London Legacy Newsletter June 2017

Equally, we should never forget that the burden of sacrifice fell heavily upon the shoulders of our Legacy widows and their dependants. In the years immediately after World War One it was the notion of sacrifice that became the wellspring for the form- ing of Legacy.

In my meetings throughout Britain I never fail to be impressed and moved by the spirit and demeanour of our Legacy ladies.

These ladies and their families have often endured difficult times in their lives, but their strength of character and stoic resilience is an inspiration to us all. As legatees, it is a singular honour and privilege President’s Greeting to be able to offer the duty of care these ladies so richly deserve. Dear Legacy ladies and friends of Legacy As an independent volunteer charity, with no gov- It’s mid-year and we’ve already ticked off a number ernment funding, London Legacy constantly pur- of important events on our Legacy calendar. sues avenues of fund-raising and sponsorship to enable us to continue and sustain our work. The Anzac Day period began with our highly suc- cessful, new-look Legacy Anzac Gala Dinner— our However, as I am always at pains to point out to our main fund-raising event of the year and our best legatees, the primary focus of Legacy was, is and dinner yet. always will be the care of our dependant families above all else. On Anzac Day our legatees attended traditional commemorative events in London, beginning with All other activities we undertake fall in behind this the Dawn Service and concluding with the Anzac important founding tenet. In the words of Sir Stanley Day Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey, a ser- Savige, founder of Legacy, “if a job is worthwhile vice which always fills the historic Abbey to capacity. doing, the money will come”.

Commemoration has always been an integral part Should you need our help, or even a friendly voice of Legacy. No matter how busy our daily lives, we on the other end of the telephone, please don't hesi- should always find time on Anzac Day and Remem- tate to contact your legatee or myself at any time. brance Day to reflect on fallen and passed com- rades and to acknowledge their sacrifices. My best wishes to you all Simon Kleinig In this issue: traditional home of London Legacy. Our Quarterly • The Story of House Meetings and AGM are conducted here, together with our Annual Reception, our Christmas Recep- • , Charles Bean and tion and, more recently, our Legacy Anzac Gala Legacy Dinner.

• Legacy Anzac Gala Dinner The construction of Australia House (by the Dove • Vale Gordon Birdwood Brothers) commenced in 1913, but shipping prob- • Short Story: “Alter Ego” lems caused by World War One delayed its comple- • Away from the Western tion. Australia House was officially opened by King George V in a ceremony on 3 August 1918 attended Front by the Australian Prime Minister William (Billy) • Anzac Day commemorations Hughes. • 2017 London Marathon The building was designed by Scottish architects, Alexander Marshall Mackenzie and his son, Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie. The Commonwealth of Australia's chief architect, John Smith Murdoch, travelled to London to work with the The Story of Australia House Mackenzies on the building. The imposing mass of the Australian High Commis- Although an Official Secretary had been appointed sion in London (Australia House) dominates the to London as early as 1906, the High Commission east end of the Strand, at the busy confluence of to London was the first Australian diplomatic mis- the crescent-shaped Aldwych and the Strand itself. sion and one of the most prominent in London. One of the more visually striking locations in Lon- don, Australia House faces the Church of St The building itself was built over a 900 year old sa- Clement Danes (of “Oranges and Lemons” nursery cred well drawing water from the River Fleet, a sub- rhyme fame). Australia House has long been the terranean river beneath London. The water in the well is clear and has been tested as safe to drink.

Much of the building materials used in its construc- tion were imported from Australia. The building is of Portland stone on a base of Australian trachyte. The marbles used include dove-coloured Buchan marble from Victoria, the light and dark Caleula from New South Wales, and white Angaston mar- ble from South Australia.

The joinery and flooring timbers include timber va- rieties from all Australian States, but the most prominent of these is black bean, a very hard and dense wood similar to English oak, used principally for panels of the first floor Downer Room, where the carvings represent arts and sciences.

