The Royal British Legion Holland Branch: News

POPPY APPEAL 2011 / KLAPROOS INZAMELING 2011

Dear member,

Our annual RBL Poppy Appeal collection will take place in November. This event is the fund raising occasion of The Legion Year; all proceeds of which go towards our main aim of ‘safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who are serving or have served in the British Armed Services’.

Please make your donation payable to: The Royal British Legion Holland Branch Poppy Account, ABN/AMRO, account number 45.11.01.065 mentioning‘Poppy Appeal 2011’.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Beste lid,

Ons jaarlijkse RBL Poppy Appeal (Klaproos inzameling) zal plaatsvinden in november. Dit is de kans bij uitstek om fondsen te werven die ten goede zullen komen aan een van de hoofddoelen van de RBL; ‘zorg dragen voor het welzijn/belangen van en nagedachtenis aan zij die dienen of hebben gediend in de Britse Krijgsmacht’.

Maak alstublieft uw donatie over naar: The Royal British Legion Poppy Account ABN/AMRO, rekeningnummer 45.11.01.065 onder vermelding van ‘Poppy Appeal 2011’.

Alvast bedankt voor uw gulheid.

Kind regards/hartelijk groeten

Rosalin Emerson
Poppy Appeal Organiser

posted 17th May 2011

RAISING MONEY FOR EX-SERVICES MENTAL WELFARE SOCIETY
(COMBAT STRESS)

Les Hart and Richard Powell are planning to ride from Sittard in Holland where Les lives to the Combat Stress Unit at Leatherhead, Surrey England. Les served with the 1st Battalion of the Staffordshire regiment for 8 years. Combat Stess is a charity set up to help look after men and women who are suffering from a psychological condition related to their Service career. This might be depression, anxiety, a phobia or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Their services are free of charge to the Veteran. Since 2005 the number of ex-Service men and women seeking their help has risen by 72%. They have a current caseload of more than 4,600 individuals – including 168 Afghanistan and 533 Iraq Veterans. The idea for the ride came about with Les setting himself a goal that, at the time looked like something that was unachievable. It was a mad idea for someone that was 120 kilos and only had one good leg but when Les sets his mind to do something, he'll push himself to reach that goal. Les said: "l set about looking in to it and then said ok, you're mad but you can do it even if l had to end up walking it, l think it's time people started to understand that people they maybe walking past or even working with are the ones that are fighting the enemy within that no one else sees but they live with everyday."
If you would like to support this worthy cause, you can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/Richard-Powell3 and pledging a donation.

posted 23rd June 2011

IN MEMORIAM

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Mr. Don Gilbert, past Chairman of the former Eindhoven Branch on the 2nd of May 2011. Don and his wife Liz were stallwart supporters of the Branch for many years before retiring to the UK. Don will be remembered as a dedicated and well respected Chairman, who gave his all for The Royal British Legion. Our sincere condolences go to Liz and family.

posted 17th May 2011

WAGENINGEN MAY 5TH 2011, LIBERATION PARADE

We have received word from the National Committee Capitulations 1945 Wageningen (http://www.nchc.nl/home/?language=en) that the Liberation parade will be held on May 5th in Wageningen. Those members who wish to take part are requested to contact Mr. H. de Jonge as soon as possible. A number of less mobile persons may be able to catch a ride with the old military vehicles. Please contact Mr. de Jonge for further details. We would like as many of our members as possible to take part in this parade, in order to maintain the reputation of the Royal British Legion Holland Branch.

Van het Nationaal Comité Herdenking Capitulaties 1945 Wageningen (http://www.nchc.nl) werd bericht ontvangen dat het bevrijdingsdefilé zal worden gehouden op 5 mei 2011 te Wageningen. Leden die hieraan willen deelnemen worden verzocht zich zo spoedig mogelijk te melden bij dhr. H. de Jonge, tel. 023-5333126. Verder kunnen een aantal minder mobiele personen meerijden op oude militaire voertuigen. Ook hiervoor gaarne uw aanmelding bij dhr. de Jonge. Gaarne willen we met een zo groot mogelijke peloton deelnemen en de naam van de Royal British Legion Holland Branch hoog houden.

posted 14th February 2011

UPDATE: AUDITORS FOUND

We are pleased to inform you that there has been a very swift and positive response to our appeal for auditors. Two individuals have volunteered their services, for which we are very grateful. We will keep you informed on their progress.

posted 6th January 2011

APPEAL FOR AUDITORS FOR BRANCH ACCOUNTS

The Branch Committee requires the services of two persons (members or non members) to volunteer for the duties of Auditors of the Branch Accounts for the Branch Financial Year 16th April 2010 - 30th September 2010. We seek persons with some understanding of accounting/book-keeping to carry out with this task.

