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Vice Chairman’s Report

 

A lot seems to have happened in the last year, much of it relating to the health of our Committee or their wives.   June Fletcher fell at home and broke her hip.   After several weeks in hospital June is now home and they are just about coping.   Alan Powney has had various problems, but hopefully is now on the mend.   Ted Hurdle only became Treasurer in April but is now ill again.   He will continue in post for the moment, but we have now started to look for a replacement.   Bev Doughty came to the Swindon Reunion in May and announced that he would resign as he was worried about his wife’s health.   Clive Ham has replaced Bev.   Welcome to the Committee Clive and a big thank you to Bev for all that he has done in the past.   Tony Marlow has now lost his partner as sadly Cindy has died.   That just leaves me and hopefully I am OK.   Hopefully Bev will be able to attend the next Reunion.

I announced at the last Reunion why Roger Howell was no longer our Treasurer and that he had been replaced by his deputy Ted Hurdle, I am the new deputy.   I also announced that I would notify members, who were not at the Reunion, in the next newsletter and at the same time give another update.   Alan had tried for some months to obtain reimbursement from Roger for the costs of the last newsletter.   There was always a promise, but nothing ever happened.   We then needed some more flags and Alan again asked Roger to transfer some money to the flag manufacturer.   In the absence of a response, Alan asked Ted to visit Barclays Bank and make the transfer.   Ted then found that there was only about £50 in the account when there should have been well over £700.   Ted obtained a Bank Statement which was emailed to Alan and myself.   I found that there had been almost £700 of unauthorised withdrawals made by Roger between the Reunion in May 2017 and August 2017.   Clearly some fast action was needed, and this was duly taken over the phone between the various Members of the Committee.   Within 48 hours Roger was replaced by Ted and I became the new deputy.   I arranged to visit Barclays Bank, in Andover, with Ted.   We put our case and the Bank listened.   We found that Bank Statements had only been sent to Roger, this has now been changed so that copies will be sent to me as well.   We feel that this provides a safeguard for both Ted and our funds.   A very strong letter was then drafted and signed by the Chairman on behalf of the whole Committee.   This time Roger did respond, and he duly paid £700 to our account with a sort of an explanation.   The unauthorised withdrawals constituted theft and on the advice of a friend I went to see Gloucestershire Police.   I provided documentary evidence together with my statement.   This was then passed to Dorset Police as that is where the offence actually took place.   The case has now reached a satisfactory conclusion.   Under new legislation and as he had a clean record Roger could be dealt with by the Police, if he admitted everything and had already repaid the money.   Roger received Community Service and avoided a Court appearance.   I have accepted that the case is closed and did not ask how many hours work would be served.   He also received a lifetime ban on acting as a Treasurer for any other organisation, he also now has a criminal record.

This is not an attempt to cause further embarrassment for Roger.   However, the Committee feels that Members are entitled to know what happened to their funds and to be reassured that this should never happen again.   Roger is still an Old Comrade and as such remains a Member of the Shiners Club.   We do not agree that Old Comrades should be banned, and Roger will be welcome to attend future Reunions, should he wish to do so.

We have lost a number of Old Comrades over the last year.   Their names appear elsewhere in this newsletter, but of course this leaves an ever-diminishing number of Shiners as we are all getting older each year.

I can now end on a more pleasant note.   The Committee wish to give a very big thank you to Liz Bentley for her sterling efforts arranging our Reunions since Tony died.   We also offer our grateful thanks to Danielle and her staff at The Crown for yet another enjoyable Reunion weekend.   We all look forward to the next Reunion.   For those who are not regulars, these take place on the third Sunday in May every year, we do hope that some more of you can join us.   If you wish to stay at The Crown, you need to make an early booking before all the rooms are fully booked.   Will you all please note that in future everyone wishing to attend the Reunion lunch must book their meal with Liz.   This also includes those who book accommodation.   Danielle arranges her kitchen and waiting staff having been given numbers attending by Liz.   This year more lunches were served than had been booked.   This meant that the serving of lunch was dragged out as was the raffle.   It also affected the time Members could circulate before some needed to go home.   Liz can take late bookings up until the Saturday, we do not wish to turn anyone away.   However, Danielle must have enough staff on duty on the day.   Please help us in order to help everyone.

