BRANCH SECRETARIES - PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ITEMS IN THIS NEWSLETTER SHOULD FORM PART OF YOUR REPORT September 2014 VENTNOR WWI COMMEMORATION SERVICE 3 RD AUGUST A committee, initiated by the Ventnor Royal British Legion and in association with Ventnor Town Council, has been formed to plan events over the next four years to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of World War I. The aim is to commemorate a number of events starting on 3 rd August 2014. The intention is to make this a community enterprise and seek the involvement and active support of Ventnorians. A very successful parade and church service took place in Ventnor on Sunday 3 rd August. The Wight Diamonds Marching Band led the parade and behind them were 15 standards, including the RBL County Standard, RBL Branch Standards of Ventnor, Newport & Carisbrooke, Seaview & Nettlestone together with The Royal Navy Association, The Royal Air Force Association, The Submariners, The Prison Service, Ryde Sea Cadets, the Scouts and the Cubs. Also taking part in the parade were a number of veterans from all three services, together with Firefighters, Prison Officers, the Army Cadet Force and members of the Royal British Legion Riders Branch. The parade marched round Ventnor and on arrival in Park Avenue, a Church Service, led by the Reverend Hugh Wright took placed in front of Ventnor War Memorial. 1
Over 30 dignitaries attended, including Andrew Turner, MP; Ian Stephens, Leader of the Island Council; Ventnor Mayor, Jason Mack and some of the relatives of the 113 local people whose names are recorded on Ventnor War memorial. Four WW1 poems written by local man Lionel Thompson were read during the service by Hugh Wright, Lionel Thompson, Barbara Wells and Cleo McMeechan. The Exhortation was read by Lt Col David Langford DL, Deputy Lord Lieutenant, who also took the salute when the parade marched past the War memorial. The Commemoration Committee is committed to holding several events over the next four years and also commemorating the 100 th anniversary of all those named on Ventnor War memorial. The next ceremony will take place on 22 nd September when three of our local community will be remembered. On 22 nd September 1914 HMS Aboukir was sunk by a German U-Boat with the loss of 527 lives. Included in the three who will be remembered is Alan Robertson, a midshipman aged only 15. Our parade and church service would not have been possible had it not been for the local community, businesses and associations of Ventnor who supported fund raising events, gave donations or supplied their services free of charge or at reduced rates. Danny McMeechan, Major (Retd) Chairman, Ventnor WW1 2014-2018 Commemoration Committee Lake War Memorial - Sunday 3 rd August (Report from Jim Howkins) The Lake Parish Council held a commemorative service at the Lake War Memorial on Sunday 3 rd August. Approximately 25 people attended including the Chairman of the Parish Council, representatives of the Military Police Association, the RAF Association and the Royal British Legion. Ryde RBL Standard was paraded and the Last Post was played by Daryll Pitcher. Ryde Town Council Civic Ceremony Ryde Remembers (Report from Terry Clarkson) Ryde Town Council held a short civic service on Monday 4 th August at 11:00am to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of WW1. The service was conducted by Canon Rev Howard Barker and there was a short address from the Mayor of Ryde, Cllr Roi Milburn, there was also a reading by L/Cpl Plummer of 2Troop ACF. The service was attended by Councillors and staff of Ryde Town Council, Armed forces veterans, contingents from 2Troop ACF and 1024 Sqn Air Training Corps as well as the Boys brigade, and members of the public. On parade were the standards of Ryde, Bembridge and Newport & Carisbrooke branches of the RBL together with the Royal Hampshire s Old comrades Assoc and 1024 ATC standards under the guidance of the RBL County parade marshal Terry Clarkson. The last post was played by a trumpeter from Wight Diamonds Marching Band and the exhortation and Kohima were said by Mr Ivor Millard, Ryde RBL Branch Chairman. The union flag was raised during the ceremony. 2
Seaview & Nettlestone Branch RBL (Report from Mike Parsley, Branch Secretary) On 4 th August, more than 140 members of the Branch and friends attended three local Vigils to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War in 1914. The vigils were held from 10.00pm until 11.00pm at the Lychgate at St Helen s Church (led by Branch Chaplain, David Marrow), the Garden of St Peter s Church, Seaview (led by Church Warden Sylvia Beardsmore) and the War Memorial in Bembridge (led by Rev Andrew Meniss). All three individual services followed similar outlines with prayers, poetry and readings including letters home and personal family experiences. There were also periods of quiet allowing time for reflection. Those attending were invited to bring a candle and these were extinguished one by one in the moments leading up