A Father from Nottingham has explained how his experiences in the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and Sea Cadets has helped create a strong bond with his son.
Petty Officer Andrew Maltby, aged 50, works for Nottingham City Transport and serves in HMS Sherwood, the East Midlands’ only RNR unit, he also volunteers with the Sea Cadets in Long Eaton.
He has found that his naval connections have helped fuel his relationship with his son, Thomas Foster-Maltby aged 12, who is currently a Sea Cadet at T.S. Indomitable.
Speaking with deep pride Andrew said: “It does give us something else to bond over because we’ve got similar interests, he’s always asking me questions about things and I’m always teaching him things.
“One day I walked into my bedroom at home and he’d got my photo albums out and happened to have the ones of my time as a Sea Cadet as well as the early days of my naval career and was going through them all.
“His grandfather who is sadly no longer with us was an ex-submariner as well, so he’s heard daring tales from his time in the Service and he started asking me questions about my experiences and I just happened to say would you like to go to the Sea Cadets and he’s still there two years later.
“He’s talking about joining the Fleet Air Arm; initially he was talking about aircrew however my dad persuaded him to become an engineer.”
Andrew joined the Naval Reserve at the age of 16 with plans of going into a career in the Royal Navy full time but due to other demands on his time never quite made it to the Service but has instead spent 34 years in the Reserves.
He explained: “The adventure and the different way of life has really kept me interested. I’ve spent lots of my time away at sea. I love the Communications Branch and I’ve just stuck with it throughout my time and I think if you cut me in half it would say Navy through the middle.”
As well seeing personal benefits from the time Andrew has spent in the Navy and the Sea Cadets his wife has also been impressed with the achievements both he and his son have made.
Andrew concluded: “My wife is really proud of both of us, she is proud of our son for getting involved in the Sea Cadets because like most kids these days he likes his Xbox but the Sea Cadets gives him something else to thrive on. It has done his confidence a world of good and it’s also helped him succeed at school.”
For more information about joining the Royal Naval Reserve in Nottingham call 0115 929 6373 or email [email protected]
