John Sankey Gilderson (1892-1927) was Caroline's paternal grandfather. Stresses at home led him to join the Royal Navy at age 18. Starting as a ship's "boy" on the HMS Ganges (actually not a ship but a training facility in Shotley, Suffolk, England), he rose to the rank of Lieutenant of Gunnery. JS Gilderson served from 1910 through the end of the Second World War. His small stature made him especially suited for duty as a diver and for work on submarines.
The HMS Ganges is now a museum dedicated to the 160,000 "boys" who trained there from 1905 to 1976: (www.hmsgangesmuseum.com).
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