THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ESSEX COUNTY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. (Henry Ford) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ESSEX COUNTY NEWSLETTER MARCH APRIL 2014 COUNTY NOTICES & EVENTS COUNTY WELFARE FUND GROUP & BRANCH DONATIONS SINCE 1 JULY 2013 DUNMOW BRANCH 200 COGGESHALL BRANCH 120 WICKHAM BISHOPS BRANCH 1200 CHADWELL St MARY BRANCH 227 DANBURY BRANCH BRENTWOOD BRANCH 79 COGGESHALL BRANCH 100 KELVEDON BRANCH 1000 COPFORD BRANCH 250 LITTLE WALTHAM BRANCH 900 HARWICH BRANCH 500 B GROUP 50 BURNHAM BRANCH 50 WICKHAM BISHOPS BRANCH 500 TAKELY BRANCH 500 THAXTED BRANCH 150 HEDINGHAMS BRANCH 500 SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS BRANCH 300 COLCHESTER BRANCH 1484 GREAT WALTHAM BRANCH 200 DEBDEN BRANCH 108 RBL CHINGFIELD 200 HIGHLIGHTED TEXT + DONATIONS RECEIVED SINCE LAST NEWSLETTER BRANCH ACCOUNTS THE FOLLOWING BRANCH ACCOUNTS ARE OUTSTANDING FROM THE YEAR ENDING 30 JUNE. THESE SHOULD NOW BE SUBMITTED WITHOUT DELAY. WIVENHOE DEBDEN BRANCH WINNERS OF THE LISTER CUP DEBDEN BRANCH HAS WON THE LISTER CUP WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED TO THEM AT THIS YEARS NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN TORQUAY. THE AWARD OF THIS NATIONAL AWARD WILL ENTITLE THE BRANCH TO DISPLAY THE LISTER CUP SCROLL ON THE BRANCH STANDARD. OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRANCH. The concert at the Charter Hall Colchester on Friday 6 th June is THE MAJOR EVENT in the Royal British Legion calendar in Essex for This is a truly huge event and it is essential that all Legion members support it: The reputation of the Legion, especially in Essex, depends on a big show of support. The performers are showing their support by performing free of charge, enabling the ticket price to be kept to a nominal 12. ALL PROFITS TO THE COUNTY WELFARE FUND Details of the concert are at the end of this newsletter. Please display this page on your Branch/Club notice board The Charter Hall is easy to get to and has ample free parking. POPPY APPEAL TOTAL FOR ESSEX TO DATE: 1,077,861 NATIONAL TO DATE: 35,437,422 A CALENDER OF EVENTS FOR THIS YEAR IS HELD ON THE ESSEX LEGION WEBSITE. ANY REQUESTS FOR THE INCLUSION OF EVENTS/ACTIVITIES TO BE ADDED, PLEASE CONTACT TRACY HALL OR THE COUNTY SECRETARY. IT IS BECOMING INCREAINGLY HARD TO RECRUIT NEW PAO s SO ANY HELP FROM BRANCHES AND MEMBERS WILL BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED BRANCH FUND INITIATIVE 2% PAGE 1

