Introduction.
In 1960 the Royal Australian Navy introduced a scheme which allowed 15 to 16 year old boys to enter the Navy as Junior Recruits. This scheme remained in place until 1986 and during those years trained many thousands of sailors.
On Sunday 17th. March 1963, HMAS Cerberus became home to 125 new Junior Recruits. At Right is my first ID Card photo, I had been in the Navy for nearly 24 hours, and I think I was still in shock. They told us not to smile, and it looks like I did a great job of it.
This was the first of only two intakes to be trained at HMAS Cerberus, the remainder all going to HMAS Leeuwin in Western Australia. Our intake fell between the 5th and 6th intakes at HMAS Leeuwin. The reason for these two intakes being trained at Cerberus was to allow the upgrading of accomodation facilities at HMAS Leeuwin. As a result of this, a previously disused accomodation block that was originally part of the old Recruit school at HMAS Cerberus was bought back into service, "G Block". This was a pre World War II weatherboard accomodation block fitted out for sleeping in hammocks. The hammocks were probably a good thing, as most of us would spend our next few years at least, in ships with hammocks. To signify that we were Junior Recruits, all of our uniforms bore the shoulder flash "Tingira" so named after Australia's first training vessel for young boys (ex H.M.S. Sobraon), which was moored in Sydney harbour during the early 1900s and run on the lines of the Navy of the day.
For further reading there are many pages detailing the Junior Recruit Scheme at "The Gun Plot" an excellent site on all things Naval, run by Russ Graystone.
JRTE Area. (Junior Recruit Training Establishment)
The Junior Recruit School area itself was very small, probably not exceeding 45 metres square.  This was the area bounding the accomodation block and associated office building which included the Regulating Office, office space for the Officer in Charge and divisional Officers, TV Room, Canteen and Staff Room. Outside of School hours which were spent at the Education block, and meal hours, Junior Recruits were not permitted to leave this area without the express permission of the duty staff. We were also forbidden to speak to any Recruits or members of Ship's Company who used the far side of the road in front of the office. At Right is a photo showing the front of the Office block with Lt. Cdr. Holloway's car parked in front. On this side of the road immediately adjacent the Regulating Office was a red brick building containing the Baggage store and Armory.
After an initial aptitude test, we were divided up into five "Divisions" each named after one of the first five Governors of Australia. Phillip, Hunter, King, Macquarie and Bligh. Each division was allotted a divisional instructor who was directly responsible for our training and day to day discipline. The JRTE also had a full time staff consisting of, two or three Able rates as general hands, two Physical Training Instructors, a Regulating Petty Officer and Leading Patrolman, a Chief Gunnery Instructor, a Senior Chief, two Divisional Officers and an Officer in Charge.
The next twelve months was an experience that I think none of us will ever forget, in the first month we were all subjected to a very steep learning curve, with aptitude and physical tests, not to mention learning to adapt the the Naval way of life, after which the pressure was kept on for the next eleven months with an endless procession of cleaning, drill, studies and sport from 0730 to 2200 every day.
Daily Routine.
Typically, one's day began at 0600 with "Wakey, Wakey", whereupon everyone hit the deck, not desiring to be discovered still in one's hammock by the duty instructor who only had to look in the Mess deck door to see that everyone was up and lashing his hammock ready to be stowed in the hammock bin. The hammock bin is a sturdy wooden construction resembling a small cattle yard where hammocks were stowed like so many vertical sausages during the day. Having stowed one's hammock it was time for morning ablutions and to get changed into the dress of the day which was announced immediately after "Wakey Wakey", then race madly for the Cafeteria or "Scran Hall" as it was known, to bolt down your breakfast and hurry back to your mess deck for a last minute check of your uniform, white webbing, boots and brasswork before falling in at 0730, ready to double down to the parade ground for morning parade. This involved, an inspection by one's divisional officer, "Colours" (raising of the Flag at 0800) and half an hours drill prior to starting our schooling at 0830. One division each weekday was designated as "Workship" division, their job being to do all of the accomodation block cleaning and cafeteria duties for the day, the division designated as the Workship division also provided the Guard for morning divisions and was inspected by the Officer in Charge.
Education
From Monday to Friday,the hours between 0830 -1200 and 1300 to 1540 were mainly spent at the Education Block, this was run along the lines of a strict boys school, with the curriculum focusing on Maths, Physics and English with additional classes in Naval History, Navigation and Physical Training. Two or three days per week an hour or two was devoted to Naval indoctrination and Seamanship, this was usually taught by one's divisional instructor back at "G" Block or if you were lucky, down at the wharf and Seamanship School. The school day ended at 1545 whereupon we all fell in outside in the Quadrangle and doubled back to the JRTE . After being dismissed, we had until 1620 to have afternoon tea and get back to our blocks and changed into "sports rig" ready for whatever sport was promulgated for the afternoon.
