6 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007
Opinion
www
A gyro
by any
We’re proud of
We still need
other
our young sailors
charity
name
I’M WRITING to thank the men
and women of HMS Manchester
and HMS Richmond for their
excellent hospitality during their
IT makes sense for the newly-formed Royal Navy Royal
REGARDING the 707 NAS
open day in Portland in February.
Marines Charity to streamline the way the separate RN
article (March) there is in fact
They were friendly, informative,
evidence of a much earlier
charities go about their benevolent business.
courteous and, to my mind, repre-
helicopter landing on an RN ship
At the moment there are scores of separate charities,
sentative of the finest qualities of
about which little has been known
not to mention about 50 prize funds, within the Service,
our youngish people in society.
until quite recently as the data
And in return I wish them the
so to have a single point of contact for them all will be
were classifi ed.
very best of public support, in
an advantage.
The Commanding Officer of
the escort carrier HMS Thane,
both goodwill and resources that
It will simplify the way in which serving personnel can
Capt R A Baker, records that at
can be provided in these some-
apply for charitable aid, whether for sport and other
Norfolk, Virginia, four ‘autogyros’
what troubled times.
amenities, or for more personal needs.
were landed on the flight deck
Good luck and success in all
Another advantage is that the new RNRMC will
on December 29 1944, but due
that they do – my wife and I have
take over the increasingly complex legal and govern-
to snow the remainder landed on
no prior association with the Navy
ance responsibilities which charities have to face. December 30.
by the way.
Investments should be more lucrative when there is
The quaintly referred to ‘auto-
– Michael and Jane Butler,
more money in the pot.
gyros’ were, in fact, Sikorsky
Teignmouth, Devon
R-48B Hoverfly helicopters and
● Sailors from HMS Manchester at the open day in Portland
And the new charity might have more answers to the
sceptics – young sailors who are confident they will
were housed in the hangar.
never need any charitable help, or who don’t see the
On January 15 HMS Thane
was torpedoed by U1172 in the
point of the Voluntary Donation from Pay system.
Clyde Approaches near Ailsa
Outside the Service there are many maritime charities
Craig.
whose origins date back to a time before the Welfare The ship was towed into
Britain turns
State, when some of the widows of sailors killed in
Greenock and anchored at the
action really were so poor they had to send their
casualty buoy, where according to
children to an orphanage.
the Battle Damage Report a few
Although those days are gone and many social needs
days later, seven of the helicop-
are now met by the State, the case for charities remains
ters were flown off and the other
two, with suspected light damage,
strong.
were craned off for safety.
sea-blind
Family needs may be different in the 21st century.
The flying on and off of the
Much of the aid now goes towards looking after elderly helicopters was via Fleet Air Arm
I WOULD like to thank on ships owned by a foreign com- represented. At the annual
people, or families hit by divorce and separation, rather
personnel. This first load went to Admiral McAnally for his
pany and registered in a flag of Remembrance Day Parade the
than to the widows and orphans of previous centuries.
RDU Abbotsinch. excellent summary of the
convenience such as Bermuda. other two services are represented
It is inevitable, too, that there will be some fallout in
As for HMS Thane, there were
case for the retention of a
There are now no British-owned by senior serving officers. The RN
social and family terms from the pressure of intensive
ten men killed and 23 wounded,
large and well-equipped
ferries operating from English or is represented by a 59-year-old
Welsh ports. Of those ships regis- retired Lt Cdr who can still just
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
the ship was beyond repair and
was returned to the USN.
Royal Navy as published in
tered in the UK most ships have squeeze into his uniform.
What is important also is that those maritime and
The details were kept secret for
the March edition of Navy
British officers but very few have The Navy and the British
naval charities outside the Service, which also have the
many years, one of the reasons
News. British crews. marine establishment needs to
option of coming under the benevolent umbrella of the being that she was struck in the
I would, however, like to add a In the past most people in broadcast the arguments so well
RNRMC, keep their individuality and the spirit in which
fully stocked-up after magazines
couple of points which may help Britain have had a direct connec- defined by the admiral, not only
they were founded.
and the fact that she never blew
to understand why the RN seems tion with the sea. This is no longer to those naturally interested in the
If the RNRMC can ensure this, while buoying fund-
up is beyond belief.
to be under threat. the case. sea but to the whole of the popu-
raising and dispersing wisely, it will indeed be a force
When Lt Cdr Woodrow
The first concerns the UK’s The other point concerns the lation and emphasise what the sea
dramatic retreat from the sea fact that the RN is largely a south means to all the country.
for good.
de-ammunitioned Thane he
found diesel oil had entered the which has led to there being little coast organisation and its domes- Until this is done I fear that
magazines, that many shells were or no fishing fleet and a merchant tic awareness is thus geographi- most of the young people of the
Keeping us in
primed and many were lodged in navy which contains almost no cally limited. United Kingdom will believe that
bulkheads and the double bot- ships which are British owned, I know this from personal expe- Britain’s armed forces consist of
tom. managed and crewed, never mind rience. an overstretched Army supported
built. Grantham is a significant mar- occasionally by the RAF.
the picture
None of the surviving crew
or 1851 FAA personnel that I The red ensign may still be seen ket town in an area in which the – Lt Cdr David J Pickup (Rtd),
have spoken to were aware of the around the world but it is usually Army and the RAF are well Grantham
miraculous escape and this was
We hope sharp-eyed readers of Navy News have noticed
true of the majority who went on
leave and never returned to the
how much the quality of our photographs has improved
ship.
over the past few years.
