The Second HMS Manchester Association

Aficionados of this website will be aware that all new joiners to the 2nd HMS Manchester Association benefit (!) from a "Personality paragraph" on the Latest News page of this site by way of introduction to our motley crew. This is obviously detrimental to the wellbeing of our "old hands" and in the months ahead we will be redressing the balance and be highlighting the personal attributes of all our members. So if the space below your name is blank, standby for a phone call, and remember...we never let the truth come between us and a good story!!

- by hiring in a huge mobile crane from Southampton!!.....which arrived with a blues and twos Police escort to boot!! Now happily domiciled in Vancouver with his wife Kath - they just happened to meet at a social on a Type 42 doing a world cruise in 1986, Ken has returned to the sea and is a 2nd mate for British Columbia Ferries, an occupation that frequently allows him to relieve the First Mate too!! - his words not mine; honest although I may have jumbled them up a little! Ken learned about the Association by entering "Great British Warships" on Google.

Paul "Lou" LEWIS

Joined 23rd April 2012 (266)

Dave LITTLER

Joined 15th December 2016

(323)

Kev "Doss" LIVING

(Jacqui)

Kevin "Doss" Living joined Pusser UK Ltd in 1976 as a baby stoker, and in a pensionable career, he clanked his way around the main machinery spaces of Apollo, Intrepid, Leander, Ark Royal, Glasgow and Invicibubble...as well as enjoying not one but two drafts to the Mighty Manch! (What a lucky bar steward I hear you all chorus!) As it happens Doss's two drafts to D95 are tinged with a certain degree of sadness - his first draft ended just prior to that soddin world cruise and the next one started as soon as they got back! Drafty can be a right miserable bxstard when he wants to! However, Doss states that warship wonderful was still his best ship, and Singapore 89/90 gets top marks for a run ashore - ahead of Ark's numerous trips to the States! Among his many adventures on the mighty Manch, Doss recalls the time he was unfairly fined for his efforts to create an auxiliary sleeping position in the Avcat Pump space below 3Q Mess. Granted that he didn't return onboard until 03 buffalo, and was slightly socially confused, and the fact that while Doss was crashing out the zzzzz's the rest of the ship's company were at a JMC sponsored action stations - but that is minor detail. However, this is not the reason Kevin is called Doss.

He owes that one to a Chief Stoker on a previous ship (Charlie Pettit, Intrepid) in 78 and that has followed him around to the day he left in 99, (and still does at our annual gatherings!). The stokers had become poor timekeepers whilst billeted in Nelson, so he used to muster the stokers in the ERUS at 0750 each morning. One morning our hero was suffering a particularly baggy head, "MEM Living" he called out, "I've never seen anybody so far removed from his name! Should be MEM bloody Doss!"...and so a legend was created.

Since leaving the Pusser, Doss has become a climatic and environmental test chambers consultant for a firm in Segensworth, and he lives with his wife Jacqui in Gosport. He is also a keen photographer as this www will testify, just a shame he is a Chelsea supporter!

"Taff" LLEWELLYN

Joined 1st June 2011 (249)

Jeremy "J J" LLOYD

Re-Joined 15th June 2021 (356)

Brian LOGAN

(Jackie)

Barry LUCAS

89 - 91

January 10th 1966 was a very cold and blustery day, but across the UK, morale was reaching fever pitch. The FIFA World cup was just six months away, and a young Barry Lucas was just embarking on his naval career! What added to the untold excitement was the fact that he was joining the Fleet's elite, the cream of the White Mafia, he would be a Jack Dusty! (Who writes this wonderful rubbish?!).

After a brief interlude learning how to march and salute etc., he was off to the College of Knowledge aka the RN Supply School to learn the rudiments of his trade - the pattern number of Teepol and torch batteries, and how to stack blankets! And so, 12 months later, and looking smart in a sailors suit, he was off to join the converted W class destroyer Wakeful - a ship surprisingly devoid of WE's! This was followed by Blake - his best ship, on account he met the future Mrs Lucas on a ship's visit to Adelaide (long before that G word became the vogue!) - and subsequently Diomede and Tartar as he speedily rose through the ranks.

May 81 saw our hero as a CPOSA standing by Liverpool in build, and through the first Commish; whilst his last sea draft was to none other than Warship Wonderful from 89-91. Barry left the mob in '93 via voluntary redundancy.

Since leaving Pusser UK, Barry has been a professional stocktaker in duty free shops (it's a Jack Dusty passion!) before taking charge of his three grandchildren, who he has sensibly put in two watches and given the other a blue card!

Barry has been a staunch supporter of 2MA from day one!

Kenneth P. "Ken" LEWIS

Joined 16th June 2008

84 - 87

Ken Lewis joined the Pusser in '71 as an acting junior seaman 2nd class, and in a 19 year career oscillated across the oceans onboard Insipid, Ye old Rusty B, Matapan - a converted WWII Battle Class Destroyer, Bristol, Invincibubble and the Dark Royal before retiring from the grey funnel line in 1990. Yet another passenger on D95's world cruise - 1986 in case you've forgotten - Ken does not class his 84-87 experience as his best ship but prefers to recall the 7 month deployment on Matapan to the States in '76 which just happened to coincide with the USA Bi-Centennial (We Brits having had ours of course in 1266) which enhanced his grippoeing skills considerably. During his time on the Mighty Manch, Ken claims proudly that he was in fact the Top Petty Officer, but this sadly relates to the part of the ship he was working at the time! However, he easily won the 5th Destroyer Squadron Trophy for the most expensive way of landing an accommodation ladder whilst your ship is in a Pompey dry dock