Royal Navy Research Archive Forums
Surface Vessels => Combined Operations => Topic started by: MARKTIME on 03 May 2024 03:01:35 pm
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Hi all,
New user so forgive any errors. My Dad, Fred "aka Rick" Bristow (deceased) told me about his career in the Royal Navy when I was growing up. Besides his seafaring tales told me that although a sailor he had enrolled in Commando training and had spent a while in Combined Ops. He described proudly earning his Green Beret and training which included unarmed combat training from an instructor called "Mac" and a parachute jump from a barrage balloon. My mum mentioned that he spent a while in hospital having fallen from a rope carrying something that exploded. She said that he was picking little pieces of bakelite from his back for years after. I have obtained his Royal Navy record but it just shows for admin the ship in which serving, from and to and Rating. Fred was a signaller by trade (tried to teach me morse code as a kid!)
I have attached the record but the only part which might show possible combined ops training is "Phoenicia3 (Loch More and Loch Craggie) 13.09.1950 to 16.08.1952. I can send his record on e-mail but not as attachment here due to data size. Any help in deciphering his record would be gratefully received.
Thank you, Mark Bristow (Also on mbristow14@aol.com)
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Mark - can't see any attachment....
Phoenicia was the name of the naval base at Valetta, Malta, and would have been the admin base for the 5th Frigate Squadron - Loch More and Loch Craggie were frigates based at Malta in the early 1950's.