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REUNION UPDATE 01/25 – Sent out 23 March 2025

Ahoy,

We now have only six months to run to the reunion weekend and it is time to formalise the arrangements, provide an update on the programme and most importantly, ask for some cash!

 

We have around 70 people signed up, which is great, but we reckon we can still do better and hit the magic 100.  So please do continue to chase your contacts and ensure they know what is planned and how to get in touch. LinkedIn too, try tracking down those people you once shared a cabin with and seem to have disappeared off the fact of the earth. Remember there are lists on the BRNC85 website from 1985 which can help refresh your memory.

BRNC 1985 Reunion

 

While you are on the website, why not leave us all a dit, add/update your details or check out some of the photos?

 

A couple of updates on some of the previous information provided.

·       Accommodation – only a small number of people asked us about this, so we will just leave it to individuals to act independently and secure their own cabins.  The Royal Maritime Hotel – is aware of our plans and had a number of rooms available. Link here

Royal Maritime Hotel, a hotel in Portsmouth where service matters

·       Photo ID – Please bring photo ID with you, you will need it for entry into HM Dockyard.

·       Sailing – Owing to the restrictions and time limitations getting in/out of Pompey Harbour, we will not be organising any sailing this time.

·       Email Lists – If you are receiving this message, it means we have either had a positive response from you, or no response at all, those who have opted out from this years event have been removed from this mailing list.  If you have not updated us with your intentions, please do so. The planning software sometimes also includes previous, or secondary emails in these automated messages, please let us know in order to correct our database and prevent further spam!

 

 

CONFIRMED LONGCAST  

Fri 19 Sep 25

A/R Act independently, arrive Pompey. Check into Accommodation. Pitch Tent, etc.  

 

1700 RPC – Drinks Reception at Admiralty House, HM Dockyard. We remain in discussions with Second Sea Lord’s team.  VA Martin Connell has very kindly offered us the use of his official residence. Rig – Smart Casual. Dog robbers?  Is that still a thing?!

 

1900 – Buffet – Preferred option is for Admiralty House, or The Old Custom House, Gunwharf Quays.

 

2100 – Muster - Pubs (various)

 

 

 

Sat 20 Sep 25

Act Independently, visits to Naval themed attractions across the wider Portsmouth Area.

National Museum of the Royal Navy

 

We have been in touch with museum and while most attractions are more suited to individual small groups, we can book guided tours as well if there is a demand. We thought predominantly of the Mary Rose exhibit where hearing first hand from a guide about this extraordinary piece of maritime history would be well worth it.  HMS VICTORY remains under wraps and while accessible to visit, is still somewhat restricted so we will not be offering this as a guided tour as the groups would be too large.

 

As veterans, we can buy an Ultimate Explorer Ticket for £20 and no further group discounts or knowing an Admiral or two discounts are available.

 

 The Committee can offer advice for those struggling to prove their veteran’s status.

 

The Ultimate Explorer Ticket includes…..

 

Unlimited access to all attractions

The Mary Rose Museum
HMS Victory
HMS Warrior
HMS M.33
The National Museum of the Royal Navy
Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower
Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Action Stations
Boathouse 4
Dockyard Apprentice
 

 

Harbour Boat Tours (with a difference) 

Boathouse 4 holds a collection of historic errrrr, boats!  We have been in discussion with them to offer us some harbour tours.  These come at a cost as they are owned by separate charities and obviously there is a cost to keep these boats running and available to the public.  Numbers are limited too.

Our preference is to block book one for the afternoon and we reckon LCVP F8 – one of HMS FEARLESS’s landing craft as used in The Falklands War. We can get ten people per trip, an hour of sightseeing in and around the harbour. Cost £25 per person.

For the more exclusive minded amongst us (Grads, IOs etc) we can offer an hour on Motor Gunboat (MGB) 81. The same itinerary applies, but this costs £125 per person.  Nine people per trip. Again, if we have the demand, we will look to book this for most of the afternoon.

River Rig optional, prize for the whitest daps, creased number 8 trousers, oddly shaped beret.

 

 

Trophy Store Visit – Time 1100-1230

Additionally, we have a very kind offer from Dave Cunningham to have an afternoon guided tour of the RN Trophy Store, exclusive access to all that magnificent silver finery and historic ship’s regalia.  Numbers in advance please. Max 12 people. A second slot may be added depending on numbers.

 

Ship Visit – Time TBC

We had hoped to offer a tour of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH; however, she will not be available and will be undergoing planned maintenance/upkeep elsewhere.  We are currently looking at the possibility of a Type 45 visit, but this will be very much subject to availability.  Updates closer to the time. Let us know if this is something you would be interested in, if we don’t get the numbers, we will drop this from the programme.

 

Note:  We have pushed back the time of the initial muster for pre-dinner drinks due to the variety and extent of the afternoon’s programme.  We are now meeting at 1900 not 1730!

 

1900 – Muster Wardroom HMS EXCELLENT (Whale Island) – pre dinner drinks. (Black tie)

1930 – Mess Dinner

2200ish – Volunteer Band, sea shanties.

0100 – We are required to be clear of HMS EXCELLENT

0100 – Taxis – Minibus (TBC, we aim to drop off at key locations locally).

 

 

Sun 21 Sep 25

1030 – Brunch – proposed Old Custom House

O/C – Disperse - Endex.

 

Cost

As previously notified, the cost including the mess dinner, will be around £120 per person. Maybe less depending on Friday’s options of a buffet as well as drinks, but we will keep that in mind.  Activities are all extra, we are not booking these on your behalf.

 

*PLEASE NOW SEND US £60 AS A DEPOSIT AND TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE*.

 

Deadline for deposit payment – 30 April 2025.

 

 

 

Bank Details as follows;

Account Name -           P Bennett
Sort Code -                     20-30-89
Account Number -       33608336
Payment Ref –               40th Deposit

 

If you are only attending for part of the weekend, we will sort out the deductions once we have an idea of the final cost.  If you are intending only to be there Friday, you may even get some money back!

 

If you have paid your deposit by the deadline date, your name will be entered into the hat for a special raffle prize.  Yes, really. We have a prize!  Hint, there will be nine winners?!?

