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COUNTY WELFARE FUND

GROUP & BRANCH DONATIONS

1 JULY 2014 TO 30 JUNE 2015

HORNCHURCH BRANCH £ 1000CHELMSFORD BRANCH £ 1000SOUTH WOODHAM FERRERS BRANCH £ 360CLACTON ON SEA BRANCH £ 50TAKELEY BRANCH £ 500GREAT DUNMOW BRANCH £ 860WICKFORD BRANCH £ 1500HOCKLEY BRANCH £ 250WEELEY & Lt CLACTON BRANCH £ 50BRENTWOOD BRANCH £ 250

TOTAL RECEIVED FROM BRANCHESTHIS FINANCIAL YEAR TO DATE - £5820

‘Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.’(Henry Ford)

COUNTY NOTICES & EVENTS

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGIONESSEX COUNTYNEWSLETTER

BRANCH FUND INITIATIVE 2%

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

2014

BRANCH ACCOUNTS ARE

NOW - OVERDUE!

Major J B Buckley-Saxon (Bram):

admitted as a Life Member of the

Royal British Legion

The National Chairman, Mr John Chrisfordpresenting Major Buckley-Saxon with hiscertificate and badge of Life Membership

Since joining the Legion, Bram has played a very full and activepart in all Legion activities at Branch, Group and County level.He gives freely of his time, without ever seeking recompenseand has been in the front line of his Branch throughout hisservice, having taken on the roles of Branch Secretary,Treasurer, Chairman, Vice-President, President and GroupDelegate. He has been a member of the County Committee forten years and continues to be so. In addition to his Legionactivities he served on the Parish Council for many years andwas until recently a member of the Police Watch Committee. Heis also a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Scouts.Major Buckley-Saxon is one of those especially proactive Legionmembers who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in avariety of roles whilst shouldering, with great dedication, themajority of the work and responsibility. During his longassociation with the Legion he has worked unceasingly to projectthe aims of the Legion, its work and its public image

THE ROYAL CHARTER

The 2003 Royal Charter of Incorporation and Schedules –Version 9, dated 31st July 2014, is now available on theMembership page of The Royal British Legion website(http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/membership/members-information/royal-charter).

This version incorporates the Charter Motions carried at AnnualConference 2014 and subsequently supported by the Board ofTrustees at its meeting on 19th June 2014, includingconsequential changes to the Governing Regulations. Thechange to Article 3 (e) has not yet been ratified by the PrivyCouncil so is not included; this latest version will only be availableon the Legion web site.

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COUNTY STANDARD BEARERS

COMPETITION

The County Standard Bearers Competition washeld on Sunday, 5 October at the Writtle CristianCentre.

The winners were:

RBL STANDARD BEARERTONY MOTLY – BILLERICAY BRANCH

WOMENS SECTION STANDARD BEARERIRIS LINE – HATFIELD HEATH BRANCH

RBL NOVICE CUPRUTH LEWIS – NORTH WEALD

The photograph shows the nine contestants with theirJudges, John Collins of Cambridge (extreme left) andLaura Ashton of Surrey (extreme right)

More next month if, hopefully, some photographs of thesuccessful competitors are forthcoming!

ANNUAL RENEWALThe annual renewal cycle is underway. Please make note

of the following important dates:

17th July – 31st OCTOBER – No members can betransferred to alternative branches between these dates

2nd OCTOBER – collection of annual renewal membershipfees for DD payers

1ST FEBRUARY 2015 – All unpaid for cards must bereturned to CDI in Eastleigh for credit to the Branch.

MEMBERSHIP HANDBOOKThe updated Membership Handbook is now

available for all Branches on a dedicatedexternal web area. This new digital formatensures that all branches have access to an

up to date version at all times. Visit theexternal web area at:

www.britishlegion.org.uk/membershiphandbook

Username: memhandbookPassword: TRBLmem£86

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL MEMBERSHIP

FORMS CAN BE DOWNLOADED ON

OUR COUNTY WEBSITE BY VISITING

http://counties.britishlegion.org.uk/counties/essex/branch-adminstration

MS1 FORMS DUE FROM ALL

BRANCHES BY 31ST DECEMBER

2014

We’ve received a few queries about theMS1 forms – please note that these formswill not be distributed by post from Head

Office. They can be downloaded bybranches from the Legion website:

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/membership/members-information/membership-

documents

WELFARE CONTACTSThis is a reminder for Welfare referrals and queriesfor Branches:

Via the Contact Centre – 0808 802 8080Via the shared Area inbox by email -

eastanglia@britishlegion.org.uk

THE NEWSLETTER

Is edited by the County Treasurer – Bryan Emery.

