RGJ E-Zine Jul 2014

E-Zine 2014

Volume 6 Issue 1 | 2

FOREWORD

by Brigadier Hugh Willing CBE Chairman of the RGJ Regimental Association

Contents Page 3

Foreword

6

RGJRA Reunion Timings

5

7

11 12 13 14 15 18

Summer has arrived and we hope to see as many of you as can possibly make it to the Veterans’ Day Gathering at Winchester on Saturday 12th July. This year we will be joined by the Rifles Band and Bugles who will perform a Sounding Retreat after the March Past. And as a special concession the RGJ Museum in Peninsula Barracks is giving free entry to card-carrying Association Members on Friday 11th July, Saturday 12th July (morning only) and all day Sunday 13th July.

So why not make a weekend of it and arrange to meet up with your old muckers to make it into a really good re-union. I would also encourage you to support ‘Greenstock’ which takes place from 29th-31st August and to note that it should not be seen in competition with or as an alternative to the Veteran’s Day Gathering. This is an initiative of the Central England Branch who, on our behalf, are also undertaking the repairs to our memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas which was under water again in the winter floods. A big ‘thank you’ to them, and also to Captain Bill Shipton and the Website Team for redesigning and launching the new RGJ Association Website which went ‘live’ on 9th April. If you haven’t yet logged in, please do so as you will see how much easier it is to search and find information and news.

And on there you will see a link to encourage new members to join the Association. There are so many benefits for just £10 a year, and now keeping in touch with your fellow Riflemen could not be easier. I would also encourage you all to give your support to the RGJ Museum Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary 2015 Appeal, which under General Wallace’s firm guidance is approaching the halfway mark in reaching its target of 3 | Volume 6 Issue 1

Title

22 23 26 27

Pegasus Bridge

Museum Report 2014 External Addresses

RGJRA Contact List SJM Memorial Poster

Memories of 1 RGJ from warm Australia A Memory of Snipe and Alamein If the Cap Fits

Central England Branch

Gosport & District Branch

North West Branch

31

Wiltshire Branch

39

A Pilgrimage To The Front Lines

34

North East Branch

41

SOFO

48

The Horsa Glider

47

53 54

A Day in Anderson Town - 1972

A Rifleman’s Duty (Turning of The Pages) Annual General Meeting

63

Finances

69

In Memoriam

Editor Publisher

Kevin Stevens Seamus P Lyons

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£150,000. Make a note in your diaries to come and see the exhibition next year after it opens on 25th March. And at the same time also make a note that 2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal Green Jackets and we shall be celebrating this at a very specialVeterans’ Day Gathering at Sir John Moore BarracksWinchester on Saturday 9th July 2016. Finally, in September General Sir Nicholas Carter will assume the appointment of Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the Army and the first Green Jacket to do so for over 30 years.

We wish him well in what will surely be a testing and demanding tenure.

My best wishes to all fellow Riflemen and I look forward to seeing you at Winchester on 12th July.

Hugh Willing

[Hugh and Jane Willing at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May with Captain Simon Hudson – late 3RGJ on the Oxley Fine Furniture Stand which won the prestigious Five-Star Trade Stand Medal] E-Zine 2014

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The British 6th Airborne Division which the 52nd Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were part of, the 52nd not knowing their target until the last hours, had trained for a Glider Landing at Pegasus Bridge. The British Sector was mainly targeting the canals Orne River/ Caen. The strategic purpose was to secure river crossings for the beach break-out and to reduce enemy defences.

At 00:16 hrs on 6th June, consisting of D Company the 52nd Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, landed by gliders east of the River Orne and the Caen Canal. This small force of 181 men was commanded by Major John Howard and joined with a detachment of Royal Engineers who landed at Ranville-Benouville in six 28-men Horsa gliders.

Having taken off from Dorset, the gliders were towed across the Channel by Halifax Bombers.

With perfect navigation and piloting skill, the gliders landed on time and on target within few yards of each other. Major Howard’s glider landed within a few feet of Pegasus Bridge. The bridge was captured after a fierce ten minute fire fight, the action all over by 00:26 hrs, a full six hours before the beach landings.

So, just 90 minutes after taking off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in England, Major Howard was able to send the code words “Ham and Jam”, indicating that both bridges had been captured.

In this early action of D-Day, the first house on French soil was liberated, and the first British soldier of the Normandy Invasion was killed in action: Lieutenant Don Brotheridge.

It was No. 1 Platoon which knocked out a machine gun position firing from the bridge and rushed across to capture the far side, firing from the hip and lobbing grenades during the charge. Lt. Brotheridge was mortally wounded by gunfire as he made a grenade attack on a second machine gun position. The bridge had been prepared by the enemy for demolition, although the Royal Engineers removed the unset charges.

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The Winchester Veteran’s Day Reunion on 12th July 2014 at Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester, Hants.

1400hrs 1400hrs - 1745hrs 1800hrs 1815hrs 1830hrs 1850hrs 1930hrs 0100hrs

Gates open at Sir John Moore Barracks Bar opens and Static Displays Form up for Parade Parade Service Chairman`s Address followed by March Past Sounding Retreat Bar and Restaurant re-opens Bar Closes

Association members will be charged £5 entrance fee. £10 will be charged for non-members.

The Oxford Branch Reunion will take place on Saturday 8th November 2014 at Edward Brooks Barracks, Cholwell Road, Shippon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6HW. 1900hrs Bar opens 1945hrs Waterloo Band & Bugles of the Rifl es commence playing 2030hrs Public Address 2100hrs Curry supper on payment 0030hrs Bar closes 0100hrs EBB closes

All Association members and their guests welcome. Non-members are charged £5 admission.

Front Cover 2002 Swift & Bold

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Greenjackets Can do It Anywhere

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The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum Museum Report - June 2014

The last Museum report, written at the beginning of February, appeared in the 2013 Association Journal. Since then it has been busy, busy, busy at the Museum with the staff heavily involved in the preparation and planning of next year’s Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition opening on 25 March 2015. This has involved, in particular, careful selection and cataloguing of objects for inclusion in the exhibition, as well as numerous meetings with the exhibition designers and others about how best to display these objects and to explain to our visitors, especially the young, why the Battle of Waterloo was fought – its causes, course and consequences covering the period 1789-1815.

But it has not been all Waterloo 2015. On 5 April we opened our new First World War display area which is rather different from what was there before. This has included taking the opportunity to group together for the first time the First World War Victoria Crosses owned by the Museum in a single display case to create visual impact. At the opening we also used the occasion to publicise uniting for the first time the VC and MC awarded to Lieutenant Jack Dimmer KRRC in November 1914, owned by the Museum, with his First World War campaign medals which until recently were in the possession of his descendants but which have now been donated to the Museum.

Disappointingly, and contrary to expectation in the year of the Centenary of the Outbreak of the First World War, the opening of the new display has not led to a surge in visitors. In fact visitor numbers are down 8% (360) in the first five months of 2014, with a significant one-third decline in paying visitors compensated for in part by a 20% increase in free visitors. We attribute some of the fall in total numbers to the closure of the Museum on Mondays between January and March for the first time this year, and the fall in the number of paying visitors to the introduction of free admission for children aged 16 and under. We are hoping for better numbers during the remainder of the year.

During the year to date we have continued with our programme of evening talks. In January we held the first of a series of talks planned between 2014 and 2018 to coincide with the centenary of events during the First World War. In March we held the last of a series talks marking the centenary of events during the Peninsular War. These talks are increasing in popularity and are regularly being attended by 50 or more people. The remaining talks in 2014 are listed at the end of this report. If you live within striking distance of Winchester, I encourage attendance. I also recommend visiting our summer exhibition, “A Call to Arms”, which will be open every day between 1 August and 14 September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4.15 p.m.). As mentioned in my last Museum report, this will focus on how, at the outbreak of the First World War, The Rifle Depot, Winchester, home depot of The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and The Rifle Brigade, became the focal point for the mobilisation of reservists and young men responding to Kitchener’s call to arms.

Finally, if you are planning to attend the Veterans’ Day Gathering at Sir John Moore Barracks on 12 July, please note that the Museum is offering free entry to members of the Association and their accompanying spouses/partners who visit the Museum during opening hours on Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July, on presentation of the member’s Association membership card.

Additionally, Association branches wishing to organise group visits to the Museum over the course of the weekend may do so on Friday 11 July, during the morning of Saturday 12 July and during the morning of Sunday 13 July. Tours will be conducted at no charge, but must be booked in advance with the Curator.

Lieutenant-General Sir Christopher Wallace Chairman, Museum Trustees

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Part of the Museum’s new First World War display

Lt Jack Dimmer’s medals (L to R): VC, MC, 1914 Star with Clasp 5 Aug-22 Nov 1914. British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19 with Mention in Despatches

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Descendants of Lt Jack Dimmer VC MC standing in front of the new First World War VC display holding a framed set of miniature medals presented to them by the Museum in thanks for the donation of his First World War campaign medals

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Programme of Museum Evening Talks during the Remainder of 2014 Monday 7 July 2014 - “Why War?” Speaker: Professor Gary Sheffield, military historian, author and Professor of War Studies at Wolverhampton University.

The second in a series of talks coinciding with the centenary of events during the First World War. Tuesday 23 September 2014 - “The Evolution of the Royal Flying Corps before and during the First World War” Speaker: Dr David Jordan, lecturer King’s College, London, and Academic Director of Air Studies at the Joint Services Command & Staff College, Shrivenham.

The third in a series of talks coinciding with the centenary of events during the First World War. Monday 27 October 2014 – “The War of 1812” Speaker: Professor Brian-Holden-Reid, Professor of American History, King’s College, London.

Monday 10 November 2014 – “From Aldershot to Ypres: the 52nd Light Infantry in 1914” Speaker: Dr Simon Harris, author of ‘The History of the 43rd and 52nd Light Infantry in the Great War 191418, the 52nd Light Infantry in France and Belgium: Volume II’.

The fourth in a series of talks coinciding with the centenary of events during the First World War.

http://www.rgjmuseum.co.uk/

The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum Trust Charity No: 1009691

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External Addresses ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND

Mount Barrow House,16 - 20 Elizabeth Street, London, SWIW 9RB. Tel: 0845 241 4820 Fax: 0845 241 4821 E-mail: enquiries@armybenfund.org

ASSOCIATION BLAZERS

Barrington Ayre Tailor.

