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          Plymouth Weather Forecast,

                     United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

  19 February.  BBC News - Largs Bay docks in Haiti with supplies

15 February.   RFAA REUNION 2010. See Future Events for news. 

                         BOOKING NOW OPEN    Download Booking Form


  13 February.  Pingat Jasa Malaysia.

Two Plymouth Branch members, Peter Waters and Terry Vincent were among the 160 South-West Veterans, presented with this medal at a ceremony in Plymouth on February 12th.       The event, at the Holiday Inn, was organised by Mike Warren of the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association (NMBVA).

Before making the presentation, Brigadier-General Dato Tajri Alwi, the Malaysian Military Attache, recounted that he had now made some 12,000 awards and now that new supplies were available would continue until all the applications were fulfilled.

  (click to enlarge)

 Peter served in RFA Eddyrock which operated in Tawau, Sabah in 1964 and later in RFA Orangeleaf. Terry served in RFA Tidereach in 1964-5. 

The PJM  is a commemorative medal which the Government of Malaysia would like to award to eligible British citizens, for their service in Malaya or Malaysia between 31August 1957 and 12 August 1966. Further details may be obtained from the Veterans Agency  http://www.veterans-uk.info/medals/pingat.html  or from the RFA Association.

From HQ - I spoke to Mike Warren of the NMBVA a couple of days ago and he explained that the situation was coming to a conclusion and that all veterans would be contacted very shortly for the pesentation of their medals, I was expecting an email from him to publish in detail the current state of play but it has not arrived yet.The essence of this details is, as I have already mentioned, that everybody who has applied and has been declared eligible would be called forward BUT, he is quite convinced that some names have, for various reasons, gone missing from his database. If you hav'nt been contacted regarding a presentation ceremony please telephone him on 01253 318239, his phone is very busy arranging these presentations at the moment so keep trying or by email at  mikewarren44(at)yahoo.com and he will check that your name does appear on his database. Also, if your telephone number has changed since your application was made do get in touch with him as that is the only way of contacting you.


3 February.

Minister to meet angry union over fleet support cuts
Portsmouth News
By Matt Jackson Defence minister Kevan Jones has agreed to meet union leaders to talk about the review of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. ...
See all stories on this topic


2 February.

£20m aid on its way to help disaster-hit Haiti
Portsmouth News
Her presence was requested by the United Nations and came after The News reported how RFA Fort George had been removed from the Caribbean to cut costs. ...

15 January.  "RFA CUTS". The Times names the "predators"  HERE  Nothing much new!


15 December.  The Christmas Gunline is HERE


12 December. Wave Knight Incident. The Mail now blames the Defence Secretary -

                 Bob 'the bungler' Ainsworth blew TWO chances to save couple held by pirates | Mail Online


9 December.  Paranoia breaks out in the Portsmouth News  Fury as Royal Navy uses aircraft carrier to supply warship


8 December.                         Union issues rallying call to save Royal Fleet Auxiliary - Portsmouth Today


6 December. The Independent puts a price on "RFA Cuts"  Navy supply fleet 'to be privatised', as MoD seeks £200m cuts.


5 December.  Another book is brewing.    

Grey Rover, A History of Service    
 

Article by Chief Officer Chris Locke

On a grey and overcast day in October RFA GREY ROVER finally succumbed to her inevitable fate and passed the Round Tower for the last time.

This had been the third attempt at towing the ship to Liverpool for re-cycling; the first cancelled at the very last moment by the tug Captain due to his sudden concerns over weather conditions and the second, new tug and new skipper, due to surveyor’s concerns with towing arrangements.  So it was at 1450 on 14th October 2009 that Grey Rover finally slipped her moorings under tow from the tug Braveheart for the four day tow to Canada Dock in Liverpool.

Many would say that the breakers yard came too early for such a fine ship and there was ‘life left in the old girl yet’.  A true statement perhaps, although with the ever increasing stringent regulations concerning Single Hull Tankers significant alteration and modernisation to the ship would have been necessary.  However, it is worth mentioning that during her decommissioning and preps for disposal she was prepared for a Government to Government sale for use by another navy and not for scrapping.

The purpose of this article is to sound out amongst the many who sailed onboard Grey Rover if there is enough interest and material to write a small book about the ship, and more importantly about the crews that sailed and lived aboard her.  The book would also cover the re-cycling process, a fascinating area particularly pictorially.

Most people have heard of stories from famous ships like Victory, Hood or Endurance however, this would be the story of just an ordinary ship and her crew and an account of life at sea and how it changed during the 36 years of her service.
If you (either retired or still serving) have sailed in Grey Rover or been associated with the ship and would be prepared to forward anecdotal stories and accounts, which could then be woven into the ship’s history I would be pleased to hear from you.  A fine example I already know about is Grey Rover meeting a Russian Foxtrot Class submarine on an Easter Sunday in the Faeroes Iceland Gap. Other stories include a passage through the Beagle Channel and around Cape Horn and more recently, drug seizures in the Caribbean, all of which would have a place within the pages of such a book.  However, recollections of happy memories on the ship or other experiences which are less dramatic but perhaps give more flavour of life on board such as the account of a past Captain who joined Grey Rover as his first ship in the RFA as a Junior Officer and has fond memories of those early days.  Shipboard life memories might include barbeques on the flight deck or experiencing stormy seas in the South Atlantic.


