Patron: Captain P. J. Walker CBE RN

ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE OFFICERS’ CLUB

LIVERPOOL

SEA URCHINS

President: Lieutenant Commander A D Muncer RD RNR

September 2017 Newsletter

Circulated by Brian Williams, Hon Secretary. Tel: 01939 234198

email [email protected]

www.rnrofficersclubliverpool.org

President’s Opening Message.

For those of you who are not on email and may not know, we are very saddened to advise that, since the last newsletter, four of our long serving and stalwart members are no longer with us. They were held in high esteem and we are proud they were our colleagues for so long. Our sympathies are with their families. For the three who regularly attended our lunches and events, we include biographies below.

President’s Picnic.

Tony and his wife Susan held the traditional President’s Picnic on Saturday 17 th June 2017 on board the SS Daniel Adamson berthed at Acton Bridge on the River Weaver.

Fortunately, the weather on the day was glorious. With the picnic held under awnings and a gentle breeze one couldn’t have asked for a better venue or location. For a few intrepid members, the President showed them around the engine room explaining the intricacies of the 114 year old main engines!!

Ladies Summer Invitation Lunch

The monthly lunch on Wednesday July 15th was an occasion when members welcomed their wives or partners to join them. From the kind and enthusiastic remarks from ladies present, it was much appreciated and is set to be a regular event in our annual social calendar. It certainly will be if my partner Maureen has her say in the matter and I am instructed to express her appreciation of the occasion! 2 Lt Cdr Geoff Jones RNR

We have a member whose last known address was in Houston USA. For some time we have been unable to contact him by e-mail or letter so both have presumably changed. His annual subscription continues to be paid by bank transfer from a UK account. If any other Sea Urchin knows of Geoff’s contact details, I should be grateful if they would let me know.

Commodore Phil Waterhouse, Royal Navy.

Commodore Phil Waterhouse, who earlier this year took up office as Naval Regional Commander Northern England and the Isle of Man, has accepted the President’s invitation of Honorary Membership of the Sea Urchins and had hoped to lunch with us on July 13th. However he was unable to be with us due to other duties and now hopes to lunch with us in October, together with our Honorary Member, Dame Lorna, and her husband Mr Muirhead.

Captain James Whyte Harris RD RNR and the Silver Sea Urchin!

Sounds intriguing doesn’t it! We have recently received e-mail correspondence from Mrs Lindsay Faith who is researching the life of her grandfather who is known to have been a founder member of the Sea Urchins and our second President and who passed away in the late 1930’s. She has a silver sea urchin dated 1934 which is believed to have been presented to her grandfather and she is seeking more information about both her grandfather and the sea urchin. The President and Bob Evans are both “on the case” but anyone with personal knowledge of Captain Harris, who might have cast light on the sea urchin, will have long “crossed the Bar”.

Newspaper announcement in 1928.

Captain Janes Whyte Harris, R.N.R., marine superintendent of the Booth Line, Liverpool, who, as announced in the August 8th 1928 issue of Modern Transport, has been appointed chief marine superintendent of the London and Midland and Scottish Railway, was born at Glasgow on October 3, 1880. In 1900, after serving for five years, first as apprentice and later as third mate, in the sailing ships of J. and A. Roxburgh, of Glasgow, he joined the Red Cross Line, of Liverpool, as third officer, and was transferred to the Booth Line when that fleet was taken over in the following year. In 1904, after passing his Board of Trade examination for extra master (sail) he went to sea as chief officer in the mail and passenger service of the Booth Line, while from 1909 to l9l3, having previously passed the Board of Trade voluntary examination in steam, he commanded several of the company’s vessels, including the mail steamships Ambrose, Antony and Hilary. From 19l3 to l914 he was assistant marine superintendent at Liverpool. On the outbreak of war, having been an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve since June 1898, he joined the Royal Navy, serving as Lieut.-Commander in command with the Grand Fleet and at the Dardanelles, following which he was demobilised for special service at New York, where he acted from 1916 to l9l8 as marine superintendent for the Booth Line and the Blue Funnel Line. In l9l8 he was recalled to Liverpool to become marine superintendent of the Booth Line, which position he continued to hold up to the time of his new appointment. Captain Harris, re-joined Mersey Division of the Reserve in 1918 and was promoted Commander RNR in l922 and Captain in 1927. He is a warden of the court of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, a Younger Brother of Trinity House, and an associate of the Institution of Naval Architects.

