News & NoticesFor a trial period we are
introducing this facility by which 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 Editorial Team cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies
in the details supplied to us. 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.
Joe
Plant 52A has contributed a photo of himself with Burmese Apprentice Tha
‘Tommy’ Win 52A and this can be viewed in the Burmese Apprentices (Arborfield)
section. The
Editor has added a few photographic reminders of BAOR to his ‘My Units’
page. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for the Palestinian Territory. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
International
interest in the Queen’s Diamond Anniversary Year has brought an increasing number
of visitors to our web site. A
favourite browser search is ‘Coronation 1953’ and
we just happen to have a page dedicated to that event. I have now updated the page with a photo of
the medal issued for the Diamond Jubilee. Three
photos contributed by Ms Tin Tin Nyunt, wife of Burmese Apprentice Soe Tint
of intake 54A, Harrogate Army Apprentices School, can be seen in the ‘Modern Times’
section of the Burmese Apprentices.
The section also features our Arborfield boys and some of the Chepstow
contingent. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Kuwait bringing the total up to 152 countries. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Gary
Bowers 75C added the name of Ian Cooper 75C to the photos of the Army Apprentices
College pages, (Photo TR 73-75-AACA-1-(43). Ian retired last summer
and was the Chief Instructor at the college. An
updated flag has been added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Libya. The
Editor received an e-mail from an Old Boy wondering why his intake didn’t
feature much on the web site. The
answer has to be that the site is contributory. We have the room, but to publish any
articles, we first have to receive them.
Over to you!!!! Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
John Morland
45A has contributed some of his memories.
John has editorial connections to the very first editions of ‘The Arborfield
Apprentice’ the school magazine. Admin Sitrep. The 1st of
April 2001 to the 1st of April 2012. With
these updates we mark the eleventh birthday of the ‘Arborfield & The
September 49ers’ web site. Started
by George Millie 49B as a meeting place for the ‘September 49ers’ it soon expanded
to become the ’September 49ers and Others’ as contributors from other intakes
put forward their memories for inclusion.
The site continued to expand and when George stood down from the post
of ’The Chief Clerk’ in December 2006, ‘The Editor’ took over the reins. Along with the memories of Arborfield, the
site had collected many items from outside the camp boundaries so, with
George’s backing, to recognise the wider collection of material, a title
change was made to become the ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’. The sub title became ‘AAS &
Beyond’. The bare statistics of the
site remain much as recorded on the 1st December 2011 but the page turns have
now exceeded 250,000 (250,567 to date) since the change of name some five
years ago. Quite a milestone. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Some
text relating to RSM McNally has been added to the Arborfield
Memorials page. Links
to two videos of the dedication of a memorial to those killed in an Eagle
Airways Viking air trooping flight at Blackbushe
Airport in 1957. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Peru and Zambia. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Information
confirming the location of the 1942-44 Drum & Fife Band photo, along with
a photo of the Military Band concert in Henley 1964 has been added to the Military Band
section. Steps
to upgrade the quality of photos on site are always ongoing and so Brian Walker 55B Chepstow AAS has submitted a revised
and improved version of his Chepstow Mufti photograph. 60
years ago ‘The Editor’ signed in at Arborfield with Intake 52A. Our Diamond Anniversary is celebrated with
HM Queen Elizabeth II and is recorded in T.A.T. For 52A. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Algeria and the British Virgin Islands. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
If Kunsebeck
featured in your travels, 1st (BR) Corps Troops Workshop REME in my case, 3rd
Arm’d Workshop REME in other cases, you may like to refresh your memory with
some aerial views of the old Durkopp factory as it is today from The Editor’s Photo Album. There is also a link to a souvenir edition
of the local newspaper celebrating 125 years of publishing. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
More
details added to the Burmese Harrogate
Apprentices. Five
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Gibraltar, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Sudan and Uzbekistan. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
John Wintle,
Arborfield ATS, October 1939, has contributed photos of a recent Battlefield
Tour which took him back to the scene of his Normandy landing in 1944. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Tom Spurs
and Doug Matthews had a ‘53B get together’ in New South
Wales. Photos. The
Grandaughter of CQMS McDortch, Permanent
Staff 1949 ‘A’ Coy, has contributed photos, one of which pictures him with
the ‘A’ Coy Champion Banner and some service history. 1964
photo of the Arborfield Corps of Drums has been added to Mike
Cheeseman’s 62C Photo Album. Contact
with Burma has updated some details of the Burmese Harrogate
Apprentices. Additions
to the Nominal Roll Project for Intake 65C
A
tribute to Richard Martin, ‘King Brat’ of
the R.A.F Halton Apprentices who
died at the age of 104 years. Further
comment has been added to my ‘hobby horse’ of the Royal
Signals at Arborfield Troops
returning from Germany are to be stationed at Abingdon. Single personnel will be accommodated at
Bicester whilst married personnel will have their married quarters at
Arborfield, both sets travelling to work on a daily basis. Arborfield refuses to die as can be seen
from our latest Arborfield Garrison
Closure news. Admin Sitrep. With
these updates on the 1st of December 2011, we mark the 5th Anniversary of the
web site under its revised name, and also ‘The Editor’ taking over the desk
and chair from site founder and ‘Chief Clerk’, George Millie. Working on the principle of ‘If it ain’t
broke, don’t fix it’ the original format and style is retained and will see
its 11th birthday early in next year. However,
finance provided by our private sponsors has put the site onto a more secure
footing and free of any commercial advertising pop-ups. The
content of the site has steadily increased in size and diversity which has
brought in a lot of visitors. Five
years ago the site statistics read: 5,314 Files contained in 643
Folders. Currently those figures read:
11,244 Files contained in 1,012 Folders.
Daily ‘page turns’ fluctuate wildly, from a low of 25 to a recent high
of 482 but averaged out over a longer period they have settled at around 160
turns per day. The total for the 5
year period is 233,353. With no
integrated Forum included on site, I believe the results are acceptable. Visitors have come from 141 different
countries. Apart
from ’Arborfield’, favourite searches which bring visitors in are ‘Detmold’,
‘Hobart Barracks’. ‘TEGWRA’, ‘Ty Croes’, ‘Coronation 1953’, ‘Battle of
Britain’, ‘Middle Wallop’, ‘Little California in England’, ‘Garian Lady’,
‘Tripoli’, and my favourite search ‘Crimpy crisps’. What those searching for their crisps think
when they end up in a web site dealing with military matters is anybodies
guess. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
a new page is added to our In Memoriam section for
Brian Conway 42A. It gives access to a
record of Brian’s life, both service and civilian. Information
has come in regarding a member of the Permanent Staff which has lead to an
alteration in the names on our photo of ‘A’ Company 1950. It might be an opportune moment to look at
the main photos and thumbnails with a view to adding or correcting the
information. Please contact The
Editor. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A
page for Remembrance
2011 has been added. With
the sad loss of John French 52A, the 52A Today gallery page has been updated. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Aruba and Bolivia. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Brian
Walker 55B Chepstow AAS has again contributed another edition of the ‘Arborfield
Apprentice’ the school magazine.
The new addition is volume V4. No.10 issued for Autumn 1961. John
Richardson, 54A Harrogate, has contributed two photos featuring more Burmese
Apprentices. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Personal
albums have been contributed by Derek Breeze 53B and ‘The Editor’ showing
photos of the Army Apprentice
National Memorial We
learnt of the passing of Brian Conway 42A and a tribute page will be
published soon in recognition of the service that he gave to our Arborfield
school. Following
the news of Brian there is a band photo contributed by David Schofield 65A
showing Brian as the A/DM leading a parade through a local town. It has been added to the Military Bands
section. Two
reworked photos are added to the Brian
Walker Badge Collection in the Militaria section. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________ .
Additional
photos have been added to the 2011 AOBA Reunion making a total of
172 on display. They are available in
the ‘Additional Photos’ section. Many
faces, few names. Input needed. Information
will continue to be added to the 2011 AOBA Reunion section as it becomes
available and so it should still be seen as a ‘work in progress’ venture for
a while to come and worth taking a fresh look once in a while. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
First
cut of the report on the 2011 AOBA Reunion
is available with one section of photos still under construction. We have the faces but we now need the names
to make it a valid archive. This was
‘The Last Hurrah’ and the details need to be fully reported so that we don’t
ride off into the sunset of peoples memories. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for the Maldives and Mauritius which brings the total of countries to 140. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A
start has been made on reporting the 2011 AOBA Reunion. Just a taster, much more to come. One
new photo added to Pete Henry’s Photo Album (49B). CSM ‘Duggie’
Huxley ‘C’ Company is remembered in a Daily Telegraph Obituary. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
a new page is added to our In Memoriam section for Ian Rea,
Bramley 1938 to Arborfield 1939. Information
received from the Royal Signals Museum on the fate of A/T David Sutherland
which answers one question, but deepens the mystery surrounding him, is added
to the Memorials Page . From
the enquiries made on the above puzzle, I received a photo from the museum of
Fred Wells 44A in his 1943 days as a Royal Signals apprentice at
Catterick. It has been added to Fred’s Memoire Page.
