Bodicote Branch Newsletter Including Balscote & Shutford
OCTOBER 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
POPPY APPEAL REPORT …………………… 2 LEGION MEMBERSHIP FEES …...... 2 REMEMBRANCE …...... 3 BRANCH AGM …...... 6 SOCIAL NOTES …...... 6 PATHWAY FOR GROWTH …...... 7 HAVE A LAUGH...…………………….……… 8 BRANCH COMMITTEE ……………...... 10 DIARY DATES ..………………………...... 12
THE EXHORTATION They shall grow not 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
1 POPPY APPEAL REPORT
I have closed the Poppy Appeal account for this year and the totals are as follows:- Bodicote -- £10,040.46 Balscote and Shutford --£2552.83 Grand total of £12,593.29
So far for the new Poppy appeal year we have collected £59.58.
Another 2 collectors have dropped out, David Barlow due to ill health and Jenny Glynn who is having a hip operation in late October. Ron Glynn has offered to collect in David Barlow’s area but we need replacements for Church St, Town Furlong, Freeman’s Road and Wards Crescent, any ideas?
I have been asked to supply a tray of poppies etc at Tudor Hall School on 12 Oct as they are hosting a WW1 morning for primary schools. My grand- daughter Chloe will be selling the poppies and I will also be there and we will be taking the standard.
Rita Whicher who is organising a tombola event in Spencer Court has asked for a tray of poppies.
John Mills, Poppy Appeal Organiser. Tel: 265629
LEGION MEMBERSHIP FEES
Please remember that the Annual Membership Subscription was due on 1st October. As announced at last years RBL Annual General Meeting the Membership Fee is increasing by £1.00 each year for the next 5 years and so the subscription for this year will be £14.50. It is preferable that payment is made by Direct Debit. Forms are available from Mina Pegram, but if that is not convenient please send your cheque for £14.50 made payable to Bodicote Royal British Legion to Mina at 42 Oakland Road, Banbury, OX16 9DR; Tel. 01295 263335.
As a registered charity the Royal British Legion is able to benefit from Gift Aid adding an extra £3.50 to your annual subscription at no extra cost to 2 you if you are a UK taxpayer. Many members who pay tax have already signed up and the Legion is very grateful to them for the additional income which that brings.
If you have not already completed a Gift Aid declaration form we would ask that you carefully check whether or not you are a tax-payer or if not whether any tax is deducted at source such as from an occupational pension or on certain savings schemes. Even though you may not have completed a Tax Return form it does not mean that no tax is being paid. If you have any tax liability please contact Mina Pegram who will be pleased to send you a Gift Aid form, and to repeat it will cost you nothing. Please inform Mina if you do not wish to renew your RBL Membership.
REMEMBRANCE
Festival of Remembrance Would anyone who has reserved seats for the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall please confirm with Mina Pegram (Tel: 26335) as soon as possible.
Remembrance Sunday Parade And Service The annual Bodicote Service of Remembrance will be held at St John the Baptist Church, Bodicote on Remembrance Sunday 10th November 2013. We will be holding the usual parade and service in the afternoon, those wishing to march should assemble at Kings Field by 2.30 pm ready to march off at 2.40 pm for the 3.00 pm service. Tea and biscuits will be served in Church House after the service; all are welcome to join us.
In addition we will be holding a short Remembrance gathering at the Wellington Memorial (off Wykham Lane) at 10.45am on Sunday 10th November to pay tribute to the crew of the Wellington Bomber who lost their lives in the air crash at the site on 28th December 1942. If you would like to attend you will be most welcome. (Wearing a strong pair of shoes or boots would be advisable as the footpath to the site may be muddy at this time of year). Armistice Day We will also be having a short Remembrance Service at the War Memorial on Monday 11th November at 10.45am. All are invited to attend. 3 Thoughts For Remembrance They're laughing at you,Grandad At the Cenotaph Parade, And the Poppy of Remembrance, You're so proud to have displayed.
They are leering at you Grandad, With your memories of France, And your tales of fallen comrades In the Passchendale advance.
They giggle at you Grandad, When you mention Kaiser Bill, Or recall the Old Contemptibles With pride that fills you still.
Even Daddy has to bear His share of wartime guilt, And they'll even blame you Daddy For the post-war mess you built.
They're laughing at you Daddy, When you talk of Alemein,, Or recall the Reichswold Forest, And the Normandy campaign.
