The Veteran Issue 3
The Quarterly Magazine of the Alicante Branch of The Royal British Legion
The Quarterly Magazine of the Alicante Branch of The Royal British Legion
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June - August 2021<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Veteran</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Quarterly Magazine of the Alicante Branch of the<br />
Royal British Legion<br />
Alicante<br />
HMS Kent<br />
visits Alicante<br />
Celebrating<br />
100 Years of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
1921 - 2021
TABLE OF<br />
CONTENTS<br />
3 Message from Ian Price, former Vice Chairman<br />
4 New Members<br />
5 HMS Kent visits Alicante<br />
6 Alicante Branch Meetings Resume<br />
7 'We Served' 17/21st Lancers<br />
11 Armed Forces Day<br />
15 Community Support<br />
16 <strong>The</strong> 51st Highland Division at St Valery<br />
20 Mrs Joan McLean<br />
21 Poppy Appeal Launch (PAL) 2021. What is Remembrance?<br />
25 'We Served' Hertfordshire Constabulary<br />
27 Memorial Update<br />
29 Video Page<br />
30 Forecast of Events<br />
34 Military Humour<br />
Contact us<br />
Jack Kemp - Alicante Branch Chairman<br />
Ed Morris - Vice Chairman, Recruiting &<br />
Retention<br />
Mary Kemp - Branch Community Support<br />
Hamish McConnachie - Web Master &<br />
Publicity<br />
Alicante.Chairman@rbl.community<br />
Alicante.Vicechairman@rbl.community<br />
Alicante.BCS@rbl.community<br />
Alicante.Web@rbl.community
A Me ssage From<br />
Ian Price<br />
Former Vice Ch airman<br />
Welcome to the latest edition of "<strong>The</strong> <strong>Veteran</strong>" the<br />
quarterly magazine of the Alicante Branch of <strong>The</strong><br />
Royal British Legion.<br />
I Dare say that very few among the not so well informed<br />
public expected the pandemic to persist into the second half<br />
of this year. <strong>The</strong> pandemic, with it's associated restrictions<br />
have made it difficult for the Committee to maintain the<br />
momentum of the Branch but I am pleased to say that they<br />
have risen to the occasion and have shown great resolve in supporting our Branch<br />
Members.<br />
All charities are currently going through a difficult time and <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion is<br />
unfortunately no different. It is said that money is the root of all evil, if that is true or<br />
not, it certainly enables the Legion to carry out it's vital activities. <strong>The</strong> Legion is many<br />
things to many people and not all that we do requires direct financial input, hospital<br />
and home visits, telephone buddies, and many other simple chores are carried out by<br />
people such as yourselves.<br />
Two of the issues that have been highlighted by this pandemic are loneliness and a<br />
sense of isolation. Pre-pandemic these were supposedly only suffered by older people<br />
who may have lost their partner, or perhaps simply an older couple who have very little<br />
outside contact in their day to day activities. Now it is different, one way or another we<br />
have all had to isolate, and as such we now begin to hear of physiological problems<br />
arising in "normal people". Imagine therefore how it must affect those among us who<br />
may have endured this for years. I feel that we the Legion can make a real impact<br />
within our community by reaching out to those with a greater understanding of what<br />
traumas they will suffer without someone, somewhere trying to help.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch has a first class group of volunteers carrying out various tasks but<br />
there is always vacancies for more, more telephone buddies, more hospital visitors,<br />
more home visitors, please consider taking up this challenge for the benefit of others<br />
and indeed yourselves. Full training will be given to any volunteer who wishes to take<br />
up these vital and satisfying rolls.<br />
3
June - August 2021<br />
<strong>The</strong> Chairman, his Committee and all Members of the Alicante<br />
Branch of the Royal British Legion would like to give a hearty<br />
welcome to the following new members to the Branch:<br />
Chris Epps<br />
John Candler<br />
David Gould<br />
Benjamin (Sgt)Bostock<br />
Stuart Espin<br />
Casey Colebrook Gary<br />
Francis<br />
Colin Ross<br />
Deb's Ross<br />
<strong>The</strong> Branch Membership now stands at 208 Members<br />
Terry Burt<br />
Chris Fowler<br />
Tony Horton<br />
Judith Brett<br />
Sid Brett<br />
Alexandra (Andra) Williams<br />
Mark Stubbings<br />
Sam Arthur<br />
George (Steve) Berridge<br />
Alicante Branch Welcomes<br />
It’s 200th Member As We<br />
Celebrate 100 Years Of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch welcomed it’s 200th Member,<br />
Miss Casey Colebrook became the Branches 200th<br />
Member, Casey joined <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
(TRBL) after being asked by her boyfriend Mr Kyle<br />
Rossie if she would like to join. Kyle joined the<br />
Alicante Branch in 2020 also at the age of 18,<br />
when he was encouraged to join TRBL by his dad, Mr Dan<br />
Rossi who is also an Alicante Branch Member, Casey now<br />
takes that title for the youngest Member.<br />
Casey who is 18 years old had no hesitation in saying yes<br />
after seeing the good work completed by the Branch within<br />
the Alicante region and also following the Branches activities<br />
on social media. At the Branch AGM in Oct 2020, the<br />
Chairman Mr Jack Kemp, set a target for the Branch to<br />
increase its Membership from 176 to 200 by Oct 2021, 200 Casey Colebrook 18<br />
Members to Celebrate 100 Years of TRBL. This week that<br />
ambitious total was achieved four months ahead of schedule.<br />
Casey welcome to <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion, we hope that you encourage some of your<br />
friends to also join TRBL, your generation are the future of the Legion.<br />
4
HMS KENT visits the Port<br />
of Alicante<br />
HMS Kent, a Type 23 Frigate visited<br />
Alicante on Wednesday 2nd June<br />
2021, Members of the District<br />
Committee of <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
including Jack Kemp <strong>The</strong> Alicante<br />
Branch Chairman were invited to visit<br />
HMS Kent.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ambassador to Spain and Andorra<br />
Hugh Elliott was also in attendance<br />
and commented on the commitment of<br />
both Spain and the UK within NATO in<br />
maintaining security in the<br />
Mediterranean area.<br />
HMS Kent visits Alicante<br />
MS Kent, which is the first<br />
ship from the Carrier Strike<br />
Group to visit Spain, is Hcurrently integrated in NATO’s<br />
Standing Naval Maritime Group 2,<br />
which is under Spanish command.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Carrier Strike Group is the<br />
largest concentration of maritime and<br />
air power to leave the UK in a<br />
generation – 9 ships, 32 aircraft and<br />
almost 4,000 personnel working<br />
together to show the UK’s<br />
commitment to open societies and<br />
economies, and the benefits of free<br />
trade. It will visit over 40 countries in<br />
a seven-month deployment, from the<br />
Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific.<br />
Guests receive a socially distant brief<br />
from the senior service<br />
Alicante Branch Chairman, Jack Kemp with<br />
HMS Kent in the background<br />
5
New Vice Chairman Mr Ed Morris (left) with Chairman<br />
Mr Jack Kemp and Secretary Mr John Pratt<br />
ALICANTE BRANCH<br />
MEETINGS RESUME<br />
AFTER RESTRICTIONS<br />
EASE<br />
TMonthly General Meeting on the 1st of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante branch of the Royal<br />
British Legion (TRBL) held their first<br />
July since September 2020. Meetings were<br />
suspended due to Covid 19 restrictions. <strong>The</strong><br />
Meeting was held at the Comparsa<br />
Vizcainos, Carrer Pare Pedro Juan De<br />
Molina in Onil. <strong>The</strong> meeting was very well<br />
attended with 35 members in attendance.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Meeting was followed by the customary<br />
social get together and meal.<br />
“Service Not Self”<br />
In even numbered months: At the<br />
International Club, Camino Real de<br />
