THE MOORINGS ISSUE 65
May 2018
Core Values: Unity, Loyalty, Patriotism & Comradeship - Once Navy, always Navy
TIME TO WALK THE TALK
Shipmates Graham Dunnill-Gosling (Area-5 Welfare Advisor) and Dave Mead (Rayleigh Branch Welfare Officer) paying their respects at the Naval Service Memorial at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Incorporated by Royal Charter
Patron: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION RAYLEIGH BRANCH (No.5 Area)
BRANCH CONTACTS RNArayleigh@outlook.com President:
Bob Hill
01268 780449
Chairman:
Jim Hammond
01268 414616
Vice Chairman:
Terry Barker
01268 456165
Hon. Secretary:
Gary Daisley
01268 555570
Hon. Treasurer:
Joan Crick
01268 741303
Membership Secretary:
Bill Vernon
01268 772775
Standard Bearer:
Dave Bishop
01268 770521
Welfare Officer:
Dave Mead
01702 307922
Social Secretary:
Mike Sandbrook
01702 801103
Padre:
Rev. David Oxtoby
01268 971814
BRANCH DETAILS Bank Details: HSBC Rayleigh
email: RNArayleigh@outlook.com
Royal Naval Association Rayleigh Branch Account number & sort code from Hon. Treasurer.
Meeting Venue: Royal British Legion 2 London Hill, Rayleigh SS6 7HP Tel: 01268 776503 Meeting Dates: Fortnightly (see back cover). Registered Charity: Registration Number 1069148 2
2018 RNA Welfare Seminar: Rayleigh Branch Shipmate & Welfare Officer Dave Mead attended the RNA Welfare Seminar in Staffordshire over the weekend of 20-22 April. The purpose of the seminar was to inform and update branch Welfare Officers with the latest benefits and support available to our members. Candidates benefitted from guest speakers representing the following organisations: SAIL (Sailors Advise and Information Line), Beneficiary Royal Naval Benevolent Trust, Veterans with Dogs, Veterans in Prisons, Blind Veterans and The Not Forgotten Association. Capt Paul Quinn OBE Sarah Clewes presented a talk on the RNA’s Project Semaphore (Providing iPads and training to digitally isolated Naval Veterans) and the National Memorial Arboretum - Home to the Naval Service Memorial founded by the RNA. Guest speakers covering Prostate Cancer and Bereavement/Benefits were also on the programme.
S/M Dave Mead said; “There was quite a lot to go through. The seminar was very good and there was a lot to take in and learn. Welfare is more involved than people might think. It opened my eyes to see what support is available and how each branch is acting on the information. All of the speakers were brilliant. It was well worth attending.” During the weekend, Dave also managed to make time to pay his respects at the National Arboretum. 3
Extract from the Semaphore Circular May 2018 Dear Shipmates, Welcome to the May Circular. As usual the MoD switched all the heating off in Semaphore Tower since the Winter is scheduled to complete on 1 April, so we are all shivering in 5 degrees, so forgive frostbite induced mistakes this month. I hope you are all keeping warm after this latest chill. The National President and National Council are delighted to announce the appointment of Captain Bill Oliphant RN as my replacement as General Secretary. Captain Bill is a serving Logistics Officer and Captain of the Base here in Portsmouth. He will hopefully join Central Office at the beginning of November, for some induction training with partner charities and take over after the National Conference meeting at the beginning of December, with Paul staying to draft the Trustees report before going on leave and draft on 21 December. This all depends on the RN appointing a new Captain of the Base in the right timescale. Captain Bill will be coming to the Dublin Conference, with a view to seeing the RNA at work and play. He will be there to see Conference for himself and not as handover (so buy him a drink!!). Captain Bill saw some tough competition off and was the unanimous choice of the senior Shipmates group, our finance team and the main interview panel. He is a delightful man and I have known him professionally for 20 years. We have had many BZs on his appointment from senior naval figures. For the Dublin Conference we now have 53 delegates, so a big thank you to the branches that have responded to our call to come along. It’s going to be a great Conference in a marvellous location. Don’t forget to discuss the annual report, financial statements and Conference agenda in branch meetings. Remember that if you have any questions at all – I am delighted to answer them before 4
