Death of Lt Cdr David Alan ‘Dan’ Nicholson RN
11 Jan 2026 - Julian Malec has passed me the sad news that fellow MCDOA member Dan Nicholson crossed the bar yesterday morning. He was 81.
I have lots of lovely memories of Dan. We constituted the Advanced Mine Warfare Course at HMS VERNON in 1983 and I was Deputy MWTO to his MWTO shortly afterwards. In more recent years, fellow MCDOA founding member Martyn Holloway, my late Best Man & MCDOA Associate Member Doug Barlow and I have enjoyed Dan’s company at several of our ‘Gentlemen Who Lunch’ sessions.
Left to right: Dan Nicholson, Yours Truly (Rob Hoole), the late Doug Barlow and Martyn Holloway at The Blue Bell in Emsworth in August 2008
Left to right: Dan Nicholson, Yours Truly (Rob Hoole), the late Doug Barlow and Martyn Holloway in Barlow’s garden in Emsworth in August 2008
Dan qualified as an MCDO in 1969 and he and his course enjoyed several reunions over the years.
LMCDO '69 in 1969
Back row: Terry Jones, John Wiseman, Julian Malec, Liam Donaldson and Brian Dutton
Front Row: Dan Nicholson, R J Murphy, Dusty Miller (Course Instructor), Bruce Mackay (Course Officer), Bill Lampard, Richard Lowther and John Belchamber
Several members of the course got together again in June 2005.
Left to right: The late Brian Dutton, the late Richard Lowther, Julian Malec, Bill Lampard and Dan Nicholson in June 2005
In June 2009, the surviving members celebrated the 40th anniversary of their course at Gunwharf Quays, formerly HMS VERNON where they had been trained together. They replicated, as far as they could, their original course photo.
LMCDO '69 in 2009 (you couldn't tell otherwise, could you?)
Back Row: John Wiseman, Julian Malec, Liam Donaldson and the late Brian Dutton
Front Row: Dan Nicholson, Dusty Miller, the late Bruce Mackay, the late Richard Lowther and the late John Belchamber
Dan was a big man in every sense. He had a fine naval career that included service as the First Lieutenant of a TON class minehunter in the 9th MCM Squadron based in Bahrain, Command of HMS KIRKLISTON, and exchange posts in Australia, the USA (where he was superseded by Martyn Holloway for whom he had been Best Man) and Canada (where he superseded Martyn). He also served as MWTO (Minewarfare Training Officer) and DTO (Diving Training Officer) at HMS VERNON where he again superseded Martyn Holloway.
Cdr Edward 'Jake' Linton BEM RAN was a founding member of the RAN CD branch as an AB and is the Patron of the RAN CD Association (RANCDA). He undertook his SD training at HMS ST GEORGE at Eastney (now Fraser Gunnery Range) and his CDO MW conversion course at HMS VERNON during the mid 1960s before completing a two-year exchange appointment in HMS AISNE. He and Dan served together as exchange officers on the staff of COMINEWARCOM at Charleston, South Carolina in the mid-1970s and they worked together again when Dan had an exchange posting in Australia 1978-79. They have often visited each other since then (see entry for 15 May 06 in News Archive 14) of the old MCDOA website. Read Jake's remarkable story in A Clearance Diving Experience in the website's Dit Box.
In May 2006, Jake and his wife Anne visited the UK and were reunited with Dan and his wife Christine.
Dan Nicholson and Jake Linton in May 2006
Left to right: Dan Nicholson, Christine Nicholson, Jake Linton and Anne Linto at Gunwharf Quays in May 2006
In February 2017, Dan and his wife Christine visited former RN & RAN MCDOA member Allan Rankin and his wife Marie-Louise where they were reunited with Jake Linton and his wife Anne. Allan had been Dan’s XO in HMS KIRKLISTON.
Left to right: Chris & Dan Nicholson, Marie-Louise & Allan Rankin and Jake & Anne Linton at Allan Rankin’s house in Mooloolaba, Queensland in Australia in February 2017
Dan followed his time in the Royal Navy with a demanding and successful second career as RNLI Training Officer in which capacity he shook up the organisation by introducing RYA accreditation, training and annual inspections for all lifeboat crew members.
Among his other attributes, Dan was a family man, a keen sailor, narrow boater, talented and imaginative woodworker and a skilled player of the guitar. He sometimes joined Martyn Holloway to perform in The Zodions, a band Martyn had co-founded at school.
Dan Nicholson (left) performing with two of the surviving Zodions, including Martyn Holloway (centre) at an MCDOA barbecue on Horsea Island in 2009
When Dan and Christine were enjoying time on board their narrow boat ‘Waymark’, they often invited friends along for the trip.
I am sure all members of our community will join me in expressing our sincere condolences to Dan’s wife Christine and their family. I will publish funeral details as they become available.