Villajoyosa 11, La Font, El Campello,<br />
03650<br />
In odd numbered months: At Amigos De<br />
Onil, Calle Biar 20, 03430 Onil, Spain<br />
6
"We Served"<br />
17th/21st<br />
Lancers<br />
Malcolm Gregory 1965 - 1993<br />
Raising of the 17th Lancers<br />
In 1759, Colonel John Hale of the 47th<br />
Foot was ordered back to Britain with<br />
General James Wolfe's final dispatches<br />
and news of his victory in the Battle of<br />
Quebec in September 1759. After his<br />
return, he was rewarded with land in<br />
Canada and granted permission to raise a<br />
regiment of light dragoons. He formed the<br />
regiment in Hertfordshire on 7 November<br />
1759 as the 18th Regiment of (Light)<br />
Dragoons, which also went by the name<br />
of Hale's Light Horse. <strong>The</strong> admiration of<br />
his men for General Wolfe was evident in<br />
the cap badge Colonel Hale chose for the<br />
regiment: the Death's Head with the motto<br />
"Or Glory". <strong>The</strong> Regiment was<br />
renumbered the 17th Regiment of (Light)<br />
Dragoons in April 1763<br />
17th Lancers, <strong>The</strong> charge of the Light Brigade<br />
Battle of Balaclava October 1854<br />
7
Rough-rider Corporal Long, of the 17th Lancers 1896<br />
Raising of the 21st Lancers<br />
<strong>The</strong> regiment was originally raised in Bengal<br />
by the East India Company in 1858 as the<br />
3rd Bengal European Light Cavalry, for<br />
service in the Indian Rebellion. As with all<br />
other "European" units of the Company, it<br />
was placed under the command of the British<br />
Crown in 1858, and formally moved into the<br />
British Army in 1862, when it was designated<br />
as a hussar regiment and titled the 21st<br />
Regiment of Hussars. In 1897 it was redesignated<br />
as a Lancer Regiment, becoming<br />
the 21st Lancers<br />
17/21 Lancers<br />
<strong>The</strong> 17th and 21st Lancers were<br />
amalgamated in 1922 to form the<br />
17th/21st Lancers.<br />
During the Second World War the<br />
regiment fought in North Africa and Italy.<br />
Later the 17thth/21st became part of<br />
NATO’s front-line force in West<br />
Germany.<br />
Inter-War Years<br />
Having amalgamated at Tidworth, the<br />
Regiment quickly established their<br />
reputation not only in military proficiency<br />
but also on the sporting field. In 1927,<br />
after being in use for more than a<br />
century, the lance was finally abolished<br />
as a weapon of war in the British Army.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 17th/21st Lancers were posted to<br />
Meerut, India, in 1930, but it was not until<br />
1938 eleven years after the loss of the<br />
lance that the Regiment were first<br />
mechanised. <strong>The</strong> outbreak of war saw<br />
the Regiment immediately posted back to<br />
England.<br />
After initially being employed as counter<br />
invasion forces, they became part of the<br />
newly formed 6th Armoured Division,<br />
training with Valentine and Matilda tanks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Regiment remained with the new<br />
division in England until 1942 when they<br />
were warned off for active service in<br />
North Africa.<br />
17/21st During the Italian Campaign<br />
8
<strong>The</strong> Second World War: North Africa<br />
1942-1943<br />
<strong>The</strong> Regiment eventually deployed to<br />
North Africa in November 1942. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
were not however initially deployed with<br />
the Division but as part of ‘Blade Force’<br />
under Lieutenant Colonel Hull, a<br />
17th/21st Lancer. <strong>The</strong> plan was that<br />
Blade Force would act as a spearhead<br />
invasion force into Tunisia. <strong>The</strong> Force<br />
was to move from Algiers, in concert with<br />
the 8th Army who were moving west from<br />
Egypt, having advanced from El Alamein.<br />
<strong>The</strong> role of the 17th/21st Lancers within<br />
Blade Force was to provide a flank guard<br />
for the 78th Division, which was to occupy<br />
the city. Blade Force made a rapid<br />
advance of 300 miles before being held<br />
up at the T-roads between Sidi Nasir<br />
station and Mateur by strong German<br />
resistance. This delay allowed the<br />
Germans to reinforce and thus foil the bid<br />
to capture Tunis. As a result Blade Force<br />
was broken up and the 17th/21st Lancers<br />
were returned to 26th Armoured Brigade.<br />
At the Battle of Fondouk, on the 8th and<br />
9th April, in which the Regiment was to<br />
play a leading role. <strong>The</strong> Fondouk Pass<br />
was a flat, open plain, 1000 yards wide,<br />
dominated on both sides by steep rocky<br />
heights. <strong>The</strong> plan was for the Regiment to<br />
break through the pass and cut off the<br />
retreating German forces. Although a<br />
break-through was achieved losses were<br />
high with eleven killed and thirty-two<br />
wounded, with thirty-two tanks put out of<br />
action, twenty-seven beyond further use.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Second World War: Italy 1944<br />
<strong>The</strong> Regiment arrived in Italy during the<br />
preparation phase for the assault on the<br />
Gustav Line.<br />
<strong>The</strong> assault began on 11th May 1944 with<br />
the crossing of the River Gari. <strong>The</strong><br />
17th/21st moved to their bridge-crossing<br />
site ‘Amazon’ during the night only to find<br />
that the bridges had not been laid, due to<br />
all the engineer bulldozers having been<br />
knocked out. As a result the Regiment<br />
were forced to improvise, using their tanks<br />
to shunt a Bailey Bridge into position and<br />
thus effect a crossing. By the 14th the<br />
Corps had achieved nineteen crossings<br />
and by the 16th the pressure on the<br />
Germans proved so great that they were<br />
forced to abandon the Gustav Line. <strong>The</strong><br />
advance north of Rome proved itself even<br />
harder than in the south. <strong>The</strong>re were only<br />
three routes capable of supporting<br />
armoured formations with the Germans<br />
covering all of them with direct and indirect<br />
fire. <strong>The</strong> delaying action the Germans<br />
fought was so effective it took the Allies<br />
four months to reach the Gothic Line. <strong>The</strong><br />
winter of 1944/1945 saw the 17th/21st<br />
taking their turn as infantry on the Gothic<br />
Line in <strong>The</strong> Apennine Mountains, not only<br />
manning trenches but machine guns and<br />
mortars. For the Regiment the battle of<br />
<strong>The</strong> Po Valley proved to be the final action<br />
of the war.<br />
Malcolm on parade as a Staff Sergeant<br />
wearing No1 Dress<br />
9
<strong>The</strong> Cold War 1953-1989<br />
<strong>The</strong> main role of the 17th/21st Lancers<br />
service after the war was as part of the<br />
British Army of the Rhine serving as part of<br />
NATO’s conventional deterrent against the<br />
Warsaw Pact Armies of Eastern Europe. It<br />
also served throughout the world with both<br />
squadron and troop deployments to Hong<br />
Kong, Borneo, Aden, Libya, Belize, Kuwait<br />
and Cyprus.<br />
<strong>The</strong> main operational commitment post war<br />
for the Regiment was in Northern Ireland.<br />
Since 1969 and the beginning of the<br />
‘troubles’, the 17th/21st were regularly<br />
deployed to the province in both mounted<br />
and dismounted roles. <strong>The</strong> Regiment was<br />
employed in Saladin, Saracen and Ferret<br />
armoured cars during the first two and<br />
bloodiest years of the troubles. <strong>The</strong><br />
Regiment also conducted dismounted fourmonth<br />
emergency tours.<br />
Warrant Officer Class 1 Malcolm Gregory as<br />
Regimental Sergeant Major 17/21Lancers in Munster<br />
Germany. Malcolm retired from the Regular Army<br />
with the Rank of Major in 1993<br />
Irish Hussars. <strong>The</strong> 17th/21st Lancers<br />
Band were deployed in their wartime role<br />
as medics.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Gulf War 1991<br />
With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990<br />
and the deployment of 1st (UK) Armoured<br />
Division to the Gulf came the only<br />
opportunity for desert warfare since the<br />
North Africa campaign of 1943.<br />
Although the 17th/21st did not deploy as a<br />
