Secretary's Report
In spite of advancing age we still seem to be able to achieve a good attendance at the Branch meetings, and the November one was no exception. It was a bit on the quiet side during the approach to 11.00 hrs and we began to wonder where everyone was. No need to worry though, they all turned up. And it was worth the journey, as apart from the meeting itself, Dave Purvis of the Buccaneer's Diving Team gave a talk describing the results of a dive taken in French waters. Fuller coverage is given in the Chairman's message following.
Those in receipt of the Branch Minutes will have seen that John Williamson announced that he could accommodate anyone wishing to pay their subs. for 2010 at the meeting. It is particularly important that this coming year, we finalise the taking of subs. much earlier than occurred last time. We were into June last before all subs. were received. Not only does this involve the Treasurer spending time in chasing, it also involves money spent in postage and delays the issue of the updated members list that is sent out to all Members and Associates once subs. are in. If you are not, normally, able to attend meetings but intend to renew membership for 2010 (and we hope that you do!) would you let John have your subs. within the next couple of weeks? It will help a lot and save us time and trouble. £5.00 covers it. Thanks in anticipation.
Social Secretary, Bill Fenton is currently making enquiries about Warners at Bembridge, I.O.W., for next year and he would like to get some idea of the number of people who would be interested in a Monday to Friday break there. Obviously, at this stage, no firm commitment is necessary (or possible) but it would be a help to Bill with his enquiries if he had some idea of possible take up. So if you would be interested do please contact us so that we can pass onto him some idea of requirements. We will be glad to hear from you.
On the health front, a call to Dennis Reeve brought the good news that recovery from his operation on a particularly nasty aneurysm is going well. Sybil, his wife, is unfortunately not doing so well with her own troubles and is waiting to go into hospital. But in spite of this, they will try to be present at the January meeting. We On the health front, a call to Dennis Reeve brought the good news that recovery from look forward to greeting them there!
Dennis did mention that Ken Speed, a London Branch member for many years, had asked him when subs. were due. Ken, who was a fellow crew member with Dennis on MGB.647 has, for some years now, been unable to get to meetings and he was concerned that if his subs. were not paid then delivery of the Branch newsletter would be interrupted and he would lose touch. Now this has come up before on several occasions from other quarters. It would seem that the newsletter dropping through the letter box might mean a lot more to the recipient than we realise. So when you read this, Ken, rest assured that we will hang on as long as is necessary to ensure that your one drops through without interruption. And our best wishes will come with it.
Bill MacAngus, at the time of writing, has just returned from a spell in hospital for a remedial operation that will, hopefully, make life a bit better for him.
Christmas will be approaching by the time this newsletter reaches you. We hope that yours will be a happy and peaceful one.
E.D.
Chairman's Message
On behalf of our members, I send Christmas Greetings to all readers, especially our shipmates of London Branch who are unable to get to our meetings on HMS Belfast. Enjoy Christmas, I say, because immediately afterwards we have to get through yet another New Year. But then, I always was a chokkaholic ; just one long drip. That's why this Chairman's job suits me — so much opportunity to drip
Still in our minds at the moment is the recent annual Remembrance Service on the quarterdeck of HMS Belfast. It was well attended by our veterans and supporters and gold braid a- plenty. We missed Rear Admiral Sir M. Morgan Giles who, as a veteran Coastal Forces man and later skipper of HMS BELFAST, was a ‘special’ to us. But age must be telling now. The Service was, as usual, impressive, with our smart Sea Cadets taking part in the laying of wreaths on behalf of the many associated organisations.
As has become the custom, after the Ceremony our Branch members retired to the Gun Room where our Sea Cadets, in recognition of our wartime service, kindly provided refreshments for us. Also, it seems to have become a custom for Admiral Lord West and his charming wife to honour us with a visit and brief chat. Long may that continue.
