Magnificent Marine is a flying machine
ACTING Maj Alan ‘Barney’ Barnwell has notched up 5,000 flying hours – not bad for someone who didn’t join the Royal Marines to fly. Maj Barnwell’s achievement comes after more than 35 years in the Corps – meaning he has served more than ten per cent of the Royal Marines’ existence. He joined the Corps as a recruit in 1978 and served first as a rifleman aged 18, then, as an Assault Engineer in 40 Cdo and 45 Cdo, he deployed to operations in Northern Ireland, the Falklands and in Cyprus. On completion of his Army Pilots course he joined 3 Cdo Bde Air Squadron as the first Cpl pilot in the Royal Marines in February 1987. He reached the rank of WO1 in 2001 and was then selected for a Commission. His first appointment as a Commissioned Officer was as 847 NAS A Flight Cdr, in charge of 23 pilots and eight aircraft. He was Mentioned in Despatches during Operation Telic in 2003. After attending the Royal Navy Initial Command and Staff Course he was appointed to Commander Amphibious Task Group (COMATG). Thereafter he returned to flying duties with 845 NAS as a Sea King Flight Commander. He added three tours of Iraq and one to Afghanistan and in 2008 achieved 4,000 flying hours. A further ground tour followed at CHF headquarters. He rejoined 845 NAS as Flight Commander in 2011 to undertake three further tours of Afghanistan. He has flown 1,600 hours in Sea Kings, and 1,000 of those hours were on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maj Barnwell, 54, who retires next year but plans to become a Reservist, said “I feel very privileged and proud to have been part of such a fascinating era in Commando aviation. I consider myself very lucky. “My favourite moments have been those times when I have been able to directly support my fellow Royal Marines, whether that was in my Gazelle leading aviation patrols on the Al Faw peninsula, or in my Sea King lifting out men of 42 Cdo to get them home for R and R during the particularly difficult time that was Operation Herrick. “The changes in military aviation since I started on Gazelles have been considerable but the big constant has been the quality of the people I have had the honour to work with, some of whom are directly responsible for me still being alive to accomplish 5,000 hours.”
l Acting Maj Barney Barnwell, who has notched up 5,000 flying hours
Milestones for SAR airmen A PAIR of aviators serving with 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose are celebrating after chalking up two significant high points in their flying careers. Lt Cdr Paul Robertson, who serves as an Observer with the Fleet Air Arm Search and Rescue unit has clocked up 4,000 flying hours, which equates to over 166 days airborne over a 30-year career in the Royal Navy. Born in Scotland, Lt Cdr Robertson joined the Royal Navy in 1985, and lives in Helston near the Cornish air station with his wife Lynsey and three sons. “I am delighted to have achieved this significant flying achievement,” he said. “Even though I will be soon bringing down the curtain on my career, I am finishing it by doing what I thoroughly enjoy – flying”. The other Culdrose aviator to reach a significant achievement was Flt Lt Jon Owen, on exchange from the RAF with 771 NAS, who has now attended more than 400 search and rescue ‘shouts’ in his flying career. He has been with the squadron since 2011 and has a wide range of SAR experience across the RAF around the UK and while serving in the Falkland Islands, as part of the United Kingdom’s operational commitment to the South Atlantic. Born in Denmark into a Service family, Flt Lt Owen followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted with the RAF as a pilot. One of his most interesting and unique SAR shouts took place at Culdrose last October, when he was called out to a pregnancy on the Isles of Scilly. “On that particular shout, we ending up with a very special passenger,” he said.
l Lt Cdr Paul Robertson marks his achievement with the CO of RNAS Culdrose Capt Mark Garratt
l Flt Lt Jon Owen
“The weather was not good and we had to concentrate on identifying landmarks on the low-level route approaching the Malpas relief landing site to meet the ambulance. It was when the cries from the rear of the cabin stopped, there was a period of quiet and then the rear crew said we had an extra passenger; that I realised a baby (Marcus) had been
safely delivered.” Both men are expected to remain with 771 NAS until after the handover of the United Kingdom’s SAR responsibility to the Department for Trade-appointed contractor, currently scheduled for December 31 2015 and the retirement of the Sea King HU Mk 5 SAR scheduled for March 2016.
PEOPLE
Lessons on US ship for QE crew
ONE of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s most senior sailors spent two weeks aboard an American carrier on operations in the Gulf to help pave the way for Britain’s biggest warship. WO1 Nick Downs flew aboard the USS Harry S Truman as the American carrier launched air strikes over Afghanistan in support of Allied forces on the ground. As ‘captain of the flight deck’ he is in charge of all Queen Elizabeth’s aircraft handlers – the men and women who will marshal the ship’s F35 Lightning II jets and Merlin helicopters around the flight deck. He joined the Truman as part of a long-term link-up with the US Navy to train Royal Navy personnel for the arrival of Queen Elizabeth and her sister Prince of Wales. Royal Navy and RAF air and ground crew are training to fly and maintain the F35 Lightning II jets in the States. And a succession of flight deck teams have been serving aboard US flat-tops to gain an insight into operations on a traditionalstyle aircraft carrier – the latest of them spending eight months on the Truman during her frontline deployment in the Middle East. WO1 Downs was impressed by the way those half-dozen Brits, led by CPO(AH) Nathan Milner and labelled “awesome” by the Truman’s aircraft handling officer, had settled in to life on a big deck carrier. He takes up the story: “It quickly became apparent how well respected the British aircraft handlers were by their US counterparts: the chief petty officer and leading aircraft handlers were in charge of their respective areas (known as flies), and by this stage were teaching some of the American deck crews how to do their jobs. “I was struck by the tempo, the sheer noise and speed of operations on a large carrier which hasn’t been seen on a UK ship for over 30 years but will be brought to life again on HMS Queen Elizabeth. “Apart from the scale of the operation, I was struck by the long hours US sailors are expected to work – on average 16 hour days on deck, further exacerbated by the Gulf sun and the size of the flight deck. “The careful choreography of the launch and recovery sequences was impressive, but the noise and violence of conventional operations is breathtaking. “After two weeks on theTruman I left with an admiration for the hard work and commitment her crew showed, and the hospitality given was warm and generous, demonstrated by an air department clear lower deck.”
Saviours tell of rescuing OAP
l The MoD Marine Police officers with their commendations Picture: CPO(Phot) Penny Bradbury
www.navynews.co.uk
DARING Ministry of Defence Marine Police officers were rewarded for rescuing an 80-year-old man who fell down a steep cliff. The victim was prevented from landing onto rocks further below thanks to brambles and the sterling efforts of three boat crews from MOD Marine Police, who went to the rescue from Plymouth Naval Base. The seven officers were presented with Ministry of Defence Police Awards at a ceremony in Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth. The Australian holidaymaker slipped off the cliff path in Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall and fell about 100ft down a steeply sloping cliff near Fort Picklecombe
in September. He narrowly avoided plummeting down the last vertical drop onto rocks when his clothing caught on thick brambles. Passing yachtsmen heard his cries for help and raised the alarm. Brixham Coastguard requested the assistance of the MOD Police Marine Unit and two rigid inflateable boats and a larger launch attended. First on the scene were PCs Chris Gibbs and Darren Lawton, who saw the casualty 25ft above the rocks half-submerged in brambles. Chris and Darren went ashore, scrambling over slippery rocks to reach the man. Darren said: “As I moved closer to him,
he kept telling me he was slipping, and the more he slipped, the further the thorns from the brambles were being driven into his skin. I slowly and carefully managed to get alongside him, where I was able to support him physically and stabilise his position to prevent any further movement down the cliff face.” He had also cut his head, resulting in a considerable amount of blood covering his face, clothing and hands. Because of the casualty’s precarious position he was lowered down the cliff. He was taken to Derriford Hospital’s major trauma unit, where he was found to have suffered only cuts and bruises. JUNE 2014 : 43