2 GENERAL INFORMATION. NEW APPOINTMENT COUNTY DEPUTY TREASURER THIS EDITION Attached to this edition are information posters/layouts for display on Branch/Club notice boards at your discretion. One concerns CONCERT 2014, as outlined on Page 1. The second is a LONG TERM EVENTS PROGRAM for Essex and the third identifies the BMI Hospital in Southend for LASER EYE SURGERY. A donation covering this attachment has been received. At the County Committee Meeting held on Saturday, 29 March 2014, Mr Dudley Nasland, of the Basildon & Laindon Branch was appointed to be the Deputy County Treasurer. His duties will include assisting and deputising for the County Treasurer when required. NEWMARKET RACE DAY Advance discounted tickets are available for Newmarket Race Day on Saturday 9th August to RBL members. For tickets please contact the box office on , quote RBL14 Prices Premier Enclosure is ( 25 normal price) Grandstand & Paddock is (normal price 16) Please note that booking closes on THURSDAY 31 ST JULY therefore tickets must be booked before this time. BRANCH CHAIRMAN & SECRETARIES DAY Will be held on the 14 th June 2014 at Witham Branch premises. Start time is at 10am with a finish time of approx A buffet will be provided and ALL BRANCH CHAIRMAN AND SECRETARIES are requested to attend. County Handbooks have now been printed and will be collected by Group Secretaries for distribution to all Branches. Appeal to find families of war heroes Anglia Ruskin to re-erect plaque commemorating students who died in First World War Anglia Ruskin University is re-erecting a plaque commemorating ten former students who died in the First World War, and is appealing for relatives of the students to get in touch. The plaque was originally erected at the Frederick Chancellor Building, on Victoria Road South in Chelmsford, to commemorate the ten students, who were at the Chelmsford School of Science and Art, a forerunner institution of Anglia Ruskin. The ten students commemorated on the plaque are: Eric Bainbridge (Royal Flying Corps) Hugh Brown (Scottish Rifles) Robert Hodgson (Royal Fusiliers) Alick Horsnell (Suffolk Regiment Harry Mann (Royal Artillery) Frank Newell (Civil Service Rifles) Charles Taylor (Royal Fusiliers) Cyril Thompson (London Irish) Frederick G Thompson (Royal Engineers) Robert Turnell (Royal Flying Corps) Steve Bennett, Secretary and Clerk of Anglia Ruskin, said: The ten were at the Chelmsford School of Science and Art and many of them would have been on student apprenticeships to prepare them for a career at the Hoffman or Marconi factories. We are planning to re-erect and rededicate the plaque on our new campus next year, the 100 th anniversary of the start of the First World War, and we would like to invite any relatives of those who died to get in touch with us, so they can join us at the rededication ceremony. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday 4 th November. Relatives who would like to attend the ceremony should call Rachel Moss on or rachel.moss@anglia.ac.uk PAGE 2

3 0BITUARIES THOMAS RIVIERE BLAND MC DEBDEN BRANCH ROYAL BRITISH LEGION DEBDEN MOURNS THE LOSS OF ANOTHER WW2 HERO The funeral service of Tom Bland MC took place at Debden Parish Church on Tuesday 18 th February Thomas Riviere Bland was born at Debden, NW Essex on 8 th February Educated at Eton College, Tom spent a spell of service with the Inns of Court Yeomanry before being commissioned into the Scots Guards at the outbreak of World War Two. He served with 2 nd Battalion Scots Guards as part of 201 Independent Guards Brigade in the 8 th Army in North Africa. After fighting through to Tunis and after the surrender of the German Afrika Korps, his Battalion was then re-deployed to Italy and was involved in the heavy fighting around Monte Cassino. 2 nd Battalion Scots Guards were advancing against the Germans north of Florence shortly after the Salerno landings when, on 25 th July 1944, his Company was ordered to attack the town of Monte San Michele with Lieutenant Bland commanding the leading platoon. Coming under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, Lieutenant Bland fell with severe wounds to the chest, arms and face. Pinned down by enemy fire, his platoon which had taken a number of casualties, were unable to extricate him and get him medical attention. Even when this became possible, Lieutenant Bland refused to be evacuated and continued to command and exhort his men for a further 7 hours until the objective had been secured. For his actions during this engagement Tom Bland was awarded the Military Cross. Having recovered from his wounds Tom Bland rejoined his battalion and continued to serve with them until the end of the war. After the war, Tom left the Army and worked as a Broker at Lloyds in London. He became a Freeman of The City of London and a Liveryman at the Merchant Taylors Company. A member of the British Legion like his father before him, Tom actively supported the Debden Branch RBL for 68 years. In his latter years Tom delighted in tending his garden and looking after his children and grandchildren. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends, business colleagues and fellow members of Debden Branch RBL. Less than six weeks from the sad death of Tom Bland who won a Military Cross (MC) whilst serving in Italy with the Scots Guards in WW2, Debden is in mourning for passing of another WW2 hero. Alfred Newton Taylor, known by all as Bob, was born at Easingwold, Yorkshire, on 13 th March He was educated at Easingwold Grammar School and worked initially at Rowntree of York. At the outbreak of WW2 Bob joined the local Home Guard but on 15 th November 1941 he enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service, the Fleet Air Arm, and trained as a Telegraphist Air Gunner (TAG) in Fairey Swordfish Torpedo Bombers. He served with 818 Squadron RNAS on board the aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn, providing air cover in Swordfish aircraft throughout 1942 for convoys en route for Gibraltar. On 9 th September 1943, HMS Unicorn and 818 Squadron supported the allied landings at Salerno, Italy, before being redeployed to Ceylon in 1944 to join the Eastern Fleet. In late 1944 Bob transferred to 849 Squadron RNAS equipped with Grumman Avenger Torpedo Bombers on board the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious as part of the British Pacific Fleet. He took part in the raid on the Japanese oil refineries at Palembang, Sumatra on 29 th January 1945 for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) for gallantry. After the war Bob returned to work for Rowntree at York but after moving to Southport Lancashire in 1955 he married his wife Joan and joined BP. He travelled extensively and at times lived in Australia, Nigeria and South Africa. In 1976 he joined Lonhro in London and settled in Debden. In retirement Bob enjoyed golf and walking his dog. He was a long-serving member of Debden Branch RBL. His funeral took place at Debden Parish Church on 3 April 2014 He will be sadly missed by his family, colleagues, friends and fellow members of Debden Branch RBL. PAGE 3

