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The Captain of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Captain Nick Cooke-Priest, has been reassigned following his use of an official car on private journeys.
A real storm in a teacup and a bit harsh surely. He paid for the fuel that the car used so I don't see the problem. A perk of the job? Career ruined!

Daily Telegraph article

I used to fly with his father - also a helicopter Observer - back in 1967. He reached the rank of Rear Admiral, something his son won't now achieve.

An official car for private use? Never heard of the like, or indeed the private use of anything public. Can't think of a course or event involving public stores and/or finance where this wasn't the first thing mentioned.

I suspect there's more to this than meets the eye.

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote: ↑

Fri May 17, 2019 3:33 pm

I suspect there's more to this than meets the eye.

A person of my acquaintance, who knows the backstory to this, tells me that the car thing was a very convenient opportunity to have him nudged out.

No Court Martial or anything that he can push back against, but a very convenient excuse to send him ashore to sail a desk around some garret somewhere while he idles away the rest of his career before getting his snout in the trough of the arms racket. He'll never rise above the rank of Commodore. That's for sure.

The man's a bloody fool for not seeing the trap that he set for himself. A vain fool who failed to look either astern or ahead.

I would not like to comment on whether the real reason for nudging him out was a good one or not, I've seen both. However, having done a brief stint as an ADC, my 2* boss was scrupulous about not using his official anything for private stuff simply because it was wrong rather than because he might get caught. For example, he did not divert an official car even 3 miles to collect something for his wife, even though it was to collect a dress from the dry cleaners which she going to wear for an official function (a parade for him), which she was "expected" to attend, and he would have been in deep sh!t if she didn't. I think this was a very borderline case, and indeed his PSO and I both would have called it official use, but he didn't.

The B-Word, as AOC 11 Gp Had an order prohibiting carriage of alcohol in Service vehicles. Now it so happens I was visiting SHAPE before Christmas at the same time as the AOC. We dined out with his ADC at the roadhouse opposite while he was dined in the HQ Mess. She said it was really a pre-Christmas booze run with his staff car. We plebs had flown there.

One will recall that he eventually got his come upance thanks to BEagle at TOP I believe over Curtains.

Wow, the B-word was a corrupt, arrogant a-hole - who knew?


SHAPE - Superb Holidays At Public Expense

Fox, indeed the latter. I had to endure trips to Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels, Nice, Venice, Naples, Izmir, APEX was cheaper than Rates so had to stay until Sundays. Mrs PN accompanied me (at my expense) on several trips. After 3 years I was truly bushed

During my time at a CHQ, there was some serious questions asked about the use of a 2*'s car that involved taking his pet dogs to kennels in the south-west of England. Questions were also asked about Mrs 2*'s flights on service aircraft with hubby when he wasn't doing a formal inspection. I believe that there were refunds as a result.

PN, wasn't the gentleman involved in the carpets and curtains saga, someone else?

4M, of course, you are right, something to do with sand.

OTOH our SASO, entitled to a staff car and driver, put his car in the ditch after a dining in night. Drink driving laws had just come into force and no one knew what would happen. Anyway he called the police and resigned in Monday morning for the good of the Service.

Isn't being relieved of his command a punishment? If that's the case he could have opted for trial by court martial....unless there really was another motive for getting him out of the ship, which he doesn't want exposed. If it really was just about the car then someone should have whispered in his ear to stop. He must have been very well thought of to get such a prestigious command in the first place, so it's all a bit queer really.

so it's all a bit queer really.

- oo-er! Freudian slip?

No, that is permitted. Non-queer isn't.

Isn't it OK to use it in its proper sense anymore? 'Strange' might have been a better word if 'queer' is forbidden nowadays..

I've heard of some very senior people over the years who have abused their privileges, but never had any punishment. While I am on the subject of abuse of privileges, what about a large number of seriously out of order MPs ten years ago? This is chicken feed by comparison.

Queer isn't 'forbidden'. However, your chances of using it without offending someone are minimal, since it is one of the many words these days which means what someone wants it to mean when used about themselves, and means whatever they choose to be offended about when you use it. And either meaning can change by the next time you or they use the word again. And will change if they don't like you. And they don't like you because you offended them the first time you used it. Because they didn't like you before you used it the first time. Because you are white and/or male and/or old and/or conservative and/or right when they were wrong and/or disagreed with them and/or whatever.
And they hate prejudice too

Fox, and they excuse ignorance as the evolving English language. It would be queer is the Gordon Highlanders could not dance the Gay Gordon's at their Ball.

Who is likely to hsve sanctioned/approved the move of the Commodore?

Would it be solely within the service? - or would politicians have been involved?
Civil servants who are not serving military?

I think the decision would have been approved by the First Sea Lord, Chief of the Naval Staff. Who took the matter to him for a decision I have no idea. The Second Sea Lord is traditionally responsible for personnel matters.

No doubt the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Carter, would have been informed, as well as the Minister for Defence - it's not every day a commander of a major defence asset is effectively sacked. Whether the decision was made under Williamson's or Mordaunt's brief I don't know, as I don't know when the actual decision was taken.

In personnel matters like this the civil servants merely do the paper work. The decision on where to send him now would normally be taken by the Officers' Appointer, who used to be a captain, in what is considered a plum promotion job.

Fox3 - many thanks, that's cleared the matter up in my head....

To quote the immortal Alf Garnett "I'M GOING DAHN THE PUB!!"

Uttered when he was overly confused, but it's Sunday morning so more tea instead!

Presumably you are aware that Warren Mitchell, who played Alf, trained as an RAF navigator during WW2 alongside Richard Burton. Therefore, his "I'M GOING DAHN THE PUB!" was not acting, just his normal self
Having contributed to RAF navigator confusion myself, I have witnessed this as their SOP to relieve it!

F3 - I didn't know that - two good men.

I knew there was much more to Warren Mitchell than just Alf Garnett - terribly un-PC nowadays but a lot of fun at the time - some major awards for TV and stage performances.

And Burton - unfortunate taste in women but I guess someone who drank as much as hid did would have been difficult to live with. A great actor and what a voice.