In more recent times the building's grand interior was used as the impressive setting of Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Harry Potter and the Philoso- pher's Stone. HOW AUSTRALIA HOUSE Leaning against the balustrade which surrounds the roof one looks down on the London that Pepys loved. At one’s feet is St. Clement Danes LOOKS TO ENGLISH WRITER Church built by Wren in the Seventeenth Century (1916) facing its architectural rival of the Twentieth Century a short distance to the east. _____ Round it, minute and rapid, race taxi-cabs and Massive Building Called Impressive omni-buses between congested Fleet Street a few hundred yards away, and on one’s right one sees Example of “Roman” Architecture— the shining Thames. stands Out as a Factor in Imperial Affairs. This newcomer seems to lift its haughty head well above its older neighbours and one looks _____ down, as it were, on the roofs on London stretching away interminably in all directions with their chim- [Editor’s note: the abridged article (below) was kind- ney pots showing faintly through a garment of mist. ly provided by legatee Cathlyn Davidson. “The con- troller, Mr. Davidson”, mentioned in the following The Australian authorities have given the architects, article was the grandfather of Cathlyn’s husband, A. Marshall Mackenzie and A.G.R. Mackenzie, a Simon Davidson. The original full-length article is perfectly free hand to make a building that will stand available should any of our readers wish a copy. for a thousand years and be a credit to the Com- Please contact the editor at the address shown at monwealth. the end of this newsletter] The building itself is of Portland stone on a base of (Special to The Christian Science Monitor) trachyte, a grayish Australian stone having the ap- pearance of granite, while the roof is covered with LONDON, England—There is something the beautiful Westmoreland slates. symbolical in the way that Australia House, soon to be the official residence of Australia’s Passing through the great double entrance gates of High Commissioner, thrusts itself up lofty and iron and bronze, each some 20 feet by 12, and commanding from the most commanding site in through the wrought iron and bronze screen with its London’s most characteristic street, the Strand. revolving door which leads into the vestibule, the visitor will see on either hand steps leading down to Just so is Australia asserting herself in the the entrances from the Strand and from Aldwych. councils of that far-flung empire whose heart is London. The representatives of the overseas From here he has a magnificent vista extending nations are assuming an increasingly important right to the other end of the building. With its marble status, and, as the Dominion “ambassadors at pillars and magnificent show cases of Australian the Court of St. James,” must be housed in accord- products it will be the finest marble hall in the United ance with their increased importance and growing Kingdom. scope of the work they have to do. The High Commissioner will not merely dream of At any rate the Australians know a good site when marble halls; he will live in them. The decorative they see one and know how to build on it in a wor- scheme here, it may be mentioned, will include a thy manner. It is a magnificent building this, rising a series of paintings by Australian artists, but the good hundred feet into the air at the eastern end of competition for this has been postponed. the well-known Aldwych site. To right and left from the rotunda, corridors of white variety of the fine Australian hard-woods being used Angaston marble branch off, running parallel with on each floor except, of course, the ground floor. the Strand and Aldwych walls of the building, and There is Queensland cedar, Tasmanian blackwood, from these corridors one can enter the various min- which rather resembles rosewood, and maple. The isterial offices, the department of registration and lifts beside beside the main staircase will be of Aus- dispatch, the intelligence departments, and so forth, tralian oak and walnut. which look on to the Strand or Aldwych or Mel- bourne Place, as the case may be. The first floor, besides Angaston marble, will use up a good deal of blackbean wood, an especially hard Meantime, Mr. Davidson, the controller, whose wood resembling walnut. These woods all have wealth of ideas has found expression throughout come from Australia despite the enormous freights, the building, is playing with the notion of an Aus- and the furniture of the ministerial offices will also tralian or Imperial Club, certainly an attractive idea. be sent from Australia.

Had it been feasible, no doubt Australia House Australia House is a massive building, but unlike would have been built by Australians with Australian many such buildings it is not dark.The corridors material and entirely furnished from the Antipodes which run round each floor are, as already men- just as the Australian army in France is fed, clothed tioned, of white Angaston marble on the first floor and armed by the Commonwealth. and white stuc elsewhere. The ceiling of the exhibi- tion hall is mainly of glass, and above that nothing Nevertheless, Australia is fully represented intervenes between the glass and the sky. throughout the building. The ground floor, of course is a vision of Buchan marble—from Australia. In other words the triangular shape of the site has All the wood-work is from Australia, a different been utilised so as to leave above the exhibition hall two triangular light wells which pass up on ei- ther side of the library on the first floor, and the pensions and other rooms directly above it on successive floors, and serve the double pur- pose of lighting the exhibition hall and the dif- ferent corridors.

Altogether Australia House sets a standard in architecture and adds to the importance which Kingsway and Aldwych are steadily assuming. It is a fine effort on the part of a dominion with a population smaller than that of London.

It is a fine building on its merits and by its dis- tinction and prominence will keep steadily be- fore the people of London the realisation of the Empire which has proved so stable amid the strain and stress of war.

The official opening of Australia House by King George V on 3 August 1918 Bean’s work in the field included carrying much- needed water to men suffering in hot and parched conditions, relaying messages to and from the Gallipoli, brigade commander and helping to carry the Charles wounded. By nature a self-effacing man, Bean declined a Bean and knighthood in later life. His 12-volume “Official His- Legacy tory of Australia in the War of 1914–1918” became his life’s work and, together with the founding of the , stand as tangible re- minders of his far-reaching vision.