If you, as member, cannot personally help, can you suggest the name(s) of someone who could?

Replies to either the Chairman Mr. John Bright or the Treasurer Mrs. Rie Hadingue.

posted 2nd January 2011

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT, TRBL HOLLAND BRANCH AGM, FRIDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2010

Since the inauguration of this branch on 16th April 2010, every member of the committee has been extremely busy and made great efforts to ensure that a very satisfactory start has been achieved towards the future successful continuation of The Royal British Legion presence here in The Netherlands. I thank all of my committee colleagues for this and ask you to join me in a well-deserved round of applause for them all.

This was, indeed, the hope and intention of all of us who attended the meeting in Utrecht in 2009, with officials from London HQ; Mr. John Farmer (then RBL National Vice-Chairman- now the National Chairman), Mr. Ralph Ashenhurst (Director Membership and Regions), Mr. Eddie Hefferman (Trustee with responsibility for branches in Northern Europe); and of course, we Chairmen of our respective branches of Amsterdam, Arnhem/Nijmegen and Eindhoven. This meeting resulted in the decision to form one ‘Holland Branch’.

I do believe that we have achieved a solid start for our new branch. But, despite the fact that our membership is reasonably stable at around the 200 mark, and that we have managed to attract several new members, we have also lost a number of members through death or resignation. So there is no room for complacency. This is the reason for my plea to you all here today, and to our total membership,- I shall publish this report in our next Branch Newsletter- to not only retain your membership, but to make every effort to give something extra. These are a few suggestions:-

* Attend at least local Remembrance Ceremonies;
* Support social events;
* Contribute to our Branch Newsletter;
* Communicate your ideas or suggestions to our branch committee;
* Volunteer to serve on the Branch Committee;
* Volunteer to assist with our annual ‘Poppy Collection’;
* Suggest possible social activities;
* Take an active role in recruiting new members;

I do realise that we are an organisation with an ageing membership and that many of us have physical limitations. We do not all have personal computers or mobile telephones. But many of us are parents, or grandparents, dare I say great-grandparents? Could we not try to explain the aims and objectives of The Royal British Legion to these family members, with a view to encouraging them to join the branch? After all, there is much evidence, at many ceremonies, of the participation of young Dutch people. They, the younger generations, have to be regarded as the only future for the existence of The Legion, whether here or in England.

The creation of one national Legion Branch has at least ensured the continued presence of The Royal British Legion in The Netherlands. But it has also created difficulties for members in all corners of the country to attend ceremonies or social events at venues that are far from their homes, or not easily accessible by public transport. We, the committee of your branch, are well aware of this. But we are nevertheless determined to make a number of suggestions to you in the course of the current Legion year with regard to social events, as we feel it most important to try to maintain this personal contact with as many of you as possible.

One thing is certain – without the participation of the present members, or in the absence of recruitment of new members who are prepared to volunteer for posts of responsibility- this new Holland Branch has no better future than the former Eindhoven and Arnhem/Nijmegen Branches. It is the responsibility of us all to do everything possible to ensure that our Legion Branch not only survives, but flourishes. I intend to do everything I can to achieve this goal, and I know that this applies to my entire committee, so I now appeal to all members to work with us, in the ways I have suggested, in order to make this possible, under the motto of ‘Service not Self’. Thank you.

John Bright

posted 2nd January 2011

VETERANS BADGE PRESENTED TO MEMBERS OF TRBL HOLLAND BRANCH

On June 25th (Armed Forces Day), Mr. Ken Woolley, Mr. Jan Laus and Mr. Peter Louis were invited to the British Ambassador's Residence in the Hague, to be presented with their Veterans Badge.

Picture courtesy of http://www.veterans-uk.info/vets_badge/vets_badge.htm

The following text was taken from the Veterans UK website, and explains what the Veterans Badge is.

"For generations our Armed Forces have served their country across the world in many roles from war fighting, peacekeeping and reconstruction to home defence. In so doing, they have defended our country, our way of life and our cherished values. A large number of our veterans are young and active and now use the skills, the discipline and the leadership they learned in the Armed Forces to benefit their civilian employers and the wider community. The Ministry of Defence Strategy for Veterans highlights that because of all this it is important to focus on supporting veterans of all ages by celebrating, and raising public awareness of, their achievements and their contribution to society. To promote recognition of veterans by the wider British public the unique and unifying symbol of the HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge is available to all those who have served in HM Armed Forces.

The HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Lapel Badge was launched in May 2004 by the Minister for Veterans, to raise the profile of veterans by assisting the wider public to recognise them. The first veterans badge was issued to Lord Healy, a veteran of the Battle for Monte Cassino, on 10 May 2004, which initiated the roll out of the badge to the generation who served in the Second World War. Since then eligibility to apply for the badge has been extended in sequential phases and now all veterans are eligible to apply.

