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Mercury
Newsletter of the Aldershot Branch
Royal Signals Association
Winter 2005 / 2006
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The Chairman and committee members extend very warm Christmas wishes to all Branch members and their families. With the sincere hope that everyone will enjoy a healthy and peaceful New Year, our thoughts are also 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, a timely reminder that the Corps Carol Service will be held on Monday 12th December 2005 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 and possibly join up for an informal supper at the end.
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WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
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We are always delighted when new members join the branch and on this occasion we extend a warm welcome to:
Dick Dominy, John Hamilton-Williams, Dennis Jefferies, Stuart Read, Peter Riding,
Guy Rogers and Dudley Ward; and to Mrs Beryl Turner as an associate member.
We look forward to meeting you all at some of our branch events in 2006.
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PROGRAMME FOR 2006
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FORTHCOMING BRANCH ACTIVITIES
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THE WEY AND ARUN CANAL
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An Illustrated Talk by Jim Phillips in the Garrison Sergeants Mess
Thursday 16th February 2006
1930 for 2000
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In the 19th Century it was possible to travel by boat from London to Littlehampton on the south coast of England via the rivers Wey and Arun, linked by the 23-mile Wey & Arun Canal. After the Industrial Revolution, commercial trade on the canal prospered. However, with the coming of the railways the canal could not compete and it was officially closed in 1871 and the land was sold off. Although regarded as a feature of local interest, for most of its length the canal remained little more than a stagnant, overgrown depression in the ground.
Until……….in 1970 a few enthusiastic individuals formed the Wey & Arun Canal Society with the aim of restoring, as a public amenity, the navigable link between the Rivers Wey and Arun, and so recreate the direct water link between London and the South Coast. More supporters were quickly gained, and in 1973 the Society was re-formed as a charitable Trust Company. To date, 23 bridges and an aqueduct have been reconstructed, 9 locks restored, culverts rebuilt and several miles of canal bed cleared and dredged.
The Wey & Arun Canal was originally built in just 3 years 1813-16; the restoration so far has taken 30 years and there are many years work to do. The current major project is to get the canal across the High Street in Loxwood - a 3 year £1.2 M task.
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Our speaker, Jim Phillips, served for 44 years in the Royal Navy and enjoyed all of it. On retiring, he looked for a suitable nautical job and, living in Godalming, settled on the restoration of the Wey & Arun Canal, where he is, in his own words, “an occasional navvy, treasurer, fundraising manager and vice-chairman”.
We are in for an absorbing and fascinating evening.
By kind permission of the Mess Committee, the Talk will be held in the Garrison Sergeants Mess. The bar will be open from 1930. A finger buffet supper will be served during the evening.
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Cost per head, including buffet and share of contribution to the Wey & Arun Canal Trust, will be £8.
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PALACE OF WESTMINSTER AND NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
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Tuesday 7th March 2006
Coach departs 0845 from the RC Church, Queen’s Avenue, Aldershot
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Through the auspices of Gerald Howarth, Shadow Defence Minister and MP for Aldershot, we have been able to arrange a guided tour of both Houses of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster. Under time-honoured procedure, guided tours have to take place when the Houses are not sitting; hence the early start to enable the tours to begin promptly at 1030 and finish by 1230. A further point is that numbers for the guided tour have to be limited to a maximum of 20.
From what we hear from those who have previously toured the Palace, we are in for a very special event. To make the day as full and stimulating as possible, after leaving the Palace we shall go on to the National Army Museum, where we can get lunch at reserved tables in “The Great Escape” cafeteria. We can then spend about 2 hours looking at the exhibits before returning to reach Aldershot by 1700.
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Please complete Annex ‘B’ from your hard copy newsletter and return to reach Peter Sharpe with cheque without delay.
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SPRING LUNCHEON AND AGM
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Sunday 9th April 2006
In the Garrison Sergeants’ Mess
The Spring Lunch and AGM will again be held in the Garrison Sergeants Mess on Sunday 9th April 2006 and the programme will be:
- From 12 Noon: Meet for drinks in the Anteroom
- 12.30 p.m.: AGM in the Anteroom
- Following the AGM, Lunch served in the Dining Room, consisting of a starter, roast main course and dessert. Those requiring a vegetarian meal should make their requests in Annex ‘C’.