 

As usual, there will be a tasteful gizzit to remind you of the weekend.  No, it is not going to be another banyan shirt!

 

 

Yours aye,

 

Keith, Kev, Simon, TC and Wiggy

 

 

 

 

 Reunion Update 4/24 - Email dated 16 Dec 2024 - Merry Christmas

 

Ahoy!

 

Thank you to all who have replied to our last (Update 3/24) email with your intentions for next September. Have a make and mend.  The rest of you, sharpen up, or Charlies beckon....

 

To avoid being Duty over Christmas, please, all of you who have not yet replied can you do so over the coming weeks as next month we will be looking for the first down payment from attendees to secure the mess dinner booking at HMS EXCELLENT.

 


Thanks also to those of you who have made suggestions for the programme, the most popular being a visit to a current warship should any be alongside over that weekend. HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH being the obvious candidate. Leave that one with us.

 


The number of positive replies is so far sitting at around the 40 mark.  Experience tells us that this is about what we expect this far out from the event.  However, we are still to hear back from three quarters of our email list of 180 contacts.  Some folk have dropped off the radar, and emails have gone unread or undelivered. We will send out a list of those in the New Year to ask for your help tracking them down.  In the meantime, it is the usual plea of getting back in touch with your old BRNC85 shipmates, folk you may not have heard from in years, and encouraging them to connect with us.

 


Kev Hood is our man on Linked In and has established a successful BRNC85 Group, make sure you are connected and that way you stay in touch with what others are up to professionally. Also Linked In will help you track down those illusive members of the 85ers community you may not have spoken to in years and who may not realise all are welcome to celebrate the big four oh.  It’s an ideal Christmas Leave Activity!

 

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12715810/


That’s about it for 2024, all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

 


The Flagship Team

 

 

 

 

Reunion Update 3/24 - Email dated 30 Sep 2024

 

 

Ahoy,

This week thirty-nine years ago (for most of us) we were probably all in a state of bewilderment and extreme bulling. That also means that it is now only a year to run until our 40th anniversary reunion in Pompey. It is time to offer a glimpse into what excitement we have planned and an early call for numbers.

 

In terms of the planning process, you will appreciate that with a year to run things may change, but this is what we have in the pipeline so far….

 

LONGCAST  (all timings aspirational)

Fri 19 Sep 25

A/R Act independently, arrive Pompey.

1700 RPC – Admiralty House, HM Dockyard. We are in preliminary discussions with Second Sea Lord’s team.  VA Martin Connell has very kindly offered us the use of his official residence.

1900 – Buffet – Either at Admiralty House, or The Old Custom House, Gunwharf Quays.

2100 – Muster - Pubs (various)

 

 

Sat 20 Sep 25

Act Independently, visits to Naval themed attractions across the wider Portsmouth Area.  

Including – HM Dockyard Museums Ultimate Explorer Ticket (at a very reasonable £20 per person as we are all Armed Forces Veterans. The Committee can offer advice for those struggling to prove it!). The pass includes…..

Unlimited access to all attractions

The Mary Rose Museum
HMS Victory
HMS Warrior
HMS M.33
The National Museum of the Royal Navy
Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower
Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Action Stations
Harbour Tours
Boathouse 4
Dockyard Apprentice
 

Additionally, we have a very kind offer from Dave Cunningham to have an afternoon guided tour of the RN Trophy Store, exclusive access to all that magnificent silver finery and historic ship’s regalia.  Numbers in advance please.

We have a couple of other options under consideration too.

Sailing – given the complexities of getting out on the water for a short time from Gosport or anywhere in Portsmouth Harbour itself, we are not organising sailing as an “official” activity this time. If folk want to sort themselves out, then we can provide contact details for those who may want to make their own arrangements and have access to yachts/dinghies etc and need some willing volunteer crew.

 

1800 – Muster HMS EXCELLENT (Whale Island) – pre dinner drinks.

1930 – Mess Dinner

2200ish – Volunteer Band, sea shanties.

0100 – We are required to be clear of HMS EXCELLENT

 

Sun 21 Sep 25

1030 – Brunch – proposed Old Custom House

O/C – Disperse - Endex.

 

Any other ideas or offers for nautical themed (or otherwise) activities on the Saturday would be welcome. Drop the Committee an email.

In terms of accommodation, there are several of the usual options available in Portsmouth if you search for Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express, they are very close to the Dockyard. The nearest Travelodge is handy for Whale Island.  In addition, we have provisionally been offered rooms in the Royal Maritime Club (Hotel) which is ideally placed for both Pompey Harbour station and for all dockyard related activities.  Prices are very reasonable, if you want to share with your oppo, or even someone else’s oppo, then let us know. Or, if you’d rather not share, single room occupancy is available too.  Just state when you respond whether you wish to take up one of these rooms.

Costs for the weekend’s activities, including the mess dinner, will be around £120 per person. Maybe less depending on Friday’s options.  We will be looking for 50% in January to secure our bookings and the balance no later than a month before the event.

 

Please now let us know your intentions; are you - attending in full, attending partially and over which days, or not attending at all (we can then stop bothering you with updates).  AND also let us know if you wish to put an early marker down for a room at the RMC.  

 

Deadline - 31 October 2024. 

 

Again, please mention this update to all your 85 contacts, and please continue to track down those who have not been in touch with us or attended previous events. You can download the college lists from the BRNC 85 website and help us to boost numbers.

 

Please also visit the website for a trip down memory lane - there are lots of great phots from the college, DTS and previous reunions.  We encourage everyone to add to the content or contact us here at the Flagship for ideas on content. 

 

Yours aye,

 

Keith, Kev, Simon, TC and Wiggy

 

=====================================================

 

Reunion Update 2/24

 

E Mail dated 08 Aug 24

 

Thank you to everyone who responded to our Reunion Update 01/24 of 13 June regarding options for 2025.

 

The people have spoken! And the upshot is that the BRNC 85ers Reunion 2025 will take place in the Wardroom HMS EXCELLENT on 20 September 2025.  The Reunion event will again be spread out over the weekend 19-21 September to make the most of the opportunities available.

 

Many expressed disappointment that our established routine at BRNC was no longer possible in the format we preferred.  We have written to the Britannia Association to explain why we will not be there next year and we do hope that it will be possible to return to the College in the future.

