Regimental Organisations
Notes from Foresters House by Andy McDougall
The last twelve months at Foresters House have been quite unusual in comparison to previous years. On the afternoon of Maundy Thursday 2008, the staff and volunteer members bade farewell to Major Oliver Hackett on the occasion of his retirement after ten years as Assistant Regimental Secretary. After the presentation of a Satnav system for his car, we all enjoyed a buffet and a toast to his future outside RHQ.
Captain Bill Whitton, late Army Air Corps - whose father served with the Foresters - took over the reins for a short time until serious ill health forced him to stand down in August. Despite this, it is business as usual.
Oliver Hackett’s Satnav is obviously working well and he must have programmed RHQ as the No 1 destination into the machine as he manages to visit on a regular basis having become a volunteer worker for the Museum, a Museum Trustee and Acting Secretary to the Museum Trustees during the absence of the C2. He has assisted in the redesign of the Derby Museum gallery and he has stepped back, temporarily, into the shoes of County Secretary of the Nottinghamshire ABF Committee – and he thought that he would have time to spend on the riverbank (the salmon in Scotland have had a reprieve!). He has helped us enormously and we are extremely grateful for his continuing advice and assistance.
The pre-Crich Buffet Supper took place at Foresters House the evening before the Pilgrimage and 76 members enjoyed the event. Guest of honour for the evening was the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Banton, who gave a short update before the supper on what was happening with the Regiment, especially the 2nd Battalion throughout 2008/9 and how momentum throughout the ranks had increased knowing that the past members of the Regiment were continuing to support the new Regiment. Next day the Annual Pilgrimage took place at Crich, Derbyshire, and was quite an occasion. It started with the unveiling of the new Memorial to the Fallen in the presence of the family members of those whose names were engraved on the memorial. Both the unveiling and the Annual Service made the occasion very moving – despite the terrific downpour at the beginning. A number of improvements have been made within the Crich Memorial grounds over the past twelve months: the wire and post fence alongside the road has been improved thanks to the 4th Battalion and Mr David Waiton, our Land Manager, who completed a splendid job one weekend in March. The excellent condition of the Memorial and its grounds have been noted by many visitors and the Warden, Mr Steven Dobb, late WFR, and his wife, Daniella, are congratulated on their dedication, hard work and enthusiasm.
RHQ staff are constantly busy in the organisation of a large number of events throughout the year. The first was the Sherwood Foresters Officers’ Lunch in April at the Army and Navy Club followed by arranging for a number of red jackets to be raised at different sites to celebrate Badajoz Day (6th April): Pte Derby was at Nottingham Castle to supervise the hoisting of the jacket there. RHQ organised Association Standards, Pte Derby, VIPs from across Nottinghamshire and members of the Association to be at Kinoulton, Nottinghamshire,
138 October 2009
on Sunday 17th May for the dedication of an information board and line of Poplar trees planted in commemoration of the 9th Battalion men lost at Vimy Ridge between July and November 1916. Pte Derby, Members and Standards were organised to attend the dedication on 14 June of the newly-refurbished town War Memorial in Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire, parading with other members of the Armed Forces and the townsfolk. Nottinghamshire hosted many events in the East Midlands for Armed Forces’ Week beginning on 22nd June. Local dignitaries, members of the Regiment including Pte Derby, Branch Standards and members of other branches of the Armed Forces attended the “Fly the Flag” ceremony at the Nottinghamshire County Council Offices at County Hall to launch the start of a week of military-oriented events. A parade through Nottingham City Centre took place on Saturday 27 June and, in Wollaton Park, on the outskirts of Nottingham, various events including a Drumhead Service on Sunday 28 June and RAF flypast took place. RHQ has been involved, also, in the planning for the unveiling on 24 October 2009 of the new Sherwood Foresters Memorial at Tyne Cot. Details are in the Notices section of this journal and also on the RHQ website.
Meanwhile, RHQ welcomes many visitors through its doors: past members of 3 WFR often occupy a room one day a week to catalogue photographs from the albums held in Foresters House. Eddie Edwards still receives regular advice and assistance from Cliff Housley who, despite having retired as Archivist five years ago, still takes a keen interest in the Museum as an active Museum Trustee. Mel Siddons acts as medal adviser to the Museum and he is also involved in a project of photographing all the pictures in the albums in the archives and Kes Hall volunteers regularly to assist the archivist in the museum. Clive Tougher, Education Officer at Foresters House, is very busy with talks and often appears in disguise as a soldier from the 95th (he is the Schools re-enactment officer as well); his busy diary is always filled with bookings for talks at schools and clubs throughout the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area and he is often asked to act as detective and solve a problem of identifying or naming an item or a subject in a photograph. It is ten years since Clive started the Education Loan boxes and talks and they have proved very successful with both Primary and Secondary Schools; there is still a demand for the education boxes despite the current economic downturn and the most popular box is Florence Nightingale and the Crimea – no, Clive does not play the part of Florence but he does don the outfit of a soldier from the 95th Derbyshire Regiment – complete with battle wounds and musket. The children really enjoy his talks and there is always positive feedback after his visit. We thank Clive very much for giving up so much of his own time to make this project so popular.
Meanwhile, Andy McDougall and Angela Gutteridge are happier now that DII, a new MOD computer system, has been installed as they can now communicate with the outside world. Their next wish is to welcome – after a twelve month gap – a new Assistant Regimental Secretary whose post has been advertised recently.
The Mercian Eagle
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