20 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2008
New music
IN THE fi rst of an occasional
series on the myriad jobs in
the Royal Navy and Royal
Marines, Padre Bill Gates, 45
Commando, sheds light into
the life of a ‘devil dodger’
star on the
with the green berets...
“
AS I look back, it seems a long
journey from ordinary civilian
clergyman to becoming Padre
of 45 Commando Group Royal
Marines.
I joined the Royal Navy after
horizon
fi ve years as a full-time Methodist
minister in Weymouth.
Following time at BRNC
Dartmouth, I went to CTCRM
to undertake commando training
and earn my ‘green lid’.
Having achieved that, I
joined 45 Commando in time to
THE last time you saw PTI
complete the whole deployment
Jay Picton in the pages of to Afghanistan.
Navy News he was deep in a Now we are in the Arctic Circle
Norwegian snowdrift, honing
in Harstad, Norway and facing a
● CPOs Jack Hammond and Alan High in Afghanistan
the fitness of the Commando
totally different challenge.
Like many in the unit out here,
Bumping into
Helicopter Force in the
Navy’s Arctic gym.
this is my fi rst trip to Norway
What the story didn’t say was
with the Corps and as such I
that Jay was spending his spare
am a Novice undertaking the
time honing a different set of skills
Cold Weather Warfare Course
(CWWC).
old bunkmates
– his growing talent as a singer/
songwriter.
I have never skied before, so
Now the Navy’s PTI is widely
learning how to ski on ‘Pusser’s
tipped as a name to watch in the
Planks’ is taking quite a long time,
music world.
and if truth be told, I’m having a
TWENTY-FIVE years since having an earlier official number
The original Navy News feature
bit of an epic, to put it mildly.
fi rst joining the Royal Navy than him, I’ll always be senior to
was in March 2007. A few months
The Mountain Leaders (MLs)
together, CPOs Jack Hammond him.”
earlier a serious knee injury had
are in charge of supervising
and Alan High found they were Al, who is the Regulator and
laid Jay up for some weeks, and
the various companies through
back to sharing the same room in Squadron Manpower Controller
put his rugby playing into doubt.
the CWWC, and having spent
Afghanistan. for the Harrier unit, recalled the
But there is a tide in the affairs
the fi rst week learning how to
The two men are serving start of their careers: “One thing
of men which taken at the flood
move around on skis, we are
together in 801 NAS, under Naval which still sticks in my mind is
leads on to fortune – or in Jay’s
now beginning to move around
Strike Wing which is made up of that whilst in new entry training I
case, the discovery of a completely
carrying weight, namely our
elements of 800 and 801 Naval was bulling up my steel-tip boots
unexpected talent.
daysacks and bergens.
Air Squadrons. as normal in the evening, but by
To while away the hours while
For someone who still hasn’t
This is the third time the pair mistake I picked up Jack’s boots as
he recovered, Jay bought a guitar,
mastered the snow plough
have served together since basic he was in the bed next to me.
and although he couldn’t even
and stopping in general, this
training. “I worked on his boots to gain
read music, he found he had a
is proving to be an enormous
The duo have consecutive a good shine – the only time they
knack for singing and writing
challenge for me, and a great
service numbers due to their were ever in a good state.
songs.
deal of amusement for Whiskey
alphabetical ordering as new “While I was doing this Jack
When he returned home to
and Yankee Companies who
entries in to Raleigh. had come into the barrack block
Portsmouth he did some gigs in
continually see me ‘yeti’ (fall
Jack, Unit Mobility Officer and saw his boots were missing
a Southsea bar and was soon
over/crash).
for 801 NAS, said: “Al is like a – after some investigation he knew
discovered by a leading record
The CWWC includes a
stubborn rash that won’t go away, I was polishing his boots but
producer.
● Jay Picton Survival aspect which teaches
even after 25 years! did not let me know until I had
After recording and unofficially
But Jay isn’t letting it go to his Tipped as one of the big names
about various types of shelter, but
“I’m always happy to pose for a finished them.
releasing his three debut tracks,
head. He is currently working at for 2008, Jay is now working with
this week we built a ‘quincy’.
photo with Al as it makes me look “So, since day one and for the
Jay topped the indiestore down-
Fort Blockhouse where, he says, one of the UK’s top managers
This involves making a mound
so much slimmer. last 25 years, I have been carrying
load charts after just two days and
his feet are firmly on the ground. Paul Stacey and leading record
of snow two metres high and
“In all honesty, Al is a top bloke him.”
stayed there for five weeks.