Tel: 0845 300 9014 E-mail: info@barringtonayre.co.uk Web: www.barringtonayre.co.uk

MEDALS (first application)

Veterans Agency (SPVA), Joint Personnel Administration Centre, MOD Medal Offi ce, Building 250, Innsworth Station, Gloucester, GL3 1HW. Tel: 0141 224 360

SECRETARY KRRC ASSOCIATION

Mr Richard Frost MBE, 52 - 56 Davies Street, London, W1K 5HR. Tel: 020 7491 4935 E-mail: krrcassn@hotmail.com

SECRETARY RB ASSOCIATION

Mr Geoff Pain, 75 St Catherines Road, Winchester, SO23 0PS. Tel: 01962 856249 E-mail: rba.hon.sec.g.pain@talktalk.net SERVICE RECORDS

Army Personnel Centre Secretariat, Disclosures 2, Mail Point 515, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G3 8EX. (Or complete the form at www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/sar.pdf) SSAFA FORCES HELP 19 Queen Elizabeth Street, London, SE1 2LP. Tel: 0845 1300 975 E-mail: info@ssafa.org.uk

THE RIFLES BENEVOLENT TRUST

The Secretary, RHQ The Rifles, Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hants, SO23 8TS. Tel: 01962 828526 E-mail: secbenev@the-rifl es.co.uk

THE UNION JACK CLUB

225 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR. Tel: 020 7633 9206 E-mail: admin@ujclub.co.uk

THE VETERANS AGENCY

Norcross, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, FY5 3WP. Tel: 0800 169 2277 E-mail: veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk

REPLACEMENT MEDALS

Paul Symes, Medals Plus, 29 Craven Way, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 8NS. Tel: 01235 201 198 E-mail: paul.symes1@ntlworld.com

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION UK

Headquarters, 199 Borough Hill Street, London, SE1 1AA. Tel: 020 3207 2100 Contact Legionline 08457 725 725

Members Database

It is important that information held on the Database is accurate and up to date. Therefore, would all members go to the Database and check / amend their details.

Those requiring assistance, please contact Roy Baillie at:

membersdatabase@rgjassociation.co.uk 11 | Volume 6 Issue 1

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Royal Green Jackets Regimental Association Contact list as at 1st July 2014 President Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Members Secretary Editor Websites Guest Book/Boards Database

Maj Gen Jamie Balfour CBE Brig HGC Willing CBE Lt Simon Booth-Mason Lt Col J-D von Merveldt Mr Mike Marr Mr Kevin Stevens Mr Seamus P Lyons Mr Mark Adams Mr Roy Baillie Mr Tony Williamson

01962 828524 01962 828524 01962 828524 0207 492 4936 01235 548018 01865 452813 01992 550605 01442 380713 01488 658681 07891 367429

admin@rgjassociation.info admin@rgjassociation.info admin@rgjassociation.info london@the-rifles.co.uk oxford@the-rifles.co.uk admin@rgjassociation.info Seamus.lyons@rgjassociation.info greenjackets_2001@yahoo.co.uk membersdatabase@rgjassociation.co.uk tonytjw2@aol.com

Branches Australasia

Maj Gen Andrew Pringle CB CBE

Aylesbury

Mr Chris McDonald

+61 (0)409 937 265 cvmmcdonald@bigpond.com

Mr Alan Grant

01296 426765 alanrgrant@aol.com

Band & Bugles

David Timms

Mr David Timms

01304 820910 secretary@rgjband.com

Central England

Major Michael Leeming

Mr Peter Page

01922 694733 petepage71@hotmail.com

East Midlands

Mr Martin Coates

01623 747817 martinswiftandbold@yahoo.co.uk

Gosport & District

Mr Ian Skittlethorpe

02392 423335 ianskittlethorpe@yahoo.co.uk

London

Col GF Smythe OBE

Mr Gary Driscoll

01708 442662 rgjldn@ntlworld.com

Milton Keynes

Brig MR Koe OBE

Mr Gary Brewer

01908 218715 g_brewer@btinternet.com

North East

Brig NM Prideaux

Mr John Cheetham

01915 480189 rgj.north.east@btinternet.com

North West

Brig David Innes

Mr Ray Gerrard

01744 732501 ray.gerrard@talktalk.net

Oxfordshire

Brig Nigel Mogg DL

Mr Mike Marr

01235 548018 oxford@the-rifles.co.uk

Suffolk

Maj RD Cassidy MBE

Mr Gordon Pilcher

01394 215925 gordon.pilcher@ntlworld.com

South East Kent

Brig James Plastow MBE

Mr Glenn Ternent

01843 297069 geordie_t@btinternet.com

Wiltshire

Brig G de VW Hayes

Mr Gary Byrne

01985 211279 gchabyrne@aol.com

Winchester & District

Capt John Fritz-Domeney

Mr John Harper

01962 882481 johnharper1rgj@hotmail.co.uk

Yorkshire

Brig PJ Lyddon MBE

Mr Stuart Anderson

01757 617056

Any amendments to the above contact information should be sent to Seamus Lyons.

A space indicates that a Branch President has not been appointed.

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Sir John Moore Barracks Memorial It is an unarguable fact that The Royal Green Jackets and its antecedent regiments created and eventually left a lasting and enduring legacy of military innovation on the Army as a whole and consequently an equally lasting location footprint in whatever corner of the world in which they lived and served. Acknowledged by all Riflemen as both the practical and spiritual home of the regiment the Cathedral City of Winchester is one such location.

For 136 years Winchester was the home to both the old Rifle Depot at Peninsula Barracks in the city and in later years the new modern Light Division Depot at Sir John Moore Barracks Flowerdown.

Although purpose built for the Light Division but now housing an Army Training Regiment Sir John Moore Barracks still contains a number of strong visible and physical ties with all of its former regiments - just one of which is the Light Division Chapel and Memorial Garden.

Set in a quiet peaceful and tree lined location immediately adjacent to the chapel the Memorial Garden over the last year has undergone a fairly major refurbishment programme of replanting, laying paved walkways and repositioning of memorial benches. The result of which is now a restful and attractive garden for quiet contemplation and prayer. Being consecrated it is also the perfect resting place in which to scatter the ashes of a much loved Rifleman father, husband or son. A short scattering service can also be provided if required by the resident padre. In addition to which and at private expense a small brass memorial plaque measuring 10cm x 6cm and pre-drilled can also be left at the garden. It’s positioning and fixture will be carried out by a member of the Memorial Garden Team.

For further details please contact in the first instance John Fritz-Domeney on 01962 828525 (work) email: johnfd@o2.co.uk or Maj Roy Stanger on 01962 887916 (work) email: roy.stanger787@mod.uk

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RGJRA Recruiting Poster It was agreed that a Poster was required to recruit new members to our Association. The reverse shows our membership form.

They will be on display and available at the RGJ (Rifles) Museum.

Our thanks go to Major Roy Stanger for being our “Pin Up” boy!

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Memories of 1 RGJ Belfast 1971 from warm Australia Whilst out in Australia on holiday in January 2014 I had the opportunity to meet up with a rifleman from my 1 RGJ Belfast 1971 days, being no less than Corporal Keith Kneller. Thanks to Chris McDonald of our RGJ Australasian Branch, I was put in touch with Keith and we agreed to meet at Nelson Bay Diggers RSL (Return Services League Club) in New South Wales. Keith currently lives there with his wife and daughter/ son in law Lee who is also an ex rifleman from 2 RGJ. Nelson Bay is some 2 hours drive north of Sydney along the coastal Highway being situated on the southern shore of Port Stephens in north New South Wales. It is a coastal resort town of 25,000 inhabitants most of the year, increasing to over 100,000 during the ‘Summer’ Holidays. Nelson Bay is an ideal tourist destination for exploring the natural wonders and tourist attractions of Port Stephens and Hawkes Nest. This whole area is a blue water paradise being the home of 160 bottlenose dolphins and a port in passing for over 3,000 migrating humpback whales in season. The long white sandy beaches are world renown especially around Hawkes Nest where I was staying for some dinghy sailing and golf. Nelson Bay is just a 45 minute ferry ride across the bay from Hawkes Nest.

Keith was a corporal with 1 RGJ in Belfast when he was shot through the neck by an IRA sniper whilst on OP duty observing a riot. The fact that he survived is a miracle in itself and what a cheerful and delightful rifleman he was.

Keith agreed to pick me up at the ferry landing point with yours truly wearing an RGJ beret for recognition purposes although a new Pom was not difficult to spot! Keith had arranged we would lunch at the RSL Club. On arrival I was introduced to five senior RSL personnel – Norman Cason (Senior Vice President), Tom Lupton (Second Vice President), Tony Minchin (Secretary), Russel Durrant and Col Edwards (Committee Members). I knew very little about the RSL organization in Australia other than it looked after its Service personnel extremely well and its beer was the cheapest in Australia. Norman explained in great detail how the organization was structured. The Nelson Bay RSL is a sub branch located within the Nelson Bay Diggers building. The whole building itself was taken over by a rugby league club who run the commercial side of the building and its facilities –shopping, bars, restaurant, slot machines (Pokies) etc while giving the RSL itself a certain part of the building for its own activities. In addition the rugby club also make a generous donation to the RSL towards its own expenses and members’ welfare needs including the use of a car for welfare purposes. For the sake of this article I would briefly describe the RSL organization as fulfilling a not dissimilar role to The Royal British Legion and SSAFA combined. I was particularly impressed how well the injured Australian military are looked after especially with regard to pensions and health costs. They also carry a RSL Member’s card which allows them large reductions on most purchased items including for instance drinks and cars. The RSL Welfare officers are all volunteers and it was very uplifting to witness the level of care and benefits given to the military.

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Over coffee the discussions ranged from the RSL organization, the Australian operations in Viet Nam, past military operations like Gallipoli, Dieppe, weapons and military tactics as my new RSL friends were definitely proper career professional soldiers compared to my ‘ rather brief amateur soldiery’. I was then given a wonderful tour of their new memorabilia display which included medals, rifles, machine guns, a captured Japanese WW 11 flag and other wonderful artifacts . Further items relating to their Navy and Air Force like photographs, crests etc extended up the wide stairwell to the first floor. The whole display was the brainchild of Tom Lupton who must be congratulated for his many hours of painstaking research and renovation.

Special mention must be made of their ‘Eternal Flame’ (Least We Forget) and the drawing of ‘Diggers Face’ The amazing point of this drawing is that it is entirely made up of the names of the fallen at Gallipoli (11,430) which can only be seen with the use of a magnifying glass. Once the tour was completed the five of us then adjourned to the bar where more army talk and stories ensued as the rounds of beer increased. Most enjoyable indeed. My RSL hosts then left leaving Keith and I over a light lunch to reminisce in some detail about 1 RGJ ‘s 1971 tour of Belfast and mentioning well known riflemen we both knew like David Walker (RIP) and Robert Bankier (RIP), John Purkis, Shannon Goddard, Pete Smith, Ricky Tyson, Vic and Tony Osman, Kenneth Ambrose, Dennis Godley and many others. It was an odd sensation recalling those Belfast days from across the other side of the world set in glorious sunshine.

Once the tour was completed the five of us then adjourned to the bar where more army talk and stories ensued as the rounds of beer increased. Most enjoyable indeed. My RSL hosts then left leaving Keith and I over a light lunch to reminisce in some detail about 1 RGJ ‘s 1971 tour of Belfast and mentioning well known riflemen we both knew like David Walker (RIP) and Robert Bankier (RIP), John Purkis, Shannon Goddard, Pete Smith, Ricky Tyson, Vic and Tony Osman, Kenneth Ambrose, Dennis Godley and many others. It was an odd sensation recalling those Belfast days from across the other side of the world set in glorious sunshine.

Keith then showed me where his and his wife lived with their daughter and son in law who had built the conversion annex for them to live in. Keith’s sitting room was adorned with many RGJ memories.

A short drive to catch the 1530 hour ferry back to Hawkes Nest rounded off a very memorable day. I wish to express my thanks to Keith who organized the RSL visit for me and also to thank Norman, Tom and Russel for their time and generous hospitality. Two phrases sprang to mind as I sat on the ferry contemplating my visit ‘Once a Rifleman, always a Rifleman’ and ‘ Old soldiers never die’ so true and it seemed to sum up the day very accurately of my own 1 RGJ memories long ago and to my new RSL friends in Nelson Bay.

