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Mercury
Newsletter of the Aldershot Branch
Royal Signals Association
Winter 2004 / 2005
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Christmas Greetings
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The President and committee members extend very happy Christmas wishes to all Branch members. With the sincere hope that everyone will enjoy a healthy and peaceful New Year, our thoughts are with those who are unwell or in any form of distress. Do tell us if you think we can be of help in any way.
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A reminder - the Corps Carol Service
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With the Festive Season approaching, may we remind you that the Corps Carol Service will be held on Monday 20th December 2004 at 6pm at the Corps Church of St Stephen with St John, Rochester Row, London. It will be followed with the usual social gathering for Sherry and Mince Pies in the Church Hall. This is an event to which the Aldershot Branch traditionally gives strong support so do come along, enjoy the singing, meet old friends (including many Corps personalities) and possibly join up for an informal supper at the end.
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Forthcoming Branch Events
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The complete and varied programme planned for 2005 is shown in the loose sheet enclosed with the printed Newsletter. Members are encouraged to display this in a prominent place at home so they do not miss events! Details of the early fixtures are given below, so please make your bookings on time
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A Social Evening to Start the Branch New Year
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Thursday 10th February 2005
7.30 for 8 pm at Buller Barracks
For our first event of the year, we are following up a highly successful initiative launched two years ago by our then Serving Members Rep, Kevin Smith and now being undertaken by his successor, Andy Lothian, the new RSM of 261 Signal Squadron. The event is another Social Evening, enabling our branch to get closer to today's serving Corps.
Starting at 7.30 pm, you are invited to meet for a drink in the Bar of the WOs' and Sergeants' Mess Buller Barracks with Officers and Senior Ranks of the Squadron with their ladies. The main event of the evening will be some games that, we are again assured, will be of a positively gentle nature, suitable for members and their ladies of all ages and dispositions!
A hot buffet will be provided during the evening the full cost of which is £10 per head.
Do come along and help make the evening another resounding success for the Branch and its contact with the members and families of the serving Corps.
Please click here to make your booking with Peter Sharpe.
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Rythm and blues evening to Start the Branch New Year
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Thursday 17th March 2005
7.30 for 8 pm in the Garrison Sergeant's Mess
We are delighted to tell you that Bob Webb is making excellent progress after his recent operation and we have now been able to reschedule the Rhythm and Blues Evening to Thursday 17th March. Some of you will remember Bob's previous evening with us way back in 2000, when we were introduced to his talents as a musician who plays a whole range of wind instruments from piccolo, through clarinet to base saxophone.
One of Bob's daytime jobs has been to teach music at schools, including Gordon's School, where many of his forebears have also been pupils before joining the army. He leads a jazz band at Brooklands, where he is also a guide to the museum and conducted us round during our visit in 2003.
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We expect Bob again to give us a fascinating musical evening. He will have some interesting things to say about the various instruments and give us plenty of live demonstration and recorded orchestral accompaniment. This will be an evening not to be missed.
By kind permission of Joe Fairbairn and Mess members, we shall have a finger buffet supper at £6 per head. Please complete Annex B and return to Peter Sharpe by 5th March, click here to make your booking
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SPRING LUNCHEON and AGM
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Sunday 17th April 2005
In the Garrison Sergeants' Mess
The Spring Lunch and AGM will again be held in the Garrison Sergeants Mess on Sunday 17th April 2005 and the programme will be:
·From 12 Noon: Meet for drinks in the Anteroom
·12.30 pm: AGM in the Anteroom
·Following the AGM, Lunch served in the Dining Room, consisting of a starter, roast beef main course and dessert. Those requiring a vegetarian meal please make your request in Annex C.
The cost per head will be £14.
This is your opportunity to influence the running of the branch so come armed with your points and suggestions. New faces are always welcome on the committee so please also let us have your nominations before the AGM. In addition it is always a good social event and we hope that as many members as possible will make the effort to attend this year.
Please return Annex C with your cheque to reach Peter Sharpe by 28th March. or click here to make your booking
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Trooping the Colour Ceremonies in 2005
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If you wish to be present at any of the following ceremonies, it is by no means too early to be thinking of booking, as bids for tickets have to be lodged early in the New Year.
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Dates and prices of tickets are:
Colonel's Review (Second Rehearsal) 4th June £8
Queen's Birthday parade11th June £16
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Following the general enthusiasm for group attendance of Branch members at the Colonel's Review, similar arrangements are proposed for 2005. Those wishing to join the group should complete and return Annex D from the printed newsletter with their cheque and SAE to reach Peter Sharpe by 31st January.
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For anyone wishing to attend the Queen's Birthday Parade itself, the limit is 3 tickets per head and all are subject to ballot. Write as soon as possible, requesting an application form and enclosing SAE (no money at this stage) to:
The Brigade Major, HQ Household Division, Horse Guards, Whitehall, London, SW1 2AX.
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Recent Branch Events
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Those who ventured forth on the visit to Denbies Wine Estate, Britain's largest vineyard, on Saturday 11th September experienced, by way of introduction, a new hi-tech surround-view video, explaining the vine growing process and the production of fine wine.
