The Semaphore Circular No 661 the Beating Heart of the RNA July 2016
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The Semaphore Circular No 661 The Beating Heart of the RNA July 2016 The No 3 Area Ladies getting the Friday night raffle ready at Conference! This edition is the on-line version of the Semaphore Circular, unless you have registered with Central Office, it will only be available on the RNA website in the ‘Members Area’ under ‘downloads’ at www.royal-naval-association.co.uk and will be emailed to the branch contact, usually the Hon Sec. 1 Daily Orders 1. Conference 2016 report 2. Remembrance Parade 13 November 2016 3. Slops/Merchandise & Membership 4. Guess Where? 5. Donations 6. Pussers Black Tot Day 7. Birds and Bees Joke 8. SAIL 9. RN VC Series – Seaman Jack Cornwell 10. RNRMC Charity Banquet 11. Mini Cruise 12. Finance Corner 13. HMS Hampshire 14. Joke Time 15. HMS St Albans Deployment 16. Paintings for Pleasure not Profit 17. Book – Wren Jane Beacon 18. Aussie Humour 19. Book Reviews 20. For Sale – Officers Sword Longcast “D’ye hear there” (Branch news) Crossed the Bar – Celebrating a life well lived RNA Benefits Page Shortcast Swinging the Lamp Forms Glossary of terms NCM National Council Member NC National Council AMC Association Management Committee FAC Finance Administration Committee NCh National Chairman NVCh National Vice Chairman NP National President DNP Deputy National President GS General Secretary DGS Deputy General Secretary AGS Assistant General Secretary CONA Conference of Naval Associations IMC International Maritime Confederation NSM Naval Service Memorial Throughout indicates a new or substantially changed entry 2 Contacts Financial Controller 023 9272 3823 [email protected] FAX 023 9272 3371 Deputy General Secretary 023 9272 0782 [email protected] Assistant General Secretary (Membership & Slops) 023 9272 3747 [email protected] S&O Administrator 023 9272 0782 [email protected] General Secretary 023 9272 2983 [email protected] Admin 023 92 72 3747 [email protected] Find Semaphore Circular On-line ; http://www.royal-naval-association.co.uk/members/downloads or... RNA Website – Members Area – Downloads – Circulars – Code (shipmate) Snail Trail Mail - Postal Address RNA Central Office, Room 209, PP70, Semaphore Tower, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth Hants PO1 3LT 3 Dear Shipmate, Welcome to the July Circular – I write this introduction as the country goes to the poll to decide our future in Europe, so by the time you read this we will know the result and our future. I am delighted to say that the comradely tone of our debates at Conference was much better than the REMAIN and LEAVE parties managed in the lead in to the referendum! It has been an exceptionally busy month for the RNA, with the NP, National Standard and me attending the moving and brilliantly managed Jutland commemorative service at Lyness cemetery on the island of Hoy in Orkney. Bob Coburn (our National Standard bearer (NSB)) was in the position of honour and right by HRH The Princess Royal, the Prime Minister and the German President for the wreath laying. You may have seen him on the TV managing his standard in very breezy conditions – but what was not shown was the freezing breeze going up his kilt (OK trousers) for an hour and a half before that! Our Hon Chaplain Ian Wheatley did a marvellous job on the drumhead service and needed the couple of tots I provided afterwards. Scapa Flow is indeed a cold and bleak place (all the trees blew away) – and gave a moving pause for thought at what the Grand Fleet sailors had to manage in 1WW for 4 years; and what large parts of the RN during 2WW had to do for 6 years. You will be pleased to hear that I managed to get a tot to retired First Sea Lords and the killick that rang the CALLIOPE bell and stood for 2 hours in the freezing cold holding his clapper! I represented the RNA at the unveiling of a commemorative stone to Boy Seaman Cornwell in Leyton (reported later), where the lad came from. There were big RNA turn-outs at the major commemorative services on 31 May in Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth. A huge thank you to the many Shipmates who attended the many Jutland services to remember and commemorate their sacrifice and duty well done. I have an apology to make - last month I told you that the Conference dates for Perth had changed, then provided the old dates! The dates next year are: Friday 2 to Sunday 4 June 2017. Booking Forms are attached at the back of the Circ. I hope you enjoy the Conference brief and the great photographs taken by Nigel. We had a good Conference at