Our Team

The Board

Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB, CVO - Chairman

Peter Wilkinson joined the Royal Navy in 1975 and chose submarines as soon as he could. He served in both diesel and nuclear submarines (Opportune, Onslaught, Resolution and Churchill) before being selected to attend the Commanding Officers’ Qualifying Course. He then commanded HM Submarines Otter, Superb and Vanguard before completing his operational career as Captain of the Second Submarine Squadron. He then undertook a range of staff appointments in London and Portsmouth, including Defence Services Secretary and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel). He retired from the Royal Navy in 2010.

Since retiring, he has been Chairman of the Seafarers Charity and the Forces Pension Society. He was National President of the Royal British Legion from 2012-2016. He also recently chaired the Appeal to build the new Submariner Memorial at the National Arboretum.

He lives at Warsash with his wife, Tracey, and enjoys watching all sport, working on his family history and fighting the eternal battle against weeds in the garden.

Steve Brunton CBE

Steve trained as a nuclear submarine weapons engineer, leaving the Royal Navy in 2014 after a 36-year career. He held acquisition roles in every rank from Lieutenant to Rear Admiral across Submarine systems, Information Infrastructure and Crypto systems. His final role was as the MOD’s lead on all warship shipbuilding as Director Ship Acquisition, responsible for the warship building portfolio including building HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme.

Since 2014 he has been an independent advisor on complex portfolios and programmes from Australian shipbuilding to the Met Police’s information infrastructure transformation project. He spent 4 years as the Canadian Government’s Independent Advisor on its National Shipbuilding Strategy routinely attending the monthly Deputy Ministers’ Governance Committee.

Steve is currently Chair of SeaBot Maritime, specialising in maritime autonomy training and an advisor to Ionburst Ltd, an innovative data security company. He has been independent advisor to the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee of the RN and RM Charity since 2021

Steve became the RNRMC trustee representitive on the TSF board in April 23

Mick Dewhirst – We Remember Submariners representative for remembrance

Born in Portsmouth and brought up in Gosport, Mick’s affiliation with the submarine service began in 1977 when he joined HMS DOLPHIN’s Sea Cadets. He went on to join the Royal Navy in 1985 as a 16-Year-old Junior Weapon Engineering Mechanic and entered the submarine service in 1986. Throughout his engineering career Mick served on REVENGE, RESOLUTION, VANGUARD, VENGEANCE (twice), VICTORIOUS and HMS SPARTAN. He also undertook several roles at MOD ABBEY WOOD which meant he was lucky enough to undertake many sea trials across the flotilla during his career. Leaving the service as a WESM Officer in 2012, Mick now works as a Principal Engineering Consultant for BMT where he finds himself frequently working in familiar places. Passionate and extremely proud of the Submarine Service, Mick became a Trustee for We Remember Submariners in 2019. Married to Diane for 31 years, Mick has 4 grown up children and 8 grandchildren and when he is not working or undertaking charitable work, he spends his free time with his family.

Iain Mackenzie – Submariners Association representative for comradeship

I joined the Royal Navy at HMS Ganges in September 1968. My first seagoing ship was HMS Decoy last of the daring class destroyers, I then joined HMS Naiad where I did my first Far East deployment.

The next move was the best decision I ever made: I joined the Submarine Service! Joining HMS Dolphin in 1972, did my Part 1 Part 2 training then joined HMS Warspite for my Part 3. In 1975 I was rated LRO(SM) and joined HMS Finwhale where I spent the next 18 years in diesel boats. In 1980 I Joined HMS Onslaught as the newly formed branch as a POTS. In 1988 I qualified as a Coxswain and joined HMS Odin

2008 saw me at the palace In front of Her Majesty the Queen to be awarded the MBE.

Retirement in 2008 was devastating. But in 2010 I was invited to join the RM Welfare in a FTRS roll as a Casualty Visits Officer/Funeral Officer

The final fateful day arrived in April 2019 when I had to accept my limitations due to age and retire. I was much better prepared this time. I got divorced, sold up in Scotland and moved down to Worthing in West Sussex where I am extremely happy with my new “Coxswains Dog” Luca, an Italian Grey Hound.

Rear Admiral Jon Westbrook CBE – representative from Friends of the RN Submarine Museum for heritage

Jon Westbrook retired from the Royal Navy in 2013 after 38 years of service, 30 as a submariner. He commanded on five occasions including HMS TALENT, Captain Submarine Sea Training and both the Devonport and Faslane Flotillas. Living in Cornwall with his wife Jill he consults on maritime issues and is also the Chair of the Friends of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

Vicky Brindley – Families & Benevolence representative

Vicky has been part of The Submarine Family for 13 years as a Submariner’s Spouse. This has seen her support her husband and extended family through long and short deployments – living through the highs and lows that military life brings us.

Having the lived experiences that this has bought her, enables Vicky to put herself in the shoes of the families living through similar situations that her time as a spouse has taught her.

She had her own career alongside his, then took an extended career break when they started a family.

Vicky currently works for the Naval Families Federation as The Devolved Policy Manager, she lives in Helensburgh with her serving Submariner Spouse and their young children.

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