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Extracts from the UK Outpost Issue
No 68 -
Spring 2008
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Chairman's Chat Moving on, our next gathering will be the AGM in May – see notice elsewhere. I am looking forward to a better turn out this year, please. Could I emphasise part of the notice – if you want to eat, let Parry know. Also on the AGM, an apology. The Notice should have included an advice to the effect that your committee will be proposing a minor amendment to the bye-laws. I am therefore giving the required notice now - it is nothing contentious -merely a provision to include in our “objectives” the need for collection and collation of memorabilia. Finally, we must appreciate that not everybody subscribes to electronic communications. If you have something you want to get across to the membership, what better medium than using The Outpost. I will set an example by mentioning again our plans for a permanent memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. At this stage I can only say that plans are progressing, we have the plot, we have the designs but finding someone to construct it at a reasonable price is proving a little difficult. I hope to be able to report more at the AGM at which I look forward to seeing you. Peter Phillips 6905 Note from the Absent Hon. Sec. My thanks to those who have kept the secretarial things going in my absence, particularly Bertie and Jeannie. I should just about be arriving back in England as you receive this Outpost and able to ‘do my duty’ preparing for the AGM. We have been discussing ways of saving your money. Not putting subscription receipts into envelopes and posting them seems to be a good way. In future therefore, no acknowledgements of subs will be sent unless they are specifically requested. Where acknowledgements are requested, details of the receipt will be sent by email where possible. Receipts will still be written but will be left in the book. Some members send cheques for a greater amount than their subs, which currently stands at ten pounds per annum. Whenever you do send more than the subs, please advise to what purpose the extra should be applied e.g. donation to ‘Association’, donation to ‘Trust’, ‘next years subs’ etc. This prevents us applying them in the wrong place or having to contact you to ask what you want done. A quick update on the pension saga. In October I received a pro-forma to complete. They already had all the info but I completed and returned it. Their covering letter included: “Once we have this information from you we will spend time considering your responses and the policy and legislative issues which are raised by your enquiry. For this reason it may be some time before we get back to you.” I understand that other people have received similar letters. In the event of them ever making a decision, rest assured that I will advise you. Barry Henson.5662 Annual General Meeting 2008 The United Kingdom Branch AGM will be held at the Victory Services Club, Seymour Street, London on Saturday 10th May 2008, commencing at 11.00am. At the conclusion of the meeting a buffet lunch at £5 a head will be available but only with a prior booking before 1st May with the Hon. Sec. or Parry Jones. No booking ~ No Lunch A bar facility will also be available. Any member seeking accommodation must contact the Club and make their own arrangements direct. Assistant Secretary/Q.Rep Comment This extract from the comment by our Asst Hon Sec, Bertie Cubitt, applies equally to our overseas members as well as those in the UK. “Another plea is PLEASE notify me or the Hon. Sec of changes of address, telephone numbers and email addresses as there is nothing worse than trying to contact members who appear to have vanished into thin air – a quick email is all that is required or a snail mail note, no need for a full letter, but PLEASE remember to include your regimental number as it makes tracing so much easier and your Outpost does not go astray.” Notes from the London monthly meetings follow: 6 November 2007 – The VSC saw a turnout consisting of 4278 John Balchin, 4503 Derek Humberstone, 4738 Cliff Rogers, 4853 Fred Punter, 5248 Alan Lane, 5507 Brian Taylor, 5958 Dick Isemonger (SA), 5975 Mike Abbotts, 6348 Dennis Poole, 6527 Mike O’Donnell, 7310 Ed Ions (SA), 7359 Bertie Cubitt, 7677 Peter Dewe, 8278 Tony Marillier (Zim), 19566 Skip Rausch and Ian Stewart. 