HMS LLANDAFF  

 29th & 30th September 2006

  HMS LLANDAFF

       REUNION 2006

Well Shipmates that was the best run ashore since 1976!!!!! This years Reunion was attended by 36 shipmates which included Cdr Christopher Welland and Rear Admiral David Snelson  accompanied by there Partners  guests and Family  and gave us a grand total of 60 in all which is so far our largest turn out , well done !!!!

Friday 29^th September

Started on a low note as Shipmate Ron Preston (58) had to return home due to his Brides long standing illness. We have since learned that sadly Olive crossed the Bar, our condolences Ron we hope that Olive finds a safe anchorage.

Over the course of the afternoon watch Shipmates came onboard and checked into there cabins and did what all good sailors do and that is make for the senior rates mess bar !!!! 

It wasn’t long before the lamps were swinging , a great turn out by the first commission with Jack Horner who came all the way over from Aussie joining up with some of his old shipmates from as way back as 1958 and Lucky Joseph (1975) and his brother joining us from the USA, Stan Holloway (1975) also joined us from Switzerland so the Llandaff has now gone worldwide 

In the evening we all mustered down at the Llandaff Institute club where we have held reunions for the past 6 years.

Shipmates were turning up all through the evening and it wasn’t long before the Lamps were swinging and the whets were flowing.

A bottle of Pussers suddenly appeared and I was offered sippers from a very large glass full of sailors blood , bad move I cant seem to train myself to sippers so I downed the whole Glass !!!.

It was at this point that the Friday Kid (Mark Say ) who only came out of the Andrew a few years ago decided to try and show us old Plum Duffs how to drink large tots of pussers .

Wrong move Mark, us old ones are far more experienced than yourself so it wasn’t long before Mark had to return onboard. Mike Joy has had the full training from Dick his Father on how to get your oppo back onboard in one piece avoiding the duty Jossman, well done Mike you passed with honors!!!!

It wasn’t long before it was time to return onboard and make for a final night cap, Packie Packham, Taff Hughes, Don Pattern decided to hit the Cable locker night club but soon realized they were not so young anymore!!!! So returned to the senior rates mess bar. (Packie slid off to his cabin) yes Packie we all noticed!!!!  We were half way through the Middle watch when a few nice big old Unit females joined the now very merry Plum duffs in the mess when Shipmate Taff Hughes was beckoned along with shipmate Don Pattern, come into my Parlor!!!! Said one nice young lady so like good sailors they did what was required and tried to have a conversation.

At this point Chunky Durrant decided he wasn’t going to be the last to turn in as in other years so off he went side ways first then slowly forward I to decided enough was enough and tried desperately to combat the swipe card lock on my cabin and yes same as the other years I had to find the Q/Master to re code the card and while I was at the Q/Ms Caboosh who did I come across , the R.S Geoff Say who had lost his swipe card and was trying to communicate with the Q/M to issue him a new one (Didn’t tell you that did he Mark )

  Saturday 30^th 

0830 call the hands and proceed to Breakfast, I went just to show my bride that all was well, wish I hadn’t as I felt quite ill for hours after.

Shipmates and partners all went ashore to explore Cardiff and bend some plastic, some of us then met up back in the senior rates bar for a much needed afternoon session then it was soon time to clean into number 1 s.

Whilst climbing into my number ones I received a text message from Rear Admiral Snelson stating that his Train was running late!!! I replied Admiral adrift! Report to the Jossman when you arrive.

It was soon time to muster in the Wardroom for the Reunion Dinner and so we all got under way, The food was Excellent and everyone seemed to approve with the exception of Bill Moffatt who had clearly drunk too much in the afternoon session .

After the meal I explained to everyone that the finances were in a sorry state, however I received a phone call from Tug Wilson who is at present overseas and he was disappointed that he couldn’t make reunion so he made a donation of £225 into the association funds. Tug wanted to buy a drink for everyone so I used his donation to purchase the wine at this point Tug was given a huge Bravo Zulu by all his shipmates.

