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Wellesley figurehead back on show in Ashington
He's back to cast a watchful eye over the sea cadets in Northumberland - just like he did for decades before. It is the 10ft figurehead of Admiral Boscawen, who once stood proudly at the gates of the infamous Wellesley Nautical School before the building was demolished in 2007.
From left, David Wilson, George Hale, Alan Wilkinson and Wellesley Old Boys members Dennis Roe and Vince Clarke
Now, he's gone back on show at the Ashington Sea Cadets headquarters - TS Tenacity - thanks to the Wellesley Trust Trustees and the Old Boys from the school.
His history goes back more than a century and he's a reminder of the harsh days the 'naughty boys' spent as residents at Blyth's Wellesley School.
Many 13 to 17-year-olds were sent there from the courts to the "prison" to learn the values of a hard day's labour.
The school was originally founded in 1868 by a group of Newcastle businessmen with the aim of providing shelter for Tyneside's destitute and homeless where they were trained for service in both the Royal and Merchant Navy. But it later became an approved school for delinquent boys.
The school started as a training ship they called the Wellesley, but that was replaced by a bigger ship called the Boscawen, originally launched in 1844, which was obtained from the Admiralty. However, for continuity its name was changed to Wellesley to follow the first ship.
It was based at the mouth of the Tyne but it was wrecked by fire in 1914. However, the figurehead of Admiral Boscawen was preserved and presented to the school when the boys were transferred to a new home on the site of Blyth's First World War submarine base.
In 1973 it was later changed to a children's home and was run by Sunderland City Council. But by 1992 Admiral Boscawen was in a sorry state and was replaced with a replica.
Old Boy member Dennis Roe, 63, of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, said: "We got together with the Wellesley Trustees and we all decided that the figurehead should be given to the Ashington Sea Cadets.
"I was one of those naughty boys at the school and there are about 100 of us who are members of two forums on the internet.
"Admiral Boscawen was at the school when I was there and he watched over us. He will now be watching over the Ashington Sea Cadets."
In 2007 the building was demolished and the site cleared and the figurehead was taken into storage by the Trustees.
Dennis, a builder, added: "The Old Boys had a whip-round and raised about ã700 which will pay for it to be restored."
Alan Wilkinson, 81, of Whitley Bay, chairman of the Wellesley Trust Trustees, said: "It is nice to see it being kept in the area and back on display."
Ashington Sea Cadet officer in charge Pauline Finlay said: "We think it is fantastic. When we got the phone call to ask if we wanted it we just jumped at the chance."
Blyth historian Gordon Smith said: "Admiral Boscawen now watches over another generation of trainees, the Sea Cadets, as he has done for more than 140 years."
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Re: The above article.I would like to point out that 1) He's (The Admiral Boscawen figurehead) a reminder of the history of T.S Wellesley from whence he was salvaged
and
2) Wellesley Nautical School WAS NOT A PRISON. It was a Home Office Approved School (Aren't ALL schools in the U.K "Approved" by the British Government?
3) Not all kids who spent time at Wellesley Nautical School were sent there by the courts.In fact the Wellesley Training Ship was initially set up to care for waifs and strays as laid out in the following passage:
Date 1868
Following the passage of legislation relating to the treatment of "delinquents" in 1866 James Hall of Tynemouth and a group of other local philanthropists purchased the training ship "Cornwall" from the Admiralty in 1868. Because the Admiralty wished to retain the name "Cornwall" the ship was re-named the "Wellesley". The ship provided an education for boys who were deemed as being destitute or suffering from parental neglect. The original aims of the training ship were to provide shelter for the homeless and training and education that would equip the boys for a life at sea.
Unfortunately there are more 'naughty boys' on the streets today than ever passed through the gates of Wellesley.
Brian Garnett
Ex Naughty Boy and Founder of the Original Wellesley Forum
Queensland
Auastralia
www.tswellesley.com
Well said Brian. I would like to thank the trustees for the donation of the Admiral to the old boys of the Wellesley, and their help in putting the Admiral on his new ship, T.S.Tenacity. Also thanks to all who helped in this project, be it donations or hands on.
Vic Clarke, (Aka, Vince Clarke)
Wellesley forum member.
'Many 13 to 17-year-olds were sent there from the courts to the "prison" to learn the values of a hard day's labour' ....
Well, I'm glad that's finally been made clear after all these years. I thought at the time I was at Wellesley Nautical School to learn a trade, which I did. I didnt know it was a prison until now.
Another ex Naughty Boy
Lancashire.
well said lads
yet another ex wellesley naughty boy
The term 'naughty boys school' began when Sunderland Council took over Wellesley. The Naval discipline we had when it was the Wellesley Nautical School had gone and I understand from many sources that the kids under the care of Sunderland Council literally ran riot in Blyth causing all sorts of problems.