In his quest to form as complete a picture of the The is important to Legacy — ANZACs as possible, Bean returned to Gallipoli in with the first ANZAC deaths came the first Legacy February 1919. For the first time he was able to widows. The support these widows received after walk over ground where some of the famous battles World War One, as the charity took the first steps were fought, such as at Lone Pine. towards becoming the all-encompassing organisa- tion it is today, provides us with a tangible link be- At the Nek, he stepped between the bleached tween Legacy and Gallipoli. bones of light horsemen still lying where they fell on that tragic morning of 7 August 1915. Charles Bean, the official Australian war correspon- dent in World War One, more than any other per- Bean spent three weeks on the Gallipoli peninsula, son, is responsible for providing us with an accurate meticulously retracing the movement of the AN- picture of the ANZACs and their part in the Gallipoli ZACs and attempting to piece together their story campaign. This was due to his complete dedication as accurately as possible. to recording the ANZAC’s story in meticulous detail from every perspective. Bean collected relics and artefacts from (including several of the original landing craft) As a military historian he was completely selfless, which he would later use as the basis of the collec- seeking no personal reward or acknowledgement tion of the Australian War Memorial. for his work. At Anzac, he frequently put himself in harm’s way in his zeal to record events as they un- Much of our understanding of the Gallipoli cam- folded. paign stems from Charles Bean's 1919 visit when he led the Australian Historical Mission to Turkey. Leaving Anzac Cove temporarily in , Bean travelled to with the 2nd Infantry It was during the time that Bean spent with the AN- Brigade and reported on the Second Battle of ZACs in Europe that he started thinking seriously Krithia. about the need for an Australian war museum. He envisioned a memorial that would not only keep Bean came under enemy fire in and was wounded track of and store records and relics of war, but in the leg by a Turkish bullet. He refused medical would also commemorate the Australians who lost evacuation so he could continue his role of report- their lives fighting for their country. ing events as they unfolded. Australian War Memorial senior historian Ashley Bean was commended for gallantry by rescuing a Ekins said Charles Bean never really escaped Gal- wounded soldier, but his subsequent recommenda- lipoli, and wrote to his brother that he was actually tion for the Military Cross was disallowed as his mili- "homesick" for the place. "It made an enormous im- tary rank was honorary only. pact on him which he was never able to shake. I suspect it was the same with many, many soldiers," Ekins said. "It was unique in its setting, in Legacy Anzac Gala Dinner the drama, the intensity of the experience, being so A night to remember close to the Turks, a ludicrously inadequately pre- pared and provisioned campaign, struggling in the This year's Legacy Anzac Gala Dinner, held in the most harsh conditions of heat and cold in a land- Exhibition Hall of Australia House on the Strand on scape of incredible beauty.” Friday, 7 April 2017, was hailed a resounding suc- cess on every level. All dinner tables were sold and filled with excited attendees, the music and enter- tainment was exceptional—and most important of all—this year's Gala Dinner proved our most prof- itable black-tie event ever.

Gone was the stiff military formality and long speeches of past years. This year a new and ener- getic committee breathed life back into the Gala Dinner to ensure its longevity as our foremost fund- raising event.

By focusing on a largely under-40s audience, this year's Gala Dinner was brought to dynamic life with an excitement-charged atmosphere and infectious vitality previously unknown.

Queen Elizabeth II, being guided around the Aus tralian War Memorial by Charles Bean on 16 Feb- ruary 1954. The Duke of Edinburgh follows behind in white naval uniform.

[Editor: a future edition of this newsletter will feature an article which deals in more detail with the Sec- ond , including the part played by the grandfather of one of our legatees, Cathlyn Davidson, who was killed whilst leading a charge of the 7th battalion from “Tommies’ Trench” in the Second Battle of Krithia.]

Left to right: Paul Wrighter, Andrew Tripney, Mark Daley and Isobel Tripney enjoying this year’s Legacy Anzac Gala Dinner A Visit to South Wales Legatee President Simon Kleinig thanked guests for attending, before introducing London Legacy's pa- tron, His Excellency The Honourable Alexander On 17 March 2017. Legatee President Simon Downer AC, Australian High Commissioner to the Kleinig and his wife Denise journeyed to South United Kingdom, who delivered a warm welcome to Wales to visit one of our Legacy ladies, Rita all attendees. Thompson. Rita lives in Pontypool in Gwent, about seven miles south of Abergavenny, on the doorstep Early in the evening, guests were entertained by the of the Brecon Beacons National Park. attractive harmony-singing trio "The Girls from Oz", who reminded everyone of home with a lively reper- toire of songs, drawing on a mix of traditional Aus- tralian favourites, interwoven with a medley of popu- lar songs from the 1970s and 1980s.

A sumptuous dinner with unlimited drinks was fol- lowed by dessert wine and coffee, after which a non-stop delivery of music from the Army Air Band ensured the dance-floor was packed continually to capacity.

London Legacy was pleased to welcome three of our Legacy ladies to the Gala Dinner — Christine Blair, Bryer Dunsby and Isobel Tripney. It may have been murder on the dance floor, but an energetic and excited Christine Blair danced every dance, de- claring it one the best evenings of her life. Rita welcomed Simon and Denise into her home in Griffithstown, Pontypool. A pleasant hour and a half was then spent in lively and friendly conversation, during which Rita kindly served coffee and biscuits.

