News & NoticesThis facility has been made
available so that we can update readers with any news or changes which affect
the "Arborfield & The September 49ers" web site. It is also available to anybody who would
like to pass on news of interest to us all.
The information will be published in good faith and the Editor cannot
be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the details supplied. Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A Editor. Published 1st April 2007 If you like what you see on site, please tell your
friends. If you don’t, then please send your suggestions for
improving the site to The Editor from the link below.
‘CSM.
Douglas Huxley MM’. 1951 Photo of
Mons Officer Cadet School added to the Tribute page to Douglas Huxley. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
The
‘Arborfield
Remount Depot’ page has been updated with information and an image linked
to a BBC News (South) video of the long awaited unveiling of the Monument to
‘The Arborfield Horses’. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘HMT Nevasa’. The history of the troopship ‘Nevasa’ has
been updated with the addition of another photo relevant to the maiden voyage
in 1956 of the second version of the ship. ‘Little
California UK’ has been updated with a request for information about an
event that took place there in 1954, a long time ago. Fingers crossed. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Site News 1st April
2001 – 1st April 2021, 20 years on air. Arborfield
& The September 49ers. (Memories
of the Arborfield Army Apprentices School & Beyond.) ‘Where
are they now?’ A simple question posed by George Millie who joined the
Arborfield Intake of 49B as an Army Apprentice. ‘They’ were the boys who
joined with George in September 1949. The answers soon came in and, as a
meeting point, ‘The September 49ers’ web site came into being on the 1st of
April 2001 with George in the post of ‘Chief Clerk’. 20 years have passed and
the site has steadily grown whilst retaining the style and presentation
format of that initial set up as devised by George. To recognise the contributions
made by additional intakes the name changed to ‘The September 49ers &
Others’. The Arborfield that we knew has disappeared under acres of concrete,
tarmac, bricks and mortar but the memories linger on and the sites, such as
this, that keep those memories alive become more valuable as archives of our
past. A change to the title was introduced to recognise the wider aspects of
the site, so it became ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’. ‘Beyond’ is
now a large section and records items from around the world, many being
locations where the Arborfielders settled or served. Where to now? I have
secured another 2 years of space on the internet which will ensure our
presence up to March 2023. As it started, so it
will continue to be ‘open to all, free to view with no registration or sign
in needed’. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘52A
Meet Again’.updated
with a long lost press cutting of a successful search for a member of 52A. It
was Kelvin ‘Bob’ Roberts.
Sadly it was brought to light with the news of the Recall to H.Q. of Kelvin
who died on the 11th February 2021. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Admin News. The
site ‘Domain Name Registration’ has been secured for a further two year
period, taking it up to December 2022. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
January
1945 photograph added to the ‘Pipe Band’ section. Trevor 52A Editor ________________________________________________________________________________
‘Remembrance
2020’ added. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
‘Blackbushe Air
Trooping’. has
been updated with a report on ‘Operation Encompass’. 1956 and troops were flown
to the Cyprus emergency in stripped out Avro Shackleton aircraft of Coastal
Command. If it flew, it would do. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
‘Burma
Star and Chindit Memorials’ Additional photos and information
available, including a link to the BBC News Report of the Remembrance and
Commemoration Service at the National Memorial Arboretum on 15th August 2020,
‘VJ Day’ + 75Years. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘VJ Day’ 15th August 1945 to ‘VJ Day’ + 75Years 15th
August 2020. To
commemorate ‘VJ’ Day + 75, several more relevant photos have been added to
the new page published at the previous site update. Even today, as through
the years, the efforts of the ‘Forgotten Army’ have been quietly pushed to
one side. Not here. There is to be another ceremony at the Burma Star and Chindits Memorials at the National Memorial Arboretum on
‘VJ Day’ + 75Years 15th August 2020. If available, I will add a link to any
BBC Video coverage of the event which will be attended by H.R.H. Prince
Charles. Latest
additional page updates available at ‘Burma
Star and Chindit Memorials’ Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘VJ
Day’ + 75 years will be commemorated on 15th August 2020. ‘VJ’ Day marked the
defeat and surrender of the Japanese forces and the end of WW 2. The
date is the same as the next site update, but already interest in the
information we have on site about the Burma Campaign is attracting visitors.
