  Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
| It is not
our policy to display telephone numbers, home or e-mail
addresses of contributors on this site but the webmaster is quite willing to do so if you wish |
The above index entries are in random order ! |
| CONTACT Make contact with correspondents via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290. |
|
ROYAL NORFOLK STABLE BELT - 2 QUERIES
WITHIN ONE WEEK Jerry Carter wrote: I am writing to ask for your help in identifying a stable belt. I am a collector of British Army stable belts and have one which I think may be that of the Royal Norfolk Regt. I would be very grateful if you would check the enclosed photo and confirm whether or not it is. (See right.)) Webmaster comment: The correspondents were informed I didn't know ! However, Mick's site www.stablebelts.co.uk identifies it as 1 East Anglian. Below is the current Royal
Anglian Stable Belt. |
|
| HONG KONG 1952-3 22499304 George Wilkin wrote : A National Serviceman Jun 1951- Jun 1953, I was called up to the Northamptonshire Depot for basic training and transferred to the R Norfolks for further training at Bury St Edmunds. We arrived in Hong Kong in Feb 1952 for training with the Middlesex Regt (where I was selected to play football for the 1st XI) and embarked for Japan on 23 Mar. After stopping at Pusan we continued to Kure and JRBD (Joint Reinforcement Base Depot near Kure, Japan. Joint because it handled all Commonwealth reinforcements. Not far away was Hara Mura Battle Camp. Thanks to our Korea Guru Maj John Denny. Ed). I was seconded to HQ No 1 Field Record Office and was duty clerk on the day that Pte Henry Muller was reported KIA. This was a poignant moment for me as Henry had volunteered to take my place on duty over Christmas 1951 to enable me to have home leave prior to departure for the Far East. The records state that Pte Michael Flynn was also KIA. Maj Apthorpe was OC HQ Coy and I was in the Orderly Room under Capt Ward. I seem also to recall that 'Winky' Fitt was CSM HQ Coy at this time. [B&C 105] |
| DILLS CORNER CAMP
1953-4 22867543 Eric Pearce, of Ipswich, seeks anyone stationed at Dills Corner Camp, Hong Kong, 1953-4. He has made contact with Ptes Medlar, Kent and Dedman and sent a photograph {to follow} of him with the latter 2 at a recent reunion. [B&C 105] Postscript Aug 06 - Peter Webb (known as 'Ossie Osbourne') responded : 'I was there at that time. How do I contact him?' Peter was sent a contact address and tel no. [B&C 107] |
| STANLEY
MARJORAM ON CORFU 1946 Further to the piece in B&C 95 Dec 00 by the late Frederick Munns (d 4 Aug 04) about the 4th Bn Intelligence Section in Patras, Greece, 1946, 14034972 Stanley Marjoram writes. 'I was with MT Section HQ Company, driver to Maj Nigel F Read, the 2IC. He, a signaller and I went by an American Liberty ship to Corfu to set up a leave centre in the Kings Palace Mon Repos (where The Duke of Edinburgh was born) for the officers and at the Old Fort for the other ranks. When disbanded I went to Egypt with the 2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers, serving at Alexandria, Amiriya, El-Ballah and Fayid until release on 10 Apr 04 1948.’ He added: ‘I was in the Norfolk Army Cadet Force for about 2 years before getting my call-up papers on 7 Jun 1945. Training started at Blenheim Camp, Bury St Edmunds, and continued at Nelson Barracks, Norwich. We then moved on to Morley Hall, Wymondham, from where I went to Kettering on a Driver Mech course.’ Stanley would like to hear from anyone with whom he served. Stanley concluded: 'We must try and keep the 4th Battalion alive.' (We do! See the 4th Bn OCA and Officers' Dinner notice of future events. Ed) [B&C 105] |
| MAJ JAMES
G LOGAN WHO SAILED ON THE MV GEORGIC FROM KOREA IN
