The First Meal
After the confusion of arrival, kit issue and being introduced to Leander Mess, there came a moment when the Royal Navy made a very practical contribution to morale.
It fed us.
By this stage we had spent the day moving from one unfamiliar process to another. We had signed our engagements, received our equipment, been allocated a messdeck and discovered that naval life involved considerably more shouting than most of us had expected.
Eventually, the new entries were marched from the Annexe towards the main camp.
Even this journey was an experience in itself.
We moved along the Lower Hardings, past the MT Pool and the married quarters, carrying our plastic mugs. To us, it felt as though we were being displayed to the rest of HMS Ganges. We were no longer simply boys who had arrived at Shotley Gate. We were now recognisable as new entries.
Passing through the Main Gate brought another reminder that we had entered a different environment. More instructions were shouted when we moved out of line, although at least the sailors on the gate looked like what we imagined sailors should look like.
The main camp seemed enormous.
The parade ground appeared vast and the mast was impossible to ignore. I had read about the Ganges mast before joining, and I knew that one day I would be expected to climb it.
At that moment, I was not entirely certain whether that prospect excited me or frightened me.
The Central Messing Galley was, as I remember it, above the NAAFI. The messes were dismissed one at a time and sent upstairs.
Then came my first Royal Navy meal.
It was a mushroom omelette.
It was also, without question, the biggest and best omelette I had ever tasted.
That may have had something to do with the fact that I was extremely hungry after the journey and the events of the day, but the impression remained. The meal was substantial, welcome and exactly what a group of tired fifteen-year-olds needed.
Looking back after years of naval service, my opinion of Royal Navy food remained remarkably positive. The Service had a reputation among some for complaining about meals, but the reality was that feeding large numbers of sailors well was an important achievement.
Anyone who has spent time at sea understands the importance of food. A ship's company cannot function without it, and the cooks who provide it contribute directly to morale and efficiency.
At HMS Ganges, that lesson was already apparent.
The Navy had spent the day demanding things from us. It had taken our measurements, issued our kit, allocated our bunks and begun teaching us its standards.
Then it sat us down and fed us.
For a new entry, that mattered.
The meal did not remove the uncertainty of what lay ahead. It did not make the shouting disappear. It did, however, demonstrate that the organisation we had joined was capable of looking after its people as well as demanding from them.
That first mushroom omelette remained memorable for a simple reason.
After a long and confusing first day at HMS Ganges, it was very welcome.
Entering Leander Mess Part 4 - The First Night at HMS Ganges
Annexe 115 - Primary source: RN-010
RN-E-145-03
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