No. 1594
RETIRED RAILWAY OFFICERS’ SOCIETY
Minutes of Annual General Meeting
Held in the Gascoigne Room at the Union Jack Club, Sandell St,
London SE1 on Monday 4th February 2013
Present:
President: Theo Steel
Hon Secretary: Richard Malins
Hon Treasurer: John Sellar
Roland Anderson
Alan Gardiner
Chris Leah
Peter Robinson
Chris Austin
Les Giles
Ray Loft
Mike Robson
Alec Bath
Mike Godwin
Bruce MacDougall
Andrew Salisbury
Leslie Binns
Hugh Gould
David Maidment
Brian Sandham
Ken Beresford
Martin Govas
Alan Marshall
David Sargent
Ernst Birchler
Rod Gray
Jim McKie
Dave Saunders
Alan Bisby
Chris Green
Chris Mew
Ken Shingleton
Chris Blackman
Ken Green
Philip Millard
Larry Shore
Colin Boocock
Bob Greening
Geoff Mitchell
Dennis Simmonds
Bob Breakwell
Chris Haig-Prothero
Roger Morgan
David Simpson
Vivian Brown
Brian Hammond
Phil Morton
Les Singleton
Ken Burrage
Ralph Harding
Robert Murton
Cedric Spiller
Neal Clarke
Keith Harrison
Peter Northfield
Alan Sprod
Brian Clementson
Ken Haysom
Richard Norton
David Stimson
Richard Cook
Chris Heaps
Ian Osborne
Alan Taylor
John Craik
Andy Heslop
Bob Owen
Roger Temple
Colin Crawford
Alan Hobson
Geoff Owen
John Tidmarsh
Alan Cribbens
Richard Horne
Peter Owen-Jones
Mike Tyrrell
John Cronin
Richard Huggins
Michael Page
Charles Vicary
James Crowe
Ian Hurst
Michael Papps
Bob Walters
Ray Diver
John Jagger
Frank Paterson
Chris Ward
John Dodd
Tom Jay
Don Pearce
Jim Ward
Derek Doling
Mike Johns
John Pearson
Ken Watson
Gordon Dudman
Brian Johnson
Tony Pinkstone
Derek Webb
Chris Dugdale
Stan Judd
Mike Pipes
Martin Williams
John Dunn
Alan Keitch
Stuart Redding
John Willmore
Phil Evans
Clive Kessell
Brian Redfern
Philip Wiltshire
Chris Exley
Graham King
Lionel Reid
Bob Wyatt
David Fenner
Trevor Rimmer
1.
2.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Monday 7th January 2013.
These were approved without comment.
News of Members.
The President reported with regret the deaths of three members:
Ivan Collins, former Senior Project Manager SR on 9th January aged 87.
Funeral on 28th January at Tunbridge Wells Crematorium.
John Rogers, formerly Manpower Strategy Officer for the SR at
Waterloo died on 17th December in hospital at Nice after a brief illness
from prostate cancer, aged 90. He had been living in retirement at
Menton in France and the funeral was there on 20th December. There will
be a celebration of John's life to be held in England on a date to be
arranged by his son in the spring.
Paul Taylor, former BR architect, died of a heart attack on 9 th January
aged 82, having attended the 7th January meeting. Several members
attended his funeral on 30th January at the Islington Chapel, St Pancras
Cemetery. There will be a service of thanksgiving for Paul's life at a City
church in the spring.
Eric Norland (not a member) died on 31st December aged 93. In
view of his great age, few people may now remember him, but he started
out as a trainee on the GWR. He left the railway relatively early in his
career to join Unilever (SPD) and having risen through the ranks there,
notably to manage their operations in Scotland with many contacts and
connections with Scotrail, he became Distribution Manager for the newly
established Sheerness Steel Company, again with many railway contacts
as their rail connected operations were set up.
Members stood for a few moments in silent tribute to their memory.
Certain other members are reported too unwell to attend meetings:
Colin Bracewell, Bob Parks, Denis Corley and John Ellis (fall on ice).
3.
Welcome to Members Recently Elected.
Bob Owen attended a meeting of the Society for the first time and
was accorded the customary warm welcome. Bob said he had attended
Course 57 (one of the last) at Woking with the President and as an LM
man it had taken him a while to summon up the courage to venture south
of the Thames since retirement, but he was glad to be among old friends
again. He had studied the Directory of Members and found someone he
knew on every page, from a career going back to 1964.
4.
Proposed New Members.
Name:
Address and telephone number:
Sponsors:
Phil Rowe 15 Nursery Court, Nevells Road, Letchworth David Hallam
Herts SG6 4TS 01462 675460
Alan Gardiner
Anne Blakeney 6 Emscote Road, Warwick CV34 4PP Haydn Peers
01926 496078
Colin Boocock
Geoff Weir Wells House, High Street, Whitchurch
Derek Doling
Reading, Berks RG8 77DB 0118 9844172
David Maidment
5.
