PO Allard (320 Class Instructor) and CPO Gordon Jones (321 Class Instructor) - 17 Mess

This is a photo of our main messdeck in the main establishment (17, Long Covered Way).  Both 320 and 321 classes were accommodated here, meaning up to 35 juniors lived in it.  Keeping the messdeck clean and tidy, our lockers well presented, everything ironed or polished to the highest standards, were the main activities within all Ganges messdecks.  

Messdecks were found in the "Long Covered Way", the "Short Covered Way" and adjacent to the parade ground. This image reminds classmates of the values that were instilled in us at Ganges. "Young men, if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well (Chief Jones)". PO Allard had a different approach along the lines of "right you shower, get this place looking ship shape or else!" . 

However, the values we learnt from our instructors and time at Ganges have remained with us. Paying attention to detail was the building block of our training.  One of our big achievements was to win best division in Ganges during the Spring term of 1969 as a reward for all our hard work.  Some of the lighter moments of messdeck life are provided by PO Allard, who didn't miss a thing regarding messdeck life and supervising juniors trying to bend the rules.

What a shower!

One Sunday after main Divisions and march past, on returning to the messdeck juniors would be dismissed and were then required to fall in by Church parties. On this particular Sunday an unnamed junior seemed to have gone missing and on enquiring of others I was given a number of reasons as to where he had gone.

After marching the assembled groups off to their respective churches, my colleague (another Instructor) and I decided to just check that all was well in the messdeck, when we spied a kitbag that seemed to be full, propped up in the showers which appeared a little suspect to me. With the aid of a mop or broom handle we decided to operate the shower above the offending kitbag, whereupon the kitbag got wet and there followed a sudden and frantic movement, and out of the kitbag appeared the afore-mentioned missing junior!

Needless to say this trick was never used again. My recollection of whether this junior was a member of 320/321 classes or a member of the next class (302 and sister 301 I think ) of which I instructed, is none to clear after all these years, but if whoever it was and reads this story please let me know.

The junior who got a toasting!

One day on entering 17 mess (which was the same for both the classes I taught) there appeared to be a strong smell of toast, and not having a toaster in the mess I deduced that bread had been removed from the dining hall after a meal and the mess iron had been used (as in the days when as a junior myself I had done the same).

On enquiring as to who was responsible, no-one came forward, but a certain junior had a guilty look on his face (no names, no pack drills) so as a punishment he was told to stand on a chair in the covered way outside the mess and told to recite the words "I Will Not Use The Iron Again To make Toast" a number of times in a loud voice, which of course he did.

The person I am recalling swears to this day that it was not him, so if the person responsible reads this, as in the case above, let me know and I can then apologise to the 'guilty' person.