26 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2007
Hail the lost
Cost of
ex-pat
destroyers
pensions
FOLLOWING on from Michael
Sullivan’s letter (August) I was
unaware of any charges levied on
my Navy pension paid into my
bank in France.
When I read this year’s news-
THE Royal Navy’s last opera-
letter from Xanity Paymaster, I
tional World War 2 destroyer, contacted them to ascertain the
HMS Cavalier, is preserved amount of the charge, after which
at the Historic Dockyard,
I decided to revert to payment
● The dramatic mission, with Capt Dave Rigg RE and Mne Chris
Chatham, as a memorial to
into my UK bank.
Fraser-Perry strapped to the side of an Apache, that recovered the
the 142 Royal Navy destroyers
On reading Tim Taylor’s reply
body of L/Cpl Mathew Ford
and 11,000 men who were lost
to Mr Sullivan, I now realise I
have been charged all along for
Apache medals
in WW2.
overseas payments. I was never
On November 14 2007, a spe-
informed of this charge and if I
cially-commissioned monument,
had been, I would have thought
sculptured by Kenneth Potts, will
twice about payment abroad.
be unveiled alongside the ship.
WITH regard to the Apache mis- themselves onto the outside of two
Over the two years plus that my
The trustees of the HMS
sion in Afghanistan, would some- Apaches, such was their determi-
pension has been paid in France,
Cavalier (Chatham) Trust and the
body please explain why the four nation to rescue their fellow Royal
I have had a total of £64.05
trustees of the Chatham Historic
Army Air Corps aircrew and the Marine and friend.
deducted from my pension at
Dockyard Trust invite those who
Royal Engineer captain involved
Why have those gallant Royal
source without my knowledge. I
wish to attend on the day to
were awarded DFCs and MCs but
Marines been left out of the
too would question the legality
apply for tickets by registering in
that the three Royal Marines who
awards?
of this.
advance.
clung to the side of the Apache re-
– Dr Lou Armour (former RM)
What chance of reimbursement?
There will be no charge and
How many more pensioners were
ceived nothing?
The MOD told Navy News: priority will be given to those who
unaware?
Those Royal Marines, one “Nominations for operational served in World War 2 destroyers
– Mike Andrews, Dieppe,
of whom had been in the RM honours are initiated by local and family members of those who
France
for only 14 months, had earlier commanders in the theatre of lost their lives.
...THOSE Naval pensioners living
taken part in a major assault on operations. Anyone wishing to regis-
abroad and having their monthly
that Taleban stronghold and had “They are then considered up ter should apply in writing, by
pensions paid directly abroad, may
to retreat under withering fire, through the operational chain of September 30, to: Destroyers
not be aware that they are paying
yet they volunteered to fly back command. This process ensures Memorial Unveiling and
considerably for the privilege.
into that compound by strapping
that full account is taken of the Dedication, c/o Chatham Historic
First there is a standing month-
perspectives of both those on the Dockyard Trust, The Old Surgery,
ly charge of £2.60. Then there is
ground and others with a wider, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham,
A new
a hidden rate of exchange charge,
impartial view. Kent, ME4 4TZ.
made by Citibank.
“Because of this requirement Letters of application must
Citibank charge around 1.5%,
to maintain the confidentiality of include full contact details with
taken from the commercial rate of
the Honours and Awards pro- a daytime telephone number;
exchange, before they transmit the
angle
cess, the Ministry of Defence will details of personal link with World
pension. This is a straight profit
not discuss specific instances. War 2 destroyers, any relationship
for them.
“The actions of all those who to those lost, number of places
The alternative is to have your
took part in the dramatic recov- required and if any are wheel-
pension paid in the UK, and to
ery of L/Cpl Ford were, however, chair users and any other mobility
make your own arrangements
carefully considered. issues.
MAY I be allowed to offer a small
with a private Internet commer-
“Operational awards were Alternatively, a registration form
contribution to the history of the
cial agency who do not charge
granted to four personnel is available at www.thedockyard.
aircraft carrier angled fl ight deck?
anything like as much.
involved in the incident, together
● HMS Cavalier, the last operational World War 2 destroyer, in
co.uk.
We were four brothers, all Royal
– Lt Cdr (Ret’d) Ken Napier,
with a number of commendations
Chatham Historic Dockyard, which will be the backdrop for a new
– Admiral Sir Ian Garnett,
Navy as we came of age. Ronald
Chairman, RNA Aquitaine
awarded by the Commander of sculpture by Kenneth Potts to commemorate the 142 destroyers and Chairman, Chatham
was lost on the Hood in 1941,
Branch, France
Joint Operations.” 11,000 lives lost during World War 2 Historic Dockyard Trust
Raymond was transferred to the
Army because of a slight stammer, Newquay’s
I was a Radio Electrician 1947-
1955, and finally came Rodney
who enlisted as a cadet midship-
man in October 1951 and began
Hong Kong memories recalled
moving
his Fleet Air Arm flying training
at Pensacola, Florida.
