HMS PRINCE OF WALES is affiliated to the Worshipful Company of Engineers, which, jointly with the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, is pleased to support two annual awards. The winners were announced at the Engineers Trust Awards Dinner on 9 June 2026, when both recipients were on active service.

Admiral Wildish Award for Engineering Innovation

Awarded to the Junior Rate, Senior Rate, Warrant Officer, or Commissioned Officer of any Engineering Department on board HMS PRINCE OF WALES who has created a new piece of equipment or technique to deal with a unique problem, solve a known problem in a more efficient way, or used existing equipment or techniques in a new fashion to deliver a better result; demonstrating innovation in the face of adversity.

Leading Engineering Technician (Weapons Engineering) Aubrey Goodchild RN

Leading Engineering Technician (LET) Goodchild is disciplined, respected and sets the standard for peers.  His conduct inspires confidence, fostering a culture of excellence and mutual respect across the team.  He proactively collaborates with marine engineers to optimise provision for critical computer rooms, ensuring that ventilation systems for these critical Command and Control spaces meet sensitive environmental requirements, protecting Information Systems vital for the nation’s flagship.

Goodchild’s technical approach embraces continual improvement and innovation.  He pioneers advanced repair techniques to resolve complex engineering challenges, enhancing system reliability and assuring command of operational outcomes.  Following completion of fibre repair training in 2025, he successfully executed a complex and pressured fusion splice repair ahead of the UK Strike Group’s global deployment, Operation HIGHMAST.  This intervention enabled personnel to leverage trial equipment within a demanding multinational task group environment, assuring continual delivery of operational interoperability. Furthermore, while exploring enhancements to communication systems within highly sensitive compartments, Goodchild independently researched and implemented a bespoke ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature.  This solution has since been adopted class-wide, providing communication discretion for personnel engaged in combat operations planning, thereby improving operational security and efficiency.

Historical Note: Vice Admiral Wildish served in HMS PRINCE OF WALES in 1941. A few months before the ship was sunk in the Far East, the ship’s officers presented him and his wife with a silver platter to mark their wedding. Admiral Wildish died in 2017 and his family have given the platter to the current HMS PRINCE OF WALES in his memory. The platter is now part of the annual award, sponsored jointly by the Engineers Company and Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, to commemorate the innovation shown by Admiral Wildish during his career as a Marine Engineering Officer. Among his many inventions was the splinter box (for damage control) as well as the concept of maintenance scheduling, a forerunner to Unit Maintenance Management System in use today.

Commander Marine Engineering Award for Operational Engineering

Awarded to the Junior Rate, Senior Rate, Warrant Officer or Commissioned Officer of the Marine Engineering (ME) Department of HMS PRINCE OF WALES who has delivered exceptional results against either significant operational or time pressures, and/or arduous conditions over the previous 12 months.

Petty Officer Engineering Technician (ME) Robyn Welford RN

Under Petty Officer (PO) Engineering Technician Welford’s dedicated leadership, PRINCE OF WALES’ Low Voltage (LV) Electrical Section consistently demonstrated outstanding performance and professionalism throughout the Flagship’s 8-month Indo-Pacific deployment OP HIGHMAST.  PO Welford’s remit spans an extensive range of mission critical systems as well as the often-overlooked power provision to accommodation, communal and work spaces, servicing tens of thousands of lamps, sockets and switches across all of the ship’s 3000 compartments.

PO Welford has led her team in tackling numerous material challenges over the last 12 months, empowering them to achieve remarkable resilience, develop workarounds, deliver timely solutions and maintain a “can-do” attitude that exemplifies the very best of the Marine Engineering Department’s support to the whole ship. PO Welford leads by outstanding example, and, beyond her technical excellence, she has driven significant improvements in personnel development through continuation training for her juniors, exemplary management skills, and fostering a positive working environment. The LV Section’s exceptional output, resilience under pressure and commitment to mission and people are laudable and mark them as a standout asset to PRINCE OF WALES. This is testament to PO Welford’s exceptional leadership and management.

As the ship was at sea at the time of the Award ceremony in London, the Commanding Officer of HMS PRINCE OF WALES, Captain Ben Power, presented the certificates and the Admiral Wildish tray (kept displayed in the ship’s trophy cabinet), in a ceremony on board the ship on the same evening, hosting a dinner for them in the Captain’s cabin.

The Worshipful Company of Engineers Charitable Trust (the Engineers Trust) promotes the contributions of engineers to benefit society, education and research, and the relief of hardship and poverty.