APR 1955 Lorna Logan reported the death of her father-in-law, Maj James G Logan RA, on 13 Aug 05, aged 87. He served from 1939 to 1955 with 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery and returned on the MV Georgic to Britain from Korea in April 1955. Were you on that voyage? Lorna added: 'Jim never spoke of his past at
all until recent years when he occasionally spoke of
the Italian campaign or mentioned how he survived the
Siege of Malta on boiled sweets.' |
| SITE
COMPLIMENTS From Lorna Logan, seeking details of her late father-in-law James Logan (see above ): ‘I have tried looking at other sites but they don't seem to have anything like the quality of your site.’ (Thanks Lorna. Ed.) [B&C 105] |
| THANKS TO THE GUNNERS Further to the above about James Logan, the Norfolk Editor appealed to a Gunner, Maj Colin Allder TD (who took over his white stick, guide dog and mantle as ‘Oldest Brit Army Officer in Bosnia’ as S02 TA/Res in Dec 98). Colin advised contact be made with the editor of ‘The Gunner’, Maj Mike Shaw (another former Watchkeeper with that venerable body CVHQ RA - Central Volunteer HQ Royal Artillery). Colin said: ‘He was Blue Arty Comd when I played Red Arty Comd at Fort Halstead when we tried to 2nd guess Saddam's moves with the Scuds. I worked for Red Controller - Lt Col Xyz [not correct spelling] - Zog to us all. Ex CG and just back from East Europe as mil attache, he was a very interesting man. Remember the SALT talks and the counting of tanks in each other's area? Zog told a few yarns on the scams they used to find the tanks.’ Mike responded: ‘Blue Leader here! The only thing I remember from our Fort Halstead war gaming is the extremely grotty videos that Colin played late each evening. I will put the notice in the October issue of The Gunner.’ As a result, Lorna heard from Gen Sir Richard Trant, James’s 2IC in Korea, who was with him on the Georgic. (Many thanks Mike and also to your Deputy Editor Kate Knowles. Ed.) Click here for another Gunner success. [B&C 105] |
| THANK YOU
- FROM GINI OTWAY IN NEW YORK 'I saw your web site and read it with fascination as my family is an old Norfolk one. I then viewed your tribute to the World Trade Towers attack. The best I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart. With kind regards, Gini Otway.' [B&C 105] |
ALBERT
LOCKE 1 AND 2 R NORFOLK 1932-1945 Born 14 Feb 1916 in
Islington Albert died 18 Aug 1992, aged 76, in Norwich. He
joined 1 R Norfolk at Sialkot near Delhi, India, as a
Bandboy in May 1932 and returned to the UK in 1938.
Captured Jun 1939 at Le
Paradis he was a POW at Danzig Stalag 8, repatriated
in 1943. Served Britannia Barracks 1943-45 then Berlin
1945. |
LT COL BILL MURRAY
BROWN DSO |
| ARTHUR LOOMBE 1940-42 Tom Cleary wrote with news of Arthur Loombe, Royal Norfolk Regt 1940 to 1942. For his 89th birthday on 15 Jun 05, Tom wanted an item of Regimental memorabilia for Arthur so he was sent a list of our Regimental Items. [B&C 105] |
| MV GEORGIC
- RECOVERY 1941-1942 B&C 104 Jun 05 carried 2 pieces, sent by Ian Hill in Oz 'MV Georgic - Bombed in Suez Jul 1941' and 'More on the Georgic - 1941' by Ron Stokoe, about the bombing of the Georgic in 1941. The Oct 1944 ‘Engineer’ and the Jun 1945 ‘Meccano Magazine’ both published extensive accounts of the 1941-2 salvage of the Georgic. The Norfolk Editor would like to acknowledge the most considerable efforts by Ian to obtain site reproduction permission of the Meccano magazine article from Meccano France and thanks Najat Coppeaux of Meccano France for granting permission.. Click here for the account published in the Jun 1945 Meccano magazine. [B&C 105] |
| THE POMPADOURS - 3 R ANGLIAN Robert Hewitt, a 1960s Pompadour, informs us of a site dedicated to The Pompadours, set up in 2001 with the help of the late George Boss, curator of the Regimental Museum at Duxford. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/trebor/The_Pompadours.html [B&C 105] |