To keep the information relevant I have added another page containing several
old photos and those taken at the National Memorial Arboretum when the ‘Chindits Memorial’ was enhanced with a bronze bust of a ‘Chinthe’, the mythical creature from which The Chindits took their title. There
has been many a debate about the wording of the Kohima Epitaph. Does it say
‘for their tomorrow’ or ‘for your tomorrow’? The answer lies in the photos of
two of the first Memorials at Kohima. Or does it? Maybe they are both
correct. ?. You decide. Available
from the ‘Burma Star and Chindit Memorials’ article. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘D
Day’ + 75 years. On June 6th 2019, the MV Boudicca took Normandy Veterans
back to France to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D Day. On board was the
late John Wintle (October 1939). A number of photos
have been added to the ‘Remembrance’ section of
John’s Photo Album. The
‘Arborfield Remount
Depot’ page has been updated with a second link to a video showing the
sculptor Amy Goodman at work on the Memorial to the horses that passed
through the unit. On
the same page there were two defunct links to the article ‘Stampede on the Barkham Road’ and ‘The Wokingham Paper’. They had been
nullified by a virus attack on the web site of the paper. Mike Churcher, editor of the paper has now got the paper back
up and running again and, from previous experience, here on the 49ers site,
we know just how much time and effort that takes. Many thanks to Mike. Trevor 52A
Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Two
photos have been added to the album of John Wintle
(October 1939). One is available from the ‘Service Life’ section showing John
practising his rifle skills. The second is available from the ‘Remembrance’
section and shows the Dedication of the new Normandy Veterans Association
Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas,
Staffordshire. Both
sections can be accessed from the ‘Photo Album Index
Page’. A
further selection of John’s photos, kindly contributed by Susan Preece, John’s daughter, are undergoing preparation and
will be available soon. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
a new page is added to our ‘In Memoriam’ section for John Wintle
(October 1939). One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Greenland. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
I have
received the very sad news of the ‘Recall to H.Q.’ of John Wintle (October 1939)’.at the age of 96. John was a very
recognisable character at the Arborfield Old Boys events and will be known to
many of the readers of this web site.
I am preparing an ‘In Memoriam’ tribute page for John and if anybody
would like to add some words to it, then please contact me from the link
above. John
generously contributed his photos and memories to the site. They can be accessed from ‘HERE’. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The
‘Liberation of the Channel Islands’ article has been updated with a 1940’s
photo which features the ‘Officers & Senior Ranks’ of the Army Technical
School (Boys), Jersey, believed to have been taken just before the evacuation
of the military personnel. Available
from ‘HERE’. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
9th May 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of the ‘Liberation of the
Channel Islands’. The German
occupation of the Islands started on the 30th June 1940 following the mass
evacuation of British troops and those civilians who wished to leave. Amongst the troops were many Army
Apprentices who were training at the Army Technical School on Jersey with the
R.A.S.C. Many transferred to our
Arborfield Army Technical School to continue their training. On site there is an eye witness account of
the evacuation, kindly contributed by Marc Yates, Historian for the islands,
available from ‘HERE’. A
number of those boys have contributed their recollections of the event to our
site and they can be accessed from the relevant Menu from ‘HERE’. All part and parcel of the history of
Arborfield. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Blackbushe Air Trooping’. 1958.
Photo of N.A.A.F.I. volunteer staff en-route
to Cyprus. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Curacao. The site has now been
accessed from 176 countries. Site News 1st April
2001 – 1st April 2020, 19 years on air. Arborfield
& The September 49ers. (Memories
of the Arborfield Army Apprentices School & Beyond.) From
the original site, ‘The September 49ers’, through ‘The September 49ers &
Others’, to today’s site ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’, the basic
principal still applies. Open to all,
free to view with no registration or sign in required. The format is the same as it was when it
was set up in 2001 by George Millie as a ‘Where are they now?’ base for
members of his Arborfield Intake, 49B, the September 1949 Intake. The scope of the site has widened but a
guesstimated 95% of the contents can still be linked in some way, however
tenuously, to the Arborfield Army Apprentice’s School and those who passed
through its gates. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘H.M.T.
Nevasa’ (1913 – 1948). Scrappage photo and press cuttings added to the
page. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
News Flash. Unfortunately,
the U.K. release of the new James Bond film ‘No Time To Die’ has been delayed
until November 2020. Whilst waiting,
you could look at the photographs contributed by Tony
Burton of the equipment used in the making of ‘No Time To Die’, the 49ers
1958 version that is. What goes round,
comes around, eh? Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Jan.