Regiment; it did however furnish more than<br />
two Squadrons of men and most of its<br />
equipment to reinforce the Royal Scots<br />
Dragoons Guards and the Queens Royal<br />
Victory in the Gulf War did not however<br />
save the Army from the consequences of<br />
the end of the Cold War. Reductions and<br />
amalgamations were still implemented in<br />
the summer of 1991. <strong>The</strong> Royal<br />
Armoured Corps was reduced from<br />
nineteen to eleven regiments. <strong>The</strong> fate of<br />
the 17th/21st was to amalgamate with<br />
the 16th/5th Lancers; this was completed<br />
by June 1993 when they formed a new<br />
Regiment, called <strong>The</strong> Queen’s Royal<br />
Lancers.<br />
Due to more defence restructuring <strong>The</strong><br />
Queen's Royal Lancers have further<br />
amalgamated, this time with the 9th 12th<br />
Lancers to form the Royal Lancers (see<br />
video link on our video page)<br />
10
Members of <strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch of the Royal British Legion<br />
along with other branches in District North Spain took part in<br />
the celebration of the contributions made by the British<br />
Armed Forces both past and present at Orihuela Cathedral<br />
on Saturday the 26th of June. Armed Forces day takes place<br />
annually on the last Saturday of June to commemorate the<br />
service of men and women in the British Armed Forces.<br />
Royal British Legion Celebrate<br />
Armed Forces Day in style<br />
Armed Forces Day saw<br />
Members of the Alicante<br />
Branch and other Branches<br />
in Spain District North attend the<br />
Armed Forces Day Service at<br />
Orihuela Cathedral. <strong>The</strong> service was<br />
attended by His Excellency Hugh<br />
Elliot Her Majesty’s Ambassador to<br />
Spain and Andorra, who is also the<br />
Patron of <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion in<br />
Spain. Also attending was the Mayor<br />
of Oriheula His Excellency Emilio<br />
Bascunana Galiano, <strong>The</strong> Chief of<br />
Police, <strong>The</strong> Defence Attache and<br />
several serving officers of the British<br />
Armed Forces in Spain. <strong>The</strong> Alicante<br />
Branch was well represented with<br />
Jack Kemp carrying out the duties of<br />
Parade Marshall while Mary Kemp<br />
carried the Union Flag, John Pratt,<br />
the District Standard and Calum<br />
Venters the Branch Standard.<br />
Branch Standard Bearers, Mrs Mary Kemp,<br />
Union Flag and Mr John Pratt, District North<br />
Spain Standard<br />
11
Armed Forces Day 2021<br />
26 June 2021<br />
Orihuela Cathedral<br />
<strong>The</strong> British Ambassador<br />
with the Mayor of<br />
Orihuela and Mr Don<br />
Cubbon Chairman of<br />
District North Spain<br />
<strong>The</strong> Arrival of the Ambassador at the Cathedral<br />
All three services of the Armed Forces were<br />
represented by serving officers stationed in Spain<br />
<strong>The</strong> Concert Band of <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion,<br />
Spain District North under the directorship of Mr<br />
David Last<br />
Alicante Branch Members George and Joan Mollins<br />
12
Armed Forces Day<br />
Dia De Las Fuerzas Armadas<br />
Father Emilio M Sanchez receives<br />
the National Flag of Spain into<br />
the temporary custody of the<br />
Church<br />
Mr Jack Kemp District Parade<br />
Marshall and Chairman of the<br />
Alicante Branch<br />
District Standard Bearers carrying<br />
the National Flag of Spain, <strong>The</strong><br />
Union Flag of the United Kingdom<br />
and the District Standard<br />
<strong>The</strong> District Standard Bearers with their Standards to<br />
the rear during the Service<br />
<strong>The</strong> District Standard Bearers with Piper after the<br />
service<br />
In our centenary year we are firmly focused on our future.<br />
By building on a century of work we'll make sure we are a charity<br />
fit for the next 100<br />
13
Armed Forces Day<br />
Dia De Las Fuerzas Armadas<br />
<strong>The</strong> British Ambassador supporting<br />
TRBL during the Service<br />
Branch Webmaster and Publicity<br />
Hamish McConnachie<br />
Alicante Branch stalwart<br />
Mensha Franks<br />
Fr Richard Dunstan-Meadows and Fr. Emilio M<br />
Sanchez who conducted the Service<br />
Branch Members Terry Sandford (Branch Entertainments)<br />
and Norman Whiteside<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ambassador, <strong>The</strong> Patron of the Royal British Legion in Spain, during his speech<br />
spoke of his pride at being the Patron of the Royal British Legion in Spain, the 100<br />
years of the RBL, it’s achievements and it’s history.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ambassador later said of the Legion in Spain "<strong>The</strong> Legion is an essential partner to<br />
our consulates – sharing our Brexit and travel advice, providing financial assistance to<br />
welfare cases and supporting British prisoners with visits. <strong>The</strong> emotional, practical and<br />
financial support it has provided to vulnerable UK Nationals in incredibly complicated<br />
and challenging circumstances has been truly invaluable. It is not an overstatement to<br />
say that some individuals would not have made it through without it"<br />
14
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch of <strong>The</strong> Royal British<br />
Legion are here to help, if we can, we will.<br />
If you need the assistance of the Legion, or<br />
know someone who might, please contact your<br />
Branch Community Support (BCS) Member<br />
Mary Lou - Alicante.bcs@rbl.community or<br />
Jack Kemp at<br />
Alicante.Chairman@rbl.community<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch have Caseworkers, Hospital &<br />
Home visitors and Telephone Buddies supporting our<br />
Beneficiaries here in Spain.<br />
Many people still don’t know that <strong>The</strong> Royal British<br />
Legion are here and is active and ready to offer help<br />
and support to any beneficiary who qualifies for help.<br />
Each case is dealt with in full confidentiality on an<br />
individual needs’ basis by the relevantly trained<br />
people, and in most cases, we can offer some help or<br />
support, if we can’t help at Branch level then we have<br />
fantastic support from District who will either assist or<br />
signpost you to another source of support.<br />
If we can’t help we will assess & consider requests for<br />
help for qualifying beneficiaries or family members,<br />
this does not always mean a financial payment, it<br />
could be guidance in where to get information or how<br />
to access social services.<br />
We are often asked about things such as how do we<br />
get a Blue badge, home help, meals on wheels etc<br />
and we can guide people to where they need to go.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Legion often have liaisons between the<br />
beneficiary and their Regiment, Ship or Unit when help<br />
is delivered. This can be as simple as safety features<br />
in a bathroom, or a mobility scooter, a red button<br />
alarm in the home for peace of mind, a walking frame<br />
or other equipment, the list of things requested and<br />
supplied are endless.<br />
If you think you may need help, then please contact<br />
Mary Lou or Jack Kemp using the details above. If you<br />
think someone you know may have served and needs<br />
some support encourage them to contact us as we<br />
cannot contact anyone directly without their<br />
permission, and we cannot discuss anyone’s<br />
individual circumstances with a third party until we<br />
have their express permission to do so.<br />
Please remember <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion & all<br />
Branches in District North Spain are here to help if we<br />
can.<br />
Branch Community Support<br />
Every year we help thousands<br />
of people when they need it<br />
most.<br />
This could include food or<br />
clothing vouchers, funeral costs,<br />
mobility vehicles and aids or even<br />
household appliances and<br />
furniture.<br />
Whatever your situation, please<br />
don’t hesitate to get in touch as we<br />
will consider almost all requests.<br />
However, we are not able to help<br />
with repayment of business debts,<br />
loans, legal expenses or where state<br />
