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Your user name, what does it mean...?


Jack

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Following research that I was doing into the Royal Navy career of my Grandfather during the Great War. Family legend had it that the Minesweeper on which he was serving sank off the Scottish Coast somewhere and that he returned home to Falmouth in Cornwall from Scotland in borrowed clothes - but never really spoke about what had happened. My research found that he served as a CPO on HMT Calliope II which was involved in a collision with the S.S.Dane off the Butt of Lewis - the minesweeper sank and some of the crew drowned. So the family legend had been true!

 

He had inlisted in the R.N. in about 1880 - I do have the exact date somewhere - as a Ganges Boy when the Ganges was moored off Falmouth. He completed his full service before the Great War started in 1914 - but re-joined the Fleet when war broke out and served right through.

 

For anyone interested in the Ganges, there is a very moving Memorial to all the Ganges Boys who were killed in training at Falmouth - situated in Mylor Churchyard. A large number of very young boys - it must have been tough for them as they had enlisted at such a very young age. How different from today.

 

Tony

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Following research that I was doing into the Royal Navy career of my Grandfather during the Great War. Family legend had it that the Minesweeper on which he was serving sank off the Scottish Coast somewhere and that he returned home to Falmouth in Cornwall from Scotland in borrowed clothes - but never really spoke about what had happened. My research found that he served as a CPO on HMT Calliope II which was involved in a collision with the S.S.Dane off the Butt of Lewis - the minesweeper sank and some of the crew drowned. So the family legend had been true!

 

He had inlisted in the R.N. in about 1880 - I do have the exact date somewhere - as a Ganges Boy when the Ganges was moored off Falmouth. He completed his full service before the Great War started in 1914 - but re-joined the Fleet when war broke out and served right through.

 

For anyone interested in the Ganges, there is a very moving Memorial to all the Ganges Boys who were killed in training at Falmouth - situated in Mylor Churchyard. A large number of very young boys - it must have been tough for them as they had enlisted at such a very young age. How different from today.

 

Tony

I was a memeber of the last recruitment to HMS Ganges. That's when it was at Shotley point. Nothing now but the flagpole.

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Nothing military about mine at all - sorry :mad:

 

I do a lot of rally marshalling and it's my Motor Sports Association (better known as the RAC) radio call-sign.

Although I now live in mid-Wales, I was founder chairman of the Essex Land Rover Club (in 1983), and I'm still member No.5

 

Boring, innit?

 

John

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Any one in the Army with a surname like Smith is usually referred to by the last 3 digits of their army number. Mine being 052. My wife Helen, was very often known as "wife of 052" and when our eldest son was born in RAF Wegberg, the plastic tag they put on his arm said Son of.........

 

Many people have been known to pronounce it as oh, five, two only to be told there are no letters in an army number.

 

It doesn't always work though. There were many occaisions when the nice pay chaps got things mixed up with another Smith. His number was almost identical to mine but with a last three of 652. given some peoples hand written scribbles it is easy to see how mistakes were made, and there were a lot of them.

 

There is also another forum member using the same numbers, must be a popular choice

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Zero-Five-Two,

 

you crack me up! I used to have nightmares concerning our radio instructor who kept on about "O" is a letter "zero" is a number! I still prattle on about that today, drives those around me bonkers, they call me pedantic and old.

 

Know exactly what you mean about Smiths and Brown and the like, they were all known by their last 3 and some like yourself just became the last three!

 

Thanks for the reminder and the laugh.

 

R

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I call myself Robin Craig because that is my name.

 

I was once legally Simon Turner. Can anyone guess why?

 

 

 

Looks like that you are going to have to tell us...............

 

Tony

 

I'm going to guess at "dating a girl with tattoos from a previous relationship, and you changed your name to avoid any embarrassing questions to her" (what a gentleman :D)

 

Mind if we call you Bruce now, it'll save on the confusion?

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Thanks for the replies guys.

 

No I have not been relocated to Canada from the UK under the witness protection program.

 

I was adopted in the UK at an early age is the reason, very simple.

 

It must have taken incredible guts on the part of my birth mother and father to do so, for whom I hold the utmost respect.

 

Never met them or traced them and at my age now, having just turned 50, it is unlikely to happen.

 

Just thought I would throw it out there to see if the collective minds could figure it out.

 

Absolutely no stigma attached to it. Quite settled over the whole event.

 

Robin

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With a name like Branko Dragovic I had to shorten it, as I struggle with it on a Monday, or a Tuesday......

Bran on its own would confuse me with a breakfast cereal, but then Bran D confuses with strong spirit drink so I should have used Bran on its own...Oh well I'm glad its not confusing!

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