This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
32 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2010


Captain of Raleigh is big noise for the day


l Sir Donald Gosling chats to a trainee sailor at HMS Raleigh


Association pays visit to Raleigh


MEMBERS of the council of the White Ensign Association met some of the Navy’s newest recruits during a visit to HMS Raleigh. A total of 17 members travelled to the Cornish establishment to see the range of training carried out.


And one of the visitors was Sir Donald Gosling, the president of the association, a registered charity founded jointly by the Royal Navy and City of London in 1958 to provide a resettlement, finance and employment advice service for serving and retired members of the Naval Service. Sir Donald is also an honorary rear admiral in the RNR. Also visiting were two former


First Sea Lords, Admiral the Lord Boyce and Admiral Sir Jonathon Band.


Council members met a group of final-week recruits and saw them complete their final exercise before their passing-out parade. The visitors toured the


A CHANCE comment on parade led to HMS Raleigh marching to a different beat when a Royal Marine Musician was made Captain for the day.


Royal Marines Band Plymouth which is based at Torpoint, plays bass drum, cymbals and bassoon. During a recent parade the CO of HMS Raleigh, Capt Steve Murdoch, asked Kiri how difficult it was to play the bass drum. Kiri said it wasn’t that hard, and joked


that perhaps they should swap jobs for the day.


Unbeknownst to Kiri, the Captain had taken her suggestion on board. Reporting for duty one day, Kiri was


surprised to find that she would be in charge of Raleigh while the Captain took her place in the band. Her first task was to inspect the trainee


sailors as they practised for their passing- out parade, then she got stuck into a busy schedule of paperwork, briefings and tough decisions, including a simulated Captain’s Table to decide on a sailor’s application for promotion.


After Captain’s Rounds, Kiri oversaw the training of a class of new recruits. Kiri said: “It came as a total surprise that the Captain and I were to swap jobs. “When I had all the papers and files


crash course in playing the bass drum. He said: “I enjoyed the day and I


learned there is a lot more to being a bass drummer than I thought. “It’s not just a case of marching and


beating the drum. You have to concentrate on the Drum Major to watch his signals which tells the band what he wants them to do.


l Capt Steve Murdoch plays bass drum for the RM Band, Plymouth; top right, Musn Kiri Wedlock mulls over an application for promotion


Submarine School, and were taken out on to the water in the RN’s latest Pacific 24 sea boats. Trainee logisticians prepared


thrown at me in the morning I realised that it’s a stressful job being Captain. “It was good to get out and see some of the training in the afternoon. “At the end of the day I was glad to be going back to my job. It’s certainly made me appreciate it more. “The Captain’s job was too stressful.” Meanwhile, Capt Murdoch was given a


and served lunch at the Defence Maritime Logistics School. The association is now firmly established as one of the prime links between the Royal Navy, the City, commerce and industry, its role having developed and expanded over the years to include the provision of advice on a much wider range of personal administration matters. Further details of the White


Ensign Association are available at www.whiteensign.co.uk


Masters of the deep


TWO sailors from HMS Cornwall have achieved a top diving qualification by taking to the water in exotic locations throughout the world.


LS Steve Murphy and ET Rebecca King were presented with their qualifications after diving at the Seychelles, Salalah, Malta, Gibraltar and then back to the UK to complete their Dive Master qualification. The PADI qualification was


presented by Simon Chance, manager PADI International Resort, on board HMS Cornwall. To reach the benchmark the pair had to complete a certain number of dives within a set period – 50 dives in seven months. One of their first dives was in the Dubai Aquarium, with sand tiger sharks, rays, a whale and a variety of other fish. While in Malta the sailors dived on sunken destroyer HMS Maori.


Snorkers? Good-oh!


PIG-rearing submariner John Popplewell has struck gold again with his award-winning snorkers. Following success at last year’s


l Collingwood’s marchers get some practice in on the roads of Shropshire


Best feet forward


SAILORS from HMS Collingwood have begun preparing for the challenge of a lifetime, when they take part in the 94th four-day Nijmegen Marches this month. As the only Royal Navy team competing this year, the Phase 2 trainees, many of whom have only been in the Navy for six months, will be marching for the honour of their Service. Beginning their preparations in


earnest, they recently completed an 80km yomp around the Shropshire countryside near RAF Cosford, which ultimately gained them qualification into the Nijmegen Marches. Proudly flying the White Ensign


and carrying a minimum of 10kg in weight in their day sacks, the sailors rose to the challenge of the 80km march where they exhibited a variety of military competencies,


including leadership, man-


management and teamwork, together with physical and mental resilience. Team leader CPO


Taffy


Blackford said: “The commitment and effort our sailors displayed achieving


this difficult and


arduous venture showed true grit and determination. “Every single one of them is immensely proud of themselves and is enormously excited about travelling to Holland to do the same again – but twice the distance.”


