Guest Book

Thanks Spud...the heat means sun, solar panels + batteries mean no electric bills even running aircon and charging car batteries, regret memory fades remembering you at Whale Island. Perhaps 'cause I was not programmed then to live past 75!!!
Hopefully having lunch with Pegg in ten days. On old time story eight months after promotion to SDAV found myself OOW of Middle in Ark Royal box steaming in the channel when I casually said to the 2nd officer of the watch 'just think less than a year ago I was a PO MET rating' He replied ' Guess what less than a year ago I was a PO stoker'! If only the ship's company had known. Lesson If others think you can do it, do it. Memories flood back like in left hand seat wx5 of 5 doing 'devil takes the hind most' across Somerset at 200 feet 90 kts(sometimes 100 feet), with me trying to navigate! Happy days. However did work sometimes.....

For Arthur and Co : Now that I realise I am not in a time warp thank you and yours for recovering the Guestbook. It may have disadvantages for gobeens like me when (if) I read the tripe I offered nearly 10 years ago (but it was factual) - but with ano-domini I probably can claim to be 'forgetful' (- I have got beyond the stage of getting to the top of the stairs and wondering why I climbed up ! now I find myself at the foot of the stairs asking myself if I am going up or have I just come down !).
Good to hear from John (JDD) Whitehead (JDD because whenever he appeared in the Officer's Appointments List OAL there was no doubt that it was 'our' Whitehead). John I hope you don't melt in your adopted land - we are shivering in 25C here in the old country ! Ian Plackett is another MET domiciled in frogland and I know there are many others - don't be offended - Boris Johnson is reported today as having called the French (politicians) 'TU+DS' (letter 18 abc) at some stage in his career !
Think we last bumped into each other at Whale Island - will be back later when I recollect a bit on Bryn in the early / mid 90s when we both worked in MOD Main Building in Whitehall - we often traveled together on Fri pm as I made my way to Dorchester and he to Weymouth.
You will see from the recovered guestbook that your Sophia thingies went to (Richard) George Bluett - sadly George's inbox was invariably 'FULL' in those days and I lost contact with him - it would be good to hear that he is keeping well !

Finally Confucius did not say ...
War does not determine who is right; it determines who is left.>
Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night.
Man who drives like hell is bound to get there.
Wise man not keep sledge hammer and slow computer in same room.

Just a note on Mac Cutting, I don't remember him being at the Victory reunion, which was arranged jointly by me as CO and Frank Nowosielski, who was at the time my First Lieutenant, and we could not have done it without the help of Sandy Jones who was at the BBC and go the message out on all local radio in UK! Where was social media when you needed it,
For Spud, Bryn Telfer was with Intrepid as Commander (he got a mention in dispatches for all that), he was tasked with getting the ship out of semi reserve then the captain Peter Dingemans took over. At that time I was senior warfare officer of Fearless having joined on April 2 1982 as a pier head jump! I then left the ship in late June 82 and worked ashore in Stanley for 6 weeks before joining Invincible as First Lieutenant which is where I met Mac Cutting for the last time. He had relieved Ginge Trent ( I did not know him) Mac Cutting and I together with David Strike had a great mini reunion in Sydney Christmas 1983. I was then, in that crazy world, sent to drive Abdiel, great ship ships company of 128, up to 150 when we had MCM commander on board. So what with that and a commando sqdn, 845 as staff officer and other jobs, I had a somewhat different life from the Met branch. Yet when I sit down with Dave Pegg and we talk about our time in the Branch we realize we were lucky to be in a great branch, smallest in the RN and great job satisfaction, only difference between us, he got Herbert Lott awards for recorded marks in his Met 2s and then again in his Met1s and a uni degree in oceanography whilst at Northward in the oceanographic section, Sups and execps throughout his time then on leaving a HND in electronics followed by his own building company...meanwhile I finally passed Met2 with aver pass and Met 1s with 71% (Bogey Knight got 72%!) and just sats (one Mod). But my best ever job remains Tiger 61 - 63 joined at 17 to an empty office and used W7 to fill it up! I think I was one of the last to have that draft as a single met..long hours...Sorry all bit of a rant but wll adds up to a great 33 years....Saw Yeovil met office on box last night, nobody plotting charts!!! Temp on my screened patio yesterday 44.1C!

