Dear all,

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that my father Eric Churcher passed away 26/03/20.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic Dad’s memorial/service is being postponed as three of his four children live abroad and cannot travel home, we plan to hold a celebration of dad’s life at some point in the future.

I know my father looked in on this website from time to time and always had fond memories of HMS Wessex.

My family had some wonderful parties at HMS Wessex and dad loved both teaching marine engineering there as an instructor and the family functions we held at the shore base.

I also see my late grandfather mentioned on this site too, for the few surviving members of HMS Wessex (The WOGS), Bill Crews was Eric’s father in law and my grandfather.

For my part, I also joined HMS Wessex shortly before it closed in 1994 so my family had three generations with the base and I may be the youngest member who officially passed out at HMS Raleigh and was assigned to HMS Wessex before it’s closure !  

(I’m 52 later this year).

I have included some photos as they often say a thousand words and I personally enjoyed looking at some of the old faces I remember growing up at the Christmas parties and functions at HMS Wessex.

Click here

My name is Martin Carroll, I used to be in the RNVR based at HMS Wessex some years back – would have been late 70s. I used to turn out on the cenotaph march pasts and I think I may have seen myself in the photo but can’t be sure.