Fleet Crookham & District Branch Newsletter:October 2014

Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting of the Branch will be held on Monday 15 December 2014 starting at 7.30 pm in the Church Hall Christ Church, Galley Hill Road, Church Crookham. The main business will be to agree the accounts and to elect the Branch Committee for the coming year. May I ask as many Branch members as are able to attend the AGM?

Annual Subscriptions. Members will recall that the national subscription is increasing by one pound each year. If you pay by cash, cheque or standing order please see the message from the Honorary Branch Treasurer overleaf.

Poppy Appeal. Collections house-to-house and in the Services on the M3 will start on 25 October until 8 November. Street collections in Fleet Town centre will be on 1, 6, 78 November. The organisers will be in touch with regular collectors soon. We really do need some new collectors to replace our long-term stalwarts who are no longer able to collect. Please would all Branch members to try to persuade family, friends and neighbours to offer a few hours of their time for a very good cause? For more information contact the Poppy Appeal Organiser, John Landeryou, on 01252 620979, or Bill Tyack.

Remembrance Sunday is on 9 November.

Acts of Remembrance are planned as follows:

11:00am: Silence and laying of wreaths at Church Crookham War Memorial followed by Service of Remembrance in Christ Church.

11:00am: Two Minute Silence at Gurkha Square War Memorial.

2:30pm: Civic Service of Remembrance at All Saints Church, Fleet, followed by Parade. 3:15pm: Parade from Church Road Car Park to Gurkha Square for Act of Remembrance and laying of wreaths.

Tuesday 11 November at 11:00am: Two Minutes Silence at Gurkha Square War Memorial and Galley Hill War Memorial.

News of the Branch Committee. Dr Ross Cannings has taken over as Poppy Appeal Treasurer from Derek Smith. Ash Hampson (contact details overleaf) has taken over as Branch Treasurer and Membership Secretary from David Bowman, who has moved to Romsey.

May I take this opportunity to thank Derek and David for their many years of service to the Branch, and thank Ross and Ash for volunteering to join the Committee? Their appointments will be ratified at the AGM.

Commemoration of the First World War.

As most of you will know, the Branch organised “Lights Out” ceremonies at both War Memorials on 4 August to commemorate the start of WW1.

War Memorials in the Western Isles. This summer I cycled through the Western Isles. Many people from the Highlands and Islands volunteered to serve in the Great War. The region suffered twice the rate of casualties per head of the population as the average for the UK and war memorials are a prominent feature of the landscape. This picture shows the monument at Clachan on North Uist. On all four sides it lists names from all over the district, including the island of St Kilda. Most served in the RN, the Merchant Navy or Scottish Regiments, but many died serving with Colonial Regiments, presumably as battle casualty replacements.

Annual Lunch – Monday 11 May 2015.

More details in the next Newsletter.

Bill Tyack

Branch Chairman & Secretary

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