Simon Booth-Mason

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A Memory of Snipe and Alamein Major Tom Bird DSO, MC

T

Tom Bird, October 28, 1942, the day after Snipe

om Bird, 96 this year, is a much decorated hero of the Desert War in World War II, whose most famous exploit was commanding the anti-tank company of 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade, which stopped Rommel’s determined panzer counter-attack during the Second Battle of El Alamein (Oct. 23 – Nov. 24, 1942) at Snipe, a small oval-shaped depression 2000 yards in front of the British forward position, on Kidney Ridge.

The battle was described by newspapers at home as ‘the finest action of the war’. It earned the commanding officer (Col. Victor Turner) a VC, and Bird added the DSO to his MC and Bar. Bird was already something of a desert legend for his aggressive night patrols, and for capturing an astounding number of Axis prisoners.

One of his Battalion’s riflemen, Victor Gregg, called him ‘a man of exceptional courage. When all seemed to be lost, there would be Dicky boy, calm and seemingly aloof from the dangers around us…’ [Rifleman, 2011].

He also served as ADC to Field Marshals Wavell and Auchinleck in India before returning to his regiment.

He was blown up by a mortar during 30 Corps’ drive to Arnhem in September 1944, and dragged to safety by the present Lord Saye and Sele. His fighting war ended, but he served with distinction in Washington as ADC to another Rifleman, FM ‘Jumbo’ Wilson. He met most of the great names of the war including the Big Three, spent a day with Ike in Potsdam mending a fountain, a night in the desert alone with ‘Stafer’ Gott and played charades with the Wavells.

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He listened appreciatively to Wavell declaiming verse and to Churchill banging on, less so to Monty’s ‘excruciatingly embarrassing’ pep talks. He delighted in the company of US Generals Marshall and ‘Hap’ Arnold, the ‘nicest of men’, and not at all in the company of the Irish-American Admiral King, the US Navy chief, who would rather have been fighting the British than the Germans. Much of his time at receptions in Washington was spent explaining to his hosts that not only was Britain ‘also in this war’ but had been rather longer than America.

On October 13, 2011, Tom Bird was invited by Major James Gayner (a family friend) of the 4th Battalion, The Rifles, to attend their annual Snipe dinner, held in the Officers’ Mess at Bulford. Below is the short talk Bird gave to their Colonel and officers.

THANK YOU, James, for inviting me to this excellent and enjoyable dinner. I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to have another look at Cuneo’s admirable picture [‘The Kidney Ridge action’]. I am so glad that it has come to rest in such suitable surroundings…..

I was involved with Cuneo’s picture from early days. Cuneo was always anxious to get details as right as possible. However, I can tell you that the background of the picture is not actually the Western Desert. It’s Wimbledon Common. Vic Turner, Jack Toms, Corporal Francis and I drove down there with a 6-pounder, a Jeep and some ammunition boxes, in the autumn of 1946. I had a disagreement with Cuneo. He wanted to put a dead man in the foreground. I said ‘you can’t do that. It’s probably going to be a Christmas card.’

Cuneo said ‘Well, I must have something for the composition.’ And we settled for those ammunition boxes.

The Kidney Ridge Action by Terence Cuneo

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Cuneo did get nearly everything right – Vic was wearing a steel helmet. Nobody else was. Jack, however, was not wearing winter battle dress, as I remember it; we were all still wearing our summer kit…….

My son, Nicky, told me that during the time when he was working at the Victoria and Albert Museum the Museum shop was selling Cuneo’s picture of ‘Snipe’ as a jigsaw puzzle. Nicky once asked me whether at any time during the battle called ‘Snipe’ it had occurred to me that the scene in front of me would make a good jigsaw puzzle. I had to say ‘No, it hadn’t.’

As commander of the anti-tank company at Snipe and at the end of the battle it did not seem to me like a victory. I had lost all my guns. Hugo Salmon, my great friend and Second-in-Command, had been killed soon after dawn. All 4 of my platoon commanders and I had been wounded. Many of the N.C.O.s and Riflemen, alongside whom I had been fighting since 1940, had been killed or wounded. My own wound was a bang on the back of my head. I remained with my company for a day or two, during which I was very wobbly, and our M.O. sent me down to the hospital in Cairo which dealt with head wounds. I was there about 3 weeks.

However, in due course it did dawn on us that we had actually won a battle: we had destroyed a good deal of Rommel’s precious, irreplaceable armour: we had discovered that the 6-pounder was indeed a terrific weapon and compared very favourably with the pop-gun that was the 2-pounder, which couldn’t knock out an enemy tank at acceptable range. The 6-pounder could – it made Snipe possible. Morale was sky high.

6-pounder in action in the Western Desert

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One of the most unpleasant things about the day was being bombed and shelled by our own side. We got bombed before we’d even started the assault on Snipe, and as a result our doctor, who was attending to the wounded, never reached Snipe at all. At one point we were being shelled by German tanks in front and Shermans of 24th Armoured Brigade behind.

Our Colonel, Vic Turner, received the VC. He always used to say that it was the Battalion’s award. Maybe, but Vic certainly earned it over and over again that day. Wherever the fighting was thickest he was there in the middle of it. There were many deeds of valour. Calistan should have had a VC. He personally knocked out 9 tanks, the last 3 with 3 shots. And after dark, before withdrawing, he saw to it that all guns in his area had been rendered useless to the enemy. He then started to carry a wounded man the 2 miles back to the ‘rendezvous’ but on the way the wounded man was killed by a stray bullet. Calistan immediately returned to the battlefield to fetch another wounded man. Calistan was recommended by his Brigade, Division and Corps commanders for a VC but it was downgraded by Monty to a DCM. Sadly Calistan was killed later in Italy.

For many complicated reasons I don’t think Monty liked the Rifle Brigade. One of them might have been that when he asked for a Rifle Brigade badge to add to the array already on his beret, Colonel Vic refused, saying he wasn’t entitled to it.

My housemaster at Winchester wrote to me towards the end of 1942, saying: ‘we now have Monty’s boy in the school. A nice, quiet unassuming boy – takes after his mother I presume.’

You might like to know that when Vic Turner retired from the army he went to live with his two brothers and his sister in their house in Norfolk. None of them ever married. Vic got the VC as you know, so did his brother who was in the navy. His other brother, a brigadier in the gunners, ‘only’ got a DSO. He was always known in Norfolk as ‘The Coward’.

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This poem was penned by Sgt Canning (RAF). He was an RAF Recruitment Sergeant who was moved into Shackleton Barracks during 2 RGJ’s 2 year NI tour due to his office in Londonderry being bombed!

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February - June 2014 The last news published regarding the CEBRGJRA was the pending annual fundraising event organised by Ray Gaffney in Tipton which took place at the start of the February 2014. This year the event was well attended and well over £1000 was raised for the GREENSTOCK 2014 fund. The day took the form of football cards, tombola’s, raffles and auctions. The highlight of the auction being one of four ‘Dennis the Menace’ cuddly toys donated by UKIP member ‘Dickie Bird’. The toy donned in Black and Green complete with Green Beret was bought by a civilian attendee who kindly donated it back to the Branch. It has since been put into a case which will sit on the bar at future functions!! Incidentally, the last of the four can be bid for at auction along with some other excellent items at GREENSTOCK as we will be raising money toward the Waterloo Appeal 2014. Back to the event itself, branch members were in good form as we enjoyed pleasantries with some new attendees in the shape of Graham Simpson, Tony North, Bryan ‘Banger’ Harvey and Bugler Pete Noble. Pete honoured us with his playing of the Last Post following a few words or remembrance by Treasurer Guy Mynett and the playing of the Regimental March as is customary at our events. As the venue has since changed hands and now owned by a Chinese couple, the buffet food was of the highest standard and went down a storm.

Overall, the day and evening were a resounding success both in terms of fundraising and socially – note to self ‘lay off the Thatchers Gold’!!

March passed without any notable activity. Then on the 26th April 2014, members were invited to attend a Charity Golf Day at Rowley Regis Golf Course incidentally, by the guy whom bought the Dennis the Menace doll. Anyway it was all in aid of Prostate Cancer so Chairman ‘Mark Picken’, Treasurer ‘Guy Mynett’, Ents member ‘Dave Brown’, branch member ‘Leon Bailey and myself as Secretary attended what turned out to be an interesting day. Firstly, never believe Mark Picken pre golf when he states that he can hardly hit the ball – untrue!! Never believe me when I say go a 7 iron when a 9 will suffice!! Say no more on that. All in all it was a great day with plenty of banter and watching other groups play even worse than use was encouraging, nonetheless it was all for a worthwhile cause and hopefully a decent amount was raised.

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Then on 10th May 2014 we had our first social event at the now synonymous Nautical Club, which is a venue we are well familiar with and a place that welcome us with open arms. This event was organised by branch member ‘Craig Jenkins’ and turned out to be a really mellow afternoon. We were joined by the usual suspects and Pete Noble and Maggie Noble minus the Bugle on this occasion. We recruited a new member in Tony Morgan who I know personally from my time with 2 RGJ (1995-1997). As is always, the staff and maritime members of the Nautical Club made us really welcome and allow us without objection to do our thing with words from Guy on all our lost brothers coupled with the playing of the Regimental March and toasting with Port. Again monies were raised for both C4C and GREENSTOCK mainly by branch member John J Jones, his contribution was gratefully received and will go some way to ensuring both recipients put it to good use.

On that note, a special mention has been set aside here due to what we (the committee and branch) believe was a remarkable feat by JJ in that off his own back, he organised and executed a solo bicycle ride from Birmingham City Centre to Peninsula Barracks, Winchester 17th and 18th May 2014. Whilst he notified members of the task, he was so casual about it and even on completion was very humble about what he had achieved. Again all in aid of C4C and GREENSTOCK. Well done JJ, it will not go un-noticed!!

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The next few weeks we are prepping for AFD at the end of June which should be another cracking day if last year is anything to go by. Providing the weather holds out and the day is without incident it will be.

Organiser Guy Mynett is OIC event and this year we are having 2 pitches instead of one.

Following that we look forward to the RGJ Annual Reunion many of our members will be ascending on Winchester over the weekend. Then it’s the countdown to GREENSTOCK 2014 at the end of August 2014. All the planning has been done, the booking has been done so has we approach the business end, a lot will be down to luck with both weather and bands pledged to play. If you are not aware or have been blinkered for the past year, tickets are £10 per person for the weekend kids U16 free (Friday 29th – Sunday 31st August 2014) at Bramcote, Nuneaton. See www.cebrgjra.com or Facebook: GREENSTOCK 2014 or Pete Page sites for further details.

Finally, if you are interested in becoming a member of Central England Branch or want more details regarding the AFD in Birmingham or GREENSTOCK, please get in touch. Regards, Pete Page, Secretary CEBRGJRA Best wishes and regards to our fellow Riflemen across the globe. Celer et Audax.

Pete Page Secretary

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As the Nation pays homage to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during D Day 70 years ago a small contingent from the Gosport and District Branch of the Royal Green Jackets Association made their way to the Foreshore Green, Hardway, Gosport to attend the D Day 70 parade and listen to personal accounts from D-Day Veterans.

During a short service of dedication a new Commemorative Stone was laid to honour of all those who fell during June 1944, the Caen Stone was part of the bridge over the River Orne in Caen and was destroyed as the allies progressed through Europe.