to 11.00pm, the time that war was declared Brighstone & District Branch RBL (Report from Mrs. K Gregory, Branch Secretary) On Sunday 17 th August, Brighstone & District RBL Branch held a Drumhead Ceremony and Service to commemorate the centenary of WW1 and the D-Day Landings. The Ceremony was held at Warnes Lane Field in Brighstone and attended by HM Lord Lieutenant, Major General White, accompanied by Mrs White. The Lord Lieutenant was greeted by a Guard of Honour of Standards of the Royal British Legion and other Regimental Associations under the command of Karen Gibson. The Ceremony kicked off with a rousing display by the Medina Marching Band but during their performance the rain came down quite heavily, and the event had to move to plan B in St Mary s Church where Dr Kieran Cooney piped everyone into the Church and also provided music in the church whilst seating was being arranged. The service was led by Rev. Phyl Fanning who was assisted by Rev. Karen Schmidt. The Lord Lieutenant kindly read the first Lesson. After the service the Lord Lieutenant was escorted to the Brighstone Museum by our Chairman, Reg Hunt, to view the WW1 exhibition. Following the service, refreshments were served in the Wilberforce Hall, where everyone was entertained with a display by the Scottish Dancers. The Lord Lieutenant commented in his speech that this would be an occasion never to be forgotten due to the inclement weather, but once again Brighstone Royal British Legion pulled the hat out of the bag with plan B. 3
New Area Office Opens in Southampton The new Area Office/Pop-in Centre will be open from 3 rd September and is situated at 104 Above Bar Street, Southampton. If you are in Southampton you are most welcome to pop in and have a look and say hello but if you want to see me please make an appointment first. I wouldn t want you to be disappointed if you come to see me and I am not here. I also need to book a meeting room as I share an office with two others. The Pop-in Centre is a brand new, state of the art, facility putting The Royal British Legion at the heart of the community we wish to serve. The centre will be open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and will be one of 16 such centres in various cities up and down the country providing a one-stop shop for the Armed Forces Community and members of the public. We have all been working hard to ensure a smooth move from the office at Eastleigh to our new premises in Southampton but please bear with us during this period of transition as we smooth out any teething problems. Steph Harris, IW County Secretary Scarecrows in Brighstone (from Reg Hunt, Chairman Brighstone & District Branch) The Royal British Legion Brighstone and District Branch s scarecrow Competition was an idea I had as a branch recruitment and promotional exercise involving five Parishes. With a trophy for the winner and sundry items for the garden for second and third placed entries (i.e. trowel, fork, garden gloves and a few sweets etc.). We charged 1 per entry and also ran a raffle. The first competition was held in 2010 but the response from the village was not a great success, with only about a dozen entries and nothing from the surrounding villages. 2012 was even a bigger disappointment with only eight entries. Following the decision by Chillerton village to hold their scarecrow competition we then decided to hold our competition every other year. In 2014 we held our third competition. This time there was much greater interest and Limerstone also asked to join in and there were a total of 21 entries. Our next competition will be in 2016 and we hope that it will continue to grow from strength to strength. Proceeds of 74 from the 2014 competition will be donated to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with the event. 4
The Island Highland Gathering 27 July 2014 (report from Keith Bradford Seaview & Nettlestone RBL Branch) Standard Bearers, Ernie Howard (Newport & Carisbrooke RBL), Don Bridges (Ryde RBL), Jim Howkins (Bembridge RBL) and Keith Bradford (Seaview & Nettlestone RBL) paraded at The Island Highland Gathering on Sunday 27th July 2014 at Northwood House, Cowes. Also present were Dave Ramsay (Royal Artillery Association), Alan Lovewell (Royal Hampshire Old Comrades Association) and our Royal British Legion Parade Marshal, Terry Clarkson. The request for The Royal British Legion to attend came from Dr Kieron Cooney, the Isle of Wight's famous bagpiper and founder member of the Highland Gathering three years ago, an event which is now well established in the island calendar. Highland gatherings originate from Scotland, as a celebration of Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage. The sounds and sights of the bagpipes, tartan and clansmen, the swirl of the kilts and Highland Dancing made a spectacular display. The Standard Bearers were very privileged to lead the parade into the arena at the beginning of the events and took pride of place at the Opening Ceremony in front of the Chieftain for the day. At the end of