POSTAL & COURIER SERVICES BRANCH OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION THE POSTHORN Edition 33 November 2018 Contents: 20th Anniversary Postal & 20th Anniversary PCS REA. Page 1- 2 Courier Service Branch REA 30th Anniversary Mill Hill On the 27th June 1998 the Branch Chairman, Colonel (Retd) Peter Wescott, was Bombing pleased to announce that the Postal and Courier Service Branch had been formed,. Page 2-3 It had gained it's official status from a meeting of the Management Committee of the Armistice 1918 Royal Engineers Association. Initial membership shown as 89 in the first Posthorn. Page 3 - 7 Current membership numbers stands at 206, bearing in mind the number of Posties Story of the Poppy who have gone to a bigger delivery round over the last 20 years. Page 7-9 Post Notes (Members Contributions) Pennine Way Page 9 - 11 Postal Partnership Parade Page 11 PCS REA Annual General Meeting Page 11 - 15 Membership & Committee Page 15 Lost & Found Members Page 15 Last Post Page 16 Subscriptions Page 16 - 18 Booking Form Page 19 Forthcoming Events We have gained our own standard in 2006 and paraded it at a number of occasions at our own an REA events including Forces Day at Sterling Castle in front of the Queen. Annual Dinner & The branch has also planted a tree to commemorate 100th Anniversary Postal & Dance Courier Service from 1913 2013 in the GPO Garden at the National Arboretum PCS REA Reunion 2019 The POSTHORN November 2018 Newsletter P a g e | 1 MILL HILL BOMBING 1st AUGUST 1988 On 1st August 1988 the Irish Republican Army carried out an attack on the British mainland, the first in four years, a British soldier was killed (Michael Robbins) and 10 others were wounded in a bomb explosion. In the male troop’s accommodation in Inglis barracks in North London at the home of the Home Postal Depot RE, The Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility for the attack on Inglis Barracks in the affluent Mill Hill section of London, which is part of the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It was the I.R.A.'s first successful bomb attack on the British mainland since the Brighton hotel bombing in 1984 that killed five people and seriously wounded 30 in an assassination attempt on Mrs Thatcher and her Cabinet. Two of the soldiers wounded were initially reported to be in a serious condition. Mrs Thatcher learned of the explosion on the first day of a visit to Australia. ''I have sent a message to say I am very distressed to hear about it,'' she said 'I Am Very Distressed' Neil Kinnock, the Labour leader, described the bombing as ''another act of infamous cowardice by the Provisional I.R.A.'' A construction worker at the scene, Frank McFarland, who was working at the barracks, said the middle section of the living quarters had ''crumbled like a house of cards'' after the blast. ''It must have been a very big explosion,'' he added. Recollection on that day. I was due to start to work at London Courier Depot at St Giles Court and had walked past the block just before 0700 hrs to check in to the guardroom and collect keys for a vehicle that was to take me there. I had past some women either going to work at the officers’ mess or catching a bus to work. In the guardroom a couple of the lads were giving out carnation button holes, left over from a wedding that had taken place over the weekend. Leaving the guardroom, we went to collect the vehicle and go down to a quarter in Williamson Way. Whilst waiting for the sergeant to join us, a large bang sounded. We all looked towards the Depot in Firth Lane, thinking that a bomb had gone off there. Then some shouted no 'it's the top camp'. Immediately we all jumped into the vehicle and went up Partingdale Lane to arrive at the Guardroom, which was in panic by this time and a Four tonner trying to get down road at the side of the parade square. Capt Donovan saw me and asked me to check the opposite block and male sergeant's mess to ensure that the buildings were clear of personnel. On checking the sergeant mess a saw that the public phone in the mess and phoned my wife to inform I was safe, informing her that there had been a gas explosion. (Initially that was thought to have happened). On returning to the Guardroom incident centre I saw two sappers trying to pull down some curtains from the damaged block to be use as bandages. Obviously they were suffering from shock and I directing them to the medical centre rather than use the curtains. At this point I saw that The POSTHORN November 2018 Newsletter P a g e | 2 the exposed roof beams were on fire. Going up the stairs nearest the damaged part of the building I grabbed a fire hose and starting to aim at the roof beams. Suddenly the landing I was standing on started to fall down I then abandoned the fire hose and went back down to the side of the building entrances. Noting that when someone climb on the rubble this side they stepped on the metal railings on the landing above which cause the remaining landing to collapse. So I positioned myself in front of this damaged part of the block and prevented others from walking over the rubble causing more collapsing landing walkway. Eventually the fire service arrived, there was some concern that the fire service would go into the rubble unless there was someone under the rubble. At this time on the opposite side of the building, the parade side, Posties had been scrambling in the wreckage to get out the injured troops. Concerns were raised how many people were in the top room when the explosion happened. Visitors that attended the Saturday Night All Ranks dance. It was suggested to the police present to contact the survivors already in hospital, if anyone else had been sleeping in the upstairs room. The message came back that the building was clear and everyone had been accounted for. It was at this time that it was revealed that Michael Robbins had been killed along with Pete Griffiths and Ian Booth who had been injured. The rest of the day was spent guarding the Barracks from enquiring news reporters and TV crews trying to get better details of the now acknowledged bombing. While the rest of the Postie family rush to offer support with work in the depot and guarding the camp in the coming weeks. On the 25th anniversary of Michael Robbins a wreath was placed by members of the PCS REA Branch. The barracks have since been turned into housing - Millbrook Park - and now a road on the complex has been named in his honour. His family were among the first to see Michael Robbins Way on Monday, July 30 - almost 30 years to the day he was killed. His mother, Cindy Dennis, was presented with a regimental flag during the ceremony. Keith Hurford, Millbrook Park project director, said: “We’re so pleased that Michael Robbins’ family enjoyed the special ceremony and I’m sure they will treasure this for years to come. "It’s wonderful that Michael’s memory can live on at Millbrook Park, with generations upon generations learning about his incredible bravery.” Jack Costello, sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey North Thames, said: “I’m glad that we have been able to express our gratitude for Michael’s bravery - it’s the very least we could do to say thank you.” Alongside Michael’s family, guests included Deputy Lord Lieutenant Michael Russell, who said few words, a representative from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and representatives from Marengo Communications. IRA Kills 22 years on. An ex-soldier traumatised by the IRA bomb killed herself because of the horrors she saw, an inquest heard. Private Anne Appleby then just 20, was on sentry duty when the device hit Mill Hill Barracks London, in 1988. Husband David said reports of the 7/7 inquest revived awful memories. Anne, 42 of Stevenage, Herts took an overdose last September 2010, the inquest heard. Verdict Suicide. Curtsey of the Sun Newspaper Armistice of 11 November 1918 Photograph taken after reaching agreement for the armistice that ended World War I. This is Ferdinand Foch's own railway carriage and the location is the Forest of Compiègne. Foch is second from the right. Left of Foch in the photo (on Foch’s own right) is the senior British representative, Sir Rosslyn Wemyss. On the right is Admiral George Hope. The POSTHORN November 2018 Newsletter P a g e | 3 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Allies and their opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Also known as the Armistice of Compiègne from the place where it was signed, it came into force at 11 a.m. Paris time on 11 November 1918 ("the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month") and marked a victory for the Allies and a defeat for Germany, although not formally a surrender. The actual terms, largely written by the Allied Supreme Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, included the cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of German forces to behind the Rhine, Allied occupation of the Rhineland and bridgeheads further east, the preservation of infrastructure, the surrender of aircraft, warships, and military materiel, the release of Allied prisoners of war and interned civilians, eventual reparations, no release of German prisoners and no relaxation of the naval blockade of Germany.