The Hardway played a vital part in D Day, used

by Landing Craft Tank (LCT) and other vessels to take battle casualty replacements and equipment to the beach heads and to bring back the dead and wounded who were then sent to various hospitals along the south coast including Haslar and Netley.

As we marched back from the parade and service some of us felt humbled to have been around some astonishing veterans of D Day and to have listened to their own accounts of events that are only just coming to light after so many years.

James Stokes, Secretary

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On the 21st February 2014 an AGM was held for the newly re-organised NW Branch. There have been some major changes. 20 people attended with 24 people giving their apologies. The Liverpool dinner and the North West Branch have come together as one unit which has led to an increase in the membership to over 60 people.

This has also led to an increase in future events. We will now be holding a Summer ball to be held around May/June, a Rifleman’s dinner to be held around October and the Remembrance Parade.

The committee now consists of 6 members who are.

Chairman/Treasurer. Gareth Dixon. dixon.rgj@blueyonder.co.uk 0151 287 3588, 0151 929 2069 extension 114.

Secretary/Assistant Treasurer. Ray Gerrard. ray.gerrard@hotmail.co.uk 01744 732501, 07763 189760.

Assistant Secretary. Mark Lydiat. melydiat@yahoo.co.uk 0151 283 0391.

Entertainments/Social Secretary/Assistant Chairman. Tom Fairclough.

Tommyf7@hotmail.com 0151 524 2566, 07583 468042.

Rifles Liaison Officer. WO2 Dave Crossley.

PR/Photography. Dave Parry.

Left to right. Tom Fairclough, Ray Gerrard, Rifleman Jones, Mark Lydiate, Dave Parry and WO2 Dave Crossley

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Brigadier David Innes was also voted in as the President of the branch in his absence and has accepted this post.

The Summer Ball was held at the Thistle Hotel, Atlantic Tower, Liverpool on 7th June 2014. 80 people attended the dinner which was an excellent evening with the room overlooking the River Mersey. A regimental bugler was present through the evening accompanying some favourite tunes and the call to dinner. The evening entertainment was in the form of an excellent 3 piece group which played to the end of the evening.

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On Sunday 15th June Tom Fairclough will be laying a wreath on the Northern Ireland Memorial which sits at the back of St Georges Hall in St Johns Gardens. If you remember back to 1996, this was a memorial that was dedicated to soldiers of Liverpool who were killed during the Northern Ireland troubles and was unveiled by the Duke of Westminster.

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On Saturday 28th June the branch has been invited by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool to march on following the veterans day service that is to be held at the Anglican Cathedral. Following the service in the cathedral the march past of veterans will start at the Anglican cathedral and will finish at the metropolitan cathedral.

For this Veterans Day on Saturday 12th July 2014, WO2 Dave Crossley has invited NW Branch members to the Sergeants Mess at the 4th Battalion The Rifles in Bulford on the night before. Tom Fairclough has arranged a 17 seat coach for this weekend which all seats were filled within a few days. Accommodation has been arranged a short distance away in Bulford for the Friday night and then they will be travelling to Winchester early the next morning.

As this article is being written before these events have taken place, a more detailed account will be given in the next issue of ezine and Swift and Bold.

We plan to hold our Rifleman’s Dinner on Saturday 4th October 2014 at the Thistle Hotel, Atlantic Tower, Liverpool. More details of this dinner will be in our next newsletter which will be available on the North West Branch section of the RGJA website.

We plan, once again, to march on the remembrance parade in the centre of Liverpool on Sunday 9th November 2014. Again more details will be released in or next newsletter Following our appeal for donations to provided Peter Uden a permanent memorial, I can now announce that due to generous donations from members of the North West Branch, some members of other branches and even from abroad, we have now almost reached our target and we will be hoping to have the memorial placed before the end of this year. On behalf of the North West Branch and Peters widow, Joyce, I would like to thank all those people who donated. Again the generosity of the Royal Green jackets has once again shone through.

Ray Gerrard Secretary North West Branch

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Our Branch year started with our AGM in January, we had a good meeting with our President Brig G de VW Hayes CBE attending, who gave us a briefing on how the Museum is progressing with the Waterloo appeal.

Committee members remain unchanged, with Brian, Bill, Phil, Gary and Lee all remaining in post for another year, at the close of the meeting we joined some of our wives in the bar for a drink and buffet. We have now taken part in the sponsor a medal fund raiser for the Museum one each from the Peninsula war and the Battle of Waterloo. KRRC and RB. Our Chairman also has two from the 43rd and 52nd, so between us we have a full house.

In February we held a Valentines Ladies dinner this year we went to the Farmers Hotel, Warminster, once again master minded by Phil and Val Ashby, around 40 members and partners sat down and enjoyed a very good meal in this new venue.

On Sunday 25th of May we were once again outside the Angel Inn, Heytesbury village, a stone’s throw from Warminster, where we joined up with Warminster Royal British Legion, and Heytesbury Ladies Royal British Legion, this has now become an annual event on our calendar, all in support of the Veterans Charity and the runners who take part, starting in Devon and finishing at Bulford, completing the route taken by 2nd Bn Ox and Bucks in 1942, they do all the hard work we give out water and pose for a photo or two.

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Diary events: Meetings for the remainder of the year, all held in Warminster Conservative Club, at 20:00 hours, the meeting room now has a selection of Regimental prints mounted on the walls, a little home from home.

July 10th September 4th November 27th Social events August 16th, Heavy Rock BBQ October 11th, Annual Dinner November 7th and 8th, Poppy collecting November 9th, Remembrance lunch and Parade November 11th, Armistice Day (Short), Service November 21st Skittles with Fish and Chips December 24th, Christmas drinks For more details on these events please make contact via our Branch website guest book.

Best Regards Brian Darvill Branch Chairman

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Brother Riflemen, Welcome once again to the North East Branch of the RGJ Association and its entry to the July 2014 issue of the e-zine. Our next meeting will take place on Friday 4th July 2014, British Legion, Stockton Road, Sunderland.

Our year commenced with the unanimous election of the Committee and at the beginning of the meeting our Chairman outlined the Branch’s activities for the coming year. From this meeting a motion was put forward and carried that we support the RGJ Museum Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary 2015 Appeal. Consequently we made a donation of £500 to this project. The Annual Branch Chairmen/Branch Secretaries meeting was held in Winchester on 25 April 2014, Brigadier Prideaux was representing the North East Branch.

I am certain many of the Branches and their members will attend the WW1 Anniversaries as well as the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings, especially as our Regiment has very important and poignant memories of these events.

In May, some members went on a six day trip to Flanders Fields. It was an excellent trip and we covered many of the WW1 Cemeteries etc .Our Chairman has the details of this tour and I am certain he will provide the details of cost should anyone from other Branches wishes to go later in the year. It is well worth while.

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In June we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of D Day. Pamela Trowers, Mark Westbrook and many other members of the North East Branch visited Normandy and the many events held there. The photo was taken in Pamela’s garden in France.

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Ian Longworth, John Toolin, Roy Trower and Tommy Suggitt at Pegasus Bridge - 6th June

As this article is being written before these events have taken place, a more detailed account will be given, in the next issue of ezine and Swift and Bold.

This year, June is such a busy month for our members. We have numerous events taking place, both nationally and locally. On a local level for the North East, Armed Forces weekend has a busy schedule and we had a great turn out this year. This massive event was held the weekend of 27th till the 29th June at the Recreation Ground, Roker sea front, Sunderland.

On a further local note, during this month, a statue was unveiled at Seaham Harbour entitled “Tommy”.

This is a fantastic sculpture. However, it is only going to be a temporary one unless £85,000 can be raised to ensure it becomes a permanent feature and we are all aware of how important such a statue is to those that made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Show your support. https://www.justgiving.com/Mission1101/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Mission1101&utm_campaign=pfp-share

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Our annual pilgrimage to Winchester for Veterans Day this year (Saturday 12th July 2014) will be well supported.

I would like to remind members of the Branch that on September 20th, the Northern Ireland (N.I.) veterans association will be holding an anniversary parade for all N.I. veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. We attended, as an association, for the inaugural event. So far approximately 20 of our members are going to attend this year’s parade. I have placed on our Branch web page and Facebook page details of accommodation (both hotel and B&Bs) within the local area and these details also include a local campsite should anyone wish to camp in case local hotels are full. Photographs of the future events will follow in the next issue of the e-zine.

In November, our Branch main event will be Remembrance Weekend, with many people arriving on Friday 7th and staying over until Monday 10th November. The venue for the main event on Saturday 8th November has not yet been confirmed but will be next month and the relevant information will be posted on our web page.

The advance party usually congregate at the Queen Vic Hotel on Friday and the Post Parade Lunch on the Sunday will be held at The Best Western Roker Hotel. Details of some available accommodation are on our web page/facebook page but please book early to avoid disappointment for both event tickets and hotels. Entry to the function is by ticket only purchased in advance. No tickets can be bought on the night or at the door.

Looking forward to seeing you all at Winchester!

Malcolm Donnison North East Branch Editor

A PILGRIMAGE TO THE FRONT LINES Major General Sir Michael Carleton-Smith CBE,DL. As the ferry enters the port at Calais, one sees at the end of the pier on the starboard side, a lone stone cross.

Each May a party from the Royal Green Jackets attend a service there to remember their brother riflemen in the Queen Victoria’s Rifles, The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade who fought and died there to defend Calais and prevent the German panzer divisions disrupting the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in 1940. Penny and I are regular attenders and meet up with about eight French Colour bearers, the Mayor of Calais, the British Consul, buglers, this year 7 Rifles’ Padre and the Vicar of Bow, with two of her churchwardens and her riflemen parishioners, some loyal French and about sixty mostly retired members from the three former regiments. It is a moving and memorable occasion.

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Also this year Penny and I repeated a commemoration trip to Ypres where my father was badly wounded 99 years ago, shot through the neck by a German sniper. He was a regular subaltern in the King’s Dragoon Guards, which had come from India in the Lucknow Brigade of the First Indian Cavalry Division. He recovered, though was always paralysed in his right hand, but this did not hinder him from serving in the Third Afghan War in 1919 and being involved with the Jedburgh agents of SOE (Special Operations Executive) in the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the Legion d’Honneur and the American Medal of Merit. Penny also had two twenty-year-old uncles killed at Arras, one of whom had already served in Gallipoli where one of my great uncles had been killed. None of these young uncles have known graves.

We arrived in Ypres in time to attend Evensong in St George’s Memorial Church with the walls packed with regimental, formation, individual and even school memorials. A plaque outside the entrance reads:

Ye who would enter here to worship God Think of your brothers who before you trod This hallowed ground and did not grudge to give Their lives in war that you might live Ask for a heart to follow their way Of sacrifice and duty. - Rest and pray.

We twice attended the historic Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, sounded every night at 8.00pm since 1928. We were in the company of about a thousand people on each deeply moving occasion. We visited cemeteries and memorials immaculately maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, whose regional offices we visited in Ypres to discuss the only exception we found. I had spent two years on exchange with The Rifle Brigade’s famous allied regiment the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and we found their memorial at Frezenberg, which they will visit on the centenary of the battle next year, to be in need of attention. We were reassured that ‘it’s all in hand’.

