Former enemies meet up
ALFRED Solomon was a wireless operator on a motor torpedo boat which was sunk by the Germans in the North Sea in March 1943. Chilled to the bone, Alfred was
plucked from the sea by a German ship, and he spent the duration as a prisoner of war. Siegfried Huchthausen was a sailor in a German Schnellboot or E-boat who suffered a similar fate, and was picked up by a British warship (he still recalls the English breakfast he enjoyed on board). Years
Alfred, a member of the Coastal Forces Veterans Association, met Siegfried at an annual reunion of a German naval association of E-boat crews – who welcomed their former foe with open arms. They became firm friends and met many times in the subsequent decades,
after the war ended
old Alfred has made what he believes will be his final trip to Braunschweig (Brunswick). He travelled alone by train from
Croydon to Lower Saxony to see his 87-year-old friend to once more share their love of the sea, of German composers (and of coffee and cake...)
Canberra
closes ON November 24 2011 members of Canberra branch in Australia voted unanimously to disband the branch as of December 31. The branch was established in
1986. A dedicated group of shipmates
have run it over the years, but it has become increasingly difficult in recent times, and the branch was unable to recruit a new committee to carry on this year. Branch chairman S/M Hugh
Parker said: “As we drop anchor for the last time, all our members can be proud that they have upheld the proud traditions of the Royal Navy, and will continue to do so as we move into the future.”
but now 89-year-
Professor (ex-AB) talks to shipmates
THE 46th annual reunion of the HMS Ajax and River Plate Veterans Association was held at the King Charles
Hotel in Gillingham. Members were entertained to an excellent speech by Prof Jerry Kirk, who joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and served in Ajax as an AB when the ship sailed to North Africa.
appointed to Messina where he took command of a minesweeper. This sweeper later became the Calypso – Jacques Cousteau’s research ship which featured in many of his films. On retirement Jerry specialised in medicine, and after an illustrious career he retired in 1989 as Honorary Consulting Surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital and Professor of Surgery at University College, London. Members were also delighted to
being
On returning to England, he obtained a commission and took part in Combined Operations as a Navigator before
Admiral Squires had served in the Royal Navy from 1946 until his retirement in 1983, after
welcome Admiral Tubby Squires, who was captain of the frigate when the first official visit was paid to Ajax in Canada in 1976, on which occasion the Freedom of the City was presented to the ship.
l Shipmates from the cruiser HMS Ajax at the reunion – back row, from left, Jerry Kirk and John Hitchen; front row, Ken Jones, Mike Turner, Bill Slader, Dennis Talbot and Joe Collis
his appointment as Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland. The association is actively recruiting new members – for
A NEW video has been released by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to raise awareness of the help provided by the UK’s Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) to anyone who has served in the Armed Forces – see
www.veterans-uk. info/
social_media.html
£50 PRIZE PUZZLE
further information please contact Mrs
Judi Collis at Malcolm.
collis@gmail.com for details. And the association is already
looking to the future – the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the River Plate falls on December 13 2014.
Veterans video Visited and visiting
WITH the dust having settled on their move to a new HQ in Semaphore Tower in Portsmouth Naval Base, the Association of Wrens thought it was high time they staged an open day for those who had either welcomed, or facilitated, the move. Those attending included many representatives from Naval Base groups, headed by the Captain of the Base, Capt Jeremy Rigby, as well as Portsmouth Area Talking News, RN Property staff and RNA General Secretary S/M Paul Quinn and his HQ colleagues, WRNS Benevolent Trust
Ganges Boys to gather
A GATHERING of former Ganges Boys has been arranged for the former Pontins holiday camp at Pakefield in Suffolk. The HMS Ganges (RNTE)
Shotley Pakefield Gathering will take place on June 22-25 at the holiday park, now part of the Britannia Hotels Group. A major advantage in holding the reunion at Pakefield, beside the facilities and location, is the opportunity to visit the now-established HMS Ganges Museum, on the foreshore of the old training establishment. Not much remains of the old
buildings, and the infamous Ganges Mast needs some care and attention, according to former Boy Seaman S/M Bernie Corrie (Blake Division 1951). “We all recall this mast as part of our being changed from boys into men in the curriculum of our training, and only have total respect for the memories,” said S/M Corrie. “It was obligatory having to climb as far as the ‘button’ as you could, but you were expected to make it to the upper yard anyway.” S/M Corrie added there were
negotiations afoot to refurbish the mast and leave it in situ.
Contact S/M Robbie Robson for an application form at 12 Rainton Street, Old Penshaw, Houghton le Spring DH4 7HQ, tel 0191 584 7058.
