By:Geoff E. Hallam Assistant Secretary
Sirs regret to inform you of the death
of 22545104 A. (Arthur) Turner of the Nottinghamshire Branch who died on the
September 16th 2007. The Service will be held at the Bramcote Crematorium,
Bramcote, Nottingham
at 3.45pm Thursday 27th September 2007.
For those attending medals
may be worn.
Lest we forget
Thanks this week to Betty Pickering (North American
Sec) who is currently travelling around the UK on the QE2. Betty sends me
the North American newsletter and has been promoting us to her
members.
New Members:
23968586 Les Wood 1963 - 1984 IJLB,2nd Bn,
RHQ, 21 SAS, LonDist,lives in Stroud area Glos
2624556 Dennis
Denham 2nd BN
1943-1947 Surrey
B.C.Canada
24608549 Graham Meek 1st Bn 1982-2003 lives in Mansfield joined 1981
Q coy then Sp coy Anti Tanks 86/91 3 Coy 91/95 JHSU 95/97 2 Coy
97/98 Q coy 98 99 Hq coy 99 2000 Nijmegen coy 2000 2002 Hq Foot guards
2002 /2003 member of the Nottingham branch of the Association
Jim says: I used to live close to Meeko in Roxel Munster in the 80s, and
remember quite a few happy sessions on the POP around the
BBQ! Welcome
back mate.
22213651 Donald Hooper former 3rd Battalion, (served in all three
battalions and RMAS, and Pirbright completed 22 yrs,) and last posting at
Warminster as RQMS, lives now in Miami, served from 1950 until April
1976.
Paul Taylor, Nottingham, I was in the 1st Bn from 1960 to 1969, my
tours of duty were as follows,
England 1960.West Africa(Cameroons) May 1961-Oct 1961.England Oct
1961-Nov 1963.Germany Nov 1963-March 1965.
Cyprus March 1965-Oct 1965,(With the UN)Germany 0ct 1965-Jan
1966.England Jan 1966-July 1968.Sharjah July 1968-Feb 1969.England Feb 1969
until demob.The English posting were either Tidworth. Chelsea Barracks.
Wellington Barracks, and Caterham Barracks.Started of in the Queens Company, Was
then transferred to the signals platoon , were I spent the rest of my service.
Also I was a PTI for a while.. When I left the Bn I worked for Securicor in
London at their Head Office. Took early retirement, moved back to
Nottinghamshire, and have started my own gardening business.Lost touch with the
Bn, but have started to go to the Nottinghamshire Grenadier Guards
Association, where I have met some of my old friends and made some new
ones. Would enjoy hearing from anyone who wishes to contact me.
Please send me your Regimental number Paul
Also had comms with Andy Britain who served in both 1st and 2nd Bn's '76 to
'86. waiting for more details, and a R Davis who has yet to send me his
details.
Mick Cofre (24714863 Two Company 1st Battalion 1985 - 1990) dropped
us a line from the Falklands, Mick was on the list for years but
dropped away somehow, anyhow he is back and I think somebody was after him
a few months ago?
Also had this, from: W.F.Sells
I am sorry to
say I never was a Grenadier; My mother talked me out of joining. My Grandfather
was a Grenadier 5754, 1896 - 1912. and my father 2612502 The Kings
company 1930 - 1945. ( London then Sussex branch until 1986. ) You will be
pleased to know after being raised in a Grenadier home, I passed out best
recruit in the R.E.M.E. (sorry).Having said that I am
keen student of the Regiment's history.
Jim says: he obviously will not be added to the list but Ive added him
to my distribution, as he requested a copy of this newsletter, he will
probaly learn more on here
anyway!
I received this via RHQ- word of warning I
dont know her, or if she is bonifide, if anybody knows where he is ask me for
her email address and let him make his mind up!
From a Jane Butler
"I am arranging a reunion for all the CSGTs/SSGTs who
attended the RMAS CADRE 77 but am having trouble trying to locate Dave
Ridley. Do you have any means of being able to help me?
Thank you in
advance".
From:Tony Waudby.
Hi
Jim,re 'AN ACTIVE SERVICE' I can confirm it will cost you £13.72 via post (cost
of post included) you can confirm you are ex regiment by ordering by phone on -
0121 705 3393 - (otherwise it will cost you £19.95 via website!!)
cheers
From:Jim Hobbins:
The book "Sniper one" will not
appeal to everyone, its about a Platoon of snipers with the Princess Diana,s
Royal Regiment...Motto.."The Tigers"...(which to ampshire ogs" will be
familiar),,,,its a story that never reached the papers, about a siege in Iraq
.It is a never ending battle
against ridiculous odds, its told by a Sgt Dan Mills,,,,I have an interest in
snipers and have a few books on snipers and sniping, but, this, is without a
doubt the very best "War" book I have ever readI.ts in everyday Engkish, told as
it happened by man after my own heart. Every soldier, ex and serving will be with this man as you turn
the pages one by one, you will NOT be able to put it down, untill you have
finished...and will be sorry when you have. Needless to say I cannot recommend this book highly
enough.
Sniper One by Sgt Dan
Mills.
ISBN
978-0-718-14994-9
By Penguin.
Try Penguin,com.
From:Don
Keating
I wonder if any of your intrepid
readers could enlighten me as to when the practice of issueing the brass 'name
plate' to new reruits was stopped. Mine came to light recently along with an old
'grenade proper', I thought that had long gone. Mine was issued to me in
1967. Cheers....
Jim says you can/could buy them from
the London Branch- can you still Bill? I know they had gone out by 1976 at
least, because I never got one!