At our Branch Meeting the following week, Jim Barns gave us a brief account of the CF Remembrance Service at HMS Hornet. As usual, many members of CFVA and our Heritage Trust (CFHT) were present. At the same occasion a commemorative plaque, provided by the CFHT, was ceremoniously placed at the old Hornet base.
Thanks to our CF veterans’ website we were pleased recently to hear from an ex-ML man asking to become a member of the Branch. He had not heard of CFVA. I had invited him to look at us at our Branch meeting first and, liking what he saw (so he said), we had pleasure in welcoming Tex Basely of ML249, to Branch membership. He has already paid his £5 subs for 2010 which, according to our Treasurer, is more than many of our hardened members have done. Tex has yet to learn that our Treasurer, despite his threats, is an old softie really Tex lives within striking distance of HMS Belfast so we look forward to seeing him at our meetings.
I was pleased to meet another likely candidate for Associate Membership; David Carter, son of an ML skipper. David found us through our website and expressed an interest in our cause: to keep the veterans’ flag flying for as long as dammit and to ensure the continuation of interest in all aspects of RN Light Coastal Forces for many years after we veterans have gone. But we do not intend to 'sink without trace'.
Many books have been written about Coastal Forces, and the internet is another excellent medium Recently, David has been helpful to Ted who is currently building up information on CF bases in the west of Italy area. Following my invitation, we met David on HMS Belfast and I learned that his father had been killed in action off the Mediterranean island of Elba while commanding HDML 1301. The boat survived the war and David has given me an interesting and poignant story of 1301's history.
Subject to his permission, I intend to post an account of it on our website when time permits. Meanwhile I hope that David will join our Branch and enjoy our company as an Associate Member.
I am pleased to report that Treasurer John Williamson’s Financial Statement for this period, (distributed to Branch members), shows that our Branch funds, though modest, are in good shape. I and others from our Branch recently attended the bi-annual lunch of CF members and supporters which is held at an excellent hotel at Cooden Sussex in October and April.
The Director of CFHT, Trevor Robotham, chaired the meeting and gave us an interesting report on the Trust' s current activities.
I was impressed with the latest issue of the CFHT's Newsletter and do recommend that those of us who do not see and support it should get in touch with Reg Ellis, our Trustee member of CFHT; only £10 pa and for a good cause—it’s about our Heritage! All interested readers are welcome to join this registered charity. The Trust’s Newsletter is the only means of keeping non-computer veterans in touch with CF events. Their website is also much improved and is a really professional job; almost as interesting as ours. It is well worth a regular look, (see our LINKS section).
At our meeting on 15th November we were delighted to have Dave Purvis attend. Dave is a member of 'The Buccaneers’, a group of amateur deep-sea divers. He had contacted us through our website, allowed us to publish an article, and kindly accepted our invitation to give us a talk on their recent sea-bed discoveries. The Buccaneers had found a wreck off the French coast and eventually identified it as being the WW2 Coastal Forces craft SGB 7. His account of their discovery and realisation that it was the remains of a British warship left our members silenced. He assured us that from that moment on; they treated the site with respect. Eventually their painstaking search below, and research from authorities on dry land, provided proof that they had found SGB 7. She had been sunk in action against German naval units in 1942. At least four crew members had been killed and survivors captured. Dave stressed that all his members had observed the wreck as a British war grave and had paid their respects at the site. Nothing had been removed from the site. All our members found the talk, supported by Laptop pictures, to be most interesting and much too short. We were indeed grateful to Dave for giving up his Sunday, and travelling a considerable distance, to tell us of their hazardous hobby. We do hope that we hear, and see, much more of the Buccaneers. Dave is now trying to get in touch with anyone with a personal interest in SGB 7 and its crew.