assistance or statutory services are<br />
available.<br />
Stay Safe, Stay Well.<br />
15
<strong>The</strong> sacrifice of the<br />
Edited by<br />
Hamish McConnachie<br />
51st Highland<br />
Highland Division Memorial<br />
Division at<br />
St Valery<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were the forgotten victims of the<br />
Second World War who suffered in their<br />
thousands from all across the north of<br />
Scotland. It is 81 years since the surrender of<br />
the 51st (Highland) Division, who experienced<br />
horrific loss of life in the aftermath of the<br />
Dunkirk evacuation in France.<br />
On June 12, 1940, just days after the successful<br />
mass evacuations at Dunkirk, thousands of British<br />
troops remained on continental Europe under<br />
French command. Largely comprised of men from<br />
the 51st (Highland) Division, they fought almost<br />
continuously for ten days against overwhelming<br />
odds until they were eventually surrounded at St<br />
Valery. Around 10,000 survivors, from the Black<br />
Watch and the Queen’s Own Cameron, Seaforth<br />
and Gordon Highlanders, were captured during the<br />
hostilities and spent the remainder of the conflict as<br />
prisoners, often enduring appalling hardship.<br />
This is their story<br />
With the situation regarding Nazi Germany<br />
deteriorating and the threat of war on the rise, the<br />
51st (Highland) Infantry Division was mobilised on<br />
24 August 1939. In preparation for joining the BEF<br />
in France, the division travelled from Scotland to<br />
Aldershot, where it received final equipping and<br />
training. All units had arrived at Aldershot by 16<br />
September 1939. <strong>The</strong> men were required to wear<br />
the standard British Army battledress of the day.<br />
Formation Insignia<br />
St Valery-en Caux<br />
Bruar Perthshire<br />
<strong>The</strong> War Office had decided that kilts<br />
were not suited to modern mechanised<br />
warfare. Thus the men were required to<br />
hand in their kilts before embarking for<br />
France.<br />
In mid-January 1940 the Division departed<br />
from Southampton and disembarked at<br />
the French port of Le Havre and came<br />
under command of I Corps of the British<br />
Expeditionary Force (BEF) On 22 April<br />
1940 the 51st Division was detached from<br />
the rest of the BEF to come under<br />
command of the French Third Army. With<br />
the German invasion of France and the<br />
low countries on 10 May 1940 the BEF<br />
advanced into Belgium to meet the<br />
advancing German forces.<br />
16
Stationed to the south in front of the Maginot Line,<br />
the 51st Division was not a part of the force<br />
involved in Belgium, and was thus not involved in<br />
the Dunkirk evacuation. In response to the German<br />
advance it was pulled back to form a defensive line<br />
along the Somme, where it was attached to the<br />
French Tenth Army. With the withdrawal of Allied<br />
forces at Dunkirk, the Germans turned their<br />
attention to the south. On 5 June they began their<br />
second offensive. <strong>The</strong> 51st was tasked with<br />
holding a line four times longer than that which<br />
would normally be expected of a division.<br />
Major General V M Fortune, GOC 51st Highland Division , with General<br />
Major Erwin Rommel at St. Valéry after the surrender of the 51st Division<br />
to Rommel's 7th Panzer Division<br />
After many sustained attacks over 5–6 June<br />
caused heavy losses, particularly among the 7th<br />
Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,<br />
where the main weight of the German attack fell.<br />
<strong>The</strong> other battalions of the 154th Brigade were<br />
enveloped. <strong>The</strong> remnant of the 154th Brigade was<br />
forced to retire to the west.<br />
Meanwhile, the 152nd and 153rd Brigades, along<br />
with the French 9th Corps, were cut off from the<br />
main Allied forces, and had to withdraw toward Le<br />
Havre for a possible evacuation by sea. As the<br />
force moved back toward the coast German forces<br />
reached the coast area near Saint-Valery-en-Caux<br />
first, cutting off the line of retreat to Le Havre. <strong>The</strong><br />
French and British force pulled back into Saint<br />
Valery-en-Caux.<br />
French and British prisoners of war above St Valery<br />
With steep cliffs overlooking the small<br />
harbour, the Germans had a ready line of<br />
fire to use against any attempts to<br />
withdraw. General Fortune could not hold<br />
out much longer, and realized their last<br />
chance was to be pulled off in the dark on<br />
the night of 11/12 June, but no ships<br />
came, ships were assembled for the<br />
evacuation but daytime evacuation was<br />
impossible and on the final night fog<br />
meant that the ships could not<br />
communicate and co-ordination would be<br />
impossible. On the morning of 12 June the<br />
French forces surrendered, followed 30<br />
minutes later by the British. Major-General<br />
Fortune was one of the most senior British<br />
officers to be taken prisoner in the war.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> men had been fighting almost<br />
continuously for ten days against<br />
overwhelming odds. <strong>The</strong>y were exhausted<br />
and virtually out of ammunition, with no<br />
artillery ammunition left at all.<br />
More than 10,000 members of the 51st<br />
(Highland) Infantry Division were taken<br />
prisoner at St Valery. <strong>The</strong>y were marched<br />
to Germany, via Belgium, following the<br />
route over which the Germans had<br />
advanced against them. <strong>The</strong> officers were<br />
separated from the men.<br />
17
<strong>The</strong>re were some notable escapes, mostly in<br />
the early stages of the march. Of the 290<br />
British Army POW escapers who had returned<br />
to Britain by the end of June 1941, 134 were<br />
members of the 51st (Highland) Infantry<br />
Division.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re can hardly have<br />
been a town, village or<br />
hamlet in the<br />
Highlands and beyond<br />
which was not directly<br />
affected by the loss.<br />
After the war was over, General Fortune was<br />
knighted by King George VI for his work in<br />
promoting the welfare of his men while in<br />
captivity: despite failing health, he had resisted<br />
repatriation. From the British point of view, the<br />
defeat of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division<br />
was the end of the Allied resistance during the<br />
Battle of France.<br />
Donald with Sergeant Johnson Beharry VC on<br />
Rememberance Sunday<br />
RONNIE MACKINTOSH-WALKER<br />
Joined his Regiment, <strong>The</strong> Seaforth<br />
Highlanders, at the Battle of the Somme in<br />
July 1916, aged 18. By the age of 19, he<br />
had been awarded three Military Crosses for<br />
exceptional courage and bravery in the face<br />
of the enemy – a truly extraordinary and<br />
unique achievement. (A Military Cross is just<br />
below a Victoria Cross for bravery).<br />
Donald Smith, Seaforth Highlanders who<br />
was injured and then captured at St Valery<br />
spent the rest of the war as a Prisoner of War<br />
in Poland. Of his five friends who joined the<br />
Seaforth Highlanders, Donald was the sole<br />
survivor. Donald was a regular attendee at<br />
the Cenotaph in London for Remembrance<br />
Sunday where he was a respected member of<br />
our contingent and I had the honour to march<br />
with him on at least two occasions. Donald<br />
passed earlier this year aged 100.<br />
At the start of WWII, he was captured at St<br />
Valery-en-Caux in northern France, along<br />
with the whole of the 51st Highland<br />
Division shortly after the evacuation from<br />
Dunkirk in June 1940. However, as they<br />
were being marched across northern<br />
France to the German POW camps, Uncle<br />
Ron escaped near Lille and then cycled<br />
the whole way down France to Marseilles<br />
before crossing over the Pyrenees into<br />
Spain and returning home to Britain and<br />
Scotland via Portugal.<br />
18
In June 1944, as a Brigadier, he commanded<br />
227 Highland Brigade on the breakout from the<br />
Normandy beaches shortly after D Day.In<br />
some of the fiercest fighting to capture the<br />
strategically vital high ground at Côte 112, he<br />