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TROOPING THE COLOUR CEREMONIES IN 2006
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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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Saturday 10th June£8
Saturday 17h 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 2006. Those wishing to join the Branch group should complete and return Annex ‘D’ with cheque to reach Peter Sharpe by 31st January.
For anyone wishing to attend the Queen’s Birthday Parade itself, the limit is 3 tickets per person 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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Saturday morning 17th September saw an enthusiastic gathering of members and their guests assemble in Aldershot for an early coach departure to Kew Gardens. This was no ordinary visit; appetites had already been whetted by the television documentary series: ‘A Year at Kew’. The party on arrival split into two groups and were conducted on guided tours by expert volunteers, steeped in the history of the Gardens and a copious knowledge of the horticulture that makes Kew into a special place of worldwide acclaim. In the afternoon, we were able to wander at our own pace and soak up more of the atmosphere. And we had the added advantage of the glass sculptures, the work of the American sculptor Dale Chihuly, displayed this year around the main glasshouses and within the Gardens, blending so well into the beautiful landscape.
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AUTUMN LUNCH
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In accordance with custom, our Autumn lunch was held in the congenial surroundings of the Services Golf Club on the site of Laffan’s Plain, renowned in Sapper history. It is always a popular location and this year was no exception, with 55 sitting down to curry lunch served in a different style by the new club caterers. It was good to see a mixed gathering of old friends and some new faces.
Our guest of honour was the Regimental Secretary, Neil Donaldson, who kindly gave an update on Corps affairs after the meal.
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THE WEATHER
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After discovering that the Garrison Mess were double booked for our November meeting, we were most grateful to the RSM 251 Signal Squadron and members of the Duchess of Kent’s Sergeants Mess for allowing us to use their excellent facilities
About thirty members were treated to an illuminating lecture with first class slides by Dr Trevor Kennea, retired RN, then professional meteorologist. His subject was "Weather signs and Sayings" and included knowledgeable explanations of highs, lows, fronts, hurricanes and other weather conditions that have become the accepted mystique of our TV weather forecasters.
This in turn led to a discussion of the truth (or lack of it) in well known sayings such as “N’er cast a clout till May is out” and “Red Sky at night, shepherds delight……” Various opinions were expressed and it has to be said that the speaker (sensibly) mainly kept his options open! We also discovered why an abundance of holly berries do not promise a hard winter! We are grateful to Trevor for a topical, well-informed and humorous talk.
Afternote. We are indebted to Tewi Davis for information on a little-known weather saying not covered by Dr Kinnea. From the Daily Mail she quotes:
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“If you come home drenched to the skin November and December, keep smiling – especially if you live in the normally drier east and south of the British Isles - it’s probably the right type of rain! In summer, evaporation prevents most rainfall from filling up reservoirs or topping up ground water. Lower temperatures and less sunshine make rain more effective at this time of year and there is a lot of common sense in the old expression “Twixt Martinmas and Yule, water’s wine in every pool.”
Thank you Tewi – but will it be the right sort of rain for Network South East trains?
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REMEMBRANCE 2005
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With all the many World War 2 anniversaries taking place this year, there seemed nationally to be greater attention paid to the Remembrance commemorations. The Branch as usual played a full part in local events.
Remembrance Day. This year the Canadian High Commission took over the organisation of the commemorative service at the Brookwood Military Cemetery, although the splendid surviving members of the Normandy Veterans Association remained very much in evidence. With the others present, our standard was paraded around the simple white cross that is a distinguishing feature of British and Commonwealth war cemeteries world-wide. Major Peter Unwin laid a wreath on behalf of the Branch.
