The Rifles and the Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regimental Association Issue: January 2018
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The Rifles and The Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regimental Association Issue: January 2018 Formed from the following Antecedent Regiments Last Post Since the Last Association Newsletter October 2016 We apologise that there has been a gap of some 16 months since any Newsletter, but feel that it is only right and proper that all those who have mustered for the Last Post should be recorded officially by the Association. Our thanks go to the records being maintained by the Regimental websites, Lesley Bradshaw, Sue Nelmes and Mike Godwin. Please ensure that future notifications are passed on in a timely manner to Mike Godwin, the Association Secretary whose contact details appear on page 3. Name in Alphabetical Order Les Amer R BERKs 07.12.2015 C/Sgt C. R. Ashley WILTS Dec 2017 LCpl Neville Baker GLOSTERS 07.10.2017 Michael Baldwin GLOSTERS Jun 2017 Ernest Bank GLOSTERS 01.03.2016 William Bayliss R. BERKS 06.05.2016 Cpl Frank Bisp GLosters 20.10.2016 John Bradbury WILTS 09.02.2016 John Broker DERR 1st Quarter 2016 Andrew Cameron GLOSTERS 14.04.2016 Cpl Francis Carlile GLOSTERS 14.06.2017 Barry Carter DERR Jul 2017 Cpl Tom Cawley WILTS 22.12.2016 D/Major Jean Choules DERR 27.11.2017 WO2 Roland Clarke DERR Jul 2017 F. W. Collins DERR Feb 2016 Cpl Michael Collins DERR 01.05.2017 Sgt James Connolly GLOSTERS 19.07.2016 Ronald Connolly GLOSTERS 18.08.2017 Royston Cox GLOSTERS 11.01.2016 Ian Abbot Davies GLOSTERS 21.10.2015 WO1 M. Dawes BEM GLOSTERS Nov 2016 Patrick Doyle GLOSTERS 07.02.2016 Anthony Eagle MBE GLOSTERS 29.02.2016 Colin Elllam GLOSTERS 03.01.2017 Stanley Fey GLOSTERS 18.01.2016 Cpl Terry Foote GLOSTERS 13.03.2017 Robert Ford GLOSTERS 1.09.2017 Walter Fox GLOSTERS 19.06.2016 Maj Sandy Fraser R. BERKS 13.11.2017 Fred Frost R. BERKS April 2016 S. B. Gibbard GLOSTERS 25.12.2016 P. A. Grady WILTS 21.12.2016 George Hamilton RGBW/RIFLES 19.09.2016 Sgt George Harold REME 27.07.2016 WO 1 J Harrington GLOSTERS 21.01.2016 Ronald Hawkins DERR 14.12.2016 Maj R Hicks MBE DERR 23.01.2017 Sgt Geoffrey Hobbs DERR 17.07.2017 Maj D. L Hudson GLOSTERS 25.06.2016 Barry Hughes GLOSTERS 07.10.2016 Robert James DERR 05.04.2016 Terrence James GLOSTERS April 2017 WO 1 Len Jones R. BERKS 10.10.2016 Derek Kelly GLOSTERS 12.03.2016 Sgt Stanley Kemp WILTS 27.12.2017 Col Philip King OBE DERR 22.01.2017 M. Lamble R. BERKS April 2016 Paul Langton GLOSTERS 29.12.2017 Terry Leonard R. BERKS 10.11.2017 Sidney Lewendon GLOSTERS 26.09.2016 Keith Lovegrove DERR 06.07.2016 Sgt Steve McPherson DERR 31.05.2017 Capt Eric Millard DERR November 2016 Jim Morris GLOSTERS 01.08.2017 Norman Morse GLOSTERS 4th Quarter 2016 Alfred Nash GLOSTERS 13.01.2016 Harold Nash GLOSTERS 28.05.2017 Sgt Hubert Neale GLOSTERS 05.03.2016 Maj Phillip Newman R. BERKS 08.11.2017 Clem O’Leary GLOSTERS 22.02.2017 Don Osborne GLOSTERS 23.03.2016 Nicholas O’Toole DERR 20.04.2016 Sgt Raymond Paine GLOSTERS 10.02.2 Cpl Peter Phelps GLOSTERS 12.05.2017 Maj Alan Pickford TD WILTS 31.10.2016 C/Sgt Tony Pinnell DERR February 2016 Colin Pockett R. BERKS June 2016 John Pound GLOSTERS 19.08.2016 Kevin Power DERR Sept 2017 Lee Sellens DERR February 2017 Reginald Simpkins GLOSTERS 13.11.2017 Vincent Spring GLOSTERS 06.08.2017 Albert Strange GLOSTERS 22.01.2017 WO2 Clive Summers GLOSTERS 02.10.2017 D. Sutton-Thompson GLOSTERS 24.03.2016 Eric Tideswell GLOSTERS 27.11.2017 Cpl H. L.A. Turk R. BERKS 07.01.2016 David Wadley R. BERKS 07.04.2016 Sgt George Webb GLOSTERS 17.03.20 Sgt Maurice Webb GLOSTERS 25.12.2015 Christopher Walker GLOSTERS 14.12.2017 Sgt Bernard Welch WILTS 06.07.2017 Maj Donald Welch WILTS 22.06.2017 WO2 Francis Welsh MBE GLOSTERS 29.09/2015 Cpl Will Westwood GLOSTERS May 2017 Ben Whitchurch GLOSTERS Jan 2016 Cpl Mervyn White GLOSTERS 26.08.2017 WO2 Chris Whiting DERR March 2017 Anthony Whittle GLOSTERS 09.01.2017 Alan Williams GLOSTERS 13.04.2016 Geoff Young WILTS 09.06.2017 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regimental Association Patrons The Colonel in Chief: HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG KT OM GBE AC QSO, HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO President Brig (Retd) PE O’R-B Davidson-Houston CBE Vice President Brig (Retd) MS Vine OBE Hon Vice President General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue KCB CBE Major General RD Grist CB OBE Chairman Col (Retd) MJ Cornwell OBE Secretary and Treasurer Secretary: Capt (Retd) MK Godwin Treasurer: Lt Col (Retd) MJR Motum DL Chaplain The Venerable Alan Jeans Trustees Chairman Major