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NAVY NEWS, MAY 2011
Former PO is now an author
A FORMER petty officer who has suffered heartache in his life has put his story-telling talents to use by writing a children’s book. Stuart ‘Soapy’ Soper was a senior rate in the mine warfare branch from 1977-84, including tours to the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. But in the midst of what he thought would be a long career, his young son was diagnosed with leukaemia, and following his son’s death Stuart was given a compassionate discharge to be with his wife. Sadly Stuart’s wife died not many years later, leaving him to bring up two young children. He took various jobs, including milkman and community policeman – then in mid-1999 narrowly escaped death when, while gardening, he was bitten by a tiny infected spider. He won his battle for life, but the infection left him permanently disabled and in constant pain from his damaged legs. He has now had to give up working – his last job was in a bank – and focussing his mind on drawing and writing not only helped him through, but have opened up a new avenue. Stuart, now 53, turned the bedtime tales he told his nippers into illustrated stories and the first – Milky Saves Christmas – has now been published and a second is with the publishers.
Royals applaud Zander’s mettle
MOST young lads play soldiers at some point in their lives – but most don’t get to call on the Royal Marines to help live the dream.
But then most young lads do not display the kind of mettle which drew admiration from battle-hardened commandos. The young lad was eight-yearold Zander Heneghan, from Brora on the east coast of Scotland. And the warriors were the men of 45 Commando at Arbroath. Zander was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma last year. After hearing about Zander’s bravery as he underwent chemotherapy, Royals from RM Condor – who have just deployed for their fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan – decided to reward him with a day at the unit. On his arrival Zander was issued with the elite Royal Marines green beret before he embarked upon a busy programme. Following a weapons demonstration, Zander received hands-on training on a simulated rifle range before an outdoor lesson on living in the field. After lunch with Regimental
Sergeant Major WO1 Stephen Moran, Zander was presented with a coveted 45 Commando ‘yomper’ figurine. And Zander finished by tackling the unit’s 30ft climbing wall. WO Moran said: “The Royal Marines ethos is based on determination and courage in the face of adversity and this little lad has shown that in spades. “Throughout the day, Zander demonstrated his exceptional fighting spirit and impressed all
those at 45 Commando.” Zander fell ill in March last year when a lump on his arm turned out to be a tumour. Zander (right) remains cheerful despite weekly ten-hour return trips to Glasgow and gruelling chemotherapy. Brora villagers have rallied round to help Zander and his family – one initiative was a calendar by the ‘mams of Brora’. Further details can be found at www.zandercalendar.com
A flagship wedding
Pilot collects his MBE
A HELICOPTER instructor at Yeovilton has been presented with his MBE by the Queen in recognition of a distinguished career. Lt Cdr Andrew Clarke joined the Royal Navy as an aircraft engineering mechanic aged 16, and although he enjoyed maintaining helicopters and Sea Harriers, his ambition was to be a pilot. Through the Naval education system he gained the qualifications he needed to become an officer (making the grade in 1986) and a pilot, gaining his wings in 1987. Flying Sea Kings in the Commando Helicopter Force, he has seen operational service in the first Gulf War, northern Iraq,
Bosnia and Northern Ireland, and as second-in-command of a Navy Lynx attack squadron, he played a key role in the assault on the Al Faw peninsula in Iraq in 2003. Most recently, Lt Cdr Clarke was deployed to northern Norway, where he led the Commando Helicopter Force mountain and cold weather training school (see page 9). Of his award, Lt Cdr Clarke said: “Whilst it is a fantastic honour to receive such an award, I am sure that I have done no more or no better than any of my colleagues and I certainly would not have gained such recognition without their comradeship and support.”