4 EVENTS & HAPPENINGS Received from Albert J Clack May I ask you to be kind enough, please, to draw the attention of Essex Royal British Legion members to my late father's book? The title is 'My Underground War'. It is his memoirs of the five years he spent as a prisoner-of-war during WWII. He typed them in the 1970s, and they subsequently vanished into a storage box, which came to me after he died. I recently edited and published them. The first half of the book covers his capture near Dunkirk in 1940 and his experiences in the Stalag VIIIB PoW camp. For most of this time he endured forced labour and occasional beatings in a coal mine. The second half deals with his escape from the Death March and his liberation by the Red Army. WALTON & DISTRICT BRANCH POPPY APPEAL RECOGNITION AWARDS! FEBRUARY 17TH 2014! AT THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION WALTON ON THE NAZE CLUB!! On the evening of 17th February 2014, the Walton & District Branch held a presentation evening at their local club in recognition of the hard work and dedication of members, local businesses and public bodies. The evening was organised by John Halls MBE and attended by many of the exceptionally hard working and worthy recipients. Special thanks are given to Tracey Hall, Community Fundraiser for Essex who made the journey to Walton to present the awards. This is a gripping yarn of capture, resistance, and liberation, revealing for the first time how he and a close-knit group of chums carried on the war despite their imprisonment, and even got away with killing a couple of Nazi guards who had ruthlessly bullied frail prisoners. It has initially received excellent reviews. The relatively short book is available exclusively from Amazon.co.uk as either a Kindle download or a slim paperback. Below are links to the pages on Amazon for the Kindle and paperback versions. MERSEA ISLAND ROYAL BRITISH LEGION REMEMBERS WW1 Mersea Island School 26 July 2014 The Mersea Island Royal British Legion and Woman's Section will be holding a "Remember WW1" event. The event will begin at 1200 noon with a short Church service where Standards are invited to Parade. The County Recruiting trailer is booked and it is hoped that a Brass band will be present. There will be a local singing group Vocalise, an Exhibition from Mersea Museum, a Children's display, and Charity stalls. Refreshments will be available. The main theme is to recognise the sacrifice made by all who took part in this conflict. We hope to provide an opportunity for people who wish to help the community by giving them a chance to contact and volunteer to one or more of the local Community groups that do so much here on the island. Any profits made on the day will be donated to The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Standard Bearers who wish to attend please contact Terry Walker on or or terryinmersea@iive.co.uk for further information. Trevor Smith Branch Chairman John Hall MBE Branch President APOLOGIES I have experienced some difficulty in downloading and positioning some of the pictures of this event. I will attempt to resolve the problem and print the remainder in the next edition Editor Trevor Smith 20 Year Award Holly Thurgood Corporate Organisers Award Walton Primary School Mrs Maureen Ambrose 15 Year Ladies Brooch Mrs Ursula Capel 30 Year Long Service Medal Brooch PAGE 4