Sub Lieutenant (A) Jack Thomas RNVR:

The passing of Jack Thomas earlier this summer was notified by e-mail to members.

Jack was a member for many years of the Mersey Group of the Fleet Air Arm Association and had been a Sea Urchins’ Committee member since the Group joined us in September 2004. You may recall in previous newsletters Jack was awarded the Arctic Star just prior to the 70th Anniversary of BoA and last year the Ushakov Medal for services on Arctic Convoys. In October last year, to mark the 75th Anniversary of the first Arctic Convoy to sail from Britain to Russia, Jack was invited to attend a reception at Liverpool Town Hall alongside the First Sea Lord. Persuaded afterwards to venture to the river he witnessed a low-level flypast by Swordfish from the Royal Navy Historic Flight. Swordfish W5856, which Jack flew during World War 2, was in the flypast and tilted its wings in salute. Dan Snow, who interviewed Jack during the BoA 70th Anniversary, sent a tribute to the President which was forwarded to Jack’s family. A Fleet Air Arm Tribute to Jack.

From the outset it was clear that Jack Thomas embodied the spirit of a determined naval aviator. In the midst of World War 2, whilst still a 17 year old cadet with Durham Air Training Corps, he volunteered to be a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. Underage for service, he had to endure a year long wait before starting basic naval training at HMS Daedalus in Lee-on-Solent, but once this was completed he was able to begin his Fleet Air Arm journey in earnest.

The elementary flying phase took place at HMS Sealand, where he was taught to fly De Havilland Tiger Moths under the watchful eyes of RAF instructors. He then travelled to the States and onwards to Canada to fly North American Harvards at Kingston in Ontario: a route that is not dissimilar to that of the fast jet aviators of today’s Fleet Air Arm. On completion of this course he was awarded his flying badge, a major milestone in any aviator’s career. From here on, Jack had an adventure filled career as a naval aviator, with anecdotes aplenty. What he described as his first “aviation incident” occurred whilst at the controls of a Harvard in Canada. He had been cleared to land with another training aircraft already positioned on the runway, which he was unable to see due to his curved approach profile. Thankfully, major mishap was averted as he landed short of the other aircraft, though he was unable to avoid his propeller hitting the tail of the aircraft in front as he brought his aircraft to a stop.

Recognising this early prowess for achieving safe landings in adversity, the Fleet Air Arm took advantage of this natural ability and employed Jack as a Deck Landing Officer in the latter part of his naval career. Whilst serving in this role in the Merchant Vessel Empire MacKendrik, he was responsible for facilitating 200 odd landings without a single accident – a truly outstanding achievement. Earning him a place in history as a pioneer in early carrier aviation both as a pilot and as a Deck Landing Officer. A rare accolade indeed.

Perhaps one of his most significant postings was flying the legendary Swordfish aircraft, in which many of his “aviation incidents” took place. These included dealing with an engine failure over the sea, though he was thankfully able to avoid ditching the aircraft as low tide allowed a beach landing alternative. On another occasion, he nursed a Swordfish back to his ship, following a collision with a flock of seagulls that had inflicted serious damage on the propeller. He even had an incident following a safe landing on a ship. Having achieved the difficult bit by neatly touching down on the deck of HMS Argus, the arrester hook failed to catch a wire and he careered into the crash barrier.

Despite these mishaps, there was at least one Swordfish which escaped unscathed! Of particular poignancy is his piloting of the Swordfish with tail number W5856, which is the Swordfish still flown today by the Royal Navy Historic Flight. On 13th June 1995 Jack had the opportunity to fly in this very same aircraft. Fifty years after his last flight, it was fitting for Jack to take to the skies once again in his beloved Swordfish. I’m pleased to report that on this particular occasion, there were no more “aviation incidents”.