| DAVE WOOD Dave Wood from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, sought a Brit chum with whom he worked in New York a decade ago; Robert Hardaker, now roughly 34 years of age. Dave remembered that his father served in the British military. Several times a year, using the wonders of the internet, the Norfolk Editor reconnects old friends and long-lost family members but sadly, in this case, it was not to be. He added: 'A general "thank you" to all the brave British servicemen fighting alongside ours in Iraq and elsewhere. This American appreciates your sacrifices.' Received on the Jul 2005 day it was announced that London would host the 2012 Olympics, he concluded: ‘Congratulations on the 2012 Olympics.’ The next day another e-mail arrived: ‘In light of events that transpired in London yesterday, my utmost sympathy to your citizenry and my renewed and redoubled appreciation for all the British. Thank you for assisting me in my trivial search for a long lost chum. God bless you...and the Queen.’ [B&C 105] |
| MAJOR
GENERAL SIR DAVID THORNE KBE
CVO From John Ezard of the Guardian: ‘I write having seen your website tributes to David Thorne. As a journalist on the Guardian I knew him professionally in the Falklands, through his Commonwealth activism and rather more closely during his noble last months. I have the honour and pleasure of being asked to write his entry in the Dictionary of National Biography. In your admirable Britannia and Castle obituary in 2000, you were kind enough to mention my Guardian obituary as a source for small parts of it.‘ John required verification of the dates and places mentioned in the Jun 2000 B&C 94 obituary. Lady Thorne was delighted to hear of the forthcoming entry in the DNB, especially as ‘John Ezard wrote the best newspaper obituary’. We look forward to reading the entry. [B&C 105] |
  PARACHUTING
OBSERVATIONS
from Lt Col Mike Vokes TD**** and Maj Stan Bullock MBE R&YLt Col Mike Vokes TD****, Sen Dep Comdt Hants & IoW ACF: ‘I always had my doubts about you - now I see the evidence to know for sure!’ Maj Stan Bullock MBE R&Y: ‘I did wonder about you but now I’m certain ! Which hospital ward are you in ?’ These arose as in Aug 05 the Norfolk editor was at Rollestone Camp, Salisbury Plain, with Suffolk ACF, where Commandant Col Paul Denny, organised a voluntary parachute jump at the Joint Services Parachute Training Centre, Netheravon.  Janine gave her blessing but didn't
want to know any more until a telephone call was received
on landing! Sadly, over-50s are not permitted to do a solo
jump, only a piggyback tandem jump with a Tandem Master -
in my case Gav Tuckley, a Red Devil with over 1000 jumps
to his name. After a 20 second freefall from 13 500' to
5000' at c 128 mph there was a canopy ride to the landing
area of about 5 minutes. I've flown low a few times over
Salisbury Plain from a few hundred feet in Gazelle and
Chinook helicopters but the late evening view of The Plain
in absolute silence was fantastic. It took 20 mins to
reach the exit height but a quarter of the time to
descend.And see: www.suffolkarmycadetforce.fsnet.co.uk/sacf_annual_camps/rollestone_05/rollestone_05_parachuting.htm for photographs of Cols Paul Denny and Paul Long OBE, also on the jump. Do you like their pink hats in Set 3 ? [B&C 105] |
| COMPLIMENTS ON THE B&C SITE From David Smart, ex-5 Coy, 10 Para HSF, (bearsted@blueyonder.co.uk) ‘An excellent website.’ He advises a look at :www.parachuteregiment-hsf.org (Thanks David. Ed.) [B&C 105] |
FORWARD
RECCE GROUP ‘Let some we loved, the loveliest
and the best, [B&C 105] |
| CONTACT Make contact with correspondents via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Editorial Rule However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied. |
Site edited and maintained by Major John L
Raybould TD |
Editor, Norfolk Section, The Britannia and
Castle
B&C Norfolk
Editor