NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008 39
News and information for serving personnel
Healthy attendance
BEER goggles – contrary to
popular belief, they may not
Field is
improve your perception of
the opposite sex, but they
wide open
may give you a different
outlook on drinking.
The goggles, which simulate
for job
Trophy is
alcohol-befuddled vision, were
part of a Healthy Lifestyle
event staged at the Sail Loft
hunters
tribute to
gym in Portsmouth Naval Base
A WIDE-ranging Employment
by POPT Leona Cruickshank. Fair aimed at Service-leavers and
who is the RN Fitness Test
ex-Service personnel is being
Amethyst
PTI at HMS Nelson.
staged at Ascot racecourse in
The suggestion that Leona
September.
should take on such a challenge
The event, organised by the
THIS plain silver trophy (above),
came from WOPT Ian Binks, and
Portsmouth Regional Resettlement
number 9155 in the register, is
Leona devised a two-day event to
Centre, along with Aldershot and
linked to one of the Royal Navy’s
showcase the range of help and
Uxbridge, will be the biggest
most outstanding tales of skill and
facilities available to Service men
organised by the Career Transition
bravery.
and women as well as civilians.
Partnership (CTP).
The cup was presented by
The two four-hour sessions
It is scheduled to feature up
the Hong Kong Police to HMS
attracted around 300 people more
to 120 companies from various
Amethyst in August 1949 to
than the Sail Loft would normally
industry sectors who are seeking
commemorate the frigate’s escape
expect for midday training
to recruit staff for positions in
from Communist forces on the
sessions.
Southern England and beyond.
Yangtze River.
Sainsbury’s brought a range of
The fair is open to all those
On April 20 1949, as civil
healthy food, and other backers
leaving the Services, and also any
war raged in China, Amethyst
included RN dentists, Portsmouth
ex-Service personnel who may
was steaming upriver to relieve
City Council, Bedfont Scientific
find it useful.
destroyer HMS Consort as
Ltd, local schools and St Mary’s
Ascot will open its doors on
Nanking guardship.
Hospital, Portsmouth, with subject
Wednesday September 24 at
11am, and the fair continues until
Near Rose Island Amethyst was
matter covering healthy eating,
4pm.
ambushed by Communist 75mm
exercise, alcohol and drug abuse,
CTP provide resettlement
and 105mm guns, damaging the
and sexually-transmitted diseases.
services for around 15,000 Service
ship and immediately killing 17 “People have enjoyed this – it
leavers each year, and as well
of her crew. has been a success, and we will
as the employment fairs, held
A further 25 were seriously do it again,” said Leona, HMS
at venues around the country,
injured, including her CO Lt Cdr Nelson’s RN Fitness Test PO.
the organisation also arranges
Bernard Skinner, who died shortly
workshops, an online jobs database
after.
and regular career presentations.
Some were taken off and
For more details see website
evacuated to Shanghai, while
www.ctp.org.uk or for information
those who could swim ashore were
and booking of places contact
urged to escape.
Mike Wilson, 023 9272 5605
The ship later pulled further
(93802 5605), email mwilson@
away from the artillery, grounding
ctp.org.uk or Grace Tyrrell, 023
on the south bank of the Yangtze.
9272 4595 (9380 24595), email
There Amethyst remained
gtyrrell@ctp.org.uk
under the command of Lt Cdr
Transport will be provided
John Kerans while diplomatic
from HMS Nelson in Portsmouth,
attempts were made to extricate
though places are limited.
her.
To book a coach seat, contact
When it became clear she was
Grace Tyrrell as above.
being used by the Communists as a
political pawn, secret preparations
were made to move.
Are you up
On the night of July 30 the
● Contractor Andrea Gofton and event organiser POPT
frigate made her break for freedom,
Leona Cruickshank test the ‘beer goggles’ (above);
negotiating the shoals, narrows
demonstration classes involved spinning and other
to taking
and dangerous fortifications in the
energetic activities (left), while Sainsbury’s provided
dark along her 100-mile course
snacks, food and drink (below)
downstream.
Picture: LA(Phot) Alex Cave the plunge?
Her story featured in books COULD you be a Royal Navy
and on the silver screen in an
Clearance Diver?
episode which is now known as
Do you want a job that
the Yangtze Incident.
involves mine clearance as part
of a clearance diving element
Take a look at
on a front-line minehunter or
Fleet Diving Unit, underwater
force protection and underwater
MOD finances
Free entry deal
engineering?