Rita had made a lunch reservation at "The Angel" in Abergavenny. The hotel, a former coaching inn built in 1829, now provides an excellent dining experi- ence in a relaxed atmosphere amid pleasant sur- roundings. Conversation continued over lunch until mid-afternoon, when Simon and Denise drove Rita back to her home in Griffithstown, farewelling her with a promise to visit again in the future.

(Editor: London Legacy is happy to visit any of our Legacy ladies at any time. Please contact Presi- dent Simon Kleinig to arrange a visit. Contact de- tails are shown at the end of this newsletter.) Gordon worked tirelessly for numerous charities. In Vale the Gallipoli centenary year (2015) he served as Gordon Birdwood Chairman of the G-100 committee of the Gallipoli Association, which successfully oversaw planning for the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

On 2 March 2017 a special Memorial Service was held for Gordon Birdwood at The Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk, opposite St James Park, London. Gordon was farewelled fitting- ly in grand style. Family, friends and colleagues ar- rived up to an hour before the service to pay their final respects. It is estimated that well over 1,000 people filled the Royal Military Chapel, with many spilling out onto the steps outside,.

Gordon was a man of great personal charm, pos- sessed of both a keen wit and an infectious sense of humour which endeared him to all. He will be sadly missed by London Legacy, and we offer our sincere condolences to Gordon's family; his wife, Bella and daughters Katie and Atalanta.

London Legacy was represented at the Memorial Service by President Simon Kleinig. It is with particular sadness that London Legacy ad- vises the passing of Lt Col Gordon Birdwood (ret), who died suddenly at home on 15 January 2017.

Gordon, great-nephew of Field Marshall Sir , commander of the ANZACs at Gallipoli, was a patron of London Legacy and a keen sup- porter of our charity work. He was a regular at- tendee at our Legacy Annual Receptions and the Legacy Anzac Ball. At the 2015 Anzac Ball he spoke eloquently and in depth about his great uncle.

Gordon’s record of military and civic service is im- pressive: his distinguished military career spanned 24 years, and culminated in his command of the Household Cavalry Regiment in London.

He was a member of The Royal Household from 1997, and the Senior Gentleman Usher to Her Majesty The Queen.

Gordon served as Deputy Chairman of The Royal A big crowd filled the Guards Chapel, Wellington Humane Society, a Commander in the Order of St Barracks to capacity for the Memorial Service to John and as a trustee of the Household Cavalry remember and honour the life of Gordon Birdwood In a departure from earlier editions, this book also Book Review includes profiles on former serving officers, who over the years have been responsible for the day to Before They Fade day care and welfare of veterans. In so doing, it provides a more complete picture of life at this his- Publisher: Royal Hospital Chelsea. 2016, paper- toric military establishment. back, 133 pages, illustrations. Price: £10.00. The fact that none of these soldiers’ stories appears This interesting little book, the fourth in a series of in official histories makes them all the more com- soldiers’ reminiscences by today’s “Scarlets”, is pelling. Collectively, they provide a colourful insight both entertaining, amusing and informative. The into the life of the British soldier, and the perpetua- proud military tradition of the Chelsea Pensioners tion of a proud military tradition. spans three centuries, dating from the foundation of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 1682 by King Charles These stories were at serious risk of being lost for- II. ever. Thank heavens joint collectors Robin Ollington and Martin Snow had the foresight to capture for Sir Christopher Wren was responsible for designing posterity these vital and human stories for the en- the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which he completed joyment of future readers. As such, they form an between 1682 and 1692, a period when Wren was archive as important as any formal military history. particularly active rebuilding London in the wake of “Before They Fade” is available at the Royal Hospi- the Great Fire of 1666. tal Chelsea online shop: https://royal-hospital- chelsea.myshopify.com/collections/books A curious remnant from that era is Royal Avenue, a bold project envisioned by Sir Christopher Wren to connect the Royal Hospital Chelsea with Kensing- ton Palace (whose extensions Wren also designed) However, Royal Avenue went no further than the short distance from the Hospital to the King’s Road. Royal Avenue remains part of the Royal Hospital Chelsea to this day.

In recent years London Legacy has forged close reciprocal links with the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Chelsea In-Pensioners, some with strong ties to Australia, are now regular and welcome attendees at our Annual Reception, Christmas Reception and Anzac Day services.

So this collection of soldiers’ stories (written in their own words) will be of particular interest to London Legacy and its supporters, both here and in Aus- tralia.

This latest edition focuses mainly on soldiers who served in post–1945 conflicts, including Korea, Northern Ireland, Europe, the Far East and North Africa. However, World War Two is not forgotten and the reflections of Peter Carrie, the Hospital’s most senior In-Pensioner at 102 years, makes for fascinating reading. 'Away from the Western Front' project Cavalry in occupation of Jenin in Palestine, during As the centenary of the First World War continues, the advance on Damascus (Imperial War Museum) a new project is looking at what happened away from the Western Front. Centred in the UK, the 'Away from the Western Front' builds on the project brings together communities interested in successful ‘Gallipoli Centenary Education Project’1 engaging with the heritage of this often overlooked (2014-16); in many cases the troops which fought in aspect of the First World War. the were redeployed in new theatres in the Middle East.

