20 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2008
Military
Gladiators
ready!
VIEWERS of Sky1 cannot have
missed the return of TV show
Gladiators to their screens, as
musclemen and women battle
their way through lurid lycra and
strangely-padded scenery to win
the top prize.
The current series ends with
a high-profile battle between
military giants with LPT McCoy
‘Topsy’ Turner standing up for
the Senior Service.
The former physical
training instructor on HMS
Southampton, now training to
become a remedial instructor,
applied for the main series, but so
impressed the judges that he was
held back for the Forces special.
Of course, viewers will also
know that there has been
one presence menacing the
contenders throughout the series
– Tornado, or Royal Marine
commando Dave McIntosh, who
● S/Lt William Wales talks to an islander during the exercise on Montserrat Pictures: LA(Phot) Jay Allen
once filming finished returned to
the Corps to ready himself for the
upcoming deployment.
Topsy went head to head with
15 minutes
● Cdre Peter Hudson and Cdr Gavin Young in Bahrain
his maritime brethren in the
Powerball challenge, a conflict he
described as “quite a good game.
He’s a big strong lad. And they’re
all raving about him down there.”
Fishbourne folk
He admitted: “Some of it’s not
as easy as it looks on TV. I used
to watch it when I was a kid, I
grew up with it. I always thought
it would be something I’d want
to do, but wouldn’t get the
opportunity.”
Topsy was supported by his
of anonymity
are far afield
THE Commanding Offi cer of HMS Edinburgh, Cdr Gavin Young, took
the opportunity to welcome one of his Fishbourne neighbours on board
his Type 42 destroyer in the slightly more exotic locale of Bahrain.
Southampton shipmates cheering
Fellow Fishbourner Cdre Peter Hudson is the man at the head of
him on in the auditorium,
Coalition Task Force 152, in charge of maritime security in the Gulf.
smartly turned out in their No.1
PRINCE William strides
Cdr Young’s ship is now one of the warships under the commodore’s
uniforms.
purposefully up the narrow,
command within CTF 152.
We can’t reveal the result,
HMS Edinburgh sailed in February as part of the Orion deployment
but we’re promised a nailbiting
windy road, radio pinned
before detaching to head off into the Far East. His ship is expected home
finish...
to his ear, eyes scanning
this month.
left and right into the dense He said: “Edinburgh has had a very varied deployment with plenty
tropical forest, writes Jack
of fresh challenges for my people; all of which we have overcome with
First female
Doyle of PA in Montserrat.
the professionalism and high standards that reinforce the Royal Navy’s
“Comms – I can’t get comms,”
global reputation.”
voices heard
he complains to no one in
He added: “It is not often that you get to work for somebody in
particular.
the same village, and it was a great pleasure to host the commodore
He moves to higher ground,
onboard.”
FOR the fi rst time in 814 years, searching for reception and
The commodore and his staff have been in the area since June and are
ships entering and leaving struggling with his receiver, which
expected to return to the UK in October.
Portsmouth will be talking to objects with buzzes and crackles.
■ See next month’s issue for a report on CTF 152.
women. Then he spots something at the
Samantha Clutton and Claire side of the road which catches his
Thompson are the first female attention. A young boy is seriously
Port Control Assistants at the injured and needs urgent medical
harbour. help.
Queen’s Harbour Master Cdr
“Doc!” the Prince shouts,
Stephen Hopper said: “This is a
“Doc!”
huge landmark in the history of
Despite the stifling heat, the
the harbour.
medic runs up the hill to help.
“The ways of methods of
William steps back, lets him get
ships communicating with the
on with it, and surveys a scene
port has changed remarkably
of chaos on which he is valiantly
over the centuries, but the one
attempting to impose order.
constant up until now was
Eight people, mostly young
that women had never been
boys, have been thrown from
involved in harbour control
a bus during a category five
communications.”
hurricane which has devastated the
Both women previously
Caribbean island of Montserrat.
served in the Royal Naval as
The Prince leads a small rescue
communicators.
team to the site of the crash –
● S/Lt Wales with his crewmates from HMS Iron Duke involved in the
appropriately named Soldier’s
disaster relief exercise on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
Tales of
Ghaut.