the day, the Standard Bearers led the Massed Bands of more than 100 pipers and drummers, together with the Wight Diamonds Marching Band, into the arena for the finale and prize giving. The money raised from this event was for the charity Challenge and Adventure, to support disadvantaged young people on the island aged 12 to 19 years of age. The following e-mails were received from Dr. Cooney and Karen Eeles following the Island Highland Gathering:- I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a privilege to have you there and we would want you back next year of course... I'll let you know. Thank everyone for their turnout. Very smart professional and dignified. Excellent Kieron Please pass on my thanks to yourself and the team for attending the Island Highland Gathering. We had a fabulous day and we were so glad you could join us again, hope you will agree the venue was much better? Kind regards. Karen Eeles Challenge & Adventure. 5
MS1 Forms The Branch MS1 form will not be sent out by Head Office this year. It is available to download from the Legion website members download section. For Branch Secretaries a copy of the MS1 form is enclosed with this newsletter. Isle of Wight RBL Diaries 2015 Shanklin RBL Club has been in touch to say that they have been asked to receive the delivery of 2015 Legion diaries. The diaries are printed with Isle of Wight RBL on the front. If anyone is interested in taking some for sale (or require more information), please contact the Club Secretary on IW 867036 or e-mail r.b.l.shanklin@btconnect.com The delivery is due to arrive in October and they will sell at 2.00 each. Isle of Wight County Poppy Launch The Poppy Launch on the Isle of Wight will be held in Shanklin on Saturday, 18 th October 2014. Please disregard the comment in the Last County Update regarding the change of date. We have been given the ok to go ahead with the original date as planned. Sorry for any confusion. Details are currently being finalised and will be sent out shortly. We hope that you will all come along and support the event. Branch Management Course A Branch Management Course has been arranged for 25 th -26 th October 2014 to be held at the Conservative Club, Pyle Street, Newport. Anyone wishing to attend should complete the attached form and return it to Steph Harris, County Secretary, no later than 30 th September. Details of timings for the day (usually approx. 10am-4pm) will be sent out with the joining instructions prior to the start of the course. If you have any queries regarding the course please e-mail Steph sharris@britishlegion.org.uk. Please see the next page for more details about the course. 6
RBL Branch Management Course Aim To brief and update Branch Officers, and potential Branch Officers, on Legion procedures, their duties and responsibilities and to refresh or develop relevant managerial skills. Content Branch structure and committees Branch finances Branch programme of activities Complaints procedures Conduct of a Branch Meeting Motivation and involving Members Local public relations Recruiting and retention Charter responsibilities and trusteeship Branch and club inter-relationships Branch relationships with other Legion organisations A Legion overview Preparation of motions for Annual Conference Aimed at Serving or prospective Branch Officers and Branch Committee members. Duration Two days Notes Recommendation from Branch with application endorsed by C(D)TO. Delegate numbers 8 20. 7
ALL LEGION ENQUIRIES (including Welfare Requests) SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE CONTACT CENTRE ON 08457 725 725 KEY DATES:- 30 th September 2014 Final date by which Branch Accounts must be submitted to County Secretary. 1 st October 2014 Membership subscriptions for 2014/15 become payable. 1 st October 2014 to 30 th November 2014 - Branch AGMs to be held 18 th October 2014 IW Poppy Appeal Launch, Shanklin. County Secretary Mrs Stephanie Harris 104 Above Bar Street, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 7DT E-mail: sharris@britishlegion.org.uk Website: www.britishlegion.org.uk Registered Charity number 219279 Newsletter enclosures: Branch Management Course Application Form Branch MS1 form (Branch Secretaries only) 25 th & 26 th October 2014 Branch Management Course, Newport. 30 th November 2014 Closing date for County conference nomination paperwork to be submitted 31 st December 2014 - Final date for Branch MS1 forms to be received by the County Secretary. 17 th January 2015 IW County Conference, Methodist Church, Garfield Road, Ryde commencing at 2pm IT S YOUR NEWSLETTER!!! If anyone has any articles they would like to be considered for publication in the monthly newsletter that would interest members please e -mail the newsletter editor at rgbwiw@hotmail.co.uk Or send to: 2 Hope Mead, Langbridge, Newchurch, IW, PO36 0NP by the 20th of each month. We are looking for anything from jokes to poems, or hints and tips to remarkable personal achievements and Branch events. Or even adverts! Everything will be considered. 8