Fundraising Christmas Dinner Required at 1800 for 1900
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No. 396 Winter 2019 The Association of Wrens and Women of The Royal Naval Services PATRON: Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal PRESIDENT: Mrs Alison Towler SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT: Mrs Anthea Larken CBE VICE PRESIDENTS: Mrs Marion Greenway Mrs Beryl Watt Mrs Patricia Wall Mrs Julia Clark Mrs Marjorie Imlah OBE JP Miss Rosie Wilson OBE Miss Julia Simpson BSc CEng MBCS Mrs Mary Hawthornthwaite Miss Eleanor Patrick Mrs Carol Gibbon Mrs Janet Crabtree Miss Andrea Crook Mrs Pat Farrington CHAIRMAN: Miss Jill Stellingworth VICE-CHAIRMAN: Mrs Linda Mitchell HON. TREASURER: Mrs Rita Hoddinott EDITORIAL TEAM OF THE WREN: Mrs Georgina Tuckett Mrs Rita Hoddinott PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER: Mrs Celia Saywell MBE ADMINISTRATORS: Mrs Katharine Lovegrove Mrs Lin Burton TRUSTEES: Mrs Sue Dunster Mrs Rita Sayers Mrs Karen Elliot Mrs Lisa Snowden Mrs Lyn Gannon Mrs Georgina Tuckett Mrs Barbara McGregor Mrs Jackie Whitmarsh Miss Alison Moffatt Subscriptions: Membership renewal for 2019/20 payable by 1 April 2020 Annual membership for UK members £13 or 5 years £60 or 10 years for £110 Annual membership for overseas members £16 or 5 years £75, or 10 years for £140 All correspondence for the Association of Wrens should be sent to: Association of Wrens, Room 215, Semaphore Tower (PP 70) HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3LT Tel: 02392 725141 email: [email protected] If a reply is required, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope The contents of THE WREN are strictly copyright and all rights are expressly reserved. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Editorial Team or the Association and accordingly no responsibility for these will be accepted. Whilst the Editorial Team has high regard for all advertisers, readers are recommended to seek appropriate financial or legal advice before entering into any binding agreement. VERY IMPORTANT Changes To Data Protection Act – Members Consent Please be aware that photographs and news submitted for publication to The Wren magazine will not be posted on the AOW website (www.wrens.org.uk) and the AOW Facebook page (not the ‘Wrens Facebook Group’) without the express permission of the member submitting the item. Personal information i.e. addresses, e-mail addresses or telephone numbers WILL NOT BE INCLUDED in the magazine, on the AOW website or on the AOW Facebook page unless members give specific instruction that they wish their personal details to be included. For example, include with your submitted article the following statement: ‘I give my written consent for my personal details to be included in The Wren magazine*/on the AOW Website*/Facebook page* (*delete any area where you do not wish your details to appear). Registered under the Charities Act 2011 — Registration No. 257040 The Wren 1 FROM THE EDITORIAL TEAM ENCLOSED INSIDE YOUR WINTER MAGAZINE: Annual renewal form for 2020/21 Application form for AOW2020 NMA event Centenary Flyer AOW2020 book of raffle tickets l-r: Katharine Lovegrove (Administrator), Rita Hoddinott (Hon Treasurer), Lin Burton (Administrator) and Georgina Tuckett (Trustee/Editor) CONTENTS Ladies this is the last edition before our centenary! Reading Scuttlebutt is essential as it gives more information about the major events planned for next year. We know there will be many other events planned by some of the branches, not to mention the WOW 2 Chairman’s Letter (Wrens out Walking) walks that are in the planning pipeline, so if you need to publicise something beyond 3 Important Information your own friends and branch members contact the office and they will help. For non-branch members 6 Events there is a special notice for you about our brand new virtual branch. Please also see page 15 with tips about 7 Trustees Corner taking photographs that are suitable for publication. There is the usual mix of letters and reports of events, 8 Branch and IG Reports members asking for information about lost friends and sad news in the notification of deaths pages. 10 PR Team Report We can only include those we are notified about although occasionally a notice of death is picked up 11 Standard Bearers Report on Facebook which enables us to give a mention to ladies who weren’t members. 