Jack’s determination, skill and courage were key tenets of his time in the Royal Navy and the Fleet Air Arm. He was very proud of his service with the Fleet Air Arm and the Fleet Air Arm is very proud that he chose to serve with them. 5 Lt Cdr Peter Trevallion RD** RNR We were notified of the death of Peter in early August and funeral details in Oxford were circulated by e-mail. Charles Brookes writes:-

All in the Sea Urchins who knew him, and that means a great number of us who served with him in the Division, were saddened at the passing of Peter from cancer diagnosed as recently as May. He had come regularly from his home near Oxford to be at Sea Urchins events and had attended the BOA Dinner we held in early March this year. In his civilian life he had worked in the nuclear industry at Harwell and Risley and was a specialist in tribology. As can be seen from the two bars to his RD, he had a long career in the Reserve at Mersey Division. I recall that he was in the Seaman branch in 1973 when I did Vermex in Mersey with him. He was Squadron Training Officer for six ships. By 1979 he had transferred to the Naval Control of Shipping branch and was also in charge of the Chart Room and all corrections as Divisional Navigator. He retired in about 1985.

Lt Cdr David Knight Royal Navy

We were notified of the death of David Knight in late August who, until a few months ago was a regular attender at our lunches and other events. Bob Evans writes:- He joined HMS NORFOLK as a Midshipman RN on 23rd October 1944 and mainly operated off Norway. In his Journal he describes the liberation of Bergen and Trondheim and later carried the Norwegian Royal Family home to Oslo. Then there was Malta with the hulls of the ships lost, including the famous Ohio. Next came the Far East to Java and such places where he observed the execution of looters and much violence. His service in HMS CARYSFORT as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant was brief as he came home via Trincomalee and Singapore and Gibraltar. He became an hydrographer and served mainly in HMS OWEN off Nigeria, South and East Africa and the Gulf. David retired from the RN in 1958 and joined the MDHB in Liverpool as an Assistant Marine Surveyor and Water Bailiff. I met him in 1961 when I took over the Mersey Mission to Seamen. In 1970 he was Marine Operations Manager and became in 1983 the Harbour Master and Project Manager in Saudi. He returned for two years at Liverpool University as a Research Fellow often working in the Outer Hebrides. His final task was Inspector of the Upper Mersey and claimed that he never quite knew what that meant!

His wife died in 1996 and he leaves two children and their families ... Liz and Rob.

He became a Sea Urchin in 1958 which probably meant that he was our longest serving member. We spent many holidays together and he is sorely missed.

May he be at peace.

Lt Cdr John Cox MBE BEM RNR (CCF)

We have recently been notified of the death of our member John Cox.

He had a distinguished civilian career, with the unusual distinction of being awarded both the MBE and the British Empire Medal (BEM). He was in charge of the Birkenhead School CCF RN Section for some years. We are told that he originally met his wife Gill, who was in the Wrens, at Eaglet. 6

New Book – Life in the Tons

The President has had the following communication from our member, Bob Barclay.

Hello Tony, Following our conversation, I have pleasure in enclosing the poster for Life in the Tons. Any of our Sea Urchins ordering the book should state on their letter that they are members or SU and their price will be same as that for members of Ton Class Association. £11.50.

Life in the TONs An anthology of reminiscences about service in the Mine Sweepers and Mine Hunters of the TON Class that were Britain’s front line of defence against the sea mine during most of 1950’s - 90’s.

The TON Class Association has produced this book to mark its 30th Anniversary and as a companion to the two books produced for their 25th Anniversary; ”Jacks of All Trades” and “Last of the Wooden Walls”. This trilogy completes the definitive history of the TON Class of Mine Counter Measures Vessels. The little wooden–hulled TONs derived their minesweeping equipment and tactics from the trawlers and Fleet Minesweepers of both World Wars but they also pioneered the electronic technology of the GRP– hulled Minehunters operational in many of today’s navies. The TONs way of life has passed into history, but the spirit of this “navy within a navy” continues in the current Mine Warfare specialists of the Royal Navy. The project of three books was conceived by the late Stan Hudson, who collected stories from TCA members of all ranks and specialisations. Stan’s materials have been augmented by entries from the Facebook page Tonclassmcmvs, TCA’s website www.tca2000.co.uk and photos from TCA’s Archives. The stories, told in the sailors’ own words, relate their experiences and feelings, in home waters and overseas, under a variety of themes including:- Daily Working Routine, Food, Rig of the Day, Accidents and Emergencies, Runs Ashore, Action Stations, Mine Hunting, Sports and Off Watch, Family Life, and Pride in the Job.

The inclusion of the views of some TCA Wives might be seen as a bold innovation for the traditional genre of “mariners’ memoirs”.