The badge is an enamelled, engraved, and pinned, lapel badge featuring the words “HM Armed Forces – Veteran”, which encompass the Tri-Service, Anchor, Crossed Swords and Eagle motif. Its symbolism is intended to unite all veterans in recognising the commonality of their service, to encourage a sense of unity and community between surviving veterans and to ignite public recognition of our veterans and their continuing contribution to society".

The Ambassador addressed a short speech to each of the three recipients, two of which are reproduced here.

Mr. Ken Woolley
Mr. Woolley was 18 when he volunteered for British Army service in 1940. Originally enlisted into an infantry battalion, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, he was eventually, after many requests, transferred to The Royal Engineers, as he wanted to specialise in bridge building.

He travelled, on D-Day, 6th June 1944, thus, with R.E. 69 Field Company, headed for the Normandy beaches. The landing crafts cast off at 0615, six miles out from shore, and the Royal Engineers and the Underwater Demolition Teams hit Gold Beach at 0753. Ken Woolley was immediately involved in his vital tasks of mine-clearing and bridge-building. Moving inland from the beachhead, he was occupied with his first bridge over the River Vire, and then moved forward to Caen and Anderlecht (Brussels).

In September 1944 Mr. Woolley became part of the Market Garden Operation and advanced with the British 30 Corps, which liberated Valkenswaard on 17th and Eindhoven on 18th of that month. He was involved, in the night of 19th, in the building of the ‘Bailey’ bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son, and moved on to Grave, in the so-called ‘corridor’ to Arnhem. He was then sent back to Beek and Donk for a well-earned rest period.

At this time, he made the acquaintance of a local Dutch girl, and they became friends. He had to continue his military duties, and eventually returned to England. After many years of travelling far afield, including Australia, as a bridge engineer, he returned to Son, after 23 years, and married that local Dutch girl, Rik van Rooj.

Sadly, Rik has since passed away, but Ken still lives in Son, just a short distance from one of “his” bridges, from 1944, 65 years later.

Mr. Jan A. Laus
Mr. Laus was 18 when his village of Boxtel, and surrounding area, was liberated by the Allies in October 1944, after four long years of occupation. He immediately volunteered with the local authorities to serve in any capacity that would assist the liberating forces.

The Dutch Government in London had already made plans in 1941 for setting up a Regional Military Command in this area, upon its liberation. One of the tasks of this command was the guarding and security of particular establishments, at the request of commanders of Allied military units. Jan Laus was part of a detachment formed to provide the day and night guarding of a field Broadcasting Station at Oirschot. This establishment produced and broadcast radio programmes for the 3rd British Liberation Army.

Mr. Laus carried out his duties in an exemplary manner between January and March 1945 and he and 7 other members of his detachment were then given an honourable discharge from their voluntary guarding duties. But such was the good impression they made, that the commander of the Radio Broadcasting Station proposed that they be retained as fully incorporated into this establishment, with the same rights and privileges as his own military personnel. This was authorized and they received army service numbers.

With the disbanding of the 3rd British Liberation Army on 3rd July 1945, Mr. Laus was released from his military duties, with thanks for his loyal service, and allowed to return home.

posted 16th July 2010

I am honoured, and delighted, to address you, for the first time, as Chairman of the newly-established Holland Branch of The Royal British Legion.

Het is mij een grote eer om voor de eerste maal het woord tot u te mogen richten, als Voorzitter van de nieuw opgerichte Holland Branch van The Royal British Legion.

Following a lengthy period of uncertainty about the future of TRBL in the Netherlands I am now able, at last, to inform you of the outcome. At the Special General Meeting held in Utrecht on 16th April 2010 the new Holland Branch was inaugurated, when its first Committee was elected. You receive, with this letter, a list of the elected Officials for 2010. Please retain this for future reference.

Na een lange periode van onzekerheid wat betreft de voortzetting van TRBL in Nederland kan ik u nu eindelijk berichten over de uitkomst van de onderhandelingen. Tijdens de Special General Meeting, op 16 april 2010 gehouden te Utrecht, werd de nieuwe Holland Branch geïnaugureerd middels de verkiezing van haar eerste bestuur. U ontvangt samen met deze brief een lijst met de verkozen bestuursleden voor 2010. Gelieve deze te bewaren zodat u hem in de toekomst eventueel kunt raadplegen.

TRBL Committee 2010, from left to right: Mr. J. Vuerhard, Mr. H. de Jonge, Mrs. R. Emerson, Mrs. R. Hadingue, Mr. M. de Bruijn, Mr. J. Bright, Mr. D. Williams, Mrs. E. van Gelderen (Mrs. M. Alblas absent). Photograph by A. Bright.

