Former pilot returns to take charge at RNAS Culdrose

2:18pm Friday 27th October 2006

By Emma Goodfellow

A new commanding officer has taken control at RNAS Culdrose in Helston following the promotion of the base's retiring captain less than a year after his arrival.

Captain Philip Thicknesse was welcomed to the Helston air base as new commanding officer, after Captain Jerry Stanford's promotion to commodore and assistant chief of staff (aviation) in the fleet headquarters at Portsmouth.

Captain Thicknesses, a married father of three, joined the Royal Navy in 1978 and served in HMS Fearless during the Falklands war in 1982.

After serving as the gunnery officer in HMS Jersey, a fishery protection vessel, he joined Culdrose to train as a helicopter pilot and in 1986 was awarded the Kelmsley trophy as the top anti-submarine warfare pilot graduating that year.

He then served in HMS Ark Royal with 820 Squadron, in HMS Birmingham as the underwater warfare officer and then returned to aviation with the Lynx helicopter serving as flight commander in HMS Norfolk.

Service in HM Royal Yacht Britannia as first lieutenant was followed by the command of HMS Leeds Castle and HMS Westminster, then appointments in the Ministry of Defence and, immediately prior to taking command of RNAS Culdrose, he was deployed to Iraq to command the coalition naval training team at Umm Qasr naval base.

Captain Thicknesse and his wife, Jane, have three sons - 17-year-old Thomas, 14-year-old Oliver and 12-year-old Edward - and a large collection of dinghies and windsurfers, in which they can generally be found, hurtling about and getting wet.

Captain Stanford took over from the previous captain of the base, Captain Mike Knowles, in January of this year.

When his promotion was announced, in July, Captain Stanford said: "I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for promotion to commodore, but it is tinged with much sadness that my time in Cornwall will come to a premature end."

He said that Culdrose was not only at the front of naval operations worldwide, but was "an integral and proud part" of the local community and Cornwall as a county.

"In the short time I have been here, I have been very privileged to have played a part in the life of the county and would like to thank everyone for their outstanding support. Out of sight is definitely not out of mind and my new appointment will allow me to keep a close interest in the continuing activities of the air station," the 47-year-old had added.