These kids were the epitome of naughy boys (and girls) So; readers of this article, please dont tar us 'real' Welllesley lads with the same brush as the kids who went after us.
We had discipline, comradeship, respect for our elders etc.. We did a lot more good than bad for the residents of Blyth and surrounding areas.We contributed to the local communities in many ways.
Most of all, we had a bond. A bond that remains to this day. No matter where we are in the world, we are ex Wellesley lads one and all and I speak for us all; we're proud of it.
Yet another ex naughty boy
Spain
What a shock to read that article. I too was a trainee at Wellesley Nautical School in Links Road, Blyth.
The school gave me an identity and the get upand go to become a valuable contributor to society through the music media.
I know of ex Wellesley trainees who have gone on to become pillars of society, two becoming titled gentlemen. Others to pass through this school include university graduatred, lecturers, naval officers, business proprietors and much more. This was a credit not only to the staff but to the Wellesley 'Lads' themselves.
Before the Sunderland City Council took over the school as a Community Home the trainees of Wellesley contributed much to the local scene in Blyth.
The fantastic Wellesley Nautical School Band was a regular feature at sporting venues, fairs and other gatherings as well as leading the 100 or so lads to church at St Cuthberts every Sunday.
Seaton Sluice restoration was undertaken by trainees from Wellesley as a community project. There are actually too many community activities which featured lads from the Wellesley Nautical School, however some of note include the fantastic Wellesley Nautical School Gymnastics Display Team, the Sailors Hornpipe team and the Chair Tricks Team. These teams thrilled the people of Northumberland & Durham for many years.
Each year Fanfare trumpeters attended the Assizes Courts in Newcastle as heralds for the High Court Justices.
Let us be fair. I doubt that the writer of the original article did any background research, a vital criteria for any journalist, however such slack reporting causes distortion of history and the true heretage of the T.S Wellesley and the Wellesley Nautical School. It casts aspersions at the fine officers who were involved in training these boys who became fine men.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Prison?? I find this difficult to comprehend. Where did this reporter get their information? TS Wellesley, Wellesley Nautical School was never a prison. It was conceived by a Philanthropist who cared for needy and orphaned children. His philosophy was to train the boys and instill them with skills to enable them to live a better life. The Navy being the 'better life'
Latterly, when TS Wellesley became The Wellesley Nautical School the boys were trained in either 'land trades' like painting & decorating, engineering, bricklaying etc.. or were trained in Seamanship which prepared them for a life at sea. Many of the boys (me being one of them) signed up for either the Royal or the Merchant Navies. I travelled the world and enjoyed every minute of it. I doubt that if my employer/s knew that I had just been released from 'prison' I would have had the life I have had.
I STRONGLY resent the implication that Wellesley was a prison. I will be writing to the Editor of this Newspaper and demanding an apology.
Ron Carroll
Ex Wellesley Nautical School and proud of it.
I spent two years in Wellesley, and they were some of the best times i have had, and i met some fantastic people along the way, and learned to do many things, and it's great to see the Admiral looking after a new generation of young people, the Wellesley legacy lives on, thanks to the trustees and all the Ex-Wellesley lads who gave up their time to make this happen,
i am gob smacked in one respect on the research into the history of old wellesley i think u could of read on a stamp i would of thought she would of look at hthe history from the start up to when it change hand;s then she might not of used the word naughty boy;s because we where far from being naughty and another thing it was not a prison it was a school of hard knocks and learning and i and many other;s would not be hear if it had not been for wellesley school of link;s road blyth.
I was at the school 1958-60. I was proud to have been a trainee there. It was certainly no prison. The reporter should get their facts right, and research correct. We were not all bad boys, If you class us against the youth of today we were angels. I have never hid anything from my family, but to read, bad boys and prison was a shock to my family. It was as good as any Royal Navy training if not better. Long live the Wellesley.
I was at the Wellesley 1958-60 and proud of it. The reporter should get their story correct, bad boys and prison, utter rubbish. The school turned out proud men, and these men are still proud today.
I was at WNS 1962/3, and in no way was it a like prison, in fact apart from the discipline which is obviously needed in such places, I quite enjoyed my stay at the old place.
When I first went to Prison, around 3 years after I left Wellesley, they asked me if I'd ever been in Prison before. I answered (truthfully) that no I had not. Apologies to the Prison Officer (if he's still alive) I told lies to at the time. I never knew I'd been in Prison, honestly !!
Why doesnt this newspaper print an article asking all the residents of Blyth and it's environs, how much the Wellesley lads helped them out?
I think that an immediate apology and retraction is in order.
None of us were angels, nor were we prisoners!!
I agree with all the above comments. This report has made International News!!I am in San Diego California but my bond is still with the lads of Wellesley. It will be there forever.
I have read the report in the paper and I am very bitter about what the reporter has said about the wellesley being a prison for naughty boys and I would like to put the reporter right.
