You can be pushed to your limits - Clint Darwen '88
Thursday, 21 September 2023
The sense of pride is very real for Old Boys of Auckland Grammar School. Whether it is being on the sidelines of a 1st XV fixture or attending a reunion in the hallowed Great Hall, the experiences of students throughout their five years at the School is something that stays with them wherever life takes them.

This is certainly the case for Lieutenant Commander Clint Darwen '88. "Being an Auckland Grammar Old Boy means a sense of belong, heritage and fraternity; we are all bonded by those everyday experiences at the School that shaped our lives."

Having always had an interest in the armed forces, Clint was accepted into the cadet forces of the Royal New Zealand Navy right after graduating from Auckland Grammar School, a full-time role for those under 18 years of age to give a grounding in service life. Unfortunately, the course was cancelled when funding from the Government was withdrawn, something Clint says may have been a blessing in disguise.

Considering other options including a move to the Royal Military College in Duntroon in Australia, Clint eventually joined the RNZNVR (the Royal New Zealand Navy Volunteer Reserves). "My first posting was at HMNZS Ngapona as a seaman rating, serving on the patrol ship HMNZS Hinau. Many weekends were spent in the service of conducting fisheries protection patrols and hydrographic surveys of harbours around the top of the North Island - I was hooked."

With several years of training under his belt, Clint decided to take his career further abroad. Unfortunately, a motorcycle accident left him with injuries that required years of recovery and rehabilitation, meaning he was ineligible to join the RNZN. "As it was no longer viable to join, I changed tack and decided to restart my life in the UK. I left on a two-year working holiday visa and did precisely that, worked in several pubs while taking time to tour Europe."

Moving back to New Zealand, Clint struggled to settle and eventually moved back to London on an ancestry visa. It was this move that helped him find his footing and Clint applied to and was accepted into the Royal Navy, where he has spent the last 18 years as both a rating (an enlisted sailor who is ranked below warrant and commissioned officers) and an officer. Clint spent time on the fo'c's'le (the raised forward deck of the ship where archers first could engage enemy ships) as a seaman spec rating, before he was commissioned into the Warfare branch, where he now specialises in the information space.

Having completed several operational tours overseas including: Djibouti and Somalia in Africa, the Gulf (based in Bahrain), Iraq and, more recently, on the HMS ALBION as part of the Littoral Response Group in the Baltic, Clint has seen his fair share of conflict - in his own words, perhaps a bit too much.

"I have had to hire taxis to transport Somali pirates when I lacked transport to get them to the airport for processing. I have seen the horrors of ISIS first hand and been on the end of their fury. Most recently, as part of the HMS ALBION's crew, we were followed by a number of Russian vessels off the coast of Latvia where I discovered that "someone" had hacked my phone and turned the video on for a minute to leave a personalised message (a not so subtle reminder they can 'get to you')."

One of Clint's most memorable (and challenging) moments came in 2016 where he was deployed to the Joint Effects Cell in Iraq as part of Operation Shader. As the Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Clint's role was to help mentor the Iraqi War Media Cell and to travel to different parts of the area in order to support commanders on the ground to - eventually - defeat the ISIS narrative and propaganda; not an easy task. "As hard as this is to admit, ISIS were excellent at propaganda; a mixture of fear and cultural/historical issues kept the population under their subjugation."

Working with the Iraqis and the Iraqi Kurds, and after considerable debate from all sides, all three groups were able to speak to the Iraqi people as one, a mammoth effort which Clint was praised for, and later, recognised for his actions. "I understood we could only undermine ISIS by speaking to the Iraqi population with a consistent voice, but the effort was worth it, as we stood on the same plinth together for the first time in front of the world's media, saying words I had written to the oppressed people of Iraq. As recognition, I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, as well as an ISIS battle flag by the Iraqi Government - although the paperwork to bring this back to the UK was not easy!" Clint has since used his experience in Iraq to complete his Master's of Modern Warfare degree with his thesis titled Killing and Ideal: The Battle for Mosul 2016-2017.

Clint now has his feet back on terra firma and is in the second phase of his Naval career, working in the People and Training Directorate as part of a team creating several transformational programmes at the naval headquarters. While it doesn't have the same intensity as being out on the water in the middle of combat, Clint is enjoying the new challenge. "It isn't as exciting, but I am working as part of a great team driving to make the Royal Navy even more global, lethal, and ready during these uncertain times."

Auckland Grammar School and the Royal Navy are very similar in that there is a deep sense of discipline and ethos that runs through both organisations, and Clint wholeheartedly recommends joining the armed forces, especially for those who are wanting to leave their comfort zone. "My advice is just go for it. It is an incredible challenge and you certainly are pushed to your limits, but it offers many opportunities you won't get anywhere else."