Page 127 - Mercian Eagle 2014

CHESTER BRANCH
We rounded off a busy 2013 with a
good Christmas Sunday Lunch and a successful Christmas Draw. 2014 started with a whimper rather than a bang and our membership is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of so many members last year.
Whilst still reeling from the Race Day invasion we at Chester, after the clearing up operation, are left with one burning question. Why, a week after entertaining 400 CRA members and their families, we can’t assemble more than nine members in the club? And they are from our nominal roll of only 58 ex Cheshires. We would love to know what we are doing wrong. Is it not enough curry? The beer prices? A weekly average of some 30 branch members, many of them honorary, manage to enjoy
a drink. Music? – We have bought one of those modern gadgets that not only plays music, but makes the coffee, and peels the spuds for Linda’s appetising suppers.
There are so many who served in 22nd who live within our catchment area, who we often see around town, but who, with the exception of race day are never seen within the Castle precincts. Again the question – Why?
We held our Annual General Meeting on 16th May. Terry Finlay, who was sunning himself in Mexico at the time, was elected to succeed the late Mitch Elliott as Chairman, and Dennis Rochell, whilst retaining the Standard Bearer portfolio, was elected as Vice Chairman. All those members holding other committee posts were re-elected. Several ideas for increasing membership, and for future suitable functions and events were discussed.
Due in part to the heatwave, and intervention by representatives of the NHS who seem determined to remove as many Branch members as possible from circulation, at times during the summer we have been unable on Friday nights to muster enough members to form a card
The East Cheshire Reunion, Major Ron Goodwin salutes John Fairbanks as he arrives
KIRKHAM BRANCH
Race Day at Chester saw the Kirkham Branch members meeting up at the Cobbles Café in Kirkham Market, where we all
had our full English breakfast and a good
chin-wag before we made our way to the transport organised by our “MTO”, Tommy Davies. Once again a great day was had by all. The 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment did
us all proud with the beer tent. What a great bunch of lads they all are and I must say the Mercian soldiers that I spoke to were all first class men. We are safe in their hands. After
school. However, things started to pick up again and there were signs that things were getting back to normal.
A very successful Race Night was held and most of the punters went home still wearing their shirts. Thanks to sterling work by John Harrison, the evening was enjoyed by all.
The Branch took a full part in the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Mons Parade and Service on 7th September. The CRA together with soldiers from 2 MERCIAN marched to Chester Cathedral behind the Band of the Mercian Regiment to find it already jam packed with
September 1914 to enlist in the Cheshire Regiment. The salute was taken by The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs MBE, The Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Bob Rudd and Brigadier Ian Cave, the President of the CRA. There were well over 1100 people on parade and with the sublime weather, it was an unforgettable experience.
Our Branch Annual Dinner, also held
in September, was a great success. We entertained the CRA Chairman, Lt Col David Oak and his wife Linda, who both seemed to enjoy themselves.
Brian Westley, ex Colour Sergeant in 1 Cheshire, who served in Suez, Germany, Malaya
people who had come
from all over Cheshire
to commemorate the
Centenary of the start
of The Great War.
Following the service,
led by The Bishop of
Chester, we fell in again
to march back, joined this time by other ex- Service organisations, the Sea Cadets, ACF and Air Training Corps and the re-creation of the arrival in Chester of 700 men from Lever Brothers Port Sunlight factory on 7th
and the Regimental Depot at the Dale, passed away on 22nd July 2014 aged 81. He was for over 30 years a loyal and enthusiastic member of Chester
Branch and held every Branch office except President. He will be sadly missed and
we tender our sincere condolences to his family.
John Fairbanks
There were well over 1100 people on parade...
ELLESMERE PORT BRANCH
Ellesmere Port are working hard in the locality during 2014, together with the Veterans Day Group in Ellesmere Port we are looking forward to supporting the Group once again, as we prepare for the many events planned to mark the Centenary of the outbreak of The Great War.
In May, 32 members, friends and families took a day trip to Llandudno. It wasn’t the best of starts though, the coach driver found that he could not engage reverse
gear, and after a wait of thirty five minutes, a replacement arrived from Runcorn and off we went. The weather in Llandudno was wet, very windy and very cold, but in true 22nd fashion, we made the most of it and enjoyed ourselves.
The annual commemoration at the Boat Museum and in the Cheshire Regiment Copse at Whitby Park were a great success and were well supported by members of the CRA from branches as far apart as
Birkenhead and Stockport, as well as our own families and friends. The Mayor and Mayoress of Ellesmere Port, Cllr and Mrs Brian Jones were in attendance, and the Mayor laid a wreath at the Boat Museum memorial. We hold this event, not just
to keep alive the memories and historic achievements of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, but to raise the profile of The Cheshire Regt Association locally. Gordon Kipps
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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