1954, 1st Bn. H.L.I. weigh in for a flight to Cyprus. See ‘Blackbushe Air
Trooping’. Photo andText added but it incorporates some guesswork. Looking for more information. Admin News. Thank
you to those who voiced an opinion on the future of the web site. Those thoughts were taken into account,
resulting in no change to the management of the site. It remains a fully independent web site and
the long held declaration of intent remains very valid……… The
‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ web site is open to all, free to use
and no registration or sign in is required. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Remembrance
2019’ has been added. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Although
‘dormant’ for a while, there have been minor corrections and additions made during
the break to keep the site readable.
With no new contributions for publication there was no need of any
updates. Reports that the site is defunct can be classed as ‘fake news’,
Donald style. We will be ‘on air’ to
at least March 2021 with options to extend the contracts. Much can happen before that decision needs
to be made. For now there are one or
two items which need reporting. The
first is the very sad news of the Recall to H.Q. of Terry Reddin
(52A). Terry died on the 1st of
September 2019. The news has been made
available to the relevant offices of the A.O.B.A. Terry
was a very good friend of this site, contributing to it for many years. His memoirs and photos can be found
throughout the site in many sections.
He will be sadly missed by those who knew him, especially his
contemporaries of the early 50s. The
younger apprentices may well remember him from the time he returned to the
college as an Instructor, whilst sharing his love of photography and fishing
with the lads. Our
sympathy and thoughts go out to his widow Barbara. The
second item is covered in the Admin News section below. If you have an opinion or suggestion which
is relevant, then please do share it with ‘The Editor’. No need for names or identities, ‘Anon’ is
quite acceptable and it will not be made available for public consumption,
but it will all help me to formulate the future of the web site. Admin News. First
a reminder of the two statements which determine how the site is presented
and run. The
first is simple and available from the opening page of the site and
reads thus..... The
‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ web site is open to all, free to use
and no registration or sign in is required, therefore…. No personal information is recorded or
held by this site. To
avoid any accusations of misrepresentation, the second statement is sent to
anybody who want to share their memories and photos with us for the first
time….. Please note that the…… ‘Arborfield
& The September 49ers’ web site is a stand-alone, totally independent, site
and has no official connection to, nor is it endorsed or supported
financially, by the ’Arborfield Old Boy’s Association’. or
REME Association. Whatever material is submitted to this
site remains, and is acknowledged as, the property of the contributor and
nothing precludes the material being placed on any other web sites. Out
of the blue a proposal has been received from the A.O.B.A. that they should
take over the ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ web site to manage it,
incorporate it into their web site, and house it on their servers. Annexation might be an apt description of
intent. The
49ers site is now in its 18th year on the internet and I have had the
privilege of running it for the last 13 years. Obviously I have an opinion on the subject
which I will keep to myself for now. I
would like to hear what you think. You
may be a contributor to the site, a regular or occasional visitor, or just
tripped over it whilst looking for something to read to while away some
time. Search engines regularly provide
snippets of information which may attract your attention, especially if you
searched for Arborfield where we can be found alongside news of the only
other Arborfield that I can find. It’s
in Saskatchewan, Canada, and is very different to our version of the village. However,
more importantly, there is the question of material that has been shared by
our many contributors from the four corners of the globe. Many have no connection to Arborfield but have
kindly added articles which are of interest, and do have relevance to our
readers. They maintain ownership of
their items but may not want them displayed in other areas of the web. That is just one of the many potential
problems that could arise and it could affect their decision as to whether to
remove it from our site. If
you have thoughts on the subject please share them with me as Anon or A N
Other. No details will be made
available on this site or anywhere else. They will be crucial to any decision
that has to be made regarding the future of the site. Please
contact ‘The Editor’. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The
‘Acknowledgement’
page records the contributions which help to keep the site running, made by
two of our long term sponsors. A big
vote of thanks to them from ‘The Editor’. Admin News. Unfortunately,
minimal interest shown in sponsoring the site has led to a review of the
value of the site. Currently
the unavoidable combined fees for the Domain Name renewal and the Web Hosting
Services stand at £137.01 for the 2 year contracts and are only likely to
rise, making the site unviable. The
site will remain available until the first contract expires, at which point,
like an old soldier, it will quietly fade away. However, up to the point of departure, it
will be kept on a minimum maintenance basis only, just to ensure that the