was killed on the 16th July 1944, aged 46, at<br />
Baron-sur-Odon; one of the most senior<br />
officers to be killed in action in WWII. He was<br />
posthumously awarded a Distinguished<br />
Service Order, DSO, for exceptional<br />
leadership. He is buried in the CWGC at<br />
Hottot-Les-Bagues in Normandy.<br />
Information on Ronnie Macintosh-Walker<br />
courtesy of Giles Nevill, Ronnie's nephew,<br />
and former officer in the Queen's Own<br />
Highlanders with whom I had the honour to<br />
serve.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 51st Highland Division fought a<br />
heroic rearguard action to assist the<br />
Dunkirk evacuation, culminating in the<br />
battle of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in 1940<br />
where thousands were either killed or<br />
captured. <strong>The</strong> bad news of the surrender<br />
of the 51st Highland Division, just ten<br />
days after the last ships sailed from<br />
Dunkirk, was virtually airbrushed from<br />
history<br />
<strong>The</strong> Charge of the 1st Battalion Queens<br />
Own Cameron Highlanders by David<br />
Rowlands.<br />
Alexander McConnachie,<br />
Gordon Highlanders who was injured during<br />
the retreat to St Valery and was evacuated to<br />
Britain and discharged from the Army due to<br />
his wounds. He went on to be a transport<br />
driver resupplying Army and Airforce bases in<br />
the North of Scotland.<br />
French General Charles de Gaulle, in a<br />
speech, claimed "I can tell you that the<br />
comradeship in arms experienced on the<br />
battlefield of Abbeville in May and June 1940<br />
between the French armoured division which I<br />
had the honour to command and the valiant<br />
51st Highland Division played its part in the<br />
decision which I took to continue fighting on the<br />
side of the Allies unto the end, no matter what<br />
the course of events."<br />
1st Battalion in action at Escaut Canal,<br />
Belgium. <strong>The</strong> last Highland Regiment to<br />
wear a kilt in battle, attacking the Germans<br />
at the River Escaut, May 1940. Whilst not<br />
part of the 51st Highland Division 1st<br />
Camerons it would seem never got the<br />
War Office directive.<br />
Lest We Forget<br />
19
Mrs Joan McLean<br />
Mrs Joan McLean<br />
Alicante Branch Chairman and Parade<br />
Marshall District North Spain, Jack Kemp<br />
represented <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion when<br />
requested to carry the RBL Standard at the<br />
Scattering of Ashes of Mrs Joan McLean<br />
(Maiden name Joan Shaw). <strong>The</strong> service<br />
took place in Menorca on Saturday 24th<br />
July 2021. <strong>The</strong> photographs have been<br />
provided by Joan’s daughter Joanna. Joan<br />
served within the Woman’s Royal Navy<br />
Services (WRNS)<br />
in WW2, initially<br />
serving in Chelsea<br />
as a Leading<br />
Plotter, Plotting the<br />
movement of ships<br />
both friendly and<br />
enemy. Her first<br />
establishment was<br />
bombed, and Joan<br />
moved from<br />
Chelsea to the<br />
dockyard tunnels in<br />
Daughter Joanna Scattering<br />
Joan’s Ashes and<br />
Remembrance Poppy Wreath<br />
Chatham working<br />
this time as a<br />
Plotter & Signaller.<br />
WRNS Plotter & Signaller WW2<br />
During her time in the WRNS Joan even<br />
found herself escorting mailbags on a<br />
Lancaster Bomber. Joan was also best<br />
friends with Elisabeth Harvey who was the<br />
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) poster<br />
girl, both staying best friends after the war.<br />
District Parade<br />
Marshall Jack Kemp,<br />
right representing<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British<br />
Legion<br />
Rest in Peace<br />
Joan, thank<br />
you for your<br />
Service<br />
during WW2<br />
War Time<br />
Poster of<br />
Elizabeth<br />
Harvey (Left)<br />
and Joan’s<br />
Photo of her<br />
best friend<br />
Elizabeth<br />
Harvey (Right)<br />
20
This years District North Spain<br />
Poppy Appeal Launch (PAL) will<br />
take place in Benidorm on<br />
Saturday 16th of October 2021.<br />
Last year due to Covid<br />
restrictions the Launch was a<br />
much reduced but very<br />
successful affair.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2021 Launch which will take place in it's<br />
normal location on the seafront promises to be<br />
a grand affair with Standards from all 14 District<br />
North Branches and other organisations.<br />
District North Spain Poppy<br />
Appeal Launch<br />
(PAL)<br />
Benidorm<br />
16th October 2021<br />
Alicante Branch Standard Bearers at the 2020 Poppy<br />
Appeal Launch<br />
How do you wear your Poppy?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no 'correct way to wear a poppy<br />
It is a matter of personal choice whether someone chooses to wear a<br />
poppy and how they choose to wear it<br />
<strong>The</strong> best way to wear a poppy is simply with<br />
pride.<br />
21
What is<br />
Remembrance?<br />
Remembrance honours those who<br />
serve to defend our democratic<br />
freedoms and way of life.<br />
Remembrance does not glorify<br />
war and its symbol, the red poppy,<br />
is a sign of both Remembrance<br />
and hope for a peaceful future.<br />
Remembrance unites people of all<br />
faiths, cultures, and backgrounds but<br />
it is also deeply personal.<br />
Everyone is welcome to join the Alicante Branch<br />
on the 11th November 2021 for Armistice Day at<br />
Castalla International at 10:30 and on the 14th<br />
November 2021 at 10:30 for Remembrance<br />
Sunday at El Campello Beach Front<br />
22
<strong>The</strong> Western Front<br />
During WW1, much of<br />
the fighting took place<br />
in Western Europe.<br />
<strong>The</strong> countryside was<br />
blasted, bombed and<br />
fought over<br />
repeatedly.<br />
Previously beautiful landscapes turned to<br />
mud; bleak and barren scenes where little or<br />
nothing could grow.<strong>The</strong>re was a notable and<br />
striking exception to the bleakness - the bright<br />
red Flanders poppies. <strong>The</strong>se resilient flowers<br />
flourished in the middle of so much chaos and<br />
destruction, growing in the thousands upon<br />
thousands.<br />
Shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a<br />
Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John<br />
McCrae was moved by the sight of these<br />
poppies and that inspiration led him to write<br />
the now famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.<br />
<strong>The</strong> spread of the poppy as a symbol<br />
<strong>The</strong> poem then inspired an American<br />
academic named Moina Michael to adopt the<br />
poppy in memory of those who had fallen in<br />
the war. She campaigned to get it adopted as<br />
an official symbol of Remembrance across the<br />
United States and worked with others who<br />
were trying to do the same in Canada,<br />
Australia, and the UK.<br />
Also involved with those efforts was a French<br />
woman, Anna Guérin who was in the UK in<br />
1921 where she planned to sell the poppies in<br />
London.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re she met Earl Haig, our founder, who<br />
was persuaded to adopt the poppy as our<br />
emblem in the UK. <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion,<br />
which had been formed in 1921, ordered nine<br />
million poppies and sold them on 11<br />
November that year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Inspiration<br />
and History<br />
behind the<br />
Poppy becoming<br />
a symbol of<br />
Remembrance<br />
Sold out!<br />
<strong>The</strong> poppies sold out almost immediately.<br />
That first 'Poppy Appeal' raised over<br />
£106,000 to help veterans with housing and<br />
jobs; a considerable sum at the time. In<br />
view of how quickly the poppies had sold<br />
and wanting to ensure plenty of poppies for<br />
the next appeal, Major George Howson set<br />
up the Poppy Factory to employ disabled<br />
ex-servicemen. Today, the factory and our<br />
warehouse in Aylesford produces millions<br />
of poppies each year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> demand for poppies in England<br />
continued unabated and was so high, in<br />
fact, that few poppies actually managed to<br />
reach Scotland. To address this and meet<br />
