grass outside RNC with a pair of scissors.

Recently went back to Plymouth on business, met up with Tim Charlesworth (HM Cattewater) and we went to Jamie for a couple - wouldn't have recognised it. Who remembers cashing a cheque for a couple of quid in exchange for a pint? Had a few pints in there by candlelight during the miners strike.

[derekhore]

Plume of Feathers was a regular on Wednesday eve and Sunday lunchtimes .... Pheasant Pluckers played out there on Wednesdays and Porrij on Sundays.

Used to use the Penny Come Quick pub down past the railway station on the other side, passing through the Jamie to cash a cheque on the way. Goodies was a Sunday night visit, usually with Steve Lyons (deceased), who was another BP cadet from Paignton, often gave me a lift back in his MG Midget.

Never got to cut the grass with scissors, though regular marching drill on a Saturday morning followed by litter picking as a punishment was a Chiefy special.
Bloody flag break every morning on the teaching block roof - followed by a hair length check!!

Radar courses down at Fishers Nose, now a cafe for visitors I believe.

There was a big mixture of cadets at Plymouth when I was there, plenty of Shell lads - BP also used to send their Sparkies to Plymouth Uni next door for various courses.

[Martyn Hammond]

Was there for MCRC 69 at Murryfield and Stanford Houses (I think those are the spellings)
One of the things that stands out in my mind is making supper and slicing the bread as thin as possible with the meat slicer and keeping the bulk of the loaf for ourselves.
Getting jumped on by the other cadets as the bread was brought out on a tray
Hilarious

[Andy Biegala]

Hi All

I am Andrew Biegala and I had the good fortune to be taken on as a deck cadet by Silver Line in 1977. I did a two week induction course in August 1977. Then came back to Portland Square from April to December 1978 and finally to Standard House from September 1979 to April 1980.

I remember these times with great affection. Not everything was fun at the time of course but looking back on it I would not change one thing, one class mate or one day.

I remember the legendary Cheify Tozier, my own class tutor Stafford-Pozier and in particular Captain Wormald, Ex shell Captain who told the best sea stories that will ever be told and inspired me to carry on at times when I felt it was getting too hard.

I did my stint on the Tectona. My class was split into two groups. The first half of the alphabet was made up largely of the rogues and characters of the class and we gave the standing crew of the Tectona a hard time. During our week we used up all the water, ate all the food and ran down the battery. Only the wind was left!

The second part of the class followed us (after doing the Dartmoor thing) and they were well behaved and disciplined. Unfortunatley, their bus arrived late and they were late reporting to Tectona and the crew decided they had an even worse group than us and decided to discipline them on the spot, hence a large part of their first day was spent cleaning the slip way of the seamanship centre!

I remember the generally good food in generous portions and the wonderful way we were looked after by the dinner ladies ("All right my lover").

The discipline could be a bit arbitary. I remember a particular incident with one of my class mates. The lifts could hold ten people. One day he got into the lift at the top and during its decent through the ten floors of Portland Square more and more cadets got aboard until there were eleven and he was at the back.

When it got to the ground floor the bearded scottish guy that ran the foyer at the time counted out the cadets and he was the eleventh guy out despite being the first one aboard and was blamed for the overloading and disciplined. Whenever I think of this incident I burst out in tears of laughter.

The standard of tuition was extrodinary. I was a dumb home counties kid (still am really!) and how they got me through the many exams and courses I will never really know but my theory is that as most of the tutors there were ex seafarers, frequently brought ashore for reasons of injury, retirement etc. They were seafarers first and teachers second, but the first profession gave them the command and the credibility plus the love of the subject (and us) to really impose learning upon us.

I will never get such a good education ever again or anywhere else and am fortunate to have passed through it's doors.

I hope these few words touch off a shed load of memories for my fellow students and shipmates.

[derekhore]

Thanks for jogging the memory a bit Andy .... Stafford-Poizer I certainly remember.
Did you have Mr Lester for GSK?

Was Mr 'Pop' Howard at Standard House whilst you lodged there?
Great guy, always left a downstairs window open if anyone was late back.

The discipline side of things/wearing uniform during the day etc .. I think was basically to try and keep on par with the Royal navy colleges at Devonport, though why the MN needed to match the RN I never knew!

As you say - they were good lecturers there in those days.

[Andy Biegala]

If I remember correctly the guy that managed Standard house when I was there was a lecturer by the name of John Hill though I stand to be corrected.

The discipline side of things was due to the fact that you qualified for sea time which counted towards your certificates of competency so the department of trade or whoever required a certain level of seaman like behaviour and the creation of a maritime environment.

Looking back I think it may well have been necessary anyway as we were all quite strong characters given our willingness to absent ourselves from our homes and have an adventure and a framework of rules was probably thought necessary in order to keep some sort of control.

Even then if you think about some of the things that went on it was barely able to keep the lid on.

Looking back it was the strong discipline that made me do the work and somehow got me through I pay tribute here to all the lecturers that worked there.

[derekhore]

Don't recall a John Hill at all, although I did spend a couple of months at Merriefield Hall when I had to do a resit so he might have been at Standard House then.