Some new plans are afoot regarding the structure of our veterans’ website. Following deep discussion with Kevin Costello who is our new member of the website committee, Ted Else has proposed that Kevin be allowed to reconstruct and redesign our site where he considers that it could be improved to a more professional level. The website has been Ted's ‘baby' since its conception and, if he recommends this move, then I am satisfied. It is typical of Ted that he is being so generous to let go of the reins for the benefit of its improvement Thank you, Ted. We have learned already that Kevin has a professional knowledge of web design and we are indeed fortunate and grateful that he, in memory of his ML veteran father, is willing to provide his services free. It is a pity that Kevin lives too far away for us to enjoy his company. (Near a little hamlet ‘up norf’, called Leamington Spa, I am told). Meanwhile, in answer to our prayers, Kevin is making rapid progress following his recent accident. Fortunately he is much younger than us, so, barring accidents, we have him for a long time. Data input to the site will, of course, still be the web committee's responsibility and the site itself will remain under Branch control.
I was pleased to receive the Minutes of the East Lancashire Branch meeting of 20* September. If I do not receive a later Report from them in time, I will make up a short Report from this one for our Website Newsletter. In the meantime we are pleased to learn that Secretary/Treasurer Len Mears is improving—accidentwise, anyway. I have also just received a Report of the North Midlands Branch meeting of 12th November. Unfortunately the photographs will not be good enough for ‘reproduction’ but, as usual, the full Report will be put on show at our next Branch meeting.
Vice Chairman’s Message
First of all I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and a Wealthy New Year, all you wish yourselves in other words.
Now as to the past year, The Annual National Service for Seafarers at St. Paul’s Cathedral is a lovely Service, I usually apply for 15 tickets this year there were 5 left over and I ask you to apply for them in advance so I can apply for the right amount in future. The 2010 Service will be held on the 13th.October at 17.30hrs. And those going to the service are asked to be n their seats 17.10hrs.at least, God willing I shall be there. There is also a small ceremony in the Crypt of St. Paul’s where Lord Nelson is buried, on 21st. October to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar around Nelson’s tomb.
We still maintain a plot in the Garden of remembrance in the grounds of St. Margaret's alongside Westminster Abbey; it is opened on the Thursday before remembrance Sunday. There were just 3 of us there this year, it takes place from about 10.00hrs.till about 12.00hrs. And I would like to see a better attendance next year.
All the best Wallis
A final reminder of ‘yesterdays bureaucracy' from ED. Sec
The loss of watch N0. 30893489
It was the C.O’s task, when he was not engaging with the enemy, to keep an eye on the ancillary equipment carried aboard. In the case of MTB 752 this would have included the above numbered watch. The C.O. was obliged to send in the following report:
From the Commanding Officer H.M. MTB. 752.
Date ..... 3rd. October 1944.
To ........ The Commanding Officer, HMS. Hornet.
Subject: Loss of watch No. 30893489.
Sir. It is regretted that watch No.30893489 was lost in the following circumstances:
While on duty in the engine room on the 25th September 1944, J. Davidson P.O. M/M 500328 had the watch in his pocket attached to his neck by a string lanyard for safety. Davidson was one of two men who went over the side to a Carley float containing, amongst others, four critically injured men. In the sea running and the difficulties experienced in using the Neil Robertson stretchers, it is presumed that the String lanyard must have broken and the watch was lost. As this man's behaviour was most praiseworthy it is submitted that no blame should be attributed to him.
....................... D.S.C. Lieutenant, R.N.V.R
In these days of procurement (and losses!) where tens or indeed hundreds of millions of pounds are involved, the demise of 30893489 would seem to be pretty small stuff. But it was the responsibility of the C.O. to draw up the report and send it to ‘Hornet. He must have had a lot of other things to do. And when his report reached the C.O. of Hornet, the C.O. would have had to spend some time on it as well.
Sadly, they all knew it had to be done. Otherwise the M.O.D. would never have known how many watches to order next time. I wonder if P.O. Davidson, M/M.500328 realised, as he was struggling in the sea, how much trouble he was causing. I wouldn't have thought so, would you?