Commando RN dinner
AN INAUGURAL Royal Navy Commando dinner will take place in the Mountbatten Suite of the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea on Thursday March 29. The dinner is for any individual who has completed commando training and subsequently been a serving member of the RN, including retired personnel and commando-trained individuals who transferred from other Services. Dress for the dinner will be mess undress/1a, or black tie for civilian guests, and the cost is expected to be in the region of £30, dependent on sponsorship. It is hoped that the guest will be Rear Admiral
speaker
other RN charitable organisations. Also most welcome were
officers and a
THE mystery ship in our December edition (right) was HMS Berwick, which was sunk by HMS Tireless, and D Walker of Glasgow wins £50 for giving the correct answer. This
month’s mystery ship,
pictured above, changed from one class of ship to another – a touch of magic which
seems quite
appropriate, given her name. She started life as a W-class
destroyer, launched in the autumn of 1943, although the following year she was badly damaged by one of her own depth charges exploding on board. She is pictured here in 1963,
after her conversion in the early 1950s; she was broken up in the spring of 1967. (1) What was her name, and (2)
what was her type number after she was converted? We have removed her pennant number from the image.
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 March 9 2012. 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 April edition. The competition is not open to Navy News employees or their families.
MYSTERY PICTURE 204
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My answers (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
www.navynews.co.uk
group of seven senior and junior rates from Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, who took advantage of their lunch break to call in on the Association, and were most interested in the archive and current material on display. Further open days are planned
which may coincide with joint AOW/RNA launch tours of the Harbour. The AOW Carol Service at St
Mary le Strand was held for the first time on a Saturday afternoon, a move which was rewarded with a good attendance. The service was led by the
Principal Anglican Chaplain and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy, the Ven Martin Poll. Following the service AOW Vice President Janet Crabtree surprised
l Members of the Association of Wrens and their hosts in the wardroom of HMS Diamond, in front of the portrait of Commandant Mary Talbot, Director WRNS 1973-76
Martin with a magnificent birthday cake, the congregation sang Happy Birthday and the church wardens served wine and mince pies. A group of AOW members
enjoyed a tour of destroyer HMS Diamond – and discovered a portrait of great significance displayed in the wardroom. The picture was of Commandant
Mary Talbot, the Director of WRNS 1973-76 who in 1974 instigated the MOD Study Group tasked to redefine the identity and purpose of the WRNS for the next ten years and beyond. The recommendations then
approved by the Admiralty included the statement that “career opportunities available to women had to be comparable with those offered by civilian jobs. In
Picture: AB S Pape
other words, equally challenging and interesting”, with the final note stating that Wrens should receive less pay due to having fewer disadvantages, such as not having to undertake sea service... How times had changed as the
visitors sat around the wardroom lunch table, hosted by Lt Cdr Pincher Martin,
the only male
amongst three female RN officers, a POET(ME) and six ratings. The final report concluded that
the service offered by the WRNS was still very much required, and recommended,
things, that Wrens should be more widely employed,
amongst other particularly
through opening up new jobs, and training should be brought more in line with that of male personnel.
Simon Goodall, ex-MOD Director General Training and Education. Interested personnel are invited
to contact CPO Irish Watson on 023 9254 2701.
Royal weekend Marines
THE latest adventure weekend courtesy the Royal
Association is Operation Commando – an action-packed programme organised by more than 30 serving and former Royals designed to give a taste of the Bootneck way of life. Suitable for all fitness levels and abilities, Operation Commando will be held at the Bluestone National Park
in Wales from
March 2-4 and costs from £149 per person, plus a requested fundraising amount for the RMA of £200 per person. www.operationcommando.
co.uk has more details.
Patriotic boost at Pickle Night
THE sale of tickets and raffle tickets for Newark branch’s Pickle Night, held at Staythorpe Club, raised £1,142 for Newark Patriotic Fund. Guests, including the Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the Patriotic Fund, Patrick Mercer MP and Keith Girling, the Mayor and Mayoress of Newark and Cdr Eric Langley RN, heard the story of HMS Pickle’s race to get the news of Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar, but also his untimely death, to the Admiralty in London. The story was told through readings by members of the RNA dressed in 1805 period dress. The ceremony of Colours started the formal
l Members of Newark branch in 1805 costume for Pickle Night
part of the evening and Sunset brought the evening to a close. During the evening the Sea Cadets of TS Newark Castle spelt out Nelson’s famous signal
using semaphore flags, each movement timed to correspond with appropriate nautical music. Mr Mercer proposed the toast to the immortal
memory of Lord Nelson and responded to a speech from branch secretary S/M Kevin Winter, who thanked all those local businesses and people who had donated prizes for the raffle or their time in order to raise money for this fund, which helps injured servicemen and their families locally. Mr Girling spoke about how the fund came to be started and Mr Mercer praised the people of Newark for looking after their own injured servicemen. The Newark Patriotic Fund is currently the only one of its type in the country, though Mr Mercer hopes that after briefing fellow MPs, other towns may follow Newark’s example.
FEBRUARY 2012 : 31
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