2297 entries.
Good to see you at the reunion Starsky, great catching up after all those years.
Anyone else remembers me from those early/Far East days, it would be great to hear from you.
Sorry to hear the sad news of the passing of Capt Burne, my first Captain on my first ship as a baby stoker. A fair Captain, will always remember those days.
Great to see you making a post Mick. Me and Selwyn were chatting fondly about you over the reunion in Pompey. Two Preston supporters in the mess at one time in 1980. God knows how your season ticket sales went that year! I'm currently in Hong Kong an can see the old HMS Tamar near Wanchai from the hotel. Staying Kowloon side at the Inter Continental. Bit posher than 2 QS but not as good. Took the Mrs and the bairn to a few of the old haunts and still got stung for a few sticky greens. Hope you and your family are keeping well and you didn't end up supporting Blackpool!
Sad news.CPO Capt Burne was a very approachable man always made time to speak to his ships company at any time of the day about any subject.Probably responsible for my nickname which lasted throughour my Naval career and is still used today.
Hope all well with you Mick,still an avid PNE fan?
sorry to hear capt chris burne has died.Had quite a few conversations with him. Probably the most approachable skipper i ever had, once he asked me if i was in love.when i told him that i did have a girlfriend ,his reply -i thought thats why your late most mondays and if your late again you will be going on an unpleasant holiday,point was taken
Dear all it is with great sadness that i have to inform you all that Captain Chris Burne died this weekend. A great man a gentleman and a great friend he will be greatly missed, my thoughts are with Belinda, Toby and laura
I would just like to add my dit to all the other entries here. Thank you Chris and the association committee for putting in so much effort to ensure this 30th reunion went well. You all clearly worked hard to ensure a smoothly run and memorable weekend.
As you will all know by now I have now handed over the Treasurers job to Brian “Smudge” Smith who will do a fantastic job I am sure, and assist in taking the association to the next level. Thanks to everyone for their support and guidance while I held the position.
Finally, I would just like to say what an honour it was to march through Old Portsmouth with my Coventry shipmates. I honestly feel proud to be a part of this second family.
Best wishes to all.
Mark - pse drop me an email at idledave1951@aol.com
Photos from Sunday in Gosport now up in the photo album too.
I would just like to echo everyone's sentiments to an excellent reunion. Regrettably I have kept my distance for a good number of years. I will now honour my obligations going forward and look forward to next year. I am gutted that I was unaware that Stephen Tonkin's family were there and I didn't know. We worked together on 'Chippy's Party'. He is forever in my thoughts. I managed to get around a few people to distribute a couple of signals that haven't seen the light of day for nearly 30 years. One from Broadsword laying a wreath near Pebble Island one year on and another announcing that Navy divers had lowered the battle ensign, again from around the same time. If you would like a copy of them please let me know and I will scan them and send by email.
I look forward to our reunion next year.
A great weekend and very well organised so a big thank you from me and my family. Great to see so many there including a good turn out from the S and S department. It was something special to catch up with everyone again. Hope to see some of you for the British Lions tour of Australia next year. Three cheers for everyone.
2012 Remembrance and Reunion – Chairman’s Reflections on the Weekend
Wow – what a weekend and to sum it up, a true rollercoaster of emotions for most and certainly for myself as I witnessed my shipmates remembering and celebrating with each other as yet another year has passed since 25 May 1982.
The turnout we had last Friday was impressive, as we mustered, marched and assembled to remember our shipmates still on patrol and those we have sadly lost in the intervening years. That our numbers were so high on Friday makes me a very proud Chairman indeed and to also have members of Steven Tonkin’s family with us – what more can I say, a few tears were shed.
Also, HMS Broadsword - They laid a wreath in memory of Coventry at their own weekend service in Plynouth on Sunday morning and for the Peel of Bells rang out at St Faith's Havant by Bill Skilleter on Friday morning. Thank you Broadsword.
The reunion afterwards at Whaley was all that we needed it to be, to raise a glass, to renew friendships and to spin dits (some of which may even have been true). All in all a most fitting evening and mission accomplished, I think. Please also accept a big thanks to all those that donated raffle prizes, you will be pleased to learn that we made over £500 towards the Association funds which will be put to good use for future events.
The weekend continued to Saturday with a DTS, AGM and Committee meeting at the Maritime Club, again this was well supported and shows the genuine commitment from many to ensure the HMS Coventry fellowship continues to grow even as the years sail by.
FYI - These are the significant issues discussed and agreed at the AGM/Committee mtg that you will be keen to learn:
1. Purchase of Oak tree and Plaque to remember HMS Coventry and those still on patrol. To be placed at the National Arboretum, Staffs. Please keep checking website for dedication service around late summer.
2. Future Reunions will alternate between Portsmouth and Coventry; therefore the next one will be in Coventry on Sat 25th May 2013.
