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One for FIDO

chockhead819

chockhead819

War Hero
You talk about Charlie Vickers, this is a tractor Taff Joens put down the round down while putting a Seaking on Hermes 9 spot.
l-r LA Joe Hogan,NAs Jon Godber, Me(ginge winter) Taff Jones & Pete Danesi.

29m13qw.jpg
 
probably sh**, I was always ready to jump off the tractor everytime I did 9spot, you had to go roughly halfway down the ramp then do a 90 degree turn, then move the helo tha last 4/5 ft with the traverse. at night you had no visual reference except people shouting, could have been worse when the gust lock was fitted to the tail rotor the grubbers had to go on an extended boom fork lift over the side.
Nothing scary like that on Invincible.
 
This photo and another of similar vintage have been posted by Jonathan Godber on the Falkands 25 Memories site along with the following text:

I was a Naval Airman on board H.M.S. Hermes during the Falklands war and I've loads of memories from those far off days (can it really be 25 years?). I remember we nearly lost a tractor and helicopter(and Taff Jones) over the rounddown one foggy night, this is from my diary on Friday 4th June 1982: "It was so foggy we couldn't see the ramp and side lift from the after lift, then at about 10.40pm while moving a helo onto 9 spot the tractor got stuck and started sliding down the rounddown. We put one lashing onto it and just as Taff Jones jumped off, it went down with a crash and was caught in the net. The rest of the watch was spent trying to get it back up. Quite a hairy business!" Also when on watch one day we were given the "quarters stand too" order which warned of impending attack and I remember hunkering down under the catwalk of the forward waste........ directly under about 10 500lb bombs, sidewinders and ammo! not the best place to hide! Anyway also included is a photo of a party we held for the P.R.O. (second from the left) on 28.6.82. If you're still out there somewhere and you recognise youself in the photos then here's to you guys and happy days.
 
chockhead819 said:
You talk about Charlie Vickers, this is a tractor Taff Joens put down the round down while putting a Seaking on Hermes 9 spot.
l-r LA Joe Hogan,NAs Jon Godber, Me(ginge winter) Taff Jones & Pete Danesi.

29m13qw.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks Chocks - scary stuff!
 
chockhead819 said:
yeah it was Jon I got it off as well as a one of the full flight deck party from 82.
Click to expand...
Chocks, it's a great pity that that you are way up North and not closer to us shags in the West Country - Vic Murp**, Brian Pier**, Roger Bodnar****, Dave McPher*** and many others are all still at VL in another incarnation (Civil Service) and every day is a AH reunion day!
 
whats Block doing these day?, he was CFD on Invincible when i was on with 801 in the mid 80s, good bloke at Yeovil stopped me visiting DQs after I had knuckled an LAEM who was giving me a hard time.
 
chockhead819 said:
whats Block doing these day?, he was CFD on Invincible when i was on with 801 in the mid 80s, good bloke at Yeovil stopped me visiting DQs after I had knuckled an LAEM who was giving me a hard time.
Click to expand...


Chockhead,

Block works for SERCO on asset management. You're right; he's a bloody good bloke - he was my Training PO at VL when I was Fire Officer ('78) and I asked for him to relieve Fred McCulloch as CFD in Invincible when I was FDO. He was back at VL when I retired and being re-employed as a Civil Servant.

Best Regards.
 
are you Lt Cdr B*V*N, Fred was my chief at Portland before I went outside, About the same time Andy Th@@burn went SD.
Is Ian Bith@ll still in the tower at yeovilton? I joined up with him in 1977
 
chockhead819 said:
are you Lt Cdr B*V*N, Fred was my chief at Portland before I went outside, About the same time Andy Th@@burn went SD.
Is Ian Bith@ll still in the tower at yeovilton? I joined up with him in 1977
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Yep - I 'fess up - I'm busted and will probably have to start again with a new name. RoofRat worked it out months ago and published a 'orrible phot from Ark in '77/78 on Rum Ration! Ian's gone outside (around three years ago) and is working for one of the organisations (might be BAe) that hope to build the new carrier - D*ke Ear* works with him and both visit VL regularly - buckets of money!

And you are Ginge W*n*e* !!!!

By the way - how did you get that bloody tractor back on deck?
 
fido said:
chockhead819 said:
are you Lt Cdr B*V*N, Fred was my chief at Portland before I went outside, About the same time Andy Th@@burn went SD.
Is Ian Bith@ll still in the tower at yeovilton? I joined up with him in 1977
Click to expand...

Yep - I 'fess up - I'm busted and will probably have to start again with a new name. RoofRat worked it out months ago and published a 'orrible phot from Ark in '77/78 on Rum Ration! Ian's gone outside (around three years ago) and is working for one of the organisations (might be BAe) that hope to build the new carrier - D*ke Ear* works with him and both visit VL regularly - buckets of money!

And you are Ginge W*n*e* !!!!

By the way - how did you get that bloody tractor back on deck?
Click to expand...

Hope u don't mind me butting in. Just joined the forum today, trying to suss it out. I recognised a few names. Thought it was you sir (boss).
best wishes from lastbowcatman.


Must have missed a muster Master musn't I?
 
RoofRat said:
And you are Ginge W*n*e* !!!!
Click to expand...
Yes it is :wink:
Now all I have to do is work out who "Handler" and "LastBowcatboy" are :roll:
RoofRat
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Worked it out yet RoofRat? (had 13 yrs on f/dcks). Prefered the decks to ashore, where I never got a 1st preference draft chit. Centaur (accomodation)Eagle, Ark (a few times), Hermes, Intrepid (loan), Illustrious. Brawdy, VL, CU, RMB Eastney. Enjoyed VL & Eastney though. Regretted not going back to a job Fido asked me to do early 80's???? Got a brilliant send off from the lads on the old Ark and Illustrious, (great deck crews both). Still got the tankards, momentos, job card book and the memories. Last time I saw Fred we played football in the same team at CU.
 
What clues would you like RoofRat ? Take your pick Victorious , Centaur, Culdrose, Lossie, Brawdy, Hermes, Arbroath, Shawbury. 23c Mess 4 Mess jellicoe block, just ask.
 

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