The stories will not only link to British military histories, but also to those of its former colonies and dominions, and to the diverse ethnic communities now living in the UK, especially from India and Pakistan.

We will also engage with communities from countries formerly within such as Turkey, Armenia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria.

The stories will make extensive use of commissioned creative outputs including film, visual art, drama and music. 5th Australian Light Horse crossing the pontoon bridge at Ghoraniyeh Briidgehead in Palestine The regional projects are taking place all over (Imperial War Museum) Britain: • In Preston, schools will work with the Lan- It uses the stories of individual men and women to cashire Infantry Museum to explore the local highlight campaigns in areas such as Salonika and links to the Mesopotamian Campaign; the Balkans, the Middle East regions including • In Islington, the war diaries of the Finsbury Mesopotamia, Egypt and Palestine, Italy and Africa. Rifles will provide young people with a start- ing point to study the Palestine Campaign; Besides commemorating the soldiers, the project • Also in London, the Iranian Association is will consider the legacy of these important finding out how Iran was affected by the war. campaigns and how they have affected subsequent world history.

1 https://gallipoli100education.org.uk/ The project is being managed by the new 'Away from the Western Front' charitable trust set up for the purpose and has achieved funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, along with small grants from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and the Centre for Hidden Histories in Nottingham. The trust has established an expert panel to provide advice on historical and military issues.

We would be delighted to hear from any ANZAC historians and researchers about any of these cam- paigns. Please contact Robin Clutterbuck, National Coordinator, [email protected]. Follow the project on Twitter @aftwf1418 • Australian Light Horse at Damascus, 4 Oc- Website: www.awayfromthewesternfront.org tober 1918 (James McBey—Imperial War Museum)

• In Devon, two projects will explore the sto- ries of local men who left their homes to fight in Greece and Palestine; • In Hampshire, the extraordinary Sandham Memorial Chapel is providing the focus for local people to study the Salonika Cam- paign; • In Chichester, students will research the sto- ries of horses sent out to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East; • As part of a broader theme, a project will look at the issue of health – such a major factor in these campaigns – including the campaigns in East Africa, Salonika and Mesopotamia.

As the history relates to a wide geographical area A Birthday visit to Sutton there will be an international and trans-national di- mension to this project so that input can be received On the 13 April 2017 Legatee Simon Kleinig and his from historians in countries where the war took wife Denise paid a visit to Joan Spooner at her place, as well as those which sent troops to fight. home in Sutton, on the eve of her 95th birthday. Joan was presented with flowers and a birthday There will be a conference in late 2018 to explore cake to help celebrate the occasion.Joan served different perspectives of the campaigns which took her guests tea and jam scones, together with a se- place outside Western Europe. At the centre of the lection of sandwiches. A very pleasant couple of project is a website where information can be hours was then spent in Joan’s convivial and enter- shared and local projects presented to a national taining company. and international audience; this will also offer a long term digital archive. balloons and shaving cream), and while we were in town, we went to Aquatastic which was an inflatable obstacle course on the water, with giant slides.

In the evenings we had a few movie nights where we could watch the movie or just chill. We also had skit night and chaos night, which were so fun as it was supervisors against kids and we would have a water balloon and shaving cream fight.

I feel very honoured to be part of Legacy because I have done some amazing activities that normal kids wouldn’t get the chance to do, such as going on survival, and riding on the RHIBs.

I am so thankful for what Legacy has done for my 2017 Legacy Camp family and I and I am also very thankful for London Legacy for paying for me to fly out to Perth to attend by Megan Kaye these camps.

I was lucky enough to go to Legacy’s Perth Camp 2017 for my final time, and it was the best start to the New Year. I was able to reconnect with the friends I had made from the past two camps before and even going back to Australia was exciting too. All the friends we make through legacy are not just friends, they're family. That's what I love about lega- cy, the people you meet will be in your life forever.

For the first three days we went on survival. This time we had it at the start of camp, rather than the end, as it gave us chance to bond with each other and so when we were back at camp, we were all closer.

Survival is challenging but fun at the same time be- cause you are doing something that you wouldn’t usually do; for example, walking quite a few kilome- tres and camping under the stars in nothing but a [Editor: Megan is shown fourth from left (in blue) at sleeping bag. “Formal Night” in the image above. London Legacy is very grateful to Sydney Legacy for helping to We did so many fun activities at camp. One of my subsidise Megan Kaye’s return airfare to Western favourite activities that we did was riding on the Australia.] RHIBs [rigid-hulled inflatable boats], as they are re- ally fast and we got to have a go at driving them too, which was really fun.

We went into town so we could do a bit of shopping and get some things for chaos night (such as water Happy 100th Birthday! In February 1942, Rita succeeded in joining Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (where nurses were known as QA’s) and sailed for India, taking up a position running the Plastic Surgery Unit in Ranchi.