 

The programme for 2025 is shaping up.  We have some ideas for an RPC on the Friday evening followed by the usual buffet style of informal event thereafter.

 

The Saturday will be given over to exploring the maritime history of Portsmouth, for those that wish, and we will be contacting various visitor attractions on your behalf to enquire about group bookings, discounts(!) and guided tours.  There is much to see and for those non-Pompey natives, it includes the award-winning Historic Dockyard, HMS ALLIANCE - Submarine Museum, Naval Firepower Museum, Mary Rose, HMS WARRIOR, D Day Experience, etc.  There is much more to do in Pompey these days when compared to the culture vacuum of the mid nineteen eighties! However, regrettably for some of us, there will be no visits to the RN School of Dancing as Joanna’s Night Club closed some years ago.

 

Sailing will also be back on the agenda, and we will see what options there are through our established contacts and possibly the Joint Services Sailing Centre at Gosport.  

 

There were several requests to include partners next year.  We have taken the decision to maintain the “stag” approach for the formal mess dinner, purely a numbers consideration as much as anything.  HMS EXCELLENT has a limit which we very much hope to get close to. We aim to make 2025, our 40th anniversary, to be the best attended event yet.  We are looking into the logistics of possibly including partners for the Friday evenings activities but again numbers will be the limiting factor. Keep a good all round lookout for further updates.

 

The BRNC 85 Website will be updated shortly with this new information and updates will be posted via the Midshipman’s Blog Pages as usual.  

 

Our efforts to re-establish contact with fellow 85ers continues, of the 170 or so contacts we have on the data base, around 25% of our emails are not registering as being read.  We know from our planning software who has read each update. Again, it is worth each of us making sure our shipmates are in the loop and receiving these updates.  Please mention our changed venue and the date to any 85ers in your social circles and let us know if there are any updates.  We will continue to track people down too and work from the college lists we have. A reminder too that these lists can be downloaded from the website if you fancy a bit of detective work to get in touch with those from you may not have seen for 39 years!

 

Finally, your generous donations to the Royal British Legion in memory of our shipmate, Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone raised £900 directly, and we know some folk also made personal donations too, thanks very much for your amazing generosity. This has been passed on to the RBL and we will publish a letter of thanks from Mark Atkinson, Director General, on the BRNC website in due course.

 

Carry On!

 

 

 

 

17 June 2024

 

2025 Reunion Planning - Update 1/24

 

Ahoy,

The Reunion Committee met recently to consider our options for 2025. In the wash up to our delayed 2022 reunion, we had previously allocated the weekend of the 20/21 September 2025 for our 40th celebration and published that on our website. You may have noticed that the website has now been updated to a new version and with those changes the countdown clock has disappeared.  The new version has created a few challenges too in terms of our communications. Hopefully we are now back on track.

 

In terms of planning our next event, those of you who are members of the Britannia Association (BA) may have spotted that the outgoing Captain of the College, Sarah Oakley, introduced a new format for reunions in January this year.

 

It involves allocating only one weekend per term for reunion events, limiting them to significant anniversaries, 25, 40, 50 etc and providing a pre-arranged package of events for a set price, currently £85 per head. The package looks remarkably similar to our reunions of old. This means that holding an event for a single year’s entry will no longer be possible. If we were to return to the College next year, we would be sharing our event with two (as far as we know at present) other groups, a 50th and 60th anniversary reunion. We have double checked, and despite having agreed a date for 2025 with the college in 2022, we have been told we would need to move that to the new pre-arranged date along with the other groups, 13/14 September 2025.

 

The Committee were somewhat disappointed that our arrangements have been changed, and given the size of our group, we discussed other options. Our opinions are that we would not wish to participate in a more general reunion and it would spoil the dynamic of our group where our common bond is the experiences we all gained at BRNC and on DTS in 1985-1986.  However, others may have a different view.

 

We pondered other options and decided to put these forwards for your consideration, there may be other ideas which we would welcome, but having now done three similar events at BRNC, perhaps it is now time to move on anyway?

 

These are our thoughts so far.

 

Option One – We continue to hold a weekend event in Dartmouth. We hold a mess dinner in one of the hotels, either the Dart Marina or the Royal Castle on the Saturday night. We would probably not be able to access the College at all as organised groups, but individual members of the BA may be allowed access. The advantages being we can enjoy our old haunts and familiar activities, the disadvantages being it is not at BRNC!

 

Option Two – We look to hold our mess dinner at another RN wardroom, the suggestion being somewhere in Pompey. There is a plethora of naval activities that we could organise, including group trips to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Mary Rose, HMS ALLIANCE and the submarine museum at Gosport, HMS VICTORY and others. Again, the haunts of Old Pompey will be familiar to many, and sailing, and other water activities are possible. The event would maintain the full weekend theme and most of us will be concentrated around one location. Our suggestion would be HMS EXCELLENT.

 

Option Three – We scrub the weekend style event and instead hold a reunion mess dinner on a Saturday night in London. The central location may suit some people and we can look at a suitable military/naval setting for the event. We briefly considered the Painted Hall at Greenwich, but the price is prohibitive. The disadvantage for any London centric event is that people will be scattered across the city, and it would be more difficult to replicate the sense of camaraderie and occasion that we have managed at previous reunions.

 

Option Four – As you were. We stick with the offer from the BA and BRNC and opt in to the broader Reunion Weekend Package alongside alumni from other years/terms.

 

 

Of those options, and after long discussions, the Committee’s preference would be to hold a weekend event in Pompey.  We all felt it best maintained the successful theme of previous events, had most to offer in terms of activities and provides a change to the format that we have been familiar with since 2010. However, we wanted to canvas broader opinion too, and there may be other formats that are worth considering. To that end, please respond to this email with your thoughts. We cannot promise democracy, but we can promise the illusion of democracy!  

 

It would be helpful too if you can reply to the email even if you have no preferences, as, mentioned earlier, the BRNC 85 reunion website has been recently rebuilt by the provider. We have lost some of the previous saved correspondence and the format of our contact database has changed. We need to ensure we have the correct email address for all the 170 or so people we try to maintain contact with.  Mention this email to your oppos, if they look bemused, they may be one of those we are struggling to reconnect with.

