PEOPLE
Seahawk trainers saluted
TWO members of HMS Seahawk Field Gun crew have been saluted for their hard work and commitment to Culdrose. CPO John ‘Jumper’ Collins, the First Trainer, and PO Dave Robson, the Buffer, picked up their Captain’s Awards from Capt Mark Garratt, the Commanding Officer of Culdrose. The trainers have been the main architects of success for field gun crews at Culdrose. Seahawk competes in the annual Brickwoods Field Gun Competition at HMS Collingwood, Fareham. The event attracts up to 22 crews from the Royal Navy, the Army and RAF as well as Gibraltar and NATO HQ in Naples. CPO Collins joined Culdrose in December 2010 and volunteered to be First Trainer for the field gun team. He set about preparing a crew for the 2011 competition, the Culdrose and Yeovilton Air Days in July and two weeks’ worth of runs against HMS Heron at the Edinburgh Tattoo in August. Approaching these challenges with enthusiasm and tenacity, he led Seahawk to second place in the Second Plate final, narrowly losing to Heron at their Air Day, but winning the majority of runs at the tattoo. The 2012 season began without a Field Gun Officer or Buffer, and for a time ‘Jumper’ Collins was the sole member of the Field Gun Command Team conducting all three roles, as well as organising and conducting pre-season training. He was soon joined by PO Robson, who made all necessary arrangements for the crew’s attendance at Collingwood. Seahawk’s crew won a place in the final with a creditable fifth overall, improving on 2011. Last year saw Seahawk have their best year yet. The crew easily took a place in the final with the fourth fastest aggregate time, and had there not been an unfortunate slip during the final run, it is widely believed they would have achieved second overall. Despite losing many members to deployments, assignments and injury in preparing for Air Days, the men worked tirelessly recruiting and training a competitive crew – and were rewarded with six wins out of six. “CPO Collins and PO Robson have undertaken their Field Gun roles willingly and to impressive effect despite also conducting busy jobs within the station,” said Lt Cdr Dave Quaite, Seahawk’s Field Gun Officer. “Over the last three years HMS Seahawk’s Field Gun Crew have gone from strength to strength and enjoyed ever greater successes.”
United nations
THERE was a touch of the United Nations around RN Air Station Culdrose when Welsh veterans helped Service personnel at the English establishment celebrate a Scottish tradition. Members of the Royal Welsh Comrades Association from Newport – including two Chelsea Pensioners – were hosted by CPO Mark Houston, of 771 Naval Air Squadron, the Cornish station’s search and rescue unit. And one of the highlights was the WOs and SRs Mess Burns Night supper, celebrating the life and poetry of Robert Burns. The veterans – including former AB Arthur Gallivan, stationed at Culdrose in the early 1960s – toured the base and met members of the Fleet Air Arm squadrons based there. 26 : MARCH 2014
Trainees’ homage to Scott
l Lt Phillip Morgan, Lt Cdr Heather Lane and Lt Cdr Ian Pratt on the sofas of the This Morning programme at the ITV London Studios
Media specialists in town (and studio)
TWENTY media operations specialists from the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) have sharpened their skills by meeting some of the Civil Service’s most senior communications professionals.
The day-long visit to Whitehall was organised by two members of the RNR’s Media Operations Specialisation (MOS) who work for the Civil Service in their civilian life. They also invited some of their colleagues from their Army Reserve counterpart, the Media Operations Group – and took the opportunity to look at the workings of a television studio. First up was the Cabinet Office for a briefing on the future of government communications, an overview of life in a departmental press office and a digital media workshop. Later the venue switched to the Department for International Development (DFID). This was an opportunity to learn about communicating the UK’s response to the recent natural disaster in the Philippines. Two Royal Navy warships – destroyer HMS Daring and helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious – worked closely with DFID to deliver aid ashore. The programme also included a visit to the historic Admiralty Boardroom, from where the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty ran the Royal Navy for over 200 years, together with the customary photo-call outside Number 10 Downing Street. Those attending reflected a range of civilian jobs to be found in the Royal Naval Reserve, including a marketing manager for a major electronics company, a theatrical lighting director, a university lecturer and the managing director of a familyowned manufacturing company. Lt Cdr Mark Hankey has recently become head of the