Pension & Travel Facilities Matters.
There was nothing new to report this month.
6.
Any Other Business.
Following a comment made by Anna Walker at the Members’
Luncheon, the Committee proposed an additional note to the Rules of the
Society, to be included in the preface, as follows: Words importing the
masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and vice versa.
This was approved. Frank Paterson, reporting his astonishment at the
award of the M.B.E for his hobby rather than his career, asked for the
Society’s support in the latest NRM venture, an addition to the Archive
of Oral Railway History concerning signalling and safety. Further details
will be available. David Maidment is now author of 5 books, sold in aid
of the Railway Children, and sought members support.
7.
Annual Report and Accounts.
One Hundred and Twelfth Annual Report.
Annual General Meeting. On 5th February 2012 Theo Steel was elected
President in succession to Chris Austin and Ken Burrage was elected
Vice President. Richard Malins was re-elected as Honorary Secretary
and John Sellar was re-elected as Honorary Treasurer. James Crowe,
John Meara, and Les Singleton were re-elected to the Committee. Ken
Green, John Mayfield, Mike Tyrrell and Maurice Holmes were co-opted.
Trevor Rimmer and Ken Watson were re-elected as Honorary Auditors.
Membership. At the end of the Presidential Year the Society has 714
members, a net loss of 8: New members welcomed (27): B. Alston, D.A.
Craddock, A.H. Cribbens M.B.E., A.D. Dare, J.W. Dodd, J. Francis, A.
Gardiner, G.W. Jakes, M.J. Lee, D.B. Macdougall, A.N. McDougall,
K.F. Mee, P.A. Millard *, M.H. Miller, R.W. Owen, A.C. Pitt, Major J.
Poyntz, D.W. Richards, Lord R.A. Rosser*, K.M. Schofield, J.G.Scott,
P.A. Seward, M. Stanistreet, J.A. Willmore, D.J. Wilson, R.C.
Workman, D Yeats. (* Associate Member).
Deaths Reported with Regret (34): D.L. Bartlett, J.C. Batty, J.S. Bell,
O.R. Benz, A.W. Bryce, J.K. Bucknell, I.P. Collins, J.H.G. Cook, J.
Cornwell, H. Craig, D.M. Cromack, K.J. Davies, L.T. Eccles, D.A.
Fletcher, C.H. Garratt, S. Grout, F.W. Hammond, S.B. Hobbs, T.W.
Hughes, R. Kilvington, W. Mackenzie M.B.E., J.R. Mitchell, F.D.
Pattisson, J.F. Rogers, P.M. Scutt M.B.E., G.B. Simpson, R.L. Smith,
I.P. Sutton E.R.D. T.D., P.R. Taylor, G.F. Thomlinson, N.C. Thorne,
J.L. Walton, J.W. Wickes, H.R. Wilkinson. Resignation: M.C. Brown.
2012 Accounts. The Society achieved a surplus of £1,754 on its Income
and Expenditure Account in 2012, virtually unchanged from 2011, and
after allowing an appropriation, increased by £500, to the Directory
Fund. The Society's revenue benefits significantly from an increasing
level of donations from members no longer required to pay a
subscription and from the sustained enrolment of new members. Higher
accommodation costs are mainly attributable to inflation but these have
been offset by reductions in postage and printing as more members
receive communications electronically. The General Reserve, originally
created as a "fighting fund" to protect members travel and pensions
interests has been absorbed into general funds. The Society's finances
remain sound and funds held on deposit are available to counter future
price rises and possible contingencies. Subscriptions should not need to
be increased in the foreseeable future
Website. The Society Website, is operating satisfactorily, although some
members report occasional problems in accessing it or receiving the email alerts for new postings. The Yahoo Group can be used for the
exchange of group e-mails and messages between registered members. It
also has an album of photos taken at Society meetings and events. To
register members should e-mail the Secretary or log on to RROSociety
Yahoo Group. 62% of the membership now has access to the Website,
which provides prompt receipt of the Minutes, an up-to-date Directory of
Members and other items of news as arising. Access is restricted by
password to members who provide an e-mail address to the Secretary
and update any changes.
Directory of Members. The printed Directory of Members was last
published in February 2011 and supplements have been made available
in the interim. One is being supplied to members with this report and the
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting. The Directory will be reprinted
in September 2013. Members not requiring a copy should notify the
Secretary so that unnecessary printing costs can be saved.
Monthly Meetings. Nine meetings were held at the Union Jack Club in
London, one in the former NER Boardroom at what is now the Cedar
Court Grand Hotel in York and one at the former Midland Hotel in
Derby. Attendances in London have been between 85 and 135 members,
with 91 in York and 80 in Derby. The President attended all meetings.
