Royal Navy veteran finally passes out at Dartmouth - 63 years after training there

An 81-year-old Royal Navy officer has finally passed out of Britannia Royal Naval College, more than six decades after he first began training there.

Captain Malcolm Farrow missed his original passing out parade back in the early 1960s after switching trades from engineer to seaman - and never completed the traditional graduation ceremony.

"I am absolutely amazed. I mean, I'm almost speechless. And that takes a lot to make me speechless. But it was a fantastic experience and the likes of which I've never had before and never will again," he said.

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Despite never formally passing out, Captain Farrow went on to serve in the Royal Navy for 37 years.

"My contemporaries had done their second year here and passed out. I then transferred back and joined up with them in their subsequent training. So I never passed out of here. And of course, I didn't stay at Manadon, so I never passed out of there either. So I never passed out of anywhere," he explained.

His unconventional route into the service didn't stop him from returning - more than once.

"I've actually been in the Navy three times because I kept leaving and joining. So I thought maybe if I don't do it this time, I'd have to join again," he said.

At the parade, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard presented Captain Farrow with an official photo of his 1960s intake.