Many of the identical white unnamed gravestones have ‘A soldier of the Great War’ and beneath a cross, is engraved – ‘Known unto God’ . There are many moving inscriptions below the regimental badge on the named gravestones. Rifleman J.Taylor’s gravestone, died 31st July, 1915, has the wording; ‘Roses may wither, leaves fade and die.

Friends may forget you but never shall I.’ The big memorials list those who have no known grave; 54,900 on the Menin Gate and a further 34,888 at Tyne Cot, near Passchendaele, all from the dreaded Ypres Salient. The town, with its beautiful 13th Century Cloth Hall, was almost totally destroyed in four years of shelling and was memorably restored after the war and is today a charming little Belgian town with a completely rebuilt Cloth Hall containing ‘The Flanders Fields Museum’.

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We also visited ‘Toc H’ (Talbot House), the well preserved little town house behind the lines in Poperinghe (‘Pops’), where the Reverend Tubby Clayton set up his Rest Centre, with a simple chapel in the attic, redolent with heartrending memories. There was the inscription, ‘There are many kinds of sorrow in this world of love and hate.

But there is no sterner sorrow than a soldier’s for his mate.’

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The Soldiers of Oxfordshire (SOFO) Museum

The new Soldiers of Oxfordshire museum in Woodstock is now open to the public and we very much look forward to welcoming members of the Royal Green Jackets regimental Association and those linked to the family of antecedent regiments. It is not a traditional military museum and does not rely of public funds of any sort. As well as housing the archives of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43rd and 52nd) and the Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars (the Oxfordshire Yeomanry) and displaying some of both regiments’ history, it aims to set out how war and conflict in the past has affected the county and people of Oxfordshire. There are some medals and uniforms as might be expected but the emphasis is more on various displays designed to engage all the family.

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The initial displays include the story of Pegasus Bridge, the relief of Bergen-Belsen by the Yeomanry in 1945, Airpower, reflecting the strong links that Oxfordshire has with the RAF, Modern conflict (Afghanistan) The work of the Medical services and of course the Yeomanry’s link with Winston Churchill.

Further displays and details of the 43rd and 52nd’s Great War regimental history will be added later in the year and it is hoped to have a Grand opening by a VIP in the Autumn.

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The story behind this exciting new venture really started when the TA centre at Slade Park Barracks in Oxford was closed. The original Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry museum was created in 1925 in Cowley Barracks in Oxford and was moved by the TA Association to the TA Centre in Slade Park Barracks in Headington following the formation of the Royal Green Jackets. It included an Oxfordshire Yeomanry element in the form of a small reserve collection. The late John Willoughby was curator there for many years. The Museum remained in Slade Park, admittedly rather hidden away, until 2008 when Oxford City Council took back the site for housing. A new TA Centre, Edward Brooks Barracks, was built in Abingdon but there was no room for the Museum and so its contents were boxed for storage and faced an uncertain future.

Enter into the story at this point Colonel Robin Evelegh, well known to many Green Jackets, and Colonel Tim May of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry (Queens Own Oxfordshire Hussars – the QOOH) and also known to Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Green Jacket Territorials because of his Eastern Wessex TAVRA work in the 1980s and 1990s. As senior figures in these 2 county regiments they saw the need for a home for the collections of the two regiments and their archives. Thanks to their bold and imaginative initiative the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust (SOFO) was formed as a partnership between these 2 county regiments with the extremely ambitious plan to find a site and build a new museum.

We continue to see this partnership venture as crucial to the long term success of SOFO. General Bob Pascoe was its first chairman.

The cost of such a private venture was daunting especially as the effects of the current recession were biting hard and Government funding was never an option. Wonderfully however private donors have enabled us to raise the necessary funds to build and, imaginatively, Oxfordshire County Council made available a site at a peppercorn rent in the grounds of the county museum in Woodstock. The archives of the two regiments are installed in the new building and, staffed by a gallant band of volunteers, the research centre is up and running.

It is a matter of great sadness to all of us engaged in the project that Robin Evelegh died in 2010 and never saw his dream of a new home for the collection of the 43rd and 52nd realised.

For many years ownership of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry museum collection had been split between the Royal Green Jackets Museum at Winchester and the Oxf and Bucks Lt Inf Museum Trust in Oxford. With the closure of Slade Park the last of the Oxf and Bucks Lt Inf collection was finally transferred to the RGJ Museum Trust but the archives and a substantial part of the artefacts remain in Woodstock under the care of SOFO. The Oxfordshire Yeomanry museum collection remains in the ownership of their regimental trust, but is also in the care of SOFO.

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The strapline beneath the SOFO logo, Conflict and County, is central to our determination to be a key player in the county’s recognition of its heritage. There are no other military museums in Oxfordshire but up and down the land there are plenty of under visited regimental museums. As an entirely privately funded enterprise and with no prospect of State financial assistance the SOFO museum must have broad appeal throughout the county if it is to become an essential element in the local educational system and if it is to attract on-going funding from independent grant making trusts. Out of this the idea was born to use the museum to tell stories of conflict which have affected the county and its people over recorded history. Located in the heart of the country and with evidence close by of the Romans, the Civil War and the Cold War this presents us with fascinating opportunities to look at a vast span of history. Central to it however will always be the collections of the county regiments and their timelines will be the first stories that will confront every visitor as he enters the museum. The National Army Museum and the Imperial War Museum have endorsed the SOFO aims and approach as a pattern for military museums of the future.

Like most military museums in the land 2014 will be a busy year for SOFO. In addition to our Research Centre, the new museum has a modern archive and collections store, display galleries and a substantial meeting, conference and entertainment area. Running around the building is the Cloister Gallery giving space for exhibitions separate from the main ones. The first exhibition in this area will cover the first 2 years

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The Oxfordshire Museum, just opposite the Bear Hotel in the middle of the town and only 400m from the front gate of Blenheim Palace, already attracts a large number of visitors annually. The displays in the galleries are a great resource for families, young children, school visits, life-long learners and keen social and military researchers who want to learn more about the impact of conflict upon the county. Equally conflict continues to affect the county today with the presence of several military installations and units at bases such as Bicester, Abingdon (Dalton Barracks is there and also Edward Brooks Barracks, the home of A Company 7 Rifles) and the RAF at Brize Norton. By placing key moments from history alongside current military actions, the museum will play a part in keeping this important heritage alive.

In addition to the Great War, our opening displays include stories of: • The Battles of the Oxf and Bucks Lt Inf: Thanks to the chronicles of the Regiment and the support of the RGJ Museum Trust in Winchester we have a rich archive on the history of the regiment, with highlights from Bunker Hill, Waterloo, Nonne Boschen, and of course Pegasus Bridge from the Second world War. Discovering what life was like for a rifleman in those stirring times and what he went through give us an image of a regiment brought together through training and leadership to carry out remarkable feats of arms and endurance in the defence of the realm.

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• Churchill: Winston Churchill was an enthusiastic and committed Territorial and a long serving officer in the QOOH. He commanded the Henley squadron 1905-14 – even his appointment as Home Secretary 1910-11 did not get in the way of this! – he was Honorary Colonel at the time of his death in 1965. And the QOOH led his funeral procession. He was born at Blenheim and is buried at Bladon, close to Woodstock.

• Airpower: In Oxfordshire the Royal Air Force have a very significant presence both today and historically. We have to hand stories from the days of the Royal Flying Corps, the air reconnaissance flights from RAF Benson which were so crucial to the success of D Day and the Cold War. This includes details about the nuclear armed F111s based in the county until the late 1980s making Oxfordshire a target facing total destruction for thirty years during the cold war, a fact many didn’t realise at the time and that more have forgotten now!

• Modern Conflict: It is important in SOFO that visitors can see a direct line from the conflict stories of the past to those Services people serving and working in Oxfordshire today and especially to our modern regiment The Rifles. This display will feature accounts from serving military personnel and their families about what life is like both on the frontline and waiting at home during military tours. Museums are not only about recording the past but also about bringing the rich and varied voices of today’s military community to a larger stage and providing the framework for collecting modern day accounts of daily life. Such accounts are of course the historical archive of the future.

Volunteers have long been a vital part of SOFO in research, staff support and exhibition planning and we are always keen to hear from anyone with a real interest in people and heritage and can spare some time, whether with visitors, assisting with our education and outreach capabilities or working with the collections.

We are especially keen to hear from anybody who might have a little time to volunteer to help us run our new museum.

We very much hope that former Green Jackets will be interested in supporting this new ‘regimental museum with a difference’ and will think about getting involved or joining the Friends of SOFO. For details please visit our website or contact Ursula Corcoran, The Museum Director, details below.

Contact details: Ursula Corcoran:

museumdirector@sofo.org.uk

Or David Innes: david.innes@sofo.org.uk Robert.drummondhay@sofo.org.uk

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A Day in Anderson Town 1972 The Land Rover was a complete right off! The Armalite rounds (5) penetrated the Radio (A41) the seats, Dashboard and the engine block.

There was 4 of us I was driving the OIC in the passenger seat and 2 lads in the rear. It was fortunate that they were seated with their legs laid along the bench type seats, as the rounds travelled along the space between the seats and through the structure of the vehicle.

The first I knew of the incident was as I thought being stung on the cheek by bees. It was not bees but foam rubber from the seats. At this point everything seemed to go into slow motion as I realized the stings were not bees. As the Driver(Note Left Hand Drive) I was carrying a SMG across my chest. By the time I had reached cover (a Bus shelter) which was occupied by an old lady, who nearly had a heart attack, my SMG was off my chest and cocked (not the most stable of weapons) and pointing at her! All that Military training had come to fruition. I calmed her down and moved to a hedgerow.

Looking back to the location of the Land Rover I could see that it was still moving on its own accord and the crew had taken up fire positions in the gutters of the road. I cannot recall if fire was returned by any of us as the target probably vacated sharpest.

As we were fortunately in sight of base camp (Monagh Fort) and our radio was U/S the alert platoon were soon passing through our position, with various comments, with reference to the age of my new girlfriend!!

The land Rover was pushed back to camp where the above and other pictures were taken. I am sure the Individual in the picture will recognize himself and think back and remember how young he/we were.

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The Horsa Glider In the mid 60s as an 11yr old boy my family relocated from the suburbs of Oxford to a farmhouse near Standlake in West Oxfordshire, miles from anywhere, our nearest neighbour being Âź mile away. As children we had to make our own entertainment as children will do everywhere, what has this to do with anything you ask? Well how many kids can say they spent hours pretending to fly their own Horsa glider?

Next to our new home and part of the property was a large, untended orchard. In the orchard was the remains of a glider, the wings were missing (used for firewood I am led to believe) but even after 20+ years the body was surprisingly intact if a little overgrown with weeds. There were no instruments left in the cockpit but the seats and flying columns were there as were the rudder pedals, what more could a young lad want?

According to the farmer down the hill the glider had crash landed in 1944 when it suddenly lost its tow shortly after take off from nearby RAF Brize Norton, unable to regain the airfield the pilot or pilots had instead crash-landed in the orchard. Whichever department of the War Office who oversaw collection of this sort of thing obviously decided it wasn’t worth the time and effort required to recover the entire airframe from such a difficult place so had stripped it of all the important and easily transportable parts and left the rest to rot.

The Cockpit In the 60s as a young child the significance of this aircraft was lost on me, we were not taught about the war at Witney Grammar despite, or maybe because of, the fact many of our teachers had fought in it, it was therefore many years later I learnt of its importance.