conference – or have notice of a question so I can get the best answer to you. This is your Association, so ask anything you want, there aren’t any secrets! Huge congratulations to Shipmate Rita Lock MBE for her excellent Welfare Seminar held in Stoke on Trent. We had 55 Welfare Officers attending. They enjoyed a varied programme covering several areas such as finance, SAIL, cancer, Project Semaphore, RNBT and others. Big thanks to Soapy Watson for organising a Quiz the night before, which had the GS stumped on soap opera characters (no questions about the Archers strangely). Thank you also to S/M Rita for the raffle. There was some really nice social time as well as some serious work. A reminder that we are looking for a National Branch recruiting Advisor. If you are interested, this could be a great role to make a big difference to the RNA. Particularly if you have been successful. Expenses are covered as the BRRA have their own budget. This will have a big voice in how the RNA markets itself. Simple email application to paul@royalnavalassoc.com by the end of May please. A reminder to get booking the LIBOR buses for your summer trips. Anyone wanting the bus to shift to their area for a longer period, please give a shout and we’ll take a serious look. Some business please: • If you want to spectate at the Standard Bearers competition give Andy a ring. •
The 2019 Biennial Parade will be held on Sunday 8 September 2019 at the Cenotaph. Can I ask that Branch and Area committees include this in their planning and keep the weekend free for attendance at this very special event? We have had a couple of Area meeting clashes in recent years and it would be good to leave the option open for all to come.
•
I have been very pleased with the uptake of minor grants (under £250) from the Branch and Club support fund, which have been given for all sorts of different reasons from helping an elderly shipmate attend a reunion, basic repairs or decoration, or for Armed Forces Day participation. This is 5
in addition to the help given for local adverts in free newspapers etc. Just a simple email to GS is all it takes and snail mail for one non-digital branch (Fleetwood). You will see the article about the Wyboston Lakes Hotel for the 2019 Conference. This is a very good venue and we will have it to ourselves for a ‘cosy’ feel to the social side. Comfortable and modern, it will have been recently redecorated before we arrive. The National President will be able to play golf, presumably driven around the course by the new GS! Finally, a personal note of pride. I attended my nephew’s passing out parade at BRNC Dartmouth last week. Shipmates will be pleased to hear that standards remain exceptionally high and the parade was everything you would wish for. Not a single mistake on the ‘Advance in Review Order’ in the 150 passing out officers. GIs will tell you this is good going. James is off to Collingwood for his WEO training and the issue of fluffy slippers for 4 o’clockers. Best from the Central Office team, Paul Quinn General Secretary
Photo competition: Don’t forget that Rayleigh Branch is now running a photo competition (details in the March edition of The Moorings). So if you’re out and about, or attending one of the many branch visits and activities, remember to take your camera along (you can also take photos on most ‘smart’ phones these days too). Entry details and further information available from your Branch Secretary. 6
Rayleigh Trinity Fair: Sunday 10 June 2018
Last year, Rayleigh Trinity Fair was held for the first time in over 100 years. It was a fantastic day with over 10,000 people attending. Haddon’s Events are pleased to announce that the Trinity Fair will be back again in 2018. The original Trinity Fair ran in Rayleigh each year from 1227. The Trinity Fair was shut down in 1899 as it had become ‘too rowdy’. The event will take place on Sunday 10 June. The High Street will be closed to traffic on this day and will be filled with stalls, music and other entertainment including; Live Music, Children’s Rides, Soft Play Bus, Simulator Ride, Craft & Gift Stalls, Food & Beer Tent, Game Stalls, Vintage Stalls, Classic Cars, Live Music, Town Crier, BBC Essex, DJ & Dancers, Art Exhibition & Workshop, Church Tower, Dutch Cottage, Windmill & Museum open, Mill Hall Open from 10:30am and lots more. There will also be stalls in Bellingham Lane. The Mill Hall will host a Food, Craft and Gift Fair. Also at The Mill Hall will be an art exhibition and workshop. At the site of Rayleigh Windmill there will be a vintage fair and classic car show. The windmill will be open and the staff will be dressed in period costumes. 7
There will be music from DJ Iain Black and his Retro Radio Show, live singing from Lorraine Cater and Julie Jive, plus dance demonstrations. There will also be music, shopping, fun, dancing and merriment. Entry to the event is free for everybody all day. The organisers are in the process of organising additional car parking to cope with the huge number of people expected on the day. They are also still working on organising the line up for all of the entertainment that will take place throughout the day. RNA Rayleigh will be hosting a hospitality and recruiting tent at the event. We will be asking RNA members to stand a ‘one-hour watch’, taking turns to man the tent throughout the day (11am5pm). You will also be invited to grab a few gizzits, swing the lamp with joe public and press them into entering a free Pusser’s Rum raffle..!
