Guest Book

100 years since the start of WRNS. I joined in march 1967 - that's 50 years. Suddenly I feel very old.

Just a small amendment to my previous post, it could not have been early seventies when I saw Dave Brooks on Anglia television, it must have been eighties or possibly early nineties

Well Ray thanks for that, he could not have been very old if he died in 2010.He really was a great fella, he used to love playing the part of that Spanish chap, "seenyor totoff" as he did on many occasions when we were at Lee together.
I was in the south on business in late 60's or early 70's when I saw him forecasting on Anglia TV and gave him a quick call.
How very sad.
I always check Departed Shipmates, but I hate to see it when it is somebody I knew well, and particularly when they were an integral part of my life and there are a good few of those within that list.
Keep in touch Ray

Kenny - that was indeed Lt. Cdr Brooks that you saw in Departed Shipmates. I was lucky enough to spend a commission on the Happy Hermes with him; he was a great man and saved me losing my hook when I was duty Met rating in Cape Town - and couldn;t resist a run ashore......or it might have been in Alongopo city. Probably the latter!I

this is for the Secretary
I have tried to contact you by email but the capcha code foxes me every time.
I note in the departed Shipmates there is an entry for 2010 "DAVID BROOKS". Was that the David Brooks who was a two ringer forecaster who eventually worked at Anglia Television?
I shared some great times with him at Lee in the early sixties

Johnny my good friend, you have to realize that many of the characters from our era saw that period of their lives as over and finished with, and there is nothing wrong with that ethos. There are only a few of us who see any merit in reminiscing they way we, you and I and Ray and a couple of others do.
Personally I like to talk about that period of my life, all of which was immensley precious and enjoyable to me.You have to appreciate that it is not always the case for others of our era to do the same, for whatever reason.There are those who move on and find other periods of their lives more important, and indeed there may be others who want to forget all about the time they spent in the Andrew.As far as I am concerned there will always be some incidents of my time as a Met geyser that will bear raising and airing yet again!
Long may that be so, cos when I stop I will almost certainly be "brown bread"!

I am not sure whether its just me or seem to have lost planet met but the only names I seem to remember are Ken Ashton and Ray Brooker, is it because the Met Branch that knew has now forgotten, I believe Ray Brooker and myself were both Pioneers in Asweps which was the original concept of Metoc. I see reunions amongst the few but never any more of us oldies.

Denise and me had a most enjoyable get together yesterday, 23rd January, with Ash, Budgie, Charlie and Gill, Colin and Jean at the Royal Oak at Car Colston. An excellent meal and great company. It is always good to meet up folks many thanks for your company. Thank you Ashley for setting it up and we look forward to the next one.

Talking of carriers, t,other day in the wilds of Norfolk (UK) I came across a 15ft model of a carrier which needs a new home and wondered whether any of you well-off pensioners could be interested. It has a good collection of aircraft and deck equipment and I'm told it is easy to move as it has just come back from a display somewhere. 'Easy' may be a relative term though. One obvious drawback is that it is the USS Enterprise but you can't have everything I suppose If anybody is interested I have contact details.

That's the one, Kenny; in the hangar it has the helicopter that plucked them out of the sea, and also the module that they splashed down in. It all looks very, how shall I put it, Heath Robinson, but it was cutting-edge stuff in those days. The Carrier itself is a revelation after serving on Victorious and Hermes - it even had a library and cinema! All the old fellers acting as guides were bemoaning the fact that their Navy was shrinking to nothing nowadays - where have we heard that before......

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