“I have great ambitions for my producer Jasper Irn, who produc-
about the same amount in
and I’m happy to have dragged As far as both men are aware,
The industry is now hot for
job as a physical trainer – it’s still es Lily Allen and the All Saints.
diameter. It has to be compacted
him through the last 25 years and there is only one other man left
him, and the 24-year-old from
what I love doing,” he said. But has no plans to leave the
tightly, and then hollowed out to
help him get his Chief’s rate... from their original intake, LAET
Tenby is already being described
He added: “This musical career Navy – and he’s promised Navy
make a living space. All in all it
“As I see it, Al may have got his Dave Ingram, now serving with
as “the Navy’s answer to James
came out of the blue really – and News that he won’t be too grand
took four of us about seven hours
Chief’s rate before me but due to 702 NAS.
Blunt.”
it’s taking over more of my life. to talk to us when he’s splashed all
to make, and then we ate and
The Sun’s music columnist
“Things are already hectic with over the world’s media.
slept in it overnight. It was a tight
...and in Cornwall
wrote in sweetly old-fashioned
working fulltime as a PTI and lay- Find out more online at www.
fi t, but quite warm at 0º Celsius.
terms that he was “set to make the
ing down the tracks for my new jaypicton.co.uk and www.
The following morning we
ladies swoon.”
album.” myspace.com/1jayp.
destroyed it and left the spot
much as we had found it, before
WHEN frigate HMS Corn- Cdr Woods said: “It was a real
loading our bergens with the
wall visited her affi liated county, pleasure to host John on board
normal kit including shovels, tent
her commanding offi cer Cdr and see the success he has made of
White Ensign and cookers, and moving off to
Jeremy Woods met up with a his career in Devon and Cornwall
another location.
shipmate from his early days at police, where I always knew he
For a padre it is a great
Britannia Royal Naval College in would do well.” banquet at
opportunity to get to know the
Dartmouth. Inspector Trott said: “A strong
lads, as I am spending most of my
However John Trott eventu- friendship was formed during the
time alongside them in the fi eld.
ally gave up life in a dark blue year at Dartmouth before we went
the Palace
The men get to know who I
uniform for life in a dark blue our separate ways into the Fleet THE White Ensign Association
am and hopefully feel that if they
uniform... Inspector Trott, Devon and that friendship has remained marked the beginning of its 50th
need to talk to someone, then I
and Cornwall Police Commander ever since. This is a great opportu- anniversary with a banquet in
may meet that need.
for Falmouth and Penryn. nity to catch up.” Buckingham Palace, hosted by the
It’s not simply a case of me
Prince of Wales and Duchess of
preaching and ‘Bible bashing’ all
Cornwall.
the time, but providing a moral
The other principal hosts were
component to their training and
Commodore Sir Donald Gosling
also a listening ear who knows
(President of the Association)
what they’re going through work
Admiral the Lord Boyce
wise, with the ability to take their
(Chairman) and Admiral Sir
concerns further if required.
Jonathon Band, First Sea Lord.
It is a very different life from
Serving officers and
being a ‘normal’ Methodist
commanding officers of ships,
minister in Weymouth, but it’s
establishments and units of the ● Proud uncles WO Don Shaw and Cdr Steven Shaw fl ank their
also very rewarding. The fact
nephew Trainee Naval Airman Callum Lang Royal Navy and Royal Marines that my job involves doing phys,
also hosted the guests, who travelling and currently learning
Shaw-ly a recipe
included Countess Mountbatten to ski is pretty cool. It’s just a
of Burma, friends and supporters shame that I’m running out of
of the association and captains of instructors who have the patience
industry. to teach me to ski!
for Lang service
Sea Cadets from TS Saumarez
based in Teddington lined the
”
stairs as the guests arrived, and
the Band of HM Royal Marines
(Portsmouth) provided the music.
WHEN Trainee Naval Airman Callum Lang passed out on parade at
The White Ensign Association
HMS Raleigh, his proud uncles were there to cheer him on and welcome
was set up in 1958 to help all those
him into his Naval career.
leaving the Navy in the wake of
WO Don Shaw joined the Navy in 1975, and was followed five years
major defence cuts. It offers free,
later by his brother Steven, who is now a commander serving as branch
impartial and confidential advice
manager for logistics officers.
about such issues as resettlement
Callum said: “It feels great to finish nine weeks of intensive work and
and future employment, house
training.
purchase, divorce, debt and
“The training was varied and kept us occupied all the time. There was
bereavement.
always something different to learn.
To date the association has
“I can’t wait to start the next stage of my training and get on to a ship advised and briefed well over
to start some ‘real’ work, and also continue training so that I can gain 100,000 people, and finds its
promotion in the future.” workload undiminished, although
From Raleigh, the Larkhall lad is heading further southwest to RNAS the Navy is only a quarter the size
Picture: LA(Phot) Nick Tryon, 45 Cdo
Culdrose where he will continue his training with Naval aircraft. it was when it was founded.
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