HMS GANGES BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Written by Godfrey Dykes

© RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

  Did you know that before the second world war (1939) the HMS Ganges boxing championships, whether inter-Divisional or inter-Command, carried some pretty peculiar titles, which related to height and weight ?

  You will recall from your days at Ganges that some boy's were very tiny in height and carried very frail frames. No boy was ever in the heavyweight bracket.

  Today, amateur boxing has eleven weight levels, but back in 1938, Ganges, adhering to the pre-war Amateur Boxing Association Rules but not to weight divisions, had just seven levels.

Here, for interest only, is a little table.

My memories of Boxing at Ganges

  Ganges boxing which I absolutely hated with a vengeance. One day, after tolerating the animalistic perverse goading of the PTI’s shouting  insulting jibes at all the boys, it was my turn to climb through the ropes onto the gladiatory stage. I did what we always had to do to make my number with a non-fighting boy [detailed off] in my corner and whilst still talking to him this little turd of a killick club swinger grabbed my coloured sash, told me to pay attention before a hefty blow was delivered to the side of my face by my adversary. I saw red, rushed across the ring and belted ten bells out of the poor unsuspecting soul. What’s more, aghast at my anger, he signalled that he didn’t want to fight by lowering his gloves to his sides, but too late, he had already made a fatal error by attacking me when even the club swinger agreed that he had not given the order to commence fighting. After that, my general revulsion at fisty cuffs fighting still maintained, and the farmer boy in me which made me a quite and private being when amongst the city boys, gained me instant popularity amongst my peers. And I do recall other boys looking anew at me and probably praying that I am not in the ring with them at any time in the future. They were three round fights each of 1 minute and my arms flailing session lasted  at least for 30 to 40 seconds only before our match was abandoned.  I reckon that I could safely say that my Ganges ABA rating was BULLDOZER weight!! I know for certain that it was my one and only real fight [real to me anyway] and far from being  proud of myself I did nevertheless grow in my confidence. With 2000 boys training in Ganges at any one time it was no surprise that I never again saw my adversarial quarry. The bout was reduced from 3 minutes to approx. 30seconds saving 2½ minutes off our allotted slanging match which did  us both a favour?