Sport
All major sports were played and this was interspersed with a healthy dose of cross country runs of 3 to 4 miles, several times a week, swimming, and exercises such as boat races, rowing 27 foot whalers.
The afternoon's sport lasted for about an hour and once completed we were given a few minutes to shower and get into "night clothing" ready for Dinner at 1730, after which we were free until 1930 to do our washing and ironing and get our uniforms ready for next day. At 1930 we all had "night study" (homework) until 2100 supervised by one of the Instructors after which we returned to our mess deck to clean up for night rounds at 2130; which took until 2200 when Lights Out was sounded.
Arbitrary Punishment
Any noise or other disturbance after Lights Out was severely discouraged and would result in everyone in the offending division(s) being made to get out of bed and fall in on the roadway outside the regulating office where a suitable punishment was devised, usually doubling up and down the length of the road for 15 or 20 minutes. If the offence was deemed more serious we were made to lash up our hammocks and double out to the Outer West Gate and back, a distance of about two miles, which also necessitated climbing over the Inner gate at the depot boundary on the way out and on the way back in. The duty instructor accompanied the offenders on a bike to ensure that everyone carried their hammock over the full distance and that the pace was kept up. ( It was later remarked upon by our Petty Officer PTI, (Dixie Ford) that the time taken for this excercise was often only a few minutes longer than that taken in sports rig). I guess that this was bought about by the fact that we were very fit and the persuasion of a cold and damp winters night coupled with the desire to get back to bed after a long long day.
Weekends
No weekend leave was given at Cerberus JRTE until the last three months of our stay, where each weekend one division other than the duty division was permitted to stay with an approved sponsor, usually the home of a Victorian JR or relative. Many of us found our way around this and spent our weekends at such places as "The White Ensign Club" in Melbourne, where we were free to wander at will and try our luck in the various dens of iniquity around Melbourne. Saturdays onboard were free of schooling and the morning was spent with an hour of study, then cleaning up for OICs rounds, which were usually held at about 1100 hours. Lieutenant Commander Holloway our Officer in Charge would be accompanied by the weekend duty staff during this inspection, whilst we JRs stood by our Lockers at attention, and woe betide any person or division that did not meet his expectations. The afternoons were spent playing organised sport, sometimes at an interdivisional level, sometimes against the adult recruits or a visiting club. Sundays were similar, but with compulsory attendance at church in the morning. Some of us found it more exciting to find ways of evading this, I can't remember how we did it, but I can certainly remember skulking around in the scrub behind "G" Block, on many a Sunday morning, it never ceased to surprise me how few were ever caught. I distinctly remember that one pair who were caught, were made to scrub out the Chaplains Office each night for a fortnight, but if my memory serves me correctly they were the only offenders that ever suffered this fate. This punishment was considered to be quite fortunate by the perpetrators, as the Chaplain's office was only small, and once the job was finished the culprits duly helped themselves to a cup of the Chaplains coffee and a handful of "Milk Coffee" biscuits, both being luxuries unheard of in our cafeteria.
Such was life for a Junior Recruit at Cerberus JRTE. Of course, it wasn't all as the Navy would have wished and on many occasions we JRs all managed to stretch the rules in one direction or another. Whether it be a well timed dash across the road late at night to "Millies" the Ship's company canteen for an illicit stale pie or bottle of soft drink; or a midnight excursion to Somers beach about two miles away over the back fence for a swim. Like teenage boys anywhere, we were all having the time of our lives.
Memories
The mind is a funny thing, and we all view our experiences in life quite differently. However this story does seem to have one very common thread, every one of my mates whom I have asked about the JR experience has to one degree or another suffered with more or less the same nightmare. Where they find themselves back in JR school, and do not have, or cannot find, a clean uniform ready for morning divisions. Hands up anyone who has NOT experienced a variation of this unique and exquisitely chilling flashback.
The Search
Just for the record, we ended up having 128 entrants, as three were returned to "civvie street" after falling foul of our first onboard medical inspection, and they were replaced by three more entrants several weeks into the year.
So far, eighty three members of our intake have been located, which unfortunately includes thirteen who have passed away. One more is thought to have passed away but I have no details or confirmation.
It is interesting to note that one of those who failed his first onboard medical, had his condition treated and joined the following intake at HMAS Leeuwin, making him the only Leeuwin Junior Recruit to have a "59" series Official number, this was "Sam" Semfel. R59939. Who although he did his training at HMAS Leeuwin, we claim as a member of our original intake. |
