Page 129 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 127 Queen’s Royal Lancers Branch
In December 2018, the inaugural RLOCA (QRL Branch) meet- ing was held in Burton on Trent. Volunteers gathered from across the country, from Cardiff to Brighton to Sunderland to Catterick, with the aim of establishing a QRL OCA Branch, for those that have served in the regiment (and attached arms) and those still serving with a QRL background. After a good few hours of deliberation, helped by several beers, it was decided there should be two branches: one to cover the Midlands and south (the QRL Midlands Branch) and another covering the north and north east (the QRL Northern Branch). The QRL OCA committee is as follows:
QRL OCA President – Brigadier Richard Nixon-Eckersall RL (QRL) Vice Chair – Adam Westwood
QRL OCA families LO – Tracey O’Connor
QRL Entertainments officer – Gordon Entwistle Social Media – Ginney Nixon-Eckersall
RL OCA (QRL Northern Branch)
Chairman – Des O’Connor Treasurer – David Tidbury
RL OCA (QRL Midlands Branch)
Chairman – Andy (Mandy) Carlton Treasurer – Tony Round
Hopefully this will be the start of two hugely successful OCA Branches as there are so many ex-QRL and QRL ‘attached’ out and about around the world. There is already an active QRL OCA Facebook Group which will help to keep everyone up
QRL OCA Committee
to date but we know that not everyone uses Facebook so an e- mail account has also been set up (qrloca@gmail.com). Please do pass on this information to all and if anyone wants to con- tact the branches please use the email provided below, which is monitored daily. The plan going forward is to hold a single an- nual dinner in a ‘central’ location that meets the needs of both branches. This year’s will be held in Leeds on Saturday 29th June at Leeds United Football Club stadium. We hope that plen- ty more informal events will be planned as the branches develop.
Stoke Branch (Aliwal Troop)
After a busy 2017, 2018 will slow and sedate although monthly meetings continued with no new members and the members getting older and frailer the numbers are getting low. the boys still meet up every other Tuesday for a ramble in and around Staffordshire, Frad leads them and in his absence, Melvin takes over. The archiving of the 16/5L’s historical data has continued throughout the year and should be going live on Stoke library website anytime soon. Late in October the branch held its an- nual dinner and again a great night was had with a great speech from Brigadier Andrew Hughes and Colonel William English spending most of the night going from table to table talking to the old boys, a big thank you again goes to Bud Flanagan and Bill Hubbard for all their time effort and hard work into mak- ing the night not only successful but thoroughly enjoyable. November saw the branch represented in London and Mons for Remembrance Sunday and the rest of the lads parading in Fenton (because there’s a bar at the end of the march). Then all of a sudden it was December again and again we are honoured that the ‘Lady Lancers’ joined us for a meeting and Major Chris Knight came and spoke to the gathered, with an all tucked into curry followed by mince pies and that was another year done, not sure how much longer we will last as the average age is quite high now and a lot of the boys are starting to get frail but we will keep going for as long as possible , thanks from the boys from Staffordshire
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Stoke Branch dinner Mr Tim Constantinou and Colonel William English