growing demand, Earl Haig's wife Dorothy<br />
established the 'Lady Haig Poppy Factory'<br />
in Edinburgh in 1926 to produce poppies<br />
exclusively for Scotland.<br />
Today, over five million Scottish poppies<br />
(which have four petals and no leaf unlike<br />
poppies in the rest of the UK) are still made<br />
by hand by disabled ex-Servicemen at<br />
Lady Haig's Poppy Factory each year and<br />
distributed by our sister charity<br />
Poppyscotland.<br />
23
John McCrae<br />
Early on the morning of May 3, 1915, John<br />
McCrae sat wearily near his field dressing<br />
station, a crude bunker cut into the slopes of<br />
a bank near the Ypres-Yser Canal in<br />
Belgium. A Canadian military surgeon, he<br />
had been at the French line for 12 days<br />
under incessant German bombardment, and<br />
the toll of dead and wounded had been<br />
appalling.<br />
From his position on the road along the<br />
canal running into Ypres, McCrae wrote: “I<br />
saw all the tragedies of war enacted. A<br />
wagon, or a bunch of horses or a stray man,<br />
would get there just in time for a shell. One<br />
could see the absolute knockout; or worse<br />
yet, at night one could hear the tragedy, a<br />
horse’s scream or the man’s moan.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> previous night<br />
he had buried a<br />
good friend, Lt.<br />
Alexis Helmer of<br />
Ottawa, blown to<br />
pieces by a direct<br />
hit from a German<br />
shell. Now, as he<br />
sat in the early<br />
morning sunshine,<br />
he could hear the<br />
larks singing<br />
between the crash<br />
of the guns.<br />
He could see the rows of crosses in a nearby<br />
cemetery. <strong>The</strong> field where the cemetery lay<br />
was thick with scarlet poppies, their dormant<br />
seeds churned up by the guns, blooming<br />
despite-or because of-the carnage. McCrae<br />
took in the scene and quickly wrote a 15-line<br />
poem. Speaking as from the dead to the<br />
living, “In Flanders Fields” was to become<br />
the most famous poem of the Great War—<br />
perhaps of any war.<br />
In Flanders<br />
Fields<br />
BY John McCrae<br />
In Flanders fields the poppies blow<br />
Between the crosses, row on row,<br />
That mark our place; and in the sky<br />
<strong>The</strong> larks, still bravely singing, fly<br />
Scarce heard amid the guns below.<br />
We are the Dead. Short days ago<br />
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,<br />
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,<br />
In Flanders fields.<br />
Take up our quarrel with the foe:<br />
To you from failing hands we throw<br />
<strong>The</strong> torch; be yours to hold it high.<br />
If ye break faith with us who die<br />
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow<br />
In Flanders fields.<br />
Video Link, Click Here<br />
24
"We Served"<br />
John Pratt<br />
Hertfordshire Constabulary<br />
Cadets 1966 - 1969<br />
Regular 1969 - 1998<br />
<strong>The</strong> constabulary was founded in 1841, under the<br />
County Police Act, five years after the Hertford<br />
Borough Police and St Albans Borough Police had<br />
been formed. In 1889, the Hertford Borough Police<br />
force was merged into Hertfordshire. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
constables were working-class men and were paid at<br />
the level of an agricultural labourer. In Victorian<br />
times, officers were entitled to only one rest day in<br />
every four to six weeks and were entitled to only one<br />
week's unpaid annual leave a year. A ten-hour<br />
working day was the norm and no meal breaks were<br />
allowed. <strong>The</strong>re were strict constraints on an officer's<br />
private life too. For example, officers reportedly could<br />
not leave their homes without permission and could<br />
only go out with their wives so long as they were not<br />
absent for more than two hours and someone was<br />
home to take messages.<br />
Alicante Branch Secretary &<br />
District Standard Bearer<br />
John as a Cadet<br />
25
St Albans Constabulary<br />
remained independent until<br />
1947, then being absorbed<br />
into the Hertfordshire<br />
Constabulary. Finally, it was<br />
in 2000 that the current force<br />
boundaries came into place<br />
with the addition of Hertsmere and Broxbourne,<br />
transferred from the Metropolitan Police. In 2006,<br />
proposals were made by Charles Clarke, the then<br />
Home Secretary, that would see the force merge<br />
with neighbour forces Bedfordshire Police and Essex<br />
Police to form a new strategic police force. However,<br />
in July 2006, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair<br />
signalled that police force mergers would not be<br />
forced through by the central government. However,<br />
with the economic recession beginning in 2008 the<br />
force began working on collaboration with<br />
neighbouring forces. First joining with Bedfordshire<br />
Police and then Cambridgeshire Constabulary in a<br />
strategic alliance, the three forces formed joint units<br />
in counter terrorism, major crime, dogs, firearms,<br />
SOCO, roads policing, operation planning, civil<br />
contingencies, ICT and professional standards.<br />
Working collaboratively in this way protected local<br />
policing by local officers, but enabled specialist units<br />
to work across, and be paid for by, all three forces.<br />
Further collaborative work is underway with call<br />
handling, control and dispatch, human resources<br />
and some 'back-office' functions being examined for<br />
merging. For the foreseeable future, the<br />
Constabulary looks likely to remain an independent<br />
force. Ultimately, the decision for any full merger of<br />
the three forces will be in the hands of the Police and<br />
Crime Commissioners, and thereby in turn, the<br />
public themselves.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Constabulary celebrated it's 180th Anniversary<br />
in April this year.<br />
John having received his Long Service<br />
and Good Conduct Medal<br />
Carrying the District Standard at the Poppy<br />
Appeal Launch (PAL) 2020. John is also carrying<br />
our Branch Standard at the Festival of<br />
Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this year.<br />
26
MEMORIAL UPDATE<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch Remembrance Memorial project has moved<br />
several steps closer to completion, the Branch has now secured<br />
the funds required due to several fund raising events.<br />
In June our Chairman, Jack Kemp and Hamish McConnachie attended<br />
a meeting with the Mayor of Castalla, Don Antonio Bernabeu and<br />
Councilor Asun Vera Vicente at the Town Hall, both the Mayor and<br />
Councilor Vicente gave their support for the project and since then<br />
Asun has been working very closely with the monument sub -<br />
committee as liaison with the Town hall. Initial paperwork for the<br />
project was submitted on the same day. <strong>The</strong> final paperwork, the<br />
architects submission was submitted in early August.<br />
<strong>The</strong> drafts for the two memorial plaques are now in the hands of a local<br />
granite company who will produce the plaques as soon as the Town<br />
hall gives the official "go ahead".<br />
Invitations to several local, national and international dignitaries<br />
including Joe Falzon OSJ BEM the National Vice Chairman, Bob<br />
Chambers the Membership Council Overseas Representative and the<br />
Defence Attaché from the British Embassy in Madrid have been<br />
accepted. <strong>The</strong> target date for the unveiling is Sunday 17th October<br />
2021 as part of the Alicante Branch, Legion 100 Anniversary<br />
celebrations and Poppy Appeal Launch (PAL).<br />
27
Help us to assist<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British<br />
Legions<br />
Beneficiaries<br />
We would love<br />
more<br />
Caseworkers,<br />
Across District<br />
North Spain<br />
Training will be<br />
provided if you<br />
can assist with<br />
any of the<br />
voluntary<br />
positions<br />
Do you have a few<br />
hours to spare on<br />
an ad hoc basis?<br />
Do you won’t to<br />
be a House Bound<br />
and Hospital<br />
Visitor?<br />
BRANCH COMMUNITY<br />
SUPPORT<br />
By volunteering<br />
some of your free<br />
time you can<br />