site is on air during the paid up period. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Korea
1952-53. Three photos added to the
album of Don Thurgar
(47B). Any information that can be
added to the photos would be greatly appreciated by Don’s son Michael. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Report
of the presentation of the ‘Elizabeth
Cross’ to the family of George Cassells (49B). Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
1953
New Year’s Eve in London. Photo added
to the album of George Peacock (52A). Site News 1st April
2001 – 1st April 2019, 18 years on air. From
the original site, ‘The September 49ers’, through ‘The September 49ers &
Others’, to today’s site ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’, the basic
principal still applies. Open to all,
free to view with no registration or sign in required. The format is the same as it was when it
was set up in 2001 by George Millie as a ‘Where are they now?’ base for
members of Arborfield Intake 49B, the September 1949 Intake. The scope of the site has widened but an
estimated 95% of the contents can still be linked in some way, however
tenuously, to the Arborfield Army Apprentice’s School and those who passed
through its gates. Admin News. Unfortunately,
running the web site incurs unavoidable costs. These escalate with each new biennial
contract secured. Financial support
from individual private sponsors has enabled the site to remain secure,
totally independent, and free from commercial advertising for many years
now. If you are U.K. based and could
be interested in helping to keep the site running, please contact ‘The Editor’ for further information. Be assured that an enquiry will place you
under no obligation whatsoever. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘1954, Blackbushe to Singapore’. 9,000 miles in three days by the flying
troopship. Press release announcing
the inaugural flight. (Scroll down to
the bottom of the article). Admin News. The
contract, which bought space on the Internet to display the web site through
2017 – 2019, expired on March 13th. With
the Arborfield school and garrison no longer in operation, all we have left
are our memories. Understandably,
contributions of new material to the site have diminished. However, the number of visitors to the site
has remained at a healthy level, increasing in recent months. With that in mind, I have purchased a new
two year contract which will keep the site ‘on air’ until March 2021. At that point it will celebrate 20 years of
availability on the internet. Beyond
that date, it would not be wise to speculate. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Army
Technical School’ Jersey C.I. Contributed by Marc Yates, Jersey resident
and Military Historian, an unusual eye witness account of the evacuation of
all Army Apprentices, Military Personnel and many of the Civilian Population from the Channel
Islands prior to the invasion by Germany in 1940. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for the Syrian Arab Republic. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Remembrance
2018’ added. Admin News. The
web site Domain Name ‘arborfield-september49ers.co.uk’ has been secured for a
further two year period taking it up to the 3rd December 2020. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Project
Nominal Roll Call’. Several names
added and corrections to various sections. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Arborfield
Radio Club (G3HOS)’. In the
‘Burmese Apprentices’ section, a 1953 photo revised and information added. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
A
redistribution of photos between the ‘Photo Album’ and ‘Libyan
Memories’ of Max Warwick (49B) plus several new additions. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Oil
search in Libya 1957’ is a silent Pathe News clip
showing landmine clearance in the desert before the search for oil could take
place. A link has been placed on the
relevant page ‘Libya Scenic 03’. Small
corrections and minor alterations made to several pages to improve
readability. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
The
‘Sunday Ghibli’ pages
have been completely revised and new pages added. The full paper is now displayed. Several
contemporary Tripoli
publications added. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Pages
7 & 8 added to the ‘Sunday Ghibli’ Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Contemporary
publications from Libya in the 1950s by John Doggett, R.E. The ‘Sunday Ghibli’
features. More will follow soon,
preparation of the pages is continuing. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Military
Moments’ in Libya. Photos contributed by John Doggett, R.E. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘Gialo Barracks & Beyond’. More photos of the area
surrounding Gialo Barracks by John Doggett, R.E. To
facilitate access to the additional Libya contributions by readers, a ‘Supplementary
Index’ has been added with direct links to the various collections. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘1957, Gialo Barracks floods’. B/W photos of the event contributed by John
Doggett, R.E. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Several
names added and corrections made to the ‘Nominal Rolls Project’. Several
names added to the ‘College Groups’
photos by Alan Walker (75C) ‘Tripoli City’ in colour slides
contributed by John Doggett of the R.E. who was stationed at Gialo barracks. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Another
collection of colour slides featuring the Roman city of Sabratha
contributed by David Croton. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Tanzania. ‘Detmold
1962’. Two group photos may be of
interest to Arborfield Air Corps members.