Visits. The Society arranges visits on an ad-hoc basis and in 2012 thanks
to member Chris White a visit was made to the Bluebell Railway in
connection with the re-opening of the line to East Grinstead and the
removal of a domestic refuse tip.
Partners and Members Luncheons. These were held successfully at the
Double Tree Hilton former Bonnington Hotel, with Sir David Higgins as
guest speaker for the Partners and for the Members Anna Walker. James
Crowe organised these events in April and November.
Pensions and Travel Facilities. Members have been kept informed of
current developments throughout the year, by John Mayfield and John
Meara respectively.
RETIRED RAILWAYS OFFICERS` SOCIETY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2012
2011
2012
£
INCOME
£
377 Entrance Fees
312
10,562 Subscriptions/Donations
11,046
689 Transfer from Life Membership
617
11,628
11,975
Social Events:
Income Expenditure
68 Spring Luncheon
4,026
3,958 68
52 Autumn Luncheon
3,597
3,435 162
120
7,623
7,393
230
486 Interest Received
381
(104) Transferred to Life Fund
(70)
2 Sundry Income
4
12,132
12,520
EXPENDITURE
4,201 Accommodation and Expenses at meetings
4,586
3,265 Production and distribution of Minutes and Agendas 3,074
692 Directory and supplements not allocated to Fund
356
781 Administration etc
791
226 Web Site Management
240
750 Web Site Depreciation
718
9,915 Total
9,765
2,217 Net surplus before Appropriation
2,755
(500) less Directory Fund Appropriation
(1,000)
1,717 Surplus after appropriation
1,755
BALANCE SHEET as at 31st DECEMBER 2012
2011
2012
£
ASSETS
£
£
4,000 Investment Bonds (2/3 Year Fixed Rate) 4,000
14,118 Scottish Widows Deposit a/c
17,083
5 Other Accounts
5
18,123
21,088
173 Balance at Bank
330
370 Debtors
451
536 Stock of Ties
328
719 Web Site
1
1 Digital Projector
1
218 Centenary Books
194
20,140
22,394
(370) Less Creditors
(415)
19,770
NET ASSETS
21,978
REPRESENTED BY
13,172 Accumulated Funds at 1.1.12
14,889
1,717 Add: Excess of income over expenditure 1,755
Transfer of General Reserve
735
14,889
17,379
4,231 Life Members Fund at 1.1.12
3,646
104 Interest
70
4,335
4,716
(689) Less: Appropriation to Subscriptions
(617)
3,646
3,099
1,600 Directory Fund at 1.1.12
500
1,600 Less part Cost of Directory
0
0
500
500 Appropriation from Income & Exp Acct
1,000
500
1,500
735 General Reserve to accumulated Funds
19,770
21,978
We have examined the books and accounts of the Society and in our
opinion the Balance Sheet and Income & Expenditure Account for the
year ended 31st December 2012 give a true and fair view of the position
at that date. W.T. Rimmer, K.J. Watson Auditors (L.T.T. Steel President
R.W. Malins Hon. Secretary, J.E. Sellar Hon.Treasurer).
The President reviewed his year in office and reported positive updates
on the subjects of many of the talks given. Attendance at meetings had
been near record levels, although he regretted the loss of 34 members
this year compared to only 17 deaths last year. There were no questions
on the accounts and Mike Godwin proposed their adoption. Nem Con.
8. Election of President and Vice-President.
Ken Burrage was elected President and Colin Boocock Vice-President.
Ken said he was privileged to join a long line of illustrious predecessors,
now numbering about 100, and thanked Theo for presiding over an
excellent year of interesting speakers and plenty of good humour.
9.
Election of Officers, Auditors and Committee.
All the present office-holders were re-elected by unanimous vote.
10. Talk by Chris Austin “Holding the Line”.
Chris said he first spoke to the Society about rail privatisation before
it really happened and members found it hard to believe then, and now he
would speak about the period that went before it.
Writing a book was a new experience for him and Richard Faulkner
his co-author, but they had aimed to base it on original research, with
sources referenced. Much of what had already been written about rail
closures was anecdotal and opinionated and the story goes back to the
1949 Branch Lines Committee. Its recommendations through the 1950’s
reflected the BR dichotomy between demands of public service or social
conscience and the realities of poor business, but the need to rationalise a
complex network of 19,000 route miles, 6,500 stations was inescapable.
Lightweight DMUs increased traffic and reduced costs on many routes
but the bottom line was still bad. Railways like the M&GN went in that
period, but it was the Beeching Report in 1963 that gave further impetus
to closures and ended the poor utilisation of seasonally deployed assets.
