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RN & RM Recruiting Brochure Autumn 1964

The Frigate HMS EURYALIS (F15), Autumn 1964,
as featured on an RN & RM Recruiting Brochure

Mike Ellis (who is the RN officer in the picture) recalls: "Naval Public Relations" had arranged to take a photo of 'the newest ship in the navy'. When they came to Portsmouth however, they asked if the youngest Lieutenant in the ship could pose with Captain John Hardy RM from RMB Eastney, who they had brought with them. Surprisingly, we had no Lieutenants, so the First Lietenant (LtCdr Peter Hudson) said 'I have four Gnarled Sub-Lieutenants (SD) - i.e. ex-lower deckers - or you can have my youngest Lieutenant-commander - Mike'.

The PR men then asked if I could dress up in a Lieutenant's uniform, but the Captain (Captain Ken Lee-White RN) refused to allow this. John Hardy was a typical Royal and towered a good foot above me, so I was then asked to stand on a box, as they wanted the resultant picture to be "80% RN, 20% RM" for a recruiting brochure. Even so you will see that despite the box, I am not as high as John.

The picture was used again in the 1966 RN & RM Calendar. By then we were in the Far East and I became known in Singapore as "The April Playmate".