Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
Haven My ADMIRAL LORD WEST
The 71-year-old former First Sea Lord and Falklands War commander in the ‘naval cabin’ of his London home
1 SINGAPORE SLING
I’d wanted to join the Navy since I was a boy and this room is where I remember my time at sea, surrounded by memorabilia. My father Walter, an Admiralty civil servant, was sent out to our Singapore naval base in 1948. My mother
Jacqui was expecting me and stayed in Britain for the birth, but had this picture taken soon after so my dad could see what I looked like. I went to Singapore at six months with my mother, and grew up there surrounded by warships.
2 NAVAL POWER
I treasure this letter written by Bertram Ramsay, the British admiral who coordinated the maritime aspect of the Allied invasion of Normandy. It was sent to the intelligence services in 1944 and they gave it to me when I retired as First Sea Lord in 2006. We forget at our peril the continuing importance of maritime power in today’s world.
3 TERRIBLE LOSS
I was captain of HMS Ardent, a Type 21 frigate, from 1980 until 21 May 1982 when she was critically damaged by the Argentines – sinking the next day – during the Falklands War. This memento that was left at the dockyard before we sailed reminds me of that wonderful ship and all who sailed on her. I’ll never forget that terrible day, nor the 22 sailors lost in the attack. The Argentines kept hitting the same part of the ship and eventually I had to give the order to abandon her – I was the last to leave. Every year there is a crew reunion, at which we remember those who never came back.
4 NUCLEAR HOTLINE
When I was Commander in Chief of the Fleet from 2000 to 2002, this was the phone I had on my desk that directly connected me to the nuclear deterrent control centre at Northwood. I couldn’t have launched a missile – that’s the prime minister’s job – but I needed to know that our subs were safe at all times. This year marks 50 years of the Royal Navy’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent patrols, which began in April 1969. The nation should find it reassuring that one of our four nuclear subs is at sea 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – they have helped ensure our national security for the past five decades.
5 A BURST OF BANJO
My parents always had big dogs when I was young, but it was difficult for us to have them because we were constantly moving from base to base. A couple of years ago my wife fell in love with my daughter’s Chihuahua so we decided to get one too, and Banjo – in the Navy, the nickname Banjo means ‘west’ – has been part of the family ever since. He’s quite roughty-toughty, which is good, but I refuse to take him out to the park – it’s not very macho walking such a small dog.
6 ADMIRABLY DRESSED
This is the uniform I got to wear when I finally became an admiral after 35 years in the Navy. After training at Dartmouth Naval College, I served on 14 ships – from my first command, a minesweeper, to the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, the flagship of the fleet I commanded during the Hong Kong handover in 1997. As for the bowler you can see on the bureau, call me old-fashioned but I think they look smart, and I’ve worn one ever since my first shore appointment in London in the 1980s. I’ve always liked hats – maybe it’s because of my time in the Navy.