Page 6 Royal British Legion


Over the past two months Branch members have been working with editors to produce the WW1 Supple- ment included in this special edition of the Village Newsletter that we hope you will find interesting and worthwhile.


BRANCH NEWS


Sadly, we have to begin this update by mentioning the deaths of two members; Brian Gray who died suddenly on the 20th May and, more recently, in the early hours of the 7th July, Harry Wharton.


Brian was only 66 years old and joined our Branch in 1999, following - I believe - the death of his father. Although not an active member he supported the work of the RBL and the Poppy Appeal in particular. Our Branch Chairman, Treasurer and other members attended his funeral at Salis- bury Crematorium on the 19th June.


Harry, who was 94, had been ill for some time and in recent years had been confined to his home. A member since 1990, Harry in his time, particularly when President and Chairman, contributed greatly to the day to day running of the Branch and its relationship with County HQ. His funeral took place at St Mary’s, East Knoyle on the 18th July followed by a private cremation. Giving the eulogy at the Service our Chairman Mike Waterhouse said “Throughout the 28 years that I have known Harry, he had always shown great compassion for other people and dedication to the Royal British Legion. He was our Branch Chairman for many years, and then for a short while, President, before being struck down by his debilitating illness. Due to the secret nature of his work before settling in the village, very little is known about Harry, but with his dry sense of humour and quick wit he will be much missed by many people – espe- cially his family”.


On the 21st May another lunch followed by a talk given by military historian Larry Bohana was held at the Fox and Hounds. This was the second in a series of well-attended talks concerning key points and battles of WW1 given by Larry this year. On this occasion he covered the Battle of Neuve Chappelle and the intentions and failures of the Gallopoli campaign. The next lunch/talk is scheduled for the 24th September, again at the Fox and Hounds, when the subject will be the battle of Passchendaele.


On the 17th June a small group of members visited the ‘Poppy Factory’ in the RBL Village at Aylesford, in Kent where they saw the latest of a wide range of products that will be available from our ‘Poppy Sellers’ later this year. Following a guided tour, a light lunch and a presentation given by the management team, they enjoyed a remark- ably clear journey home via the M25 and M3 – a highlight in itself.


continued....


Looking ahead to the 4th August, Branch members will be attending the Village War Memorial at 12.00pm to mark the Centenary of the outbreak of WW1. Anyone wishing to join us for a short observance will be most welcome.


Ron Clark


RBL, Women's Section.


Nearly New Sale - The time and effort put in by members of the Branch was rewarded with a good sum of money raised, but from very few people. The event was quite well advertised but we did not attract as many from the village as we would have hoped. Special thanks go to Jayne Reader and her mother Sarah who hosted the event and bore the brunt of the work. Good wishes for a speedy recovery go to Jayne after her recent accident.


The Summer Lunch was held at the home of Nat and Lady Katie Page. To cover all eventualities, we were able to have use of the village marquee, kindly erected by Tim Hyde and Paul Wharton with a little help from Katie and me! In the event it gave us cover from the hot sunshine and not rain. We were truly blessed with a beautiful day. Heartfelt thanks go to our members who, as usual, turned up trumps by supplying a wonderful selection of salads to accompany the excellent cold meats cooked and supplied by Prime Cuts. The desserts were all delicious. "Thank you" to all the committee who helped with the organising. Today, as I write this, there is a little rain falling. As the Strawberry Tea is to take place in about one and a half hours from now, I hope it clears up!


We are visiting the lovely garden and home of Carol and Hugh Cullimore on 12th August. There is no meeting in September and 14th October is the AGM in the Village Hall.


Monica Snell, Chairman.


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