Members’ Magazine ‘Pot Mess’ - Winter 2013. Edition No.58 Cover page:- Upper photo, courtesy of the Guardian Newspaper, highlights the front rank of the HMS St Vincent Division as they pass the Royal Navy Guard of Honour during their march down Whitehall towards the Cenotaph, on Remembrance Day, 10th November 2013. Lower photo, photo courtesy of Andy Poulton (the ugly feller 3rd from the left), shows the St. Vincent Boys at the Bristol Festival of Remembrance, 3rd November 2013, with their various mistresses looking on (in their dreams, it was a Military Choir!) also featured are Mick O‟Keefe, Tony Dewhirst, Ray Churcher, Vincent House, Peter Shore, Pete Webb, Chris Hukins and Bill Drake. “Good Job” Fellers, Cheers. Chairman’s Chapter Kenneth Cast (Duncan 540, 11/62) Dear St. Vincent’s, It’s good to be able to sit and write to you all once more after, what has been a very busy year. (I think your Standard Bearer, Mick O’Keefe must be fast becoming one of the most widely travelled ‘flag wavers’ in the country!!) I would like to commence on a ‘high’ by informing you that Commodore Michael Mansergh CBE RN has agreed to continue as our Association’s President post his retirement from the RN in November. I know that you will be pleased by this news as you were all keen for me to ask the question at the AGM when this item was discussed. On behalf of the Association I will be proud to forward our thanks to the President for agreeing to remain with us. Having informed you in the last magazine that we were grateful to Jonathan Gibson for taking the over the Treasurer's role from Tony Dewhirst, Jonathan has now doubled his work load by stepping into the breach when our Membership Secretary, Joe Cornish, had to relinquish the post due to ill health. Thank you Jonathan, needless to say we are absolutely delighted to welcome you into this additional role. Our thanks also to Joe for his long service, and for helping to progress the Association on an efficient path. Our thoughts & prayers are with him. It was good to see so many of you at the AGM, which was lively and pleasing in that you were all participating in the various agenda items. Almoners. This point was a little hurried but one and we will be finalising at the next Committee meeting. The Association Padre Phil Hiscock will be relaying how we can work more efficiently and in some cases more ably with Member’s families should they require assistance of any kind as opposed to just post bereavement. The outcome of this new move will be outlined in the Spring Magazine. AGM minutes: Normally AGM minutes are only available on our website to which some members have no access. Having reflected on this with our Magazine Editor Darby Allen, we had an idea to reduce the font size of the minutes which will reduce the number of pages. Hopefully we can then add this to the mailing with the Christmas Magazine with no additional cost implications except that of the printing. If this works then we can ensure that every member receives a hard copy. I would also like to mention the kind donation made to the museum by Mrs. Brenda Rendell, which she presented to the Association at the AGM. Brenda’s husband LREM Richard Rendell crossed the bar last year and she thought the museum would be the best place to leave Richard’s memorabilia. It is the most complete set of memorabilia we have for one person, from arrival at St. Vincent to virtually the time he left the Service. Richard’s extended family was also at the Reunion dinner and the Association was presented with an elegant engraved glass beer tankard. This was auctioned off with the highest bidder being Bobby Potts. The Reunion dinner went well at the Royal Beech Hotel and everyone enjoyed themselves. Reverend Colin Noyce once again gave us an amusing grace, as would now appear to be the ‘tradition’ for this dinner! Thank you Colin. The dinner itself I thought excellent with first class organisation by IOW Tours with ‘Soapy’ Watson masterminding it. The raffle raised £523 and we thank Cathy O’Keefe for her hard work for such a successful outcome. There were also ‘games’ as well as dancing & entertainment. The church service at St. Ann’s on Sunday morning, taken by Colin Noyce was well attended. I was unable to be with you at the service this year but I thank all those of you who attended. Well done. National Services of Remembrance - We had a good turn-out of Members at both the Bristol and National Services of Remembrance. Andy