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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:42 am 
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Hut Senior
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I have just lifted this from the Fisgard website. Although I didn't know this gentleman I though that maybe some of the members of this forum might have known him.



Message: Allan "Charlie" Smyley has passed over the Bar in Australia
To those of us who knew him during his time in the Australian Navy Alan was always known as Charlie. Don’t know why, he just was. It is just one of those idiosyncrasies of the services. In fact, in asking for him by the name of Charlie at the Bowling club, whilst I was on the road, all I received were blank stares.

Alan’s naval career spanned, in total over two navies, a period of 39 years. At the age of 15, in 1947 he joined the Royal Navy as an apprentice ERA, or to give it the full title, Engine Room Artificer. His initial training was at the establishment know as Fisgard. Here he was introduced to the intricacies of filing and drilling metal, firing weapons, swimming, in which he passed the swimming test first time round, square bashing and last but not least, starched collars and collar studs.

In those days you were given the choice of Home Ports and thus, by the time he met Pam, he was based at Chatham. His initial sea time was spent on the Daring Class Destroyer know as HMS Delight, the name not being an indication of the workload, and then in 1959 he transferred to the Submarine Service, being awarded his Submarine badge in 1960. Now I might add, that the submarine badge was not a pair of dolphins as is now currently recognised but as the submariners called it then “a sausage on a stick” and it was worn on the sleeve. Alan saw service on both T and O Class Submarines as well as at Submarine support depots during the balance of his time in the Royal Navy.

At the completion of his 20 years in 1967 he and Pam came to Australia where he joined the very new Submarine Squadron of the Royal Australian Navy on December 1st 1967. He initially served on Oxley before spending two years in Navy Office Canberra. After this he returned to HMAS Platypus to become Squadron Engineering Warrant Officer. Actually he was the first ever Warrant Officer in the Squadron.

Along with another WO he also served as an Engineering Officer on a seagoing submarine - another first for the Squadron. This was on HMAS Orion and the reason for Alan going to sea was, not that there was a man power shortage, no, just there were too many submarines. For this he was awarded a service medal with the clasp “Special Operations”.

From here there was no leaving the Squadron and he spent the rest of his time with the running of the Squadron including time at ****atoo Dockyard where the submarines were refitted by Vickers ****atoo. His contribution to this frustrating and trouble dogged process was recognised by the Naval Authorities in the form of a commendation which was awarded by the late State Governor Admiral David Martin

During his long and varied career he also undertook a large number of further qualification courses to which he never alluded. No wonder, when young wanna be’s gonna bes, used to approach him with a new way to reinvent the wheel, a smile would appear and then in no uncertain words, it would be explained “Been there, done that son, doesn’t work” I should know, I’ve been there in that situation and done that. Thanks Alan.

To this day, he is remembered by members of the submarine family as a caring and compassionate person, one who always had an answer to a problem, always ready to lend an ear or offer advice, albeit some of it not always welcome! One former baby submariner, who has since gone on to bigger and higher things said of Alan, he was “A great person and an inspiration to me as a young sailor”. Those words, Ladies and Gentlemen, say it all.

This was written by Garry Bax, with the help of Allan's family. Farewell Charlie.

_________________
Les Darley
Ex CERA RN (1955-76).
Ships: Crane, Palliser, Whirlwind, Undaunted, Endurance, Jaguar, Londonderry. Shore time in Chatham Barracks.
Worked in Australia at RANMEE on MK 48s, Support Craft Manager in PMSS and then FFGCLO. (1986-2000) Now retired.
my personal boast is that I had sailed on every ocean, most of the major seas and walked on all seven continents before I was 35.
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