NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2008 21
Of mouth
● Meditation’s what you need...
One of Northumberland’s
Outrage at theft
and men
divers pauses to contemplate
life in the Blue Hole
FISHERY protection ship HMS
from memorial
Tyne returned to the river for
which she is named to help locals
THIEVES ripped four name plates from one of the most hallowed sites
party.
in the Royal Navy.
The River-class ship berthed
Restorers working on the Naval Memorial on Plymouth’s Hoe
for four days at Newcastle
were astonished to fi nd a bronze panel, listing the names of city-based
Quays during the Mouth of the
sailors and Royal Marines lost in World War 2, had been prised off the
Tyne Festival, the second time
imposing monument.
the vessel has taken part in the
Their astonishment and anger turned to utter disbelief when they
festivities.
returned the next day to fi nd three more plaques to the fallen had been
The event is a mix of concert,
stolen.
carnival and maritime festival
The thefts came just hours after former Servicemen and women
straddling the Tyne estuary
had gathered on Plymouth’s seafront to commemorate Veterans’ Day
– events are split between
alongside today’s Forces and cadet units.
Tynemouth on the north bank
All four plates were subsequently recovered by police. One was
and South Shields on the
handed in to offi cers having been cut into four parts. The remaining
opposite side.
three tablets turned up at a scrapyard in Somerset; its owner alerted
Sadly operational reasons
police.
meant the ship couldn’t berth at
The memorial was undergoing an overhaul with the bronze panels
the mouth of the Tyne; instead,
being cleaned and restored after years of exposure to the elements.
she could be found at the more
Thanks to that restoration work by the Commonwealth War Graves
usual berth for RN ships in
Commission, which maintains the cenotaph, the vandalism was spotted
Newcastle, Spillers Wharf.
immediately.
Between taking part in local
But the theft has left the commission dumbfounded at “a cowardly
events and inviting the public
and selfi sh act of desecration”.
aboard, the ship somehow found
Sadly, the commission says, this is not the first such crime in the UK
time to host a reception for local
and metal theft in general has spiralled in the past couple of years with
leaders, Sea Cadets and affiliates.
school roofs and drain hole covers among the principal targets.
Meanwhile in the Solent...
The scrap value of the 3ft memorial panels was estimated at between
40 years and one day after
£200 and £300. Two of the plates were fi lled mainly with the names of
Alec Rose brought Lively Lady
Royal Marines, the other two panels featured the names of fallen sailors
into Portsmouth following his
and a handful of Royal Artillerymen.
year-long circumnavigation of
The commission reckoned it would cost upwards of £10,000 to
the world, his yacht was again
replace all four plates – but hopes it can now salvage at least some of
shepherded home by the Senior
the tablets recovered and restore them to their rightful place as soon as
Service.
possible. The dissected plate will have to be replaced, however, and a
The 59-year-old greengrocer
second is probably beyond repair.
was greeted by the RN and a
“The fi nancial cost is not really the issue,” said the commission’s
quarter of a million people when
Emily Bird. “The level of disrespect shown by these thieves to not
he brought his yacht home in
only these brave men but their families and their comrades left behind
1968. His deed earned him a
is appalling. The men on these panels sacrifi ced all they had for their
knighthood.
country and deserve to have a fi tting memorial.
Four decades on and his
“The response of the people of Plymouth – and further afield – was
36ft ketch is now used to give
particularly heartwarming.”
young adults from disadvantaged
The Plymouth Memorial (mirrored by similar monuments in
backgrounds the chance for
Chatham and Portsmouth) lists more than 23,000 dead from both
adventure, leadership and life
world wars. It bears the names not merely of British nationals but also
skills.
Australian and South African sailors lost in WW1 and Commonwealth
After 27 stops across the globe
nationals killed in the war at sea a generation later.
over a two-year period, the final
Three people have been arrested and questioned over the thefts.
crew of Lively Lady rendezvoused
Anyone who can help the investigation should contact Devon and
with Tyne’s sister HMS Mersey
Cornwall Police on 08452 777 444.
off Southsea Castle.
Mersey and Sail Training Yacht
John Lang escorted the boat for
the final few hundred yards of its
global journey.
RM’s square
force one
THE Band of the Royal Marines
Scuba doobie blue
will host a day-long ‘open’
concert showing off their full
repertoire in Portsmouth next A TEAM from HMS Northumberland were in blue Northumbrians left Devonport behind and
month. heaven when they headed to the Red Sea for one headed for the Red Sea.
