Derek Radford (3882) was born 24th January 1935 and passed away peacefully at Beechcroft Manor Nursing Home on Saturday 13th August 2022 aged 87 years.
Derek originated from Southampton and was at TSM 1949-50. He went on to join the RN as a Boy Seaman at HMS St Vincent and first went to sea in HMS Newcastle where he served for two years that included the Korean War. He went on to become involved with diving activities and after returning to the UK he had a spell at the MTB base HMS Hornet and completed a Diving Course at Chatham. Later he served in a number of RN vessels until 1961 when he became a Clearance Diver. From then until he retired from the RN in1975 he was involved with underwater activities and eventually became a Diving Instructor with the RN. In civilian life Derek continued diving with commercial companies mostly on North Sea rigs, firstly as a Saturation Diver and then as a Support Engineer with Deep Diving Units. His final employment before retiring was as an Instrument Engineer with British Gas. In retirement he looked after his disabled wife as well as finding time for yachting and involvement with the First Class Divers Association. In 1996 Derek also volunteered to become Honorary Treasurer for the MOBA, a role he performed until 2004 during which time he kept the accounts in meticulous order.
He will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by his family, his friends and anyone that had the pleasure of knowing him.