Cdr Christopher Welland then took to the floor and duly entertained us for around about 20 minutes with a first class after dinner speech, afterwards I presented Chris with a picture frame containing the ships crests of all the ships that he had served on during his time in the Andrew.

After the formalities it was cabaret time ad we were entertained by a duo called Viva for around about 45 mins , they were a first class act and covered just about every musical you could remember.

During the break Geoff Say took to the floor to perform and read out parts of a letter that he had received from George Oxley in between his very sad jokes (R.S s never change ) they always thought that they were funny !!!!. Then Yorky Bolton had a go on behalf of the 1^st commission and finished off with an article he had found in the daily papers, I did offer to translate from Yorkshire to Cockney slang!!! We held the biggest raffle that I have ever been involved with and all donations were gratefully received. This raffle was needed to put the association funds back in the black.

The raffle ended up making over £200 which included a very nice donation from Admiral David and our thanks go to John Holness and his Partner Jackie for selling the tickets, in fact we didn’t have enough so John and Jackie sold some of the tickets twice!! (Always was a switch on R.P)

During the raffle the Jossman Trevor Bloom kept complaining that he had bundles of tickets yet he was not winning so when we fixed it that he won the very last one out he Shouted put it back!!!! I don’t want it??? No pleasing some people, anyway we forced it onto him and he ended up with a Pink Ladies Watch!!!!  Are you sure that you weren’t an R.P Trevor?????

Oh well back to the music then I received a complaint from the manager to say that they could hear the music from the tenth floor, I replied tough the Llandaff boys are back in town!!!!

(It was that noisy 1^st commission lot)

Anyway the evening soon drew to a close with so many shipmates still wanting to swing lamps and things so most of us proceeded downstairs to the senior rates bar for a night cap , Admiral David at this point was having fun so he decided to join us and so we duly topped up his glass , again, and again, and again. !!!!

After a while the lads started to slow down and most decided to turn in leaving around about eight of us burbling on when on the next table a group of young ladies had been welcomed into the bar for a nightcap , all of a sudden I noticed Taff Hughes mouth wide open with the biggest smile around for miles , then Stan Holloway saying the words THANK YOU  !! I looked around to see what was going on , crooked my neck in doing so and noticed that one of the young ladies had bent right over this table to reach something in a mini skirt and had forgot that she wasn’t wearing much underwear !!!

Well one thing is for sure Llandaff Runs ashore don’t ever change, it’s always been value for money, and pipe down finally came at around about 0300.

Before you knew it Sunday was upon us all so all Hands went to Breakfast and said there Goodbyes to all Shipmates, Partners and Guests and so the reunion came to an end.

It was decided by the majority  that next year we will return to the Home of the Ship once again Llandaff Cardiff  and reunion 2007 will be on September 28^th and 29^th  with another formal reunion Dinner on the Saturday evening .

If you have never been to reunion then you have dipped out, The Llandaff was a special ship and it doesn’t matter if you were a Junior Seaman or the commanding officer on board She was our ship and the whole idea of having an association is to keep the name of the Llandaff alive and to meet up every year for a reunion so now you have a years notice to arrange to be in Cardiff on September 28^th & 29^th , come down and meet your shipmates and have some fun .

I am at present trying to arrange with a lot of help from Rear Admiral Richard Leaman  (Another Llandaff boy made good ) a trip to Bangladesh to view the ship which is at present being used as a training ship for the B.N . The trip will be over a period of a week hopefully some time in February 2007, the cost will be in the region of £1,000 to cover flights, Visas, and accommodation etc , I already have three Lads interested in going , if you would like to come please  e mail me kevin.wood@blueyonder.co.uk  

Don’t forget membership monies are due in January 2007 £3 per year, please make all cheques payable to HMS Llandaff association 

Please keep an eye on our web site for up to date news and reunion photos

www.hmsllandaff.co.uk                                         www.uxbridgerna.com     

  Yours Aye        Slinger and his Bride 

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