He may be contacted on any matter concerningthe newsletter including suggestions forimprovement, layout, or what have you! Youmay send contributions for inclusion in thenewsletter direct to the Email address shownbelow. It would be helpful if all contributionsare sent using Ariel 9 point font.

bryan.emery@btinternet.com

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THAXTED MOURNS THE LOSS

OF A GALLANT OFFICER

The sad death of Major (Retd) David Helme, aged 93 years,occurred on Sunday 31st August 2014 at home in Thaxted. Born inLancaster on 13th December 1920, David spent most of hischildhood with his parents and brothers and sister in South Africa.He was sent back to England to be educated at Winchester College.He read for a degree in History and Political Science at ChristChurch College Oxford before joining the Coldstream Guards as anOfficer at the outbreak of the Second World War. After a short spellin England undergoingpublic duties with thenewly formed 6th Battalion,he was sent out to NorthAfrica with a draft ofreinforcements for thedepleted 3rd Battalion, TheColdstream Guards,deployed as part of the8thArmy.

David remained with thisBattalion in North Africathroughout 1942 and 1943seeing action as a PlatoonCommander as part of the8th Army at KnightsbridgeBox, Tobruk, Gazala,Medinine on the MarethLine, Wadi Akrit,Enfidaville through toTunis where the Afrika Korps collapsed and surrendered. InSeptember 1943, his Battalion was transferred to Italy and landed atSalerno. He was involved in some of the bitterest fighting throughoutthe Italian Campaign during 1943 and 1944, including the capture ofNaples, the Volturno Crossing, Capua and Teano and the twobattles of Mount Camino. It was at Mount Camino that David Helmewas severely wounded in the head by shrapnel from a burstingmortar bomb. The explosion also killed the sergeant who wasbeside him and whose body fell on top of David, hiding him fromview. Presumed killed and missing in action, David was fortunatelyfound still alive some 12 hours later and was evacuated fortreatment. Having recuperated from his wounds, David returned tohis Battalion and remained with them in Italy until the end of the war.He was finally demobilized in 1946 and returned to civilian life inEngland.

After the war David joined Lloyds in London as a broker and movedto Essex to bring up his family at “Muscombs”, near Broxted. In2006 “Muscombs” was purchased for the proposed expansion ofStansted Airport and David moved with his wife Joan to Thaxted.David was a member of the Royal British Legion for 66 years,having joined in 1948 after leaving the Army. He was President ofthe Thaxted Branch from 2010 until ill health forced him to standdown in 2013. He leaves behind three daughters and a stepson. AMemorial Service took place at Thaxted Parish Church on Tuesday30th September

0BITUARY

LIGHTS OUT SERVICE

Mersea Island Royal British Legion led the Lights outservice at the West Mersea War Memorialcommencing at 2140hrs on 4 August to commemoratethe start of WW1. Reverend Sam Norton introduced theservice and there was a roll call of the fallen fromWW1. Three posies of flowers were laid, a poem saidand a song sung followed by a time of reflection . Theservice ended at 2203hrs with lights out; and dismissedwith the Khomia Epitaph (there were about 130present)

WEST MERSEA

PETER GRETALY

GREAT WAKERING BRANCHIt is with sadness that the Great Wakering andDistrict Branch of the Royal British Legionannounces the passing of their past ChairmanPeter Gretaly on Sunday 28th September - sadlymissed by all.

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COMMEMORATION OF H.M.S. KITE

On 21st August a short service was held at the HMS Kite memorialin Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens to remember the crew ofHMS Kite who were lost 70 years ago on Arctic convoy JW59.

