On the evening of Thursday 24th September, a dozen OA members sat down with Weapon Engineer Officers and Warrant Officers from across the Service to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Weapon Engineer sub branch.

The Weapon Engineer General Service (WEGS) Annual Dinner is held each year after the WEGS Conference, which aims to update members of the WE community on the latest issues surrounding their discipline.

Guest of honour at the dinner was Rear Admiral Rachel Singleton MBE RN, Director Navy Digital and current head of the Engineering branch, who oversees programs such as ‘Trident Sprint’ to integrate un-crewed systems, cloud technology and secure communications into a unified digital fighting network.

Before the dinner, at a ‘fireside chat’ for the veterans, Captain John Brennan, Capt E and Deputy Head of Branch, gave a very positive update on the state of personnel and training within the branch.

An impressive Call to Dinner was performed by members of the HMS Collingwood Volunteer Band, who also accompanied the meal with a selection of light music.

VIP Guest Speaker at the dinner was Dr Mark ‘Dicky’ Barton, Honorary Secretary of the Society of Nautical Research, the organisation that lobbied to save HMS Victory in 1922 and helped establish the National Maritime Museum. He spoke about the history of the Engineering branch, about the creation of engineer specialists through the ages, formed to deal with emerging technologies, and related these to the newly created Network Engineers. He also told the stories of a number of RN Engineer heroes over the last century.

Overall, good food and good company made for an outstanding evening.