The Nijmegen Marches will take


place over the period July 20-23 in the Netherlands, involving teams from the British Armed Forces, civilians and military personnel from 24 different nations – more than 45,000 people are expected to take part this year.


Taste of Cornwall competition, Popplewell’s Pedigree Pigs won gold at the British Pig Association Spring Pedigree Sausage competition at the Devon County Show. CPO Popplewell – who runs Little Keasts smallholding and B&B at Draynes, near Liskeard, with his wife Karen – currently serves in Devonport and is due to leave the Navy in November after almost 39 years service. “Two years, two counties and


two golds, we are really chuffed to bits,” said CPO Popplewell. “We once again would like to thank all our customers in and around the naval base for their continued support and encouragement.”


“The Band receive all their directions via the bass drum so it really was all down to me to keep them on track.” Kiri was able to watch the band practise from outside her office. She said: “I thought the Captain did a good job. He kept the beat going and looked very smart.”


As he took back command of the establishment, Capt Murdoch said: “I hope that Musn Wedlock had an enjoyable day – I certainly did.”


Musn Kiri Wedlock, a member of the l OC Malcolm Black


Scouting award for Malcolm


A ROYAL Navy officer cadet has won a top scouting award – but his training programme means he will miss out on picking it up in person from Chief Scout Bear Grylls. Malcolm Black joined the Senior


Service as a Marine Engineer Officer in January, and has been undergoing Initial Fleet Time in HMS Ark Royal, currently on Exercise Auriga 2010. But wherever Malcolm is, the 77th Glasgow Scouts (disabled) group will never be far from his mind.


And now the patrol leader with the Network Scouts, in his tenth year with the 77th, has been awarded the Chief Scout’s Commendation Award.


Malcolm joined the scouts when he was eight and he says he has never looked back. However, it wasn’t until he


wanted to get his Social Services badge that he realised there was a scout group for the disabled. “I only initially turned up to do


my four weeks to get my badge signed off, but the bug took and I’ve been going to the Network Scouts ever since,” said Malcolm, whose father was in the RAF and whose uncle is a former Royal. The 77th Glasgow Scouts


work solely with disabled children and young adults who wish to experience the opportunities open to other Scout groups – although the Scout movement is all about integration, the 77th are able to offer specialised help.


Expeditions which Malcolm has organised have included caving and kayaking in the Lake District and a tour of London. Malcolm said it was “a fantastic


l Christopher Dungey (centre) with his father, WO Paul Dungey (right) and grandfather, former submariner John Dungey


Picture: Dave Sherfield Father to son, to son, to son


A TRAINEE submariner at HMS Raleigh represents the fourth generation of his family to serve in the Royal Navy. Christopher Dungey,


is training as a logistician at the Cornish establishment,


who is


following in the footsteps of his father Paul, a warrant officer at Navy Command in Portsmouth, and his uncle Mark, a chief petty officer on board HMS Chatham. Stepping further back,


Christopher’s grandfather John Dungey served as a submariner between 1962 and 1984, while his great-grandfather, Lenny Hunter, saw active duty in minesweepers during World War 2. Both Paul – who also started


New boss drops in


NEW Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has paid a visit to Royal Navy personnel deployed in the UK Maritime Component Commander HQ in Bahrain – part of his first series of operational theatre visits.


Cdre Tim Fraser, UK Maritime Component Commander, and Cdre Chris Richards, Commander Task Force (Iraqi Maritime).


Among those he met were


The new boss at Main Building also visited RFA Lyme Bay, and addressed an audience drawn from the ships based in Bahrain and shore-side staff, thanking them for helping to protect UK interests. Dr Fox had already flown into Afghanistan, where he also met sailors and Royals, while David Cameron has also completed his first visit to the country as Prime Minister.


l At 19 years of age Dexy Barter (right) is not exactly grizzled with age. But it was the experience of his 17-year-old younger brother Sonnetti which prompted Dexy to join the Navy, and Sonnetti – now undergoing training as a warfare specialist at HMS Collingwood – was allowed to travel to Cornwall to watch Dexy’s passing-out parade. The brothers’ careers will continue in parallel as Dexy is also to train as a warfare specialist, so will join Sonnetti – the Navy light flyweight boxing champion – at Collingwood, close to their Portsmouth home


Picture: Dave Sherfield


his naval career at Raleigh – and John were there to see the next generation leave basic training. Paul said: “I’m pleased as Punch that Christopher’s chosen to join the Royal Navy. “He’s phoned me most nights


during his training to tell me what he’s been doing.”


Ukrainians call


future leaders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, toured the naval base, looked over Type 23 frigate HMS Kent and were also welcomed to Navy Command HQ.


TWENTY high-flying personnel from the Ukraine National Defence Academy visited Portsmouth Naval Base as part of a week- long visit to the UK designed to enhance their understanding of the British Armed Forces. The delegates,


all potential


experience” to serve in the “iconic” carrier, but his future most likely lies in the Submarine Service.


They also visited MOD Main Building in Whitehall and Shrivenham.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com