Legion case studies

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2010

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The big picture RAF PHOTOGRAPHY HMS TALENT SPOTTED AWARDS

Thar she blows…

Looking uncannily whale-like, HMS Talent was photographed by PO Phot Gaz Armes in the Kyle of Lochalsh in Scotland. The Talent was commissioned in 1990 and is one of seven Trafalgar-class hunter-killer submarines. She has recently been through an overhaul, during which her reactor core was renewed and she was fitted with one of the most advanced sonars in the world. Peregrine Trophy/Crown Copyright

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90TH ANNIVERSARY

‘Raise £90 million and lay the groundwork for our next 90 years’ – that was the challenge handed to those planning the 90th anniversary celebrations for The Royal British Legion.

Hollie Ewers reports

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n 1921, the aim of the newly founded British Legion was to provide financial, social and emotional support to the millions who had served.

Now, nine decades on, it has the endorsement of the royal family and is working harder than ever to support those members of the Armed Forces community who are in need.

The charity will officially turn 90 on 11 November next year, and plans are progressing well to ensure that this remarkable milestone will be marked with a bang – not just to celebrate the charity’s longevity, but also to highlight to the public that the Legion is just as relevant to our Armed Forces community today as it was in 1921.

“The 90th anniversary is about commemoration and celebration,” says the Legion’s Head of Regional Fundraising, Ruth Powell, who is keen to broadcast the Legion’s message to as wide an audience as possible over the coming months, as well as to publicise its aims for the future.

“We want to celebrate with our current supporters, while at the same time attracting new supporters and volunteers who can carry the Legion message on for future generations.

“The key thing about the anniversary is that it’s a launch pad for us to go into our next 90 years.

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Bring it

on

It’s not just about one year, or one event. It’s about getting support and helping people realise that we are relevant and contemporary, that we are ‘right now’ in terms of the Afghanistan generation.”

The official launch of the Legion’s 90th birthday celebrations takes place this autumn and will provide an opportunity for Legion National Chairman John Farmer to talk to the trustees, County Chairmen, senior staff and the media about the future.

Let’s raise £90 million A key component of the anniversary year is the ‘90 for 90’ fundraising campaign with the bold target of

raising £90 million for the charity.

“It is a huge target,” says Director of National Fundraising and Events Russell Thompson. “This year, we’ve raised about £74 million, so we have find another £16 million. It is going to be very hard work and we are going to have to push ourselves, but I believe we can do it.”

As well as fundraising initiatives, a number of eagerly anticipated events are being planned for the year ahead, including a series of concerts, which will be staged at many of the cathedrals across the country.

A weekend of street parties, open to everyone to join in, is planned for June, and in the week leading up

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To commemorate and celebrate the landmark anniversary and reach the £90 million target, the Legion’s fundraising team has been working hard to fill up a calendar of occasions and to get branches, members and the public involved.

Here are some of the planned events…

SKY DIVE WHEN: 22-24 SEPT 2010

to Annual Conference in Telford in May there will be a sponsored walk, family fun day, darts tournament and gala evening among many other special events.

“There’s something for everybody – and it will all help to spread the word and to raise funds,” says Ruth, who is particularly looking forward to the cathedral concerts.

The anniversary year will conclude with the Remembrance ceremony in November next year. She explains the significance: “It’s really fitting that the campaign will end then.

What an amazing date in the national conscience – people will say: ‘Where will you be at 11am on 11/11/11?’”

Wasting no time, celebrations have already started in Dorset with a Legion sky dive aptly named ‘90 Jump for 90’. The three-day event took place on 22-24 September and jumpers included serving personnel as well as the Legion’s Head of Regional Fundraising, Ruth Powell.

Quite remarkably, greatgrandmother Joan Harding from Colchester joined the daredevil team and celebrated her 90th birthday by jumping out of the plane too.

Dorset Community Fundraiser Louise Ravula says: “As the Legion reaches its 90th year, we’ve never been needed more.