8
All Quiet on the Western Front WW1 Battlefields Tour: September 2019 I am proposing a visit to the WW1 Battlefields of France and Belgium. The tour will be with Leger Battlefield Tours via a Silver Service coach with an experienced WW1 guide. This tour will take 5 days with the following schedule: Day 1 Local pick-ups (Locations to be confirmed) and travel to our hotel in Belgium where we will be staying for four nights.
Day 2 - Ypres & Passchendaele The tour starts in Flanders around the Belgian city of Ypres. Here, one in three of Britain’s Western Front dead fell by 1918 and it has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. We begin by looking at the commemoration of Britain’s dead at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in the world, taking time to also see the visitors centre. At Vancouver Corner we examine the use of gas in the trenches and see the moving Brooding Soldier memorial to the Canadians who defended Ypres in 1915 and at Langemarck German Cemetery we see how Germany commemorated her dead and look at the story of Fritz on the other side of No Man’s Land. After lunch at Hooge, we visit the preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood Trench Museum, some of the last original WW1 Trenches still surviving in Flanders together with an amazing collection of relics and stereoscopic photos. We then travel down the Messines Ridge to Ploegsteert to see 9
Memorial to the Missing. Our day ends in Ypres where we attend the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial held at 8pm each evening. Day 3 – The Somme The Battle of the Somme began on a summer’s day in July 1916 and ended in a snowstorm four and a half months later. It was a battle of contrasts from the blackest day when 57,000 became casualties to the first use of tanks and the change in approach to fighting on the Western Front. We look at all these stories and start our tour at Peronne where we visit the excellent Historial de la Grande Guerre Museum which helps to put into context not just our Somme day, but the whole tour. We then see the Lochnagar Mine Crater at La Boisselle, the largest British mine crater surviving on the battlefields. After lunch, we see the trenches in the Newfoundland Park and then take time to visit the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and see the new Somme Museum here.
Day 4 – Arras & Vimy Ridge We spend a day in northern France visiting the ‘Forgotten Front’ between Flanders and the Somme. Starting on the Loos Battlefield, the scene of the first major British offensive of WW1, 10
we see where the fighting took place and also the Loos Memorial and Dud Corner Cemetery. We then visit the excellent new Lens 14–18 Museum which explains the rich history of this region. After lunch in Arras we look at life beneath the Western Front in the Wellington Quarries, going underground to see where thousands sheltered on the eve of battle. At the Arras memorial, we pay our respects to the Missing and see the Air Services Memorial to those who died above the battlefield in WW1 and end our day with a visit to the stunning Vimy Ridge memorial at Hill 145 to examine the attack by Canadian forces here in April 1917. Day 5 – Return home. The cost of this tour will be approximately £500 per person and includes pick-ups, 4 nights in a hotel with continental breakfast. As this tour will include walking distances over uneven ground and in some original trenches this will need to be taken into account when deciding whether the visit will be suitable. The full details can be found on the Ledger website at www.legerbattlefields.co.uk. Those interested should contact Social Secretary S/M Mike Sandbrook
Crossed the bar: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of S/M Bill Harrison on 26 March. Bill had been a member of Rayleigh Branch since 1996 and was a regular at our meetings until about four years ago, when he was diagnosed with dementia. Born in 1925, Bill joined the Royal Navy in 1940 at the age of 15, where he served until 1954 (raising to the rank of Petty Officer). Bill saw active service in many theatres during WW2, including the Russian. Bill’s decorations included the Atlantic, France & Germany, Africa, Italy,1939-45 and Arctic Stars. Bill is to be buried at Great Burstead Church, Billericay on 1 May 2018. Fair winds and calm seas Bill, stand down. Your watch is done! 11
