Fusiliers Association
Lancashire
Oldham Branch
Meet
1st Tuesday of every month at
Chadderton Reform Club
Middleton Road
Oldham
OL9 0LG

Apologises to all members for not sending out the newsletters over the last four months, my work at GMP must be my first priority.

I hope this newsletter will be informative for you ALL to be able to book time off for future Fusilier events in 2010.

The meeting held on the 4th May was our annual general meeting thanks to all who could make the meeting. I would like you all to know that a new committee was formed, a larger committee that will bring the branch much needed help in the work that we do. The committee, proposed and voted in by the members who attended the AGM are as follows.

Appointment Proposed Seconded
President: Joe Farquhar JP Colin Williamson John O'Grady Carried
Chairman: Alan Noble John Cochrane Tony Harrop Carried
Vice Chairman: Colin Williamson Alan Noble Geoff Noble Carried
Secretary: Ron Owen Alan Noble John Urysz Carried
Assistant secretary: John Cochrane Ron Owen Colin Williamson Carried
Treasurer: Ron Owen Tony Harrop Paul Haywood Carried
Welfare Officer: Alan Noble John Urysz John O'Grady Carried
Asst Welfare Officer: Geoff Noble Colin Williamson Walter Whittles Carried
Pri accounts: Tony Harrop Ron Owen John Cochrane Carried
Assistant Pri: Terry Rogers Tony Harrop Walter Whittles Carried
Liaison: Walter Whittles Bill Bennison Doug Farrington Carried
Liaison: Geoff Noble Paul Haywood John Urysz Carried

Outgoing Chairman.
A big thank you to Arthur Marshall the outgoing Chairman, who due to being Area Manager at DHL has found his work and home commitments too much to carry on being the Chairman. He has always given the branch much needed support with all the work he did for all members. Arthur will still be helping the committee when his commitments allow him. Thanks Arthur again for all the support and help over your time as Chairman.

Email addresses: Members named below have you an email address, if you have please email me at [email protected] I will try to keep you more up to date: Bill Bennison, Les Berry, Jimmy Burton, Vinny Court, Garry Donoghue, Tony Duerdin, John Foley, Tom Farrelly, Omar Gorstridge, Leonard Hayward, Steve Howell, Steve Hoyle, Chris Makin, Eddie Milne, Geoff Noble, Kev Scott, Leo Smith, John (Rubber) Stott, John Sumner, Alan Taylor, John Urysz, James White and Alan Wood.

Congratulations: To Mr Alan (Nobby) Noble for accepting the Vice Chairman position in the Fusilier Association (Lancashire).
Congratulations: To Major Mike McDonald (Member) who I have been informed will become a Lieutenant Colonel in 2011.

Congratulations: To Major Mick McCarthy who has been awarded an MBE. Well done Mick on this achievement from all Fusiliers, especially 3RRF members.

Congratulations: To Mr Terry Rogers (Member) who is now the Mayor of Fleetwood Lancashire.

The Oldham Branch now has the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Fusilier Association (Lancashire).

Last Post.
Rest in Peace Bernard Peter Diver (Bernie) ex 1st bn LF's & 3RRF, Bernie passed away 29th March 2010.
Rest in Peace John (Spick) Donlan 3 RRF, Spick passed away on the 7th May 2010.
Rest in Peace Dave Penny 1 RRF, Dave passed away on the 1st March 2010 (St David's Day).

RRF Berlin reunion.
To everyone planning to travel to Berlin for the reunion, which is the weekend 9th - 12th July 2010! Please let us know if you are bringing friends or partners, and when you get them, your flight details! The weekend will cost 50 Euros, three night's accommodation, and disco and buffet on the Saturday night. Friends and relatives are welcome, the more the merrier. We have to know the numbers soon, for the catering! It should be a cracking night with food, disco, games, auction, and all for a good cause. Please contact Paul Couper ([email protected]), Craig Gore ([email protected]) or myself ([email protected]).

Charity Walk Ten miles in memory of Corporal Joseph 'Joey' Etchells.
Served in the Second Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. On 19th July 2009 during Operation Herrick 10 in the Sangin, area of Helmand Province in Afghanistan Joey was killed, by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) whilst on foot patrol. He was 22 years old; he joined the armed forces at 16 and served his country many times, including Northern Ireland, Jordan and three tours of Afghanistan. He was committed to his men and his job. He did not ask the price for serving his country, he only paid it.

It is now almost one year on and on the 24th July 2010 in memory of Joey, his family are holding a sponsored walk and charity auction in aid of the Fusiliers Aid Society (Charity No: 259229). The location will be at Dovestones Reservoir Saddleworth near Oldham - more details are on www.micklehurstcc.co.uk

Minden Day members past and present reunion.
Friday 30 July 2010 at 17:00 the Deansgate Public House Deansgate Manchester. A collection for Help For Heroes in memory of all Fusiliers' and especially whom we lost recently in the Afghanistan campaign. Get your drinking heads on and let us have a top night and let us see plenty of new and old faces. We have told them to expect near the 200+ mark this year so let us not disappoint them.

Minden Day 1st August 2010, Battle of Minden 1759.
The club has now closed, this Minden Day celebrations will now take a new format. The proposals are

Starting at 12:00 hrs there will be a Drumhead Service and Wreath Laying at the Gallipoli Garden Lutyens Memorial Silver Street Bury. This will take 30 minutes approximately.

Bury Football Club have offered us free use of their club from 12:30 hrs, we all move down to Gigg Lane Bury FC to carry on our Minden Day celebrations. There are plenty of car parking spaces within the club.

We hope to book the Association Band to play about 14:30 hrs outside the club weather permitting, inside if not.