...I WOULD like to put the record The position was well chosen as
tribute
Rodney related to me years later
straight about HMS Swiftsure en- you could see it from most view-
I AM very sorry that Ian Inskip did
how, after each flying training ses-
tering Hong Kong (Letters, July), points in Hong Kong. It was on
not feel valued during Newquay’s
sion, there was a class debriefing.
as she entered at the end of August the roadside, but very precarious
contribution to the Falklands
Some of these debriefs took the
1945 with HMS Euryalus. on the other side down the peak.
commemoration (letters, July) but
form of ‘what ifs’?” and at one
The photo, right, shows the Because of this the Royal
there was more to the day than the
particular debrief, Rodney asked:
RM detachment from Euryalus Engineers had a difficult task in
events in the harbour and the bay,
“What if we came in at an angle?”
in Hong Kong dockyard in blowing it up, as the debris would
impressive though they were.
He said the room went quiet
September 1945. I am second fall into dwellings below. But they
In the evening, St Michael’s
and heads turned towards him.
from the left on the back row. were successful by laying a charge
Church hosted a very moving con-
The senior American instructor
If anyone recognises themselves, which just made it fall apart on
cert by HMS Raleigh’s outstand-
looked pointedly at him and wrote
please get in touch. the chosen spot in late 1946.
ing Royal Marine Band and two
in his notebook. That must surely
I have newspaper copies and – E Drummond, Scarcroft,
of our local choirs.
have been the moment when the
and a copy of the surrender at Leeds
Both Cdre Jamie Millar and
idea of an angled flight deck was
Government House. As there are
...I WAS serving in HM Hospital I spoke, and we focused on the
born.
not many of us left, my records
Ship Oxfordshire when she sailed bravery and sacrifices made dur-
Rodney’s question was to reach
will go to the HMS Euryalus
in with the Task Force to liberate ing the Falklands War.
the ears of Vice Admiral-to-be
Association or to Chatham
Hong Kong. In addition, on the 10th of June,
Dennis Campbell. Later that year
Historic Dockyard where she was
We linked up with Task Force 57 Newquay’s new Mayor, Patrick
the US carrier Antietam was mod-
built – the last cruiser and the
which was assembling in Manus Lambshead (ex-RAF) dedicated
ified in New York to have its land-
only Dido-class Cruiser to be built at us, and there were about six Shadwell, a great guy to serve
with Admiral Cecil Harcourt on his civic service to remembering
ing-on set at ten degrees to the
there.
Australian corvettes sweeping the under, took the surrender of Hong
the carrier HMS Venerable. the Falklands War and I was very
fore-and-aft line. The rest, as they
– K J Taylor, 26 Cecilia Grove,
channel for Maidstone to enter Kong on our quarter-deck.
The rest is history as the lib- honoured to be asked to preach.
say, is history.
St Peter’s, Broadstairs, Kent
Hong Kong Harbour. The final surrender came on
eration took place with virtually Please rest assured that the sac-
Rodney left the Navy in 1959 to
CT10 3DE
The Australian corvette HMAS
September 16 1945.
no problems and our immediate rifices made by the surviving vet-
resume a career in banking which ...I read with interest the letter
Mildura was in first, but Maidstone
– S F Tiffin, Kingston-on-
task was to release the PoWs and erans and the Falklands dead have
took him to South Africa. He died about HMS Swiftsure entering
was the first British warship to
Thames, Surrey
repatriate them to Australia. not been forgotten by the people
suddenly in 2003. I would very Hong Kong Harbour in 1945, as enter amid rifle and machine-gun ...The Japanese War Memorial was This we did after a slow cruise of Newquay, and we were very
much like to see credit given to I was aboard HMS Maidstone at fire which was still continuing on situated on the road leading out of of some three weeks to acclimatise honoured to have been asked to
him for an inspired thought so the time. 30th August 1945. Victoria, en route to Repulse Bay, the patients and fatten them up contribute to Falklands 25.
many years ago. We entered the Victoria River The main task force was at which I was later to pass many before reaching civilisation. – The Rev Ralph Barber,
– Reg Gale, Force 10, under the threat of the 18in the time 16 miles astern of us, times on recreational swimming – Harry Mitchell, Woodpath Assistant Curate, St Michael’s
Lighthorne, Warwicks gun batteries that were levelled the captain of Maidstone, Capt parties. House, Southsea Church, Newquay, Cornwall
opinion
WHAT a revelation HMS Daring is. Reporters left the ship visibly impressed. “Daring is mean, green
No, not just the ship but the media buzz surrounding her. and built for speed,” trumpeted one headline. “A warship that can
Leviathan Block, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH
We have a habit of talking ourselves down in this country – so defend the entire city of London,” screamed another. “My God, No.638: 54th year
much so it’s a national disease. when we make a warship we don’t half do it well,” gushed one chap,
We revel in blunders, in things going wrong, in piece of kit X being while the US Navy is said to be “gobsmacked” by Daring.
Editorial Business
£Y million over budget and Z years late. Why the platitudes? Because they saw Daring doing what she can
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2007 has not been the best of years for the Senior Service’s public do. They talked to the men and women who built her and who now
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image, so when the media were invited aboard the most important drive her – and there was no hiding the pride they have in the ship
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surface ship in a generation we drew a sharp intake of breath. nor their obvious delight that the destroyer to date has surpassed
Assistant Editors: navynews.co.uk
Surely they would find something wrong. Too fast. Too slow. Not expectations.
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environmentally friendly enough. Not enough missiles. Too many The Type 45 project has been protracted. There have been false
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missiles. Over budget. Under budget. Lack of kit. Too much kit. dawns. But now we have a ship which truly is a world-beater. We
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