‘King Billy’

I had a message this morning reminding me that places for the Indefatigable Old Boys Reunion for 2022 will soon be ready to book.

Indefatigable, or to give it its full title, The Indefatigable and National Sea Training School For Boys but was always known as the Indefatigable.
A 'proper' school of hard knocks where some boys entered at aged fourteen, graduating at age sixteen to normally enter the Merchant Navy, however a bounty was payable if us youngsters could be persuaded to join the Royal Navy. I joined at fifteen and was there for eighteen months. During that time I took the RN entrance exams and joined the Navy from Wrexham Careers Office as an Artificer.
I was always fascinated that a boys schools postal address barely fitted on the envelope; the school was situated at; Llanfairphwyllgwngocheryclantisiliogogogoch
on Anglesey on the banks of the Menai Straits.
The photograph shows the ‘parade ground’ and the entrance to the main building with the figure head of King William Billy in the foreground.