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BasingstokeBranch (406)

Newsletter November 2011Recent Branch activitiesBranch Summer BallOur annual Branch Summer Ball tookplace on Saturday 13th August at theRed Lion Hotel. As usual it was awonderful occasion and was attendedby 29 members from our Branch and36 friends from other branches(Alresford, Camberley, Alton.Farnborough and Aldershot), Fleet, theRBL and the Bramley and RomansFlower Club. See the centre fold for aselection of pictures of the evening.

Watercress Line - Cream TeasThis event was organised by ourfriends at the Alresford Branch. OnThursday 15th September branchmembers congregated at Alresford

railway station to board the Watercressline steam train on a round trip to Alton.During the journey to Alton we wereserved a yummy cream tea. A rathernostalgic way to enjoy a cream teawhile we were entertained by the verysmart and imposing ticket inspector -see photos on the centre-fold.

Battle of Britain Memorial ServiceThe annual Battle of Britain memorialservice was held on Sunday 18thSeptember at St Gabriel’s Church,Popley. The Rev Arthur Bothampresided over the service. There wasan excellent attendance with 21 ATCcadets and their new CO, Fg Off IanBruce. The Mayor of Basingstoke, CllrDavid Leeks and the Mayoress alsoattended - picture below.

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RAF SquadronairesLast year’s performance of the RAF Squadronaires at the Worthies Club wasso successful that they were invited to perform again on Friday 30th September.Once again every seat was taken and everyone enjoyed a fantastic eveningof big band jazz. The event raised £900 which was shared equally betweenAlresford and Basingstoke Wings Appeal accounts.

During the evening a picture of a wartime scene showing a York taking off fromGibraltar was presented to the Worthies Club. This picture had been donatedto RAFA by Air Commodore John Mitchell who navigated Winston Churchillaround the world in the York.

Air Cdr Mitchell has written a book on his wartime experiences called,“Churchill’s navigator”, it was published last year by Grub Street.

Recent events continued

The Squadronaires playing at the Worthies concert

The picture of the York The Squadronaires and keyboard

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Anvil Concert RAF Central Band Ourannual visit to the Anvil to hear the RAFCentral Band in Concert that is stagedin support of the Royal Air ForceCharitable Trust was on Thursday 17thNovember. The Anvil was sold out withover 50 RAFA members included. Theband played to the usual very highstandard that we have come to expect.The show has been refined over theyears and is now a very professionalevent. This year many of the numbersplayed had their origins in worksarranged or written by former RAFDirectors of Music with themes todepict various RAF units or activitiesin this year’s unsung heroes theme.Alan Dedicoat’s script (he is the voiceon the Lottery show) seemed to be amore overt commercial for the RAF.

ObituariesSadly we have to report the death ofDawson Thompson. Pip paraded theBranch Standard at his funeral. Daw-son was a Branch member who livedin Baughurst. He served in Burma andwas a member of the Burma Star As-sociation. He was a keen amateurradio enthusiast and used a morse keyuntil he died aged 91 on 21st Septem-ber. He was cremated at West BerksCrem, Thatcham on 11th October.

AnniversariesOur best wishes go to quite a fewmembers this month, but pride of placemust go to Bill Lloyd who celebratedhis 95th Birthday on August 13th. Manycongratulations Bill and we lookforward to many more.

Also celebrating recent birthdays are:

� Maureen Shepherd on 6th Nov� John Smith on 8th Nov

Please note that we do not keepformal records of members’ dates ofbirth and so we apologise if we havemissed anyone. (Please let us knowand we can catch up in the nextedition.)

Have you heard this one?We are familiar with the names of theBattle of Britain aircraft and they all doseem so appropriate. However, if it hadnot been for Annie Penrose, RAF pilotsmight have found themselves pilotingShrews instead of Spitfires in the Battleof Britain. Annie’s father, Sir RobertMcLean, was chairman of Vickersbetween the wars and worked closelywith R J Mitchell who was designing anew single-seater fighter. Mitchell had

Bill Lloyd

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wanted to call the new plane theShrew, but McLean insisted it wascalled the Spitfire, the nickname hehad bestowed on his somewhatheadstrong daughter. Can you imaginea Shrew taking on the Luftwaffe?Would we still enjoy watching BoBFlight Shrews doing air displays?Mitchell was a genius aircraft designer,but he was obviously not so good atnames.

Future EventsSt Gabriel’s Carol Service - Our annualCarol Service by candle light will takeplace at St Gabriel’s Church Popley onThursday 8th December starting at7.30 pm followed by seasonalrefreshments. All are welcome.Alresford Bangers and Mash - TheAlresford Branch have once againextended an invitation to their Bangersand Mash evening at the Swan Hotelon Saturday 10th December starting at7.30pm.Branch Christmas Drinks OurChristmas drinks evening will takeplace at the Ex-Services Club onWednesday 14th December startingat 7.30pm. All are welcome. Pleasebring a plate of food and raffle prizeswill be welcome.Branch Annual Dinner This will be heldin the second week of January 2012on Friday 13th at the Red Lion Hotel;7.0pm for 7.30pm. If you were unableto attend the meeting on 5thDecember, but would like to attend,please call Pip who will send you amenu.

Future VisitsWe have had a couple ofdisappointments with our visitsprogramme for we have had to cancelvisits to Bletchley Park (war time homeof the code breakers) and the ImperialWar Museum, Duxford. We simplyhave not been able to fill the coachseats. In future we will try to get afirmer idea of interest before we booka coach and we will consider smallercoaches.

Places on our list of potential visits nextyear include:� Greenwich (Maritime Museum,

Painted Hall and RoyalObservatory)

� Thames Barrier� Duxford (another try)� Chineham incinerator

Beach Arms lunchesDon’t forget we meet for lunch at theBeach Arms hotel on the third Mondayof the month at 1200 hrs prompt (it fillsup quickly). Please come along to thenext one on Monday December 19th.Turkey will be on the menu, but then italways is!

Any one interested in details or inattending any of the above eventsshould contact Pip Iles urgently on01256 880559 or email Pip atpip.ilene@tiscali.co.uk

ApologyAn apology to our President formisspelling his name in the last edition.

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It should have been “Shepherd”. SorryBob.

WelfareMembers will wish to know that WinBruce was taken ill during a recentcruise in the Mediterranean. He wasinitially taken to a hospital in Athenswhere he was quite poorly. However,he was medevac’d home and is now inBasingstoke hospital. His condition ismore stable now, but he is still quitepoorly - we understand only familymembers are permitted to visit him atthe moment. Our best wishes to Winand to Joyce at this difficult time.

On a more general note, requests forwelfare are welcomed - it is part ofwhat we do. Every case is dealt with intotal confidence and for furtherinformation on any aspect of welfareplease contact Pip on 01256 880559.Also please note that information onRAFA Welfare homes is on their newwebsite at: www.rafa.org.uk/homesfromhome

Chinook Board of Enquiry (BoE)In case anyone missed the recentannouncement in the media on 13 July,Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary (atthat time), has apologised to thefamilies of the RAF pilots in the June1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crashafter an independent review clearedthem of gross negligence. Thefamilies' 17-year battle to clear thenames of Flight Lieutenants RichardCook and Jonathan Tapper who werebased at RAF Odiham finally paid off.

A gross injustice has been put right atlast.

Branch StandardPip paraded our Branch Standard anumber of times in the last 4 months:� Bramley RBL 90th Anniversary

Service at St James Church onSunday 4th September.

� At the BoB memorial service at StGabriel’s Church, Popley on 18thSeptember.

� Royal British Legion 90thanniversary ceremony at GuildfordCathedral on 9th October.

� As already mentioned, at the funeralof Dawson Thompson.

� Unveiling of a memorial on 19thOctober to the passengers of achartered Eagle Aviation Vikingaircraft that crashed after take off atBlackbushe airport in 1957. Thememorial is at Blackbushe airport,the passengers were militarypersonnel being flown to RAF Idrisin Libya.

� Remembrance day 13 November,Basingstoke.

� Basingstoke crematorium for thefuneral of Harry Reddy on 24thNovember. (Not a branch memberbut requested by his family).

Thank you Pip for your dedication andenthusiasm for this time consumingtask. The Standards are the visibleface of the RAF Association to peopleat large and so Pip’s professionalismand high standards (forgive the pun)do credit to the Association and theBranch.

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Pictures of the Summer Ball and Watercress Line Cream Tea outing

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Pictures of the Summer Ball and Watercress Line Cream Tea outing

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Branch Membership summaryAt the Branch meeting on 7thNovember, Maureen provided abreakdown of the current branchmembership. Our membershipcurrently comprises146 members in total comprising:� 74 full Annual members (who pay

annually)� 49 Life members� 8 Full Associate members� 15 Branch Associate members.

Vulcan UpdateThe Vulcan had a run of bad luck thissummer starting on 16 August with afuel tank leak. These are not unheardof, but the tank has to be completelydrained of fuel and then ventilated withan air blower overnight so that a smallfitter can then enter the tank (througha 14in by 14in opening) and releasethe securing buttons of the flexible fuelbag that lines the tank cavity. After that,the tank liner can be gently removedfrom the aircraft and dispatched toFireproof Tanks of Portsmouth.Repairs were completed on Friday26th August. However, after take off onSunday 28th, en route to the DunsfoldWings and Wheels display, the aircraftsuffered a hydraulic problem thatnecessitated a precautionary landingat RAF Conningsby. Although theaircraft was repaired and ready todisplay on Sunday 4th September, theweather took a turn for the worse andXH 558 (with only a VFR clearance,I.e. clear of cloud) was grounded forthe weekend.

The loss of 10 scheduled displays over3 weekends due to 2 separatetechnical problems and then badweather put an immediate andenormous strain on the Trust's cashflow, leaving it with a £100,000 holethat no-one expected. The Trust hashad to bring forward its plans for theWinter and have announced howsupporters can become directlyinvolved in supporting XH558 throughsome new initiatives, e.g.� Membership of the 'Component LifeRegister' for supporting the winterservice (see more details on page 11)· The opportunity to send Her MajestyThe Queen a country-wide messageof good wishes for her DiamondJubilee through a unique 'Salute to HerMajesty' campaign.· A 'Friends Scheme' that will honourpast donors and give priority andprivileged access to events and XH558herself.· Hangar Tours and Events, wherevisitors can meet members of thededicated engineering team and getclose to the aircraft.· Special 'limited edition' merchandiseand aircraft partsXH 558 is always hungry - for money.All the transitional problems of turninga retired military bomber into a civil airdisplay aircraft have been solved.However, the Vulcan was never builtfor economy and so the main task ofthe Trust now is thinking up new waysto get people to part with their money.That was never going to be an easytask, but in the current economic

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climate it is extremely difficult. Forfurther details of the project status andhow you can help, go to their web siteat:

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

Duke of Cambridge letterLast December, following a suggestionmade at the December Branchmeeting, Pip sent a letter ofcongratulations and good wishes to thePrince of Wales on the announcementof his engagement to CatherineMiddleton. At the end of October, Pipreceived a letter bearing a BuckinghamPalace post mark with a large “E II R”.What could it be? A bit late for aninvitation to the wedding.The letter contained a post card with awonderful picture of the married coupleon one side and a short note of thankson the other. It is reproduced on theright for members to share.

WINGS APPEAL RESULTS Messagefrom our Chairman The 2011 collectionsare now finished and I am delighted toreport that this year’s total is £7,355:28I would like to thank most sincerely thefollowing members who stood andcollected and made this total possible:Jim Pearman; Neville Smale; BobShepherd; David Swan; MaureenShepherd; Bob Fowle; Bob Ingram;Mick Blake; Chris Blake; Jean Case;Brian Wilson; Bill Hauxwell; JohnThornton; Arthur Condon; BarbaraCope; Mike Pountney. Thanks also tothe members who ran the stall inFestival Place and to the Cadets andAdult Staff from 443 (Basingstoke)

Squadron ATC. I would also like tothank those who helped in other waysby running projects, having HomeCollection Boxes, and making general

Details of the Royal Thank You Card

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donations. The Branch can be justlyproud of this achievement.Pip Iles.Wings Appeal Organiser.

Newsletter Distribution. Messagefrom our President When Pip and Istarted to produce the BranchNewsletter again, we agreed that dueto distribution costs we would onlymake the newsletter available to thoseliving in close proximity to Basingstoke.With the progression to our excellentNewsletter Editor, Bryan, with hisaward winning copies, we agreed tomake the circulation branch memberwide, with all the postage costsinvolved, to places as far away asCanada and the USA. The last issuewas sent by post to members living atUK addresses outside of theBasingstoke area and overseas with aletter from myself explaining thatbecause of distribution costs themailing was a once only shot andinviting the recipients to contact mewith their e-mail addresses if theywished to receive future copies of theNewsletter. I am extremelydisappointed to report that not one ofthose circulated have replied and sothey will not be receiving future issuesof our wonderful Newsletter.Distribution of the Newsletter is aproblem. I thank those members whotake on the task of delivering copies toour members who do not attend ourmonthly meetings. I have personallybeen driving round parts ofBasingstoke putting copies throughletter boxes, but there are still somethat we have to resort to the use of

Royal mail with subsequent costs. Imade an appeal to our membersearlier to assist with the distributionproblem, could they please let me havetheir e-mail address so that I coulde-mail their copy. To date I have 22e-mail addresses on my distributionlist, there must be many of you thathave e-mail facilities to be able toreceive your copy of the Newsletterelectronically and so save on ourdistribution costs. Please let me haveyour e-mail addresses by contactingme on: bobmoshepherd@btinternet.comI look forward to hearing from you.

Transport to meetingsTom Finn has offered to transportpeople to and from meetings and so-cial functions (including Beach Arms).A kind offer particularly for those thatfind getting to the Ex-Services club onMonday evenings or to the BeachArms a problem. He can be contactedon:

01256 330945 or 07846 421369.Thank you very much Tom.

Letter from the Chairman of theCentral CouncilA recent letter to members from NigelBairsto, Chairman of the CentralCouncil, first referred to the 2010Annual Review, “Making a Difference”which tells the stories of theAssociation’s work. (This is availableonline at:

www.rafa.org.uk/annualreview or through Branch Secretaries).

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He then addressed how theAssociation intends to deliver on the6 strategic objectives of theAssociation. These are:1. Membership - we all need to

work hard at recruiting (andBasingstoke Branch has met itstarget of 8 this year)

2. Welfare - adapting our services tomeet the changing needs of theRAF family

3. Fundraising - increasing ourWings Appeal donations anddeveloping new sources ofincome

4. People - investing in volunteersand staff to support our work

5. Business performance -ensuring that time and moneygiven by our volunteers anddonors is used efficiently

6. Reputation - making sure that weare recognised as a strong,effective charitable Association.

The letter ended by emphasising theimportance of having people with theright skill sets on the Central CouncilCommittee. A new way of electingmembers to this Committee mustreflect a requirement to work

Vulcan component shares - status as at 18 NovThe component share scheme sells shares for each of the major componentsneeded for the Winter service. For example, in the table below they need toraise £50,000 for serviced Brake Parachutes and there are 1,000 shares @£50 each. So far they have sold 242 shares, I.e. 24% of shares available.Overall, the component budget is £195,000 and 1,620 shares have been sold7,300 still available. So funding to date is £45,410, only 23% of what is needed.Fire Suppression, NDT Inspections and Oxygen Systems remain thecomponents well behind all others. The Vulcan Trust say, “Can you supportus and make the ideal Christmas present? All three of these share prices rangefrom £20 to £25.” Go to www.vulcantothesky.org

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professionally and effectively in whatis a very crowded and competitivecharitable environment. Details of the2012 elections are now with BranchSecretaries and are on line at:

http://www.rafa.org.uk/electionsA report detailing the resolutions of the2011 Annual Conference is at:www.rafa.org.uk/annualconference .

Who said, “The Good Old Days”?Office regulations for a Burnley Cotton Millin 1852* Godliness, cleanliness and punctuality

are the necessities of good business.* This firm has reduced the hours of work

and the clerical staff will now only haveto be present between the hours of7am and 6pm.

* Daily prayers will be held each morningin the main office. The clerical staff willbe present.

* Clothing must be of a sober nature.The clerical staff will not disposethemselves in raiment of bright colours,nor will they wear hose, unless in goodrepair.

* Overshoes and top-coats may not beworn in the office but neck scarves andhead wear may be worn in inclementweather.

* A stove is provided for the benefit ofclerical staff. Coal and wood must bekept in the locker. It is recommendedthat each member of the clerical staffbring in four pounds of coal each dayduring cold weather.

* No member of the clerical staff mayleave the room without permissionfrom Mr Rogers. The calls of nature arepermitted and the clerical staff may usethe garden below the second gate. Thearea must be kept in good order.

* No talking is allowed duringbusiness hours.

* The craving for tobacco, wines orspirits is a human weakness and assuch is forbidden to all members of theclerical staff.

* Now that the hours of business havebeen so drastically reduced, thepartaking of food is only allowedbetween 11.30am and noon, but workwill not, on any account, cease.

* Members of the clerical staff will providetheir own pens. A new sharpener isavailable on application to Mr Rogers.

* Mr Rogers will nominate a senior clerkto be responsible for the cleanliness ofthe main office and the private office,and all boys and juniors will report tohim 40 minutes before prayers, and willremain after closing hours for similarwork. Brushes, brooms, scrubbers andsoap are provided by the owners.

* The new increased weekly wages areas hereunder detailed: Junior boys (upto eleven years) Is 4d, Boys (to 14years) 2s Id, Juniors 4s 8d, JuniorClerks 8s 7d, Clerks 10s 9d, SeniorClerks (after 15 years) 21s.

The owners recognise the generosity ofthe new Labour Laws but will expect agreat rise in output for these near-utopianconditions. (Thanks to Jean Case)

The next edition is planned for March 2012.Please let me have any contributions,ideas, adverts, good stories, photos bymid February.

Note that the January Branch Meetingis on Monday 9th.

Thanks. Bryan Jenkins (Editor)Phone 01256 881938Email bryan@jenkins.eclipse.co.uk

Background military aircraft pictures courtesy ofwww.military-aircraft.org.uk