 

A final reminder that the BRNC 85 website remains live and retains all the old content, updates from many of us about what we have been doing in the past 39 years, photos from earlier events and from back at our time at Dartmouth. Please add to the content where you can or contact the Committee with suggestions to improve what we have. The number of people visiting the site increases dramatically in the run up to a reunion.  Our email address remains active too, and if you have any questions, drop us a line.

 

Looking forward to it already!

 

Yours aye,

Kev, Keith, Simon, Tony and Wiggy.

24 May 2024

 

Vice Admiral Sir Clive CC Johnstone KBE CB - A tribute.

 

Like all who knew him, the Reunion Committee were shocked and deeply saddened to hear the news of Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone’s sudden passing on the 12 May 2024.

 

Clive was able to attend day one of the 2022 Reunion and was great company as always. He was enthusiastic about catching up with his old shipmates and spinning dits going all the way back to Blake Division in September 1985 and from his stellar career thereafter.

 

Those in our group who were closest to Clive will want to remember him in their own personal way, but many of us may also want to make some contribution to the organisation that Clive led as National President for a year before his sudden passing, the Royal British Legion.  Camaraderie is a huge part of their remit and Clive recognised those same bonds forged during our time in the RN are maintained within our own group of BRNC 85ers.  When we all get together, it’s always great fun and the intervening years just seem to fall away.

 

If you would like to donate to RBL in Clive’s memory, then we will co-ordinate a collection and in due course, once the dust settles, pass whatever we have on to RBL with a suitable tribute from those who knew him best. Hopefully they will include it in whatever they plan to do themselves to remember Clive.

 

We have sent out an email to all contacts with details of how to contribute - although with the new website set up, we have struggled a bit with some of the contact data transferring across. If you have not had an email from us this week, get in touch and we will update your details.

 

Yours aye,

Kev, Keith, Simon, TC and Wiggy


9 Oct 2022

Ahoy!

The 2020 (2022) Reunion has finally been completed, a mere 2 years adrift.
 
60 people attended over the weekend, and it was another successful gathering of the BRNC 85 cohort. Highlights included CDS Tony Radakin taking some time out from his day job to attend. It was great to hear about his role, the future for the RN and about the war in Ukraine. He’s a very busy man and it was great to see him there.
 
In keeping with the changed circumstances, we also heard from several of our shipmates who shared their own special memories of HM The Queen after our Mess Dinner. It was a fitting way to say farewell to our former Commander in Chief.
 
Now though, it is time to move on and look ahead.
 
The Britannia Association have confirmed that 20 September 2025 has been allocated to us for our next reunion.  Almost everyone felt that the turn out would be boosted by the milestone of reaching our 40th anniversary in 2025. Doesn’t bear thinking about, but yes, it will be FORTY years ago….. The challenge to us all is to make that happen and reconnect or encourage those who have yet to join us and pass on the message that they really are dipping out. We want to try and make 2025 the event that brings 100 or more of us back together. We were after all one of the largest entries into BRNC since WWII.
 
There were several people last month who mentioned folk they were still in touch with but who did not seem to be on our contact list, or even realise that the BRNC85 alumni were active.  So please get in touch with them before you forget and convince them to sign up if you can!  
 
In terms of Admin and Logistics, we have funding to keep the BRNC85 website online for another few years, please point that out to people as the best way of initially getting in touch and keeping up to date with news.
 
We have also conducted a trawl for new committee members and have several volunteers to maintain the momentum. The Flagship will be handing over to a refreshed planning committee over the next few months, but we will make sure there is consistency and support for them as the transition occurs. To this end Wiggy Bennett, Tony Carruthers and Kev Hood will stay on until 2025 as that system of continuity worked well in the past. We will update you on the new “volunteers” shortly.
 
A reminder too that the BRNC email account,  brnc85@hotmail.com – remains active and will stay live for the duration. We are about to do a check through the database of contacts gathered over the past 15 years, and from folk in the run up to the latest event and try to update this and get in touch with everyone (standfast those who were there last month) to ensure we have current details on record. If you no longer wish to remain on the contact list, please also let us know.
 
In parallel, Kev Hood has also started a Linked In Group, just search for BRNC 85. We encourage everyone to join in the hope that it broadens out the search for former 85ers. The BRNC website though will remain up and running as the flaming datum for all things reunion.
 
Please continue to contribute to keeping the BRNC85 website current by submitting dits or your photos past and present. We have created a new album on the site for last month’s Reunion, and it would be great to have some updated content. It is very easy to upload phots from your phone directly onto the website.
 
Thank you once again for your continued support and we look forward to seeing a hundred or more of you in 2025.
 
Carry On
 
The Flagship.

 
Reunion 22 - Endex

28 September 22

Ahoy,

Many thanks to all of you who attended over the weekend and participated in another excellent BRNC 85 reunion.
 
Firstly, some thanks are required to the organisations that helped the Flagship deliver the event.
 
Sara and Liza at the Britannia Association ensured all serials held in the College went off without a hitch. Thanks so much for doing such a great job at keeping us Alumni engaged with all things BRNC.
 
Thank you to the Captain of the College, Sarah Oakley for allowing us to enjoy being back in our old haunts and being able to use the Wardroom in what has been a difficult month for the Royal Navy.
 
Thank you also to the Association of Royal Navy Officers (ARNO) for sponsoring the port at our Mess Dinner.
 
We are also very grateful to Tim Johnston and Matt Reed for their time and their boats – all river activities successfully and smoothly completed.
 
A massive BZ to Midshipman “Tic Toc” Radakin for his speech. We all think he got it absolutely right. It was great to hear about his role, the future for the RN and to hear first hand about the current events in Ukraine. 
 
And again, well done to all of those who shared their own special memories of HM The Queen. That was a fitting way to say farewell to our former Commander in Chief.
 
Secondly – we need to look ahead.  Almost everyone felt that the turn out would be boosted by the milestone of reaching our 40th anniversary in 2025. The challenge to us all is to make that happen and reconnect or encourage those who have yet to join us and pass the message on that they really are dipping out. We have funding to keep the BRNC85 website online for another few years, please point that out to people as the best way of getting onboard and keeping in touch.
 