The AS.51 Horsa was a troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces and was named after Horsa, the 5th century conqueror of southern Britain.

The Germans had been the pioneers of airborne operations, conducting several successful operations during the Battle of France in 1940, including the use of glider-borne troops in the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael. Impressed by this, the Allied governments decided to form their own airborne formation. This eventually led to the creation of two British airborne divisions, as well as a number of smaller units. The British airborne establishment began development in June 1940, when the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill,

A prototype on tow directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5,000 parachute troops.

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When the equipment for the airborne forces was under development, it was decided by War Office officials that gliders would be an integral component of such a force; these would be used to transport troops and heavy equipment. The first glider to be designed and produced was the General Aircraft Hotspur, the first prototype of which flew in November 1940. However, several problems were found with the Hotspur’s design, the primary one being that the glider did not carry sufficient troops. Tactically it was believed that airborne troops should be landed in groups far larger than the eight the Hotspur could transport, and also the number of aircraft required to tow the gliders needed to carry larger groups would be impractical. There were also concerns that the gliders would have to be towed in tandem if used operationally, which would be extremely difficult during night time and through cloud formations. It was therefore decided to use the Hotspur as a training glider, and continue with the development of several other types of glider, including a 25-seater assault glider which became the Airspeed Horsa.

Originally it was planned that the Horsa would be used to transport paratroopers who would jump from either side of the fuselage, and that the actual landing would be a secondary role; however the idea was soon dropped, and it was decided to simply have the glider land airborne troops. An initial order was placed for 400 of the gliders in February 1941, and it was estimated that Airspeed should be able to complete the order by July 1942. Enquiries were made into the possibility of a further 400 being produced in India for use by Indian airborne forces, but this was abandoned when it was discovered the required wood would have to be imported into India at a prohibitive cost.

Five prototypes were ordered with Fairey Aircraft producing the first two prototypes for flight testing while Airspeed completed the remaining prototypes to be used in equipment and loading tests. The first prototype took flight on 12 September 1941.

200 AS 52 Horsas were also to be constructed to carry bombs. A central fusea-

Looking back from the cockpit lage bomb bay holding four 2,000 lb or two 4,000 lb bombs was fitted into the standard fuselage but this idea was dropped as other bombers came into service as this model was discontinued.

Production commenced in early 1942, and by May some 2,345 had been ordered by the Army for use in future airborne operations. Like the modern day Airbus aircraft the glider was designed to be built in components with a series of 30 sub-assemblies required to complete the manufacturing process. Manufacturing was intended primarily to use wood crafting facilities not needed for more urgent aviation production, and as a result production was spread across separate factories, which limited the likely loss in case of German attack.

The Horsa Mark I had a wingspan of 88 feet and a length of 67 feet and when fully loaded weighed 15,250lbs.

The Horsa was considered sturdy and very manoeuvrable for a glider. Its design was based on a high-wing cantilever monoplane with wooden wings and a wooden semi-monocoque fuselage. The fuselage was built in three sections bolted together, the front section held the pilot’s compartment and main freight loading 49 | Volume 6 Issue 1

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had a fixed tricycle landing gear and it was one of the first gliders equipped with a tricycle undercarriage for take-off. On operational flights the main gear could be jettisoned and landing was then made on the castoring nose wheel and a sprung skid under the fuselage.

The wing carried large “barn door” flaps which, when lowered, made a steep, high rate-of-descent landing possible — allowing the pilots to land in constricted spaces.

The pilot’s compartment had two side-by-side seats and dual controls. Aft of the pilot’s compartment was the freight loading door on the port side.

The hinged door could also be used as a loading ramp.

The main compartment could accommodate 15 troops on benches along the sides with another access door on the starboard side. The fuselage joint at the rear end of the main section could be broken on landing to assist in rapid unloading of troops and equipment. Troops practising at RAF Brize Norton.

The stripes on the underside are to indicate to other aircraft it is on tow.

Supply containers could also be fitted under the centre-section of the wing, three on each side. The later AS 58 Horsa II had a hinged nose section, reinforced floor and double nose wheels to support the extra weight of vehicles. The tow cable was attached to the nose wheel strut, rather than the dual wing points of the Horsa I. The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment and 1st Air landing Brigade began loading trials with the prototypes in March but immediately ran into problems. Staff attempted to fit a jeep into a prototype, only to be told by Airspeed personnel present that to do so would break the glider’s loading ramp, as it had only been designed to hold a single motorbike. With this lesson learnt, 1st Airlanding Brigade subsequently began sending samples of all equipment required to go into Horsas to Airspeed, and a number of weeks were spent ascertaining the methods and modifications required to fit the equipment into it.

Operational history With up to 30 troop seats,[18] the Horsa was much bigger than the 13-troop American Waco CG-4A (known as the Hadrian by the British), and the 8-troop General Aircraft Hotspur glider which was intended for training duties only. Instead of troops, the AS 51 could carry a jeep or a 6 pounder anti tank gun.

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The Horsa was first used operationally on the night of 19/20 November 1942 in the unsuccessful attack on the German Heavy Water Plant at Rjukan in Norway (Operation Freshman). The two Horsa gliders, each carrying 15 sappers, and one of the Halifax tug aircraft, crashed in Norway due to bad weather. All 23 survivors from the glider crashes were executed on the orders of Hitler, in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention which protects POWs from summary execution.

In preparation for further operational deployment,

Gliders on the ground at Pegasus bridge 30 gliders were air-towed to North Africa but three aircraft were lost in transit. On 10 July 1943, the 27 surviving gliders were used in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Large numbers (estimated at over 250) were subsequently used in Battle of Normandy; in the British Operation Tonga and American operations. The first units to land in France, during the Battle of Normandy, was a coup de main force carried by 6 Horsas that captured Pegasus Bridge in Operation Deadstick, over the Caen canal, and a further bridge over the River Orne. 320 Horsas were used in the first lift and a further 296 Horsas were used in the second lift. Large numbers were also used for Operation Dragoon and Operation Market Garden, both in 1944, and Operation Varsity in March 1945; the final operation for the Horsa when 440 gliders carried soldiers of the 6th Airborne Division across the Rhine.

On operations, the Horsa was towed by various aircraft: four engined heavy bombers displaced from operational service such as the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax, the Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley twin engined bombers, as well as the US Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota (not as often due to the weight of the glider, however in Operation Market Garden, a total of 1,336 C-47s along with 340 Stirlings were employed to tow 1,205 gliders, and Curtiss C-46 Commando. They were towed with a harness that attached to points on both wings, and also carried an intercom between tug and glider. The glider pilots were usually from the Glider Pilot Regiment, part of the Army Air Corps, although Royal Air Force pilots were used on occasion.

The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) acquired approximately 400 Horsas in a form of “reverse” Lend-Lease.[18] A small number of Horsa Mk IIs were obtained by the Royal Canadian Air Force for post-Second World War evaluation at CFB Gimli, Manitoba. Three of these survivors were purchased as surplus in the early 1950s and ended up in Matlock, Manitoba where they were eventually scrapped. A small number of Horsas were also evaluated postwar in India. Due to low surplus prices in the UK, many were bought and converted to travel trailers and vacation cottages.

On 5 June 2004, as part of the 60th anniversary commemoration of D-Day, Prince Charles unveiled a replica Horsa on the site of the first landing at Pegasus Bridge, and talked with Jim Wallwork, the first pilot to land the aircraft on French soil during D-Day. Ten replicas were built for use in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, mainly for static display and set-dressing, although one Horsa was modified to make a brief “hop” towed behind a Dakota at Deelen, the Netherlands.

During the production, seven of the replicas were The replica at Pegasus bridge

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damaged in a wind storm; the contingent were repaired in time for use in the film. Five of the Horsa “film models� were destroyed during filming with the survivors sold as a lot to an aircraft collector in the UK. Another mock-up for close-up work came into the possession of the Ridgeway Military & Aviation Research Group and is stored at Welford, Berkshire.

Last year I took my own now grown up children back to where I had lived and played so long ago, the farmhouse had been demolished and replaced with a modern and quite ugly dwelling, of the orchard there was no sign instead there were 2 houses on it, I guess the rest of the glider had finally gone for firewood as well.

Kevin Stevens Editor

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A Rifleman’s Duty Turning of The Pages

The Turning Of The pages is a small and simple ceremony of remembrance when names from the Rolls Of Honour of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade are read out in Winchester Cathedral. Held monthly it dates from the time when Peninsula Barracks was the Depot and home to both regiments. Today responsibility for carrying out this ceremony now lies with The Rifles together with its former and antecedent regimental associations.

It is always a little bit special therefore when someone closely associated with these regiments and Winchester in particular volunteers their time and service to such a meaningful ceremony - particularly if that volunteer happens to be a Rifleman and High Sheriff to boot!

Such a volunteer on this occasion was Major General Jamie Balfour CBE DL (late RGJ) and in his new appointment as High Sheriff of Winchester rode into town on Tuesday the 15th April and supported by his posse of deputies from the Hampshire Branch of the RGJA did just that.

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THE ROYAL GREEN JACKETS REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION

MINUTES OF BRANCH CHAIRMEN/SECRETARIES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 25th APRIL 2014

At RHQ The Rifles, Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, SO22 8TS. Present:

Brigadier H Willing (Chairman) Mr S Booth-Mason (Deputy Chairman) Mr M Marr (Treasurer/Membership Sec & Oxford) Lt Col J-D von Merveldt (Secretary) Australasia - Mr R Frampton East Midlands – Mr L Dooley - Mr P Rogers Internet & Webmaster - Mr K Stevens Kent & Dover – Mr R Newman London – Col G Smyth - Mr G Driscoll Milton Keynes - Mr G Brewer North East - Brigadier NM Prideaux North West - Mr R Gerrard - Mr M Lydiat - Mr T Fairclough Suffolk Maj R Cassidy Wiltshire Capt B Darvill Winchester - Maj R Stanger Winchester - Mr J Harper Winchester & Rifles Direct - Capt J Fitz-Domeney Winchester & Buglers – Mr W Gledhill

In Attendance: Lt Gen Sir Christopher Wallace (RGJ [Rifles] Museum) Apologies:

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1. CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS. a. The Chairman welcomed all those representing Association Branches to the Annual General Meeting and introduced Brigadier Prideaux representing the North East England Branch. b. He noted that Lt Gen Sir Nicholas Carter had been appointed Chief of the General Staff from Sep 2014, the first Green Jacket to hold the appointment for over 30 years, and had passed on to him the Association’s good wishes and congratulations. c. The following issues were raised as priorities: o Encouraged all Branches to support the RGJ Museum Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary 2015 Appeal. o Repairs to the RGJ Memorial at the NMA at Alrewas. o Encouraged attendance at the Veteran’s Day Gathering on 12 Jul 2014. o Congratulated Bill Shipton and the Website Team for redesigning and launching the new RGJ Association Website which went ‘live’ on 9 Apr 2014. d. Encouraged all Branches to support ‘Greenstock’ 29-31 Aug 2014 and to note that it should not be seen in competition with or as an alternative to the Veteran’s Day Gathering.

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS. a. Item 8 b. Memorial Badges for the Heroes’ Square at the NMA. Col Smythe corrected the record to make clear that the London Branch was prepared to raise the cost of the paving stone (£3,000) provided that the stone was inscribed giving the Branch due credit for doing so.