4 December 2007 - The Christmas ‘do’ at the VSC. Although we had a smaller turnout than usual the gathering still went off very well. 5075 Dick Ray sent apologies for not being able to attend the Christmas ‘do’ and extended best regards to all old mates at the VSC. Peter Phillips expressed our thanks to 6125 Mike Horner, who yet again donated calendars, fridge magnets etc at this years function as a contribution to Association Funds. Those in attendance were: 4046 Ted Galloway, 4158 Tim Weimer, [4180] Jeanne May, 4278 John Balchin, 468 Frank and Phil Maguire, 4503 Derek Humberstone, 4735 Cliff Rogers, 4809 John Turk, 4819 Brian and Jacky Lay, 4851 Murray and Mavis Harrison, 4853 Fred and Margaret Punter, 4882 Peter Dancer with guests Wendy Dancer and Carol Hellyer, 5055 Ken Miners, 5468 Dave Adshead, 5469 Dave Grimbly, 5479 Mike Leach, 5486 Mick Wood, 5507 Brian Taylor, 5615 Tom and Joan Meekin, 5625 Biff Way, 5635 Dave Riley with guest Anthony Riley, 5975 Mike Abbotts, 5998 Ian and Finda Dunbar, 6015 Al and Jean Patterson, 6125 Mike and Roxanne Horner, 6150 Dave Paterson, 6308 Dan Hughes, 6348 Dennis Poole, 6360 John Moxham, 6514/7562 Chris Johnson, 6609 Parry Jones, 6630 Jim Hazlett, 6737 Mike Coleman, 6905 Peter Phillips with guest Bim Phillips, 7072 Terry and Jan Walmsley, 7211 Peter and Margaret Biddulph, [7327] Maggie Plant, 7359 Bertie Cubitt, 7391 Alan and Lynn Toms, 7612 Jerry Rickson, [8177] Cindy Winter, 8278 Tony Marillier, 8338 Mal and Roz Thurman, 17542 Dave and Sheila Kipling, 19566 Skip Rausch and Associate Jean Henson. 1 January 2008 – the First Tuesday in January was New Year’s Day – hence despite the ‘Oops’ in the previous Outpost there was no BSAP gathering at the VSC that month. 5 February 2008 saw the attendance of 5975 Mike Abbotts 4278 John Balchin, 4735 Cliff Rogers, 4840 Mike Purslow, 4853 Fred Punter, 5248 Alan Lane, 5479 Mike Leach, 5625 Biff Way, 6308 Dan Hughes, 6348 Dennis Poole, 6507 Seamus Power, 6737 Mike Coleman, 6905 Peter Phillips, 7046 Colin Hanner, 7211 Peter Biddulph, 7359 Bertie Cubitt, 8338 Mal Thurman with guest Gary King and.19566 Skip Rausch. North West Region: 4933 Rod Wilson reports that 21 members and guests attended their Christmas Lunch on 9th December . Val Marsden was away in South Africa and says that she scattered Barry’s ashes at Victoria Falls alongside the Livingstone memorial, which was Barry’s wish. Those attending the lunch were 4933 Rod Wilson and daughter Andrea, 8199 Bugs Moran and wife Tessa, 5058 Alan Whitehurst, 8307 Flash Firth and Jeanette, 9786 Lance Combrink with Elizabeth and Charlotte, 4041 Alan Day, (5607) Penny Bolton and Pete Williams, 2030679 Paula Wooley, 7207 Arnold Wooley, 7084 Frank and Margaret Dearden, 5642 Mike Parr and Patricia, 204504 Dot Stanford-Smith and 4549 Ken Stanford-Smith. Bugs Moran and Mike Parr are very welcome first timers. I have had a couple of phone calls from others who have not been before but were responding to my appeal in the Outpost and will attend in the future. I also had a call from 4843 Sid and Vera Strickland who were going to attend but unfortunately Vera had a fall just two days before. They hope to join us at the March function. Apologies also came from Mike Leach, Roy Aston and of course, Steve Robins who was in Hong Kong as usual. Our next meetings are at the Myerscough on 9 March, followed as usual on the second Sunday in June and September and our Christmas Lunch on 14 December On behalf of you all I have sent congratulations to John Franklyn Bellamy on his 100th Birthday and to Neil Smudge Smith on his 80th Birthday. Southern Counties: For the many members who attended the Southern Counties Lunches held in June over the last several years, you will recall a pleasant day with friends and old comrades. With the passing of Bernard Terry, there has been a void created. Having discussed the matter with a few people I propose to organise a Lunch on 28 JUNE 2008 at the INN ON THE HILL which is in Lower Street, Haslemere Surrey. GU27 2PD. What I would like from you is an indication of your interest in such a get together. For the sake of a 2nd Class stamp, just drop me a line with your name and address and whether you would like to attend. I am sorry that I cannot give you more information at this stage, but there is a rush to get this snippit of information to Mike for the next Outpost, which he tells me is