Next – to make all this happen, we do need volunteers to keep the momentum up and the camaraderie going. The Flagship will be handing over to a new planning committee over the next few months, but we will make sure there is consistency and support for them as the transition occurs. Volunteers – please contact us via the email address brnc85@hotmail.com – this too will stay live for the duration.
 
Please also contribute to keeping the BRNC85 website current by submitting your photos of the weekend. We have created a new album on the site, and it would be great to have some updated content to convince those who keep missing out that it really is worth the effort!
 
Feedback – if there is something we could have done better or you felt was missing from the weekend, just let us know.
 
Finally, if you wish to continue to support the work of the Britannia Association – we would recommend and encourage you to consider membership. Without their help, these events would not happen.
The Britannia Association Britannia Association, BRNC, Dartmouth, Royal Navy
 
ARNO too would welcome you as a new member, they are a terrific charity and through their charitable arm, the Royal Navy Officers’ Charity (RNOC) provide grants and support to serving and former officers and their families. We know from first-hand experience just how much their support matters when dealing with the challenges that life brings.
ARNO | The Association of Royal Navy Officers
 
Thank you once again for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you all in 2025. A general Main Broadcast Pipe will go out to the whole contact database updating them too on the weekend’s events.
 
The Safeguard Rule is no longer in force.
 
Carry On
 
The Flagship.


 
Update 8/22

19 September 22

Ahoy,

Originally, we had intended to send out the Shortcast to everyone tomorrow. However, we feel that having witnessed today’s events it was only fitting that we use this opportunity to pay tribute to the awe-inspiring performance of our Armed Forces.

Today The Royal Navy, The Royal Marines, The Army and The Royal Air Force turned in an outstanding performance.  They have done us all proud and it was an emotional experience seeing the RN take centre stage and give Her Majesty the Queen, our former Commander in Chief, the send off she so richly deserves. BZ to everyone involved, but particularly the RN gun carriage crew and those excellent pall bearers, what a responsibility, carried out to perfection.

The Shortcast is now uploaded under the relevant Tab.  We have appointed a “Duty Mid” for each evolution, those are your main points of contact if you have any questions about being in the right place, at the right time, in the right rig.

After events of the last couple of weeks, I am sure we are all looking forward to catching up with old shipmates and also reflecting on our own collective recollections and sharing an opportunity to pay our respects and give thanks for a lifetime of service.

Please note – as per the Shortcast and the changed tone for our Mess Dinner, we intend to offer those attending a chance to share a dit or two with us all. Sadly, we may not have time for everyone – so please let us know if you wish to speak, and give us a quick precis of your dit beforehand. That way we know who will speak and in what order following on from Tony’s speech.

We look forward to seeing you all from Friday onwards.


Yours aye,

The Flagship


 
Update 7/22

13 September 22

Ahoy,

A further update given all the momentous events that are happening at present.

We were asked to check our arrangements again and to make sure we were not standing into danger and creating a difficult situation for BRNC and those attending our planned reunion given some changes to official periods of mourning.

It was right to double check, and both the Chief of Defence Staff’s Office and BRNC have responded positively, given our renewed focus, and the reunion remains on track.

We have now closed the list for attendance, we have had a couple of late withdrawals, but numbers are around 60 – and in even better news, most of you have paid up.

If you have not already done so, we do need to know how everyone intends to make their way into BRNC for every event within the college. See our last email for what information we need from you. Please reply today to this email with your response if that remains an outstanding action!

It would be useful to have photo ID with you as well.

A revised Shortcast will be out, errrrr, shortly.  Timings for events are all now confirmed. For those of you who have asked, it does not look like you can attend both the sailing exped and the College Tour as these will have an element of running concurrently, so decisions required there.  The College Tours are confirmed as 1430.

Sailing – we have access to limited berths, and it may depend on the weather somewhat. For those who have volunteered for some sea time, we hope everyone will be accommodated but cannot guarantee that until nearer the time. Stand by!

The beer and pizza event on Sunday will need all those attending to pre-order their pizza. Stand by for a menu to be sent directly to all those who positively RSVP’d for that final serial of the weekend.

It’s all coming together, and we are all looking forward to catching up in 11 days’ time.

Yours aye,

The Flagship

 

Dear Shipmates, 
 

We are all no doubt saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and our Commander-in-Chief for the whole of our naval careers. 
 

We have been in contact with the College and, despite the fact that they are closed to all visitors until Monday 26th they have given us the opportunity to either postpone the reunion, or go ahead with a somewhat more sombre tone.  Your committee are unanimous in our perspective that Her Majesty would be one for carrying on, therefore the reunion events are planned to go ahead. 
 

In order to mark Her Majesty's extraordinary service to our country we intend that the Dinner be a focus not only for reconnecting with old oppos, but also reflecting on Her Majesty's life and the themes of Duty, Commitment and Steadfastness. 
 

The timings will be as per the Longcast, however we propose that at the start of the meal we observe a minute's silence and toast Her Majesty.  The dinner will then commence as normal and we will drink a loyal toast to His Majesty King Charles III in the traditional manner, along with absent friends and then ourselves!  After the speeches there will be an opportunity for you to share any reminiscences of Her Majesty with the gathered throng.  In order to be sensitive to those still serving we will be clear of the College by 2359. 
 

There are still a small number of you who have not yet paid your deposit and therefore remain TBC.  We have to confirm numbers by 1200 Monday 12 and pay for dinner by 1600 13 Sep in order for the event to proceed.  Therefore, all attendees need to be paid up fully by 1200 13 Sep.  Please pay your balance to Wiggy by then.  
 

The bank details have been included in previous emails.  

 

Right - Pin your ears back, Switch on, Clutch In.  You need to take action: 
 

In order for the administration of the weekend to go smoothly, and more importantly for you to gain access to the college you are required to provide the following information for each of the events inside the college that you are attending: 

 
Title/Rank.  Name.  If entering the grounds in own/oppo's car - details (Reg, make, model, colour).  Whether intending to walk into the college.  Whether intending to arrive by taxi. 

 
Therefore, if you are attending the College Tour, Dinner and Church you need to provide the details for each.  We will need this confirmation by 1200 on Monday 12th as well. 

