RETIRED Dawlish Royal Navy man Richard Hayward has met up with some of his forces comrades for a reunion after more than 50 years.

Richard, who has raised hundreds of pounds for the Royal British Legion with his specially created Dawlish-themed Remembrance Day badges, joined the Royal Navy in 1966.

He recently met up with four of his former navy friends near Portsmouth.

He explained: ‘I was sent a message that one of my former shipmates Tim Gretton was coming over from Australia if i was interested.

‘So I travelled to Denmead, near Portsmouth to see him and I contacted two others that I knew lived near by and they both turned up so we made a day of it.’

One was from Richard’s first ship in 1967 HMS Bulwark, fondly known as the Rusty B.

This is ‘Bungy’ Williams whose real name is name Barry.

Richard was known as Jan during his navy days from when he first joined up.

He and Bunny joined when he was 26 and Richard was 16, this was the first time they had seen each other in 56 years.

Richard joined the Royal Navy in October 1966 and after training was posted to HMS Bulwark which was stationed in Singapore in October 1967 as a Junior Seaman.

He remembers: ‘Not long after joining we sailed to cover the Aden withdrawal.

‘We spent 96 days at sea which, until the Falklands War, HMS Bulwark held the record for most time at sea in one go.

‘We returned to Singapore for two weeks, then sailed back to Aden, for a 16-year-old, it was quite an experience.’

Later they sailed for Norway then to the Mediterranean visiting various countries.

Richard said: ‘The one that sticks in my head was Malta and while there we went to the rifle range at Golden Bay.

‘After completing firings we went for a swim.

‘I walked into the sea, tripped forward went headfirst into the water but unfortunately for me I found the only rock that was fully covered with seawater and hit it headfirst.

‘I got up with blood coming from a cut which required four stitches and was in a lot of pain.

‘My mates came rushing over to help me but I knew I something was seriously wrong. I shouted not to touch me.

‘As luck would have it there was a man with a Triumph Herald Convertible on the beach as he took me to the military camp up from the beach where i was stitched up.

‘I was subsequently x-rayed. It turns out I had damaged five of the seven bones in my neck.

‘I was flown back to the RNH Haslar where i was put in a plaster cast from the head to my waist, which i was in for nine months.’

Richard remained out of active service for two years until he was declared fit to return when he joined HMS Yarmouth stationed in Rosyth.

He went on to join the service police as a regulator, passing out as a petty officer in November 1972 and got married two weeks later.

He completed his Royal Navy career in 1991.

The recent reunion involved his service mates who had all served together on HMS Invincible in 1980.