5 FORTHCOMING EVENT EXTRACT FROM THE COUNTY COMMITTEE MINUTES 5 JANUARY 1946 CAR MILEAGE ALLOWANCE FOR COUNTY SECRETARY. The Secretary pointed out that the allowance to the County Secretary of 3d (old pence) per mile for the use of his private car did not adequately cover the cost and asked that this amount be reconsidered. After discussion it was agreed that the allowance be 51/2d per mile for three months when it would again be reconsidered. TIMES WAS HARD IN THEM THERE DAYS! EXTRACT FROM THE COUNTY COMMITTEE MINUTES 7 SEPTEMBER 1957 The County Conference: Members were asked to try and stimulate more interest in this years Conference and endeavour to obtain Resolutions from the branches in their respective districts. SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE! The newsletter is edited by the County Treasurer who may be contacted on any matter concerning this and future newsletters including suggestions for improvement, layout, or what have you! You may send contributions for inclusion in the newsletter direct to the address shown below. It would be helpful if all contributions are Ariel 9 point font. bryan.emery@btinternet.com Please always make your subject on an NEWSLETTER. ` PAGE 5

6 FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN ESSEX COUNTY 27 th -31 st May Bravo 2 Companies Two Worlds of Charlie F tour Mercury Theatre Colchester Friday 6 th June Saturday 7 th June Saturday 14 th June Saturday 14 th June Saturday 28 th June Sunday 6 th July Sunday 6 th July Monday 7 th July Friday 11 th July Sunday 20 th July Saturday 26 th July Saturday 26 th July Sunday 27 th July Sunday 3 rd August RBL Essex Concert Charter Hall, Colchester Annie Fennymore (Blind artist) Exhibtion at Beth Chatto Garden nr Brightlingsea Rayleigh branches Variety Night at Fitzwimarc School Rayleigh All welcome to participate or watch. Please contact Margaret Read, Rayleigh PAO on margaretread@sky.com Chappel & Wakes Colne, Womens Section Summer Sale at Chappel & Wakes Colne Village Hall 10.30am 2pm. Tea & cakes, soup & a roll, various stalls & stands. Chelmsford Armed Forces Day Event for more details please contact Harry Hudson on mob: or harryhudson70@gmail.com Epping Town Show Epping branch stall at event. The Songs That Won the War show at Westcliff Theatre, Clacton. Clacton branch stall and bucket collection. For tickets to the show please contact:- The Box Office on Tour De France riding through Finchingfield Village and Epping Town both branches will be supporting the riders as they pass through. BAE Systems Chelmsford Annual 60 mile Bike Ride through the Essex countryside Hockley Fete 1pm 5pm. Hockley branch/pao stall at event. Please contact Len James (PAO) for details, lenjames39@hotmail.co.uk Epping Festival Centenary Event Epping branch to be represented at the event. Contact branch for more details: Mersea Island Centenary Event Mersea Island branch to be represented at the event. Contact branch for more details: St John s church Epping Centenary Service Great Leigh s WW1 Tea Party Details TBC Monday 4 th August (Evening) A Million Candles to Remember Lighting a candle on every War Memorial in the country. Individual also to light a candle at a dedicated time on the same evening More details to follow Monday 4 th August Monday 4 th August Littlebury Centenary Church Service time TBC St. Osyth Centenary Church Service followed by a Tea Party details TBC Sunday 10 th August Hockley branch/club Night featuring the Starlight Amateur Dramatic Co. 7pm 9.30pm. Contact Hockley Club tel: Saturday 1 st November Poppy Concert Leigh Branch West Leigh Baptist Church

7 Concert in the Charter Hall Colchester Friday 6 th June 2014 Commencing 8.00pm Featuring Soprano Tinuke Olafimihan The RBL Harwich Brass Band The Chelmsford Male Voice Choir The Colchester and District Pipes and Drums All proceeds to the Royal British Legion County Welfare Fund. Tickets 12 from the Charter Hall Box Office Or Telephone Or THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM

8 DONATED ADVERTISEMENT