I am confident that I will enjoy a good working relationship with my fellow Committee colleagues and trust that we shall, in turn, translate this into a successful communication with you all, for the benefit of The Legion in general and the Holland Branch in particular. Our focus remains twofold :- Benevolence and Remembrance - and we are all committed to this. Following the amalgamation of the three former Netherlands regional Legion Branches, it is important that we all now broaden our horizons to encompass a more national attitude towards our responsibilities. I wish to thank you all for your support for The Royal British Legion Holland Branch, as shown by your continued membership commitment.

Ik heb er alle vertrouwen in dat ik zeer prettig samen zal kunnen werken met mijn mede bestuursleden en ben ervan overtuigd dat dit zich zal vertalen in een uitstekende verhouding met u allen, wat ten gunste is van The Legion in zijn algemeenheid en de Holland Branch in het bijzonder. Onze doelstelling blijft tweeledig: - Weldadigheid en Herdenking – en we staan hier allen achter. Als logisch gevolg van het samengaan van de drie oude, regionale Nederlandse Legion Branches, is het belangrijk dat we nu ons blikveld verruimen en een meer nationale houding aannemen jegens onze verantwoordelijkheden. Ik wil u allen van harte bedanken voor uw steun aan The Royal British Legion Holland Branch, zoals dit al moge blijken uit de voortzetting van uw lidmaatschap.

This new single Branch will endeavour to maintain its presence at Remembrance Ceremonies throughout the country, and I hope that as many of you as possible will be able and willing to support these by your attendance locally. Information regarding forthcoming Ceremonies and events will be published on the Branch website (under Calendar) and in the quarterly bi-lingual Branch Newsletter.

Deze nieuwe, enkele Branch zal ernaar streven om aanwezig te zijn bij Herdenkingsceremoniën in alle windstreken van Nederland, en ik hoop dat zoveel mogelijk van u in staat en bereid zullen zijn om deze ceremoniën te steunen met uw aanwezigheid. Informatie over komende Ceremoniën en overige activiteiten zal verschijnen op onze Branch website (onder Calendar) en in de tweetalige Branch Nieuwsbrief die elk kwartaal zal verschijnen.

I hope in the future to be able to meet, or make re-acquaintance with, as many of you as possible, at an official or social occasion. Meanwhile, it is my intention to keep regular contact with you, the members, by means of our Newsletter and Website.

Ik hoop in de nabije toekomst met zoveel mogelijk leden kennis te maken of leden wederom te ontmoeten, hetzij bij een officiële, hetzij bij een sociale aangelegenheid. Ondertussen streef ik ernaar om regelmatig contact te onderhouden met u, de leden, middels onze Nieuwsbrief en Website.

The affiliation fees for the entire membership of the former RBL Amsterdam Branch have been paid to HQ by your recent former Treasurer Mr. R. Shargool from his personal account. Though this was a commendable action on his part, taken in the best interests of the Amsterdam Branch, it does nevertheless mean that we, in the new Holland Branch, have no idea of the status of your membership.

I would, therefore, appreciate your co-operation to clarify which of the three statements below is applicable to you:-

You have already paid your membership fees for the current Legion year;
You have not yet paid your membership fees but wish to remain a member of The Holland Branch (in which case please complete and return the enclosed accept giro);
You have not paid because you no longer wish to remain a member.

Please inform us accordingly – you may contact any member of our Committee, preferably by the 8th July, the date of our next Branch Committee Meeting, when we can co-ordinate responses.

Bijvoegsel voor leden van de voormalige Afdeling Amsterdam van The Royal British Legion

De contributie afdracht voor alle leden van de voormalige Amsterdamse Afdeling van TRBL is overgemaakt aan het Hoofdbestuur (Londen) van de persoonlijke bankrekening van uw vorige Penningmeester, Dhr. R. Shargool. Hoewel dit zeer prijzenswaardig was van hem en gedaan werd in het belang van deze afdeling, betekent het niettemin ook dat wij, in de nieuwe Holland Afdeling, geen idee hebben of u nog wel of niet lid bent.

Ik zou het daarom zeer op prijs stellen als u wilt meewerken om duidelijk te maken welke van de drie onderstaande verklaringen op u van toepassing is:

U heeft uw contributie voor het lopende verenigingsjaar al betaald;
U heeft uw contributie nog niet betaald maar wenst wel lid te blijven van de Holland Afdeling (wilt U dan zo vriendelijk zijn om bijgaande acceptgiro in te vullen en op te sturen);
U heeft niet betaald omdat U geen lid meer wenst te blijven.

Wilt u ons aub dienovereenkomstig informeren – u kunt ieder lid van ons bestuur hiervoor benaderen, liefst voor 8 juli omdat wij dan onze eerstvolgende bestuursvergadering hebben en wij uw antwoorden kunnen verwerken.