RN Shore Bases
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Have a photo of Hms Cochrane Main gate shore base at Rosyth. this was taken just after it opened originally consisted of Duncansby Head,Girdle Ness and Chevron as accomodation ships in the dockyard.CEYLON220 said:
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Had the pleasure of serving in HMS Cochrane in those days - my abiding memory onboard the Girdleplonk was one of cockroaches, there were millions of the little @£!*&^1's!!!
Peter4447(MAD)
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518 Posts
after leaving the london in 1965,i was drafted to cochrane, what a shock that was, the duncansby head and girdleness were in a right state cockies everywhere,and drunks never seen so many in the forenoons,the powers that be must have given up ,even saw one guy at tot time, go round in 8s then gum boots on/off burberry untile the ood tapped him on the shoulder "i think six is enough for anyone.being young and skin i had to place my campbed under the bloody goffa machine and when the drunks came off they lost their bloody sixpences and rummaged around,they even puked on me.i did have two wins though while on 9s i was cleaning the reg office and in a drawer found a wad of rum cards the type that looked like a bus ticket,then i got my draft hms barnstone asked the reg whats that, he just shrugged and said she is in the basin be there tomorrow get a haircut,now that was a strange ship.
Hi Will
I think we must have been at Cochrane at the same time. Having returned from 18 months at HMS Rooke to say it was a culture shock was an understatement. I think the convicts in the hulks were better off! I was delighted when my draft chit came through and I joined a Type 14. Alcohol was certainly a problem morning, noon and night. I well remember as a Jack Dusty that one had to keep a wary eye out for the civvy Butcher, regardless of what time of day it was, as one wrong word and he was prone to chasing people around whilst waving a meat cleaver!!!
Dirty, cold, cochroach infested and definately not my favourite draft.
Peter4447
I think we must have been at Cochrane at the same time. Having returned from 18 months at HMS Rooke to say it was a culture shock was an understatement. I think the convicts in the hulks were better off! I was delighted when my draft chit came through and I joined a Type 14. Alcohol was certainly a problem morning, noon and night. I well remember as a Jack Dusty that one had to keep a wary eye out for the civvy Butcher, regardless of what time of day it was, as one wrong word and he was prone to chasing people around whilst waving a meat cleaver!!!
Dirty, cold, cochroach infested and definately not my favourite draft.
Peter4447
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518 Posts
peter i returned to the new cochrane a couple of years later all very plush for those days ,but the pissup culture had gone ashore,and was exactly the same as the girdleplonk,but at least it was in relative comfort
Hi Will
I used to dread being stuck onboard if I was duty over a weekend. With the Sunday licencing laws those who needed a few pints were usually as miserable as sin and so there was never a particularly happy atmosphere in the mess I was in (in the tiller flat of Girdleplonk).
Not sure how many Bar boats were operating in Rosyth at that time but it is possible that the Jimmy of the Barnstone could have been an elderly two ringer who like me had just returned from Rooke, where he had been the sports officer. He always seemed a very pleasant character.
Regards
Peter4447
I used to dread being stuck onboard if I was duty over a weekend. With the Sunday licencing laws those who needed a few pints were usually as miserable as sin and so there was never a particularly happy atmosphere in the mess I was in (in the tiller flat of Girdleplonk).
Not sure how many Bar boats were operating in Rosyth at that time but it is possible that the Jimmy of the Barnstone could have been an elderly two ringer who like me had just returned from Rooke, where he had been the sports officer. He always seemed a very pleasant character.
Regards
Peter4447
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1,277 Posts
HMS CALEDONIA is the entire base at Rosyth.
RNR Unit within CALEDONIA is HMS SCOTIA.
RM Band Scotland based within CALEDONIA.
A
RNR Unit within CALEDONIA is HMS SCOTIA.
RM Band Scotland based within CALEDONIA.
A
![whale island[1].jpg](/d1/attachments/6/6446-1a3d2fc3da4f4a10822a73879806ed24.jpg)
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