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Remembrance Sunday. Once again the Royal Garrison Church was jam packed for the Remembrance Day service with GSM Joe Fairbairn much in evidence. Those members of the Branch not attending their own local ceremonies participated. Our standard was paraded and Major Mike Wilson laid the Branch wreath. Our picture, cut from the local paper by Derek Sherrard-Smith shows local MP, Gerald Howarth, and garrison officers laying their wreaths. Mike Wilson can be seen on the right awaiting his turn.
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A word of praise is due to our standard bearer Fred Bridges and his wife Jean. That day, in addition to the Garrison service, Fred supported by Jean also took part in ceremonies in Aldershot Town at 0900 and in Fleet at 1400. Well done to both of you.
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Farewell, St Omer…..or Not ?
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For the past three years, we have announced that our Christmas Lunch at St Omer Barracks will be the last to be held there due to a forthcoming rebuild. Each time, to our great pleasure, there has been a reprieve. This year, we even billed the event as “Farewell to St Omer” having been reliably informed that we would have to celebrate our end of year lunch a month early, as by December the barracks would be no more. Well, as those who attended on 15th November will already know, it looks as if we may well be back there yet again in 2006!
The lunch was, as usual, impeccably prepared and served by the trainee mess stewards and mess supervisors and we extend our appreciation to Mr Armstrong and his team for their attention to detail. We were delighted to have with us again Bernard Redshaw, who is shortly to hand over his editorship of The Wire before departure for his homeland, New Zealand. This was an opportunity to express our sincere thanks for his achievements in changing the image of our Corps Magazine during his tenure, including his final act, which is to be the forthcoming full-colour issue.
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Major Nick Beecher, OC 251 Squadron, was our other welcome guest, together with some of his civilian and military staff. He was able to give a resume of the change in role and composition of the squadron, now with a much larger military content than hitherto. We look forward to establishing a closer liaison with him and his serving soldiers in the months to come.
Our photograph shows that, with trainee mess stewards around, Tom Lynch is taking no chances with his best suit. Kath Lynch watches apprehensively.
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ANNUAL WELFARE APPEAL
RHQ greatly welcomes our annual welfare contributions and they publish examples of deserving cases regularly in ‘The Wire’. This year we were able to forward £407, which included the generous donation from 261 Signal Squadron generated from a talk they gave to a local Rotary Club, as noted in our last Newsletter.
We again appeal to the generosity of members for donations, which will be passed either to the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund or to another deserving service charity.
Please make a special effort to remember former serving soldiers who have fallen on hard times and use the form at Annex ‘E’ to this Newsletter to send your contributions to the Treasurer.
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MISCELLANEOUS SNIPPETS
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RSA ANNUAL REUNION, 2005: DVD AND VIDEO
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RHQ inform us that a DVD and Video showing the highlights of the 2005 annual Reunion at Blandford are now on sale. Approximately 36 minutes in length, this excellent production shows all aspects of the reunion weekend; from members booking in at Reception, the Princess Royal Day Parade, the static displays and indoor range, the Arena Display, the march past by WW2 Veterans, the Sunday church service and final March Past.
Orders for the DVD @ £6 each and Video (VHS) @ £8 each (both incl p& p) should be sent to Peter Cuckow, RSA Membership Secretary, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8RH, with cheque payable to ‘Royal Signals Benevolent Fund’.
The chairman holds the branch copy which any member may borrow.
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TV LICENCES FOR THE 75’s++
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One of the benefits of maturity is that reaching the age of 75 entitles you to a free TV licence for the household. Your renewal notice includes this information, inviting you to apply using a given 0845 or 0870 number, both chargeable. We are, however, grateful to one of our members, John Larke, who discovered (via the internet) that this can also be done using a freephone number: 0800 551 550 or 0800 328 2020. Thanks, John, for passing on the pickings of your perspicacious survey!
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‘TAIL PIECES’
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For the festive season, we hope you will have a quiet chortle at these notices that actually appeared in Church bulletins or were announced by the vicar:
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- Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM.
Please use the back door.
- Next Friday there will be tryouts for the choir.
They need all the help they can get.
- At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?”.
Come early and listen to our choir practice.
- Ladies, please remember the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
- Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again", giving obvious
pleasure to the congregation.
- For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery
downstairs.
- Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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