Probably yes re the discipline - though I still think the college liked to compete with the RN .. especially in Chiefy Tozer's eyes!!!

[shipahoy]

There was Castaways in Union Street.
Also talking of rough houses there was a right dive in the city centre called Noahs Ark Opened the eyes a bit for a lad from rural Bukinghamshire I can tell you

[derekhore]

The Noah's Ark is still be there!

http://www.noahsarkplymouth.co.uk/

[Colin Cooper]

I did my induction at Plymouth in July 79, and Phase 1 in Sept 80- Mar 81.

I can't remember much at all about the induction, other than being told the names for the "sharp" and "blunt" ends of a boat. As far as Phase 1 is concerned, despite the fact that we were in some pub or other every night for 6 months, it seems as if it were only yesterday.

Other cadets were Mike King and Graham Russell, both Silver Line, Ross Jolliffe, Martin Dacombe and Andy (can't remember) Canadian Pacific, Les Tuckfield Cunard, Pete (Peesare) Green & Sue Shimwell both Shell and Richie Dunham RFA, but to name a few. There were 3 classes doing Phase 1 at the same time, so there was always a bit of mischief going on.

I can only remember a few of the lecturers names from the time. Navigation was a chap called Kapoor. He got us through the exams, but didn't inspire. I felt a bit sorry and embarrassed for him when he had asked a big Geordie Shell cadet, Tom, a question, who responded with "Can you repeat that in English". It was easier to understand Kapoor than it was Tom.
His "propelling" pencil ran out of lead during a chartwork lesson, and he asked to borrow a pencil. I offered him a 12H, which resulted in the remainder of the lesson becoming a lecture on "house-keeping" at sea. What a diversion!
I also got the giggles in one of his classes when I noticed a bit of graffiti on the desk I was sitting at. In black ink, it said "Kapoor is a ****", and immediately below it, a response had been scratched in to the desk which said "I'll drink to that!!" He just happened to be in a foul mood that day and had given a few of us a real pasting. What was on the desk wasn' really that funny, but it was just enough to start the "giggles" When he asked me to share the joke with the rest of the class, who, by now, have started to laugh at me. I of course denied there being any joke, and after a few coughs and deep breaths to steady myself, descended rapidly into uncontrollable hysterics. By this time, the rest of the class have caught up with me, and we're all pissing ourselves. The funny thing at that time, I was the only one who knew why. Given the mood he was in, I decided that I hadn't taken enough "brave pills" that day to tell him straight,
although I did tell the others later on.

I think GSK was a guy called Lester. I enjoyed his classes more than any other. No real memorable highlights or bollockings.

We had two blokes for Seamanship, Bill Favata and a "human Volcano" that went by the name of Lomax. Mike King seemed to be able to wind him up without trying. When we did the Lifeboat certificate, and were in the pool with the upside down inflatable raft, Lomax absolutely lost the plot with Mike, so much so, that we stayed in the middle of the pool fearing that he was going to board the liferaft to kill him. He had to be taken away by Favata to calm down.

We used to go to a local college for Physics on a Friday morning, and after lunch we had a free period which was supervised by an old lecturer. He also took classes in the Planetarium, and would shine that f*&$ing torch with the arrow pointer right into your eyes.

The pubs were ok, and most nights started at the Jolly Miller, and then on to Fiesta (disco) on Fridays and Saturday.I think that was the name of it. It was down towards Union Street. Saturday mornings would be to go down for breakfast, and then back to the room to collect the pre-purchased cans of beer, before heading up to the TV Lounge to watch Tiswas. After dinner on a Sunday a similar pattern was followed with the big attraction being the Professionals. The Plume of Feathers on a Sunday was always a good day out. A great atmosphere. During the week it would be dead.
During the week, after leaving the PoF and driving back over Dartmoor, we used to get Les Tuckfield to switch off his lights to see how far he could drive blind. One night after about 30 seconds, we switched the lights back on, only to find two Dartmoor ponies in the middle of the road about 20 feet away. He was obviously a highly skilled driver, as he went past them balancing the car on the port wheels only. We didn't play that game any more.

I really enjoyed my time in Plymouth. It was a great place to walk around, especially down in the older part of the town. It would be interesting to see what memories the place would trigger.

If you recognise any of the other cadet names above, please let me know. I'd like to say hello after 30 years.

Regards

Colin












There were also quite a few Iranian cadets there at the same time, which was just as the Ayatollah had returned to Iran. More often than not, they'd going off on one or

[derekhore]

Hi Colin ... I was at Plymouth a bit before you I guess, doing my induction there in 1970.

Had Mr Lester for GSK though, Mr Mitchell for Navigation and certainly Mr Favata rings a bell!

Was Bill Currie still Head Warden in the Residential Block - along with Chiefy Tozer for signals .. with semaphore on the roof!!

The PoF was a Wednesday regular as they had the folk band 'The Pheasant Pluckers' playing up there then.

[oldman 80]

Hi again Colin.
We met in another forum quite recently.
Plymouth must have been a great college - it produced the best deck cadet I ever came across - and there were many many excellent ones.
Seems they produced another, whom I didn't find out about for thirty years.
"Heavy Weapons" - I can sure understand what you meant, - and the frustration must have been awesome.
(1 case of beer - that was cheap, for sure. A bit of an insult in fact - but that's just typical of those days - big deal - Huh.)

