About Warsash Association

The Warsash Association was established in 1984. Membership is open to anyone who has in the past been a cadet, senior student or staff member at the Warsash Maritime Academy or any of its predecessor establishments. The first of these was the School of Navigation established in 1935 under the Directorship of Captain G W Wakeford. The WA succeeded an earlier organisation called the Old Cadets Association which had by then disbanded. Any ex-members of the OCA are especially welcome to join the WA.

The object of the Association is to maintain the comradeship formed whilst studying at the Warsash and serving at sea, and to sustain an interest in the activities at the Warsash Maritime School, renamed as such in 2020. We have a growing number of Officer Cadet members and enjoy an excellent relationship with the Academy.

Our numbers are increasing rapidly due to a recruitment drive, an expanding network of contacts and our member's interactive website. Our total membership grew from 217 in December 2008 to about 520 in 2021. If eligible to join please contact us or better still, make your Membership application online.
The Association has a UK based Executive Committee. Due to the recent growth in numbers new branches were inaugurated in Australia (2009), in New Zealand (2010) and in North America for Canadian and American members in 2013. Each has its own Branch Committee managing affairs and organising events locally. We also encourage local informal Group reunions (no committee, mainly good food and swinging the lamp sessions) such as the Liverpool Group and Western Australia Group in Perth WA.

Meeting agendas and minutes from our branches and from the UK are posted on Committee page where you will see committee member's names listed.

In the UK the AGM normally (but not always) occurs in September as part of the annual three-day Social Event to which wives and partners are invited. Previously these events mostly happened at in the Southampton area however in 2012 we went to Bristol, Liverpool in 2013, Poole in 2016, Dover 2017 and Chatham in 2018. Annual Social Events in the UK typically include visits to locations of maritime interest e.g. ss. Great Britain, short voyages around coastal waters e.g. Portsmouth Harbour, and a reunion dinner.

The Australian, New Zealand and North America Branches also hold similar annual social events at various locations such as Sydney, Auckland and Vancouver, including AGM, tours, a reunion lunch or dinner. Members can see any of these events whether in the UK or elsewhere listed on the website Events calendar.

Our popular All Hands journal is published and available to download from the website Journals section or optionally in printed form three times a year. You can download a sample journal here >> AH2018-2.

Many of our members reside outside the UK including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, USA, Uruguay, Belgium, Hong Kong, Nigeria, South Korea and Singapore. The UK Committee therefore is keen to consider proposals for the establishment of new local branches wherever appropriate. The advantages of overseas branch membership includes avoidance of bank transfer charges when paying fees, some financial support from central funds and the planning and management of events locally.

Child pages: