Brothers transformed from civilians into sailors

Marlon and Gideon Crichton from Georgetown have successfully completed the first stage of their Royal Navy training and are now well on their way to joining their brother Roamel in a career at sea.

The two former pupils of St Vincent Grammar School arrived at the gates of HMS Raleigh in Cornwall last November to begin their transformation from civilians into a sailors, looking for a good career with the opportunity to travel and gain further qualifications. Roamel, a 26-year-old Royal Navy chef currently serving on the Type 42 destroyer HMS Manchester, also began his service career at HMS Raleigh in 2003.{{more}}

Having begun his training two weeks before Gideon, Marlon was the first of the two brothers to complete the eight-week intensive course which is designed to teach recruits the basic skills they will rely upon throughout their Service careers. A former employee of Royal Caribbean International, Marlon, aged 29, said: “My highlights of training have been team building and the adventures on Dartmoor. On the whole the course was very good. Effort costs nothing as long as you believe in yourself.”

Following in his brother’s footsteps, Gideon, a former carpenter, has now also completed training achieving a 100% mark in his First Aid examination. The 23-year-old said: “Training was very exciting and challenging. I’m now looking forward to starting my professional training course.”

With initial training complete, Marlon has headed for HMS Collingwood in Hampshire for the second stage of his training to qualify as an Engineering Technician specialising in mechanical engineering. Once qualified he will be ready to join a team at sea who are responsible for keeping Royal Navy ships running at the peak of operational effectiveness.

Trainee Medical Assistant, Gideon, is undertaking the next stage of his training at the Defence Medical Services Training Centre, Keogh Barracks in Aldershot. When he is fully trained he will be a member of the Royal Navy’s healthcare team, providing day-to-day medical services and health education either at sea or ashore.

First commissioned as a training establishment for Ordinary Seaman in 1940, HMS Raleigh’s role has expanded over the years to include training in a range of specialist areas. Around 60 new recruits from the length and breadth of the country and abroad come to HMS Raleigh each week to be transformed from civilians into sailors. The establishment also provides courses in submarine operations, logistics, weapons handling and seamanship for Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel as well as staff from defence and maritime related industries and Armed Forces personnel from overseas.