For those who have never been to the National Memorial Arboretum, the Tenth Hussars have a memorial and adjacent flagpole on which our flag is displayed from the Spring until the week after Remembrance Sunday.   These flags will only last one year due to the tree next to the flagpole.   Until he died last year Peter Hill looked after our flag.   This Spring Ron Fletcher visited the Arboretum to raise a new flag.   We have tried to find a more permanent method of dealing with our flag.   We have found that Vic Whysall, one of our younger Old Comrades, volunteers at the Arboretum on Mondays.   I have therefore visited the Arboretum and spoken to Vic .   He has kindly agreed to lower our flag each November and to raise a new flag each Spring.   I gave the flag for next year to Vic and in future will post a new flag to him each year.   On behalf of the Committee thank you very much Vic.

Hopefully next year my notes can be shorter.   May I end by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   May you all enjoy good health and fortune and hopefully I will see a number of you at the next Reunion on 19th May 2019.   If you have never been please give it some thought.  


 Ian Clements.



Newsletter Edited and published by A J Powney


There is a lot of work involved in getting permission from authors, publishers and photos we may use. We have built up respect from publishing houses in our quest for articles we find interesting and they are more than helpful in providing information that may be of use. They are pleased to help old comrade’s clubs like ours and wish us all the best.


© Shiners Club


Committee


 Chairman                  Ron Fletcher


ronxrh@live.com


  Vice Chairman          Ian Clements


clements2005@tiscali.co.uk


0159484565


  Secretary               Alan Powney


alan44@outlook.com


 Treasurer                 Ted Hurdle



     Webmaster/Facebook      Anthony McKay



Committee Members


Anthony Marlow


Clive Ham




Ted Hurdle has taken over as Treasurer and Ian Clements is assistant Treasurer

Clive Ham has taken over from Bev Doughty due to his Business commitments. Bev will continue to be fully involved with the Reunion Organization each year


























































































Breaking News


Ron Fletcher phoned me with an incident at Tesco’s in Goole.


Ron was waiting in line at the checkout, when someone said an elderly person had fainted, he went forward, saying, let me by I am a first aider, pushing youngsters who were standing about out of the way. The Lady started to come round and Ron phoned for an ambulance and comforted the woman by asking if she had hurt herself, apart from her pride and her ankle. She said my legs just gave way and I was very hot. Ron asked her name and a few details he could pass to the paramedics, so they knew how to treat her. Mrs Buck, she said. I know a Buck in Goole, where do you live Ron asked, Old Goole. Do you have a husband called Jack? Yes, he is sitting at home whilst I do the shopping. Blow me, I used to serve with Jack in Aqaba. May and Ron had a few words until the paramedics arrived and May was treated. Ron went back to the checkout and carried on with his shopping


Tesco’s were grateful for the help and gave Ron a little something for his good work and quick thinking. I phoned Jack a few days later and he said that May was resting and much better. Just proves there is always a Shiner round the corner from you, how many do you know?
























































































































































































































































































































































































David Edwards

 

David joined the 10th Hussars in Paderborn in 1960 as a Troop Leader. In the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Australia David and his brother represented Wales in the Coxless Pairs. David continued as a Troop Leader in Tidworth and Aden. In Aden he commanded a long-distance re-supply convoy. He then returned to England to undergo helicopter pilot training at Middle Wallop. By now a Captain, David returned to the Regiment in Münster as a helicopter pilot in 1966. He was now second in command of Air Troop. In 1968 Air Troop became Air Squadron. As Nicky Mylne was about to go to the Staff College, David was promoted to Temporary Major to take command of Air Squadron. We were due to convert back to a Tank Regiment on amalgamation in Sep 1969, we would therefore be due to lose our helicopters. I left the Army in 1968 so do not know David’s final rank or subsequent postings, although I do know that he attended the Staff College in about 1969.

