THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ESSEX COUNTY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER ‘Coming together is a beginning. DECEMBER Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.’ 2015 (Henry Ford) COUNTY NOTICES & EVENTS

COUNTY WELFARE FUND COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER GROUP & BRANCH DONATIONS NEW APPOINTMENT 1 JULY 2015 TO 30 JUNE 2016 DARREN FULLER

THAXTED £ 100 HORNCHURCH £ 1000 KELVEDON £ 1400 WIVENHOE £ 277 TAKELEY £ 500 HEDINGHAMS £ 1000 WIVENHOE £ 751 BRENTWOOD £ 83 HARLOW £ 466 SOUTH WOODHAM £ 600 GREAT WAKERING £ 3000 BURNHAM £ 500 BROOMFIELD £ 2500

TOTAL RECEIVED FROM BRANCHES THIS I am 39 years old and currently live in Colchester with my wife FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE: Annmarie, a Physiotherapist working for the MOD. I have a 14 £12177 year old son, Adam and a daughter, Sky Elizabeth, who was born on the 21st of October this year. (Congratulations!)

TOTAL RECEIVED FROM OTHER SOURCES In June 1994 I joined The Parachute Regiment and served for 20 THIS FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE: years, leaving the service in August 2014 with the rank of Colour £23068 Sergeant. I was deployed on 11 operational tours of duty during my service to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. COMBINED TOTAL TO DATE: Unfortunately on my second tour of Afghanistan in 2008 I was £35245 injured in a mortar incident resulting in me becoming a right arm below elbow amputee. I continued to serve for a further 6 Years, however in 2014 I was medically discharged. Since leaving the service I have carried out Volunteer work for my Regimental and other Charities. WELFARE EXPENDITURE It is my intention to approach this appointment with the same AS YET THIS FINANCIAL YEAR level of enthusiasm and professionalism that I did in my military £12,904 career, and will work as hard as I need to achieve the aims of the RBL and the Poppy Appeal. I look forward to working and meeting with you all in the future.

A PASSING THOUGHT Darren can be contacted at: Better to know and be disappointed than never to know and always wonder [email protected] 07920 138798

BRANCH FUND INITIATIVE 1.9851% PAGE 1 ESSEX COUNTY NOTICES

ANNUAL CONFERENCE LEGION AWARDS

The October Special Circular has been sent to all the Branches are reminded that elderly members, who Branch Secretaries by post. over the years have performed outstanding duties but who are no longer as active as they were, should not be overlooked for awards.

COUNTY CONFERENCE As an acknowledgement and “Thank you” for their past services, some consideration should be given 2016 to recommending them for an award.

Will be held on Saturday 16th January 2016 at Longevity as a Legion Member is not a qualification the Marconi Social Club, Beehive Lane, for any award in itself, however, long serving Chelmsford. members who have held office, even briefly, or worked tirelessly on behalf of their Branch in any capacity should be considered for an award”

MESSAGE TO BRANCHES DON’T LEAVE IT TOO LATE! FROM ESSEX MSO

It’s a busy time for us here, we have over 11,500 membership renewals happening across Essex and COUNTY CONFERENCE we are supporting 67 branches through this process. DELEGATE NOMINATIONS As you are aware with the changes there are lots of TO BE RETURNED queries and questions coming to myself and Leigh via email, the contact centre and direct telephone. I Branches wishing to attend the Essex County know there is some frustration with the new way of Conference must complete and return a Branch working. Delegate Nomination form by the 18th December. Two Delegates may only be sent to Please can we ask that you bear with us, we are conference if Branch membership is 301 or more. trying to answer all your queries as quickly as possible and return your calls. Please remember that you are only eligible to send a delegate if your 14/15 Branch R &P Accounts Thank you for your support were submitted by the 30th September 2015, form MS1 was submitted by 31 December 2014 Victoria and your Branch Affiliation Fee paid by 31 March MSO Essex 2015.

COUNTY CONFERENCE DELEGATES In order to send a delegate to the County Conference branches must return the Delegate Nomination Form, Annex A, included in the Conference Circular. ATTENDANCE IS CURRENTLY VERY LOW, PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE RETURNED YOUR FORM IF ATTENDING.

THE NEWSLETTER Is edited by Bryan Emery (Deputy County Treasurer) He may be contacted on any matter concerning the newsletter including suggestions for improvement, layout, or what have you! You may send contributions for inclusion in the newsletter direct to the Email address shown below. It would be helpful if all contributions are sent using Ariel 9 point font. [email protected]

PAGE 2 BRITISH LEGION STANDARDS POPPY APPEAL LAUNCH ON PARADE LEIGH ON SEA BRANCH

The Branch Standards of both Debden and Saffron Walden RBL Branches were on parade last weekend at the dedication Like other branches in Essex the Leigh on Sea team are ceremony for the new Memorial to commemorate all the RAF and arranging various events to raise funds for the 2015 Poppy USAAF personnel and units that served at RAF DEBDEN, during Appeal which was launched at a Concert featuring “THE SHOW and after the war. RAF Debden is now better known as Carver CHOIR” on 24th October at Chase High School. Our guest of Barracks, Wimbish honour was Southend West MP, Sir David Amess.