Recent conflicts mean that more and more we’re supporting the Afghanistan generation of the Armed Forces and their families and we’ll be there for them now and for the rest of their lives. The ‘90 Jump for 90’ sky dive was a unique way to raise money and provide participants with an exhilarating Hayley Westenra challenge.”

Inspiring settings for the concerts

CATHEDRAL CONCERTS WHEN: FROM 11 SEPT 2010 Cathedrals across the country will host a series of commemorative concerts throughout the anniversary year. The theme of the concerts is ‘Peace and Reconciliation’, and in the run up to 11 November 2011, Legion Counties will host their own concerts.

“Some Legion branches that can’t use their local cathedral are going to find another location either smaller or larger that is more suitable for them, but they are still going to have some form of concert,” says the Legion’s fundraising director, Russell Thompson.

The first in the series was ‘The Angel and the Fallen’ concert held at Salisbury Cathedral on 11 September, which featured an appearance from Kiwi soprano Hayley Westenra (left). More dates and places are still to be confirmed but the Central Band of The Royal British Legion is set to be involved with many of the events. A support pack for local organising committees will be available soon.

Among the concerts proposed for 2011 are: 7 May Canterbury Cathedral, Kent; 14 May Rochester Cathedral, Kent; 27 May Southwark Cathedral, London; 10 September Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire; 11 September Westminster Abbey (90th anniversary service).

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90TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT

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March for honour LCpl Ram Patten hopes to raise public awareness of the Legion – and raise £1 million – through the March For Honour. Organising this gruelling event is his way to say ‘thank you’ to the charity Report Steve Smethurst and Carly Chynoweth Photography Duncan Kendall

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ance Corporal Ram Patten, of 40 Commando Royal Marines, was at his home in Somerset when the realisation hit him that something was very wrong.

The 29-year-old, who had left Afghanistan half way through his most recent tour, had put a stair gate at the bottom of his staircase, then placed a second, complete with a warning bell, two steps up. A few steps beyond that was a third.

“The idea was that a perpetrator would come in, find the first one, laugh at it or whatever, and open it,” Ram explains. “When he got to the second one he’d stumble on it and ring the bell, which would give me time to get out of my room and kick him down the staircase while he was negotiating the third.”

Normal behaviour? No, says Ram. “Taunton is a very quiet, friendly community. But to me it made perfect sense because I was convinced that the enemy was going to get me at home. That’s when I realised that I had to do something about it.”

His problems had begun a few months earlier. In September 2007, he had gone out on Herrick 7, but returned home in December when it became obvious that he was suffering from severe insomnia, agitation and other symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“I was getting really bad nightmares that I could not wake up from because my body was so exhausted,” he says.

“I was only sleeping for around two hours every three days. But I was so tired that all I wanted to do was sleep.” Eventually, he contacted his boss at Camp Bastion, explained what was happening, and was flown back from his forward-operating base to Bastion within two days. He stayed there for a week while they confirmed that he wasn’t simply looking for an excuse to escape the fighting.

“There wasn’t as much peacekeeping as there is now. We had a war to fight,” he says. In many ways it was a conventional war – unlike the current situation – where even the most professional, well-prepared soldier can lose his life simply OCTOBER 2010 • Legion 19

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FRONT-LINE PHOTOGRAPHY British troops left the town of Sangin to the Americans on 30 September. One hundred and six British lives were lost during the deployment.

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Legion-sponsored photographer Sean Power travelled to Sangin this summer and was able to record the realities of war for the British troops Report Steve Smethurst

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When a motorbike is travelling towards you, it could be innocent or it could be a threat. Taliban marksman are usually just several hundred metres away and British troops come under fire regularly – it’s part of the daily life out there.

Maintaining energy levels and keeping dehydration at bay is essential in the harsh climate of Afghanistan – and watermelons prove ideal for quenching thirst.

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n 30 September, British forces handed over the Afghan town of Sangin to their American counterparts. Our troops had been there for four years and made significant progress. The handover was to allow British forces to be concentrated in one location, southern Helmand, rather than scattered throughout the region.