Rita’s husband-to-be, Don Ritchie, was also stationed at Ranchi, and they met here on New Year’s Eve 1944. When Don left Ranchi in early 1945 to serve elsewhere, they kept in contact.

The next time the pair were destined to meet was in 1946 when, having been demobbed and repatriated to Australia, Rita endured a 27-hour flight from Sin- gapore. Don and Rita were married in Sydney in June 1946.

[Editor: London Legacy offers Mrs Ritchie our very best wishes, albeit belatedly. Despite frequent re- quests, London Legacy still does not have a com- plete list of all our dependants' birthdays. If you would like us to send you a birthday card each year

London Legacy sends our warmest congratulations to Mrs Rita Ritchie, who celebrated her 100th birth- day on 27 October 2016. Mrs Ritchie received a card from Her Majesty The Queen, and a visit from her legatee Yvonne Smith earlier this year.

Rita, one of ten children, was born in the small town of Castletownbere at the south-western tip of Ireland in County Cork. we would be delighted to do so. To arrange, simply contact your legatee, or write to the President at the Moving to Britain in 1935, Rita trained as a nurse at address shown at the end of this newsletter.] St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth from 1935 to 1938, followed by a year at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. Rita returned to St Mary’s in Nine of our Legacy ladies will be celebrating their Portsmouth for six months and completed her birthday over the next three months. Our congratu- midwifery training in September 1940. lations and warmest wishes to you all:

From October 1940, Rita worked at the Queen Vic- Joan Spooner, Linda Kaye, Patricia Semmens, toria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, working with Dr McIndoe in the recently- created Catherine Constant, Pat Campbell, June White, Maxillo Facial Unit intreating badly burned airmen. Ivy Leitch, Isobel Tripney and Catherine Blow sandals she walked through the kitchen into the Alter Ego hall. She was surprised to see the bedroom light on. Casually she looked in and saw Tom. by Billie Martin She blinked in disbelief and looked again. He was sitting wearing her new summer shortie nightie with (This is a true story. Only the names have been matching panties! Incongruously perched over one changed.) eye was a concoction of feathers and diamantés! It looked for all the world like a baby bird about to take “I’m glad I’ve bumped into you”, said Louise to Jen- flight. ny. “It’s been such a wonderful day. How about a bike ride this evening? Up Chalkhill Lane?”. “You’re early” he said, his eyes not meeting hers. Silently she turned her attention to Danny. He too, “Lovely idea, we haven’t done that for ages. See was dressed in feminine clothing — hers! His you at six?”. clothes were folded neatly, lying on a chair by the The early summer evening was warm, and smelling window. He was wearing her new evening gown, of wildflowers. bought especially for an upcoming Charity Ball. Louise had never worn it. Slinky scarlet satin em- Primroses, violets, celandines and the odd early braced his male body. bluebell filled the narrow twisting lane with fra- grance and colour. The two friends rode, side by To say it was a neat fit was an understatement. His side. Pedalling at walking pace, Gossiping and re- face was even more red than the attire. Louise was laxed. filled with both disgust and fury as she ran from the room. Falling onto the spare bed in the guest room, “Tom has Danny coming tonight, to work out can- she laughed and cried hysterically. vassing strategy. I’m better out of the way when those two get together”. Louise smiled to herself as The following morning, after a sleepless night, she she thought how lucky she had been by marrying rang Jenny. “Can you meet for lunch, somewhere Tom. She loved him with a passion just as strong quiet?”. “I have need of a friendly ear”. “Sure, I’m on now as when they had first met over 40 years ago. flexitime”, replied her friend. “See you in ‘The Bolt They were the perfect couple; a role model of mar- Hole’ at noon”. ried bliss much envied by their friends. Over a pub lunch , Louise, in a flat monotone, re- The evening sun was sinking. It was still very hot on counted the event of the evening before. Jenny, tac- their backs as they cycled on. The hedgerows were iturn by nature, simply stared at her friend. She alive with blackbirds and thrushes, vying for juicy could offer no words of comfort. worms to feed their young. A blissful scene. However, as Louise described Danny “wearing” her “Shall we stop at ‘The Fox?’, asked Jenny. “iI could new ball gown, there was a hint of a smile at the murder a lemonade shandy”. “Let’s press on to ‘The corner of her mouth. Pig in a Poke’. It’s only 15 minutes further on. The The matter of Tom being a cross dresser was never night scented stock in their garden always smells so mentioned again by either him or Louise. Their daily heavenly”. routine continued and life proceeded as normal, ex- During this exchange they had not noticed the cept for the absence of Danny, who no longer storm clouds racing in from the west. A sudden del- joined Tom to “discuss strategy”. uge of hail stones as big as garden peas, accom- Several months later the local community were panied by a biting wind, assailed them. They were shocked and saddened to read the headline in their soaked through in seconds. Turning their bikes in weekly paper: unison, they pedalled off speedily in the direction of home. SUDDEN DEATH OF A LOCAL DIGNITARY Louise put her bike in the shed and entered the house by the back door. Slipping off her soaking The death had been announced of Major Thomas is paid. Some circumstances where you should noti- Swann R.E.M.E. (Retired). Major Swann was well- fy DVA are: known for his work in architecture. 1. You sell or rent your home for more than 12 He was currently heading up a team to reconstruct months or transfer the title of your home to some- buildings demolished during the London blitz. one else. You are receiving rent assistance and you Locally, as constituency chairman, he was totally stop paying private rent, start paying government- involved in all aspects of political life, both at na- subsidised rent, sublet from a government tenant or tional and grass roots level. He is survived by his rent reduces. wife, Louise, and their daughter, Anna. 2. You move to a retirement village, move within Louise, loyal to the end, said to Jenny at the funeral your retirement village, or into respite care, residen- “Now I realise it was the onset of the cancer that tial aged care or another situation. made him behave in such a way. He wasn’t in his real frame of mind”. “Possibly not”, thought Jenny. 3. You gain or dispose of any income and assets. “But what's Danny’s excuse?”. 4. You deprive yourself of income or assets.

