THE HISTORY OF THE PORTSMOUTH RN & RM GUNNERY INSTRUCTORS ASSOCIATION
Ever since the introduction of Cannons, Cannon Balls and Gunpowder into the Royal Navy, the Gunnery Instructor has held a unique position in the Senior Service. He may have held title Gunners Mate or Gunnery Instructor, but his duty had always been the same; to install discipline and instruct gunnery to the uninitiated. He had also been responsible for the internal organisation of almost every class of Ship in the Royal Navy, and it could be said that the efficiency of a ship depended on the ability of the GI, to put the right man into the right place, and so build the perfect team. His power of command and leadership had to be well above that of the average Petty Officer and N.C.O. of the Royal Marines, and a very high standard of conduct and discipline was always expected of him. Because of this he had earned the respect and the backing of the Senior Officers.
In 1902 the Staff Instructors Mess was opened in A Block known as A3 Mess on Whale Island. It was the only Staff Instructors’ mess in the Royal Navy, and a tribute was paid to the Senior Gunnery Officers, at the time for their assistance to Gunnery Instructors in keeping their mess as such. At the time all Gunnery Instructors whether serving or ex-serving were members of the mess in which the traditions of the GI were born. “The Esprit de Corps” of its members was responsible for the founding of “Our Association”.
The present Association is the fifth of its kind. In the early twenties the first Gunners Mates Club was founded, but owing to changing conditions following the1914-1918 war it failed. I have no record of this club except for a photograph of members of the Staff Mess starting off on a trip to Wembley in 1922. Standing on the running board is the President of the Mess, Petty Officer Bound.
In 1937 a second club was formed. This was known as the “The Gunners Mate Social Club, and Employment Agency”. This club was the forerunner of our present Association. The members held their meetings in the “ Gladstone Tavern”, Arundel St and in July of 1937 had a membership of 160, with GI Cook as President, and GI Ransomed, Secretary. The membership increased to over 260. In August 1939, the club transferred their headquarters to the “Mother Shipton Hotel”, Twyford Avenue, but in the early years of the war, owing to the drafting commitments of members, coupled with heavy air raids on Portsmouth, support for the club began to drop to such an extent that it was decided to discontinue it. Although the club was discontinued the “Esprit de Corps” was still there and in May, 1944, Captain W.G .Agnew RN, granted permission for the inauguration of the Petty Officers Gunners Mates Temporary Mutual Aid Fund. The membership was confined to Gunners Mates of the Portsmouth Division. The fund was to provide the sum of £10 to the next of kin of members in the event of their death, or to the member himself if invalided. The fund was administered by the President of the Staff Mess and his Committee under the supervision of the Gunners Mates Divisional Officer. The subscription -3d, per week. This was wound up in September, 1945, but during the short time it had been in operation the sum of £90 had been paid to dependants of deceased members.
In November, 1945, a number of Gunnery Instructors including C.P.O.s Joyce Young and H. Martin met in West Battery to discuss ways and means of reforming the club. The Captain of HMS Excellent was approached and permission for the use of Fisher Hall to hold a meeting was obtained. The news was circulated through the local press and P.T.M.S. At this meeting all Gunnery Instructors were in favour of the club being reformed. The inauguration of the Gunners Mates Club (Portsmouth Command) was on Wednesday 16th January 1946. A meeting was held at the “Oddfellows Hall” and the club officers elected CPO R Kennard who was appointed President, PO Piper Vice President, CPO Young Secretary, a committee of one serving member CPO Bradbury and one ex serving member Mr Bartram was then elected. It was then left to the committee to draw up a set of rules for the club. At the General Meeting in February the title of Portsmouth R.N. and R.M. Gunnery Instructors’ and ex Gunnery Instructors’ Association was adopted. A proposal to delete ex Gunnery Instructors’ from the title was carried in January 1948. That is briefly how our Association came into being
Like most association and societies ours had its ups and downs since its formation. It started with a grand flourish and by December, 1947, had a membership of 420 and a bank balance of £1,400. From this time interest began to wane and subsequently the membership and bank balance started to decline. By February, 1952, the membership had dropped to 174, this figure, I believe, being the lowest ever recorded. The financial side of things looked rather black in 1953. During that year a grant was made of £260 in the September, and in April, 1954 the commissioner of the Inland Revenue caught up with us to the tune of £73 .16 for Income Tax. The bank balance was down to £760. Happily interest revived again, and by June of 1959 it had reached 282, and in January of the same year had £1000 in the funds. Monthly meetings were now held in A3 Mess.
“The end of an era” came about on the 9th of October 1964 when after 74 years with due ceremony Petty Officer Eric Figg handed over the keys of A3 mess to the Captain of HMS Excellent, so ended the oldest staff instructors mess in the Royal Navy. Together with the C.P.Os from N1 mess, they moved into the new building, a high –rise tower block of six floors, the Edgar Evans C.P.O.s and Petty Officers ’Mess.
With the closure of A3 mess the Association was again left without a permanent HQ. N1 mess, the old C.P.O.s mess, was still vacant albeit with a number of proposals being put forward for its future. In 1966 I had short time left as President of the Association as I was due to go to the S.D Officer School at Eastney. I was determined before I went that I was going to secure N1 for the Association. No one wanted to make a decision until all the proposals had been discussed, time was short. And so it was that on my final task as retiring President which was the annual Association Dinner I welcomed our guest of Honour Captain Power Captain of H.M.S. Excellent and winding up my welcome speech I told all gathered that Captain Power had agreed that N1 mess would be handed over to the Association as its new HQ. The floor erupted with everyone cheering and thanking the Captain for the decision. Problem was he had not actually made a decision, I had rather forced the issue, and so it was in his speech to the Association he agreed to the request albeit under some pressure. My start at the SD School was under a very large cloud.
So in our 60th year I hope I have given you some idea of how we were formed, and that you and future gunners and missilemen, will carry on the Association for another 60 years, with the same “ESPRIT de CORPS”
Lieutenant Commander (GI) Brian Witts MBE Curator.