The Royal British Legion
The Royal County of Berkshire
and Vale of White Horse
COUNTY CIRCULAR
OCTOBER 2013
BRANCH SECRETARIES:
Please bring these items to your members’ attention and display this circular where your
members can read it.
FREE ENTRY TO ARMED FORCES RACEDAY AND COUNTY POPPY LAUNCH 26 OCTOBER
Once again Newbury Racecourse is supporting the Berkshire Poppy Launch at their Armed Forces
Race day. There is free entry to the premier enclosure for RBL members (2 tickets per member) and
Military personnel, under 18’s free.
Tickets must be ordered in advance by contacting the racecourse tel. 01635 40015 with your RBL
membership number or military ID. Further details about the racecourse and the event are on the
website: www.newbury-racecourse.co.uk
RBL LIABILITY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
Enclosed is a copy of the Legion’s Public Liability Insurance certificate that covers all Legion staff
and members involved in Legion events for the forthcoming year up to 30 September 2014.
COUNTY CONCERT AND FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE 2 NOVEMBER
County Concert and Festival of Remembrance at 7.30pm at Bearwood College, Winnersh on
Saturday 2 November 2013 and tickets are £12.00. This year we also have a performance by the
Military Wives Choir Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Please do promote the Festival to your
members and the public in your local area. Contact the County Secretary (email preferred) if you
require further posters.
SALVATION ARMY FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE 10 NOVEMBER
All Members and Branch Standards are invited to attend the Salvation Army Festival of
Remembrance on Sunday 10 November at 6.15pm at the Reading Citadel (on Castle Hill
roundabout, Ansty Road, Reading RG1 7JR. The number of Standard Bearers and RBL visitors has
dropped recently so your support is hoped for.
BRANCH ACCOUNTS DEADLINE 30 SEPTEMBER 2013
Thank you to all the Branches who submitted their accounts on time and thank you also to our
Independent Examiners who carried out a few last minute examinations over the weekend.
Regrettably there are still seven accounts outstanding, please send these in urgently.
PATHWAY FOR GROWTH
Branch Secretaries, Presidents and Chairman have been advised that in addition to the Welfare
numbers being transferred to the Contact centre the County Secretary’s telephone number will also
be transferred on 4 October. A new telephone number has been given to Branch Secretaries and I
ask for your cooperation in routing enquiries through your Branch Secretary. Please direct enquires
regarding Welfare to the contact centre 08457 725725.
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BRANCH AGMs
September sees the end of the Legion year and Branches are reminded that, in accordance with
Governing Regulation 35 of the Royal Charter, all branches are to hold their AGMs between 1st
October and 30th November. The MS1 Branch Information Form is enclosed and please ensure
yours is sent to the County Secretary as soon as possible after your AGM and certainly no later than
the end of December. Also enclosed is the Addendum to MS1 form for the additional information the
County use in the County Handbook.
RETURN OF COUNTY AWARDS
Do remember to return any County Awards to the County Office by 31 October so they are ready for
presentation at the 2014 Conference.
COUNTY CONFERENCE 11 JANUARY 2014, NEWBURY RBL CLUB
The County Conference is on Saturday 11 January 2014 at the Newbury RBL Club, Pelican Lane,
Newbury RG14 1NP. A separate memo convening the County Conference and the associated forms
was posted to Branches in September.
MEMBERSHIP TRAINING
We have just received information of training available for the remainder of the year. If you have
anyone wishing to attend please urgently contact the County Training Officer Steve Hutchings on
01235 550097 or email: steveehutch@hotmail.com as the deadlines are very short.

County Training Officer 11 – 13 October 2013 (weekend), to happen in London (Haig
House), but only if we increase numbers by at least another 2 or 3 to make the course viable.
We are sending out joining instructions now, because there is pre-course work to be done.
Responses / late applications by no later than 7th October 2013.

County Conference Course; Derby; Wednesday 16 – Thursday 17 October 2013: With
apologies for moving this around and cancelling this type of training and we are yet to get one
done this year! Please get any requests to us by no later than 9th October 2013, since this is
another one that we might need to cancel if there is insufficient support. Accommodation can
be booked if it meets SOP42 ie: 1 ½ hours travelling each way or accommodation proved to
be cheaper to stop over.

