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Hello again. Please note that I am due to have a pacemaker
fitted on 13 November and I will be out of action after that for a week or so.
TRAFALGAR NIGHT
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER
Forty eight members and guests attended Trafalgar Night,
held at the TA Centre, Dyke Road on Saturday 18 October. This was the first
formal dinner since the death of Don Bairdow, whose passing was marked by a
brief period of silence before the meal began. As Don would doubtless have
wished, everyone, including our official guests, Commodore Mike Mansergh and
his wife Julia, greatly enjoyed themselves, with much laughter and animated
conversation. John Stoy presided in fine fashion and proposed the toast to the
Guests, to which Eileen Taylor gave a charming reply; John Woods proposed the
toast to Absent Friends, and Commodore Mansergh proposed the Immortal Memory
with wit and style.
LUNCH/LECTURE 15
NOVEMBER
The speaker at our next
function will be one of our members, Captain Philip Sherwin. His subject will
be The
Trimaran Hull for a Future Frigate - a Case Study in Naval Research.
This topic reflects Philip's career in the Navy, much of which was spent
working in research, at the Mod and at DERA (used to be ASWE). He intends to
give some background into how naval research is conducted and then major on
the Trimaran research vessel, Triton,
as an example. In view of the enormous cost of today's warships, this should
make for a fascinating presentation.
Bookings should be sent to John Woods by Monday
10 November.
PROGRAMME FOR 2008
The date of Friday 5 December is confirmed for the 2008
President's Evening. Further details from the Social Secretary.
PROGRAMME FOR 2009
Here is the provisional
programme for next year.
|
Event |
Date |
|
Lunch/Lecture |
Sat 7 February 2009 |
|
AGM/Lunch/Lecture |
Sat 14 March 2009 |
|
Annual Dinner |
Sat 25 April 2009 |
|
Lunch/Lecture |
Sat 30 May 2009 |
|
Visit |
To be advised |
|
Barbecue |
Sat 18 July 2009 |
|
Ladies Lunch |
Sat 12 September 2009 |
|
Trafalgar Night Dinner |
Sat 24 October 2009 |
|
Lunch/Lecture |
Sat 14 November 2009 |
|
President's Evening |
Friday 4 November 2009 |
Please let the Secretary or any member of the
Committee know your views.
CAPTAIN D T L BAIRDOW BA VRD* RNR
Ian Wright has written the
following tribute. Donald Bairdow was born in February 1927 in South Wales and
grew up there in the shadow of the Depression and the looming prospect of war.
His first connection with the Royal Navy came when he joined the Sea Cadets;
he joined the Royal Navy as a rating shortly afterwards. After the end of the
war he left the RN to go to Cardiff University where he took a BA degree. He
then, rather surprisingly for someone who always seemed thoroughly “dark
blue”, did his National Service in the RAF, learning to fly Meteors, Britain's
first jet fighter. On leaving the RAF, several important events shaped his
life: the most important took place in London in July 1957 when he married
Eleanor. Their marriage, and their sons, Martyn and David, and the rest of
their family, provided Don with the strength and support that he needed to
have such a full personal and professional life. Around this time he began his
career in retail management, joining Marks and Spencer after a short period
with another retailer. He served with great distinction in a number of stores
until he became the manager of their Sutton store where he stayed until he
retired at the age of 60. Don joined the RNR in South Wales in the mid 1950s
as a Seaman Officer. As he moved to different parts of the country pursuing
his M & S career, he served in a number of establishments including London
Division. During this time he qualified as a CO and went on to command a
number of HM Ships, most notably HMS GLASSERTON when it escorted RY BRITANNIA
when HM the Queen Mother was installed as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in
1979. Don was the best kind of RNR officer, not only in his qualities as a
person but also in how his business life and his RNR life interacted together.
In both existences he quickly grasped the essentials of a problem and
communicated the solution in clear, decisive fashion. His final job in the RNR
was as CO of HMS SUSSEX. Had his abilities been properly recognised, he should
have been promoted Commodore, the most senior rank attainable by a Reserve
officer. However, internal RNR politics dictated that the promotion went
elsewhere. He had the consolation and great honour of being appointed an Aide
de Camp to HM the Queen. He joined SANO's predecessor organisation in 1980,
becoming our fourth President in 1996. In that role he showed his great depth
of character: he was sensible, yet fun to be with; enthusiastic about
everything he did, yet shrewd in his judgements of what should be done; tough
minded, yet warm hearted. Above all, he was a great leader who could see
the“big picture”, yet who got on well with everyone, whether an Admiral, a
Managing Director, a shop assistant or an AB. Don's passing leaves a gap in
our lives that cannot be filled.
MEMBERSHIP
NEWS
We are delighted to welcome two
former members of HMS SUSSEX, Mike Parrish and Roger Felgate. Mike attended
Trafalgar Night and we hope to meet Roger again very soon.
Eleanor Bairdow thanks everyone
for the many messages of sympathy she has received and asks if people will
forgive her for not replying to them individually.
MILITARY AND VETERANS
HOSPITAL PETITION
You may be interested to know that the Prime
Minister's Office has responded to this and you can view
it at:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16864
THE MILITARY
COVENANT
With all the financial turmoil
you might have missed the recent announcement of
the new deal for the armed forces, ranging from big
increases in compensation for badly wounded soldiers to free education for
veterans. You can find it at
http://www.mod.uk/.
TAILPIECE
The Rules of the Game is a
fascinating study on Jutland and its wider implications for naval command and
control by Andrew Gordon, a former RNR officer, now a distinguished academic
at King's College, London. The central theme is whether warships should be
controlled from the centre by masses of orders, or given some (fairly brief)
general instructions, then left to fight the enemy. By illustration, Dr Gordon
describes how Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham took over from Sir Dudley Pound as
C-in-C of the Mediterranean Fleet. ABC scrapped Pound's detailed orders,
encouraging in their place flexibility and initiative by subordinates. An
American cruiser CO, used to masses of paperwork, was introduced to ABC's
methods on reporting for orders in 1943. Cunningham drew a map with his finger
in the dust on the side of his staff car, then asked the bemused CO if he had
any questions!
Best wishes
Ian
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