Take reservists
Close call
Only Harry Crossley, a
The striking image of a Sea King by Navy photographer Telegraphist, was aware of the
‘Wheelie’ A’Barrow on our front cover in March drew helicopters being aboard, as after
much favourable comment.
the explosion, when asked to give
The images which won the Peregrine awards prove
details of cargo, there was no
seriously
in Palestine
I REMEMBER Palestine very
well. I was gear-room watchkeeper
that our Navy ‘phots’ can hold their own with the best
codeword for helicopters!
in HMS Saumarez and we did in-
media snappers in the world.
Together with Alan Dodgson, a
meteorologist who was onboard,
ISN’T it about time the Royal Whilst Victory, Nelson and
tercept Greek caiques.
The photographic branch, which is responsible for PR
I have written up Thane’s history
Navy sat up and took their RNR Trafalgar have their place, the
One night we were nearly
photos among other duties, has received a very wise
and a copy is lodged at the FAA
seriously? RN has to realise this is now
rammed by a large schooner. I was
investment of money and modern technology in recent Archives in Yeovilton.
Whoever decided to announce part of history.
sleeping in my hammock slung
years. – R J B Kenna, Grantham
a new RNR Commodore with a As Cdre Thorne rightly point-
by the depth charge davit back
Our photographers now have top-of-the-range
picture of Cdre Thorne standing ed out: “Reservists are an inte-
aft and ended up on the deck in
in front of HMS Victory (March) gral part of our ability to launch
cameras and printers and the ability to send high-
time to see a large bow sprit pass
overhead.
resolution pictures back to news desks within minutes
I was on watch in the gear
of taking them. No advert
is really not doing the RN or and sustain naval campaigns
RNR any favours. throughout the world” – this is a
As the most senior officer in forward-looking statement and room when we were mined in the
When a national newspaper prints a picture of a drugs the RNR, Cdre Thorne should not bogged down in the past. Channel and I still remember viv-
bust in the Caribbean, or an action shot of the Marines
idly the event, the shipmates I lost,
in Afghanistan, that image will have competed for space
for the
be taken seriously and afforded So please Royal Navy, take
due respect to his rank and your Reservists seriously. especially the way they died.
with scores of others on other subjects from around the
experience. – Lt Cdr Dee Cleary RNR I was the member of the crew
world.
who was playing a hose on the fire,
In an age when so few people understand much about
what the Navy does, it is essential that the Service
Navy
Service comes first
stood on the red-hot deck over no
1 boiler room on the starboard
side, while someone played a hose
continues to invest in its PR and photographers to bring
on my feet and lower legs to keep
its story to the wider public.
EMBARRASSING, PC-ruined
me cool.
and class-specifi c.
When I looked aft I was just in
The views expressed in Navy News do not necessarily reflect
That’s the banter and accusations
for some suppliers
time to see Volage’s bows seem to
those of the Ministry of Defence I have to endure from an office
I READ with interest Sqn Ldr found which does this with our
evaporate in a large fountain of
full of ex-RAF servicemen about
Mark Collins’ letter (March) service personnel in mind.
water and spray and wondered
our awful TV recruitment adverts.
about his mobile phone – when he Unfortunately there is only one
how many mines were down
If you were a wide-eyed school-
was drafted to Afghanistan where answer to Mark’s problem and
there.
leaver watching these you would
a mobile service is not available he that is to change his contract to
I was serving in HMS Ramillies
believe it is an officer-heavy,
tried to suspend his contract. another company.
when she was torpedoed at Diego
elitist, female and ethnic Navy.
Suarez, Madagascar, in 1942.
Leviathan Block, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH
He was amazed and rightly up- The company I use – well, I
I assume there is not a recruit-
set when they still charged him
may not be allowed to say... but
I always considered myself lucky
No.633: 53rd year
ment problem for male ratings,
£45 a month.
just think of a fruit which is also
for many of my class of 1939 went
as nothing in these adverts would
to HMS Glorious and I saw their
Editorial Business
It is a total rip-off with little
a colour.
excite you to join up.
names in a newspaper in the rec
Editor: Subscriptions 023 9273 4448
respect for what job he was going
– LET (WE) ‘Scouse’
The whole magic of the Senior
space aboard Ramillies.
Sarah Fletcher e-mail: subscriptions@
out there to do.
Meacock, Fishery Protection
Service is its camaraderie, team-
I remember Lionel Crabbe vis-
Deputy Editor: Mike Gray
navynews.co.uk
I will be in the Falkland Islands
Squadron, Portsmouth
iting Saumarez in Haifa to give
Assistant Editors: Accounts 023 9272 0686
work and professionalism, some-
for ten months by the time
Graham Mills, a former Para,
us information regarding limpet
Richard Hargreaves Advertising 023 9272 5062 or
thing totally absent in all of the this goes to print; I know my
e-mailed to tell us about the
mining by Haganah, Irgun or the
Helen Craven 023 9275 6951
adverts. mobile will not work out there
tailor-made mobile phone service Stern Gang.
I hate to admit it, but the and contacted my mobile phone
he set up for Forces’ personnel. ☎ 023 9229 4228 e-mail: advertising@ I’m in my 87th year and I still
Army and RAF adverts run rings company.☎ 9380 24163 (Mil)
navynews.co.uk Navy News has not checked this
feel for the young lads we lost in
Fax 023 9283 8845 Distribution 023 9272 5136 around our pathetic attempts. I was informed there was no out but readers about to deploy those days.
e-mail:
edit@navynews.co.uk Fax 023 9283 0149 – Simon McAllister, former problem suspending my contract. may wish to on www.ukforces. – Thomas Russell, Burncross,
RN, Hull It is the only company I have net – Ed. Sheffield
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