 
We hope that you will all be able to attend as planned and look forward to catching up over what will be a slightly different Reunion weekend to what we had planned. 
 

Yours aye, 
 

The Flagship 

 

21 August 2022

Ahoy, Just over a month to run and numbers are holding steady at around 65 - the last Main Broadcast pipe encouraged a few more to join us.  Everyone by now should have had a series of emails asking you to RSVP to the events we have planned over the weekend. If you have not already done so, please respond to all of these. Again, check your spam/junk folders - they should all be there somewhere. Please reply to each event with a  yes, no, or maybe. That then allows us to feed back accurate numbers to the College and to those managing the activities over the 3 days. We reckon there are around 15 people who have not replied to the main event, the Mess Dinner, and 20-25 who have not replied to some or all of the other events.  If you cannot find the RSVP emails, let us know and we can resend them. We have now confirmed costs for the weekend too. If you have already paid your deposit, thanks, have a well earned make and mend. If you have not, report to the Duty Mid in your white webbing and stand by with the Brasso. However, it's too late for the deposit, it is now time to pay the full amount.   The final costs are £135 for the full event Fri/Sat or £95 for the Mess Dinner on Saturday only.    Please can everyone pay in full by 10 September. We need to pay the Royal Castle and the College prior to the events taking place. Payment details are included in the email;  If anyone is still struggling for accommodation - let the Flagship know ASAP as we may have an option for you to consider.  It's all good so far, and everyone seems to be looking forward to what promises to be a great weekend.  Carry on!

The Flagship  ( Now officially at 1 weeks notice for sea)





 
3 August 2022

Ahoy,

All those attending the 2022 Reunion should have received a number of individual RSVP emails for the main events over the weekend this evening. Again, please check your spam folders......

Still to come are RSVPs for the sailing and the golf - stand by.... over?

Please respond to all of these invites even if only planning to attend for the dinner itself, that way we have technology to blame when it all goes wrong and we need to submit our Reasons in Writing to the Captain of the College.

Many thanks for all your enthusiasm and your support!

The Flagship

 
26 July 2022

Ahoy,

A reminder to all who have confirmed their attendance to pay deposits to the WR Mess Treasurer in accordance with our last Main Broadcast pipe of 24 June 2022.

We are about to issue invites to the events scheduled for the reunion weekend as we now have less than 2 months to run..... Please continue to check your spam and junk folders as some folk continue to report missing emails - they'll be in there somewhere! 

Carrying On.

The Flagship.

 
24 Jun 2022

Ahoy!

Three months to go, and it's all coming together like a badly executed  PLX re-scrub leadership task.....

All those who have let us know that they are attending should have had an email with details of costs and arrangements for the deposit so we can finalise the numbers with both the Friday RPC and the College. 

It's never too late!  If you have changed your plans and want to join us, just let us know.

Cheers

The Flagship




 
3 May 2022

Ahoy!

Planning is going well but we are still hearing of people who don't seem to have received the updates despite being on the contact database. 

If you are in touch with any of your 85 shipmates, make sure to mention the Reunion this year and ask them if they have seen the Flagship Updates - 2 sent so far. 

If not, ask them to complete the Contact the Flasghsip option on this website or email us at the BRNC85@hotmail.com address and we can add in another email address.

Cheers.

The Flagship


 
24 March 2022

Ahoy, 

Ladies and Gentleman, we have reached the 6 months to run stage and we can confirm we remain on track to see as many of you as possible over the weekend of 23,24, 25 September this year.

This is a prompt to encourage those on our contact database who have yet to respond to let us know of your intentions for September.

Thanks to those who have already replied. Let us know too if you cannot make it or wish to be removed from the contact list, just so we know who not to pursue in future.

Planning is proceeding at pace now and as it stands, we have around 50 people signed up, plenty of room for some more!

If you have already replied, please don’t feel the need to respond again unless your circumstances have changed. Apologies to those who have also replied to say they cannot make it, but rather than filter those people out at this stage, we are just sending this update around the whole network again.

Please continue to contact your own 85 era networks and ensure folk know we are finally going ahead after 2 years of marking time.

All the best,

The Flagship



 
6 Feb 2022

Do You Hear There!!

Main Broadcast Pipe sent out this evening regarding planning for this years (YES) this years reunion. Check your inbox and your spam folders and get in touch if you have not received this initial message.

Planning is underway and we are getting our act together (first time for everything) in order to deliver a memorable event - we think we've all earned it!

Cheers

The Flagship

 
7 September 2021

Do You Hear There?

Confirmation received from the Commander of the College today that our date of 24 September 2022 has been approved.  

The countdown clock is rapidly approaching the 12 month mark, and I am sure we are all very much looking forward to it.

Yours Aye,

The Flagship


 
17 August 2021

Next month marks the 36th anniversary for the majority of us linked to BRNC85 in terms of our first experiences of the college. All these years later, there are still a select few of us in uniform, but the numbers are dwindling.

Vice Admiral Paul Bennett took the salute and conducted the Passing Out Parade at BRNC this month. As he said himself, what a great way to finish off his career. As he prepares to leave the RN, we thought Wiggy’s speech to the new Young Officers and their families last week is an ideal opportunity to remind ourselves of what BRNC meant to us all.  Here are the edited highlights.


36 years ago, almost to the day, I stood on this parade ground nervous, unsure of the choices I had made and certainly not convinced that I could meet the exacting demands of joining the Royal Navy.  Nine months later I was taking charge of a division on the parade ground; 15 years further on I was in command of a destroyer and 36 years later, I stand in front of you at the end of my career having just completed 3 years working with NATO in the United States.  BRNC Dartmouth has been a consistent element in everything I have done and, as I prepare to leave the Royal Navy, this spectacular event poignantly bookmarks my career – the start and finish. 

But whilst it is a great responsibility, it is also definitely a privilege.  You will find that the Royal Navy is respected wherever you go – you stand on the shoulders of the many thousands of talented service men and women that have gone before you - a rich history behind you and an exciting future ahead of you.  Your job is to maintain and where we can improve our Service for our successors. Through your performance here, you have proved entirely up to the challenge.  
 
