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

COUNTY WELFARE FUND COUNTY CHAIRMAN GROUP & BRANCH DONATIONS & VICE-CHAIRMAN 1 JULY 2014 TO 30 JUNE 2015

HORNCHURCH BRANCH £ 1000 Both the County Chairman (Melvin Swann), BRANCH £ 1000 BRANCH £ 360 and the County Vice-Chairman (Roger CLACTON ON SEA BRANCH £ 50 TAKELEY BRANCH £ 500 Burgess OBE) complete their three year BRANCH £ 860 BRANCH £ 1500 tenures immediately following the annual HOCKLEY BRANCH £ 250 WEELEY & Lt CLACTON BRANCH £ 50 Meeting of the County Conference on 16th BRENTWOOD BRANCH £ 250 ROWHEDGE BRANCH £ 2000 January 2016. Colonel Roger Burgess OBE DANBURY BRANCH £25000 has confirmed his intention to seek GREAT WALTHAM BRANCH £ 250 BRENTWOOD BRANCH £ 50 nomination for the post of County BROOMFIELD BRANCH £ 500 GREAT BADDOW BRANCH £ 115 Chairman. BRANCH £ 3730 WICKHAM BISHOPS BRANCH £ 38 TAKELEY BRANCH £ 500 CLAVERING BRANCH £ 1750 The Membership Handbook directs that: BRANCH £ 1200 HEDINGHAMS BRANCH £ 1000 “Each branch may, in the year in which its BRANCH £ 746 DANBURY BRANCH £ 50 County is due to elect a County Chairman or SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS BRANCH £ 400 UPMINSTER & CRANHAM BRANCH £ 2000 Vice-Chairman, nominate one person who is DEBDEN BRANCH £ 150 a current Member or Life Member of a TOTAL RECEIVED FROM BRANCHES THIS branch within the County for election as a FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE: County Chairman or Vice-Chairman". £45299

TOTAL RECEIVED FROM OTHER SOURCES Formal nomination forms will be sent to THIS FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE: branches by 1st July 2015. In the meantime £15460 any Member or Life Member wishing to seek COMBINED TOTAL TO DATE: nomination for either of these positions £60759 should inform their branch secretary so that their name may be put before a Branch WELFARE EXPENDITURE General Meeting at the appropriate time. £43463

BRANCH FUND INITIATIVE 1.9851% PAGE 1 ESSEX COUNTY OFFICE

CEREMONIAL HANDBOOK BRANCH CHAIRMEN AND 2015 EDITION SECRETARIES SEMINAR BRANCH – 20 JUNE 2015 Following a period of review the Ceremonial Working Group is happy to announce the publication of the new At the County Board of Management Ceremonial Handbook. Meeting held on Tuesday 26 May 2015 This Ceremonial Handbook is intended to provide it was decided to incorporate the Counties/Districts, branches and the general public with Group Chairman and Secretaries into guidance and policy on all aspects of Legion Ceremonial the above seminar. activity. Would all eligible Branches and As part of the review, the document has been divided into two sections: Groups please confirm to the County MSO their intention to attend, or not, Section A provides guidelines on key internal as soon as possible. Also, for those events such as Standard Bearer competitions attending, please indicate if they are and policies on Legion ceremonial dress. staying for the Buffet. Section B provides guidelines on the format of public events as well as making It is important that the numbers recommendations for how such events can be attending (or not) are known as soon organised. This section will soon be accessible to the general public through the Legion’s as possible in order that website. administration procedures can be finalised – how much buffet to order is The full version of the Ceremonial Handbook is available a prime issue!! to Counties/Districts and branches in the Membership Policy Documents Area. Log in details can be provided by your Membership Support Officer.

COUNTY PRESIDENT COUNTY TREASURER

Following the election of our President, Major D The County Treasurer, Bryan Emery MBE is to stand Swann TD to the Membership Council, which down as County Treasurer on 30 June 2015. The post carries the obligation to resign from all County will be assumed by the Deputy County Treasurer, Offices, Brigadier Malcolm Ratcliffe DL has been Dudley Naslund on 1 July 2015. Contact details are in appointed County President until the next the Essex Official Handbook for 2015. Bryan Emery will continue to edit the County Newsletter and carry County Conference in 2016 out a limited number of Independent Examinations.

THE NEWSLETTER Is edited by the 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 VE DAY

HARWICH branch held a wonderful VE Day party and really got into the spirit of a ‘Kiss for VE Day’, a national initiative The village of Finchingfield led by the Legion branch held a launched by the Legion for VE Day celebrations. Everyone service at their war memorial. 109 people attended the enjoyed the party and got into the swing of things in fancy service and children from Finchingfield Primary school dress. There was plenty of singing to old time favourites joined the villagers for the service and were encouraged to and lots of cakes and tea. celebrate afterwards. There was a lot of vigorous flag waving… Christopher Green, Finchingfields PAO supplied the photo.