They analyse your action With a few well chosen words "That King and Country rubbish Is strictly for the birds".
Can't you hear the knockers knocking With each mocking little phrase. As they revel in the wisdom Of their intellectual ways?
4 It is a pity Dad and Grandad, They're not smart enough to know You pay homage-- not to glory But to friends of long ago.
From: Roland Dane 7th Battalion Black Watch
Into the West (RAF Burma Campaign Funeral Poem)
I hope there's a place, way up in the sky, Where pilots can go, when they have to die. A place where a guy could buy a cold beer For a friend and a comrade whose memory is dear. A place where no doctor or lawyer could tread, Nor a management type would e're be caught dead! Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke, Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke! The kind of place a lady could go, And feel safe and secure by the men she would know. There MUST be a place where old pilots go, when Their wings become weary, when their airspeed gets low; Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young, And songs about flying and dying are sung. Where you'd see all the fellows who'd “flown west” before, And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door, Who would buy you a drink, if the thirst should be bad, And relate to the others, “He was quite a good lad!” And then through the mist you'd spot an old guy You had not seen for years, though he'd taught YOU to fly. He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear, And say, “Welcome my son, I'm pleased you are here! For this is the place where true flyers come, When the battles are over, and the wars have been won; We've come here at last, to be safe and afar, From the government clerk, and the management czar, Politicians and Lawyers, the Feds and the noise, 5 Where all hours are Happy, and these good ol' boys, Can relax with a 'cool one', and a well deserved rest. “This is Heaven, my son. You've passed your last check!”
From: John Giddings OBE Branch President
BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
We will be holding our Branch Annual General Meeting at The Chapel, East Street, Bodicote on Thursday 5th December 2013 at 7.30pm. Please try to attend so that you may have your say in how the Branch is run.
During the meeting the Committee for the coming year will be voted in. If you would like to be nominated or would like to nominate another member for a position on the Committee would you let the Branch Secretary know by 23rd November.
SOCIAL NOTES Skittles Evening The Secretary has received an invitation from Deddington Branch to hold an inter-branch skittles evening at a date to be agreed possibly during January. If you would like to take part please let him know.
Why I Wear My Poppy. Ahead of the Poppy Appeal the Legion Press Office are gathering a number of stories and thoughts from across all areas of the Legion. We have received a request from the Legion Publications Officer for a response to the statement 'Why I Wear My Poppy'. She would be interested for people to email her with 20/30 word in response to that statement. In addition if anyone knows of any good news stories, interesting people,etc., please let her have the details by emailing Bethan Herbert, Public Relations Officer at [email protected] . 6 PATHWAY FOR GROWTH
The Royal British Legion has been going through a period of major organisational change in order to improve the way the Legion provides practical help and support to the UK Armed Forces community.
The purpose of this change is to make the Legion more visible, more relevant and more accessible to those members of the Armed Forces Community who may require help, advice and support at any stage of their lives. The Legion wants to reinforce its focus and commitment across the four pillars (Welfare, Representation, Remembrance and Comradeship) of its mission – at both a national and local level.
The first stage of this plan was a mjor geographical and operational restructuring exercise to establish three new regions and 16 new area teams and this is now complete. The new South East Midlands Area which is part of the Midlands Region comprises the following six counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Northamptonshire.
The population of this enlarged area is approximately 4.69 Million people across an area of nearly 11 Thousand square kilometers spanning some 75 miles in width and up to 90 miles from top to bottom. There are an approximate total of 1,895,800 households and 411,920 ex-Service.
The SE Midlands Area will be split into 5 sub areas with permanent presences in Arborfield, Thame and Northampton. Other sites where staff will visit for Out-Reach will be announced as and when they are opened. The changes are being made to extend the reach of the Legion to many more sites than the previous 35 County Offices. The SE Midlands Area Office at present based in Thame will eventually move to Aylesbury where it will be better placed to cover the area.
The Contact Centre using the Legion Line telephone number (08457 725725) will now handle all enquiries and this together with the RBL website/email will be the principle ways that beneficiaries can contact the Legion. Face to Face Walk-In Advice and Information Centres are in 7 development and the first of these is expected to open soon.