Reading, but you will see that some elements did not go so well, particularly the Gala Dinner on the Saturday night. Our travel partner, CONA Travel, have been like Rottweilers with De Vere hotels and have negotiated a substantial refund and compensation package which will mean a £70 refund for all who booked through them (this will go out directly from CONA Travel). The De Vere letter is at the back of the Circular. This goes to prove the great value that CONA travel brings and the wisdom of using them – BZ Harold Burke and his team. I am off to Cleethorpes on Friday 24th for the main Armed Forces Day event with the NSB, again representing the National President. I know that many of our branches have been planning and getting gizzits from Nigel and Steve Caulfield. I want to say a big thank you for representing the Royal Navy and the RNA on the regional and local scene and keeping our beloved RN at the front of people’s minds. This is very important work and will become harder as the memory of Afghan and Iraq fades. 4 We are progressing Project Semaphore and should have the application process nailed down shortly, I’ll probably write hard copy and electronically to all branches and Areas about how this will work within the next 4 weeks or so. Andy, Nigel and I presented our Ship’s Wheel to the National Memorial Arboretum this week, for placing onto a purposed-built information shelter in the naval memorial area and overlooking our Naval Service Memorial. The wheel has been refurbished in the Dockyard (yes a real rabbit job) and looks marvellous. We had a chance to look round the new visitors centre (see background to the photo above) – which is going to be AMAZING. Sadly we can’t show you pictures from inside yet, but this is going to be a most impressive centre and our NSM information totem will be on the main route into the arboretum in the permanent exhibition area. I took the chance to look over the NSM, which is in very good nick and being kept in good order. The arboretum has put some hard standing by the info panel which really helps and the new info panel is really easy to read. The RNA bench is comfortable and in a great position as you can see from Andy and I lounging on it! The National Council has agreed to kick off the RNA’s campaign for getting the Jutland Wood established with sponsorship of 2 specimen oak trees on the avenue of 14 oaks commemorating the 14 RN ships sunk at Jutland. Can I ask you to encourage sponsorship of a commemorative tree for £20 – for which you get a very nice certificate. Mind you, any ex-Harrier pilots can sponsor an acre of woodland for £15,000! This is not just RNA, but other associations and members of the public with a naval connection. If you want sign-on forms let me know. Finally, a reminder that we are coming into the main leave season for Central Office staff during July, August and September; taking just one of the four of us out means a lot of extra burden on the others – this is no problem but I would ask for your patience and understanding if our service for queries, slops , claims or membership isn’t as slick as normal. Off to check my European health card (just in case). All the best from me and the Central Office (HQ) team Paul 5 Chairman’s Chat - July 2016 Shipmates, I was totally surprised and very humbled to receive a spontaneous and prolonged standing ovation after delivering a personal statement to Conference 2016 at the end of my National Chairman’s Report. We only had 68 delegates and perhaps half that number of observers present in the Hall and so I feel I want make this Chairman’s Chat, possibly my last, a repeat of that statement for you all to read. “This will be my last report to Conference as your National Chairman. I shall not be seeking re-election in September and will be leaving the NC before the end of the year. It had always been my intention not to serve at National level beyond the age of 70. I reached that in early 2015 and having undergone two major cancer operations in the preceding 3 months, with 6 months of chemotherapy to follow, that decision was even firmer in my mind. Sadly, my great friend and National Vice Chairman for 5 years, Keith Crawford, had suffered a severe stroke and decided he could not continue in National Office. I thought that both of us going together was not in the best interests of the RNA and, as I was then feeling so well, I sought re-election last year. But the last few months have not been easy for me. While recent scans have shown no sign of either my bowel or liver cancer returning, the chemotherapy has left me with some embarrassing and quite debilitating side effects.