(See Item 8b to these Minutes) b. With this exception, the Minutes and the Record of Decisions of the Association Branches Meeting held on 25 Oct 2013, having been previously circulated, were accepted as a true record. (Proposer: Brig Prideaux; 2nd: Mr Kevin Stevens) c. Matters Arising were covered under separate headings during the meeting.

The Chairman signed them as a true record.

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a. which were explained in detail. b. Balance Sheet. Total Income for 2013 was £35,919 (£38,990 for 2012) against Total Expenditure of £39,893 (£41,156) reflecting a loss of Expenditure over Income of £3,984 (£2,166). Net Current Assets were £13,381 compared to £17,365 for 2012 showing a decline in Assets held of £3,983 on 2012. Main expenditure for the Association was on the Reunion, which cost £30,905 in 2013 compared with £30,080 in 2012. The increase in cost is due to inflation and a reduction in the numbers attending in 2013. The meeting accepted the Statement as a true record. (Proposer: Col Smythe; 2nd: Maj Cassidy) c. Forecast for 2014. Following discussion after the AGM at the RGJ Management Board meeting it was agreed that for 2014 the Association would receive an increase in the Central Grant to £12,500 with a further £1,000 allocated to the Association for IT costs. The Chairman has asked that this be increased to £15,000 from 2015 due to the increasing effect of inflation on the cost of the Reunion. d. Overview of Branch Accounts. Branches were again reminded that, as per the Constitution para 7c, a Balance Sheet of Branch accounts should be prepared annually and a summary sent to the Association Treasurer. So far only two Branches had responded. Each Branch should hold an AGM at which the Branch accounts are passed. Branch subscriptions are left to the discretion of each Branch and an annual working surplus of up to £5,000 for each Branch is considered acceptable. Branch accounts can be audited internally by the Branch each year. e. Regimental Funds. A discussion took place on the rate of return on the old RGJ Funds administered for the Management Board by the Rifles.

A general concern was expressed over the low rate of return (2%) on the central fund which for 2014 will provide a total of £29,100 in grants.

The issue was later discussed in detail at the Management Board and the President accepted that an increase in return of 4% should be sought from the funds in 2014, although this would require greater risk to be taken and agreement of the Trustees. It was also explained that the RGJ Funds are “wrapped up” inside the Rifles Regimental Trust, and so separate investment is not an option although a greater drawdown on the old RGJ central funds is possible if agreed by the Management Board. Currently only income from our return on investments is taken each year to provide grants, without drawing down on the the central fund. The President (General Balfour) intends to conduct a detailed review of the RGJ funding strategy within the next few months to determine a full life stategy (50 years) for drawing down the central funds over time.

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the Balance Sheet to 31 Dec 2013 are attached.

1. MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Membership is slightly down at 1736 compared to 1787 in 2013. It was good to see that the North West Branch and the very active but previously separate Liverpool members had now joined together. It was important to increase membership now that the new Website allowed direct access online to those seeking membership. Other measures, such as making direct approaches through Public Media (Facebook) or writing to RCMOs in the Rifles Battalions to advertise the Association’s benefits to old RGJ riflemen leaving the Army, could be explored. However there are known difficulties relating to the Data Protection Act in disclosing addresses and contact details of individuals without their permission which might preclude such approaches. All the benefits of being an RGJ Association Member should also be set out on the RGJ Website.

2. FORECAST OF MAJOR EVENTS – 2014 A detailed Forecast is attached to the Minutes. The following were highlighted: a. Veterans’ Day Gathering Winchester 2014 – Sat 12 Jul. Maj Stanger gave an update on the organisation and plans for the next Gathering event which are given in detail in Swift & Bold. A final coordinating will take place on 6 May 2014. The Band and Bugles of the Rifles are available this year and will perform a Sounding Retreat after the March Past. It was also agreed that the cost of entry at £5 & £10 members/non members respectively, should remain unchanged. Later in the Meeting General Wallace, Chairman of Trustees for the RGJ Museum, announced that free entry to the museum to card-carrying Association Members on Fri 11 Jul, Sat 12 Jul (morning only) and all day Sun 13 Jul 14, was being extended to include the Member’s spouse/partner. General Wallace also announced the availability of escorted group tours around the Museum for Association members on Fri 11 Jul, Sat 12 Jul (morning only) and Sun 13 Jul (morning only).

There would be no charge except an admission fee for those not eligible for free entry. Booking must be made in advance through the Curator [curator@rgjmuseum.co.uk Tel: 01962 828549]. Site tours of Peninsula Barracks are also available on Saturdays and Sundays in July. They last an hour to an hour and a half and cost £2.50 per person. Contact the RGJ Museum Curator for further details. For the rest of the year, General Wallace announced a similar extension as at the Reunion Weekend to the Member’s spouse/partner of card-carrying Association Members who are required to pay half price for entry during the rest of the year and will continue to be required to do so.

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a. Band and Bugle Corps from Germany and the London Branch stand. b. Greenstock Festival of Riflemen at Bramcote 2014 – 29-31 Aug. It is not in competition with the Winchester Veterans’ Day Gathering. See back page of Swift & Bold for details. c. Northern Ireland Veterans’ Association Service of Remembrance at NMA 20 Sep. Central England Branch would support this event on behalf of the Association. Deputy Chairman will attend but all Branches and individuals are also encouraged to attend. d. Field of Remembrance Westminster Abbey Thu 6 Nov (Secretary). e. Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph Parade and Sunderland Remembrance Day Parade Sun 9 Nov (London and North East Branches) 2. ASSOCIATION & BRANCH ISSUES a. Affiliation with the Quirinus Band and Bugle Corps . The QB&BC had written to the Chairman seeking closer affiliation with the the RGJ Regimental Association. This German volunteer Band and Bugles, established by former RGJ Bandsman Peter Hosking in Köln, sounds and looks like one of our old RGJ Band and Bugles. It is building a well-deserved reputation in Germany as an excellent rifles marching band. After discussion it was agreed that the Association should agree to a closer association with the Band, provided that they retain their current name (Quirinus Band and Bugle Corps) but include the words “Associated with The Royal Green Jackets Association”. The reason for this is that we are not in a position to grant others the right to use the old RGJ title, as this belongs under copyright law to the Ministry of Defence. But by allowing them to use the term “associated with” avoids any legal difficulties and does not imply any financial or other liabilities, or responsibilities that might fall to us as an Association for the existence, modus operandi or constitution of the Quirinus Band & Bugle Corps. b. Formation of a Nucleus of Former Light Division Buglers. Major Stanger was thanked for his good work in taking forward the arrangements to establish a group of retired Light Division Buglers under Ex BM Gledhill, and available to Branches for events and occasions requiring a bugler at a cost of reimbursement for transport and subsistence. Major Stanger and BM Gledhill would issue an instruction with more detail, but presently there are 19 former Buglers who are on the list and whose engagements will be coordinated by Mr Gledhill on behalf of the Association. A request was made to the Management Board for funds (£3,000 up to £5,000) to cover start-up uniform costs (such as RGJ Blazer and accoutrements) for those willing to join, and this was agreed.

The provision of bugles and regalia is being looked into separately.

RGJ Museum Appeal in support of the Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition 2015. General Wallace gave a detailed update on the RGJ Museum’s launch of the Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition Appeal in Jan 2014. This is an ambitious project costing £210,000 and althou E-Zine 2014

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a. grant of £100,000 has been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the original intent was to raise a further £100,000 through the Waterloo 2015 Appeal. The Museum’s Appeal to raise funds to match the HLF grant is going well. Half the Appeal target of £100K has been raised (£50,000) with a further quarter pledged or due from Gift Aid recovery (£25,000). However the Trustees have identified a shortfall in the overall funding requirement of what could be as much as £50,000 requiring the Appeal target to be raised shortly from £100,000 to £125,000. This emphasises the importance of all members of the Regiment giving as generously as possible to the Appeal. General Wallace encouraged all Branches and individuals to contribute without waiting to be asked, especially by giving ‘on-line’. See the Museum website for details on how to donate. General Wallace thanked the Branch members for their enthusiasm and undertakings so far to raise funds for the Appeal. It is planned to open the Museum’s Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary Exhibition on 25 March 2015. b. Celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Formation of the Royal Green Jackets in 2016. It was agreed that the main event to mark the Regiment’s 50th Anniversary of its formation will be held at Winchester on the Veterans’ Day in Jul 2016. This would be a “Very Special Gathering’ and the details will be discussed at a separate planning meeting prior to the next RGJ Association Meeting in Oct 2014. The Quirinus Band & Bugle Corps would be asked to attend the event, together with displays and activites to appeal to all.

1. COMMUNICATIONS a. Website and Database. Kevin Stevens gave an update on the launch of the new Website on 9 Apr 2014. Bill Shipton and his team were congratulated on the vast improvement to the Website and its ease of use. Kevin Stevens, as the Website Manager has responsibility for the production of Swift and Bold, the E-Zine and special projects. Seamus Lyons is responsible for building and maintaining the Main, Branch and Photo archive websites. The Database Manager is Roy Baillie. b. E-Zine. As part of a rationalisation exercise, it had been agreed that the E-Zine wiould be issued just once per annum in September. However it has now proved desireable and possible to increase this to twice a year and so from summer 2014 this will be in July and November c. Swift & Bold. This is the flagship magazine for the Association and will continue to be published annually in March. The 2013 copy of S&B was mailed on 23 Apr 2014. It is vital that members maintian their own address books to ensure addresses and email details are correct to reduce postage costs. This year the cost of production and mailing was £4,862 which was partially covered by advertising revenue. However there was a shortfall of £1,600 which would have to be met from Association funds.

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1. MEMORIALS a. Peninsula Barracks Memorial Benches. This is the private initiative by Mr Barrett and Mrs Rosser to purchase two Portland stone benches to be placed outside the RGJ Museum in Peninsula Barracks which has the full support of the Association Committee. However, concerns were expressed by Branch members that there is a lack of transparency in their approach to receiving donations. It is not possible to view the current status of the project, the total amount of donations received or the timescale of planning from their website. The Chairman had asked for this information prior to the meeting and had not received a satisfactory answer. He would continue to investigate and report back, out of committee if necessary, to ensure no impropriety. b. National Arboretum Heroes’ Square Memorial Badges. This project, under the auspices of the National Memorial Arboretum, is seeking support from all existing and former Regiments in the Army to purchase a flagstone with regimental badge engraved at a cost of £3,000 to be laid in a new site (above waterlevel) at the NMA to be known as ‘Heroes’ Square’. The Association endorsed the decision to support the project with a RGJ stone, but funding has not been found by the RGJ Management Board from central funds to cover the costs. Subsequent to the meeting the London Branch has offered to raise the funds to cover the costs with the proviso that the stone should be suitably engraved to record the raising of funds by the London Branch. c. Repairs to the RGJ Memorial at the National Arboretum. The Central England Branch, acting in loco parentis for the Association, has done excellent work in investigating the problem of waterlogging of the site and has recommended options on courses of action to prevent any future problems. The Management Board had previously earmarked up to £10,000 towards improving the site and for safeguarding the memorial, and in addition it was agreed at the Management Board that a ‘Sinking Fund’ would be set up from central funds to cover the maintenance costs against which the CE Branch can draw funds as necessary. It was agreed at the Association meeting, and endorsed by the Management Board that the following action will be taken: o Option One (raising the Memorial by one foot on two black marble plinths) is the preferred solution. o The suggestion of planting a low box hedge on three sides, whilst a good idea, was rejected on the grounds that a similar hedge had been planted there in 2007 but had to be dug up as it died from drowning.

