The Semaphore Circular No 660 the Beating Heart of the RNA June 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Semaphore Circular No 660 The Beating Heart of the RNA June 2016 Shipmate Steve Susans drafted in as a Temporary Acting Vicar for the Standard Bearers’ competition held at HMS COLLINGWOOD Saturday 7 May. Competition won by Shipmate Bob Coburn – appointed as National Standard Bearer for the next 2 years. This edition is the second 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. Remembrance Paraded 13 November 2016 2. National Standard Bearers Competition 3. Mini Cruise 4. Guess Where? 5. Donations 6. Teacher Joke 7. HMS Raleigh Open Day 8. RN VC Series – Capt Stephen Beattie 9. Finance Corner 10. St Lukes Hospital Haslar 11. Trust your Husband Joke 12. Assistance please – Ludlow Ensign 13. Further Assistance please 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 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] 2 S&O Administrator 023 9272 0782 [email protected] Project Semaphore Manager [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 June Circular – the second electronic copy, with now only 18 hard copies going to the few branches that remain off-line. This is now our main way of communicating with Branches and Members and it is vital that the information that it has is passed on, preferably by email so photos are in colour and links work. I hope you are enjoying the excellent first Test against Sri Lanka and warmer evenings. The Central Office staff is in busy pre-Conference mode, getting ready for Wokefield Park. We have over 70 delegates attending and it should be a fun and lively weekend. Of course it is also Her Majesty’s 90th birthday celebration weekend, so things will finish early on Sunday to enable shipmates to get home or go up to the Royal Parks in London to join in the Patron’s Lunch fun. We have 22 RNA Shipmates attending the Royal festivities, members and sponsors, with those nominated by their NCM for doing that bit extra, with a ballot for the few places available. I hope they all have a great day!! As we have the lead into Conference can I just reiterate that I am delighted to take your questions about any aspect of the business at Conference, be that Accounts, the Trustee report or the motions. I would rather give a full and well-researched answer before Conference than an ‘off the top of the head’ answer from the platform. Don’t forget to buy your Conference raffle tickets, if you need more books give Nigel a ring please. To let you know that the dates for next year’s Conference at Perth have come forward a week due to events beyond our control the new dates are Friday 9 to Sunday 11 June 2017. Booking Forms will be available at Conference, again with CONA Travel our partners. Project Semaphore We have now a better idea about how the Project will work. More details at Conference, but in outline: • We will be looking for a substantial number of volunteers to deliver the iPAd tablet computer to those receiving them and to take the shipmate through the much simplified set up process. Volunteers will have a day and a half training and their own iPAd to get familiar with the set-up. Registration will be on-line and the process will involve a very brief assessment of your computer skills (just a few basic questions – can you use email etc). Details will be promulgated when the link is ready. • We need to start to build our list of who could use an iPad tablet to bring them on-line. This should be something to chat over at a Branch meeting. I encourage branch officials who are not on-line to put themselves forward. You can start that process now. Names should go to the Project Manager Sharon Brown at [email protected] . As a rough guide I would hope that most branches will nominate between 3 to 10 possible candidates depending on the size of branch. • The package includes 2 years broadband, but we will assume that an applicant will have a land line – we won’t be using iPads over the 3G telephone system due to the cost. • I am delighted to say that the iPads will all be Air2 – which is the latest and lightest of the machines and easiest to use. Jutland Of course this month our thoughts are turning towards the commemorations of the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago on 31 May 2016. The National President and I are attending the National 4 event at Lyness Cemetary on Orkney – with Bob Coburn carrying the National Standard in the place of honour. HMS Caroline opens for 31 May in Belfast and is the only surviving warship of the battle. Well worth the effort of visiting in the Titanic Quarter. There are commemorations at the naval memorials in Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth – where the names of most of the 6,097 sailors and Royal Marines killed are listed. The blockbuster exhibition ‘Jutland 1916, the battle that won the War, opens on 24 May at Portsmouth. The Chapel door from HMS Warspite, loaned by the RNA, is in a very prestigious position and the exhibition is highly recommended. Royal Navy divers intend to visit the wreck of battle-cruiser HMS Invincible, whose loss provided the most terrible and iconic image of Jutland, to place a White Ensign in memory of the 1,020 officers and men killed when she blew up. There are also plans for events in Rosyth, where the battle-cruiser force was based in 1916, and paving stones remembering the four Victoria Cross winners in the battle will be dedicated in the men’s respective home towns. I shall be attending a ceremony at Waltham Forest on 26 May to commemorate Boy Cornwell’s VC (we are both East End lads). The battle was fought on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday May 31 and into the small hours of Thursday June 1; 1916 was the only time in the Great War that the battle fleets of the two largest navies in the world met. Two hundred and 50 men of war locked horns – 151 British, 99 German – around 80 miles west of the coast of Jutland in Denmark – which gives the battle its English-language name (Germans call it the Battle of the Skagerrak). By the time the battle was over, the Royal Navy had lost 14 ships – including three battle-cruisers which blew up in devastating fashion – the Germans 11 vessels, but only one capital ship. The Germans claimed victory at the time, but fled the field of battle and never seriously threatened British naval superiority in the North Sea for the rest of the war. Navy Books have some great Jutland books if you would like to learn more. https://www.navybooks.com/ Don’t forget that the RNA is in partnership with the Woodland Trust to establish a Jutland Wood and I hope your branch has had a chance to chat over and support this worthwhile project. All the best from me and the Central Office (HQ) team Paul 5 Daily Orders 1. Remembrance Parade 13 November 2016 - Important Changes to Ticket Allocation Process Reflecting the current heightened security requirement and in order to maintain the continued protection afforded to those attending the Remembrance Sunday Parade in London a number of significant changes have had to be made to the process for obtaining a ticket to allow shipmates to march in the parade. This will ensure that the Metropolitan Police continue to provide security at the current level. The changes below have been approved by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, whose responsibility it is for co-ordinating and managing the national remembrance parade and their delegated representatives: TRBL; MoD; HQ London District. There will be a maximum of 10,000 places available- the intention being to achieve a balance of representation that accurately reflects the wider Veteran community, including the Commonwealth. It will seek to include as many Veterans Associations and Military Charities as possible. Due to the heightened security measures the Met Police will need to conduct individuals security checks on all participants. Therefore Basic Personal Information will be required in advance for each applicant and ticket holders will need to bring photo ID and a document showing proof of their address for access to the parade at Horse guards via manned Police entry points.