Poulton organises the Bristol attendance and ‘Soapy’ Watson organised the National Service at the Cenotaph in London. We had 23 of us in London this year and again the wearing of our white caps gave us a proud and uniquely identity. Again my sincere thanks to ‘Soapy’ Watson who stepped into the breach and organised both the AGM/Reunion Dinner and the Cenotaph. Thanks Soapy and well done. Well done to all who participated to make this busy year successful. Also my sincere thanks to your Committee who have again given of their time to keep our Association shipshape and Bristol fashion. They deserve your thanks too for a job well done. On our behalf, may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Take care. Kenneth Cast, Chairman. Hello shipmates, I attended the last Committee meeting in August in my capacity as the new Treasurer, having responded to the most efficient Tony Dewhirst‟s long term plea for a relief. Little did I realise that just a few weeks later I would also hear myself volunteering to take over the reins as the Membership Secretary! Joe Cornish, who has served the Association so well, found himself having to relinquish the role because of health problems and as, by then, I had realised that there was a fairly close link between the two tasks, I leapt in with both feet. Once I have got these feet firmly under both desks I hope to be able to serve the Association with the same calm efficiency as my predecessors. One special plea that I would like to make is that it would make my life a lot easier if every one of our members paid their subscriptions by standing order rather than by cheque. For those who do pay by standing order a big thank you and to everybody else please ask your bank to set up a standing order for £12.50. Should you require a standing order form or have any queries please contact me. Alternatively the form can be down loaded from the H.M.S St Vincent web site. My contact details are:- Jonathan Gibson, 21a Limetree Road, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, B74 3RR. Email- [email protected] Telephone no. 01215 808598. Many thanks and do have a happy ChiristmasJonathan Gibson Our current membership numbers are: Full members 451, Honorary members 19, Total Members 470, since my last report we have not any new members. But sadly five members have crossed the bar: - Crossed the Bar “Lest we forget” Name Division/Class Joined St.Vincent Crossed The Bar Norman Watkins Hawke 95 1/10/1950 1/1/2011 Richard Holmes 65 Pilots 1/10/1944 12/5/2013 William Burch Foretop 255 08/01/1938 2013 Charles Black Blake 104 04/06/1946 2013 Ron Crayton 33 Pilots 20/11/1941 1/3/2013 Editor’s Meanderings I have been asked to pass on Crimbo greetings from the HMS Ganges Association who wish to continue to enjoy a good liaison with us. Their Chairman, Shep Woolley, will once again be co-coordinating a Sods Opera type production including a “Boys” Choir, if you wish to join me and Chairman Ken in this very enjoyable event then names to me please. As Ken has said this has been a good year for the Association, let’s hope it continues. We had room for another dozen or so in our Remembrance Day Division; do consider it for next year, a great occasion. A special thanks to Gary Goodwin’s son, Mark, who filmed our march past from his viewing spot in Whitehall and made it available for me to put on YouTube. Do have a look under HMS St Vincent Remembrance Day 2013. I have received many complimentary emails – cheers Gary and Mark. Thanks also to all who have sent in contributions, keep’em coming, if it does not appear in this issue it should be in the next. Loves and kisses and do have a Happy Christmas . Seize and saviour the Day Shipmates – it’s later than you think. PLEASE NOTE MY CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS Phil (Darby) Allen (Hawke 192/223, 1/59) [email protected] Tel 02392 556810. 23 Cambridge Road, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hants, PO13 9DH. “ABSENT FRIENDS‖ In response to an e mail 40 members requested that they be remembered during the ―Absent Friends‖ toast at the Re-union Dinner and these were read out and are also included in the separate enclosure to this mag. It is intended to continue this tradition annually, so if you cannot make the Re-union Dinner, write or email to me and your message will be read out and repeated in the Crimbo Mag, but only the clean and pleasant stuff! I‘ll remind you again in subsequent Mags.