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NAVY NEWS GOLDEN JUBILEE SUPPLEMENT, AUGUST 2002
Options Staging a Combined Service Golden Jubilee tribute to the Queen was a supreme test of the new spirit of 'jointery'. As project manager Commodore Geoff Edwardes told Hamish Fergusson a few days before the event, it wasn't all plain sailing ...
How difficult was it to put on the show, given the extent to which our Forces are committed around the world at the present time? The plan as it developed for a tri-Service event meant that we had probably slightly less assets and forces involved than we would have done had it been three single-Service events, which was considered three or four years ago. But as a result primarily of Palace wishes, it was to be a one-day joint affair. That did mean that there was a little bit more flexibility in getting the assets to do it. There have, of course, been various units which were planned to come a year ago Since then the plot has changed and so ships have been removed and certain regiments changed. But we have got all that we want without withdrawing anybody from operational tasks.
Did you have any particular problems in getting a tri-Service balance? At the outset, I think finding a venue was the most difficult thing, because the Palace actually wanted to do it in the Portsmouth area, and "wanted all three Services to be able to present themselves appropriately in front of the Queen". Now that meant that we had to look quite carefully at the venue, as there was a whole range of sites in the Portsmouth area. Most particular was the need for the Army to present themselves properly. That is one of the reasons we chose Whale Island, because it did offer a space where the Army could display their assets and their people and their capabilities, rather better than, for example, in the Naval Base where it would have been very difficult.
How much has it cost overall? The core costs for the event are £1.5 million. That covers all the equipment and the displays, which are purely here for the Jubilee. We obviously didnl have to pay the wages of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, aircraft flying and such things, so there was no need for a separate budget for that. What was needed was a core budget, to build those displays, and provide certain bits and pieces in the margins. That was what the £1.5 million was for.
How long has it been in preparation? I started 20 months ago, in November 2000. A certain amount of groundwork had been done for a month before that, primarily because the decision for it to be a one-day single Service event, rather than three separate events, was made fairly early in 2000. So it wasn't until late in the year that ideas really began to come together.
There has been some criticism that much of the show will not be seen by the general public. Do you think that support of the Jubilee has been underestimated? Isn't there a need to broadcast the Services and what they do more widely than this display allows? No, I don't agree with that. The whole purpose was for the Queen to meet her Armed
Jubilee joint effort kept working smoothly
Services. She wanted to have an opportunity to be with them, and though she wanted families and guests to be present, it was not designed as a public event. As we've gone along, we've been very conscious of the fact that this is the only visit the Queen is making to Hampshire, and certainly the only one to Portsmouth. Whilst the morning events are very much private, between the Queen and her Armed Forces, the afternoon programme is rather more public. Although it might be quite difficult to see the 'Dynamic Display' other than from Fountain Lake, the 'Steam Past' down the harbour will be in full public view, and then the Queen has agreed, so that the people of Portsmouth and Hampshire are not to be disappointed, to extend the programme after she has landed.
Further criticism makes comparisons with the scale of Naval Reviews of the past. Is this justified? From mid 2000 there wasn't going to be a review anyway, so it isn't a question of how many ships. The bottom line is that there's only a limited amount you can actually put in Portsmouth Harbour. There are many ships in Portsmouth, some in maintenance but some not, and many others down in Devonport and in Faslane. But you just can't squeeze them all in. So it is a matter of location, a matter of scale. I think one has to remember that if there had been a review - which the Queen didn't want - as in previ-
•We have got all that we want without withdrawing anybody from operational tasks.'- Commodore Geoff Edwardes no operational commitments ically. There are people coming going on anywhere in the world from all over the United at the moment, we would be Kingdom and even some from showing the Armed Forces as overseas. they are rather than trying to pretend that they are something Are there any activities they are not. unique to this display?
Do you have any regrets in terms of anything that has been left out of the programme? No, I think we've got every-
Everything is "joint", and when we decided that the Queen was going to do the Steam Past it was to involve the ceremony of Manning and Cheering Ship, which is a Naval practice. We wanted to make it joint, so on this
'We would be showing the Armed Forces as they are, rather than trying to pretend that they are something they are not' ous reviews there would have been a lot of Commonwealth and NATO ships there as well, which made up a proportion of the 1977 Silver Jubilee Review. Another side to it is the need to remember that in 1977 the armed forces of all nations, particularly the NATO nations, were much bigger than they have been since the end of the Cold War. All nations have reduced their forces commensurate with the threat. And so even if we had
thing we wanted in there. It is very tight on time - and if anything we would have liked a little more, perhaps, for the Queen to meet even more people than she is going to. So we are producing something which is measurable in terms of what she wishes to achieve. But I don't think anything has been left out. We've tried to be as all-inclusive as possible both in terms of Armed Servicemen, but also geograph-
occasion the routine will be done by not only the ship's company, which is alongside, but also by their affiliated regiments and air squadrons which will be embarked. So the Queen will see a Manning and Cheering of Ship performed by all three Services - and that will be a first.' Q Hamish Fergusson, a student at Canford School, Dorset, was on a week's work experience with Navy News
Splice the mainbrace! HE ROYAL Navy re-enacted an old tradition by toasting the Queen with rum after she ordered the Fleet to 'Splice the Mainbrace' following her visit to Portsmouth for her Golden Jubilee tribute by her Armed Forces. The term originally arose from the reward given in the days of sail to men who carried out the task of repairing the 'main brace' rope to the mainmast - work that had to be done at great speed in any sort of conditions since the ship could not be steered effectively with it broken. For successfully completing this vital job an extra issue of one-eighth of a pint of rum was made to each officer and man over the age of 20 who desired to take it - with lemonade offered to the rest! Rum was first issued as a ration to sailors in Jamaica in 1655. In 1731 a half pint was officially sanctioned as a daily ration to the Fleet - but a few years later it was mixed with water to reduce drunkenness. This mixture was nicknamed 'grog' after the Grogram cloak worn by Admiral Vernon, who ordered it. The daily rum ration was abolished in 1970, but commanding officers of ships and establishments can still order the toast on special occasions - as, of course, can the Queen. And as the Queen Mother did during her visit to HMS Ark Royal, on what turned out to be her final public engagement in November last year.
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• Pictured below, from the top, the mainbrace is duly spliced at HMS Collingwood (by men who were serving when the tot was last issued in 1970); at the Ministry of Defence (by First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh and over 14O RN and RM personnel serving in Central London); on board HMS Victory; and at Devonport (by LA(Phot) Shaun Barlow).