5. You gift any money or assets.

6. You start working for yourself or for someone else.

7. Your current earnings increase.

8. You receive an amount of money or income from an estate.

9. You receive income from a partnership or sole trader enterprises. Your receive income from a farm or property.

10. You change your involvement with a company Bille Martin with Denise Kleinig or trust.

11. You receive income from boarders or lodgers. Your Obligation to Notify DVA Example 1: Mrs M was a war widow and was in the past, financially secure with investments and shares etc, but of late her funds have depleted and she has It is very important that all dependants let DVA know had to sell some of her shares and take out money if they sell something of major importance, such as from her investments to live. shares, a car, change bank accounts, close or open bank accounts or even give away more than Before this she was over the Income and Assets $10,000 a year, or more than $30,000 in five years. Test threshold and she received no income support Also, if you receive a significant payment. from DVA. After the sale of her share and some in- vestments Mrs M should then notify DVA because If you are receiving an aged or War Widow’s pen- she may be entitled to a part Income Support Sup- sion through DVA you are obliged to provide infor- plement as well as her War Widows pension.Exam- mation about any changes that could affect either ple 2: Mrs J is on an aged pension and she receives your eligibility for the pension or the rate at which it her pension from DVA. She has received an inheri- tance which would put her over the Income and As- sets Test threshold. Mrs J should then inform DVA of her improved financial situation

If she does not she may have to pay back some of her aged pension payments as she would not have been eligible for the full aged pension.

This and further information is available from the DVA website: https://www.dva.gov.au

[article courtesy Wimmera Legacy] a distance of some 26 miles. Håkan describes in his own words how his race went:

“I tried to find a comfortable pace that I thought I would be able to keep throughout the whole race. It's very easy to start too quickly when the adren- aline is rushing, but if you do, there is always a risk of not being able to finish.

The race went very well and the crowds of London carried me forward. I felt at ease and was running with a smile. Everything felt fantastic, but with 6 km to go my legs starting hurting and I was low on energy. I wanted nothing more than to stop and start walking, but I knew I had to push on to be able to finish the race in a time I would be happy with.

The last 6 km were much more difficult than the first 36.2 km, but luckily the amazing support that we all received from the crowd helped me get past the fin- ish line. I somehow even managed to finish off by doing a big sprint on The Mall!”.

2017 London Marathon

On Sunday, 23 April 2017, London Legacy spon- sored a runner, Håkan Jönsson, in this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon. This prestigious event was run on a course around the River Thames, tioned area. The sense of being part of a special ANZAC DAY reverential commemoration was palpable.

in Britain and Europe A group of legatees from London Legacy attended, and later adjourned for breakfast at the adjacent Big Turnout for Intercontintental Hotel to get the chill out of their Anzac Day in London bones, before moving on to the Parade at the Ceno- taph in Whitehall. This year HM The Queen was represented by HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York. The traditional Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner saw one of the biggest attendances in recent years. The traditional Anzac Day commemorative service This year's Dawn Service was held in painfully cold, at Westminster Abbey saw this historic London biting conditions — the chilliest in years — with landmarked filled to capacity. temperatures plummeting to two degrees.