A Potato Hash and Curry Lunch at £3.50 per head. We need your support we must not let these celebrations die just because we have no club. Anyone wishing to purchase meals please send your £3.50 to the Oldham Branch secretary ASAP.

Rochdale Branch Minden Celebrations.
To be held at the Masonic Building Richard Street Rochdale OL11 1DU, on the 31ST July 2010. The cost of the tickets, £20 each this includes a donation to Broughton House. The evening includes Disco - Buffet - Raffle - Carriages at Midnight. Dress Dinner suit or lounge suit - medals optional. Proceeds to go to Broughton House home for ex-servicemen.

Saddleworth War Weekend.
15th August 2010: More details to follow from Alan Noble.

The Fusilier Gathering.
Saturday 18th September 2010, Sunday 19th September 2010: The next Fusilier Gathering is in Warwickshire on the 18/19 September Tickets for the Saturday night will be £25, accommodation will be at the Royal Court Hotel, Coventry (booking will be the responsibility of individuals) a booking code the Booking code is RRRC1809. The telephone number for bookings is 0871 222 0096 0871 222 0096 option three. One hundred (100) rooms have been allocated to the Association. The cost of a double room is £70.

Saturday 18th September. 1700hrs onwards Association members arrive at The Royal Court Hotel Coventry.
1830 - 1900hrs Beating Retreat - Minden Band and Drums Platoon 1RRF.
1930hrs onwards Dinner commences.
Music by the Minden Band. Stick Beat performed by 1RRF Drums Platoon.
0100hrs Bar closes.

Please be aware that the Pope will be visiting Coventry on Sunday 19th September, accommodation will become difficult to arrange in the Coventry area, so I would encourage your membership to book their rooms if not already done so.

From the Honorary Secretary Steve Fitt - The Association Chairman Capt John O'Grady (Retd) has requested that names and money be given to branch secretary's and then secretaries will give a cheque and a list of persons attending , either for the dinner or lunch, the list is requested by the 15th of July 2010. I will need names of those travelling by car. I have already 16 names for the coach (53 - seater).

Battle of Britain
Sunday September 2010. More details to follow, members requesting details, please ask Alan Noble and Joe Farquhar.

The Oldham Branch Christmas Dinner Saturday 4th December 2010.
I will post the Branch Christmas letter with all details at the end of July 2010.

Two web sites to try in the future below:
Association web site: www.fusiliers-association-lancs.co.uk/
Lancashire Fusilier website: www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/

Have you registered for the Association website yet? To use this site you must go on to the database and give a password. Lots of information of forthcoming events is there to view, the Oldham branch has over 50 registered now. We have added two new photographs for the Fusiliers at Rest page.

Does anyone have a decent photograph of Cpl Donald 'Donny' Traynor Killed in Action 1976? If you have, could you send it to me so that I can forward to the Fusiliers at Rest page. Thanking you in anticipation.

Membership is ongoing! All letters in future concerning membership will come from Popeye. The Branch has now reached 173 and 3 honorary members and is now the largest in Lancashire and maybe in the United Kingdom.
Members & new members listed below for Jan - June 2010. Please note! The below named members have paid their subscriptions.

Honorary members: Andrea Grindrod Andrea Wray (Fusilier Queen) & Karen Worrall
Membership renewals:

1RF & 3RRF - John 'Drummie' Bunn George Fortune Brian Bath Ian Hall Jimmy Haddow.

1LF - Alan Wood

5LF - Joe Farquhar

1LF 1RRF & 3RRF - John O'Grady

1LF & 3RRF - Ian 'Narra' Hilton Micky Taylor Gordon Adams Tommy Hussey Glyn Llewellyn Tommy Hussey & James White

1RRF - Kevin Kay.

3RRF - Ron Owen Maurice 'Spike' Howard Joe Ziemniak Ray Hughes Rob 'Snob' Brown Kenny Eamens Sean McGarr John 'Tomo' Tomney Kev Martin John 'Popeye' Cochrane Colin Campbell Keith 'Stan' Nolan Alan 'Nobby' Noble, Darren 'Daz' Hills Kev Scott Paul 'Spud' Heywood Tony Bibby Steve Shurvinton John 'Rubber' Stott, Steve 'Albert' Morley Andy 'Hoppy' Hopkinson, Gary 'Gaz' Brewer Alan Taylor Paul Braithwaite Alan Wood Alan Hobson Steve Kirkham Paul 'Johno' Johnson Glyn Lloyd Dave 'Campo' Camp Tony Booley Dave Booley Dave 'Bod' Harris Ernie Robson Ricky Ford Kevin Hickey Ian Oliver Chris Makin Colin 'Geordie' Straughan, John Foley John Goldspring Vinny Court John Wilson Kevin 'Morgs' Morgan Steve Bertenshaw Malc Hogan Craig Hepburn Mick Power Paul Davis Lee Ferguson Roger Bailey Leo Smith Arthur Marshall Mick Fowles Colin Tresize Jimmy Hill Pete Marney Mike McDonald & Pete Sant.

5RRF - Geoff Noble, Steve Howell & Bob Mills.

New members:

1LF - Lawrence 'Lol' Green

1LF & 1RRF - Dennis Whitehead

3RRF -Andy Hardy Andy Harris Alan Diver

Anyone in the wrong unit or regiment please let me know so that I can update my database.

Both meetings closed at 21.45 hrs the next meeting will take place on 3rd August 2010 at 20.15 hrs.

Yours sincerely
Ron Owen
Secretary & treasurer

PS. I try to send out to all members quick emails, but I am not 100% certain, you are getting them. Would you please send an email when you receive this letter? Members would you prefer to receive the branch letter by post or email, again please let me know. That way we can save on postage, time, and effort. Once I have sent the letter out I will send a copy to everyone by email, just to see who is receiving both.