King’s Birthday Honours
15 Jun 2024 - Hearty congratulations to MCDOA member Alasdair Magill on being appointed an MBE in today’s King’s Birthday Honours. Al is currently an Acting Commander.
Alasdair was born and raised in Ayrshire, Scotland and in 2003 joined the Royal Navy, completing initial training at BRNC Dartmouth. Throughout his career he has held a variety of appointments including service onboard HMS MANCHESTER, several Faslane-based SANDOWN class Mine Counter Measures Vessels and HMAS GASCOYNE; staff appointments with the Mine Warfare Battle Staff and NCHQ; and charge of Portsmouth-based FDU3 (Fleet Diving Unit 3); supporting Royal Navy exercise and operational activity on every continent baring Antarctica.
On completion of Initial Officer training Alasdair commenced his first appointment as Officer of the Watch in HMS MANCHESTER in 2006. This proved to be a most fulfilling appointment with the highlight being an operational tour to the Gulf region in support of OP TELIC, embedded with the US Navy’s HARRY S. TRUMAN Carrier Strike Group. In 2008 he specialised as a Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer and attended the LMCDO course at the Defence Diving School, Portsmouth. On completion of training he was posted to MCM1 as the Operations Officer for Crew 5 serving in HM Ships SHOREHAM and GRIMSBY. During the course of this appointment he conducted further operations in the Gulf region in support of OP KIPION. For his Executive Officer appointment Alasdair was fortunate to be selected of an exchange posting with the Royal Australian Navy where he served in HMAS GASCOYNE. Nominally based in Sydney the posting included operations around Australia, New Zealand and the South West Pacific Region.
On returning to the UK he expanded on his Mine Counter Measures (MCM) experience as the Operations Officer to the Mine Warfare Battle Staff, including an Operational deployment in support of OP KIPION during which time he was instrumental in the planning and deployment of a combined US and UK mission to ensure the freedom of navigation through the Bab El Mandeb at the height of the Yemen conflict.
In 2016, Alasdair was selected as the OIC of FDU3), once again focusing on operational MCM output in support of OP KIPION. This proved to be an appointment with too many highlights to single one out for mention. Prior to selection for Command, Alasdair continued to broaden his experience base with a staff role supporting both Diving and EOD capability delivery, and Diving Safety within Ships Division in Navy Command HQ.
Outside the Royal Navy, Alasdair has converted to life in the South-East and lives with his wife, family and Great Dane (Winston) in Hampshire.
Congratulations as well to CPO(D) John O’Brien on being awarded the MSM (Meritorious Service Medal) in the King’s Birthday Honours. The MSM is awarded "for good, faithful, valuable and meritorious service, with conduct judged to be irreproachable throughout" and recipients must have served at least 20 years. No more than fifty-one such medals are awarded annually in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines combined and this total is seldom reached.
John had already been awarded the Queen’s Commendation for bravery ”for displaying exceptional courage, calmness and leadership in his attempts to locate, render safe and remove historic ordnance containing a toxic Mustard Agent chemical, from a lake in which they had been illegally discarded in Lincolnshire on 4th October 2017.”
Last but not least, congratulations to WO2(D) Mike Jacobs (left in one of my old photos from 2008) on being awarded a First Sea Lord’s Commendation in the King’s Birthday Honours.