almost ready to go to the printers...... With regards Mike Horner 6125 One Hundredth Birthday 3005 John Franklyn Bellamy An Honorary Life Member of the UK Branch of the BSAP Regimental Association 3005 Sub Inspector Bellamy was born on 12/01/1908 and celebrated his 100th birthday on 12/01/2008 with his family in Devon. He joined the BSAP on 30/03/1928 and retired on 15/05/1949. His daughters, Mary Etherton and Alexandra Kitson, sent us the following letter: “Dear Friends, Our father, Franklyn Bellamy, received many greetings, good wishes and congratulations from you on the occasion of his hundredth birthday. He found your varied expressions of solidarity, memory and support truly wonderful and overwhelming. He wants us to write and thank you all very, very much for them. Many of you referred to troopers and places in what was then Rhodesia and he felt that the occasion was enriched by remembering them. Our father cannot move easily, but his mind remains as sharp as ever. Your references triggered vivid memories of that more youthful and fulfilling time in his life; and this immeasurably transformed his day, which was, by the fact of being held in a small Devon village, a very English occasion. The walls of his four hundred year old cottage melted into an inner sight of that even more ancient African bush he rode through, first on horseback and then on motorbike, in the BSAP. The day was marked by a succession of people coming in and wishing him well. We, his two daughters and our husbands, hosted the sequence of events for him. He received his card from HM The Queen, which he greatly appreciated. Franklyn wants us to say how sorry he is that he cannot write back personally to each one of you, as he would love to do. We know that he will treasure all your cards and expressions of goodwill". Mary Etherton and Alexandra Kitson Franklyn received congratulations from the following members of the BSA Police Regimental Association: 967 D.S. Johnson MBE – Exeter.
History Section The UK Branch Committee has set up a History Section sub-committee with the aim of “improving the gathering, recording, preservation and display of BSAP records and memorabilia by all branches of the Association.” One of the first steps taken by the Section was to invite those known to have an interest in the history of the BSAP to attend a meeting at the Victory Services Club on 7th August last year and seek their views on how best the Association could go about achieving the improvements. Those attending were: Fred Punter, Brian Taylor, Cliff Rogers, Bertie Cubitt and Alan Toms. Apologies were received from Tim Beddard, Jim Hazlett, Wayne Kennerley, Mike Leach, Hugh Phillips, Peter Phillips, Geoff Quick and Alan Stock, however most of those unable to attend submitted suggestions which were considered at the meeting. A précis of the main items discussed follows: It was felt that there was a lack of co-operation amongst branches as to the gathering and preservation of memorabilia. Suggestions to improve it included amendment of the constitution to make it an objective of the Association to take steps to gather and preserve Force records and memorabilia, and the appointment by each branch of a History Rep to be responsible for liasing with other branches about material coming to their attention. The National Army Museum (NAM) in Chelsea, London, should remain the prime repository for all BSAP records and memorabilia world wide and it is hoped other branches could be encouraged to agree to this. Other secure museums and institutions could also be encouraged to take duplicates of items already in the NAM Publicising the activities of the section is important, with regular articles describing branch historical activities appearing in the Outposts, the History Group on the web and on Andy Field’s and Tim Beddard’s sites. The recording of items received by the UK branch is presently handled by Cliff Rogers who catalogues the items, which are then photographed or scanned by Jim Hazlett before being deposited in the NAM. This should continue, Jim producing from time to time a DVD of items received. Geoff Quick presently maintains records of the whereabouts of BSAP records and a bibliography of books and other publications that refer to the BSAP. He has offered to continue in the capacity. The display of items is important. Suggestions on ways to do this other than the display at the UK Branch