Media Operations Specialisation having just returned from an operational deployment to Afghanistan. He said: “The media is an inescapable feature of modern military operations, and reservists from the Media Operation Specialisation are an enduring source of expertise and experience for the Royal Navy. “Communications is not an add-on or an optional extra, but a skill which requires continual training to remain effective. “The opportunity to learn from Whitehall’s professionals has been a hugely valuable opportunity.” Alex Aiken, Executive Director for Government Communications, said: “The Civil Service is exceptionally proud of our reservists – and determined to be a supportive employer. “I hope today can be the start of a strong, productive relationship between the Government Communication Service and the Royal Naval Reserve’s media specialists, and I recommend other communicators consider the benefits that joining the reserves can bring.” Lt Tamar Howard-Pearce works for the Department of Transport in civilian life, and was one of the organisers of the event. “One of the reasons I joined the Royal Naval Reserve is because it allows me to learn new skills which are useful in my civilian career – so it was great to be able to host my colleagues from the RNR in Whitehall. “There are so many areas where we can share knowledge and skills.” The group also called in at ITV’s London Studios on the South Bank, a visit organised by studio manager and MOS officer Sub Lt Ritchie Wilkinson. Although more used to being off-camera, they stepped forward to create a ten-minute ‘programme’ to familiarise
ENGINEERING students at HMS Sultan celebrated the achievements of Robert Scott on the anniversary of his expedition reaching the South Pole. The group of 23 Phase Two trainees undergoing their Engineering Technicians Initial Career Course (ETICC) within the Defence School of Marine Engineering are the latest class to pass out to their first sea drafts. As part of their final week students produce a presentation based on leadership, selecting the focus of their brief themselves – in this case, a presentation on Robert Falcon Scott’s heroic expedition to the South Pole. Using an atmospheric audio backdrop of howling wind, with a tent erected in the theatre to enhance their presentation, students conjured up the harshness of the South Pole. Props included the skis used by PO Edgar Evans – who died at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier during the return march – loaned by the WOs and SRs Mess of HMS Excellent. During Scott’s preparations for the 1910 Terra Nova expedition he learned that Roald Amundsen had commenced a Norwegian expedition, igniting the ill-fated ‘Race to the Pole’. Using a large-scale map, the students were able to compare the routes taken by both parties – Scott reached the Pole on January 17 1912, to find Amundsen had beaten him by 33 days. Extracts from letters were read out, demonstrating the grit, determination and cheerful attitude of Scott and his team. The final reading came from Scott’s last entry. The trainees, who are now joining their first ships, later attended their passing out parade 102 years ago to the day of Captain Scott reaching the Pole. ET(ME) Michael Robinson said: “We looked at a variety of leaders that we could have studied and decided, as a group, that it was important to mark the anniversary of Scott reaching the South Pole.” He added: “Despite the expedition’s ill-fated outcome, Scott’s story still remains an inspiration for us today, especially as we start our own adventures of joining up with our first ships.” Divisional Officer CPO Nigel ‘Curly’ Watts said: “The standard of presentations that are delivered by ETICC courses are normally very high, however the trainees have raised the bar once more with the efforts they have shown, in a thought-provoking presentation.”
Genesis of a relationship l Lt Cdr Sacha Brooks, Lt Richard Scarth, London Studios camera supervisor Chris Owen (facing camera) and Lt Cdr Greg Young (white shirt, in foreground) handle the equipment on the ITV Pictures: Lt Jeremy Olver London Studios This Morning set themselves with the production of a live TV show, using the set and cameras of This Morning, which is normally presented by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. The government’s Future Reserves 2020 study has set out plans to expand the use of Britain’s reserve forces – including those whose job is to communicate the work of the Armed Forces and escort journalists in operational theatres. In the past few years, Royal Naval Reserve media specialists have filled headquarters roles in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, Naples and the UK.
They have also served at sea off the coasts of Libya and Somalia, in the Gulf and the Caribbean as well as at the London Olympics. The day-to-day work of media operations includes escorting journalists to ships and operational theatres, briefing senior officers before interviews, generating stories and photographs, monitoring foreign media, training personnel prior to deployment, and shielding Service personnel and their loved ones in emotionally-charged situations. Anyone interested in joining the Royal Naval Reserve can find out more at www.royalnavy. mod.uk/navyreserves
MUSICIAN Mike Rutherford has written about his Royal Naval family background in his new autobiography. The former Genesis axeman is the son of Capt William Rutherford, one-time Captain of Whale Island as Head of the Gunnery School. In The Living Years Rutherford recalls his career from Charterhouse School, where Genesis was formed, through to global fame. Rutherford’s progress is a counterpoint to his relationship with his father, a reserved World War 2 naval officer, who was nevertheless a proud supporter of his son’s career. The musician contacted Andy Godfrey at his father’s old establishment at Whale Island, for Capt Rutherford’s Service records, and was also put in touch with retired RN Cdr Alastair Wilson, who provided a ‘context’ for the officer’s career in terms of responsibilities. www.navynews.co.uk