Portsmouth Dockyard & RNA HQ Visit: 28–29 June 2018 The planning for our Portsmouth Dockyard & RNA HQ visit on 2829 June 2018 is going well. We have had a great response with 25 people attending. The plan is to arrive at Portsmouth for 10:00 on Thursday. We have arranged for two wheelchairs for the duration of the trip. On arrival at HM Dockyard Portsmouth S/M Mike Sandbrook will obtain day tickets for all the attractions. We will then be visiting HMS Warrior where tea, coffee and biscuits are being laid on for us free of charge. On completion we will be split into two groups and given a guided tour of HMS Warrior which is expected to take between 60 to 90 minutes at your own pace. On completion we will enter the Dockyard where you will be free to visit the many attractions including HMS Victory, the Mary Rose, HMS M33, Action Stations and the Museum. There is also a Shop and Café. At 15.00 (3pm) we will be picked up by our minibus and taken to our relative accommodation. Pick up point to be confirmed with driver. The coach will stop at the Royal Maritime Club and then travel to Trafalgar gate for those staying in the WO & SR’s Mess to be issued with passes to access HMS Nelson. Chairman Jim Hammond is the point of contact for those staying at the Royal Maritime Club and SM Mike Sandbrook for those staying at HMS Nelson WO & SR’s Mess. The first pick up on Thursday 28 June will be 07:00 at Rayleigh Weir, 07:10 at the Royal British Legion, Rayleigh and then if required Trafford House, Basildon. On Friday the minibus will pick up those staying at the Royal Maritime Club and take them to Trafalgar gate where passes will be issued. The minibus will then pick up from the WO & SR’s Mess before moving on to RNA HQ, in Semaphore Tower. During our visit to RNA HQ, refreshments will be served and a tour given before a boat trip around the Dockyard. The minibus will then pick us up at 15:00 (3pm) for our journey home back to Rayleigh. 12
The cost of the coach and entry to HM Dockyard Portsmouth has now been paid. Food and accommodation costs will need to be paid individually. To obtain passes at Trafalgar gate everyone is to ensure that they bring an official form of identification with their photograph on i.e. Passport or Driving Licence. If you have any questions regarding the visit please contact either Chairman Jim Hammond or Social Secretary SM Mike Sandbrook.
13
Reward & Recognition: Field agents have reported that at the Rayleigh Town Council Annual Meeting on 26 April, awards were presented to Shipmates Les Holyome, Len Hobbs and Joan Crick. Supporting our Shipmates at the ceremony were Rayleigh Branch members Jim Hammond (Branch Chairman), S/M’s Cherry Ablitt, Cllr. Jack Lawmon, Cllr. Eddie Dray & Cllr. Ian Ward.
The award citation for Shipmates Len Hobbs (Rayleigh branch member since 1987) and Les Holyome (2001) read as follows: “for being awarded the rank of Chevalier in the national order of the legion de’honor.” Both shipmates received the honour from the French Government in gratitude and recognition of their contributions in the liberation of France in1944, helping to end WW2. Also honoured at the Ceremony held at the Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh was Shipmate Joan Crick (Hon. Treasurer of Rayleigh Branch). Joan received the Rayleigh Town Council ‘Chairman’s’ special award for services to the community. 14
Diary Dates
RNA v RBL Darts Match Friday 4 May 2018 S/Ms Dave Bishop & Dave Harding
Museum of Power Visit Tuesday 10 May 2018 Langford, Maldon. S/M Mike Sandbrook for further details
Rayleigh Trinity Fair Sunday 10 June 2018 (11am-5pm) High Street, Rayleigh
Castle Point Council Flag Raising - Monday 25 June 2018 Council Offices, Kiln Road, Benfleet Muster at 10:30
Canvey Island Armed Forces Day - Saturday 30 June 2018 Castle View School, Canvey Island Muster at 10:00
RNA-HQ & Portsmouth Visit Thurs/Fri 28-29 June 2018 Pick-ups from Rayleigh & Basildon S/M Mike Sandbrook for details
Mess Deck Supper Friday 13 July 2018 (8pm) Fish/Chicken & Chips S/M Mike Sandbrook. 15
16