Contributed by Tom Baker of R.E.M.E.
Names and information would be appreciated. These
items had been prepared prior to the suspension of updates as explained
below. Admin News. Unfortunately,
due to the indisposition of ‘The Editor’ for a few weeks, updating of the web
site was suspended. My
apologies to anybody waiting for a reply to their e-mail. I will send an answer A.S.A.P. SITREP. 1st April
2001 – 1st April 2018. Today
marks the completion of a 17 year presence of the ‘Arborfield & The
September 49ers’ web site on the internet.
There have been two minor alterations to the name since George Millie
(49B) first set up the site as a meeting point for members of intake 49B, the
‘September 49ers’. The changes were
made to reflect the widening scope of topics, driven by the contributions of
ex Arborfield Apprentices, plus some welcome guest writers. The site continues, thanks to the financial
backing of some private individuals, the ongoing contributions from people
who have relevant stories to share and, of course, the readers of the
material. Without visitors, there
would be no point in continuing.
Thanks to one and all. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Another
‘Recreational
Excursion’ in Libya. Destination
unrecorded but a mixed selection of local views. ‘Arborfield
Remount Stables’ refurbished.
Video clip from BBC News Berkshire, (External Site). Please note that the clip is the Copyright
© of BBC News, and may be restricted to UK access only. A
photo and link has been added to the ‘Remount Depot’ page. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Several
names added and corrections made to the ‘Nominal Rolls Project’. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
An
edition of the school magazine ‘The Arborfield Apprentice, July
1952’ has been added. It is very
relevant to this web site as it covers the September 49ers (Intake 49B) in 6
Division which included George Millie who set up the site in 2001, through to
the February 52ers (Intake 52A) as the junior division in H.Q. Company which
included the current Editor of the site in 2018. The magazine is printed in its entirety and
includes the adverts of the day which enhance the memories of the time spent
there. It is the only edition of the
1950s era that we have. It has been
made possible by the generosity of Alan Jones (61B) who supplied the hard
copy of the edition for copying to the site.
Many thanks Alan. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Extra
photos and a new page added to the ‘Recreational Excursion’ to the Qasar al Haj in Libya. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
of an extended ‘Recreational
Excursion’ to the Qasar al Haj in Libya. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
‘Remembrance 2017’
added. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Several
photos added to the ‘Arborfield Pipe Band’ section. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Two
RMP Land Rover photos added to a revised page in the ‘Memories of
Libya 1956-59’ article. They mark
the change from 10th Arm’d Div
to Tripolitania District in1957. A
new follow on page accommodates some of the photos from the revised page. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A variety of photos added to a
page in the ‘Memories of
Libya 1956-59’ article. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Several
more ‘Libyan’ photos added from the David Croton R.E.M.E collection which
include………. A
selection of views of the ‘Tarhuna
Waterfall’ in the Tripolitania District of Libya. Also……… Two
revised group photos and several of a ‘Scammell Explorer Wrecker’ belonging to the
L.A.D. attached to 1 Coy. R.A.S.C. which was still with 10th Arm’d Division before it was disbanded. An additional motor cycle ‘trials’ photo on
the same page. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Tony
Burton REME has added 3 photos to the ‘Memories of Libya 1956-59’
article. David
Croton REME has contributed another large collection of photos of Libya
which will be added to his pages over the coming weeks. The first two are available from his link. REME
visit the USAF
Wheelus Air Base. Photo added. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
of the 2017
AOBA Reunion and the Annual Joint Apprentice
Reunion Weekend have been contributed by Max Warwick (49B). The pages should be viewed as ‘works in
progress’ and details will be added as they become available. ‘Crosses
of Remembrance’ have been added to the relevant pages for Brian
Charlwood (May 1939) and Derek Breeze (53B). The
name of Gilbert Brunsdon (1939) has been added to
the 1939
‘E’ Company photo previously contributed by Stanley Piggott (1939) who is
also in the photograph. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Stephen
Beviere (72C) has added information to the College ‘Passing Out
Parades’ section. Stephen
has also added a Photo of ‘J’ Coy. ‘B’ Squad 72C to the College ‘Groups’
section plus names to other photos. He
has also updated the relevant sections of the Nominal
Roll Project 1971-1975. Photos
132 & 133 added to the ‘61B’ Reunion Page. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
2
Documents added to the 61B ‘J’ Company Photos page. Admin News. To
maintain the independence of the web site, no advertising or endorsement of
commercial products is normally accepted, although requests are often
received. However,
the badge below will be of interest to those of us who wore it as Army
Apprentices, and we are now a finite number.