12 2020 Scuttlebutt This has been said before but it is worth repeating – we do not pay people to write for us.The only ones 17 People and Places who pay us are the commercial advertisers. Even book reviews are not paid for as we are very selective 26 1960s Wren about which books we review – only books that mention Wrens (or former or serving female RN) or 28 WRNSBT AGM 2019 are written by Wrens, although we haven’t had any of those for a couple of years, get space in The Wren. 30 The Victory Walker This means that every report, article, letter and the majority of photos are sent in by you the members (or 32 Personal Memoir - Wren Campling a close relative who is obviously acting under orders!) and we are expecting that next year with all the events 35 WRNS Exhibition FAA Museum already planned that you will once again come up trumps and submit hundreds of items for us to read 36 An Unforgettable 48 Hours and hopefully include! And don’t forget the Mums and Daughters et al for our special Centenary article (see 37 Letters page 7). We are standing by our computers waiting for the deluge. 38 Anniversaries One thing we can assure you is that The Wren is as ever your magazine. 39 Where Are You Now? Georgina Tuckett 40 Obituaries Front cover: Jane Allen, The Victory Walker, returns trium- phantly to Portsmouth - 6 September 2019 43 Deaths Back cover: WRNS Exhibition launch at the FAAM, Yeovilton photo courtesy of NMRN 2 The Wren CHAIRMAN’S LETTER A cheery welcome to all Association Members. Wrens’ - and they just wished As 2019 draws to a close we look forward to 2020 - to get started on throwing the our Centenary Year with lots going on around the UK. die and seeing who could win I will leave you to read this magazine's Scuttlebutt in the game! A report of the visit, which Carol Gibbon, our 2020 Committee Chairman, along with a picture or two, has outlined next year's major events. It would be will be ready for the Spring good to see all these events well supported - not only issue of The Wren magazine - by those living in the local areas - but hopefully, by and the ship said that they will others so that each event in itself becomes a Reunion be able to host larger groups - and we all love Reunions! after sea trials, deployments For me a mini-reunion was when in July, I attended and when back alongside. So Jill Stellingworth Chairman Kingston Branch's 25th Anniversary lunch. This was watch this space! organised in a beautiful hotel on the outskirts of the This leaves me only to wish town in glorious gardens which the sun allowed us you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year. I to wander around at our leisure (that was before the look forward to joining many of you at the AGM and torrential rains arrived!) and to meet with members, Fundraising Dinner in the Union Jack Club on Friday some of whom had travelled up from Portsmouth and 13 December - and also at the Carol Service in St other areas. The exciting thing was also to see some Mary-le-Strand on Saturday, 14 December. Please new young members around the tables - young and come in good voice - you always have done in the older - there is no difference - we all have this common past! bond of Association membership. Later in September while in Norwich, I attended their Branch lunch where there were two members who had not long been out of the Royal Navy. At the same time Calling all members not belonging I was able to meet with friends whom I had met on to a Branch or Informal Group! previous occasions in the city - it is amazing how we can all keep in contact wherever we go and all have so much to talk about and laughter to share. Would you like to belong to a Branch or Informal Some of you may remember the 'Tot' years - others Group but don’t have one in your local area? Would may not! In July the RNRMC and RNA hosted a 'Black you like to be kept up to date with news from HQ Tot' lunch onboard HMS Belfast. The idea behind this and details of invitations and events both locally was for all of us to get together, enjoy a 'Tot' and have and nationally? If so please sign up to join our new lunch, but more importantly the message from the virtual branch! RNRMC was that each and everyone of us was to go We have introduced this new ‘branch’ to keep more away and find the 'Lost and Lonely' and bring them back members ‘in the loop’ about what’s new and what’s into the Naval 'fold'. I know that many of you do this as going on and who don’t currently receive this news part of your everyday life - like 'lookouts' searching for, through a group. If you are interested in joining and bringing back those who are isolated for whatever please contact HQ with an email address which reason. Please keep up this excellent work. can be your own or that used by a friend or family Talking of togetherness - thank you to all who attended member who is happy to pass the information on to this year's Annual Seafarer's Service at St Paul’s you.