Someone mentioned Cricket, I was and still am a lover of the Game, Remember a few games at Culdrose, also played a lot of Football for the Various Ships, I don't think I remember Ray playing Cricket, I know Ken played at Culdrose,, I often wondered why sporting activities of a individual was never mentioned on a History sheet.

ooops - ... below I wrote ...
"... stated that a FEMALE member of the Wrens would be entitled ... etc -! That is the pressure the modern liberal PC has on an oldie- like me - I don't know what is right or wrong any more !

Ray
Yes I have tracked down Travis-Jones but there is no indication she was ever commissioned. (I hold only a few Navy Lists). The biggest dropout in the process to becoming a commissioned Officer was written in QR&AI (Queens Regulations and Admiralty Instructions) where it stated that a female member of the Wrens would be entitled to ‘RELEASE’ on marriage ! Your lovely wren, behind you in the course photo 3/72 , was possibly waltzed off by some ‘airy fairy’ before she had a career (I hope this comment is not seen as offensive by any metobs)?
I sort of apologise to all our readers for being a bit personal with the following -
Ray - I’m sad that your eyes are going – especially because of your love of cricket. In my last RN job I was the RN user interface in bringing in the Westlands / Agusta MERLIN (Seaking replacement) and spent many happy days at Taunton cricket ground as ‘guest’ of Westlands (Yeovil) (yes free lunch but I had to declare it) and where I saw Brian Lara play in 1994 – but only with his food in the dining room as ‘rain’ stopped play. I live down the road from Yeovil in Dorchester where I run a Hedgehog rescue – the dirtiest of animals ! but at least I am doing something for ‘nature’ ! I also look after a couple of 90’s old fogies – doing their shopping etc etc – so I am content with my soon to be 74yo life goals. If that did not challenge me then my three grandchildren 12, 11 and 6 keep me fit. Thankfully I am in good health and I am also a good liar.
Best wishes to all out metobs.

Arthur thanks for that of course it was Ian Plackett I was thinking of. I am sure he will be mightyly p****d off that I did not remember that he was at AFS at that time.
I seem to remember that I had a massive bet with him that Derby County would never make the First Division, must have been at least a fiver. Never paid him though, I think he got drafted before it actually happened. Blimey the interest on that would probably buy you a house now.
Don't tell him for goodness sake!

When I was an Instructor at Culdrose I taught a Wren called Travis Jones, a lovely girl who had joined as an Officer Wren entrant. She had to qualify as a Met 3 before moving on. You will be able to find her on a course of Wrens amongst the photos on this website - around 1970. My eyesight is not good enough to find her. She achieved 99% a record while I was there. Perhaps Spud can dig a bit and find out what became of her.
Spud - I live in Somerset and have a season ticjet for the County team who play at Taunton. A brilliant team this season - winners of the One Day Cup and top of Division One. I have high hopes of them winning the T20 competition as well, and achieving an historic treble!

…. afterthought – remembered one of the wrens on my course 2/1962 was commissioned but can’t remember which one of the four in the back row – maybe Meg (Murray) knows ?

In response to Ray and needing excuse not to weed the patio (plus cricket and Ascot on radio) herewith my pennyworth - In no particular order –
Clem Oliver – Lt (SD) (AV) 1950/60s
Bryn Telfer Captain (was CO HMS INTREPID Falklands War) (50/60s Met, officer till mid 1990s)
JDD Whitehead – Lt Cdr (CO VICTORY) (60s Met - 70/80s officer)
Frank Nowosielski - Lt Cdr (CO VICTORY)
Roger Edwards – Lt (Supply) (1960s Met, 1970s officer)
? Bell – Lt (Pilot) 1960s
SPUD – Cdr (Observer) (61 – 69 met then flying till 1995).
Rosie Locke – at least 2nd Officer WRNS 1960s Met - 70s officer.
Liz Walmsley – Cdr RN (was the senior female serving at sea when on HMS DARING 2007/9) 1978/85 Met, then officer till 2012.

I suspect that many more wrens were commissioned because there was no direct entry route - they joined as wren rating then commissioned when qualified and passed Admiralty Interview Board.

If I have erred in my list I apologise but there is really no way to track so I have trawled the course photos in the hope they would jog my memory.

In going through the photos I noticed (unrelated to above) a pic of David Philpot in Course No 1/79 dressed as a four ring Captain but in all subsequent phots dressed as a Commander ! (…. wonder - did he fail the ‘frothy’ coffee making test … !!!)

Finally - a bit more for this rainy day ….

Confucius did Not say ……

Man who wants pretty nurse must be patient.
Passionate kiss, like spider web, leads to undoing of fly.
Lady who goes camping with man must beware of evil intent.
Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.

End