assist<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British<br />
Legion<br />
You can make a<br />
difference and<br />
improve the<br />
quality of life for<br />
one of our<br />
Beneficiaries here<br />
in Spain<br />
ALICANTE BRANCH<br />
CONTACT DETAIL<br />
Branch Community Support<br />
Name: Mary Kemp:<br />
Mobile: +34 711 039 685<br />
Alicante.BCS@rbl.community<br />
Alicante Branch Web Page<br />
Alicante RBL Facebook Page<br />
We are Responsive,<br />
Dedicated and Committed,<br />
we provide support before<br />
you join the Branch and after<br />
you join the Branch, we play<br />
a huge part in supporting the<br />
local communities within our<br />
Branch area.<br />
Our BCS Committee Member<br />
is only a phone call or email<br />
away and works in the<br />
strictest of confidentiality.<br />
Alternatively, if<br />
you find it hard to<br />
get out, why not<br />
be a Telephone<br />
Buddy for<br />
someone who is<br />
isolated either<br />
through illness or<br />
location and<br />
would love to<br />
hear another<br />
voice<br />
<strong>The</strong> primary aim of TRBL is to support serving members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army,<br />
Royal Air Force, Reservists, <strong>Veteran</strong>s and their families, many <strong>Veteran</strong>s & their families live within the<br />
Branch catchment area.<br />
Join the Alicante Branch you will be made most welcome.<br />
For more information on the Branch or joining call the Branch Chairman Jack Kemp on: 711 012 668<br />
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION (TRBL) – IN SPAIN<br />
Provides lifelong support to the Armed Forces<br />
Community, to our serving men, women, veterans and<br />
their families<br />
Pamela Twissell-Cross<br />
District Community Support Coordinator (Spain North)<br />
Registered Charity No. 219279<br />
Tel: +34 676 451 780, Mon to Fri 09:00 – 14:00 hours<br />
Email: spainnorth.communitysupport@RBL.community<br />
Spanish NIF N8261536<br />
28
<strong>The</strong> Video Page<br />
Our Video page is designed to complement and give further information on articles<br />
that appear within the <strong>Veteran</strong>.<br />
Click Here<br />
Click Here<br />
HMS Kent visits Alicante<br />
51st Highland Division at St Valery<br />
Click Here<br />
Click Here<br />
Lancers - Merger, BBC East Midlands Armed Forces Day 2021<br />
29
Forecast of Event s<br />
Alicante Branch meets at 12:30 pm on the 1st<br />
Thursday of the month:<br />
In even numbered months: At the International Club, Camino Real de Villajoyosa 11, La<br />
Font, El Campello, 03650<br />
In odd numbered months: At Amigos De Onil, Calle Biar 20, 03430 Onil, Spain<br />
All meetings are followed by a Social Lunch within the local area.<br />
Our weekly casual 'Meet & Greet' takes place at the No Problem Bar, Castalla<br />
international on Thursdays at 15:00. Come along and meet some of the members<br />
September 2021 Social Event requested by Branch Members at the Aug General Meeting.<br />
2nd September 2021 Branch General Meeting – location will be Amigos Onil starting as<br />
always at 12:30 hours and will be followed by a social lunch.<br />
7th October 2021 Branch Annual General Meeting - TIC in El Campello, starting at 12:00<br />
hours and will be followed by a social lunch.<br />
16th October 2021 Poppy Appeal Launch (PAL) Benidorm.<br />
17th October 2021 at 10:30 unveiling of the RBL Memorial in Castalla<br />
17th October 2021 at 18:30 100th Anniversary Poppy Ball Caseta Nova Ibi.<br />
4th November 2021 Branch General Meeting – location will be Amigos Onil , starting as<br />
always at 12:30 hours and will be followed by a social lunch.<br />
11th November 2021 at 10:30 Armistice Day - Castalla International<br />
14th November 2021 at 10:30 Remembrance Sunday - El Campello beach front.<br />
2nd December 2021 – Branch Christmas Lunch – La Cova, El Campello, 12:30 hours. Note<br />
as per normal we will not have a Branch General Meeting in Dec 2021.<br />
13th January 2022 - Branch General Meeting – location will be Amigos, Onil , starting as<br />
always at 12:30 hours and will be followed by a social lunch.<br />
027 30
Alicante Branch to be represented at<br />
<strong>The</strong> Festival of Remembrance<br />
It was confirmed at the August General<br />
Meeting that Mr John Pratt, Branch Deputy<br />
Standard Bearer will represent the Alicante<br />
Branch by carrying the Branch Standard at<br />
the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal<br />
Albert Hall in London.<br />
Mr John Pratt, Branch<br />
Secretary and Deputy<br />
Standard Bearer<br />
Chairman's Certificate of Appreciation<br />
Wendi Longman<br />
Last year Wendi made Face<br />
Coverings which people then kindly<br />
donated money which went towards<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion Poppy<br />
Appeal 2020. Wendi should have<br />
been presented with her Certificate<br />
at last years AGM but due to the<br />
Pandemic Regulations she was<br />
unable to come over to Spain, so it<br />
was fabulous to finally say thank<br />
you from all Members and Friends<br />
of the Alicante Branch. Well done<br />
Wendi and Thank You.<br />
Wendi with Chairman Jack Kemp<br />
31
Robert Burns<br />
January 25th 1759 - July 21st 1796<br />
225th Anniversary of the Bards Death<br />
Due to Covid restrictions <strong>The</strong> Alicante<br />
Branch of <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion had to<br />
cancel their Burns Supper on the<br />
traditional date of January 25th. As this<br />
year is the 225th Anniversary of the<br />
Bards death it was decided to hold a<br />
"Burns Wake" on July 21st at Glenn's<br />
Restaurant in Castalla.<br />
<strong>The</strong> format and menu was the same as<br />
for a traditional "Burns Supper" and a<br />
raffle was held which raised the sum of<br />
180 Euros for the 2021 Poppy Appeal.<br />
whiskey, Caramel Logs, Crabbies, Baxters<br />
soups and shortbread was donated by Sue<br />
Parkes McConnachie.<br />
Branch Members Sue Morris, George Mollins and<br />
Jenny Powell<br />
<strong>The</strong> Master of Ceremonies Mr Hamish<br />
McConnachie who is also the Alicante<br />
Branch Webmaster and Publicity Member<br />
welcomed the guests before addressing the<br />
Haggis. After the traditional supper of<br />
Cock-a-Leekie Soup, Haggis, Neeps and<br />
Tatties followed by Cranachan and Atholl<br />
Brose the night was then given up to<br />
Poems and general merriment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> raffle which contained Scottish<br />
delicacies such as oatcakes, haggis,<br />
Branch Members Terry Sandford, Joan Mollins and<br />
Ed Morris<br />
32
Menu and Itinerary<br />
Sue Parkes McConnachie and Val Porter, Sue gave the<br />
Immortal Memory which covered Burn's life leading up<br />
to his death and his funeral.<br />
Jema Ovies Lucianez who gave a fantastic<br />
rendering of My love is like a Red Red Rose in<br />
Spanish with Kim Goodchild the Alicante Branch<br />
Treasurer.<br />
An extract from the diary of William Grierson<br />
This day at 12 o'clock I went to the Burial of Robert Burns who died on the 21st aged 38 years, in respect to the<br />
Memory of such a genius as Mr Burns, his funeral was uncomonly splendid the Military here consisting of the Cinque<br />
Ports Cavalry and Angusshire Fencibles who having handsomely tendered their services lined the streets on both<br />
sides from the Court House to the burial ground. <strong>The</strong> corpse was carried from the place where Mr Burns lived to the<br />
Court House last night.<br />
<strong>The</strong> firing party which consisted of 20 of the Royal Dumfries Volunteers, of which Mr Burns was a member, in full<br />
uniform with capes on the left arm, marched in front with their Arms reversed moving in a slow and solemn time to<br />
the Death March in Saul which was played by the Military Band belonging to the Cinque Ports Cavalry. Next to the<br />
firing party was the band. <strong>The</strong>n the bier and corpse supported by 6 of the volunteers who changed at intervals. <strong>The</strong><br />
relations of the deceased and a number of respectable inhabitants of both Town and Country followed next then the<br />
remainder of the volunteers followed in rank and the procession closed with a guard of the Angusshire Fencibles. <strong>The</strong><br />
