Branch Area Delegate - Karen Elliot BEM 

Karen Elliot BEM, age 32 😊 (my birthday is the 25^th June, so I have ‘half a Christmas’ each year and stopped having birthdays some time ago 😊!)

I am honoured to have served in the Wrens from July 1984 to April 1989 as an RP (radar plotter) – right decision to leave at the time, but always felt I left too early, and that’s why I love being involved in various Service-related activities now (putting a wee bit back for the excellent grounding I received in the Wrens), including:

• Royal Naval Association (‘RNA’) City of Edinburgh Branch Social Secretary;
• RNA Scottish Area Secretary;
• Association of Wrens and Women of the Royal Naval Services (‘AOW’) National Trustee and Chairman of the AOW Edinburgh & District Branch;
• Royal British Legion Scotland Livingston (‘RBLS’) Branch Social Secretary;
• West Lothian Armed Forces Day Founder, Secretary & Treasurer; and
• Naval Veterans’ Representative on the Naval Regional Forum, Cross Party Armed Forces & Veterans Group, and Edinburgh & East of Scotland Veterans Group.

I’m a wife, mother of 2 girls, Nan of 2 (girl: 7 and boy: 6), and I work full-time (condensed into 3 days per week) as a Business Compliance & Contracts Manager for a private Fife-based firm, Singula Decisions Limited, and am also the Treasurer and a Congregational Board Member of my Church, West Kirk of Calder. 

I was deeply humbled and honoured to have been recognised in the New Year Honour’s 2021, having been nominated by the RNA, my citation reads:

"Karen Elliot. Secretary, Scottish Area, Royal Naval Association and Social Secretary, City of Edinburgh Branch, Chair, Association of Wrens and Women of the Royal Naval Services Edinburgh and District Branch. For voluntary service to Royal Navy Veterans. (Livingston, West Lothian)".  What an honour!

Life is crazy busy, but generally, I love what I do and do what I love – a very fortunate position to be in 😊

Once a Jenny Always a Jenny!

Cheers

Karen

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

     Public Relations Officer -

   Shipmate Derek Glasgow

Derek joined the Royal Navy aged 16 years old where he completed his Basic Training and successfully achieved his Passing Out Parade. Subsequently, and as part of his further training, was stationed at HMS Sultan, Marine Engineering Facilities where he completed his course and was drafted to his first ship, the 1953 built Aircraft Carrier, HMS Ark Royal working in the Boiler Room supporting the Flight Deck Operational Catapults. He laterally worked in both the Engine Room  and Gear Room. He travelled extensively throughout the world including the United States and Europe. He took part in the recording of The Last Farewell previously sung by Roger Whitaker.
He was then drafted to HMS Anglesey, a new Fishery Protection Vessel based at Rosyth in Scotland and was the youngest member of the ships company at that time. He remembers interestingly being part of the Boarding Parties investigating Fishing Trawlers around the seas of the United Kingdom.
> As part of the commissioning and Sea Trials on the South Coast of England in 1979, the ship was involved in the rescue operations of the ill-fated Fastnet Yacht Race in which many yachts and crews were lost.

 He was then drafted to the Type 21 Frigate, HMS Ambuscade and served as part of the Straits of Hormuz Gulf Patrol, returning to the United kingdom in February 1982, only to be instructed to make way for the Falkland Islands as part of the Task Force and was involved heavily with operational duties with the combined Air and Land Forces.

 He served with FOSNI (Flag Officer Scotland Northern Ireland) and several periods with FMG (Fleet Maintenance Group).

Upon leaving Her Majesty’s Navy, Derek proceeded to train as a Steel Fabricator and subsequently started and managed a very successful Company providing services to several Blue Chip Companies and Construction Companies. Derek’s legacy can still be seen in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.

Due to illness, Derek retired from working life and now enjoys his passion for yacht sailing on the West Coast of Scotland.

He is married to Alicia who has recently retired from her working life, latterly as a Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of a successful company with their Headquarters in Edinburgh. They have two sons, one who is a successful Photographer in Edinburgh and their other son who lives and works in the United States of America as a Manager for a Global Company.

Derek’s other passions are spending time with their two English Setter’s, reading and playing the tenor saxophone.

 In 2023, Derek ran in the Edinburgh Marathon 10 kilometres raising funds for both the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the British Heart Foundation.

..

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Branch Committee Member - Shipmate Karl Cleghorn

Hello, Karl Cleghorn.  I joined the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy straight from school in Wallyford/Musselburgh on 8 July 1975 as an Junior Electrical Mechanic (Air) 2^nd Class, the alternative that my father decided was not for me,  was as an Apprentice Electrician down the pit – Thanks dad, that was a good move!  The next 20 years were interesting….  HMS Ganges to HMS Daedalus & HMS Osprey  - learned my basic aircraft skills, then during the hot summer of 1976/77 went on a ‘beat up’ course to become a RN Commando and somehow found myself working ‘overseas’ in plain clothes, had a mishap or two  = Return to Unit (RTU) and spend late 1977 and all of 78 on HMS Ark Royal until it decommissioned as a greenie on 892 Squadron servicing F4K Phantom Jets – which was really scary stuff, but great travel and adventure.  Back to plain clothes and more specialised specific (non RN) work in 1979 -82, interspersed with returning to learn to fix RN Wessex helicopters, 707 & 845 Naval Air Squadrons (known as the ‘Junglie squadrons’).  In 1992, having completed my ‘survival instructor training’ for 4 months in Norway and with one days leave back home, found myself on Ascension Island and heard on the BBC World Service about the Argentines making a big mistake further south = busy 3 months thereafter making my small contribution to Op Corporate.  Returning back to HMS Heron and the final plain clothes duties, again getting into hot water, sent to ‘cool off’ at sunny Lee on the Solent and the Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Crew in 1983.  PO’s Course, more malarky with specialist units, final RTU, and then i/c Station Electrical workshops seen me (somehow) get ‘my buttons’ in 1986 and promoted to the following year to the Officer Corps and jobs with the RFA, Combat Survival Instructor (Jungle & Arctic Warfare specialist) and then back to sea 1991 – 93 onboard the ‘new Ark Royal’, finishing with an 8 month stint in ‘the Former Yugoslavia’ before early retirement on 30 November 1993. Then joined Lothian & Borders Police - the following 21 years were again interesting and mainly dedicated to ‘keeping the Peace’ in large, run down council housings estates in the west of Edinburgh.  Firearms teams and Public Order (riot squad!) teams and then finally moving ‘off the street’ to organising and taking part in all manner of public, military and royal events from 500+ football matches, Rugby Internationals, Pop concerts, Gala days…. to every year of my service working the Royal Highland Show and Edinburgh Military Tattoo. By now completely knackered out and early in July 2015 – Job(s) done, nigh on 40 years of uniformed (and a bit of the plain clothes) duty completed.  2 pensions Cleghorn = happy Karl!  Cheers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *