HMS Edinburgh

HMS Edinburgh is at Lyme Regis at the moment on a visit to celebrate the Queens Jubilee so when I took the boy out for his afternoon walk I chose the cliff path above Charmouth to see her. To my supprise she was some distance off shore but I managed a few long shots and got a picture of a hand glider in as well.

Seeing her so close inshore reminds me another visit by my old ship, the Gurkha, to Torquay just across the bay back in 1963. We had been on a large NATO exercise in the Bay of Biscay and some 15 ships had returned to Torquay for an official visit. It was late August and Torquay was heaving due to a big powerboat festival. I was a member of the boats crew and spent all day running back and foward and having a great time. One trip was to take our Captain to visit a nuclear submarine which was part of our fleet and after delivering him to the boat I was told to come aboard as the Capt had been detained in the Wardroom! As I made my way through the torpedo room I was suddenly surrounded bu a group of VERY senior Army officers."I didn't know these boats carried Royal Marines?" one said.
"Only a few of us" I replied, thinking he was joking. I was later sat in the galley when I overheard two of the crew remarking about some silly old duffer who was convinced they carried Royal Marines. As I was dressed in the same working rig as the matelots I quickly hid my beret and as they say, mingled with the crew.!

My other reason to remember that visit was that on the last night ashore there, I met this young lady from Gateshead, who was on her last day of her holiday. The rest of the evening must remain under closed covers but suffice to say we agreed to write and parted. A few days later we were on route to Rosyth for repairs and to ammunition ship to prepare for our 12 month deployment to the Middle East.
From Rosyth I managed a couple of weekend in Gateshead. By now it was November and at the end of the month we sailed. Over the next twelve months we wrote to each other often. At the end of October 1964 we arrived back home and paid off at Portsmouth and I went on leave. The second week of my leave I spent with her in Gateshead and then rejoined the ship in Rosyth and spent every weekend in Gateshead. At the beginning of December 1964 we got engaged and in April 1965 we were married having I think spent only a few weeks together, spread
over 12 months. We have just celebrated out 47th Wedding Anniversary.

This evening I took Mrs M down to Lyme to see the ship. By now she had moved really close in and looked wonderful just off the harbor. As we drove away I said to her that perhaps the same story as ours was being played out here!