Next Validation Session -
Battle Honours 20th May 2015
Alison Hine writes:
The next Validation event will be at the Battle Honours Ltd
offices at Stevenage on Wednesday 20 May 2015. Assignment One sessions
will be running concurrently and at present we have 9 candidates. It will
also be possible to validate Assignments 5 and/or 6. The event will
start with coffee and registration at 09.30 and end about 16.00. Lunch
will be provided. The cost per head for candidates and audience members
is £25.00 which includes lunch and coffee/tea etc. Joining
instructions will be issued nearer the time.
Candidates who have asked to present Assignment 1
are: Rory Stephens, Steve Chambers, Chris Nation, Robert Gallagher, Dan
Hill, Francesco di Cintio, Simon Worrall, Greg Davy and Bryn Dolan
Candidates for Assignment 5: Peter McLelland (TBC)
Candidates for Assignment 6: Anthony Rich, Roger Emmerson,
Peter McLelland (TBC
Validators: Chris Finn, Mike Peters, David Harvey, Mike
Scott, Jools Whippy, Alison Hine
Audience: Clive Harris, John Wynne, Tom Dormer, Tony Scott
We could do with more Validators and are very short of an
audience! Please would anyone wishing to attend contact Alison Hine on valsec@gbg-international.com
Meeting GBG Netherlands /
Belgium.
Wybo Boersma writes:
On Saturday, July 18th, 2015 there will be a meeting of GBG
Netherlands at the Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein' in Oosterbeek. Four Dutch
memberS will undertake assignment 1 in Dutch.
Validators will be Wybo Boersma and Willem Kleijn. Chris
Scott will be in attendence as a representative of the GBG..
Program:
09:30
Welcome in the Airborne Museum
10:00 to
11:00:
Assignment 1 Jip Meijer
11:00 to 12:00:
Assignment 1 Rik Smit
12:00 to 13:30:
Lunch (own expense) or Restaurant Hartenstein @
Laurei.
13:30 to 14:30:
Assignment 1 Edwin Popken
14:30 to 15:30:
Assignment 1 Bert Eikelenboom
15.30 to
16.30
Battlefield walk led by Luuk Buist.
16:30 -?
Closing reception at Restaurant Hartenstein @ Laurei.
Members of the Friends of the Airborne Museum and the
Liberation Route Europe will, as far as space permits in the
presentations and battlefield walk, be present. If other members of the GBG
would like to attend this meeting please contact w.boersma@wxs.nl
The language of the day is Dutch.
Annual Membership Fees
Jo Hook writes:
There are still some members who have not renewed their
membership for the coming year. If you have not done so please could you make
your payment as a matter of urgency now.
You can pay directly into the Guild bank account although
please add an identifier e.g. your name or membership number so we can identify
your particular payment. The bank account details are:
Account
name
Guild of Battlefield Guides Ltd
Account
Number
91657135
Sort
Code
40-19-30
BIC/SWIFT
Code
MIDL GB 2129P
IBAN
GB07 MIDL 4019 3091 6571 35
Branch
HSBC plc
22 West Street
Dunstable
Bedfordshire LU6 1SY
United Kingdom
Dyle Weekend 16th - 18th
September 2016
Chris Finn writes:
John Cotterill and I will be running the Dyle Line
Weekend, originally planned for this year, as the 2016 Guild Overseas Weekend.
It will take place on the 16th to the 18th of September 2016
and will be based in Louvain.
On the Saturday we will go to Eben Emael to look at the
strategic and operational settings and the German assault on the
fortress. Depending on the time we will then go to the "Maastricht
Bridges" before lunch. We will then go to Gastuche on the River Dyle.
Here we will look at the problems facing the BEF, the initial actions against
the German Army and the defence of the bridge at Gastuche (Lt Dick Annand
VC). On the way back to Leuvain we will stop at the Heverlee War
Cemetery. The cemetery contains burials from the Dyle Line fighting,
including Capt the Lord Cambridge (Coldstream Guards); and Fg Off Garland VC,
Sgt Gray VC and SAC Reynolds of 12 Sqn. It also contains six ATS graves
from the accident of 13 Jan 45. There will be a traditional Guild Quiz
after dinner that evening.
