THE REVIEW - PAST TOPICS - 2007

• Spring 2007 (Vol 19.4)
  Sadly, this was the last issue produced by our editor, Allan Hall, before his untimely and tragic death in a road accident on Friday, July 13, 2007.
  
  It was a special edition marking the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. Allan had a particular wish to honour the British servicemen who, having travelled 8,200 miles by sea, were landed on a hostile shore and in just 26 days had retaken the capital, Stanley. They compelled the Argentine forces to surrender, a feat that, as Allan said, many military strategists had said could not be done.
  
  Contributors included member and author Roger Perkins, who in 1986 wrote "Operation Paraquat - The Battle for South Georgia". Member Martin Dunkin gave us his "Recollections of the Falklands War aboard HMS Intrepid", while Dennis Powell contributed an article on "Thirty Days in the Life of the Atlantic Conveyor".
  
  "Goalkeeping in the South Atlantic - The Falklands War Aboard HMS Broadsword" was taken from a restricted circulation booklet produced by Capt Bill Canning and the ship's company of the Sea Wolf-armed Type 22 frigate. "The South Atlantic Medal" was another article by Roger Perkins.
  
  Other conflicts were not forgotten in Allan's last Review. Harry Hawkins wrote about "Combined Operations in North Africa 1942-43" while, under the heading "Lawrence and Locusts" Richard Taylor contributed an illustrated article on the Red Sea adventures of a Royal Indian Marine engineer in 1914-18.
   

• Summer 2007 (Vol 20.1)
  This delayed issue was the first produced by our new editor, Robert Mullock-Morgans, to whom the management committee is very grateful for his taking on a task crucial to the continuing success of the Association. Main articles included the following:
  
  Adventures with the Dover Patrol - The Story of CPO William Rathmell, DSM,RVM
  This illustrated article tells the story behind the medals awarded to William Rathmell, who earned his Royal Victorian Medal for being one of the gun carriage party at King Edward VII's funeral. He joined up as a boy in 1892 and had a varied career afloat, earning his DSM while serving in the destroyer Termagant, commanded by Andrew Cunningham, later to gain fame as C-in-C in the Mediterranean during WW2.
  
  Henry George Farnden & His Family History
  Richard Cornish and Peter Gosson relate the history of a Devonshire family and its links with the sea. H.G. Farnden, a railway firemen, became a Navy stoker who in 1906 joined the ill-fated cruiser, the Hampshire. He died in Cardiff in 1935.
  
  Battleship 'H' - The Great Experiment
  The editor relates the story and fate of the German battleship Ostfriesland, used by US General Billy Mitchell after the First World War to prove the effectiveness of air power against surface ships. American bombers dropped a succession of bombs on the Ostfriesland, leading Mitchell to claim the battleship era was at an end.
  
  Where was the Royal Navy? - The East Coast Raids
  First World War German raids against the East Coast led to a public outcry. Roberts Hughes details the attacks on Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby, drawing on first-hand accounts.
   

• Autumn 2007 (Vol 20.2)
  The Destruction of HMS Victoria
  The cover story tells of the loss of the battleship Victoria in a dramatic collision in the Mediterranean in 1893 and of the discovery of the unique wreck in 2004 when Christian Francis, of Lebanon Divers, found the ship standing vertically on her bows. Two linked articles also tell the story of some of those involved - from the humble Leading Seaman Benjamin Lester to Vice-Adm Sir George Tryon, both of whom were among the 356 officers and men who lost their lives.
  
  A Scottish Farmer's Contribution to first 1939 Minelaying
  Commissioned Gunner Edward Gee was among the first in WW2 to earn an MID for gallantry and devotion to duty while minelaying. He was serving in HMS Plover when war broke out and lecture notes that he produced later describing the Plover's activities have survived, together with other photos and memorabilia. This article by Richard Oldroyd tells the story of the Plover's North Sea adventures, based on Gee's experiences.
  
  London Fire Brigade Casualties at Sea, 1914-18
  An article that uses information extracted from the London County Council's Record of War Services, published in 1922. The author includes additional facts taken from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's archives.
  
  Collectors' Corner No 1
  This issue of The Review reintroduces the popular Collectors' Corner feature with an illustrated article about a 1904 football medallion awarded to Henry Tibble, who was then serving in the cruiser HMS Drake. He first moved into the submarine service in 1905, staying until 1910. He was back in submarines when war broke out in 1914 and he went on to earn a DSM in 1917 when he was serving in J5. His skipper was Cdr Edward C Boyle VC, of Dardanelles fame.
  
  Other articles in this issue cover subjects ranging from the origins of the Royal Malaysian Navy to the White Star Line at war.
   

• Winter 2007 (Vol 20.3)
  George VI - the Last Sailor King
  Introduced with a superb cover depicting the future King George as an RN captain. It was painted between 1925 and 1927 when he was Duke of York. During the First World War the young prince, known as Albert, served as a midshipman in the battleship HMS Collingwood and saw action at Jutland. Robert Hughes tells the story of the prince's connections with the Royal Navy, right through to WW2.
  
  Sunk in the Service of Mussolini - When HMS Upright met the Armando Diaz
  This is the story of the handsome Italian light cruiser Armando Diaz. Her speed of 37 knots was achieved only by sacrificing thickness of armour and underwater protection. It was a fatal weakness. More 480 of her crew lost their lives when she was torpedoed by HMS Upright (Lieut Edward D Norman) on 25 February 1941. A silver medallion was struck to mark her loss and it was this that aroused the author's interest in the ship. Her wreck was found off the coast of Tunisia in November 2004.
  
  Frederick Charles Davies DSM
  Medal collector Keith Metcalf writes about the awards made to Welsh stoker Davies, who had a hectic war. He survived an air attack by German and Italian aircraft when he was serving in the carrier Illustrious. For remaining at his post in the face of almost certain death to preserve essential services, he was awarded the DSM, gazetted on 17 June 1941.
  
  Trapped in the Antarctic
  In the latest instalment of The Review's ' I was there...' series, former Chief Writer Graham Jewell recalls life in the post-war navy and how the sought-after postings to the American and West Indies squadron led to him being trapped in the frozen wastes of the South Atlantic. He was serving at the time in the frigate HMS Sparrow.
  
  The Six-Day War and the Olympics
  Former Merchant Navy Chief Engineer Richard Cornish owns a well-designed enamel badge featuring an anchor in the centre with the number 14. Around the edge are the words Olympic Games 1968 - GBLA. Richard explains that it relates to a convoy of 14 cargo liners trapped by Israel's Six-Day War. The northbound convoy entered the Suez Canal in June 1967 and became trapped in the Great Bitter Lakes for almost eight years by sunken blockships. The crews decided to hold their own Olympic Games, which are what this unusual badge commemorates.
  
  Other articles include 'Captain Kendall - the Man who caught Crippen' and 'The Final Voyage of the Ceramic'.