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Royal Air Force Regiment Association Birmingham Branch ROYAL AIR FORCE REGIMENT ASSOCIATION www.rafregt.org.uk BIRMINGHAM BRANCH IMPORTANT NOTICE THE GOOD NEWS Page 2 The Good News My Retirement as Branch Sec Page 2 – The bad News Branch Subs Page 2 Our Thanks for all the Christmas Cards Page 2 ’ THE BAD NEWS Page 2 Kipling s Poetry Page 2 “ ” A Poem Prelude Page 2 – GOODIES FOR OUR Branch Appeal Goodies for Our Injured Boys Page 3 Branch Birthdays Page 3 – INJURED BOYS Page 3 New Member Ian Hart of Wolverhampton Page 3 News of the RAF Regiment Page 3 NEWS OF THE RAF Cheers as Squadron Returns Home in the EAT Page 3 And in the Bury Free Press Page 3 REGIMENT Page 3 And in the BBC News, Suffolk Page 4 Hero Who Defused Twelve Bombs in One Day Page 4 NATIONAL MEMORIAL National Memorial Arboretum Update Page 5 WAAF Memorial is Fitting Tribute Page 5 ARBORETUM UPDATE DLI Regimental Memorial Image Revealed Page 5 Page 5 Future Events at the NMA Page 6 RAF Regiment Books Page 6 FROM THE RAF REG.T Books about the RAF Regiment Page 6 Books Containing References to RAF Regiment Page 7 SECRETARY Page 8 From the RAF Regiment Secretary Page 8 Death Notices Page 8 Richard Evans Page 8 Maurice Daley Page 8 Peter Gray Page 8 Jerry Goulding Page 8 Keith Jackson Page 9 Randle Manwaring Page 9 Jack Moffat Page 9 John Simpson Page 9 William Stone Page 9 New Notices Page 10 ’ New Year s Honours List Page 10 Corps Diary Dates Page 11 The Best Fighters in the RAF Politicians Page 11 Dates for Your Diary Page 10 Operate on the Ground Birmingham Branch Committee Page 10 The Royal Air Force Regiment. Ground-based specialists, NEWSLETTER NO: 259 protecting RAF assets from enemy attack. JANUAR Y 2011 2 THE BIRMINGHAM BRANCH NEWSLETTER NUMBER 259 JANUARY 2011 Dear Readers. a donation to Branch funds when you pay up your Committee would be extremely grateful. The Good News - My Retirement £5.00 for twelve newsletter Now s every as Your Secretary ’t you think? So This was going to be my penultimate year is quite a good bargain don ’s newsletter w if you can, please help to swell our Branch funds. newsletter as January as going to be – my last, but after founding the Birmingham And also please remember to pay for in order to Branch and then spending 23 years of my life reduce my workload, there will only be reminders dedicated to it, and when after going right down in the February, March and April newsletters, to the wire and when no one would take on all my after that non-payers will not be reminded again responsibilities as your Branch Secretary, I just and will be removed from the Branch Roll. could not let it all go down the pan. Our Thanks for all the Christmas Cards I was also influenced by all the letters and I say the same thing every year but it is telephone calls from branch members that I have sincerely meant. Valerie and I would like to received either asking me to continue in the job or thank all those members and friends who sent Christmas cards to us, wishing all our members thanking me for all the work that I have put in ’m over the years. I cannot mention all of them for and us well for Christmas and the New Year. I they would take up the greater part of this always amazed and touched with all the cards that newsletter but I give my particular thanks to the we have received. Not only from our relations and following. ‘civilian’ friends but also from members and The Past Chairman Steven Brereton our Martin and Birmingham Branch members Chris from good friends of the Birmingham Branch, Baxter, Keith Bryers, John Casley, Hughie sending good wishes to Valerie and I and to all Cooper, Bernard Harris, Terry Moyle, Cyril members of the Branch, not only for Christmas Richards and Colin Smith. Your letters and but for the New Year too, my thanks to all of you comments were particularly heart warming and and a very h’aspp Py Noeewt rYyea.r to all of you too. greatly influenced my decision to stay on. The Kipling others will know who I am referring to and I You all know that I am a great fan of ’s prose and verse for I have thank you all for your kind comments. Rudyard Kipling There was also the following factor that published his works many, many times and I was influenced me, for after discussing the situation going to include the following poem in my last with our Branch President Dave Gooding, he newsletter as I think it would have been most agreed that if I would continue to produce the appropriate. As I like it here it is for you. Branch newsletters, he would relieve me of part of “Prelude” my workload and would take on the job of circulating them. So after all the heart searching, I have eaten your bread and salt. I am going to continue as your Branch Secretary. I have drunk your water and wine. – In deaths ye died I have watched beside, The Bad News Branch Subs ’s time again for you to put your And the lives ye led were mine. Yes it hands in your pockets and to pay your Was there aught that I did not share subscriptions to the Branch and to the In vigil or toil or ease, -- Association, it remains the same again and that is One joy or woe that I did not know, £10.00 for Association and £5. 