30 NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2011


‘Old-school’ schoolie is to retire


EDUCATION is a broad field, and one former “old-fashioned” Navy schoolie ranged far and wide in that field over the past 30 years and more.


Lt Cdr Nick Bradshaw retires this month after 14 years as one of the two Burnham Lecturers at Devonport. During this time he has taught


at GCSE and A-level standard, maths, physics, economics and history, and has advised candidates for the Admiralty Interview Board. “I have taught many hundreds of students over the years, assisted scores to be promoted – many of them now quite senior officers,” said Nick.


“Before starting this job I was


a serving Naval instructor officer for 16 years, and taught many more people, including being an instructor officer at HMS Raleigh and a navigation instructor and Divisional Officer at BRNC Dartmouth.


“I ran classes and examinations in HMS Invincible during and after the Falklands Conflict, was Education Officer of HMS Ark Royal, Squadron Instructor to the 4th Frigate Squadron (the ‘21 Club’) including a Falklands patrol in HMS Ambuscade, and was Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies at Manadon. “I am, in other words, an old-


fashioned ‘schoolie’, finishing after serving in or for the Navy since 1979, now hauling down my small but widespread flag.”


Glowing report


A ROYAL Navy childcare centre in Plymouth is celebrating a glowing report watchdog Ofsted.


from education The RN Pre-School at Radford


Centre, Plymstock, won six grade 1 ‘outstanding’ judgements and 11 grade 2 ‘good’ verdicts, with overall quality of provision judged to be ‘good’.


The centre was praised by


Capt Mark Knibbs, of Devonport Naval Base, responsible for RN pre-school provision in the city, who said the staff, centre and organisation behind it were to be congratulated on the “excellent” report.


All hands on


decking


WHILE HMS Kent was undergoing her refit in Rosyth, a local school’s request to help with a little refurbishment of its own was answered by a working party from the frigate.


Decking in the grounds of Kings Road primary school


Rosyth had suffered after several harsh winters, and needed to be repainted to make it more weatherproof.


A plea to MOD Caledonia for some help was picked up by the sailors from Kent, whose ship has been north of the border for a year and was due to complete her maintenance as Navy News went to press.


in


As if to illustrate the problem, the decking was lashed by heavy rain the day before the party arrived, though they only had to contend with a wind that was “more than a little fresh”. The


Officer, Cdr Ben Ripley, said: “I’m very pleased that HMS Kent has been able to lend a helping hand to the staff and children at Kings Road primary school. “It’s wonderful to be able to


NAVAL engineers have spent two tough weeks grooming a horse – and the evidence will be seen for miles around.


The air engineers from 702 Naval


Air Squadron, based at RN air station Yeovilton, spent days dragging tonnes of chalk into position on the Osmington White Horse, north east of Weymouth in Dorset. The horse and rider was created in 1808 as a tribute to King George III, who regularly visited his seaside residence in Weymouth. The current restoration project began


in May 2009 to rectify two centuries of deterioration, spasmodic attempts at maintenance (some of dubious value) and changes caused by weather. Eight engineers, led by Lt Michael ‘Soapy’ Watson,


Naval horsepower


surprisingly steep slopes to restore two of the horse’s legs. “The work was incredibly difficult,


working on a steep slope moving very heavy materials,” said Soapy. “We needed to work together as a team to achieve our task, but despite this there were a number of mishaps and a few minor avalanches caused along the way...” Colleague James Godden added: “At the end of each day all of us were aching and covered in dirt, but most of all we were proud of the work we had done. “Judging by the fact the horse is once again visible in all its splendour from Weymouth Bay, we were well and truly happy with the result.” The Navy team’s work will feature


worked on the


as part of a BBC2 documentary about restoring the nation’s landmarks, due to be broadcast early next year.


In the steps of Shackleton


A ROYAL Navy senior rate will take part in an attempt to recreate the epic Antarctic journey of Sir Ernest Shackleton. PO Seb Coulthard, of RNAS


l The Commanding Officer of HMS Illustrious, Capt Jerry Kyd (left), unveils a painting of the helicopter carrier by artist (and Portsmouth Naval Base hairdresser) Julia Pankhurst (right). The painting shows Lusty leaving Rosyth, and marks the completion of her refit period and departure from Portsmouth for Operational Sea Training. Also pictured are AB(WS) Jordan Webster and AB(CIS) Michelle Mattinson. Prints available via pankhurst.paintings@hotmail.co.uk


Village hall is


spruced up TWO dozen Officer Cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College have given Harbertonford village hall something of a makeover. The 24 members of Astute Division started Initial Officer Training at Dartmouth in September, and took part in the outreach project to help develop teamwork and make them aware of


community relations work. They got through a considerable amount of painting, had a request played on the


one – OC Charlotte Bainbridge – even enjoyed a cake provided by villagers to mark her birthday. Village Hall Committee Jackie Clayton said:


secretary


“We really enjoyed their company – they achieved a huge amount which means so much for all the users of the hall, and seemed to have fun, too.”


local radio, and the Navy’s commitment to


Yeovilton, will be one of a team of adventurers led by explorer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis, that will make the gruelling 800- mile voyage across the Southern Ocean from Elephant Island to South Georgia.