HAVE A LAUGH
A Jewish grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife. "You come to the front door of the apartment. I am in apartment 301. There is a big panel at the front door. With your elbow, push button 301. I will buzz you in. Come inside, the elevator is on the right. Get in and with your elbow, push 3. When you get out, I'm on the left. With your elbow, hit my doorbell." "Grandma, that sounds easy, but, why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?...... "What..... You're coming empty handed?" ______
Why Italian Fathers and Grandfathers pass their handguns down through the family.
An old Italian man is dying. He calls his grandson to his bedside, Guido, I wan' you lissina me. I wan' you to take-a my chrome plated .38 revolver so you will always remember me."
"But grandpa, I really don't like guns. How about you leave me your Rolex watch instead?"
"You lissina me, boy. Somma day you gonna be runna da business, you gonna have a beautiful wife, lotsa money, a big-a home and maybe a couple of bambinos." "Somma day you gonna come-a home and maybe finda you wife inna bed with another man. "Whatta you gonna do then? Pointa to you watch and say, 'times up'"? ______An attractive blonde from Cork, Ireland, arrived at the casino. She seemed a little intoxicated and bet twenty thousand dollars in a single roll of the dice. She said, "I hope you don't mind, but I feel much luckier when I'm completely nude." with that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled the dice and with an Irish brogue yelled, "Come on baby, Mama needs new clothes!" 8 As the dice came to a stop, she jumped up and down and squealed. "Yes! Yes! I won, I won!" She hugged each of the dealers, picked up her winnings and her clothes and quickly departed. The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally, one of them asked, "What did she roll?" The other answered, "I don't know - I thought you were watching." MORAL OF THE STORY: Not all Irish are drunks, not all blondes are dumb, but all men... are men!
The New Alphabet A is for apple, and B is for boat, That used to be right, but now it won't float! Age before beauty is what we once said, But let's be a bit more realistic instead.
Now The Alphabet: A's for arthritis; B's the bad back, C's the chest pains, perhaps car-di-ac? D is for dental decay and decline, E is for eyesight, can't read that top line! F is for farting and fluid retention, G is for gut droop, which I'd rather not mention. H high blood pressure--I'd rather it low; I for incisions with scars you can show. J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend, K is for knees that crack when they bend. L's for libido, what happened to sex? M is for memory, I forget what comes next. N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low; O is for osteo, bones that don't grow! P for prescriptions, I have quite a few, just give me a pill and I'll be good as new! Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu? R is for reflux, one meal turns to two. S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears, T is for Tinnitus; bells in my ears! U is for urinary; troubles with flow; V for vertigo, that's 'dizzy,' you know. W for worry, now what's going 'round? X is for X ray, and what might be found. Y for another year I'm left here behind, Z is for zest I still have-- in my mind!
I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed,And I'm keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed! HAVE A GREAT DAY !
From: Joy Dansette
Finally If you can't afford a Doctor, go to an airport – you'll get a free X-ray and breast exam, and if you mention Al Quaeda you will get a free colonoscopy. 9 THE COMMITTEE
President John Giddings
Chairman John Mills
Vice Chairman Barry Hobday
Secretary John Wells
Treasurer Sue Pye
Membership Secretary Mina Pegram
Newsletter John Wells
Standard Bearer Ray Harden
Welfare Members John Wells Barry Hobday
Members Margaret Bristow Stuart Dawson Maggie Mills
10 HELP HELP HELP To help us keep the production and postage costs down and enable us to devote more funds to our welfare causes future digital editions of the Bodicote Branch Newsletter will be published Online. To access the copy go to: http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/bodicote/branc h-newsletters where you will be able to select either Word or pdf copies. Let me know and I will cancel your paper copy
If however you would like to receive subsequent editions by email please send your email address to the editor at
Please specify in what format you would like to receive your copy – MS Word or PDF.
Please Note
If you have any articles or items for the next newsletter in February 2014 please let me have them by Saturday 25th January 2014
My thanks for all contributions for this edition. All articles will be most welcome, so come on let us keep this newsletter going with your tales of daring-do or otherwise. 11 Thanks John Wells DIARY DATES
Tuesday 1st October Legion Membership Fees Due
Saturday 9th November Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall
Sunday 10th November Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service & Wellington Memorial Service
Monday 11th November Armistice Day Service at War Memorial
Thursday 5th December Branch Annual General Meeting
Next Issue: February 2014
KOHIMA EPITAPH
When you go home tell them of us and say - For your tomorrow we gave our today 12