O Lt Dave Manning and Dr Natalie Draper leave the King’s Chapel in Gibraltar through a wedding arch of swords provided by the wardroom of HMS Albion
Man and machine pass 1,000 hours
O A pair of Royal Navy clearance divers staging a mock underwater fight. Armed for self-protection, this team of divers discreetly survey potential invasion beaches. This image was staged to create a unique Christmas greetings card for the team Image © Simon Brown. All rights reserved – www.simonbrownimages.com
‘Fight’ image wins prize
A PICTURE taken during an editorial shoot with Portsmouthbased Royal Navy divers won a top prize in a photographic competition. The shoot, by Simon Brown, with Fleet Diving Unit 2 took place just before Christmas, and
during the programme the team asked Simon if he could create a greetings card. “We ran through the pose above water, and then with careful lighting, the image was created underwater,” said Simon. He was so pleased with the
COUGAR 11 flagship HMS Albion may have only had a brief stop at Gibraltar on her way into the Mediterranean. But the three-day visit was long enough for a Naval officer on board to get married – and his shipmates helped make the event memorable. Weapon engineer section officer Lt Dave Manning married Dr Natalie Draper, his fiancée of five years, in the stunning surroundings of the King’s Chapel on Main Street. Lt Manning joined the Navy in 2005 and re-joined Albion in April, having spent his two months Specialist Fleet Time onboard the amphibious assault ship. Natalie and Dave got together while they were both studying at university – they met at the Cambridge University Astronomical Society and have been star-gazing together ever since. The bride was collected from her hotel in the Captain’s Land Rover and taken to the historic King’s Chapel, where the wedding ceremony was held. The entire wardroom of the flagship turned out for the service to lend their support. And what better venue for the reception than on board their ship? The honeymoon, however, was somewhat brief – Albion sailed the following morning... ! Cougar unleashed – page 4
result that the image was entered in the British Underwater Image Festival, where it took first prize in the Open category. The judges praised Simon’s use of lighting, using remote flashes, and the subtlety of the composition. ! www.simonbrownimages.com
A NAVY pilot notched up 1,000 career flying hours – shortly before his helicopter achieved the same landmark. The sortie which saw Lt Andy Bird, of 829 Naval Air Squadron, pass 1,000 hours was certainly memorable. Having been on ceremonial duty in London at the end of February, HMS Westminster was tasked at short notice to sail in support of operations off Libya. With a mix of stores transfer flights between ships, anti-surface warfare patrols and long-range missions into Malta, Lt Bird was kept busy. And it was a testing night sortie to Valletta, in poor conditions into an unfamiliar airfield, returning to a moving deck in darkness, that saw Lt Bird achieve the magic figure. “That was certainly one of the more interesting sorties that I’ve flown in my time as a pilot, but a successful career in aviation
Medal for Tim A DRIVER who retired after a 30-year career at RN Air Station Yevilton has been presented with an Imperial Service Medal. Tim Williams, who retired last October, was presented with the medal by the CO of Yeovilton, Brig Mark Noble RM, who paid tribute to Tim’s dedication. “It was a way of life for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Tim.
means making as many successful landings as take-offs,” he said. “That’s something I intend to continue.” Shortly after HMS Westminster Flight’s Merlin, ZH841, also passed 1,000 hours in flight, and both milestones were marked by the presentation of a cake and bottle of champagne by the frigate’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Tim Green.
Dolls stand in for Dads
A NAVAL mum’s efforts to maintain the bond between father and daughter while dad was away on deployment has led to a thriving business. “When my daughter was born, my husband went away for seven and a half months,” said Jo Craig. “When he left, our daughter couldn’t even roll over. When he came back, she was a walking, talking toddler. “When he came home, she pointed to him and shouted out ‘Daddy!’ We couldn’t believe that she recognised him.” Jo believes it was because she had a photo in her room – which set mum thinking... The result was a pair of dolls, ready in time for daddy’s next deployment, which their son and daughter used to cuddle at night. The dolls were imprinted with a photo, helping the children through the long separation – and so Love Mini Mine was born. “It’s been nearly three years since I made the first doll – it’s a bit soggy round the edges now...” said Jo. See www.loveminimine. co.uk for more details. ! Jo said: “I would like to give a Love Mini Mine doll to one of the Navy News readers. “If you would like to win a Love Mini Mine doll, please send an email to me at jo@loveminimine. co.uk telling me why you want one. Our favourite story will win a doll.”
Jan leaves
FORMER green beret Jan Cowling has bid farewell to BRNC after being part of the civilian staff team for 32 years. Jan served eight years as a commando, including two spells in Northern Ireland, before joining the college in 1979, initially maintaining the college pool’s filtration plant but then taking his dream job in the Expedition Store. Jan also spent 23 years as part of the retained fireman crew in Dartmouth, and with his wife Patricia ran the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for 12 years as well as being a leading light of the local Scout group.
Memories of Diadem
BOB Roberts was a chief petty officer on board HMS Diadem during World War 2. Bob’s grandson Joe, aged 8, attends Presteigne Primary School in Powys. So when World War 2 was on the curriculum, it seemed clear Bob had something to contribute. He volunteered to visit the school (pictured above) to talk
about his life and work in those difficult days on board the light cruiser, which saw service on Arctic convoys, at the Normandy landings and in subsequent operations off the coast of France. He also brought his medals to show the children, who subsequently wrote to Bob to thank him for sharing his memories with them.