The band will be holding two of the ultimate diving experiences. The team endured the baking Egyptian sun
performances, one indoor, one The frigate’s sub-aqua enthusiasts wanted (I’ll just get my violin out – Ed), unruly camels,
outdoor, on August 1. to broaden their experiences – and let their hair an ‘interesting’ 4x4 trek and fi nally a 200-yard
The music begins at 2pm in down after a busy spring of exercises with the hobble in full scuba gear to reach that blue
Portsmouth’s Guildhall with the Type 23 around the UK. hole (or as the divers describe it “a 130m-deep
RM School of Music Orchestra, The divers headed to Dahab in Egypt (just up underwater chimney”). Apparently, very few RN
concert band, big band and the the coast from Sharm el Sheikh) for the cunningly- divers have been here before.
Corps of Drums, performing titled Exercise Blue Hole. “The blue hole gave the team a spectacular
their rich variety of classical and Ten miles outside Dahab lies the famous (or and challenging opportunity to consolidate their
contemporary tunes. infamous) Blue Hole, a submarine cave around diving skills at depth both in confi ned caverns
The day closes with the band 130 metres (425ft) deep, which is both beloved by and along sheer reefs dropping hundreds of
moving into Guildhall Square divers – and feared by them (it’s earned the less- metres,” said Lt Cdr Rob Kitt.
for a Beating Retreat, which is than-fortunate tags ‘world’s most dangerous “It was an ambitious – and rewarding – week.”
free and runs from 5pm until dive site’ and even ‘divers’ cemetery’). This wasn’t an expedition purely about fun and
around 5.30pm. Tickets for the Still, that’s not going to stop a bunch of sightseeing. Northumberland now has fi ve more
indoor concert are priced £10 matelots. nitrox-qualifi ed divers, three more advanced
(concessions/children £8) and Fresh from some Perisher training and divers and two new open water ‘bubbleheads’
available on 023 9282 4355; the Joint Warrior exercise in Scotland, the seven (scuba divers) thanks to the week in Egypt.
outdoor performance is free.
Jack-al of all trades
THE
NAVAL engineers in Devonport are grappling with the Jackal – not
DUKE OF YORK’S ROYAL MILITARY
the would-be assassin of de Gaulle or Carlos, but the Forces’ new
battlewagon.
SCHOOL
A team of eight weapons and marine engineers is assembling the 4x4
alongside civilian counterparts at Babcock Marine in the dockyard,
before the vehicles head off to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Jackal – the military thankfully ditched the hideous acronym the
vehicle was originally known by, MWMIK (Mobility Weapon-Mounted
Installation Kit) – is intended to provide additional protection and
fi repower to troops in Helmand, replacing the existing souped-up WMIK
Land Rovers.
Jackal has been described by troops as “a Land Rover on steroids”,
reaching speeds of up to 80mph and carrying either a .50 calibre gun,
grenade launcher or GPMG.
“This work has taken me out of my comfort zone and I am enjoying
it a lot,” said weapons engineer PO Chris Peet, one of the eight sailors
currently assembling Jackals.
“I would normally work on a ship on the same systems such as
hydraulics and pneumatics, but I have not worked on these on a vehicle.
“It is good experience from a technical point of view and from working
alongside civilians – again a new thing for most of us.”
PO Jess Owen, normally based at RM Chivenor, will be deploying
to Helmand with the Jackals to maintain them in the harsh Afghan
environment.
“Before we go out there, we need to work out the trouble-shooting ‘More than a school to me’
areas to look for a simple fault before we have to open the handbook and
delve deeper.”
One hundred and thirty Jackals were ordered initially for the Army
For further information contact:The Headmaster, The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, Dover, Kent, CT15 5EQ.
and Royal Marines; orders for another 72 have now been placed.
The MOD has also bought more than a dozen new Vikings for the
Tel:+0044 (0)1304 245024 Mil: 94284 5024 Fax:+0044 (0)1304 245019 Mil Fax: 94284 5019
Royal Marines to make good losses and wear-and-tear in Afghanistan
E-mail: headmaster@doyrms.com Website: www.doyrms.mod.uk
where the armoured vehicle is in constant demand.
0021_NN_Aug.indd 121_NN_Aug.indd 1 110/7/08 17:41:280/7/08 17:41:28
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