Marius Barnsley joins legatees Yvonne Smith, Simon Kleinig and Phillipa Keys at the Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner

Despite the cold, long queues of mainly younger people waited patiently for admittance through Wellington Arch to participate in the memorial ser- Anzac Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall vice at 5am. For some, the day was capped by the Anzac Day Many people were unable to pass through the Defence Reception at Australia House, a well-at- heightened security in time, but were still quite con- tended event hosted jointly by the Heads of De- tent to witness the service from outside the parti- fence for Australia and New Zealand. This year the morning was very cold and, as dawn drew nearer, a few spots of rain fell. Fortunately, this didn’t last long and the service progressed in dry weather. A hot cup of coffee provided by the Villers- Bretonneux community was very welcome at the conclusion of the service. BULLECOURT The Anzac day programme continued in the after- noon of the 25th of April with a French service held in the town of Bullecourt. This year, was the centenary of the two battles of Bullecourt, April and May 1917. After the town ser- vice, an Australian service was held at the “Digger Memorial” on the outskirts of Bullecourt. We went to the service at the Digger Memorial in the afternoon, where we met legatee John Bugge representing Geelong Legacy who also laid a Lega- Vicki Genrich lays a Legacy wreath at this year’s cy wreath. Anzac Day Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux in France

Anzac Day in France

[Editor: Vicki Genrich is a former legatee Vice-Pres- ident and Treasurer of London Legacy who, togeth- er with husband Andrew, dutifully travel to France each Anzac Day to lay a Legacy wreath. We are pleased to publish Vicki’s report from this year’s An- zac Day ceremonies at Villers-Bretonneux and Bul- lecourt.]

VILLERS-BRETONNUEX

A large crowd of around 2,000 people attended the Dawn Service at the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France this year. Around the walls of the memorial are the names of approximately 11,000 Australians missing in action in France. Andrew and I have been attending the Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux since it began in 2008. Each year, I lay a wreath on behalf of Lon- don Legacy, along with many other attendees who lay wreaths for family members and commemora- tive organisations. At the Digger Memorial near Bullecourt Anzac Day in Scotland A delightful part of the ceremony took place when [Editor: This year’s Anzac Day report from Scotland four small children from Awapuni School in the was kindly sent to us by one of our Legacy ladies, North Island of New Zealand laid Remembrance Mrs Billie Martin, who lives in the small town of Lu- crosses on the graves of four fallen New Zealan- nanhead, near Forfar in the constituency of Angus. ders. Lunanhead lies about 15 miles north of Dundee.] We were lucky enough to be introduced to Com- mander Doherty RAN representing the Australian Defence Force. It was a great pleasure to have a chat with him. He was a typical Australian, a very charming man and easy to talk to.

The Legion Scotland deserves accolades for their hospitality, organisation and warm welcome. My final word must go to thank my friend Angus, who helped me to join in the wreath laying ceremo- ny. It was great to see my legatee Sian lay the Legacy wreath. I hope that we can repeat the plea- sure next year. “

A Visit to Portsmouth

ARBROATH

“The weather was perfect for our second trip to the annual event organised by the New Zealand Soci- ety Scotland and Legion Scotland, Arbroath Branch.

Sian, Alice and I arrived in good time at the Great Western Cemetery to join with the large crowds of people from all around the globe.

There were young and old military and civilians join- ing together in one cause — to honour and pay homage to the the ANZACS. And all the young men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their countries in a century of conflicts. Linda Kaye and her daughter Megan are Legacy It was especially poignant for all the New Zealan- dependants who live at Portsmouth. Linda is a keen ders present as during the Second World War supporter of London Legacy and regularly attends four young Kiwis, all members of the New Zealand our events. Fleet Air Arm, died during different accidents in Scottish skies. Megan attended the Legacy Camp in Bussleton earlier this year (see article “2017 Legacy Camp” in London Big Day Out this issue). Linda’s son Tom, studies in Melbourne and is a junior legatee with Melbourne Legacy. This year London Legacy set up a promotional stand at this all-day event held on Saturday, 13 May Legatee Simon Kleinig and his wife Denise visited 2017. London Big Day Out is a celebration of all Linda and Megan on Friday, 5 May 2017, and were things Australian and New Zealand, and includes warmly received at their home in Gosport. Megan sports, entertainment, beer, wine and good food. and Linda spoke of their past and future travel plans. Megan spoke about this year’s Legacy Camp Legatees Peter McLady and Yvonne Smith were in WA and discussed her present studies. Linda joined by two of our regular Chelsea Pensioners, spoiled her guests with coffee and delicious home- Dave Thompson and Arthur “Skippy” Teasdale. made Victoria sponge. Thousands attended this special occasion, which gave London Legacy the opportunity to meet and Linda regularly attends Legacy events in London, greet people from all walks of life and to raise funds. and Megan when her studies permit. Linda not only attends but also assists with set-up and catering for London Legacy sold pins and raffle tickets, the pro- our Legacy Annual Reception and our Christmas ceeds of which will help us to continue to support Reception. our dependants. It also helped raise awareness of London Legacy to a wider audience.

Chelsea Pensioners Dave Thompson and Arthur “Skippy” Teasdale, with legatee Yvonne Smith at the Legacy Stand at “London Big Day Out” Megan and Linda Kaye with legatee Simon Kleinig

London Legacy Newsletter is published quarterly in March, June, September and De- cember. Editor: Simon Kleinig; design and layout: Mark Daley. Contributions are always welcome. Please contact the editor by letter: 9 Castle Cir- cus Court, Ash Hill Rd, Torquay, Devon TQ1 3JA, or by email: [email protected] .