NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2010
33
Brewery trip proved informative
TWO presentations at two
different venues has yielded results for Brightlingsea branch, with four new members signed up and one or two more showing interest. And the new members can look
forward to an active social life, too.
Branch members recently visited the Greene King Brewery in Bury St Edmunds, where they had to
negotiate many flights
of stairs to gain an insight into modern brewing techniques. “By the time we returned to
ground level one or two shipmates were complaining of a developing thirst,” noted branch secretary S/M Ron Underwood. That situation was soon righted to
by a visit the Brewery Tap
for a ‘tutored tasting’, in which members worked their way through the various beer pumps (the glasses were, quite small).
“Luckily (for the brewers) we
were served with a magnificent hot and cold buffet which caused an easing-up of the glass refilling,” said S/M Underwood. “A great visit and no, we weren’t
driving, we came by coach and the journey home was very quiet – siesta time!” Ten days later members were helping to celebrate the 150th anniversary of
the opening of
the first fish and chip shop in England. Seafarers UK used the occasion to promote a nationwide campaign of fish and chip feasts in aid of the charity – and Brightlingsea, once a busy fishing port, still cuts the mustard in terms of the traditional fast food. Award-winning chippy Scooby
Snax (run by a former Crab “but we forgive him that”) dished up some first-class fish and chips, and when the raffle was also taken into account the branch contributed £175 to Seafarers UK – and branch welfare officer S/M Tom Blair, an ex-Royal, went home with the top raffle prize of a bottle of Pusser’s rum.
admittedly,
● From left: Former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jock Slater, the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset Mrs Valerie Pitt-Rivers, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope and Naval Regional Commander Western England, Cdre Jamie Miller
Illustrious memorial is dedicated
PAST and present First Sea Lords were guests of honour at the dedication of a memorial to the 29 sailors of HMS Illustrious who died when their liberty boat sank in
Portland more than 60 years ago. The current incumbent, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, unveiled the memorial at Portland Marina in front of more than 120 members of the HMS Illustrious Association, including survivors of the tragedy and relatives of the victims. Former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir
Jock Slater also attended, both he and Admiral Stanhope having commanded the current HMS Illustrious. The Portland stone structure recalls
the events of the night of Sunday October 17 1948, when a 36ft open motor launch with a crew of five carrying 45 sailors back to the ship after a run ashore in Weymouth was swamped by heavy seas. It sank just 60 yards from Illustrious, and
● First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope lays a wreath at the memorial
Pictures: LA(Phot) Chris Mumby £50 PRIZE PUZZLE
boats were immediately launched, while others dived in to save their shipmates, but despite their bravery 29 men died.
Hail Vanguard (and Exeter)
A REUNION for veterans of HMS Vanguard was a great success – and prompted a non-Vanguard sailor to seek out old shipmates. One of the Vanguard cohort who joined in was born in Liverpool 83 years ago but had travelled from Canada, which he now calls home.
THE mystery ship in our September edition (right) was HMS Tabard, which was succeeded by
‘display ship’ HMS Alliance, still open to the
public in Gosport. And Mr Long of Taunton was
picked as the winner of our £50 prize for submitting the correct answers. This month we feature one of
Alliance’s sisters (pictured above in the mid-1960s) whose name featured prominently in our pages over the summer – though not in connection with the boat.
She was launched by Vickers
Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness just weeks before VE Day, and completed in early 1946.
What was her name?
Complete the coupon and send it to Mystery Picture, Navy News,
HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH. Coupons giving the correct answer will go into a prize draw to establish a winner. Closing date for entries is December 6. More than one entry can be submitted but photocopies cannot be accepted. Do not include anything else in your envelope: no correspondence can be entered into and no entry returned.
The winner will be announced in our January edition. The competition is not open to Navy News employees or their families.
MYSTERY PICTURE 189 Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And another ex-Navy lad turned up in the hope that someone might remember him, despite him never having served in the battleship. The 93-year-old matelot had
S/M Alf Lowe GC made the trip from New Zealand to be present – his George Cross was awarded in recognition of his efforts to save lives that stormy night. Also
the RNA, RNLI, Portland Marina and Albion Stone Ltd, plus a platoon from the current Illustrious. The ceremony concluded with a Royal
Marine Band performing Beat Retreat and a fly-past by Seahawk and Swordfish aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm Historic Flight and Lynx from 702 and 815 Naval Air Squadrons, one of which dropped a wreath at the point where the boat sank. The HMS Illustrious
there were representatives of
produced the memorial and organised the dedication ceremony. Association chairman S/M John Ellis
Association
said: “It has been our Association’s ambition for many years to establish a permanent and lasting memorial to those who lost their lives that night and I am so pleased that this has at last been achieved and we are all most grateful to those whose hard work and contributions have made this day possible.”