General N Welch OBE Brig (Retd) PE O’R-B Davidson-Houston CBE Brig CS Maconochie Col (Retd) MS Lee-Browne CBE TD DL MA Col (Retd) MJ Cornwell OBE Lt Col M Baker Lt Col C Grist Lt Col SD Gray MBE MA Capt (Retd) IG Spence Executive Committee The President The Vice President The Chairman Berkshire: Mr D Smith & Mr SP North City & County of Bristol: Lt Col (Retd) JM Blundell Gloucestershire: Capt (Retd) LR Keeling & Mr RE Evans Wiltshire: Lt Col (Retd) SJ Venus MBE & Capt (Retd) WH Sherman Other Branches & non-Branch members: Mr RA Miller & Mr D Williams Registered Charity No: 1038526 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN To all Association Members. happen in Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Wilt- shire. So Gloucestershire Committee will run and Firstly may I wish every one of you and your organise the Back Badge Reunion at St Mary’s families a Happy and Prosperous 2018. Lode, the Berkshire Committee will run with the Many of your will realise that during 2017 our Maiwand weekend reunion in Reading and the Association underwent a fundamental change Wiltshire Committee will assume responsibility for in it governance and structure and at the same organising the Salisbury and Devizes Reunion time the reduction in the Civil Service manning week ends Events like the Officers Chavenage Lunch and the RGBW Officers lunch at the Ward- levels within the MOD. In essence we no long- robe will be run outside of the Association Gov- er have the support so handsomely given by ernance though whatever support the Association the two Regimental Offices at Gloucester and is able to provide will be forthcoming. Salisbury. Perhaps more importantly we will Our biggest problem at the moment is ensuring miss the corporate knowledge of both Lesley we can communicate effectively with all our for- Bradshaw and Sue Nelmes. mer Regimental Members. In the past the Annual The day to day running of the Association now Newsletter was sent out by mail. As the then Cura- falls to those of us who have volunteered to tor of the Museum at the Wardrobe I used to see assume key appointments within the Associa- the team drawn in By Lt Col John Venus to enve- tion. lope the Newsletters whilst the museum attendant made numerous return journeys to the post office Before going on to provide you with an insight with a laden sack trolley. With the advent of IT we into how we will conduct our business in fu- have progressed to electronic distribution, howev- ture I wish to pay tribute to Colonel Stephen er one point has becoming glaringly obvious as Oxlade MBE, for the outstanding contribution we have assumed the data base of the member- he has given for the past ten years. Col Ste- ship. If the data is correct we have a data base of phen has been at the helm from the time of some 11,000 former Regimental Members but less than 1,900 email addresses. So I will be ask- the creation of the Rifles and has provided the ing Branches to ensure that those Local Branch calm and reassuring leadership required as Members who do not use computers are given new Regiments are formed, being conscious hard copies of the Calling Notices for the Reun- of members fierce loyalties to their own cap ions Events so that they are able to bid for a place badge whilst transitioning to the new. I sus- and we can hopefully increase the numbers at- pect that for many the highlight of his tenure tending and reverse the trend of a drop in num- will be the Association's Commemoration of bers in 2017 due I suspect to no Newsletter going the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Loos at out. Windsor. So on everyone’s behalf, heartfelt Whilst this Newssheet is brief and to the point the thanks to Colonel Stephen for not only that aim is to produce a monthly one to allow Branches splendid occasion but also for the past ten to post news and reports of future and recent years of endeavour and leadership. Events so please pass on any input to the Secre- tary or Chairman. You can find our contact details With the loss of the support from the two at the foot of Page 11. County Offices the Association is going to have to rely completely on the work of volun- teers at all Levels. Essentially each of the component counties from the Regimental Areas of the RGBW foot- fall will now assume responsibility for organis- ing and running the Reunion Events that 2018 CALENDAR 2018 CALENDAR January Saturday 27 Rifles and RGBW Association 2017 AGM February 59-94 DERR Officer’s Lunch Tbc Regimental Association Committee Meeting March Friday 01 Illustrious Remnants (Wiltshire) Luncheon— The Wardrobe Saturday 24 Annual Back Badge Day St Mary Lode Church, then Lunch at Dr Fosters.