[Colin Cooper]

Hi Colin ... I was at Plymouth a bit before you I guess, doing my induction there in 1970.

Had Mr Lester for GSK though, Mr Mitchell for Navigation and certainly Mr Favata rings a bell!

Was Bill Currie still Head Warden in the Residential Block - along with Chiefy Tozer for signals .. with semaphore on the roof!!

The PoF was a Wednesday regular as they had the folk band 'The Pheasant Pluckers' playing up there then.

Hello Derek,

I can't say that I can recall Bill Currie or Chiefy Tozer during my time, although a lot of people probably passed through in the 10 years between our respective stints at the college.

I am positive that it was Lester for GSK. When I arrived at Plymouth for Phase 1, I did receive a colossal bollocking for not sending in all of my correspondence course, with the major gaps being the various drawings of the ship, labelled etc. I was given a week to get it done otherwise I'd be reported to the company. I got them all done at night and duly handed them over. The drawings came back two days later with the comments "You would be more successful as a draughtsman than you will at sea. Well done". I got on well with him as he appeared to appreciate the fact that I could draw pretty well.

I'm sure it was Bill Favata, who was quite a laid back sort of guy. In fact he was a bit of a cool dude with his longer hair and corderouy jacket. He had a very strong accent,possibly from Dorset or somewhere else along the South coast, and when administering praise for something or other, it would always be " Ahhh. There's Lovely" which would come out as "Aaaahhhhttherrrrzzzluuuvvleeee". A bit of "pot and kettle" I suppose coming from a Glaswegian,

The only other person I remember that I could put a face to, and his name was mentioned earlier in this thread, was a John Hill. He featured a lot during our Induction Course, but I can't recall him being involved in any of our classes during Ph1.

I can still see the faces, but can't remember the names.

The Sunday afternoon atmosphere in the PoF was unique, and I am sad to say that I have never seen anywhere like it since. It was good natured bedlam. All publicans and landlords should be given a video of the POF going like the b***dy clappers on a Sunday, to show how things should be done.

All the best & regards

Colin

[stephen hodges1]

I was there from 1970 a rear on smith cadet with tom Lester,terry Davies and nigel Davies.We had a 2 week induction then off for 2 6 month sea trips when we came back to the school for phase 1.Good memories of the school and also Standard house (where I bunked with Derek HORE) remember me Derek old chum? and also later t Merrifield Hall.

[ninabaker]

Although I hated the place and would be perfectly content never to see Plymouth again i do recall a funny about the Goodies. As all here will know, lots of cadets on a night on the razzle never got any further than the Goodies and stayed there to get plastered. After a couple of Cunard types (I think) had been given a row by the bar staff they went back on the sunday lunch time in thick submarine surplus rollneck jumpers. Hidden beneath were hotwater bottles full of cold campbell's mixed veg soup, the neck of the hotwater bottles were hidden between their throats and the rollnecks of the jumpers. They lurched up to the bar and got the barstaff's attention by acting all drunk/hungover and then groaned and clutched their stomachs as if vomiting.

This of course squashed the hotwater bottles and the cold veg soup gushed out as if from their mouths, all over the bar, which they then started lapping up! What a picture. Best practical joke ever, I have always thought.

[derekhore]

I was there from 1970 a rear on smith cadet with tom Lester,terry Davies and nigel Davies.We had a 2 week induction then off for 2 6 month sea trips when we came back to the school for phase 1.Good memories of the school and also Standard house (where I bunked with Derek HORE) remember me Derek old chum? and also later t Merrifield Hall.

Steve Hodges ... there's a name from the past my friend, of course I remember you and your best mate Tom Lester .. as I was with Geoff Meadway!!

Send me a PM with your email address if you want a catch up!!

[stephen hodges1]

Steve Hodges ... there's a name from the past my friend, of course I remember you and your best mate Tom Lester .. as I was with Geoff Meadway!!

Send me a PM with your email address if you want a catch up!!
Can anyone remember doing that bloody horrible swimming test on phase 1
It was September overcast and bloody cold we had to get into our bathers jump in the cold water at the seamanship centre and swim out to a rowing boat that was held by Mitchell the instructor.well I swam out touched the boat shouted my name as per instructions but he didn't record it!when we got back into the hot showers he told me I would have to do the swim again at that point with goosebumos the size of strawberries just receding on me I nearly told him where to go but thought better of it as he was going to be our class instructor.

[derekhore]

Can anyone remember doing that bloody horrible swimming test on phase 1
It was September overcast and bloody cold we had to get into our bathers jump in the cold water at the seamanship centre and swim out to a rowing boat that was held by Mitchell the instructor.well I swam out touched the boat shouted my name as per instructions but he didn't record it!when we got back into the hot showers he told me I would have to do the swim again at that point with goosebumos the size of strawberries just receding on me I nearly told him where to go but thought better of it as he was going to be our class instructor.

Maybe he just didn't like you Steve!! :)