I was a wellesley boy in 1961/62 as I wanted to go to sea and I was very proud to go there as it gave me a good standing in life, it was tough but it did me good and I for one have no regrets about wellesley, I went in as a child and came out a man and I can hold my head high and say thank you to all the staff for giving me back my pride and self esteeme.as for the wellesley boys making trouble in blyth it was unheard of when we were there in the 60's not only that the people of blyth use to come out on a sunday and watch the march to church parade
with the wellesley band playing of which I was a member and proud of it.
the boys and girls of today who are bad and naughty get away with being treated like babies if they were to go through what we at wellesley went through they would not survive,as to the above comments of the reporter he should get his facts right before writing and should now give a report in our favour by retracting the comment of us wellesley boys being prisoners in a prison.
An article in today's FEEDBACK column by Evening Chronicle Assistant Editor Mick Smith addresses some of the above concerns and is reproduced in full below:
FORCED to walk the plank after what I thought was an affectionate article on a nautical theme, weâÂÂre still all at sea here on board the good ship Chronicle.
As you may recall, on Monday we told about the relocation of a carved figurehead from the old Wellesley Nautical School in Blyth. The 10ft monument of Admiral Boscawen stood at the schoolâÂÂs gates for years until the college was flattened in 2007.
Out of mothballs, the statue is now on show at the Ashington Sea Cadets headquarter, TS Tenacity â thanks to the Wellesley Trust Trustees and the Old Boys from the school.
And so the sun should have set on this little tale. Ah, but...
In our piece we said the school was for âÂÂnaughty boysâ and quoted one former inmate, sorry, pupil, as saying it was like a âÂÂprisonâÂÂ.
Tempers flared and a tempest erupted with many of you upset at these descriptions.
Typical of the responses was this one: âÂÂWellesley Nautical School WAS NOT A PRISON. It was a Home Office Approved School, arenâÂÂt all schools? Not all kids were sent there by the courts, in fact, the Wellesley Training Ship was initially set up to care for waifs and strays.âÂÂ
Or how about this one. âÂÂI thought at the time I was at Wellesley Nautical School to learn a trade, which I did. I didnâÂÂt know it was a prison until now. Another ex Naughty Boy, Lancashire.âÂÂ
Or thereâÂÂs this one from âÂÂanother ex-naughty boy in Spainâ who wrote: âÂÂThe term âÂÂnaughty boysâ schoolâ began when Sunderland Council took over. The Naval discipline we had when it was the Wellesley Nautical School had gone and I understand from many sources that the kids under the care of Sunderland Council literally ran riot in Blyth causing all sorts of problems.
âÂÂThese kids were the epitome of naughty boys (and girls). So, readers of this article, please donâÂÂt tar us âÂÂrealâ Wellesley lads with the same brush as the kids who went after us.
âÂÂWe had discipline, comradeship, respect for our elders etc. We did a lot more good than bad for the residents of Blyth and surrounding areas. We contributed to the local communities in many ways. Most of all, we had a bond. A bond that remains to this day. No matter where we are in the world, we are ex-Wellesley lads one and all and I speak for us all; weâÂÂre proud of it.âÂÂ
Gentlemen, as we say in the media, sorry about that, and as ever, more than happy to set the record straight.
Gentlemen I wish to correct the photo caption comment. The person on the left in the picture is not David Wilson, it is me. Alexander you are right. A lot of ex Wellesley boys did do well in professional life, myself included. I am Dr Michael Henryk Majer (PhD) and Master Mariner (retired). My last employed position from 1995 to 2005 was as a Vice President in United Arab Shipping Co. of Kuwait. Since then I am self employed as an international business management consultant. I still hold that the training and discipline I gained at Wellesley was instrument in my very successful career. Good luck to you all and God Bless.
Mike
i hope we the old boy;s of wellesly have proven to you that it was not place where we where sent as a puishment but of learning and as you can see by the post;s that is precisley what we did and thank you for the coverage of boscowen and the ashington sea scouts
Is it at all possible to trace boys who may have been sent to Wellesley from liverppol in the perios around 1915 1918.
I believe two of my uncles were sent there possibly as my grandfather was away in the War
Any help would be gratefully received and I can be contacted by e mailc.neil59@btinternet.com
Many thanks
Chris
Hi!!! Ive just got back on line--NAUGHTY BOYS!!!.I dont know how you obtained your info Butmost of us who served in KITKAT,S Navy,During my early YEARS.Re 1951-1953.left to go Into the Big Wide World.left in a fitter state,To a good trade,I served in HAWKINS,REVENGE and our band.Learned to sail with POP WEALER(Wheeler?)which I still Love to do!!! @72+ years.Im originaly A SANDANCER,But now live in DERBY.And would be Happy to hear from anyone Ex W.T.S.BobD.