NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007 29
LETTERS to the editor should letters, we cannot publish all of your
always be accompanied by the correspondence in Navy News.
correspondent’s name and We look particularly for corre-
address, not necessarily for spondence which stimulates
publication. debate, makes us laugh or raises
E-mail correspondents are important issues.
also requested to provide Please try to keep your
this information. submissions as brief as
Letters cannot be possible – our space is
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Given the impres- the right to edit your
sive volume of submissions.
● HMS Swiftsure entering Hong Kong harbour at the end of the war. Hong Kong was handed over to the
Chinese government 10 years ago, at midnight on June 30 1997
Echo of the past
AFTER seeing the picture of HMS Echo entering We were sent to Hong Kong to receive the sur-
Hong Kong harbour (February) I came across this render of the Japanese, which was signed by Rear
photograph of HMS Swiftsure in what looks like the Admiral Harcourt on board the Swiftsure for Great
same stretch of water. It brought back memories of Britain.
my life in the Royal Navy. The cross on the top right of the photo indicates a
I was a telegraphist on board HMS Newfoundland memorial to the Japanese dead which British prison-
during 1944-45 in the Pacific. I was fortunate to be ers were forced to build. Rear Admiral Harcourt had
in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of the Japanese on it blown up on being told what it was.
September 2nd and was then transferred to HMS – D Williams, former Telegraphist,
Swiftsure. Stoke-on-Trent
Never too
Life begins
late for a
medal
at 40 knots
MAY I correct your statement Portland and mostly operating for
(June) that units of the P2000 FOST.
I WOULD like to endorse the Archer Class are Fast Patrol The Scimitars, with their two
statement in Navy News
Boats? Rolls-Royce Proteus gas turbine
(February) that it is never too late
Warship Type Designators are engines, were capable of over 40
to apply for a service medal.
defined by a NATO Standing knots – which led the ‘older breth-
My father-in-law, Stoker
Naval Agreement. To qualify for ren’ of the Squadron to adopt the
Frank Still has recently applied
the much-coveted title of fast slogan ‘Life Begins at 40’ – which
for and been awarded the Naval
patrol boat requires a capability also happened to be the title of
GSM with Minesweeping 1945-
of at least 30 knots, the P2000 your article.
51 clasp for his service during
Archers are barely halfway there. Sadly the Scimitars were with-
1944-46, 61 years after leaving
I had to make this point to the drawn from RN service (as part of
the Service.
MOD some years ago, when the economies imposed on FOST) in
– C E Pascoe, Biggin Hill,
P2000s suddenly became listed in 1982, but all three ships were sold
Broadsheet as Fast Patrol Boats. to Greek commercial interests.
Kent
My point was taken and they were More details are available on
Claims for medals should be sent
officially re-classified as ‘Patrol the internet – just enter the indi-
to:
Boats.’ vidual ships’ names.
Service Personnel and Veterans
Between 1971 and 1974 I was The names Scimitar and Sabre
Agency,
CO of HMS Cutlass, which with are now carried by two genuine
Building 250,
sister ships Scimitar and Sabre Fast Patrol Boats which form the
RAF Innsworth, formed the First Fast Training Gibraltar Squadron.
Gloucester GL3 1HW Boat Squadron, of which I was – Lt Cdr G L Upton (Retd)
Free Phone 0800 085 3600 the senior officer, stationed at Torquay
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