HARLOW BRANCH LIGHTING THEIR BEACON

PAGE 3 VE DAY CONTINUED RAYLEIGH

Held 2 VE Day parties, one for local school children from Glebe school and Grove Wood School. The children had a wonderful time and were entertained by Mr Sausage.

They also held a party for the grown ups and Toaster Master Brian Stanbridge kept the party to order and everyone had a marvellous time.

Gladys Crudgington and her team did a superb job with the catering for both parties. Everyone always enjoys the food that Gladys prepares ( all Legion members)

People that helped or contributed to the proceedings

Brian Stanbridge, Toast Master. Janet Butler, Glady’s Crudgington,Catering Jeannie Stanbridge, Pat Topley, Jeannie Rudd, Mick Rudd, Jackie Sanquin, Terry Gray, Glyn Daniels., Jan Daniels, Sue Harris, David Buckle, Ron Mowbray, Michael Stanbridge, Elizabeth Hunt, Steve Sherwood. Stephen Cowland (Branch Chairman) All these either helped with preparations before, on both or one of the TOASTMASTER – BRIAN STANBRIDGE two party days.

“GROWN UPS” “GROWING UPS”

EPPING BRANCH TOLLESBURY BRANCH 1940’s VE DAY PARTY 1940’s EVENING AND FAMILY FUN DAY

PAGE 4 EVEN MORE NEWS & EVENTS!

FROM THE BRANCH MAYOR OF CHELMSFORD CHAIRMAN CHARITY PRESENTATION TO DEBDEN BRANCH THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION The last edition of the Newsletter carried a report on the belated award of Poppy Appeal Certificates of The presentation made in the Mayor's Parlour Appreciation for three Collectors in the Debden on Tuesday May 19th 2015 followed a year of Branch who had transferred from . TRBL being the Mayor's Charity. The special presentation cheque for £33k will be adjusted to The Chairman of Debden Branch, Roger Burgess, wishes allow for some monies already received and to apologise to the PAO Thaxted Branch, Bryan Malyon, others still to come. Missing from the for any inference that it was his failure to recognise the presentation were the RBL Community efforts of these collectors earlier. Bryan only took over the Fundraiser, Tracey Hall and Chairman of role of PAO at Thaxted Branch just over 18 months ago Chelmsford RBL Branch Harry Hudson, both of and cannot therefore be held responsible for any previous whom had made significant contributions to the omission in recognising the efforts of these collectors. success of the appeal but were prevented from attending due to being unwell at the time. Signed: Roger Burgess

From left to right: John Pontin Deputy Mayor's escort, Deputy Mayor Sandra Pontin Mayoress, Mayor Cllr Bob Villa, RBL County Chairman – Melvin Swann and RBL County President Major David Swann TD

ROGER BURGESS AND BRYAN MALYON BURY THE HATCHET

PAGE 5 B GROUP SUMMER LUNCH

Members of B Group and their guests sat down to a LEIGH ON SEA BRANCH splendid Summer Lunch at the Moot House at Castle Hedingham on 28 May. Judging by the chatter and general hilarity a good time was had by all. At a Branch Meeting on 21st May, following our official business, we enjoyed a Fish & Chip Supper to The one person missing from the line-up was George celebrate VE Day. One photograph shows our Cordeiro of Branch who was behind the Members celebrating with two of our veterans camera. Several of our ‘regulars’ were missing due to ill Charles Benford and Eileen Hughes. health and we wish them a speedy recovery.

The lower photograph shows Charles Benford, 95 years young with some of his medals. Charles has just returned from a trip to Arnhem with 160 other veterans who travelled from the UK in 80 London Taxi Cabs in a journey arranged by The London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled, also known as the Taxi Charity.

COGGESHALL BRANCH OBITUARY HARRY HOWELL 1923 – 2015 On 29th May Coggeshall Branch bade farewell to our comrade Harry Howell at Three Counties Crematorium, Braintree. Harry was born in London and when World War Two came he joined the Navy, serving with convoys in the North Atlantic. After the war he married and had several occupations, the last of which was as a taxi driver which he gave up at the age of 72. He and his wife settled in Homeweave House, Coggeshall, and Harry was a very keen bowls player. He was widowed but found happiness a second time when he married Edna, a widowed lady who also lived in the same retirement complex. The service was attended by many of Harry’s neighbours, bowling friends and members of Coggeshall Royal British Legion, his coffin being escorted in by the Coggeshall Branch standard. The service consisted of a reading and pieces of music, and the final farewell reflected his lifelong support of West Ham United Football Club Photographs by courtesy of “Leigh Times in the form of their theme song, I’m forever blowing bubbles, sung by the West Ham Squad (and quite a few of his assembled friends) and with showers of bubbles blowing across his coffin.

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