Edinburgh Sailor Returns Home
A decorated sailor from Edinburgh brought his illustrious career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) to a fitting conclusion recently when he met Prime Minister David Cameron during his last ever deployment.
Robert McKillop, who lives in the Comiston area, is nearing the end of a 35-year career in the RFA, spanning many conflicts and challenges across the seven seas, and having served on board a variety of ships.
His last appointment was as chief officer logistics and supply on board RFA Fort George, the 34,000-tonne Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel, which is currently taking part in Exercise Auriga off the coast of the United States.
The Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Ark Royal, is leading the six-strong multi-national naval task force on Auriga, which was alongside in Canada for an official engagement when the Right Honorable Mr Cameron took the opportunity to pay the hard-working officers and crew a brief visit soon after having been elected Prime Minister.
Robert, who is married to Carol and has two grown-up children Fiona and Peter, was in reflective mood, as he prepares for a retired life ashore: “Weighing it up, has it been a wasted life all those long separations from my family? No, I have regrets, most people have, but my family and I have made the most of the opportunities presented and I have enjoyed the vast majority of my life at sea and tolerated the rest.
“The RFA has been a steady employer and given me a good career over the course of which I have met numerous interesting people and made many good friends.
“I initially joined the RFA as an assistant purser, carrying out duties of hotel services manager, pay and personnel and cashier, then progressed through the ranks, culminating in promotion to my present rank of chief officer logistics and supply in 2002.”
Robert, who still carries shrapnel in his leg after a grenade attack in Aden while with the RAF, has been decorated for service in Aden (1966), the Falkland Islands (1982), Iraq (1991), the former Yugoslavia (1993) and Sierra Leone (2000).
He has sailed around the world, adding: “Funnily enough, the only countries I haven’t visited are Japan, New Zealand and the west coast of South America, but I’ve certainly enjoyed experiencing the different cultures around the globe.”
Mr McKillop, who is president of a walking club and a dining club in Edinburgh and who acts as a volunteer tourist guide in the capital, continued his reminiscences.
“I’ve had to abandon ship twice in my career, and strangely enough both occasions were in the South Atlantic. The first was on the ship Good Hope Castle in 1973 when it caught fire between Ascension Island and St Helena – well outside normal shipping lanes. Thankfully a tanker happened upon us purely because her captain was showing his wife Ascension Island whilst en route to Brazil.