Trunk packed with memories for reunited Culdrose staff (From Falmouth Packet)

Trunk packed with memories for reunited Culdrose staff

7:00am Monday 10th September 2012 in Helston

Luggage packed with memories has resulted in a reunion between three former colleagues of RNAS Culdrose.

Walking along the platform at Bodmin General Station Jimmy James was amazed to see a battered old trunk on the porter’s trolley bearing the name of ex colleague Carol Ormerod, who he had not seen for four decades.

They had both worked in the control tower at the Helston naval base in 1972/1973, and the trunk bore the motif: “Second Officer CA Ormerod WRNS, RNAS Culdrose, Helston.”

Jimmy, a volunteer fireman for Bodmin & Wenford Railway, went through the Fleet Air Arm Officers Association in a bid to contact his former colleague. He tracked her down to Constantine, where she now lives under her married name Carol Pearce.

Following a few telephone conversations, they and another former colleague, Mike Moult from Porthleven, this week met for lunch in the station buffet at Bodmin, where Carol was delighted to be re-united with her trunk.

It transpired that Carol had donated the trunk to the station a number of years ago, where it has been part of a display depicting a Cornish branch line in the 1950s.

Jimmy believed the trunk must have originally been at the bottom of the display but been rearranged recently, which brought it to his attention.

He said: “I thought, ‘If I can track down Carol it would be nice to meet up again.”

The trio’s reunion gave cause for much reminiscing about the trials and tribulations of being Fleet Air Arm meteorologists back in the 1960s and 70s. On this occasion they got the forecast right – the morning rain cleared to give a bright and sunny afternoon.

Between them they had clocked up 50 years service in the Royal Navy. All are now retired but busy, with Carol opening her garden to the public, Mike also gardening and spending time with family in Australia, and Jimmy following his boyhood passion for steam railways.