From Commodore Barry Bryant CVO RN, President of the HMS JUPITER Association
Dear Fellow Members,
It is with considerable humility that I have been asked to step into the late Geoffrey Dalton’s shoes as President of your Association. Most of you will have read the very fulsome obituary of Admiral Dalton in the Telegraph and now on our website, and it is perhaps a measure of the man – very few naval officers warrant that sort of coverage. There is no way that I can ever match his achievements, or indeed the very real respect in which he was held by fellow members, particularly those who actually served with him in JUPITER.
I am both honoured and grateful that your Chairman and Committee have decided to continue with the Presidential office, and I can only pledge to help them in their task of keeping the name of JUPITER alive in the corridors of today’s Navy. As you know, there has already been considerable lobbying for the name to be resurrected for one of the new Type 31 escorts – and would it not be wonderful if she was to be the lead ship, leading to the JUPITER Class? We’ll keep trying!
While the memory of Admiral Geoffrey will long remain with us, it will always remain difficult to keep the Association vibrant despite our own often vivid memories, but I know that I can rely on fellow shipmates to support Ken and his team to do what they can to organise future fellowship and events – despite the present Covid crisis.
It’s perhaps a sad coincidence that The Boss left us almost on the day of our own cancelled reunion in Guzz, but the Navy has always risen above such downsides. We look to the positive, and all will be well. Stay safe and afloat, and I look forward to raising a glass with many of you as soon as it becomes possible.
Yours Aye,
Barry Bryant