Defence Minister visits HMS Raleigh

Trainee sailors at HMS Raleigh were given a chance to put their questions to a visiting Defence Minister during his visit to the Royal Navy training base in Cornwall.

The Right Honourable Tobias Ellwood MP, Minister for Defence People and Veterans visited the establishment as part of a wider visit to the military in the South West. 

He met with a group of recruits in week five of their training and spoke about his career in the Royal Green Jackets before inviting them to ask him questions.

Trainee Engineering Technician Declan Shelley, aged 20 from Widnes, said: “I asked the Minister, with us about to make a substantial change in our lives, how did being in the Armed Forces change and mould him as a person. 

“He told us that the discipline will shape us to become better people in everyday life. You might not be the most successful person when you come in or the most qualified, but you are given the tools to do what you need to do in life and you’ll come out a lot better off. I think it’s something to take in and aspire to.”

Recruit Joe Crawford, aged 27 from Rotherham, joined the Royal Navy to gain a trade. He said: “I think this was a useful session for everyone involved. 

“I think it was probably nice for the Minister to come and see the standards and the environment that we are living in. I think it was nice for the class to speak to someone in such a high position and get their perspective on things.”

The Minister was also shown around the recruits’ accommodation block and later went to visit the National Youth Training Centre that provides courses to hundreds of young people who belong to the Cadets Forces, each year.   

He was also invited to see a group of Royal Navy recruits undergoing fire-fighting and damage control training in HMS Raleigh’s state-of-the-art simulators.

During a two-day visit to the South West, the Minister also visited Devonport Naval Base and the Royal Marines base at Chivenor.