Do you have high standards
of determination, professionalism,
WOULD gaining a better
stamina, intelligence, honesty,
understanding of the MOD’s
financial planning and control
systems aid your decision-
making?
for historic ship
discipline and pride?
The Royal Navy is looking for
individuals with the necessary
qualities to join the Clearance
The next Defence Strategic
Diving Branch.
Resource Management
HMS VICTORY and the Royal point to each attraction.
Programme (DSRMP) five-day
Naval Museum in Portsmouth are
residential course, for military
offering free admission to the ship
Homeless fi gures down
Military diving is exciting and
Unless in possession of a
extremely demanding; diving
Service-supplied families ID card,
tasks are undertaken worldwide
officers and MOD civilians at one-
and museum for the immediate entitled families or partners must
on operational tours conducting
star level and above, could be the
families of serving RN, RM, RNR
be accompanied by the serving
THE Ministry of Defence has of veterans in London’s homeless
Mine Countermeasures (MCM)
answer.
and RMR personnel.
member.
welcomed the publication of population has dropped from 22 work and underwater engineering
Using MOD and private sector The concession is valid until
There is no requirement to
research into homelessness
per cent in 1997 to six per cent ten
repairing the Fleet.
speakers, the course aims to: September 30, when the ship is in
obtain tickets at the Victory Gate
years later.
Interested personnel must be
Explore resource management its free-flow visitor season, which
visitor reception centre.
amongst the ex-Service community
Among the key findings were:
professional, physically fit and well
within the context of Defence does not include guided tours.
Live-in partners will be required
which shows that progress has
Homeless veterans have marina
from both an MOD and HM Serving personnel already
to provide proof of co-habitation.
been made.
motivated.
better access to emergency
Treasury perspective; have complimentary admission,
The concession is a continuation
The York University study,
If you have what it takes, contact
Prepare participants to operate but the offer is now extended to
of the successful 2007 initiative
entitled The Experiences of
accommodation and resettlement
your Armed Forces Careers Office.
resources than other single
effectively in a resource accounting spouses, live-in partners and their
and will continue to be reviewed Homeless Ex Service Personnel in
homeless people;
environment; children.
annually. London, found that the percentage
Fewer than one in six of those marina It’s your 2-6
Give participants the opportunity The concession is only valid
to exchange experiences with their for HMS Victory, the Trafalgar
Fitness test contract
surveyed cited problems adjusting
to civilian life as the cause of their NEED to get your message
senior military and civil service Sail and the RN Museum, but difficulties; across to the rest of the RN?
colleagues. does not cover any of the other
FITNESS First has been tests, which will last between
Only a small minority of marina To feature in 2-6 contact
The course will be held at the attractions or joint tickets for the
awarded an exclusive three- 30 and 45 minutes and include
homeless veterans reported Lt Cdr Gregor Birse (Fleet
Defence academy at Shrivenham Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. vulnerabilities unique to Service Media Ops), 93832 8809.
from July 28 until August 1; places Concessions do not apply to
year contract worth more than a 2.4km treadmill run.
life, such as combat-related post-
are limited and will be awarded on closed dockyard events such as the
£400,000 to undertake Pre- The tests will be carried out
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
a first-come, first-served basis. Festival of Christmas.
Joining Fitness Tests (PJFTs) by fully-qualified and trained
The study, which interviewed
If you would like to book a Personnel wishing to take
for all potential candidates for Fitness First health and fitness
59 ex-Service people, follows an
place, contact Wing Cdr Paul advantage of this offer should
the Royal Navy and RAF. managers, and the company
interim report published in June
O’Shea on 01793 785175 (96161 produce Naval ID, families ID
Fitness First clubs situated expects to undertake around
2006, and makes a number of
5175) or email poshea.dcmt@ or any phot ID, such as driving near Armed Forces Career 9,000 tests during the course of recommendations.
da.mod.uk licence or passport, at the entrance Offices will be administering the the contract. marina www.york.ac.uk/chp
News and information for serving personnel
0038-039_NN_jul.indd 238-039_NN_jul.indd 2 220/6/08 16:01:230/6/08 16:01:23
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