But on a more personal basis, one of the greatest privileges of being in the Royal Navy is the people with whom you serve. Extraordinary men and women, ratings and officers, who bond together in units, as the ultimate team.  To a man or woman, they are people that you can rely upon in a crisis.  The RN ethos of Commitment, Courage, Discipline, Respect, Integrity and Loyalty – the values which you have learned at Dartmouth, are those things that every man and women live by on the sea, under the water and in the air.  They are the fundamental building blocks of delivering maritime power in difficult circumstances.  But they are also the basis of life-forming relationships.  

Some of those around you today will remain your best friends.  All around you are shipmates who will be a constant presence throughout your Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary careers.  Some of you will become Admirals, some of you will serve for 36 years, many for less, but the bond between you, based on your experiences at Dartmouth will remain forever.    
 
Fitting words indeed, well said Wiggy.
 
===================================================
 
And on a final note, and as if to prove how accurate some of the comments above are, we had a great response to our request for website funding. Thank you all who made a contribution and we have enough in the kitty now for a further 5 years (and more) keeping the BRNC85 website running, so no need for any further volunteers.

We have some very generous former shipmates.


Yours Aye,

The Flagship

 
10 August 2021

Ahoy,
 
Firstly, we hope you are all keeping well and enjoying the summer. It is nice to see life getting back to normal(ish).
 
Nothing much to report from the Flagship, we remain on track to achieve at least a VSAT at our reunion next year, and, just to be sure you all have it in the diary, it is the weekend of 24 September 2022. I say again….. 2022!  We don’t want to hear of any uber keen Cunningham types turning up this year and being sorely disappointed.
 
While we have your attention, the funding arrangements that we have to keep the BRNC85 website running both as a reunion planning tool and a repository of all things BRNC85 -  photo galleries, dits, personal profiles etc, is about to run out. It will cost us around £325 to renew for another 5 years, a sum we feel is well worth it.  A couple of our shipmates have been responsible for funding the site since it was first created over 10 years ago.  To those generous individuals, we thank you for your support. Now however, it seems like the right time to have a bit of a wardroom whip round and see what we can muster. We have some funding in our account, but not much.  Any contributions will be gratefully received and if we attract a bit extra, it will be carried over into the 2022 reunion slush fund.
 
If this is something you feel you can help us with, please contact us either via the website using the “Contact the Flagship” tab, or via the usual BRNC85@hotmail.com we will then provide the relevant bank details for payment.
 
In the meantime, please continue to visit the site and add to or update the content as we start the run in towards September 2022.
 
Yours Aye,
 
The Flagship


 
April 23 2021

Thank you all those who responded to our initial email over Easter about the options for our reunion.

As you might have expected, opinions were very much in favour of leaving it for another year and hoping that by our planned date in September 2022, the world will have returned to something more recognisable as “normal” for all of us.  Despite there being some relaxations now across the UK, there are still too many uncertainties to plan anything on the scale of our reunion given we are now only 6 or 7 months from our proposed 2021 dates.

The difficulties too in international travel, the prospects of a resurgence of the virus in the autumn and the speed at which events can change significantly across the world (India, Ontario etc) mean that the safest option is to wait until 2022.  We have updated the college this week regarding our plans.

We will endeavour to update the website again, now we have made this decision, and will post updates via our “Main Broadcast” email whenever there is something to report.

Please keep us updated if your contact details change in the meantime, and we hope very much to see you in Dartmouth on 24th September 2022. 

Keith, Kev, Neil and Tony


14 October 2020

Prize Winners Update.....

We have it on good authority that now the rubber cheque from the wardroom mess treasurer has bounced into the correct account, prizes should be despatched to the lucky winners this week. 

Enjoy (responsibly - obviously).


All the best

The Flagship

 


4 October 2020

Reunion Quiz – The Results  and Prize Winners
 
Thanks to all of you who have been in touch, either to offer poor excuses for failing to submit a set of answers – reasons in writing all round – or to submit your answers and demonstrate that for many the memories of BRNC are alive and well.

The results are in, and importantly the scores have been exhaustively checked and re-checked to ensure there is no bias or favour given. Despite some slight issues in the admirals/ships/stamps question, where HMS VICTORY was missed out and HMS NELSON incorrectly substituted (which many pointed out) we reckon that a total score of 62 was possible.

In first place, and the winner of a bottle of Pickerings Naval Strength Gin is………

Midshipman Steve Kinsey (Blake Division) with a very fine score of 56.

A respectable second place, and the winner of a bottle of Britannia Gin goes to……..

Midshipman Mark Slade (St Vincent Division) with a creditable score of 47.

In third place and winner of the paper that has travelled almost  the furthest, is…….

Midshipman Woodley (Blake Division) – 39 points, who also wins a bottle of Britannia Gin and, for a bonus point, has to come up with a cheap method to ensure it arrives in the USA and gets through quarantine intact.

Well done the prize winners.

Stoking up the Divisional rivalry, the Division with the most enthusiasm for participation is BLAKE (hurrah) and the Division which limped over the line with only one solitary submission was CUNNINGHAM! (Booo).  On that basis, and as Soapy Watson would have been furious that one of his Division has wasted precious time taking part in such a frivolous activity when they could have been bulling their parade boots, revising Rule of the Road or flashing light, sadly we believe it only fair that Admiral Bennett provides the Committee with his Reasons in Writing for why he bothered at all.

The Grice Award for Cheating, goes to Mid Ince (Hawke Division) for owning up to wholesale cheating but then attaching his cribbed paper a week late and in a Mac format unknown an undecipherable to the Committee. This means that his own personal assurance that he got 100% is taken with a pinch of salt and instead Mid Ince receives the Pickering Wooden Spoon.

And finally, (Royal Marine Drum roll if you please….. )

The Committees award for best caption, and the recipient of a bottle of Naval Strength Gin goes to….

Mid Nelson (Blake) for this winner for the RAS Photo

“This year darlings we're wearing white. It says I can fight or I can wave it around to surrender”.

Pete, you can collect your prize when you pitch up to the reunion next year (fingers crossed) and in the meantime Gricey is sorting something less appetising out via Interflora…..

The Quiz and the Answers are now on this site under the Reunion Quiz 2020 Tab.