RAF Debden was opened in 1937 and was first used by the RAF. During the early days of WW2, it was a Sector Station with an Operations Room for 11 Group. During the , eight different RAF Fighter Squadrons were based at Debden Airfield at different times and the airfield was attacked several times.

The original grass runways were replaced by hard surface runways in 1940 and from mid-1940 until September 1942, the airfield was the home of No: 71, 121 and 133 “Eagle” Squadrons equipped initially with Spitfire V Fighters. COUNTY RECRUITING These three “Eagle” Squadrons were formed OFFICER NEEDED. with volunteer US pilots who signed up and joined the RAF before America’s entry into the war. There is a current vacancy for the role of

In 1942, the airfield was transferred to the US 8th Army Air Force County Recruiting Officer. This is a vital and became the home of the US . Initially County position and plays a pivotal part of equipped with Spitfires, the US squadrons were first re-equipped recruitment of new members and raising with Thunderbolts and then subsequently in 1944 with P-51 Mustang Fighters. After the war, Debden Airfield was returned to the profile of the Legion across the the RAF and was occupied by the Empire Radio School, a unit of County. Please contact the MSO for more the RAF Technical Training Command, and then, in due course, in 1960 by the RAF Police School and Dog Training Unit. In 1975 information. the Station was transferred to the Army and was re-designated Carver Barracks.

PAGE 3 NEW CHAIRMAN FOR DEBDEN BRANCH DEBDEN BRANCH After 3 years at the helm, Colonel (Retd) Roger Burgess has just ANNUAL DINNER stood down and been replaced as Chairman of Debden Branch RBL by Mr Michael Clarke. Debden Branch RBL held its Annual Branch Dinner in the th th Officers Mess at Carver Barracks on Friday 6th November by Roger, who served for more than 30 years with the 9 /12 Royal the kind courtesy of the Commanding Officers of the two Lancers, was once stationed in Carver Barracks at nearby Wimbish. Royal Engineer Regiments (EOD) stationed there. The During his tenure as Branch Chairman, Debden has increased its Dinner attended by 66 Members and their Guests was membership from 23 to 110 members and been awarded one presided over by both the outgoing Branch Chairman Colonel National Trophy and 6 County Trophies for Recruiting and (Retd) Roger Burgess OBE and his successor, Mr Michael Efficiency. In addition several members have received awards for Clarke. their service and support to the community. Roger is Essex County Chairman (designate) and has been obliged to vacate the post of Branch Chairman before he can assume his new role in January 2016.

Official guests were the President of Essex County RBL, Brigadier (Retd) Malcolm Ratcliffe DL and his wife Shirley and the Chairman of “C” Group Essex County RBL, Mr John Monk and his wife Shirley. Guest Speaker was Lieutenant Mr Michael Clarke, who now works for the Royal Bank of Scotland, Alexandra Bradford RE, a young female EOD and Search served in the REME and was attached for some time with the Royal trained Officer based with 101 Engineer Regiment (EOD) Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. He has been a member of the RBL for based at Carver Barracks. many years and transferred to Debden from Thaxted Branch in Entertainment was 2012. He relinquishes his position as Debden Branch Vice provided in the Ante Chairman to take up this post. Room after dinner by Lisa Peretti, the Musical Director of the COUNTY RECRUITING Carver Barracks OFFICER STILL NEEDED. Military Choir. Lisa sang a mixture of popular modern and There is still a current vacancy for the role of County WW2 songs. Recruiting Officer. This is a vital County position and plays a pivotal part of recruitment of new Debden Branch would members and raising the profile of the Legion like to take this across the County. Please contact the MSO for opportunity to publically thank the officers and men based at more information. Carver Barracks for the marvellous job they are doing under difficult circumstances.

PAGE 4 COGGESHALL 2015 FIELD OF REMEMBRANCE

In this 70th anniversary year of the ending of World War Two Coggeshall Royal British Legion honoured Coggeshall’s Fallen of that war with a Field of Remembrance alongside the war memorial. A fenced area surmounted by a large oak cross was planted with a named cross for each man and a copy of the Book of Remembrance, compiled by Coggeshall Museum, with a page for each of the fallen was available for perusal and attracted a lot of TO ALL MEMBERS interest. May you have a joyful The Chairman of Coggeshall Parish Council laid a Christmas Time, and wreath and students from Honeywood School read out the names on the Roll of Honour. They then may the New Year scattered poppies among the crosses. bring peace and Despite wet weather there was a good attendance including some relatives of those who had died. The happiness to you and Field was in place for a week to include the 11th November. On that day a large crowd gathered at your families the memorial including 30 children from the local primary school who each received a poppy pin.

AND FINALLY

Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?

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