MWA Southern Area Dit Session

13 Sep 2025 - MCDOA co-founders David Sandiford and Yours Truly (Rob Hoole) joined MCDOA members Bill Kerr and John ‘George’ Turnbull, plus fellow MWA members Peter ‘Taff’ Reader, Barney ‘Two Ts’ Barnett MBE and Peter Whitehead for an “extraordinary” dit session at the Royal Maritime Hotel (old Home Club) in Portsmouth last night. The purpose of our gathering was to give a good send-off to our old friend Vaughan ‘Nobby’ Clarke who has been making one of his rare visits to the UK before returning to New Zealand where he has been living for the past few years.

Most of us have know each other for almost 50 years since serving at HMS VERNON, now Gunwharf Quays, in Portsmouth. The lamp was swinging wildly with many shared reminiscences, updates and friendly banter.

We wish Nobby bon voyage and much look forward to our next get-together sometime in the future.