The Second HMS Manchester Association

John Hollidge's arrival onboard was like a breath of fresh air and he quickly inspired the Marine Engineering Department into a 'can-do' cohesive ME team that won hands down at Portland with everything FOST could throw at us and still come up smiling.

Personally, he was a lovely man, highly intelligent, street smart to the ways and meanderings of the average stoker. Sometimes a little eccentric (does anyone remember the Naval cape he would wear in full rig to official functions?). Sometimes his ideas of fixing broken machinery that rated OPDEF status would raise a few eyebrows. One particular occasion I remember was when one of the three large Alfa Laval fuel centrifuges wrapped it's hand in, in truly spectacular style. The piece of kit not only seized solid, but also defied all attempts to open the lid to find out exactly what was wrong. Damaging the machine wasn't an option as we were on deployment (somewhere?) and we needed all three to keep up with the Olympus' voracious appetite for fuel at full chat. Anyway, JH true to his eccentric self, came up with the brainstorm of drilling holes in the centrifuge lid and filling the interior with plaster of paris. What for, you may ask is still a question I have no answer for, but thank God common sense prevailed and with the help of the other time served clankys, we managed to dissuade him! It wasn't without a struggle though, as once committed, JH was a freight train on a one-way track.

My electrical cohorts in the Tech Office during my stint were Dave Palethorpe and of course, the wonderfully unique Mike Smith, RIP. As Mess Pres and hands down winner of the red line every week on the bar books, Mike also kept JH very busy!

In short, it was a pleasure to serve under John Hollidge. A remarkable man, and a good leader whose wit and understanding diffused many a situation that could have turned into a saga but for his personality and style of command.

R.I.P. Shipmate

Joining 2MA in 2009, Craig "Crash" Evans joined Pusser UK Limited for a nocturnal lifestyle in the gloom room and dormitories of Dark Royal, York and Invincibubble before Drafty saw the light and rewarded our hero with a draft to a real warship - the Mighty Manch.

Crash served onboard between 1990 and 1992, before he concluded his nine year wave-topping career. A member of that infamous messdeck, which included Joe Cocker, Tom Petty, Steve Mourby and Skid Wroe, to name but a few. Crash was quick to nominate Singapore as his best run ashore, but could not remember why!!

Crash was a Civil Engineer with interests in martial arts. He heard about the 2nd HMS Manchester Association from a guy he met in a pub. We heard all about Crash from.....that would be telling!

"Crash" had been suffering with cancer, and had also been greatly burdened by the passing of his wife, Debbie, as recently as November 2024. Crash was particularly great mates with the late Joe Cocker as the photograph above suggests.

RIP Shipmate.

Finally, many thanks to those who contributed to this edition of the Buzz be it by thought, word or deed. Your help was invaluable! That includes you, Alyson!!!!! That's about it for now. As we've said many times in the past, and it is still very true, the strength and success of 2MA is simply down to one thing and one thing only - the calibre of the people in it! This obviously includes Wives, Girlfriends, Partners and friends who support us all the way and make it happen. Thank You! Long may it continue!

As Always - Sincere Best Wishes

Stevie & Ian