The book also includes what is believed to be the first detailed description in the public domain of Operation Harling – the investigation of mysterious explosions and sinkings in the Red Sea in 1984 which resulted in the discovery and recovery of a previously unknown type of mine, with some pointers to the not-so-innocent merchant ship which may have laid them. Comprising 165 A4 pages in a softback cover, with 77 illustrations, 30 of which are in colour, and a Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales, TCA’s Patron, who commanded the TON HMS Bronington in 1976, the book is intended as a tribute to all who served in TON Class vessels. It is a light hearted view of a lifestyle that was cramped, uncomfortable and occasionally dangerous. Nonetheless TONs were the favourite ship of many who served in them.

Life in the TONs (ISBN 978-0-9570588-2-8) is available from booksellers or direct from TCA Stores Officer on 023 923 65729. Price £11.50 inc Post and Packing.

An exciting compendium of stories of little ships and the men who served in them in peace and at war. For further details contact TCA Secretary, Peter Down at [email protected] 7 Future Events St Georges Hall Organ Recital

As a members and friends group outing, the Social Secretary would like to invite members to a Lunchtime Organ Recital on Tuesday 10 October 2017 by Prof Ian Tracy, on the mighty Willis Organ of St Georges Hall from 1245 to 1330 to be followed by a light lunch at the new Chy Chinese Restaurant on Renshaw Street [2 courses of light, tasty Euro-Chinese food £6.95]. Recital is £2.50 - pay the hall on the day, names to MNB by email/Tel so restaurant can be warned. Email [email protected] or Tel 0151 932 1896

Annual Dinner

The Annual Dinner will take place on Friday 24th November 2017 at Naval Headquarters. Full details are on the application form at the end of this circular. The Principle Guest is hoped to be the new Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell DL and his wife. The President has had his invitation to the lieutenancy office acknowledged. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, and Lady Mayoress Liliana Kennedy have graciously accepted.

The President’s Guest of Honour will be Commodore Martin Quinn ADC BA(Hons), MA, FCIS, FIoD Royal Naval Reserve, who is Commander Maritime Reserves. A brief history of his career is shown below. Martin Quinn was appointed Commander of the Maritime Reserves in April 2016 and is responsible for the organisation, development and capability delivery of the Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Marines Reserve. Martin joined the Royal Navy in the early 1980’s as a Weapons Engineer but later became a Logistics Officer. He spent part of his early career in Northern Ireland on Operation Banner. He later served as the Assistant Secretary to the Captain of the Royal Naval Engineering College Manadon, before qualifying as a Submariner at HMS DOLPHIN. He joined the 10th Submarine Squadron and spent a number of highly enjoyable years as the Supply Officer in three Polaris class submarines, HMS RENOWN, REVENGE, and RESOLUTION, in which he completed long deterrent patrols. In 1994 he was appointed to the staff of the Senior Naval Officer Northern Ireland (SNONI), once again on Operation Banner, and then served as a Special Projects Officer for FOSNNI based in Belfast. He subsequently became the Royal Navy’s first Regional Business Manager based in Northern Ireland, and he served there until retiring at the end of his commission in 2003. After entering into a civilian career in the Public Sector, he rejoined the Royal Navy as a Reservist in the Media Operations Specialisation. He undertook assignments in the UK and overseas in the USA, Malta and Norway, and he deployed to Sierra 8 Leone on an operational tour. In 2008 he was appointed Head of the Media Operations Specialisation. A few months later he was mobilised to Afghanistan on Op Herrick 8, where he worked for the Commander of NATO ISAF and Coalition Forces at HQ ISAF, Kabul. On promotion to Commander in 2009 he assumed command of HMS CAROLINE, Belfast’s Royal Naval Reserve Unit. He oversaw the historic vessel’s decommissioning in 2011 and became the first Commanding Officer of HMS HIBERNIA, the new RNR Unit based in Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn. Promoted to Captain in 2011, he took up a new role in Navy Command Headquarters as Captain Reserve Force Generation. In 2013 he was appointed Captain (Regions) South and produced the Maritime Reserve capability requirement statement for the Future Reserves 2020 study. He was seconded back to the Royal Navy to work full time as Deputy Commander Maritime Reserves, and on selection for promotion to Commodore he assumed Command of the Maritime Reserve in April 2016. Twice a graduate of the University of Ulster, Martin is a Chartered Secretary and a Chartered Director and is a Fellow of both institutions. Martin is married to Maria, a civil servant. His hobbies include travel, watching rugby and cooking.

