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The Cheshire Regiment Major John S Holden TD
Major John
Sefton Holden was commissioned into the 7th Bn The Cheshire Regiment (TA) in the early 1960s and posted to C Coy at Hale. John had been commissioned at OCTU while at
Loughborough where he did his teaching degree. He worked at Altrincham Grammar School as the woodwork master. During his early service with the 7th Bn, he was posted to Stockport and appointed as platoon commander of the Stalybridge detachment. When the 7th Bn was disbanded he served with the 4/7th Battalion Cadre until its disbandment. He was then posted to A Coy (Cheshire) The Mercian Volunteers based
at The Armoury and went on to command the Company. At the end of his tour he was posted to the TA Reserve and awarded the TD. John served over 12 years with the TA, mainly at Stockport.
He was OC at the time the Stockport Branch CRA was formed, and John joined the Stockport Branch there and then. He has been President and Vice President of the Branch for over 30 years. He was a
life member. John was the longest serving member of The Trustees of the Stockport Armoury having been a Trustee for nearly four decades. In this role he ensured that the interests of the Branch were also considered. The Stockport Branch has upheld the tradition of commemorating the Battle of St Julien – 31st July 1917 with the annual Church parade and service under the stewardship of John.
John had a passion for, and great knowledge of, keys, locks and safes
and left education to set up his own business in Altrincham. I was Chairman of Stockport Branch and when I retired from employment, John kindly offered facilities in his premises for CRA activities. Two desks,
a computer, telephone, fax, duplicating and filing facilities were at my disposal for five days a week and Saturday mornings. When I was organising pilgrimages and tours on behalf of the CRA the planning was undertaken from these premises. John took a keen interest in all of our military pilgrimages and joined us on a number of the trips to the Ypres Salient and St Julien.
A man of many interests, he worshipped at St Peters in Hale and was the treasurer of the PCC for many years. He enjoyed horse riding and was also the treasurer of the local branch of Riding for the Disabled. He loved antiques and had a much-admired collection of antique locks, keys and safes.
John was co-opted onto the Cheshire Regiment Association Management Committee in 2004 and was subsequently elected. He enthusiastically contributed
to the work of the committee and in 2011 was appointed Vice Chairman. For his contribution to the CRA and to Stockport Branch over the past four decades, he was awarded the President’s Certificate of Merit this year.
John was a traditionalist; he only wore three ties. The Cheshire Regiment for business, The Country Tie at weekends and the Mercian Volunteers Tie for social occasions.
Colonel A F Walker
Tony Walker was commissioned into the Cheshire Regiment in 1950 and served as a Platoon Commander and then Intelligence Officer with the 1st Battalion in Cyprus and Egypt. Posted to the Regimental Depot
in Chester as a Platoon Commander, on promotion to Captain, he became the Adjutant. He rejoined the 1st Battalion in Berlin as the MTO where he served for 2 years before returning to Chester, this time as a Training Officer at Eaton Hall Officer Training Unit. He then attended Staff College and was promoted Major, serving firstly at the Arab Legion Staff College in Jordan then
as GSO2 HQ MELF in Cyprus. He remained in Cyprus as Company Commander
with the 1st Battalion before returning to Aldershot for another GSO2 appointment. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1969,
he was Commanding Officer of the Mercian Brigade Depot in Lichfield. Following this he held appointments with HQ Northern Ireland and then MOD before promotion to Colonel where he was posted to NATO HQ in Brussels for 3 years and then as Military Adviser and Senior British Officer UAE in Dubai from where he retired in 1984. He retired to Surrey with his wife and daughter.
Captain H Conlin
Harry Conlin was commissioned into
The Cheshire Regiment in 1968 He was
a Platoon Commander in A Company and mainly served with the Regiment in places beginning with a “B”, namely Bahrain, Berlin and Belfast. As a platoon commander perhaps his most memorable quality was
to always do the right thing, even if this was unpopular with others. Harry Conlin had
a great ability to communicate and get on with everybody, and is remembered for his wicked sense of humour.
After a spell at the Mercian Brigade Depot in Lichfield as a Platoon Commander he
left the Army in 1974 and embarked upon what can be best described as a varied and fascinating career. Among his adventures and experiences, it is rumoured that he had an offer from a would be African dictator
to print himself off a million or two pounds worth of bank notes in exchange for his services in order to fund his planned coup.
Harry Conlin was a staunch supporter of the Cheshire Regiment Association for the rest of his life. He was a founder-member of the Southern Region Branch and could be seen every Remembrance Sunday marching at the Cenotaph. At his Memorial Service, Colonel Bob Stewart DSO spoke warmly of Harry and said that he will be remembered as a “gentleman and a gentle man”.
the Royal Marines in 1953 he joined as a National Service Officer the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters in June 1954 and served in Derna. He then moved to the Depot. After demobilisation he joined the 8th Battalion (TA) Sherwood Foresters.
In civilian life he was a metallurgist with Henry Wiggin & Co. metal components manufacturing.
BAILEY J S MBE TD Major
Of Worcester on 17 January aged 86. He enlisted in 1942 and was commissioned into The Worcestershire Regiment in 1943 and served in Italy in 1944/45 with the 1 KORR and after the war with 1 Worc R in Trieste, Pola and Luneburg. From 1948
he served as a TA Officer in 7 Worc R in
Worcester and Sherwood Foresters
ANNIS A J “Jack” WO2 22488234
Of Dudley on the 5th May 2013. He joined the Worcestershire Regiment as a regular soldier in the 1950s and served with the 1st Battalion. After leaving the Army he later joined
the 7th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment at A Company based at Dudley, Worcestershire. In civilian life Jack was employed by Group 4 as a security guard with whom he worked until retirement aged 65. On the re-organisation of the Territorial Army in 1967 he joined B Company (Worcestershire) Mercian Volunteers based
at Kidderminster as CSgt (CQMS) where
he became one of the mainstays of the
new company. Jack worked hard to make the Company a strong viable entity. He
was promoted WO2 and remained the
Coy Sgt Major until his retirement. Strongly supported by his own family he did a great deal to develop the strong family ethos within the Company, which it still maintains today through the Kidderminster Branch
of the Mercian Volunteers Regimental Association. He continued to support the Association functions until his health made it too difficult for him to attend.
ASTLEY Ian 2Lt
Of Bishopstone, Herefordshire on 12 June 2013 aged 78. After training with
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