Annual braai should be sought. The UK Branch committee is following up on these suggestions. One result has been the provision of funds to purchase microfilm for use in copying at the National Archives in Zimbabwe the issues of the Police Review, Rhodesian Defence Force Journal and Outposts necessary to complete the collection in the National Army Museum. This complements the ongoing exercise to obtain funding, in co-operation with the University of the West of England, to digitise the whole collection and publish it on DVD and the web. Other projects presently underway include the publication of the series of booklets “Outpost Memorables” prepared by John Berry and Alan Stock. John has recently completed a book of the complete works of Eben Mocke comprising all the stories Mocke published, his biography and his submission to the National Archives. It is hoped to make this available towards the end of the year. John is also collaborating with Cliff Rogers on the engagement of the BSAP in the World Wars. Wayne Kennerley has also started the compilation of a nominal roll of African Police, a mammoth task, but he volunteered! He is also collating records on the PRAW. There is a lot going on out there and it is hoped that by publicising the activities of the History Section some of you who read this will be encouraged to contribute to the Section’s aim of the preservation of the BSAP for future generations. BSAP
Trust The object of this article is indicate to members of the UK Branch of the BSAP RA the circumstances in which the BSAP Trust might be able to assist them, their wives and minor children when they are ‘distressed’. The Trust is a registered charity and is therefore bound by the various Acts and Regulations governing charities. The first golden rule is to determine if there is Government provision, financial or otherwise, for the person in need, if so, that should be followed up immediately. The Charities Commission has made this point very clear that Trustees of Charities who contravene this provision will be ‘dealt with’. It must be borne in mind that Charities such as the BSAP Trust are not funeral societies. If a member has insufficient funds to pay for the funeral, a grant should be sought from the relevant Government Department. The Trustees of the BSAP Trust might consider paying the balance for an unostentatious funeral. Should you become aware of a member or his wife or minor children being sick and they appear to be in need of help of any kind please let the Almoner know as soon as possible. The Almoner will then seek assistance from his local area Assistant Almoner to ascertain the details of the ‘the distress’ etc. and report back to him. He will then report to the Trustees who will determine the action to be taken. Some of our more elderly members who served during World War Two and others who underwent National Service might well qualify for assistance from Service Charities, who have joined with our Trust in helping those qualified members. The names, telephone numbers, postal and email addresses of the Almoner and the Trustees appear on the inside back cover of The U.K. Outpost. The late Ian Douglas Smith December 2007 saw Memorial Services for the late Ian Smith taking place in South Africa (Wynberg, Cape Town), Australia (Perth) and England (Newbury). Each service had BSAP representation as well as that of other former Rhodesians. 10131 Ollie (Guy) French reported that the UK Memorial Service, attended by some 150 people, was a very nice and dignified service at which Brigadier Pat Lawless of the Rhodesian Army Association in the UK delivered the eulogy. Rememberance Day 2007 6348 Dennis Poole reports on the Remembrance Service held at the Field of Remembrance, St Margaret’s Church, next to Westminster Abbey on Sunday 11 November 2007. As usual the Service of Remembrance and Reunion Luncheon was organised by the Rhodesian Army Association, whose Chairman thanked the BSAP for their continued support of the Parade during his address at the Luncheon. The BSAP contingent this year consisted of: 4278 John Balchin, 4503 Derek Humberstone and daughter, 5479 Mike and Jan Leach, 6348 Dennis Poole – who was the BSAP standard bearer on this occasion, 6609 Hywel Parry-Jones, 7225 Keith Brown and guests, 9270 Geraint Jones and guest, 19566 Norman (Skip) Rausch and [4180] Jeanne May.
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