His Minister, Ernest Marples wanted less railway at less cost and more
money for motorways. Oddly, although enobled, Marples never spoke in
the Lords and disappeared with his loot by the Night Ferry to France as a
tax exile. A useful legacy of station closures was the release of capacity
on main lines for higher speed Intercity services and goods yards for car
parks. More ominous was the subsequent Trunk Routes report, with the
downgrade or possible eventual closure of the ECML north of Newcastle
and the Midland ML. We now see how, with more passengers than ever
being carried on a smaller network, the railway has run out of capacity.
Some lines closed were wasted assets that as route-ways could be put to
better use, some becoming roads or cycle-ways, but with no strategy for
that. Some lines and stations come back from closure or rationalisation.
At places like Reading and Birmingham substantial work is necessary.
He himself had been involved, with LT in a plan to close Marylebone,
where the railway conversionists and NBC wanted it for a coachway and
terminal but fortunately were forestalled and Alfred Sherman debunked.
Other villains and heroes included Tony Crosland who regarded railway
subsidy as regressive in that it favoured the better off, or Norman Fowler
who scotched the 41 line closures threat in the 70/80’s even if as cock-up
rather than any conspiracy. And it was Peter Parker and Sid Weighell
who both saw that contraction to a profitable core railway was a delusion
and that subsidy properly targeted was the future, while the scandal of
the TGWU trying to stifle Railfreight reform was rightly called Highway
Robbery. The lesson of this research however was not just to rely on
memory, but use the archives, and that the problem was and remains not
network size but capital debt. And there is still more work to be done.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------No. 1595
Agenda for Meeting
To be held at 13.45 in the Union Jack Club, Sandell St. London SE1
on Monday 4th March 2013.
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on 4th February 2013.
News of Members.
Welcome to Members Recently Elected.
Proposed New Members.
Bob Urie will propose and Bill Boddy will second that DENYS
DYSON be elected an ordinary member of the Society. Denys was born
in Sheffield on the eighth of May 1942 and joined BR Eastern as a signal
engineering student in 1958. He held various posts in the Regional S&T
office 1963-65, returning to Sheffield DS&TE in 1966. He was Area
Signal Engineer Doncaster from 1975. In 1996 worked for Railtrack and
Network Rail in York on major signalling projects and in 2004 became
Project Signal Engineer, retiring from Network Rail in 2007.
Alan Hobson will propose and John Sellar will second that ALAN
JOSEPH GARNELL be elected an ordinary member of the Society. Alan
was born in Wanstead on the ninth of August 1952 and joined BR as a
Technical Officer in the District Estate Surveyor’s Office, King’s Cross
in 1973. He held various posts with the Property Board and joined the
BR Pension Fund as Property Manager in 1984. He returned to BRPB as
Sales and Purchases Manager in 1986, then becoming an Area Surveyor
in 1991. At privatisation he joined Railtrack as an Area Property
Manager, and was Managing Surveyor on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
from 1998. In 2004 he was appointed to manage lease contracts for
Network Rail and retired as Leasing Manager in 2012.
Theo Steel will propose and Chris Green will second that
CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM MAXWELL GARNETT O.B.E. be elected
an ordinary member of the Society. Christopher was born in Oxford on
the tenth of January 1946 and joined Sealink British Ferries in 1986 as
Continental Sector Director following its purchase from BR by Sea
Containers. After the takeover of Sealink by Stena in 1990 he moved to
Eurotunnel as Commercial Director, returning to Sea Containers to lead
their successful bid for East Coast in 1995. He was Chief Executive of
GNER for ten years from 1996. He became a Board Member at TfL in
2007 and was also a Board Member of the O.D.A. and Chairman of the
Olympic Transport Board from 2006, retiring in 2012.
5. Pension and Travel Facilities Matters.
6. Any Other Business.
7. Talk by Francis How, Technical Director, Railway Industry
Association.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Richard Malins, Honorary Secretary: 7 Orient St, London SE11 4SR
Email: malins.rw4@btinternet.com
Vale Press: 01386 858900
RETIRED RAILWAY OFFICERS’ SOCIETY
--oOo-SPRING LUNCHEON, THURSDAY, 18th APRIL, 2013
The Doubletree by Hilton London West End Hotel,
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(Nearest Underground Stations: Russell Square or Holborn)
Reception from 12.00 noon for 13.00
Guest of Honour: Claire Porter, Head of Strategy, Thales Transportation Systems
Please reserve the following accommodation for myself and guests:
Name..............................................................................
(BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE)
Guests.............................................................................
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Seating next or near to:[Please note that seating is at round tables of 10)
Cost per person £33.00
Amount enclosed: £..........
This form, together with remittance, should be sent to:
JAMES CROWE,
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to reach him as soon as possible
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Cheques to be made payable to: Retired Railway Officers’ Society
Cancellations by 9th April, 2013 please, or full repayment cannot be guaranteed