Appleby has new purpose
A FORMER Fleet tender is now being used to train maritime crews – and commit the ashes of former mariners to the waters of the Solent. The Maritime Volunteer
Service (Portsmouth unit) uses MVS Appleby for seamanship training and team-building events, giving would-be or inexperienced mariners the chance to try their hand at navigation and engineering as well as ship-handling. But the ship, built for the MOD in the mid-1960s, is also available to the relatives of former maritime and nautical service personnel and enthusiasts of the sea for services to commit ashes to the sea. Typical nautical touches during such services include the lowering to half-mast of the MVS’s red ensign,
the crew removing
caps and berets for the actual committal and the presentation of a commemorative card recording the exact location of the committal, signed by the commanding officer of the day. As a charity the MVS seeks a
donation for this service. The Portsmouth unit of the MVS was founded on the disbandment of the RN Auxiliary Service in 1994. Nationally the MVS has more than 400 members in 30 units around the UK coast. For more details see www.
mvs-portsmouth.co.uk
Medal work on camera
THE work of the MOD Medal Office can now be seen in a videocast on the Internet. In the second of the series
Veterans Today, produced for the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, presenter Don Goldie visits the office at Imjin Barracks in Gloucstershire.
The Medal Office is the sole
authority for the issue of Service medals authorised by the Queen to British Service personnel and veterans.
The programme traces the
history of military awards and takes a look behind the scenes at the painstaking work which goes into answering the hundreds of medal applications and queries which arrive every week, ranging from World War 2 to current conflicts.
on the Veterans-UK website www.
veterans-uk.info and on other sites such as iTunes and YouTube.
The video is available to view Hospital visit
served in HMS Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate, and he went by the name of London – and members were impressed by their new shipmate’s smartness of dress and clarity of memory.
Card marked
TWO styles of Christmas card are available this year, one featuring HMS Daring (£5 for a pack of ten) and the other a semaphore motif (£2 per pack).
Costs include postage and packing within the UK, and orders should be sent to HQ Semaphore Tower with cheque or instructions to debit a branch account.
● Chelmsford Sea Cadets enjoy the hospitality of shipmates at the local RNA branch
Youngsters join in
MEMBERS of Chelmsford branch welcomed Sea Cadets and instructors from local unit TS Upholder to a recent meeting. Unit
chairman Officer Paul in Charge S/Lt (SCC)
Sebastian Rowland RNR and Marine Cadet Detachment Commander Sgt Justin Guilder accompanied the youngsters. During the evening RNA branch chairman S/M Jack Penson
presented plaques bearing ships’ crests to S/Lt Rowland for display at their headquarters. Young and not-so-young
King,
shipmates mingled throughout, enjoying a very sociable gathering with refreshments prepared by Mrs Gamlin. Representatives of the branch often take part in the Sea Cadet quiz nights at their HQ – an association that benefits both groups.
Golden jubilee for Leyland
LEYLAND branch in Lancashire has been marking its 50th anniversary. The celebrations started with a gala dinner in September, held at the civic centre in their home town.
More than 100 guests attended the party, including the Lord Mayor and Cdr Harry Harley, president of the RNA North West, both invited as guests of honour, as was S/M Molyneaux, who was one of the founding members. The royal toast was followed by a delicious four- course meal, short speeches and an evening of
comedy and dancing hosted by the marvellous Mike Denver.
Throughout its half century of activity, RNA Leyland have supported a host of charities and provided support for their local Sea Cadet branch. It remains a very popular branch throughout Leyland and the North of England, with the club, situated on Towngate frequently filled to capacity at weekends.
The 50th anniversary dinner was followed by
further celebration on the Friday and Saturday of the same week.
MEMBERS of Cheshunt branch were regally entertained by the Chelsea Pensioners during a recent visit to London. The Pensioners were pleased
to show the Cheshunt group their newly-refurbished quarters. Two branch members have recently notched up their 90th birthdays. Former WO S/M Albert Smith was presented with a cake representing MTB 694, the boat in which he served as a petty officer at the Normandy Landings and Walcheren, and later in Burma. S/M Ted Lamont, a former
yeoman, served in HMS Rodney and the Flower-class corvette HMS Carnation; he was also a founder member of that association.
Tribute to King
SIX members of the Northern Ireland branch of the Submarine Association travelled to Galway to make a presentation to Cdr Bill King, who at 100 years old is believed to be the oldest living ex-submarine captain. S/Ms George, Erskine, Rooney,
Doyle, Martyn and Leslie went to Cdr King’s home at Oranmore Castle to present a Submarine Association tie, crest and cap, to the delight of the centenarian, and one or two tots were taken to round off the visit.
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