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Xmas a time of good cheer and copious quantities of alcohol! Well that’s how ‘Jolly Jack’ does it. It’s New years eve 1984 – on board HMS Yarmouth on patrol in the South Atlantic. It’s rough weather and the ship is rocking and rolling. No matter! It’s Xmas – down to the mess for a few tinnies…. Continue reading Heard the one about the glaswegian and the scouser at Xmas….? 
We escorted HMS Plymouth and HMS Glasgow to Ascension island today. The Plymouth looks a right state – not surprising given the hammering they have been through. My counterpart on the Plymouth is George Peddie – a real salty old sea dog if ever there was one! George invites me on board to take a look around. What a mess!…. Continue reading Near miss…..! 
By dogs, of course, I mean salty sea dogs. Surely, they can’t get seasick – well, they can! Certainly, when I joined the Leeds Castle for my ‘jolly’ to the Falklands it took me a little time to get my sea legs…. Continue reading Do dogs get seasick……..? 
We came alongside the jetty at Grytviken yesterday and spent the day shifting stores – that’s what we do! Of course, Grytviken and Leith is where this conflict kicked off. It was on the 26th April that South Georgia was retaken with the help of the Plymouth and Antrim – the Argentinians didn’t like their fire power at all…. Continue reading Grytviken………….. 
Well, here we are, steaming from ascension to the TEZ with more supplies to deliver throughout the fleet. The Leeds Castle from the superstructure to aft is all flight deck – this probably accounts for half of the length of the ship. Pretty big for a ship of this size…. Continue reading Leaning…… 
1982 in the TEZ, South Atlantic. Well, I’m back were I started these ramblings – I’m in the crows nest again – taking the middle watch duty (midnight to 0400). Again I’m up here keeping lookout for signs of enemy aircraft. A pretty boring, but necessary job. I continually scan the horizon looking for tell tale signs of aircraft above…. Continue reading Is it a bird, is it a plane….? 
We are again in the TEZ and spend the day transferring stores to RFA Fort Grange. This was to prove quite an eventful day. The weather was very cold and the seas a little choppy, but not too bad. The flight deck is covered with a thick sheet of ice, making moving stores extremely difficult – however, we press on…. Continue reading Anyone for a dip…….? 
My last draft before leaving the branch was to Portsmouth. The NBCD (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence) School at HMS Phoenix. It was here that we instructed all branches in these cheery subjects. The clue is in the name!…. Continue reading Dr Death…………….. 
Now an LMA (Leading Medical Assistant), serving at the Royal Navy airbase that is Portland (another since closed, sadly). I have always been a keen sportsman and have played many sports over the years – some more enthusiastically than others. I used to be a winger in the school rugby team, being a bit nippy back then…. Continue reading Rugby – a star is born? 
So here I am – at HMS Raleigh leadership school, some time during 1975, I think. Leadership school, does what it says in the title. Creates leaders of men – right then – here we go!…. Continue reading Where the hell are we? | ||||||
