Page 126 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

The Cheshire
Regiment Association
BIRKENHEAD BRANCH Peter Jackson
On a sunny Sunday in early October, we travelled to Stockport for the return leg of the Bowls match against our old foes in the local Branch. Once we had found our way to the venue,
we were accorded a very warm welcome, the weather was on our side and the green (the largest green we have ever played on) was great. What more could we ask for?
The answer was for the Birkenhead Branch to play and to triumph. Alas, our old and bold were not up to the task. We were well and truly beaten. However, hope springs eternal and
we will seek revenge in
our next match, next May.
Notwithstanding the result,
we all thoroughly enjoyed
meeting both old and new
friends and our thanks go to
our hosts for a superb buffet.
Oak and Mrs Oak, who fitted our event into their busy schedule, and members of local RASC/ RCT and WRAC Association Branches who are by now regular attenders. As well as providing us with his Medicinal Compound, Ron Green recommended a singing group, ‘Signature.’ This female trio provided excellent post-lunch entertainment. Their repertoire was varied and
a failure of their PA system meant that they had to sing a capella. This didn’t faze them at all. It turns out that they formed when a local operatic society folded.
The East Cheshire
Reunion, held at the
Armoury, Stockport on the
last Saturday of October is
always worth the journey,
and this year was no exception. Lots of friends from across the branches, a hotpot and a
couple of speeches. Lt Col Mark Ellwood, CO
of 1 MERCIAN, gave an upbeat summary of his battalion’s current activities and also spoke about the “reshaped” Mercian Regiment. Thanks to Lawrence Dunning and the organisers, the event was a great success.
On Remembrance Sunday, we followed
our usual custom of parading at Port Sunlight War Memorial for the Remembrance Sunday Commemoration, followed by the service at Christ Church. A small ceremony at the museum followed, in remembrance of the 13th Battalion whose silver statue is kept there. Ken Guntrip BEM represented us, and laid a wreath at the Birkenhead Cenotaph service.
On 7th December, we gathered for our branch Christmas Lunch which was held once again at The Bridge Inn, Port Sunlight. Welcome guests this year included CRA Chairman, Lt Col David
...only when it went dark did the realisation dawn on them as to what life must have been like in the trenches
The branch received a bequest from the estate of the late George Ford. George had a long connection with the Army, having enlisted in the RASC in 1938, served
in that Corps throughout the Second World War, and was re-called as a reservist in the 1950s. He later served in
the 4th Battalion’s D Coy at Ellesmere Port and latterly as
MT Sgt. He was a regular attender at Ellesmere Port and Birkenhead Branch meetings and CRA events. Many will remember him following the Mons Parade along Chester’s pavements on his mobility scooter, when he was no longer able to drive a car.
At our AGM in January, Ray Hogan decided to relinquish the Chairman’s post and Tommy Radford, as Vice-Chairman will now be in the Chair.
The death of Major Bill Jones on 15th April
cast a shadow over the branch. Bill invariably supported CRA activities and, in spite of his health problems and his many other commitments, always found time for Birkenhead Branch. We shall miss him, and his amusing anecdotes, whether from his time as a subaltern in Malaya, or his recollections of the more bibulous members
of the 4th Battalion. His funeral was attended by
a large number of branch members and many others from the regimental family.
NANTWICH AND DISTRICT Ray Stafford
Following a good evening at the East Cheshire Reunion, our next big event was Remembrance, where we parade at Crewe, then Nantwich and finally at a ceremony
to honour the US airman, Lt Arthur Brown, who was killed when his plane crashed at Shrewbridge Road in Nantwich.
Our Christmas dinner was held at the
Royal Oak in Worleston, Nantwich and our thanks go to our Chairman, Brian Billington for
overseeing the organisation of this successful event.
A new year meant that the AGM was once again upon us. Following the usual reports by the President and Treasurer, officers were elected. We continue under the guidance
of Ray Stafford MBE as President, Brian Billington as Chairman, Maj Michael Morgan- Wynne and Graham Ravenscroft as joint Secretary, and Dave Waring as Treasurer.
RegimentalAssociation