3. Membership of D118 Association now stands at 70, if you wish to join then please contact Membership Sec.
4. FI indulgence flights for 2012 may well be extended to 2013, please see the SAMA 82 website for further details on how you can fly down at a cheap fare (£275pp) with members of your family. I personally intend to go down early in 2013 with Margaret.
5. A ‘Vote of Confidence’ in the Chairman to continue in post was proposed and seconded by the AGM and a subsequent show of hands was unanimous, therefore I guess you are stuck with me for yet another year at least, but I can assure you all it is an absolute honour to do so.
6. There may well be one or two changes in the Committee and these will be promulgated on the website in due course as and when they occur.
The next AGM will be held in Coventry on Sat 25th May 2013.
Continuing - Sunday saw ex Coventry shipmates marching at the FVF parade in Gosport, once again we had an excellent turnout and were the largest ship platoon on parade, BZ to all those that marched and the families that turned out to support us.
As you will note there are now plenty of pictures up on the website from last weekend and can be downloaded if you wish to hold them privately. They do make for a most fitting reminder of what occurred.
I wish also to give most sincere thanks, on behalf of all of us, to those external to HMS Coventry that helped make our weekend the success it was. I shall be writing to them individually but they are:
1. GI’s Association for allowing use of their facilities, in particular the bar staff;
2. C/O HMS Diamond for loan of Cross;
3. Damien Burke for facilitating the website and for his ‘photographic skills’, excellent.
And from me personally to my fellow committee members and Martin Kirkbride (Sky Pilot) as without their hard work and support throughout the year our weekend would not be the success it has been.
So, we move on now to next year and Coventry, but please keep checking the website for any news in particular for the dedication service of our own memorial at the National Arboretum towards the end of summer. Also, if you wish to join us when we march at the Cenotaph in November, you must join SAMA 82 and apply for tickets now, the list if growing all the time but this year will be special for our platoon.
Finally, it was an absolute honour and pleasure to meet you all again over the weekend and I take away with me many emotional memories of our 30th year remembrance and reunion, I shall never forget.
Yours Aye – Chris Howe MBE
Chairman
An absolutely fantastic weekend and well worth coming back to the UK for.
Organisation and participation by all concerned was beyond reproach and a credit to the HMS COVENTRY D118 Association.
The quiet attention to detail ensured each event passed smoothly, as only COVs would expect.
Great to catch up with each and everyone you and hopefully will not leave it as long next time around.
My thoughts also go to those who are "still on patrol" - you will never be forgotten. The photographs of a smartly turned out "motley crew" are brilliant and proud to have been a motley!!!
Calm Seas Gents
Brilliant Photographs Damien well done you mate,it was an exceptional weekend and you have captured it perfectly, and thank you for your efforts throughout the Year with this site
Chaps, first photos from the reunion now up, see photo albums. Photo uploading for everybody else should be back up and running tomorrow - get in touch via the guestbook if you want to upload any shots. You can of course upload to the Facebook group too.Thank you all for your hospitality at the weekend, I felt privileged to be involved. I may be biased but the Covs looked like the sharpest bunch of marchers on Sunday!
All, With immediate effect I resign from the Post on the Committee as Vice-Chairman.
Thank-you all for your time and effort.
Well organised weekend well done to those of you who contributed so much time and effort towards ensuring that the 30th would be a bit special. It was great for me to see me old mess mates many of them for thirty years. I suspect I am to blame for that as I made no effort to contact anyone save Simon Rouse, and even we lost touch twenty years ago. Anyway I will be taking on the Treasurers role from Jim Hudson who has done a fantastic job. See you all soon
For those of our fellow shipmates who are eternally on patrol - I and we never stop thinking of you and your loved ones who never got a chance to say goodbye.
Aye
Smudge B
N.B.
Malcolm, Your Mother would never have forgiven me had I not looked after her "wee laddie".
Smudge
A fantastic weekend to remember those still on patrol ,,, I met so many people who I hadn't seen for many years ,,, Andy Stewart, Selwyn Hunt, Hutch Hutcheson, Bob Vass. Calm seas and safe harbours.
I would like to thank all those involved including the FVF and Gosport Council in the excellent re-union and rememberance ceremony, not only on Friday but also on Sunday. The turnout was fantastic and to see so many of my old shipmates not only Stokers but the other branches I was lucky enough to have spent so much time with. My admiration for all will never fade.
Calm seas shipmates.
Chris,Eli,Derek,committee members and all others who organised everything for us - a big thank you from the family on what was a very poignant,moving and memorable weekend.A very fitting memorial service to our lost shipmates and a great reunion will live long in the memory -it was fantastic to see so many shipmates - some who i had not seen for over 30 years.
We weren't able to stay for todays events but we were thinking of you -hopefully everything went well and you managed to stay 'cool'.
regards to all ex - Cov's across the globe
Mick,Rachel & Alicia Daniels