QPM Refresher 26th October 2013. This is for panel members who are already qualified
and expect to continue being available for IPs. This is also subject to approval by the LCC,
so applications only from those already qualified please and of course if they have not already
completed the Refresher course. Closing date is 11th October 2013. It is definitely going
ahead at Derby.

County Recruiting Officers 28-29 Nov 13 at Haig House – delegates required or offers of
alternative training accommodation if there is a need elsewhere

Branch Treasurers
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Belfast 23 – 24 Nov 13
Haig House (Provisional) 30 Nov – 1 Dec 13
Branch Management – Also Haig House 30 Nov – 1 Dec 13
MEMBERSHIP COUNCIL ELECTIONS
Details of the election process for the Membership Council have been sent to all Branches. You will
see that Berkshire is now in the East Membership Region and our representative is currently Colin
Kemp. The East Region is due for election and Branch nominations are to be with Phillip Badger,
Membership Governance Administrator by no later than 5pm Friday 13 December 2013.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION
The deadline for submission of nomination for the Board of Trustees is 5pm Friday 15 November.
YOUTH AFFILIATION SCHEME
Attached to this edition of County Circular you will find a Youth Affiliation leaflet. Please consider
seriously affiliating with any local Youth groups, especially at this time of the year when an affiliation
can be very helpful during the Poppy Appeal. Affiliation agreement’s can be obtained from the
County Office.
AROUND THE EDGE 2013
Thatcham Branch have sent a report about their section of the walk.
On the 29th September 2013 Members and friends from the Branches in Berkshire set out on a
sponsored walk around the old Berkshire Border in sections. Thatcham Branch members Ian Borland
and Jeff Tolley, escorted, by 23 Army Cadets from B Company, walked from New Greenham Park to
the car park by Combe Gibbet, a distance of 13 miles. The cadets, aged 13 to 15 years, were also
being assessed for their 1 Star Adventure Training. At the end of the Sponsored Walk, during which
they were tested on their ability to read a map, the cadets were required to cook a meal and set up a
two man tent. All the money raised is going to the 2013 Poppy Appeal.
One Star Army Cadets B Company after their sponsored walk
BFRS CAREERS TRANSITION FAIR - LONDON
A Transition Fair will be held on Thursday 17th October from 1030hrs to 1530hrs at The Victory
Services Club, 63-70 Seymour Street, London W2 2HF. These fairs are of great help to Service
Leavers and Veterans from across all three Services. There will be plenty of information, support
and opportunities available on the day. Enquiries can be made to Dominic Hamberg on 0845 308
2406 or at Dominic.H@bfrss.org.uk. Information can also be found at the BFRS website at:
www.bfrss.org.uk.
SHOE BOXES AND MAIL FOR TROOPS
Head Office has received some queries about shoe boxes and parcels for troops. A decision was
taken by the Board in 2010 for the Legion not to support this activity. Individual members who wish
to do so can obviously support this activity in a personal capacity. No Legion funds may be used for
doing so.
MOD has called on the public not to overload BFPO system this Christmas. Instead the MOD is
calling on the public to support Service Charities. Please see the following link to the appropriate
MOD article: http://www.army.mod.uk/news/25740.aspx
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WW1 UNCOVERED BY LA BOISSELLE STUDY GROUP 18 OCTOBER READING UNIVERSITY
The La Boisselle Study Group spent eighteen days in June/July working on site which focussed on
surface archaeology around the Granathof farm complex. Details of the work will be made available
via our website in due course. Aspects of the previous two year’s work was broadcast in May’s
BBC4 documentary ‘The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars’ which focused on some of the stories we
have uncovered at La Boisselle.
All of our work is financed by donations. To aid this year’s fundraising we have organised an evening
of talks to be held at Reading University on Friday 18 October. There will be an update on the latest
work and the unique value of the La Boisselle Project from Peter Barton and Jeremy Banning
followed by a talk from Tessa Dunlop (BBC’s Coast) on Marie of Romania during the First World
War. The final talk of the evening will be actor and comedian Hugh Dennis talking about his family’s
wartime experiences and what he learnt by walking in their footsteps whilst appearing in the BBC’s
‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Tickets are priced at £20 (including glass of wine on arrival). Doors
open at 6.45pm with the first talk beginning at 7.15pm.
We hope that RBL members and supporters will be able to come along for what promises to be an
interesting evening and we really appreciate your support.
RBL members and supporters may email bgornall-king@boyesturner.com to apply for tickets (£20).
For further information visit the Group' website: http://www.laboisselleproject.com/
THE BRITISH MILITARY TOURNAMENT
September saw the official British Military
Tournament 2013 launch, complete with The One
show presenter Alex Jones, The White Helmets,
Trumpeters of the RAF Central Band, abseiling Royal
Marines and even a camel or two! You can expect to
see all this and much, much more at this year's
Tournament at Earls Court on Saturday 7th and
Sunday 8th December, so book tickets now and
make sure you don't miss out!
Information and online booking links can be found at
www.britishmilitarytournament.com
Highlights of the 2013 show include:
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The capture of an Enigma machine from a German U Boat
A motorised tribute to the heroes of the Battle of the Falklands
A battle re-enactment during the Arab revolt of 1916-17 led by Lawrence of Arabia
The breathtaking Musical Drive performed by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery
The legendary Command Field Gun Competition with teams from Powerful and Terrible
State-of-the-art technology and effects in a Battlefield of the Future
THE GIFT – TV PROGRAMME
The Wall to Wall television company are working on an new series for BBC one called ’The Gift’
which aims to re-unite people that have lost touch. The programme will help people who would like
to locate an important person from their past to finally say the ‘sorry’ or thank you’ where they’ve not
had the opportunity before.
With a team of professional mediators, psychologists and experts in tracing people, Wall to Wall aims
to put these people in touch, help them find a gesture or gift that represents their feelings, and
support them through a meeting.
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They are currently looking for people who may need their help and will feature a whole range of
different experiences in the series - from people who want to find and thank the person who saved
their life, or provided them with support when they most needed it – to those who have become
estranged from an old friend or a family member and have never had the chance to make amends.
Anyone interested in becoming involved in the series can contact Sonia Sohal, Assistant Producer by
email thegift@walltowall.co.uk or call 0207 4247703
RBL YOUTUBE DVD CLIP THE FOUR PILLARS
The link below connects to a YouTube clip about what we do and the four pillars – Health & Welfare,
Representation, Remembrance & Comradeship.
http://youtu.be/EurF4CKKpX8
Branch Enclosures:

County Concert & Festival of Remembrance ticket application

RBL Public Liability Insurance Certificate

Youth Affiliation leaflet

MS1 for and Addendum to MS1

WW1 Uncovered poster

Kenton Theatre presents ‘My Darling Clemmie’
Welfare
T: Telephone 08457 725725
E: Southeastmidlands@britishlegion.org.uk
Knowledge base:
http://support.britishlegion.org.uk/
Pauline Swann, Club Business Advisor
Jennifer Strange
County Secretary
E: jstrange@britishlegion.org.uk
T: 07970 375421
Francesca Yates (CFR - Tues &
Weds only)
T: 07776 458447
E: fyates@britishlegion.org.uk
E: pswann@britishlegion.org.uk
All commercial advertisements appearing in the County Circular are offered without favour or prejudice. The
County HQ accepts no liability for the success or otherwise of subsequent business
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
2013
October
November
2014
January
May
June
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County Standard Bearer Competition
Hungerford Town Hall 10am
26
County Poppy Launch and Armed
Forces Raceday
Newbury Racecourse
27
Great South Fun Run
Southsea, Hampshire
2
County Festival of Remembrance
Bearwood College Theatre
7.30pm
9
RBL Festival of Remembrance
Royal Albert Hall 2.00pm &
7.00pm
10
Remembrance Sunday
11
Salvation Army Festival of
Remembrance
Reading Citadel, Castel Hill
6.15pm
11
County Conference
Newbury RBL Club,11.00am
11
Poppy Walk
Harwell RBL Club 9.00am
17-18
Annual Conference
Torquay
28
Armed Forces Day
Standard Bearers Competition
Sunday 6 October 2013 at Hungerford Town Hall, starts 10.00am, doors open 8.30am.
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