On Sunday we will first look at the defence of Leuvain
railway station by the RUR. We will then go to Esquelmes, on the River
Escault, to look at the retreat to the Escault Line, whether that should have
been the BEF's initial defence line, and the fight for Poplar Ridge.
After lunch, and on the way back to the Channel, we will go to the
Ypres-Comines canal area where we will look at the 5 Div battle of 26-28 May 40
which enabled much of the BEF to cross the Lys and retreat towards Dunkirk.
Would those interested in attending, and perhaps in
delivering all or part of a Stand, please let me know at christopher.finn1@btinternet.com
Dublin Weekend
Tony Scott writes:
Just back from a most enjoyable weekend in Dublin... I
wanted to express my thanks to Kay Neagle, organiser of the weekend for her
hard work in providing us such an informative and entertaining weekend....she
did the Guild proud, well done Kay!
It provided me with much food for thought....and as a loyal
and proud Englishman it gave me the opportunity to reconsider and perhaps
challenge my pre conceptions of the very complex events leading to the Rising
of Easter 1916.
I would also like to pass on my thanks to my fellow Guild
members for their excellent company....especially when we immersed ourselves in
the local culture that Dublin provided!
Tim Stoneman also writes:
A select band of Guild members and "significant
others" met in "Dublin's Fair City" to enjoy a well-orchestrated
tour which increased everyone's knowledge of the Easter Rising of 1916,
together with the background to, and aftermath of, that momentous event.
Lots of exploring the sites, some well off the beaten track, with Donal, an
excellent guide who seemed to take interjections from odd passers-by in his
stride - he'd have little trouble with Assignment Five! The tour of
Glasnevin Cemetery, with another very good guide, Niall, was also
well-worthwhile - who knew that there are more Dubliners below the ground in
that one cemetery than there are above ground in Dublin today? Of course,
we also enjoyed Dublin's pubs, music and restaurants in the evenings!
Many thanks to Kathleen for putting together an excellent weekend.
"Battlefield Detectives
in Battledress: The Forensic Science of D Day” - Lecture 13th May 2015
Frank Baldwin writes:
The next Battlefields Trust lecture hosted by The Fusiliers
Museum London in the Officer's Mess of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers HM Tower
of London will be held on May 13th.
We are used to seeing battlefield archaeologists uncovering
the history of ancient battles from finds and the historic landscape. It isn't
well known that the Allied troops who landed on D day were followed by their
own battlefield detectives. These were the 21 Army Group operations research
scientists who followed the armies ashore and tried to interpret battles which
took place a few days earlier. Their reports offer fascinating insights,
often disproving popular myths.
Some of the questions that they answered include "how
many casualties were caused by German machine guns; and how many by
mortars? How long did it take to neutralise each German position?
How many tanks were knocked out by each anti tank gun? How many
German weapons were fired? How effective was the bombardment?
There are answers to all these and many more....
Our hosts will be the Fusiliers Museum and the event
includes a sandwich lunch a glass of wine and the opportunity to network in the
exclusive surroundings of the Fusiliers mess in HM Tower of London. If you
would like to attend this lunchtime talk, please make a donation of £25 for
each attendee (£20 for members of the Battlefields Trust) and email your name,
contact number and any special requirements (dietary/mobility) to helen@battlefieldstrust.org On receipt,
email confirmation will be sent together with directions to the venue. If you
have any questions, please ring 0207 387 6620. We look forward to welcoming
you.
In order for you to be receive a pass allowing you access to
the RRF Building inside the Tower of London and be included in the catering you
must book at least 48 hours before the event.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally
secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or
send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the
charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting
costs for the charity.
Best Regards
Tony Smith
Guild Secretary
International Guild
of Battlefield Guides
Posts