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o approved. o The proposal to place our Roll of Honour on two black marble faceboards on either side of the Memorial was rejected for a number of reasons, not least the difficulty (if not emotive aspect) of deciding exactly who goes on the board. It was felt that with our Roll of Honour kept in a Book of Remembrance at the chapel in SJMB Winchester, that this is the right place for recording our dead. We are in discussion also about moving the Book into Winchester Cathedral for long term keeping alongside those of the KRRC and RB Books which are already so placed. It was also felt that less is best, in other words the simple wording on the Memorial is exactly right for commemorating All Ranks for all reasons. Finally, the names of those who died on the various operations and campaigns between 1966 and 2007 are already listed on the separate memorials in the grounds of the NMA, and it was felt that is more appropriate.

1. PROPERTY Lack of time precluded the Secretary from updating the Meeting on the ongoing work to survey the RGJ pictures, silver and crockery that remain with the Rifles battalions. There is further work on-going to record the condition and whereabouts of RGJ silver and pictures which should be completed by Autumn 2014. All the crockery that is out with the Rifles Battalions has either been sold or is in the process of being sold to cover the costs of re-equipping the Battalions with Rifles crockery. A quantity has been retained in RHQ for the use of the museum but is incomplete and is now unlikely to be made up to a setting of sixty places as had been hoped.

2. NEXT MEETING Fri 31 Oct 2014 at 10.00am in RHQ Winchester.

3. ANY OTHER BUSINESS a. Welfare Needs. A question was raised over the responsibility, moral or financial, for the welfare of aging veterans and their wives that might fall to the Association or its Branches. It was made clear that whilst Branches are encouraged to help where appropriate with advice and support, it was not in the constitution of the Association to be a welfare organisation providing financial support to those who served and their wives. There are many national organisations better placed to do so, and RHQ The Rifles now provides advice and assistance to the old RGJ community where necessary. b. RGJ Blazers. Capt Fitz-Domeny can pass on details of a tailor who provides good quality RGJ Blazers at about ÂŁ130 each. Contact him directly for details. c. Scattering of Ashes - Light Division Garden of Remembrance Sir

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a. John Moore Barracks. Capt Fitz-Domeny reminded the meeting that this is consecrated ground and therefore acceptable for the scattering of the ashes of the deceased. b. Defibrillator at Green Jacket Close. Maj Stanger raised his concerns that there should be a defibrillator at a cost of about ÂŁ1,000, located at Green Jacket Close in Winchester and that he will be investigating sources of funding.

There were no other issues raised.

13 May 2014

J-D con MERVELDT Lieutenant-Colonel(Retd) Secretary RGJRA

HCG WILLING Brigadier(Retd) Chairman RGJRA

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BS Year End 2013 31 Dec 13 ASSETS Current Assets Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable Total Accounts Receivable

120.00 120.00

Cash at bank and in hand Bank current account

13,226.95

Bank deposit account

25.01

Petty cash

30.74

Total Cash at bank and in hand Total Current Assets

13,282.70 13,402.70

Current Liabilities Accounts Payable Accounts Payable Total Accounts Payable Total Current Liabilities

21.39 21.39 21.39

NET CURRENT ASSETS

13,381.31

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

13,381.31

NET ASSETS

13,381.31

Capital and Reserves Opening Bal Equity Retained Earnings

16,359.90

Profit for the Year

-3,983.74

Shareholder funds

E-Zine 2014

1,005.15

13,381.31

Volume 6 Issue 1 | 63

BS Comparison 24.4.14 24 Apr 14

24 Apr 13

ASSETS Current Assets Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable

990.00

100.00

990.00

100.00

Bank current account

12,404.45

16,532.08

Bank deposit account

25.01

25.01

Petty cash

85.74

15.07

12,515.20

16,572.16

13,505.20

16,672.16

10.00

0.00

10.00

0.00

10.00

0.00

NET CURRENT ASSETS

13,495.20

16,672.16

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

13,495.20

16,672.16

NET ASSETS

13,495.20

16,672.16

Opening Bal Equity

1,005.15

1,005.15

Retained Earnings

12,376.16

16,359.90

113.89

E-Zine 2014 -692.89

Total Accounts Receivable Cash at bank and in hand

Total Cash at bank and in hand Total Current Assets Current Liabilities Accounts Payable Accounts Payable Total Accounts Payable Total Current Liabilities

Capital and Reserves

64 | Volume 6 Issue Profit for1 the Year

PL Year End 2013 Jan - Dec 13 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Flags - Regimental

289.00

Gifts and Donations Income Restricted Monies proper to other a/c S&B Advertising Revenue 2012 S&B Donation Income 2012 issue Total Restricted Swift & Bold Sales Unrestricted Total Gifts and Donations Income Grants

12.00 2,900.00 265.00 3,177.00 5.00 46.00 3,228.00 10,000.00

Membership Dues Retired Officers Membership Dues - Other Total Membership Dues Reimbursed Expenses

4,800.00 10,264.57 15,064.57 151.76

Reunion income Bar takings

4,572.36

Gate takings

2,534.00

Total Reunion income

7,106.36

Web/Domain Services Total Income

80.00 35,919.69

Expense Computer costs Consumables Hardware

9.00 1,168.10

Power costs

120.00

Software

197.49

Web Site/Domain registrations Total Computer costs

377.96 1,872.55

Gifts and Donations Branch Set Up Fund Donation proper to Ox Branch Total Gifts and Donations

1,000.00 10.00 1,010.00

Meeting Expenses T&S Total Meeting Expenses

514.91 514.91

Postage & Stationery Postage Stationery Total Postage & Stationery

65 | Volume 6 Issue 1

869.47 184.03 1,053.50

E-Zine 2014

PL Year End 2013 - Cont Professional Fees Accounting Audit

40.00

Total Accounting

40.00

Total Professional Fees

40.00

Refund of subscriptions Subs proper to Oxford Branch Total Refund of subscriptions

30.00 30.00

Reunion expenditure Alcohol

4,378.90

Bar hire

300.00

Catering

200.00

Chair & table hire

864.00

First Aid

273.60

Gas bottles Insurance Laser Clay Hire Lighting Marquee rental Other consumables Refridgeration

68.48 181.00 420.00 4,087.50 12,576.00 216.86 432.00

Staff costs

2,970.00

Toilets

3,936.60

Total Reunion expenditure

30,904.94

Streamline Services Machine rental

189.00

PCI DSS Compliance

49.10

Transaction fees

41.41

Total Streamline Services

279.51

Swift & Bold Distribution & postage

1,988.02

Printing

2,200.00

Total Swift & Bold Total Expense Net Ordinary Income

4,188.02 39,893.43 -3,973.74

Other Income/Expense Other Expense Bank debit adjustment Total Other Expense Net Other Income Profit for the Year

E-Zine 2014

10.00 10.00 -10.00 -3,983.74

Volume 6 Issue 1 | 66

PL Comparison 2014 1 Jan - 24 Apr 14

1 Jan - 24 Apr 13

Ordinary Income/Expense Income Flags - Regimental

285.00

99.00

12.00

12.00

Gifts and Donations Income Restricted Monies proper to other a/c S&B 2013 Advertising Revenue

2,600.00

0.00

S&B Advertising Revenue 2012

0.00

2,900.00

S&B Donation Income 2012 issue

0.00

265.00

S&B Donation Income 2013 issue

604.18

0.00

3,216.18

3,177.00

Total Restricted Unrestricted Total Gifts and Donations Income

20.00

11.00

3,236.18

3,188.00

Grants Refund of Comp Hardware costs

1,000.00

0.00

Total Grants

1,000.00

0.00

Membership Dues

2,110.00

3,303.00

6,631.18

6,590.00

Hardware

529.96

153.94

Power costs

260.00

120.00

Total Income Expense Computer costs

Software Web Site/Domain registrations Total Computer costs

97.99

0.00

249.19

213.54

1,137.14

487.48

0.00

500.00

0.00

500.00

0.00

122.15

0.00

122.15

352.64

250.00

Gifts and Donations Branch Set Up Fund Total Gifts and Donations Meeting Expenses T&S Total Meeting Expenses Postage & Stationery Postage Stationery Total Postage & Stationery

51.98

81.00

404.62

331.00

40.00

40.00

40.00

40.00

40.00

40.00

Professional Fees Accounting Audit Total Accounting Total Professional Fees

67 | Volume 6 Issue 1

E-Zine 2014

PL Comparison 2014 - Cont

Refund of subscriptions Subs proper to Oxford Branch

12.00

30.00

Total Refund of subscriptions

12.00

30.00

0.00

1,503.00

0.00

1,503.00

Machine rental

45.00

60.00

Transaction fees

16.53

21.24

61.53

81.24

Distribution & postage

0.00

1,988.02

Printing

0.00

2,200.00

4,862.00

0.00

4,862.00

4,188.02

6,517.29

7,282.89

113.89

-692.89

113.89

-692.89

Reunion expenditure Toilets Total Reunion expenditure Streamline Services

Total Streamline Services Swift & Bold

Swift & Bold - Other Total Swift & Bold Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Profit for the Year

E-Zine 2014

Volume 6 Issue 1 | 68

In Memoriam Colin Hughes 1RGJ Maj RA Lloyd KRRC & QWR R A (Bob) Jackson KRRC 2GJ RGJ Capt RB Browne-Clayton KRRC/RGJ

5 Jan 16 Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan

2014 2014 2014 2014

Lt MWT Bullock OBLI Maj Gen David Alexander-Sinclair RB 3RGJ Rod Simms KRRC/2GJ/2RGJ E E “Chippy” Woods KRRC/2GJ George Piddington KRRC/2GJ Richard Buckle RGJ, 10 GR & SOF A N Perry KRRC Jimmy Devine 1RGJ Edward Stoten KRRC Peter Kelly 1RGJ Major WA Eberstadt (WA Everitt) OBLI

16 16 18 21 24 26

Capt AA Crassweller The Rifle Brigade Sir Brian Goswell Bob Glynn 2RGJ

1 Mar 2014 23 Mar 2014 31 Mar 2014

Capt Peter Fromanteel Cobbold MC KRRC Capt M.G. Moss KRRC

21 Apr 2014 27 Apr 2014

Lt Col IW Lynch RB & RGJ Rifleman Brian Drury RB CSgt Maurice Roe MM, late QWR, KRRC and SOE Death of Dominic ‘Digger’ Dunne 3RGJ Bandsman Robert Charles Nicholas Williams 1 RGJ Capt RJ Gould late KRRC & RB Maj GN Bell MC, The Rifle Brigade Cpl Bruce Kimberlin 2 & 3RGJ

4 Feb 2014 7 Feb 2014 8 Feb 2014 Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb

2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014

1 May 2014 5 May 2014 6 May 2014 3 Jun 7 Jun 17 Jun 18 Jun

2014 2014 2014 2014

LEST WE FORGET “ They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn; At the going down of the sun and in the morning; We will remember them “ 69 | Volume 6 Issue 1

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