The injuries, and the damage, has to muck in. “It enables us when it happens
the Sea at
are not real, thankfully, as this is He swings his leg over a roadside for real to be able to work together
just an exercise – but that does barrier, kneels down next to an as a team and get exactly what we
not stop everyone, especially the injured boy and speaks with a want – which is to look after the
Edinburgh
26-year-old Prince, tackling it wide smile. population and do the best we can
with the utmost seriousness. The ‘victims’ are young boys for them.
In his standard issue number in army fatigues and some are “And today we just proved that
THERE’LL be some interesting
fours – blue trousers and shirt hamming up their pain. This one, for these eight casualties we had,
tales being told at this year’s
– with a single stripe on his arm however, appears to be taking it they had second-to-none treatment
Edinburgh Fringe. A former CPO and wearing an HMS Iron Duke
extremely seriously and the Prince simply because we were able to
submariner is setting up stall with baseball cap, S/Lt Wales could be
gives him a few calming words. assist the local emergency services
his comedy show ‘Eric’s Tales of any junior officer.
The Prince then moves on to and do our best for them.”
the Sea – a submariner’s yarn’. The fact that he is second in
the next boy. A spinal board is This exercise saw personnel
Eric – whose surname is not line to the throne does not seem delivered in error. from Iron Duke land on the island
revealed – said: “The show to faze his team. He tells the paramedic who and assist local emergency services
appeals not only to serving and They are certainly responding made the error: “We don’t need it directing drills.
retired sailors, but also members to his orders, which are delivered – that guy needs it there. He hasn’t Rescuers taking part in the exer-
of the public who have an interest clearly and with little fuss. got a spinal injury, we are just cise were told they might also have
in submarines or indeed naval “We’ve got three up here,” one using the board for movement.” to contend with the “nightmare
matters – particularly as this of his men shouts. Then he is pulling a tyre from scenario” of the lava dome inside
show is perhaps the first to be “Can you find out how they the back of a truck to clear space. the island’s volcano collapsing and
both written and presented by a are?” comes the quick reply. Once the casualties are clear, send a wave of lava sweeping over
submariner. There is no sign that the the Prince moves to speak with the the island.
No stopping Alanna
“I think it is fair to say islanders recognise the Prince. But doctor he called up the hill when The Prince was involved in
that submariners have been they do recognise his authority they arrived. planning the Navy’s response and
IN A rare presentation, Trainee fracture to her pelvis, needing
consistently disappointed in the and the fact that he is in naval After their terse exchanges was part of the forward command
Logs Alanna Johnston has been many months of physiotherapy
past by films and dramas that uniform. during the 90-minutes exercise, team, the first wave of Royal Navy
presented with the Stuart Cup, and rehabilitation.
have been written by civilians The more serious ‘casualties’ the atmosphere is lighter and they personnel on to the island.
which recognises exceptional en- The 17-year-old said: “There
with little or no knowledge of are tackled first and loaded on to share a laugh. From the island’s emergency
deavour, at HMS Raleigh. were times when I felt like giving
what it is actually like to serve on local ambulances – trucks painted The doctor is 28-year-old rescue centre, he helped senior
Alanna (pictured above) initially up with the Navy. To see people
a submarine.” white – before being sent off to Darren Minshall, who said: “These officers and local leaders direct the joined Raleigh in September last passing out of training week after
If you would like to book the hospital. exercises are very important for involvement of the 170 personnel year, but after a setback, was trans- week was really horrible.”
tickets for the August shows, visit When the Prince’s team arrive, HMS Iron Duke and for the on board the frigate, who can pro- ferred into Stonehouse Division But at the end of June Alanna’s
the website www.edfringe.com they have few resources and once people of Montserrat as well and vide a range of skills from medical for remedial training. Here it was hard work paid off – her response:
or call 0131 226 0000. priorities are allocated, William we both train independently. to engineering. uncovered that she had a stress “I was absolutely ecstatic.”
0020_NN_aug08.indd 120_NN_aug08.indd 1 113/7/08 11:04:453/7/08 11:04:45
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49