George Malcolmson EW career

Hello to all members of the "Golly" branch out there who are looking in on this website.
I served in the RN 1972-1995 started life as a JRO (2) and left as a CPO (Ops) (EW). I always remember the day I was rated JRO (1) my mother said: "be kind to your men son" ! I joined HMS Mercury following the six week basic training stint at HMS Raleigh, affectionatly known as the compressed nine month Ganges course ! I wish I could remember more of the names but those that I do recall are on my facebook page with a course photograph. One of the worst photographs ever taken because some of us were wearing hats and some were without. We were told the IRA had blown up the factory so there was a shortage of 6 + 7/8ths. It was obviously beyond somebody to decide that nobody will wear hats in the photograph !! My introduction into naval leadership.

We joined HMS Mercury for basic comms training (Cy Glazier) and I have no recollection how some of us ended up as W sub specialisation, probably because we were good looking ! Training seems like a blur now but I do remember uncle Frank CRS (W) Rowney was our UA8/9 instructor and my class instructor was an RS (W) Ted Lambert. Ted had told me he had been promoted Petty Officer for being an Admiral's gardner and he often used to join us for a few wets and liked to take the class away on exped's for the weekend. Anybody out there got a class photograph of this group. There are some photographs of some of us lads at Stonehenge climging over the stones on my facebook page. Kenny Harrison and George Knotts were in my Golly class.
Unfortunately for me I went on weekend to Glasgow some months into my course, with the threat of an impending rail strike and could not get back to Mercury. I asked the doctor to provide me with a sick note and he said ok toncilitis okay for you? Yes I said and eventually got back to Mercury only to be whisked into Haslar for tonsil removal, very painful but ten days sick leave. The upshot was I was hanging around in Mercury for ages until I was drafted to Gib commcen in the January of 1973. Highlights of Mercury around that time were RS(W) Allan Goudy losing three good conduct badges for kicking Jock Little up the arse in front of the Comms Reg chief. I think he did not like golly senior rates who were all much younger than him. CRS Slinger Wood was the X camp reg chief and I seem to remember he was always flogging jewellery. After we had been subject endless lessons on FH4, FH5 UA3, UA8/9 we eventually passed out. Not literally just made available for draft. For some unknown reason I was sent to Gibraltar.

There then followed seven months of drunken sightseeing and messing around inside the rock. I returned to Mercury a bit older and none the wiser and was drafted to HMS Blake, RS Ken Evans and CRS (W) Tim Spencer/CRS (W) Cliff Eagles. and a cast of many others. There followed several years of cruising the world including deployment to the Far East, a story in itself. We did meet up with the Ark Royal in Rio de Janerio and I do know that some bastard nicked my hat from a bar. Can I have it back as it had a nice tiddly bow. I had to nick an Ark Royal hat and nearly got filled in by a load of Wafoo's who thought I was on their ship!! After a couple of years of this carefree life at sea I was sent to the Commcen at Pitreavie for a year in November 1976 and remember the teddy boy I was on watch with crying his eyes out when it came over the radio that Elvis had died ! My next soujourn to sea was on HMS Sirius running from Devonport, CRS (W) Wiggy Bennet and CRS (W) Sean Freddy Fox, RS (W) Don Albon, and a cast of others including me. I ended up as an acting LRO (W) we had deployments to the Middle East/Gulf. A good ship and plenty of happy memories. (See photos on HMS Sirius website)
I had a short break from General Service and went into the Fleet Air Arm for a year as an aircrewman. Came back in 1981 because they would not let me be a search and rescue diver so I took the EW killicks course at HMS Dryad. I seem to remember that I was around Dryad when we moved out of Anson building into Lewin building and we had to hump all the furniture into the new block. Went to HMS Aurora as a Leading Seaman (EW) and was eventually rated PO(EW) Not a happy time but the highlight was leaving Gibraltar in company with HMS Coventry and headed to Ascenion Island, we got turned back after supplying twenty men and lots of stores and ammunition, we were just considered a useless anti submarine frigate and the rest is history. I came back to do PO's course then joined HMS Leander as the PO in charge of the department. I took over from a PO Ginge Howard, best to draw a veil over the details of his departure but again it was not a good time for me as I was a communicator at heart and did not really get on well with the seamanship side of ship life. But it was a good PO's mess and I got through it. I do remember they had a Golly in the mess that had been made by the wife of RS (W) George Glendenning. The Golly was hung upside down when George was in the shit and it was a tradition that was carried on for his successors. I do not think I ever seen it up the right way !!. My reward for this purgatory was more part three instructing at Dryad and then onto FEWSG (Fleet EW Support Group) I hate it when people use acronyms, spell it out for me please !!.

An eventful couple of years with many trips all over the place, including Germany, Falkland's Scarborough, I got the shaft from some people on the unit and had to go back to sea on HMS Jupiter before I was rated CPO. The good old Jupiter was out in the Gulf when Saddam decided to invade Kuwait and screwed up our Indian Ocean visit programme, at least we got a campaign medal for our troubles. We also got a six month deployment to the Falklands straight afterwards. Should not have joined if you cannot take a joke ! Went back to Dryad for my final couple of years and finished in October 1995.

Had always been interested in naval history and even took a distance learning GCSE at the same time as RS(W) Bungy Williams. I had started collecting old photographs when I was make amend from GCHQ one day back in 1986. I started researching and writing articles and went to the RN Submarine Museum in Gosport. I ended up going back again and again and eventually took up full time employment there in September 1997. I am lucky to still be there as the archivist/historian.

Best wishes to all who know me and please get in touch to catch up.
George