The Flagship

 

25 Sept 2020

Morning All,

Reminder email sent out today as quiz deadline approaches.

We have only seen a steady trickle of quiz answers coming in to the flagship so far - so thanks to those who have taken the challenge to date.

Let's try putting it another way.  NBCD wise, we want to be using a series of softwood wedges and splinter boxes to stem the torrent of responses in danger of flooding HQ1.  We've barely even needed to sign out the key to the Aft NBCD locker as yet......


Remember, we even have some prizes to give away so surely it's worth a punt?

Cheers

The Flagship


22 September 2020


We have our first completed paper, well within the deadline and it's a first for Blake! 

There's a saying that we did'nt hear very often......

We don't want to embarass anyone at this early stage for being keen as mustard, but the address on the paper is Cabin A75.

Marking is yet to happen so we cannot as yet offer any hint as the current score to beat!

Cheers

The Flagship



 

21 September 2020

Quiz Update.

Thanks to those who have obviously started working through the Reunion Quiz and to those who have sent us positive feedback.

In answer to a query from  "Anonymous of Emsworth" no, you cannot have an easier version for WE's.

Cheers

The Flagship




 
18 September 2020
 
Ahoy!
 
Firstly, we sincerely hope that you and your families are well and that the current ongoing situation is not impacting too much on day to day life. It has been a tough year and the decision to cancel our reunion, taken back at the beginning of June, has disappointingly proved to be the right one.

However, we could not let the occasion pass without some form of celebration, no matter how low key, so we thought you might enjoy some nostalgia and a chance to turn back the clock 35 years and see how you get on with our BRNC 1985 Quiz. It’s the ideal way to refresh your memories in lieu of the multitude of increasingly exaggerated dits we would all be spinning this weekend if things had gone to plan.

We have, thanks to our friends at Pickerings Gin, even managed to secure some prizes too. Let’s face it, after the year we have had, we need very little excuse to crack open a bottle and given their range includes “Naval Strength” and “Britannia”, it seemed appropriate. They are the official gin of the former Royal Yacht as well as being a corporate sponsor to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  We also hope the offer of some half decent prizes will encourage wider participation and rekindle a little bit of that inter divisional rivalry. Yes, it’s still going on even after all these years…….

There have been a few issues with emails sent from the main broadcast system of the BRNC 85 website disappearing into spam folders, particularly when there is an attachment – so this email is a precursor to a separate one which will follow shortly and include the quiz as a word attachment. If you don’t receive Email 2 of 2, check your spam.  We will also add a downloadable version too to the website itself and update the comms pages there as well.

On the long-range planning for next year, we have not yet confirmed our plans with the college so the two weekend options we had pencilled in remain, that’s 17-19 September 2021 or 15-17 October 2021.

Right, that’s it for now.  Enjoy the quiz, please submit your answers via the usual Flagship email address by and we will be back in touch in the first week of October to update you all on the results, give you the answers and let you know who were the prize winners. 

Carry on.
 
Gricey, Kev, Keith & TC


3 Jun 2020

Do you hear there.... 

We are sorry to bring you the disappointing news that the Reunion this year has been postponed and we have all, in effect, been “Back Termed”. 

Let’s face it, it is hardly unexpected news given our collective record at BRNC of slack and piecemeal compliance with good order and naval discipline, a failure to follow rules in general and a concerted lack of effort all round!  BUFFS!

In all seriousness, we have had a discussion with the college this past week and there is still just too much uncertainty on what they will be able to offer us and how much the rules on social gatherings, social distancing and travel will still be in operation.  Also, for those who have not heard already, the Senior Gunroom ceiling is (like most of Blake Division) adrift from the rest of the fabric of the College, so it is currently out of commission. This would mean relocating our mess dinner to the Wardroom and the current Commander is, understandably, not keen to take on too many functions which would mean his members are excluded from their own mess.  It also means a fairly significant reduction too in the numbers they can cater for, certainly nowhere near the 100 we were hoping for.

So, all in all, now seems like the logical time to make our decision given we only 3 have months to run.  Those who have already booked accommodation can decide what they wish to do, you may want to wait it out and some suggested having a quieter weekend in Dartmouth!  If people want to take a chance on the weekend and hold their own smaller informal gatherings, then please do carry on.  There will be no central support or official liaison with the College and so it will be very much a case of “acting independently”.  If it helps with your decision making, we know too that the Dartmouth Regatta this year (late August) has  been cancelled too. This is perhaps a measure of the uncertainty about the town and facilities being able to open for business and cope with an influx of visitors.  Bars, hotels, self-catering accommodation, restaurants etc are unlikely to be operating at anything approaching pre-lockdown normality - in our view a nyway.

Fear not!  For we have already pencilled in a couple of weekends with the College for a potential 2021 35th (+1) Reunion Rescrub – these are the 17-19 September and 15-17 October – dinner in the college being the focus of the weekend on the Saturday evening.  As soon as we know either way, we will of course let you all know.

The website will remain up and running for the duration, so we will continue to add news items  as and when appropriate. Please do feel free to update the content with your own dits, news etc.

We hope everyone from the BRNC 85 community continues to keep well and safe and we look forward to reconvening the existing Committee (volunteers, one pace forward, march!) sometime later in the year.





 
One Year to Run - On Track By Headmark

If you have not recieved an email today (22 Sep) then it probably means we don't have up to date contact details for you on the system. 

As the countdown commences for next years' event, please keep up to date by visiting the website and contacting the Flagship with any updates, suggestions or additional contact details for anyone not in direct comms with the Flasghip.

34 Years this week the September 85 contingent arrived on the parade ground. Anyone fancy a pint up at the NAAFI Pavilion Bar to celebrate?

The Flagship


 
051700ZAug 2019

Ahoy!

Two months since the original Testing Comms broadcast was sent out and we have had 45 responses.  It's good, but we can do better.

We will be sending out another reminder, having made a fair few amendments to the contact data base, but again please prompt former shipmates and spread the word. 

In the meantime we have been updating the Website to reflect the 2020 plans. This has included a refresh of the College Lingo page. If you spot that there are words/phrases that you fondly (?) recall from your first term and which have not been included, please let us know. We are happy to accept contributions.

The Flagship