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There followed a short journey aboard the indoor train with a commentary on the stages of the working winery, finishing appropriately in the cellars, with a tasting of selected Denbies wines. After a very relaxing lunch in the conservatory, we were able to avail ourselves of the extensive choice of goodies in the shop, which naturally included a large selection of Denbies own produce.
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Our Autumn Lunch is one of our most popular events and so it proved this year with 50 members and associate members attending. The venue was again the Aldershot Military Golf Club where a delicious lunch of curried and other dishes was served. Conversation never flagged for a moment before, during or after the meal.
Our branch guests were Phillip Dunford and his wife Jan. Phillip is the designer of our splendid website and hence rejoices in the title of Webmaster. In his remarks after lunch, the chairman thanked Phillip for his efforts on behalf of the branch. Compliments were also paid to Mary Pagan who had organised the event and who, with helpers, raised no less than £149 from the raffle thanks to the generosity of all those who kindly donated prizes. This source of income is essential to the finances of the branch.
The Branch again honoured the fallen in November. On Remembrance Day members took part in the moving ceremony at the Brookwood Military Ceremony along with the Normandy Veterans Association and members of Canadian forces in the UK. The Branch standard was paraded and a wreath laid. This was confirmed as the last occasion on which the Normandy Veterans will organise the parade.
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On Remembrance Sunday members took their places in a very well attended service in the Royal Garrison Church where for the first time our laid-up standard was visible as one of the few symbols of the Corps in that church. Fred Bridges paraded the new standard and, as shown, Mike Wilson laid the Branch wreath. After the service and march past members were able to attend a curry lunch generously provided by our friends in 261 Signal Squadron whom we thank most warmly.
After lunch, Fred Bridges went on to parade our standard at the Remembrance ceremony at Fleet where he was once again commended for his impeccable bearing and turnout.
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Corps and Association News
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Appointment of New Signal Officer-in-Chief (Army)
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We take this opportunity of congratulating Brigadier John Thomas, MBE, ADC on his appointment as Signal Officer in Chief. Brigadier Thomas has an honours degree in Applied Science and a MSc in Corporate Management. Among his military accomplishments, he completed the Telecommunications Engineering Management course and was a student at the Joint Services Defence College.
We hope we shall have the opportunity of establishing the same cordial relationship with Brigadier Thomas as existed with his predecessor Brigadier David McDowall, to whom we extend our thanks for his support during his tour.
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Royal Signals Association Badges
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As notified in our last Newsletter, RSA lapel badges are now available for all life members and associate members. Our Membership Secretary, Mike Wilson, still holds a stock for those members who have not yet claimed their badge. These can be collected at any future branch event or one can be mailed to you if you send an SAE to Mike Wilson.
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Can you help?
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We have been contacted by Marjo Huijkens from Melick in Holland who is trying to trace a wartime signaller who was in the village of Stramproy (in the vicinity of Roermond) on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands at the end of 1944. The full story can be read on http://home.hccnet.nl/j.schonkeren Marjo, who like so many Dutch people, continues to be grateful to the British soldiers of those days, would welcome any information. Her considerable researches have shown that a Signals unit from 4th Armoured Brigade was in the area at the time.
If any members can provide clues, please make contact either direct via the website or by contacting the chairman.
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Annual Welfare Appeal
Members are warmly thanked for their generous response to our 2004 appeal on behalf of the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund. Altogether we raised the record sum of £444 which included the collection taken at the end of our service of dedication for the new branch standard. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by RHQ and we have received a letter of thanks. This year's donation brings the total raised over the past six years to over £1600.
The work of benevolence, however, goes on without pause and members will be familiar with individual cases regularly published as examples in The Wire. So, we once again appeal to your generosity.
Please make a special effort on behalf of ex-members of the Corps or their dependents who have fallen on hard times and use the form at Annex E to this Newsletter to send your contributions to the Treasurer. Members may, of course, contribute anonymously if they wish.
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Thoughts on Food, Drink and the Festive Season
Only Irish Coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. (Alex Levine)
It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or fourteenth. (George Burns)
Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people only once a year (Victor Borge)
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Tailpieces
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Not a lot of people know this...
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With the US presidential election thankfully behind us, we can rekindle a little interest with the following strange-but true facts about two former US Presidents:
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Lincoln was elected President in November 1860.
Kennedy was elected President in November 1960.
Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who warned him not to go to the theatre.
Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln who warned him not to go to Dallas.
Booth shot Lincoln in the theatre and ran off into a warehouse.
Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and ran off into a theatre
Lincoln was succeeded by Andrew Johnson who was born in 1808.
Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon B Johnson who was born in 1908.
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A Morning Prayer
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Dear Lord,
So far today, I'm doing all right.
I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy,
grumpy, nasty, selfish or self-indulgent.
I have not whined, complained, cursed or eaten chocolate.
I have charged nothing on my credit card.
But I will be getting out of bed in a minute
and I think that I will really need your help then.
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Acknowledgements
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The Editor wishes to express his thanks to all who contributed to this Newsletter and particularly to our chairman and deputy chairman who unfailingly assist in its production.
May we remind our readers that we welcome contributions, whether they be articles about their own experiences in military or civilian life, suggestions about branch activities, interesting photographs, humorous stories, (true or fictitious), or one-liners.
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and finally, also strange but true....
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There is no way of saying "deep fine leg" in Flemish (Alan Coren)
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