1. Navy Command
Warrant Officer May
Combined Technical Office
HMS DIAMOND
BFPO 273
Email: 273-WOME@a.dii.mod.uk
09 Feb 14
Reference; Petty Officer Marine Engineering Mechanic Maddison D236428C
To whom it may concern;
I am the senior non-commissioned Marine Engineer on board HMS Diamond, charged with the day
to day conduct of the Marine Engineering Department. This includes responsibility for the correct
maintenance and operation of a diverse array of machinery and equipment, much of which is worth
many millions of pounds. To assist me I have a team of senior and junior naval ratings, one of
whom was, from April to December 2013, Petty Officer Lee Maddison.
From the outset I was impressed by Petty Officer Maddison. I soon discovered that he was not only
highly professional and capable in all that he did, he also had a natural flair for teaching others. On
several occasions I deliberately placed personnel under his tutelage who I thought needed a strong
hand in their training. He never let me down and always patiently worked to bring those he was
teaching up to the required standard. Equally I had no hesitation in consulting with him over the
performance of trainees to gain a perspective on their abilities and further training needs.
Petty Officer Maddison was responsible for the high voltage electrical distribution system on board
the ship that provides power to all systems and equipments including the propulsion drives. On
joining the ship he soon qualified as a Senior Authorising Person for that high voltage system and
was completely competent at raising and carrying out the documentation and working procedure
demanded by our safe system of work. For the area of responsibility he had he always managed
his work and the personnel that worked for him to maintain 100% availability of equipment, unless
held up by non availability of replacement parts.
It is difficult in what should be a concise letter of reference to express in full my opinion of Petty
Officer Maddison. Throughout the time I worked with him he was one of the strongest Senior Rates
in my team despite not being the most senior or experienced. That opinion has also been
expressed clearly by my seniors, who were greatly disappointed when he decided that he would
leave the service.
Capable, professional, intelligent, adaptable, good humoured and with unquestionable personal
integrity I cannot recommend to any future employer more strongly that they should see Petty
Officer Maddison as a future asset of their organisation and not let the opportunity to add him to
their team pass by.
Warrant Officer Engineering Technician Peter May RN