History


The Nautical Training Corps was founded in 1944 by the first Commodore, F.P. Froest-Carr OBE.

Froest-Carr, the son of a clergyman, joined the navy as a boy entrant in the closing years of sail. After a long period of naval service, he was involved as a youth officer in Brighton and for many years was the County Commissioner for Sea Scouts in Sussex.

A man of very advanced ideas for the time, he stated at the Corps inception:

It is my intention that the organisation should be mixed; catering for the girls under the same system as boys. The Corps is to be organised into age groups for young people between the ages of 8 - 18 years. The Corps will give girls and boys of all ages the opportunity to receive sea training and discipline and imbibe qualities of good citizenship.

In 1973 the value of his service to youth was recognised by the award of an OBE. He remained the Commodore of the NTC until his death in 1975.

Today's members still wear a uniform that is closely based on that of the Royal Navy. Whilst discipline is part of the training offered, it is only part - above all else, the Corps is a youth organisation, and it's adults are youth workers.

T.S Sturdy was originally formed as the 16th Division of the NTC, in Westerham, Kent in 1960. We have been sent a few pictures from a gentleman who was a member of the original TS Sturdy from 1962 until 1970, during which time it was under the command of a Mr David Wells, with Messers Hapgood and Brackley as assistants.

No one seems to know what ever happened to that Ship, but the T.S. Sturdy in it's current form was established in 1978 as the 34th Division of the NTC, with the first Commanding Officer Mike Campbell. From that time it has been one of the leading youth groups in the area.

To find out more about the Nautical Training Corps, please go to the Nautical Training Corps website.