“They should be very proud of their achievements in Sangin,” said Defence Secretary Liam Fox.

However, there were mixed feelings among troops about the handover.

For a small town, it has extracted a high price. Some 106 British troops have made the ultimate sacrifice while securing the town – approximately a third of all British deaths in Afghanistan. So while there was some relief to be leaving, there was also a sense of disappointment that a number of patrol bases will not now be maintained by the US, especially since British lives were lost in building and defending them. Sangin, in the north of Helmand province, has only

14,000 inhabitants yet it is important strategically as the town’s people have historically tended to support the Taliban and it is a long-established hub for the opium trade.

The Ministry of Defence notes that the area ‘remains hotly contested by insurgents’, yet more than 850 shops now trade in Sangin’s bazaar – twice as many as last summer and many hundreds more than in 2006. The main road through the town, Route 611, is also much safer, increasing access to agricultural land and markets for local people. Other NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 • Legion 21

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■ WELFARE

■ LEGION NEWS

■ LETTERS

■ LOST TRAILS

in search

Leslie James Windermere, 1944 The group above shows Army personnel at Windermere in the Lake District, around 1944. Leslie James (seated first left) is the father of John James, who would like to hear from or about anyone who served with his dad.

Contact Write to John James at 7 Benson Gardens, Moresk, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1DR.

DW Smith 1942 Do you recognise DW Smith?

As a member of 43 Operating Section 1st British Corps of Signals 1942-45, Mr Smith would welcome contact from anyone in his old section.

Contact Write to 34 Park Avenue North, Abington, Northampton NN3 2JE.

Where are they now?

Lost Trails is our regular feature that allows you to trace and contact former forces colleagues.

Do you recognise anyone in these photographs?

JL Johnson Egypt, 1945 Do you know any of the people in this picture? Taken in 1945 on Floating Dock, Port Fouad in Port Said, Egypt, the Service comrades were with friends from the nearby French Club. Mr Johnson would like to hear from anyone with information.

Contact If you can help, write to 21 Farriers Way, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 2TS.

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Follow See also the www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/lost-trails links for more welfare at www.britishlegion.org.uk

ch of the comrades we miss…

H Baker 7 Germany, 1947 All the men in the picture were in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment in Germany in 1947. Mr Baker (back row, right) would be happy to hear from any of the men pictured.

Contact If you can help, write to 13 Park Road, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7EE.

Charlie ‘Taffy’ Hatherall 1955 Taffy served in the Security Police RAOC 1955-57 at Bicester Garrison, Oxford, and wishes to get in touch with his old pal Jack Scott as well as others including John Heley, Dennis Edwards, Charlie Hawkins, Fred Dipple or anyone else who might remember him.

Sid Sidney Lovitt L i Bulford Camp, 1962 Sidney is trying to contact anyone who was stationed at Bulford Camp from January 1962 with 48 Company RA RASC, mainly 141 Field Bakery.

The photo of Sidney (right) and Bob Butler (left) was taken at Bo Aldershot Show in 1966.

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Contact

Contact C

C Hatherall, 122 Underhill Crescent, Abergavenny NP7 6DR.

W Write to 13 Cavendish Street, B Bedford, Bedfordshire M MK40 2HL.

Please send Lost Trails submissions to: P Lost L Trails, Legion, Redactive Publishing, 17 1 Britton St, London EC1M 5TP. Please include i a brief Service history, names of people p you are trying to trace, contact details, d and both an old and a recent photo.

All A images will be returned once published.

H HAVE YOU FOUND AN OLD FRIEND? If you’ve been reunited with an old comrade thanks to Lost Trails, we’d love c tto hear about it. Email your story to editorial@legion-magazine.co.uk e ServicePals.com is a free UK reunion and social networking website for those who served n and are currently serving. ServicePals.com a will help you find lost military friends and w colleagues. It is proud to support c The Royal British Legion.

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