1 Nov 2026 - This year’s annual updates and dinner were hugely successful with a hundred members sitting down for the meal last Friday; numbers we haven’t seen for the past several years. It was particularly good to see so many WO(D)s at the dinner but it would be even better to see some WO(MW)s as well at next year’s function. Both serving and ex-serving WO(D)s and WO(MW)s are eligable for free affiliate membership of the MCDOA thereby entitling them to attend its events. Apply here:
https://membermojo.co.uk/mcdoa
Our day started with some early arrivals gathering in the Officers, Warrant Officers & Senior Rates Mess on Horsea Island for some ‘ice-breakers’. We then descended to the dining room for the traditional Friday fish & chips lunch, all funded by the Association.
Following lunch, we made our way to the Reclaim Conference Room in Bridge Building for some splendidly informative operational updates. Martin Mackey, Superintendent of Defence Diving and our outgoing Chair, introduced proceedings before Captain Underwater Exploitation Charlie Wheen, our President, welcomed attendees. We then listened to the following speakers with a break halfway for tea, coffee & biscuits:
Nick Southall (Cdr Second MCM Squadron)
Steve White (Military Diving Capability Cell)
Tim ‘Castro’ Castrinoyannakis (CO Mine & Threat & Exploitation Group)
Dave Starkey (CO Diving Threat & Exploitation Group)
We are deeply grateful to all the presenters for sparing the time to bring us ‘old & bold’ members up to date on today’s exciting developments.
In the evening, we mustered in the bar of the wardroom at HMS EXCELLENT for dozens of personal reunions before posing for the traditional group photograph.
Serenaded by HMS NELSON’s volunteer band under the direction of Mr Crispin Ward, we then entered the dining room where we were well looked after by Maitre d’Hotel Sally Hurley and her staff and enjoyed the delicious food provided by Executive Chef Tony Hole & Head Chef James Hinks and their staff. Click on the image below for the menu which includes a biography of our guest speaker, the cebrated TV documentary maker and author Chris Terrill.
Between courses, our President listed members who have crossed the bar since our last gathering and we held a moment of silence in their memory:
Lt Cdr Roger Davies RN (20 Dec 2025)
Lt Cdr ‘Dan’ Nicholson RN (10 Jan 2026)
Capt Grenville Johnson MBE RN (28 Apr 2026)
Lt Cdr John Coggins MBE RN (17 Jul 2026)
Charlie also pointed out that we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of LMCDO ‘76. It appears that no one from 2001 courses attended the dinner to celebrate their 25th anniversary; an opportunity sadly missed which ought to be rectified next year. I suspect this is one of the casualties of course modules being split between three separate training establishments instead of being run centrally from one parent establishment as in the days of HMS VERNON.
Sadly, LMCDO ‘76 member Grenville Johnson had crossed the bar earlier this year, as had fellow members Dave Ellis and Steve Wilde previously. Also, fellow LMCDO ‘76 student Chris Thompson was unable to attend owing to being terminally ill from cancer. However, ,the course was represented at the dinner by Course Officer Ralph Mavin plus graduates Chris Meatyard, Bernie Bruen MBE DSC and Yours Truly (Rob Hoole) as shown here.
Here are the above members of LMCDO ’76 outside the wardroom of HMS VERNON when we were ‘livers-in’ during the long hot summer of 1976. Bernie is on the rider’s seat of ‘Black Fang’ with Yours Truly on the pillion. Chris Meatyard is in the sidecar with Chris Thompson sitting behind him.
‘Black Fang’ was Bernie’s extremely robust ‘Cossack’ motorcycle built by the Russians after their capture of a BMW factory during the Second World War. It was notable for having a reverse gear.
Following ‘Ease Springs’ and the Loyal Toast, we launched into the traditional singalong with the band playing as lustily as ever. Dave Hunkin was nominated as the song leader.
Sorry about the ‘voice over’.
As usual, the band members had brought plenty of bubbles to accompany the crashing finale of ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ with everyone standing on their chair.
On completion of the singalong, the band retired to raucous applause from the diners and the thanks of our President who then gave a short ‘State of the Nation’ speech and listed our three members leaving the Service with a brief summary of their impressive individual achievements during their naval careers:
Capt Ben Vickery RN, our previous President
Cdr Martin Mackey RN, our outgoing Chair
Cdr Mark ‘Doc’ Savage OBE RN
As each leaver was mentioned, Kev Giles,our Social Secretary, presented them with a keepsake courtesy of the Association. This was Martin’s:
Finally, our President introduced Chris Terrill, our principal guest, who related some diving ‘dits’ from his career as a TV documentary maker. Of particular interest. his underwater footage of an anchor being dragged across the seabed as it was weighed, filmed during the production of his 1998 series The Cruise, ended up being included in the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Chris also alluded to his longstanding relationship with our dear late friend and former MCDOA committee member, Bob Hawkins MBE, from his 1994 series about HMS BRILLIANT (where Bob was a PWO) to Britain’s Biggest Warship, the first of his series about HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH (where Bob was the First Lieutenant) broadcast in 2018.
Thank you, Chris, for entertaining us so well. I hope your half marathon went well the following morning.
I’m sure all attendees will join me in expressing our huge thanks and admiration to Alex ‘Snowy’ Snow, our outgoing Secretary, for his amazing organisation of the day’s proceedings and for all his hard work over the past few years. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kev Giles, our Social Secretary, for his masterful organisation of the evening’s events.
I would also like to add my sincere personal thanks to Martin Mackey, our outgoing Chair. He has re-energised the Association during his tenure and ensured it is ‘fit for purpose’ for many years to come.
I much look forward to seeing everyone again at our 35th annual dinner on Friday 19 November next year, if not sooner at the Mine Warfare Annual Conference, Dinner & Awards Ceremony on Thursday19 November this year.