Trafalgar Night, HMS Eaglet Trafalgar Night Dinner, Saturday October 21st 2017.

The Eaglet Trafalgar Dinner will take place on Saturday October 21st in Naval Headquarters. All Sea Urchins are invited to his year’s Trafalgar Dinner, which happily falls on the exact anniversary. The cost is as yet unknown. The President and myself and our ladies will be attending and any Sea Urchins who would wish to dine should e-mail or phone me with their interest and I will arrange for them to receive details as soon as they are available.

Royal Marines Band Concert The band of the Royal Marines Portsmouth will give a concert at the Philharmonic Hall on Saturday 30th September in aid of Naval charities. All seat reservations have to be purchased direct from the booking office at the Philharmonic Hall.

Wardroom Dinner March 9 th 2018 Dinner in the Wardroom to Dine Out the President prior to the AGM the following Wednesday. Partners will be invited. Details in the next newsletter at Christmas but please put the date in your next year’s diary!

Christmas Lunch 13 th December Our Christmas lunch will again be with partners invited. The price will be £20 to include Port afterwards.

Lunch Arrangements Because of his long standing relations with the caterers, the President has agreed to continue to be the contact with them for luncheon attendance. As previously requested please contact him no later than noon on the Monday before the luncheon either by email [email protected] or telephone 0151 334 8393. If he is not available then please leave a message on the answer phone. He only needs to hear from those of you on the Standing List who cannot attend, or those not on the Standing List who wish to attend. We want to encourage as many members and guests as possible to attend therefore kindly note that you are more than welcome to bring a guest to our lunches. Please let us know some details of your guest so that we can introduce them to our members. The luncheon cost remains the same, at £18. If by any chance you are unable to get through to Tony or leave a message, then please contact the caterers, Martins. on 01695 578467.

Members on the current Standing List are:

D Allen, C Barnes, J Billington, M Booth, T Brown, D Campbell, T Cioma, J Cosker, J Coxon, T Cunningham, J Eyre, J Felice, A Gatt, J Glover, G Griffiths, D Howel, C Jeans, G McGarry, D Marks, A Muncer, R Owen, L Peffers, P Russ, R Settle, A Walker, P Walker, R Walker, and B Williams.

Club ties

Club ties at a cost of £10.00 including postage are available through the Hon. Secretary. My contact details are at the head of this newsletter.

Website

The following link will take you straight to it:- www.rnrofficersclubliverpool.org . Hopefully all members on email are now able to access the Club’s website, including the Members’ Area, with their username and password. If not, then please let me know as soon as convenient. The Members’ Area includes contact details of all our members. Members are requested to check the Posts page of the website frequently for new information.

10 The Naval Club, Mayfair, London

A reminder and advice to all members that the Sea Urchins are affiliated to the Naval Club in London. There is no charge for this affiliation and it continues without renewal. This affiliation allows our members to use the Naval Club accommodation without paying a subscription to the Naval Club. Such use of the Club, which is situated at 38 Hill Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5NS, is welcomed and provisional reservations can be made to the Manager on 0207 493 7672 or through their web site www.navalclub.co.uk . Members will have to confirm their reservation by including a letter obtained from me confirming that they are member of the Sea Urchins. I can provide such a letter as and when requested.

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Application Form Sea Urchins 96 th Annual Dinner

To: Mr M N Booth, Beach House, 14 Endsleigh Road, Brighton-le-Sands, Liverpool, L22 6QQ

Email [email protected] or Tel 0151 932 1896

I wish to attend the Annual Dinner on Friday 24 November 2017.

I enclose my cheque for ...... Tickets @ £45.00 each.

My guests(s) will be (please give Rank, Title, First Name, Surname and Decorations)

......

Dietary Requirements ......

Signed......

Print Name...... Tickets will be forwarded early November. Cheques should be made payable to ‘RNR Officers’ Club, Liverpool’ and will not be cashed until 19th November 2017. Rig of the day will be Mess Undress or Black Tie and Miniatures.

To save on postage, could we ask you to enclose a self-stamped addressed envelope for the return of the tickets.