00 for your Branch Dear hearts across the seas? £15.00 in total Subscription . Branch funds really – need an injection of cash so if any of you as I have written the tale of our life – many of our members already do could include For a sheltered people's mirth, In jesting guise -- but ye are wise, And ye know what the jest is worth. 3 NEWS OF THE RAF REGIMENT About 200 personnel from 6 Force Goodies for our Injured Boys Protection Wing HQ and 58 Squadron - the new In the same way, it is most important that RAF Regiment squadron based at RAF Leuchars we remember the dangers that our young men and in Fife - plus reservists from 603 (City of women serving on operations are all facing, so Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF will deploy in please remember the appeal your Branch April for a six-month period and will be Committee have set up so please send any responsible for the security of one of the main donations you may wish to make, to the Branch NATO air bases in Afghanistan. A MoD Treasurer Tom Magee and he will pass them on to spokeswoman said: the right place. With your help, we can continue "Scottish soldiers and Scots-based troops to provide these small comforts and any other are once again getting ready to make a vital items that members of the military staff ask us for. contribution to NATO operations in Afghanistan We can never get enough goodies for the next year. All the units are already busy training lads, so in the mean time, your continued support to ensure they are able to face the challenges is appreciated. If any of you would like to ahead. Our troops receive excellent support from contribute items or cash directly for this appeal, their families and local communities, for which you must contact Major Ian Cheesman, Officer they are most grateful. That encouragement boosts I/C Patient Support Services, or post them to him morale and gives them great strength when they at RCDM, Selly Oak Hospital, Raddlebarn Road, are far from home." Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6JD. If cash, please – Cheers as squadron returns home make your cheques out to RCDM Patient By Jo Thewlis in the East Anglian Daily Times Welfare Fund. on Saturday, 15 January, 2011 BRANCH BIRTHDAYS Cheering crowds lined the streets to give A very Happy Birthday to the following gunners from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment a ’ welcome to their home town. Birmingham Branch members whose birthdays heroes Union flags are this month, may you all have many more. were waved high as the RAF Honington-based 3rd Jan Robert Shepherd Ballymena Cty Anrtim regiment took part in a homecoming parade in 4th January Robert Watkins Nuneaton Wwicks Bury St Edmunds today after a six-month tour of 5th January Samuel Hadley Dudley West Mids Afghanistan. Mary Jones, 76, joined hundreds of 6th Jan Godfrey Coates Birmingham West Mids supporters on Angel Hill to show her support for th 9 January John Lawton Stoke on Trent Staffs the returning troop and said: th “The boys ha 14 January Chris Baxter Daventry Northants ve been out there working th ’s 14 January SamuelOwen Crewe Cheshire hard. It wonderful to think people turn out to 24th January James Bayliss Colehill West Mids welcome them home. I am sure it gives them a th ” 25 January Stephen Rowlands Tamworth Staffs boost to know people are supporting them. 28th Jan Thomas Swann Stanford Le Hope Essex The Central Band of the Royal Air Force NEW MEMBER marched ahead of the squadron as they paraded We welcome Ian Hart of Coven, through the newly-opened Abbey Gate. Group Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Ian enlisted on Captain Andy Hall, Station Commander at RAF 22nd June 1962 and after his Basic Training and Honington, took the salute from the Gunners on RAF Regiment Training, was posted to 1 Field Angel Hill with Ian Houlder, mayor of St Squadron at RAF Butterworth, Malaya.
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