From Brain Benchley:
Once again I am asking for help! And
again it is on the subject of 'Drum Majors & Corps of Drums of The
Regiment'. You very kindly put an entry in your 12th August
Newsletter, and the response to that was good.
I now have a total of 21 'Annual
Type' Photos displayed on the Forum, these are split as follows: 4 X
1st Bn, 7 X 2nd Bn, 7 X 3rd Bn, 1 X
6th Bn, 1 X Gds Trg Bn & 1 from '1897' - not a complete picture
of the Corps, but better than nothing. If anybody is still 'Sitting on One' that
could be added, please send it to me.
Drum Majors fair much better, and I
now have 77 listed, with 'Where & When', and where I have them a small
photograph. What I am short of here are photographs 'In their Uniform - Khaki or
HSC/Statedress - of the following:
M.Betts, S.J. Miles, R.A. Hulse, R. Sergeant, R. Davis, P. Harris, R. Bennett and P.
Hodgkinson.BEM. Again if anybody is
able to help it would be appreciated.
Jim says pse head replies for Brian
Benchley for me to pass you on- do not send me any photos- last thing I
want is Reg Sergeants miserable face on my PC!
From:Spot
(one time Drum major 1st Bn).
As you know - I served in the Welsh Guards for a while
until I managed to escape to the Grenadiers, so I have a dual interest in the
report of the so called Last Post being sounded in Welsh?
May I ask the onlooke - was the Welsh
Drummer using a Bugle or a Rams Horn? we Drummers do get terribly absent minded
at times - ha-ha, Seriously though - in my
day, I always ensured that a good Bugler was on duty as the Drummer with the
Main Guard Tower of London, I wonder what happened on this
occasion?
Grenadiers @
Littlecote
The next gathering is
pre-Christmas 17th, 18th 19th December.
As of today, 12 weeks before
the event, 310 persons have paid their deposits and "Booked
on".
We still have places so if you
intend to join us, then please make contact to reserve your
place.
Visit our site on www.grenadiersatlittlecote.co.uk where
full details are available. Even if you are only partly
interested, then why not visit the site to see if can "wet your
appetite" and if nothing else you can see what you will be missing by not
joining us. As you will observe it really exceptional value
for money.
Telephone contact 01594
530154
Regards to
everyone,
Colin Knight & John
Southern
From: 22955329 Charles Cornell 3rd
Battalion 1954 - 57
While sipping a cool drink here in Cyprus,I thought I
would pass on to you an event relating to the regiment 51 years ago.
There may not be many members of the 3rd Battalion left to remember, but it
seems to me to be yesterday.
On 3rd August 1956, the 3rd Battalion,
1000 strong,{the ranks swelled by recalled reservists} marched out of Chelsea
Barracks with bayonets fixed and colours unfurled. Leading us were the
Corps of Drums and I believe either Pipers from the Scots or Irish
Guards. We marched to Clapham station and boarded a train for
Southampton. At Southampton docks we went aboard the 'SS New
Australia'
an immigrant ship of the Shaw Saville line, conditions were
very good on board and we had a very pleasant cruise to Malta, stopping on the
way at Algiers, where we swapped bits of 'gash' kit for local fruit and
nuts.
On arriving in Malta we moved on to a discarded Air Strip at
a place called 'Ghar Lapsi'. this was the same airstrip where the
Gloucester Gladiator fighters put up a heroic albeit futile attempt to defend
Malta against the German air attacks.We were under canvas and had to spend the
first few nights sleeping on the concrete runway as our straw palliases had not
arrived, this did wonders for our stiff backs!
We were told that
once war was declared with Egypt we would embark for Alexandria and make our way
to Cairo.
One significant point of all this preparation was that
our Support Company had their very modern B.A.T re coiless anti tank guns taken
away to be replaced with World War 2 17 pounder anti tank guns! apparently there
was a fear that the Egyptians would steal the said modern guns. In
fact it transpired that the Egyptian Army was equipped with very modern Russian
ordnance.The time that
the Battalion spent in Malta was brief and not to me very interesting , since I
stumbled over a guy rope one drunken night and spent a long time malingering
with a septic foot.
On the outbreak of the Suez Crises our Support
Company boarded some minesweepers and headed off to Egypt, the idea being to
support our troops attacking the canal by giving covering fire, unfortunately in
the event the canal was blocked by the Egyptians so the Company spent most of
their shore visit collecting souvenirs, I recall Gdsm Lewis rescuing a brass
fireman's helmet which he managed to smuggle back to the UK, however, most of
the other loot was confiscated by the M.P.s
The next time of great
excitement was when we sailed to Cyprus, only this time not so
comfortably.
Our vessel was an ex World War 2 LST {Landing Ship
Tank]named the 'Evan Gibb' this flat bottomed rust bucket went sideways more
than forwards, and the bow doors threatened to break off every time that we hit
a wave.
The most embarrassing moment of this trip was when we
sailed through the American 6th fleet, which apart from numerous battleships
etc., boasted 5 aircraft carriers! and to put us firmly in our place turned into
the wind and launched their aircraft just as we were making our painful progress
past them.
I
hope that my ramblings will stir some memories among our ex Grenadier
Mates especially those of the 3rd Battalion, I have probably not got
everything in the right chronological order, but the events are as
accurate as I can recall. On a sad note during our stay in
either Malta or Cyprus one of our number Gdsm. Chris Dearling was
accidently shot dead in his tent, I have not seen this tragedy mentioned
in any of the Grenadier publications, but I an sure that someone will
recall the
incident