great Bells of the Churches tolled at intervals during the time of the procession. When arrived at the Churchyard gate<br />
the funeral party formed two lines and leaned their heads on their firelocks pointed to the ground. Through this space<br />
the corpse was carried and borne forward to the grave. <strong>The</strong> party then drew up alongside of it and fired three vollies<br />
over the coffin when deposited in the earth, this closing a ceremony which on the whole presented a solemn grand<br />
and affecting spectacle and accorded with the general sorrow and regret for the loss of a man whose like we can scarce<br />
see again<br />
33
Barman: “Guys, I just heard a great joke about the<br />
military!” Customer: “Before you say anything, you should<br />
know that my three friends and I are Guardsmen. Think<br />
you still want to share it?” “<strong>The</strong> Barman smirked in disbelief<br />
and said,<br />
"What, and have to explain it four times?"<br />
MILITARY HUMOUR<br />
Husband takes his wife to a disco. <strong>The</strong>re's a<br />
guy on the dance floor giving it large -<br />
Break Dancing, Moonwalking, Backflips,<br />
the works, the wife turns to her husband<br />
and says"see that guy? twenty five years ago<br />
he proposed to me and I turned him down.<br />
Husband says,<br />
"looks like he's still celebrating"<br />
Two soldiers are walking down the<br />
street when one of them spots a dog<br />
licking himself. One soldier says to the<br />
other, “man, I wish I could do that.” To<br />
which the other soldier replies, “no,<br />
you better not. That dog might bite<br />
you!”<br />
How do you know<br />
when your date<br />
with a RAF pilot is<br />
halfway over? He says, “Enough about<br />
me. Want to hear about my plane?”<br />
Three soldiers are in a public<br />
bathroom... An American soldier steps<br />
away from the urinal, turns on the water,<br />
uses five or six pumps of soap to wash<br />
his hands and takes a big wad of paper<br />
towels to dry them. He says to the<br />
others, "in the US Army, we are taught<br />
to use what we have to to get the job<br />
done".<br />
A German soldier backs away from the<br />
urinal, washes his hands using minimal<br />
water, a single drop of soap, takes one<br />
paper towel and methodically dries<br />
every square millimeter of his hands. He<br />
says, "in the Bundeswehr, we are taught<br />
to be thorough and efficient".<br />
<strong>The</strong> British soldier steps away from the<br />
urinal and walks out saying, "in the<br />
British Army, we are taught to not piss<br />
on our hands.<br />
Army v Navy rugby at Twickenham the<br />
only day that Marines will admit that<br />
they are NAVY.<br />
26
Alicante Branch<br />
Royal British<br />
Legion<br />
100th Anniversary<br />
Poppy Ball<br />
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch of the Royal British Legion<br />
are holding their 100th Anniversary Poppy Ball<br />
on Sunday the 17th of October. <strong>The</strong> Ball which<br />
will be held at Caseta Nova near Ibi as part of<br />
their Poppy Appeal Launch (PAL) 2021. <strong>The</strong> Ball<br />
is open to all Legion Members, their guests and<br />
members of the community.<br />
Pre-Dinner Drinks/Photos<br />
18:30 – 19:15 hours<br />
Three Course Meal, Wine, Beer or Soft Drink included<br />
during the meal and a glass of Cava on arrival<br />
19:30 – 21:00 hours<br />
Entertainment & Grand Raffle<br />
21:00 – 23:59<br />
Dress Code<br />
Gentlemen - Black Tie/Dinner Suit<br />
Ladies – Ball Gown/Cocktail/Dress Trousers<br />
Miniature Medals may be worn<br />
Serving Members – Mess Dress<br />
€25 Branch Member pp<br />
€30 Guests pp<br />
Performance by <strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
Concert Band during Pre - Dinner Drinks<br />
Evening Entertainment by Kim Peters<br />
Female Vocalist<br />
Bookings now being<br />
taken<br />
For Further Details please<br />
contact<br />
Hamish McConnachie at<br />
Alicante.Web@rbl.community
<strong>The</strong> Sodger's Return<br />
Robert Burns 1793 (Extract)<br />
When wild war's deadly blast was blawn,<br />
And gentle peace returning,<br />
With many a sweet babe fatherless,<br />
And many a widow mourning;<br />
I left the lines and tented field,<br />
Where long I'd been a lodger,<br />
My humble knapsack all my wealth,<br />
A poor and honest sodger.<br />
A leal, light heart was in my breast,<br />
My hand unstain'd wi' plunder;<br />
And for fair Scotia home again,<br />
I cheery on did wander:<br />
I thought upon the banks o' Coil,<br />
I thought upon my Nancy,<br />
I thought upon the witching smile<br />
That caught my youthful fancy.<br />
At length I reach'd the bonie glen,<br />
Where early life I sported;<br />
I pass'd the mill and trysting thorn,<br />
Where Nancy aft I courted:<br />
When spied I but my own dear maid,<br />
Down by her mother's dwelling!<br />
And turn'd me round to hide the flood<br />
That in my eyes was swelling.<br />
Wi' altered voice, quoth I, "Sweet lass,<br />
Sweet as yon hawthorn's blossom,<br />
O! happy, happy may he be,<br />
That's dearest to thy bosom:<br />
My purse is light, I've far to gang,<br />
And fain would be thy lodger;<br />
I've serv'd my king and country lang-<br />
Take pity on a sodger."<br />
Poets Corner<br />
It's Your Legion<br />
Are you an active member<br />
<strong>The</strong> kind that would be missed<br />
Or are you just contented<br />
That your name is on the list?<br />
Do you attend the meetings<br />
And mingle with the crowd<br />
Or do you stay at home<br />
And grumble long and loud?<br />
Do you ever go and visit<br />
A member who is sick<br />
Or leave the work to just a few<br />
And talk about the clique?<br />
Come to the Legion more often<br />
And come with hand and heart<br />
Don't just be a member<br />
But take an active part.<br />
Think this over members<br />
you know the right from wrong<br />
Are you an active member<br />
Or do you just belong?<br />
Cde. Tom Kennedy<br />
Deceased 2001 Age 83<br />
I'm Cold and I'm Hungry<br />
I’m cold, and I’m hungry,<br />
I’m stealing food from a bin.<br />
And I’m fighting, my last battle,<br />
That I know I can’t win.<br />
My home, a shop doorway,<br />
I share with ladies of sin.<br />
My bed, is hard concrete,<br />
My pillow, a cider or gin.<br />
But I remember those far-off days,<br />
As days that were brimful with pride.<br />
With my regiment serving in Germany,<br />
And friends who would fight by my side.<br />
We shared a thousand adventures.<br />
We joked and laughed ‘til we cried.<br />
After 22 years, we parted our ways,<br />
And I’ve heard that so many have died.<br />
I sit, and I wonder,<br />
How did my downfall begin?<br />
Was it fate, or my blunder,<br />
Or just the shade of my skin?<br />
How much longer, can I take it?<br />
My tolerance is growing quite thin.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n I’ll be, with my comrades,<br />
If the angels will let us all in.<br />
Clive Sanders<br />
When You See a Soldier<br />
By Kelly Roper<br />
When you see a soldier<br />
Be sure to shake his or her hand,<br />
And let that soldier know you're grateful<br />
For the protection of our land.<br />
But most of all, express your thanks<br />
For every soldier's personal sacrifice.<br />
In order to serve our country,<br />
<strong>The</strong>y risked their entire lives.<br />
Do not stand at my grave and weep<br />
I am not there; I do not sleep.<br />
I am a thousand winds that blow,<br />
I am the diamond glints on snow,<br />
I am the sun on ripened grain,<br />
I am the gentle autumn rain.<br />
When you awaken in the morning's hush<br />
I am the swift uplifting rush<br />
Of quiet birds in circling flight.<br />
I am the soft starlight at night. Do not<br />
stand at my grave and cry, I am not there;<br />
I did not die.<br />
Unknown<br />
36
We Support<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal British Legion<br />
A big thank you to these<br />
business who have<br />
contributed prizes for<br />
the Grand Raffle at the<br />
100th Anniversary<br />
Poppy Ball<br />
Castalla<br />
International
<strong>The</strong> Alicante Branch<br />
of the<br />
Royal British Legion<br />
"Service not Self "<br />
Visit our website at<br />
http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/alicante