If you would like to contribute to the Grey Rover story then please contact me at   thegreyroverbook@googlemail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it     The more pictures the better.


 

28 November.  An on the record statement by 1SL re the Wave Knight  - HERE


25 November.   We regret to report that Member Phil Burman has Crossed the Bar.

           Funeral details HERE       


21 November.  An Account of the Wave Knight incident from the First Sea Lord

        Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope ‘frustrated’ that couple were not rescued from pirates - Times Online


   14 November.  The new book is on the streets.

   


13 November.  Wave Knight in the news  Royal Navy looked on as pirates took Brits | The Sun |News

  and as you might expect, a fuller account HERE - Telegraph      


12 November.   Save the RFA

                                   http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/save-the-RFA/


7 November.  

  From the Portsmouth Evening News  -  Write to your MP!!   WriteToThem - Email or fax  MP, MEP, MSP  for free

.................................................................................................................................................................................

Navy workers' fears over RFA jobs

Published Date: 06 November 2009
 
THOUSANDS of navy workers are fighting for their jobs as the force prepares to cut its auxiliary staff, The News can reveal.
At a special meeting in Portsmouth, shocked employees were told the entire Royal Fleet Auxiliary could be replaced by private workers and vessels.
The RFA flotilla is the lifeline of the navy, delivering fuel, food, stores and ammunition to warships in both peace and wartime.

Workers were told that heavy pressure from the Treasury had forced the Ministry of Defence to show it can cut costs across the board.
The navy believes it can save millions by swapping civil servants and MoD vessels for private alternatives – available more readily during the recession.
But RFA sources say the move is a 'short-term suicide' that would rob the navy of centuries of experience on the front line.

A serving RFA worker, who was at the meeting at navy headquarters on Whale Island in Portsmouth, said: 'It's absolutely shocking. I couldn't believe the scope of what was being outlined.
'We knew that there were tough times ahead, but they told us we've got a couple of months to make a case.

'There are thousands of workers who now have to fight for their jobs in the run-up to Christmas.'

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who sits on the Commons defence committee, said it would be 'completely detrimental to the navy's ability to do its job'.
'I'm fully behind the RFA because they have decades of experience and they know what it takes to work well while under pressure of warfare,' he said.
'If you had private companies doing this job you would have the taxpayer shelling out premiums if they ever faced risk.

'It's something that they think will make a quick win, but it's really clutching at straws.'

More details are expected to emerge in two to three months' time, when the MoD review is prepared for a pre-budget report.

A Royal Navy spokesman based at Whale Island, Portsmouth, said: 'We will be undertaking a value-for-money review of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
'We are continually looking at how we can maximise the benefit that we obtain from the resources that are given to us and this review is part of that activity.'

...................................................................................................................................................................
 
  COMRFA's message about this review may be seen on the RFA Community Website.


25 October.    

         

    The Alternative RFA Calendar 2010 

 

 

 


  Video of MN Day London 2009  HERE


15 October.                                            Order your Christmas Cards  HERE

 

 

 


 

  Another petition for your consideration.   http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/HMS-Sultan/

   Please support this petition. This is a Naval electrical and electronic Training centre used by my colleagues to attain their excellence in military systems maintenance. HMS Sultan is conveniently based in Gosport - only a short distance from Portsmouth dockyard, where Royal Fleet Auxiliary systems engineers are inducted into the service.  Mike/Rupert Hannen


24 September.    Get ready for Remembrance 

        Medal Holder
         Pin your medal bar to the two loops at the top and stick the holder into your top pocket.

         No need to pin the medal bar directly to your clothes.

         Yours for £5.50p plus £1.00p postage and packing. Click here

          Also available from the RFA Online Shop   


9 September.  Smoking at Sea

     Whether or not you approve of smoking, if you believe that grown-ups should have the freedom to make their own decisions,

        you may wish to support this petition to the Prime Minister.

      Petition to: Allow British sailors to smoke on ships if they want to. | Number10.gov.uk


6 August.  RFA Memorial Appeal Sitrep  - HERE


4 June.   The Association Accounts and Annual Report may be viewed HERE  


26 May.  RFA ART   A new page for paintings & drawings.     

 


23 May. From HQ Website. 

The RFA Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum is back in the news.

The National Memorial

 Following discussions with COMRFA the trustees have decided that the Association will fund the "Real Estate" for the RFA memorial at the National Memorial Arbotetum. The plan is for the Association to make the payment in advance from central funds and then seek donations from members to restore the bank balance.

The RFA Memorial will be focused on an anchor and chain (currently being prepared at Cammel Lairds Birkenhead) with a Memorial Stone, the wording of this has yet to be decided coupled with a flagpole (or should it be an ensign staff) to fly the RFA Ensign over the site.

The cost of this venture, which was formally announced at this year's Reunion in Liverpool, and  from the Association's point of view is £1800, not a lot of money to recognise the deeds, exploits and sacrifice of so many RFA seafarers.

The fund currently stands at £100 so there is £1700 to go, there is no end date for donations and I will keep this figure up to date on this page. If you would like to make a donation to the appeal please send your cheque, endorsed on the back "The RFA Memorial Appeal" to The RFA Association, this will ring fence the money to the appeal. I will close this appeal after the £1800 has been raised. RFA Association, PO Box 52 Barnard Castle DL12 2BA


 

2 April.   Defence Discount Directory


24 March.     Future Reunions      


18 February.  The National Website has been upgraded. Same address - http://www.rfa-association.org