HMS Kite was a Royal Navy Black Swan-class sloop which thepeople of Braintree adopted in 1942 as part of the Admiralty’s‘Warship Week’ initiative when she was being built at CammellLaird on the River Mersey. She entered service early in 1943 andwas part of the force protecting Atlantic convoys from the U-boatthreat. In August 1944 she was with a convoy bound for Murmanskand, at 06.30 on 21st, HMS Kite was torpedoed off Greenland andsank in 90 seconds. Just 14 of the 217 man crew were pulled fromthe icy waters and only nine survived to return to Britain.

Andrew MacGregor organized the commemoration to honour hisuncle, a Chief Petty Officer on the ship, who was lost along with hisshipmates when HMS Kite went down. The service was attended bymembers of the Royal British Legion, Trustees of the PublicGardens and a National Council Member of the Royal NavalAssociation who gave the Exhortation and laid a posy of poppies.The Revd Beth Bendrey, Rector of St Peter & St Paul at BlackNotley, led the prayers and the Colchester Pipe Band played alament followed by other music.

It was just a small gathering but it reaffirmed the Binyon words “Atthe going down of the sun and in the morning, we will rememberthem”.

LOCAL DEBDEN SONGWRITERHITS THE RIGHT NOTE

A member of Debden Branch Essex RBL, Lisa Peretti, has just hadtwo songs that she has written accepted by the Military Wives ChoirFoundation (made famous by Gareth Malone) to be part of therepertoire in their national song book. Both songs were composedto mark the Centenary of World War 1. The first song called “MyHeart Goes With You” reflects the feeling of wives and girlfriendssaying farewell to their loved ones. The second song is called “Bythe Farthest Sea” with a theme taken from Psalm 139.

Lisa, a professional singer/songwriter and musician, was born inSeattle USA and studied at Mountview Theatre Academy. She iscurrently the Director of Music for the 16-strong Carver BarracksMilitary Wives Choir at Carver Barracks, Wimbish, near SaffronWalden. The Choir has built up a large band of supporters in thelocal area where they regularly perform.

Lisa conducted the premier public performance of her song “MyHeart Goes With You” accompanied by the Band of the Corps ofRoyal Engineers at a large Concert in Saffron Walden alongsideJools Holland. The Concert commemorated 75 years of BombDisposal in the British Army. Lisa Peretti will be entertainingDebden Branch RBL at their annual Branch Dinner at CarverBarracks in early November. The Military Wives Choir will beperforming at the “C” Group RBL annual Carol Service which isbeing held at Saffron Walden Church this year.

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WICKFORD RBL CLUB

MEMBER OF THE BAR STAFF RAISES THE

MAGNIFICANT SUM OF £416 FOR THE

POPPY APPEAL: SIMPLY BY KEEPING HER

MOUTH FIRMLY SHUT!

One of the young Wickford Club Bar Staff,Loren Hannon age 22, has raised themagnificent sum of £416 for Poppy Appeal witha sponsored silence whilst working a shift at thebar. A notice indicated that members wouldhave to put in their order and she wouldindicate at the till how much they were due topay. This was over a period of four hours andtry though members might to make her speakbefore making their donation, she stayed true toher 'written' word.

This was no mean feat for a girl whocurrently holds the world land speed record

for talking!!!.

WELL DONE LOREN

TOWER OF LONDON

Both Karen Bowman, PAO for Billericay andChristine Higgins, PAO for Wickford,have completed a shift, albeit on separatedays, in planting the ceramic poppies in theMoat at the Tower of London. to commemoratethe sacrifice of British & Commonwealth troopsin WW1. It was four hours of hard, butextremely satisfying work, assembling thespikes before hammering into the ground andthen securing the poppy head.

Many tourists looked on with words ofencouragement. Volunteers are still required tocomplete this task of filling the moat beforeRemembrance Sunday and can apply online atthe Historic Royal Palaces website. Ceramicpoppies are available for purchase at £25 andwill be dispatched after Remembrance Sunday

LANGDON HILLS

A WW1 Commemoration day was organised bythe Deputy County Treasurer, Dudley Naslund,at his local church, St Mary's Langdon Hills, onBank holiday Monday. £420 was donated to thePoppy Appeal