The use of the ‘Poppy’ symbol as the background has been sanctioned by
the ‘Royal British Legion’ who benefit financially from each purchase and, as
a charity, they support ex-service personnel and families in their time of
need. This is not an endorsement of
the product, just an announcement of something that will be of interest to our
readers. Should anybody want further
information then just………... Click on the Badge. ‘Page 13’ (currently). Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Photo
‘Pipes & Drums 1962’ added to the Arborfield Bands, Pipe Band
section. A
number of added photos relating to ‘Intake 61B’ are available from the ‘61B Index Page’. Minor
alterations include corrections and names added to a variety of articles on
site. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Colonel F
A H Magee, Commandant of the Arborfield Army Apprentices School 1953 –
55, remembered. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Photo
added to the ‘Docs
& Photos General’ section. Viewed on e-bay. A.T.S. apprentices
receiving instruction in electroplating.
Much more information needed to turn it into a record of the moment. Photo
added to ‘Memories of Libya 1956-59’ of a Morris
Commercial wireless car in operation. More
names added to the ‘Project Nominal Rolls’ section. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A
sincere thank you to our sponsors who are recognised in our ‘Acknowledgements’
page. Photos
have been added to the Photo Album
of Brian Paton (52A). Various
interlinks have been added to pages which are related by contributor or
subject. Several
individual names have been added to the ‘Project Nominal Rolls’
section. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
David
Pilcher (52B) highlighted an Obituary for Major John Sim MC, one time
Company Commander of ‘C’ Company in the early 1970s. Tony Burton REME has added photos to the
‘Memories of Libya 1956-59’ article. Three
photos have been added to the Military
Memories section of the ‘Memories of Libya 1956-59’ article. An ‘Additional Index‘
has been provided to the Libya article to gather together some of the extra
contributions which are scattered around in the main web site. Tom
Owen (72C) has provided a photo of the 1973 College Rugby XV. With names. Tom
Owen (72C) has also furnished missing names to a photo in the College Groups
section. The
information relating to Niel
Taylor (69C) and Ralph Taylor (October 39)
has been withdrawn from this web site by the contributor. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Site Sponsorship 2017 – 2019. Whilst
the site attracts a steady flow of visitors, unfortunately it doesn’t attract
enough potential sponsors with just one expression of interest received. So, although on one really exceptional day
last week, there were 1,343 page turns, there comes the realisation that the
site has reached the end of the line.
Over the next few days a decision will be made on whether or not it is
possible to carry on in some form or another.
Time
to express sincere thanks to those who, over the last 16 years, have
contributed their photos, documents and personal memories of life at
Arborfield and beyond. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
Photo
added to the album of the late Eric Wearmouth
(52B). Photo
of Saracen 82-BA-65 added to the Memories of
Libya 1956-59 article. Admin News. (first posted 15th January 2017) Site Sponsorship 2017 – 2019. In
common with many independent web sites, the ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ incurs unavoidable costs,
the main, and only one for which funding is sought, being the purchase of
space on the internet on which to display the site. The current contract for 2015 – 17 is
rapidly coming to an end (11th March 2017). To
stay ‘on air’ for a further two year period, 2017 – 19, I have to seek
financial backing from private, individual sponsors. This has been possible
over the last ten years but sadly a number of our regular backers have been
recalled to H.Q. so I’m hoping that some new names will be added to our ‘Acknowledgements’
page. If
you would like details of the site, and how you could help to keep it alive,
please contact ‘The
Editor’. It will place you under no obligation whatsoever. Trevor 52A
Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Photo
contributed by Bill Gibson (52A). 1955
Military Tattoo at Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The ongoing search for the missing ‘Apprentice Awards
Boards’ is updated by Alan Jones (61B). Alan Calder
(REME) has added some of his photos to the ‘Memories of Libya
1956-59’ article. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