Apart from his rowing feats David represented the Regiment at Rugby, Athletics and Cross Country. He was a very good second row in Rugby, I did not participate in his other sports. Due to his height I assume that it involved running.

I have continued to see David at Reunions. We are grateful for his contributions to the Shiners Club.  


 Ian Clements.




Major David Edwards


David and I are putting together an article of a flag flying exercise in February 1965, where a composite troop from B Squadron Commanded by David Edwards, drove from Falaise to Beihan over a ten-day period. We consisted of two Saladin’s two Ferret’s a 3 tonner, a Land Rover and Scammell. Leading was an FRA Ferret commanded by an FRA Major and another FRA Ferret bringing up the rear.


















They also had 3 tonners for food and stores. Our recollection of those who made up the troop is a little thin, Lt. Tuck, Sgt Maplebeck, Mick Goulter, Tiger Arnott, Clive Presswell, Henry Adamczyk, George Tanner and terry Walker, both REME. Other names mentioned are Gerry Alderson, Gilbert Cook, John Hannah and Jock Lecky (REME). David took many photos that need to be found and converted which could jog memories. Clive Presswell has been very helpful in this respect. Maps of the area are also difficult to come by. We hope to be able to have the article finished for the next newsletter. We would be pleased to hear from anyone for any help.


Alan Powney





































Southern Shiners


This article was written by Norman Long (Smiler) founder of the Southern Shiners. I think it important to remember other groups and websites of our regiment










































One Hundred Years On

 

One Hundred years ago at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the guns fell silent on the Western Front. The fighting had already ceased on the other fronts, as Germany’s allies had already sought peace. By a very strange happening the last British casualty died at Mons, just as the first had done over four years before.

After the initial German advance had been halted in 1914, the front lines were fairly static until 1918. As the Russians had sought peace the year before, the Germans were able to bring some more troops to the Western Front. They then launched a Spring offensive with the intention of driving the allies back to the Channel coast. The advance continued into the early Summer. The allies were now desperate for more manpower. This was solved in three ways. By the increasing arrival of American troops and by withdrawing some troops from the Balkans and from Palestine. By the late Summer the German advance had been halted and the allies started to advance. As November approached the German Army was involved in a rapid retreat. By the time peace was sought the rival Armies occupied very similar positions to those of August 1914. The peace agreement was signed in an old railway carriage in a railway siding. The German Kaiser gave up his throne and went into exile. Many unspeakable things had happened over the years of war. In many ways the peace was not a success either.

This was thought at the time to have been the war to end all wars. Sadly, it was not as within less than a generation the jackboot was again marching over Europe.

Our Government announced that they would build houses and provide homes fit for heroes. Again, this did not happen. When Father died in 1951 our rented house still lacked running water and mains sewage. We still obtained water from an outside pump and the toilet bucket was still emptied and buried in the garden. The only improvement would seem to be that electricity had replaced the candle and the paraffin lamp, in our half of the village in 1934. The other half of the village did not receive electricity until after the next war. Cold running water did arrive in 1961 and the piped sewers were still missing when Mother left our village in 1969.

The First World War, or Great War as it was known at the time did bring in many changes.  Apart from a few minor battles on the North West Frontier of India this was virtually the end of the cavalry horse. By 1939 we had all been converted to Tank or Armoured Car Regiments, only Yeomanry Regiments still had horses, and these were rapidly replaced. The RAF had arrived, together with other countries having an air force. Small scale bombing had arrived, and this would be increased many times by 1939.

In 1918 some ladies were given a vote, a large number had to wait another 10 years, but it was a start. Many soldiers had survived 4 years of horror only to die of Spanish flu after peace had been signed.  Our village had 6 soldiers killed, 2 of them are buried in the village churchyard. I assume that they either died of wounds or of the dreaded flu.

I salute the men of Father’s generation who gave their lives so that we may live-in so-called peace and freedom, without having to learn the goosestep or speak German.  


 Ian Clements.

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Newsletter 2018 4th Edition

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