Three men will then traverse the


interior of South Georgia to reach the abandoned whaling station of Stromness, where Shackleton


YOU wait years to appear in Navy News, and when your big moment comes – it’s someone else’s name...


Navy News is spot-on) a bronze medal in the Open Cook and Serve at Exercise Joint Caterer was won by Std Colin Murphy, of HMS Talent.


Colin Murphy won bronze So to put the record straight (and to make sure his second time in


raised the alarm during the ill- fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17. The journey is often cited as one of the greatest rescue missions in the history of exploration, and to this day no one has been able to replicate both the boat journey and the mountain crossing. In order to relive Shackleton’s


experience with the greatest possible authenticity, the six-man crew will use technology, victuals and equipment that would have been available at the time of the original mission in 1916. Seb won a place on the expedition


following an


international appeal for volunteers. At the request of expedition patron the Hon Shackleton,


Alexandra Seb will be


representing the Royal Navy as a tribute to Shackleton’s leadership


and the brave spirit of the men who accompanied him. The lifeboat


Alexandra


Shackleton has arrived at Portland Marina and will be seen by visitors to the marina over the next year while she undergoes further fittings and sea trials in preparation for the expedition, at the end of the austral summer 2012-13. The


marina at Portland


maintains strong links with the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm, as Osprey Quay now occupies the site of the former helicopter base HMS Osprey. A former Royal Navy Lynx aircraft now stands as the gate guardian for the marina,


a


deactivated Mk 8 torpedo sits on the quayside and the memorial to sailors who died in the HMS Illustrious liberty boat tragedy in 1948 stands on the waterfront.


frigate’s Commanding


give a little something back to the community that has supported us during this time, a community that we have very much enjoyed being a part of.”


said: “The quad is widely used each day by staff and children and needed some refurbishment. “We are deeply indebted to the members of the crew of HMS Kent and to the parents who gave their time to complete the task and to leave us with a quad to be proud of.”


Gate duty for class


A CLASS of students from HMS Collingwood left the world of weapon engineering


The members of a System


Engineering and Management Course (SEMC) class will eventually qualify as deputy weapon engineer officers, but their focus for this particular day was the arched wall and heavy iron gates of Park Place Pastoral centre at Wickham, near Fareham. The main gate of the


Georgian listed building needed refurbishment and a coat of paint, having been covered by a thick growth of ivy, while the railings were suffering weather damage. The surrounding brambles had also swamped the area and required extensive pruning. Sister Juliette, one of the nuns of the convent of the Franciscan Order, who live at and run the centre, said: “It is great to foster a relationship with the officers of HMS Collingwood, and we are incredibly pleased with the new look of our gates. “We wish the students of SEMC all the very best of luck with their future careers and extend our thanks to the Commodore of HMS Collingwood for allowing them to be spared during their course.”


TWO youngsters listen as Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller tells ‘the story’ – only the second sailor to do so in the history of the Tower of London. The former comms specialist is one


First ex-RN Beefeaters at the Tower


the 502-year history of the Yeoman Warders.


of two former RN sailors who this year made history as the first Beefeaters. After five months of training – including learning ‘the story of the tower’ (akin to London cabbies learning ‘the knowledge’) – Rob had to take the Constable of the Tower on a tour to prove he knew all anyone would need to know about the castle. Among the new man’s colleagues is ex-MAA Rob Grenfell, who took the loyal oath in February, becoming the first ex-sailor-turned-Beefeater in


There have been Royal Marines on Beefeater duties since the 1970s – presently ex-Royals Steve Froggatt and Barney Chandler assist visitors as they look around the Tower. In years gone by the Beefeaters served as guards for the gates and prisoners in the Tower, but today the role is a mix of ceremonial and tour guide. All must have completed at least 22


years of service and risen to warrant officer, but until 2009 sailors were exempt – unlike soldiers, airmen and marines, they swear no oath of allegiance to the monarch. The Governor of the Tower petitioned the Queen to change


34-year career in the RN saw him serve in assault ships Fearless and Intrepid and aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, now lives in the Tower grounds. Tower bosses would like a larger RN presence – four out of 37 Beefeaters is, says Deputy Governor John Brown, “not representative of the Navy’s size or importance in the Armed Forces and we would like to see more of them”. Luckily, the Tower is recruiting right


now. So if any retired/retiring warrant officers with at least one long service and good conduct medal are interested in working at the Tower they should contact rob.sherrington@hrp.org.uk


the rules, and she assented. Yeoman Warder Fuller,


whose behind


for a day to tackle some unruly vegetation and a tired-looking front gate.


Head teacher Graeme Garnham


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