Page 120 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

Chester Branch by John Fairbanks)
We held our Annual Dinner Dance at Fox Barracks in early July where seventy members and guests enjoyed a delicious feast cooked to perfection. Following dinner, our guest, Captain John Elms, gave a captivated audience an excellent presentation about the life of the 1st Battalion in Afghanistan. Activity slowed down to allow for the heat of the summer, reviving in time for the Mons Day Reunion.
The Branch Annual Dinner took place in
the Regimental Club in October. Fifty happy diners sat down to partake of yet another culinary masterpiece from the kitchen of the incomparable Sandra Slater. The marvellous evening got off to a flying start with everyone partaking of a welcoming glass of punch prepared by Alan (Iggy) Jones. After the meal Iggy had another special treat in store for everyone because, when the Loyal Toast was proposed, we were all able to hear the very rare silent version of the National Anthem. Yet again it has been proved that you can rehearse for ever
but you can never beat the Gremlins!
As usual the Branch Christmas festivities took
place with a traditional Christmas Dinner on a Sunday lunchtime and the Christmas Draw and Party the following Friday was well received
by a packed house. Once again the tongue loosening properties of mulled wine, and Kath Beech’s powerful mince pies, was evidenced by the full throated uninhibited carol singing which almost drowned out the sterling efforts of our outstanding Brass Trio providing the musical accompaniment. The draw itself went well with Dan and Nancy Bly, Sheila Chidlow and Brian and Eileen Westley all needing assistance from Pickfords to get their prizes home. During the evening we presented Christmas boxes to Reg Lancelot and Alan and Linda Jones by way of thanking them for their efforts on our behalf during the year.
We held the Branch AGM on 22nd January. The Committee were re-elected unopposed and to the delight of members the annual subs
118
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Cheshire Regiment Association
Birkenhead Branch (by Graham Ball)
We joined up with members of Ellesmere Port Branch for a most enjoyable August day in North Wales in the Betws y Coed area and later down to the coast at Llandudno and recharged our batteries for a busy September.
Our last outing in September was the away leg of our annual Bowls Tournament against Stockport Branch; the final result was a win
for Birkenhead in the Doubles and Singles with Stockport winning the Ladies Doubles. It was a great day and enjoyed by all.
The East Cheshire Reunion was an enjoyable occasion where we met many old friends
and colleagues. This brought us swiftly to Remembrance Sunday with the Branch parading both in Birkenhead and Port Sunlight. Following the parade members attended Port Sunlight Vision for a short service in remembrance of the men of
Firstly on Sunday 5th, an idea of our Branch Chairman, Geoff Hunt, became reality when
a benefit event for injured troops took place. This was enthusiastically supported by various groups in the New Ferry area, who took it upon themselves to get things moving. Artists, all of whom gave their time and talents free of charge, were booked, Port Sunlight RBL arranged the venue, publicity and tickets,
and Mercian Regiment cadets
from Merseyside ACF gave a
helping hand. The day was
a sell out with a waiting list
for tickets and resulted in a
cheque for £700 being sent to
the Defence Medical Centre
at Headley Court. A big thank
you to everyone who made
the event such a success.
The following day a total of 26 bags of items for shoe boxes for the troops, donated by the general public, had to be collected from the RBL, which will add to the 200 plus boxes the branch had already dispatched.
Naturally we attended the Mons Day Reunion in Chester in strength and thought that it was an excellent day, especially having a contingent from 1 MERCIAN (Cheshire) taking part in the parade which encouraged a better standard of marching by the CRA members.
the 13th Service Battalion. Our hard-working Branch
Chairman, Geoff Hunt died suddenly at the end of November, as well as the tragic loss for his family,
the Branch (and the CRA in general – Sub-editor) has been dealt a severe blow. Geoff has driven the Branch for the last 14 years and was the energy
behind the annual Suez Reunion, his wit and comments will be greatly missed.
We went ahead with our Branch Christmas Dinner which Geoff had organised for us with 42 members and guests enjoying a five-course meal followed by an excellent entertainment on the history of Arabian dancing with members taking part in the performance.
At the AGM, we elected Ray Hogan as Branch Chairman and Peter Jackson as Secretary.
we attended the Mons Day Reunion in Chester in strength and thought that it was an excellent day
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