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Dear member, This year's reunion dinner, the 46th, will be on Saturday 18 May in the Royal Sailors Home Club, Queen Street, Portsmouth. It will again be held in the Nuffield lounge (on the right of the main foyer). Our country membership number is 2170. As usual the time will be 1730 for 1800. Alternative accommodation may be available at the Portsmouth Foyer tel 023 9236 0001 for £17.50 per night. The menu the committee have chosen for our dinner is: Home-made Cream of Local Watercress Soup Chicken Kiev Minted New Potatoes Green Beans & Buttered Sweet Corn Old English Sherry Trifle Cheese and Biscuits Coffee and Mints Provision can be made for those who are vegetarians, or who require a special menu. A glass of wine will be served during the dinner and further wines may be purchased from the waitresses. The dinner will be preceded by a minute's silence in memory of those who cannot be with us, this will be followed by a toast to Barham for which a tot of rum will be provided for each male diner and a glass of sherry for each lady. Thanks to Peter Yuile's gift the dinner will again be free for survivors and one of their guests, for associate members and one guest the cost will be £5 each, and for others £22.50. If you wish to attend please will you complete the attached slip by 27 April and send it to Sidney Petherbridge. Late applications may be refused. We intend as usual to have a raffle of donated prizes, offers welcomed. The dinner will be followed by our Annual General Meeting when there will be an opportunity to raise items on the management of your association or volunteer to join the committee. On Sunday 19 May after the dinner it is hoped that as many as possible will attend the morning service in St. Ann's Church, in the Dockyard at 1000. Our remembrance and wreath laying service in Westminster Abbey was held on 24 November to which 150 replied that they would attend. This included 11 survivors. We were directed to sit in the nave until being called forward directly into the choir stalls and transepts for Evensong. Sadly, possibly as an economy measure, the Naval hymn was omitted. The remembrance service was conducted by the Canon Robert Wright and the Association Standard was paraded by my son-in-law Keith Miller. The service included a prayer for those of the Association who had died in the last year and Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennison was recited. Our wreath was laid by the Earl of Gainsborough, Lord Barham accompanied by Lady Gainsborough. The wreath which included red and white carnations had been beautifully prepared and donated by "Flowers by Patricia" of Morden, Surrey. The book of remembrance was open for inspection after the service. On Sunday the 25th November some families gathered at the Royal Naval war memorial on Southsea Common to remember those killed in the sinking. Unfortunately it was rather a wind-swept morning. We have a new member who heard of the Association through the web. John Nealon who was a Marine at the time of the sinking has recently returned from Zimbabwe. Following the publication of last September's newsletter I have sadly been informed of the following deaths: Paul Camilleri, a survivor, who was a Maltese steward at the time. Many people have commented on his warm welcome when visiting his restaurant in Valetta. Dave Pickett who was the Commanding Officer of TS Barham, Wembley unit of the Sea Cadet Corps between 1968 and 1985. Harry Hill a survivor who was an ERA5 at the time died last May. Mrs Nellie Dant died in November. She was the widow of a survivor Richard who was an AB at the time. Bill Graves a survivor who was a Ship's Cook at the time died in December. George Knott has forwarded on a letter, written last November, from Captain CLW Page who has taken over as Chairman of the Ship's Names and Badges Committee. As previously published the Type 45 destroyers will be known as the D Class thus Barham will not be a contender for the names. Planned builds include the future carrier and the future surface combatant classes both of which will afford opportunity for fine names evoking the best traditions of the Royal Navy. No consideration has yet been given to their names but individual vessels within a class are themed. He is therefore unable to give any assurance that BARHAM with its 4 antecedents and 4 battle honours, which would certainly merit consideration, will be revived. I have been sent coloured A3 photocopies of two paintings of HMS Barham. The artist Mick Tapsell is the son of the late Lieutenant Commander George S Tapsell who was an SBA at the time of the sinking. They will be available at the dinner and compressed images of them can be viewed at the web site at www.watersideweb.co.uk/Barham/new The web site is always keen to hear of survivors stories. To date there have been 14710 visitors to the site. I would like to record my thanks for all the letters of appreciation for the newsletters and all those who have written to keep me up to date with their affairs or sent me cards. I was very pleased at the good turn out for our remembrance service which was 60% up on recent years and several people have written to say how much they enjoyed the service. I would like to end by thanking all those who have made donations including postage stamps particularly as small contributions although welcome may have not received a personal letter in reply. Yours sincerely George Elliott Please return this slip with any remittance due for associate members and guests to: Sidney Petherbridge, 25 St Matthew's Road, Winchester, Hants. SO22 6BT. Please print names clearly, make cheques payable to "HMS Barham Survivors Association" and enclose a stamped addressed envelope for the tickets. I shall/shall not be attending the Re-union Dinner. I ...................................... require ( ) tickets. My cheque for £ is enclosed. My guest(s) is/are ........................................................... ........................................................... I wish to be seated near ......................................... Signed ................................. |
last updated: 13 July 2013 |
andrew gillespie