A CHANCE meeting with the Queen Mother was enough to convince a Swindon man to join the Royal Navy.

Mike Shewry, 52, of Rodbourne Cheney, met the nation's favourite royal in September 1966 when he formed a guard of honour at the launch of the nuclear submarine HMS Resolution.

As a 15-year-old sea cadet at Training Ship Resolution in Swindon he was invited to the launch of the submarine sharing the same name at the naval dockyard in Barrow-in -Furness.

He said it was a day he will never forget.

"We were told by the officer said that in the very unlikely event that the Queen Mother should speak to us we must address her as ma'am and not ask any personal questions," he said.

"She walked past us and stopped to speak to me. I was the only cadet she spoke to and I think everyone was green eyed with envy at me.

"She asked me my name and what I planned to do when I left school.

"She obviously knew that we were not members of the Royal Navy.

"It shows that she had an interest in everyone there.

"I had planned to join the Navy anyway but her interest in it dispelled any doubts I might have had."

He explained that when he spoke to her he was not as nervous as might be expected.

"She was chatty and didn't have that air of aloofness about her that some members of the Royal Family do.

"It was almost like speaking to your grandmother, I rem-ember I was quite relaxed."

After the ship was launched Mr Shewry was taken on a tour of the docks and met members of the HMS Resolution's crew.

He saw the Queen Mother speaking to all manner of people there was impressed at the ease with which she spoke to them.

He remembers: "It was an incredible day, I'll never forget it.

"As a 15 year old it was almost overwhelming."

Mr Shewry's meeting was featured in a magazine produced to commemorate the launch and he did go on to join the Navy before returning to Swindon, were he now works as a forklift truck driver.