No apologies for
self-indulgence by ‘The Editor’ but ‘Some days are Diamonds’. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
Do you remember
the ‘2007 AOBA
Reunion’ when Arborfield was cut off by unprecedented flooding? Not widely reported
but, in July of 2016, Arborfield was once again under water. There are links below to two reports of the
disaster. Both are external web sites
so please use ‘Right Click’ to return here. ‘Arborfield Floods
2016 (1)’. ‘Arborfield Floods
2016 (2)’. One new flag added
to the VISITOR FLAGS
section for Swaziland. Admin News. Today marks the
10th Anniversary on the internet of the ‘Arborfield & The September
49ers’ under its revised title, and with the ‘Temporary Editor’ behind the
desk. Early next year, if funding is forthcoming, the site will mark
up 16 years during which time our contributors have furnished a remarkable
collection of items which record life as it was experienced by the
Apprentices at Arborfield and on into the big man’s army. Looking back at the very early days of the
site one can see that the original format has stood the test of time, a
tribute to the founder George Millie (49B). Hopefully the site
will continue through years 17 and 18 but, as mentioned previously, its fate
is in the hands of our sponsors. More
details will follow after we have all enjoyed the coming festivities. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The domain name of
the ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ archive web site has been
renewed. This time, the registration
has been purchased for a two year period and will run until the 3rd of
December 2018. This brings it more in
line with the biennial renewal of the contract for the web hosting
service. This is due to be renewed
early in 2017. This will, of course,
depend on the ability to raise the necessary finance to purchase the web
space on which to display the site. If
successful the site will remain available up to the 3rd of March 2019. If unsuccessful, the site will be deleted
from the www and backed up on various media against the time that it may
become possible to reinstate it. Watch this space
for further news. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘Remembrance 2016’
added. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Two photos have
been added to the album of Bill Gibson (52A).
Bill Hesleton
(59A) is featured. A report of the ‘61B P.O.P.’
has been added to their section. The ‘Web Links’
section is being revised. Many sites
have vanished from the internet, or their U.R.L.s have been changed, which
makes our links null and void. Other
internal links continue to be added to ease the path between related
subjects. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A number of photos
have been added to various collections of the ‘61B Section’. Details of the
liner ‘SS Citta di Tripoli’ added to the ‘Memories of
Libya 1956-57’ article. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly a new page
is added to our ‘In Memoriam’ section for Derek Breeze (53B). Another update to
the ‘Remount Depot’
to include some relevant Corps Badges. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The ‘Remount Depot’
was the start of the Arborfield Garrison.
Revised links and information from a local press article added. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Some text and
several photos added to the ‘2016 A.O.B.A.
Reunion’. Bob Askey (72C)
has added some names and information to the ‘College Groups’ section. Remembered by
many, more family history has been added to the article on ‘Fred Silver’.
RP, KRRC. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A ‘draft’ look at
the ‘2016 A.O.B.A.
Reunion’. It will be a
‘work in progress’ for several weeks to come. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A ‘Cross of
Remembrance’ has been added to the ‘In Memoriam’ page for John Cassells
(49B). A ‘Cross of
Remembrance’ has been added to the ‘Photo Album’ of Tom Spurs (53B). A ‘career path’
for Brian Charlwood
(May 1939) has been added. 2016 AOBA Reunion.
A dozen rough cut photos added on a temporary page which will be deleted when
a fuller report is made available. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A ‘Photo Album’ has been opened for Niel Taylor (69C). Corrections and
revisions made to the memoire of Niel Taylor (69C). A 1930 postcard of
an Italian barracks in Homs, Libya, has been added to Max Warwick’s ‘Photo Album’ The Army
Apprentice National Memorial web site is temporarily off air. Meanwhile, photos of the latest gathering
at Alrewas can be viewed from the ‘3rd Joint Annual
Remembrance’ weekend here on site.
