45 Interview by Steph Woolvin


John Turner-Bone


He fixes stuff - in Dartmouth and in disaster zones around the world!


45-year-old John Turner-Bone served as a Royal Navy weapons mechanic for eight years and a policeman for ten. He’s also been a handyman and now has his own garden machinery maintenance company. In his spare time he flies out to disaster zones to help rebuild schools and bring aid to people stricken by hurricanes and flooding. Our reporter Steph Woolvin asked how he finds the time...


John can fix a wide range of mechanical equipment - from guns on navy destroyers to mowers and strimmers! He says people come into his repair unit grasping all kinds of broken items - sometimes even vacuum cleaners! He learnt his skills early as he left school at 16 and went straight into the Royal Navy. He was a fast learner and soon got the job as a weapons engineer mechanic onboard warships. “The biggest ship I served on was HMS Manchester where I shared a mess with 52 shipmates.” John would start his day at 8am and finish at 4pm. There wasn’t much to do in his spare time so he would walk around the ship a good few times a day! “It makes you much more appreciative of open spaces when you’re on a ship for months on end. I did miss not being able to walk down the street or visit the local shop.” Whilst with the Royal Navy John visited Tanzania, Kenya, Singapore, Sri Lanka and most of Europe but was made redundant in 1996 when they began combining operations and engineering jobs. When he arrived home John felt it was a natural


progression to move onto the police force and soon became a constable in Hampshire. After the excitement of the military he looked for opportunities to get involved in the more dangerous activities becoming an advanced driver (so he could do car chases) and learning how to deal with public disorder with riot gear. He says there were few opportunities to actually use the riot gear in Hampshire - just the odd Portsmouth football match brawl! But he found his ‘heart racing moments’ in other ways. Part of his job included late night house warrants, looking for drugs or stolen


property. “The build up was always more exciting than the actual event! You would be getting your kit on at 4am wondering who would be in the house and whether they’d put up a fight. But nine out of ten times you wouldn’t need the battering ram as they just opened the door and let us in!” Nonetheless this fast paced life suited John and his


“I don’t remember


much about that day or three


days before it”


wife Mel, who was also a police officer at the time and all went well until 2003 when John was called to an incident which would end his police career. “I don’t remember much about that day or three days before it. I remember getting in the car and that’s it.” John came off the road and hit a tree at high speed, he damaged his brain and both his lungs collapsed. He was in a coma for


a week, then he had brain surgery and spent a month on a neurological ward. After he returned home he had to work with an occupational therapist to see if he could return to the police. Three months passed and he tried to go back but couldn’t bring himself to put the uniform on or get in a car. His superiors suggested office work but even that was too much for John who kept forgetting things as he filled in the various police reports. He was offered medical retirement in 2006 and decided to accept. It was then that he and Mel upped sticks and moved to Dartmouth. Over the past 10 years the pair have settled into the


more relaxed way of life here with John setting up his garden machinery maintenance company in Townstal and Mel working in Seasalt. He’s in his unit a few days a week mending pretty much anything that’s brought to him and says the best


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