Pending the reappearance of the AANM site, please share the link with
anybody who you may feel would be interested in the event. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
An unscheduled
update to make some space in the ‘In’ & ‘Pending’ trays. A photo has been
added to the memoire of Niel Taylor (69C) A photo has been
added to the memoire of Ralph Taylor
(October 39) An ex Arborfield
lad is identified in photo 191 in Max Warwick’s Libyan section of his ‘Photo Album’ Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Some detail added
to the photos of the ‘3rd Joint Annual
Remembrance’ weekend. Alan Jones has
contributed two photos of missing ‘Apprentice Awards
Boards’ which have been located. A ‘career path’
for Niel Taylor (69C)
has been added. Two new flags
added to the VISITOR FLAGS
section for Cape Verde and Lesotho. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A gap has been
filled in the ‘1939 Roll Call’ with the name of Ralph William
Taylor, (October 39). A ‘career path’
for Ralph Taylor
(October 39) has been added. Photos of the ‘3rd Joint Annual
Remembrance’ weekend at Alrewas
added. (Initial draft pages). 3 RHA in Libya
1956-7. Two pages of photos added to the ‘Photo Album’
of Max Warwick (49B) Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Several more added
photographs and revised text are available from the ‘61B Index Page’. A copy of a photo
in 49er Dick Wright’s photo album has been added to the ‘Sporting Awards’
section. One new flag added
to the VISITOR FLAGS
section for Cuba. The flag for
Myanmar (Burma) has been updated. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly, a page has
been added to the ‘In Memoriam’ section for ‘September 49er’ John Cassells. Several added
photographs and revised text are available from the ‘61B Index Page’. Admin News. A large number of
pages have been reloaded to the host server and hopefully they will take
better care of them this time. The
search goes on for any more gremlins hiding on the site and causing damage. As defective pages are identified, they
will be reloaded A.S.A.P. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Regrettably, a
major, unidentified, glitch is affecting the web site. Photos, and other image files, are not
displaying correctly. The effect is
random throughout the pages. Some are
unaffected whilst others have several photos missing and the worst case shows
a blank page. I am reloading the
affected pages to the host’s server as I identify them but, with in excess of
1,000 pages and many thousands of photos, it will be months rather than days
before the site is back to full working order. I can reassure contributors that no photos,
some unique to this site, have been lost, they are safely backed up away from
the computer on various forms of media. I can but offer my
sincere apologies for this failure along with my assurances that I will work
to repair the damage as soon as possible. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
1961 ‘J’ Coy, 1962
‘C’ Coy and 1963 ‘C’ Coy photos available from the ‘Company Photos’
index page. The final page of
the ‘Arborfield Garrison
Closure’ saga has been writ.
No more entries will be added. Admin News. 1st April 2001 – 1st April 2016. Today marks the
completion of a 15 year presence of the web site on the internet. From the
‘September 49ers’, through the ‘September 49ers & Others’ to the current
title ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’, the site operates on the
original basis of being ‘open to all, free to view, with no registration or
sign in required to access the pages’.
No personal details are recorded but, currently, visitors to the site
have come from 173 countries and, to date, have 1,166 pages to browse
through. That number will increase as,
when and if, more contributions are received for publication. Thanks to our individual financial
sponsors, the site will be ‘on air’ up to March 2017. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Another section
has been added to the new 61B Collection.
Available from the ‘61B Index Page’. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Even more photos
added to the new 61B Collection.
Available from the ‘61B Index Page’. More to come. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
More photos added
to the new 61B Collection. Available
from the ‘61B Index Page’. A quantity of 61B
photos are still undergoing preparation prior to adding to the site. ‘Watch this space’. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A collection of photos
added, recording the days of Intake 61B.
Available from the ‘61B Index Page’. It is a ‘Work in
Progress’ so drop in now and then to keep up with the additions. Admin News. Once again a vote
of thanks to Max Warwick (49B) who has ensured that we retain our Domain Name
for a further 12 month period. Much
appreciated Max. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
An unscheduled
update to make a correction and add news to the Leslie ‘Les’
Deacon (61C). Photo Album. Alan Jones (61B)
has updated his search for the ‘Arborfield
Apprentice School Award Boards’. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A ‘Photo Album’
has been opened for Leslie ‘Les’
Deacon (61C). Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Photos have been
added as a reminder of ‘Air Trooping from
Blackbushe’ in the 1950s. ‘Variations of Lilliburlero’, the R.E.M.E. Corps Quick March,
can be listened to and compared. One new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS
section for Kyrgyzstan. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________ Please Note: The earlier
messages, dated from the 1st of January 2014 through to the 1st of December
2016, have been removed and safely archived.
This will save valuable space on the web site and should mean that the
News and Notices page will load a little quicker. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________ |