More
information has been added to the Royal Signals at Arborfield
article. Arborfield Garrison Closure,
job done, or is it? Tonfanau
Quarry is the home of Hesleton Recovery operated by Bill Hesleton 59A. We have a photo of the quarry and a link to
Bill’s web site on our ‘Tonfanau
Now’ page. He has some seriously
BIG Boys Toys. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
Royal
Signals at Arborfield is an attempt to find out why a young A/T, who died
in 1943, has that Corps badge on his grave when the General Service Corps
would seem more appropriate for that period. The
question was originally posed in the Memorials Page and the two
pages are now interlinked. Light
was thrown on the subject by Fred Wells 44A in his memoire Catterick
to Arborfield, Fred having made the transition from R Sigs Apprentice to
Arborfield and the GSC. To
acknowledge the presence of Royal Signals Apprentices at Arborfield in the
very early days, a Royal Signals badge, the pre 1947 version of course, has
been added to the Arborfield
In The Early Days index page with the facility to listen to their quick
march, Begone Dull Care. A
Royal Engineers badge, previously missing, has also been added to the same
page. With it you can listen to their
quick march, Wings. Turn
8 & 4 into 9 & 0 with an increase in pay. AFB2140 Change of Engagement. Some got away with it, didn’t I? One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Guam. Web Site Admin Using
the box of chaos sold as Windows 7 has brought to light an un-needed
technicality. If I load a new page to
the web site, it displays correctly first time. However,
after loading existing pages which have been altered or updated, the new
version does not appear until clicking the ‘Refresh’ button. Previously this action had not been needed
so I bring it to your attention just in case, with 7, you wonder why you are
viewing the old page. Not
to worry. Windows 8 will be along next
year which speaks volumes for the short life of 7. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
No
major updates this time so I’ve taken the opportunity to tidy up, improve
accessibility and make small corrections on various pages. Hopefully there will be some new Arborfield
material available for the next edition. In
another fit of ‘self indulgence’ The Editor has added the final selection of
old colour slides depicting scenes in Tripoli
as I remember it in 1956-59. Although
not strictly Arborfield material, the main article, ‘Memories of Libya 1956
-59’ has brought a surprising number of visitors to the site who have
‘Googled’ for information on the area.
They now know where Arborfield is and what it stood for to us. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Belize. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Arborfield
1942 – 1946 may ring a few bells for our senior readers. Additional
names for the Nominal
Rolls project continue to come in. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A
non-scheduled update has revised the layout and added more detail to our new Memorials
Page Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Jack
Fuller 47B has identified himself on the 1947B B Coy photo A
photo has been added to Brian Paton’s 52A Album. The
resting places of some of our early Arborfield Apprentices are recorded in a
new Memorials
Page. The
final Passing
Out Parade Program (04A) is now on display. Ray,
son of Peter
Brian Wood 50A, has contributed some photos and a school ‘end of term
report’ for his father, recalled to HQ in 1988. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Yemen. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately
there are no fresh updates this time. My new computer and Windows 7
steadfastly refuse to communicate with the antiquated equipment and programs
with which I have been running the web site. New, improved doesn’t always
equate with ‘better’, particularly in this case. Steps are being taken to
resolve the situation so it’s a case of ‘bear with me’ for a while, in the
hope that normal running will be resumed sooner rather than later. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
The
Arborfield
Garrison Closure discussion rumbles on. Alan
Ward of Sydney, Australia, remembers more peaceful times in Libya
in 1963 to 1964. Colour
slides, unseen for more than 50 years, showing the Roman city of
Sabratha in Libya. More
colour slides from the same box show some of the animals at the Sidi Mesri
Agricultural centre. Kin
Maung Win, 55B, Chepstow, contributes a card depicting the ’Thingyan Water
Festival’ in Burma. You
can’t taste them now, but you may have forgotten what a ‘Crimpy
Crisps’ multi-pack looked like. Four
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Guatemala and Uganda. Web Site Admin Since
the last updates, our ‘Page Turns’ counter has ticked over to 200,000plus,
the total accrued since our restart in December 2006. Daily totals have
varied from a low of just 25 turns in one day to a high of 472 turns. This
has given us a daily average of between 150 and 160 pages read. Visitors to the site have come from 135
countries. My apologies for……. the
late updating of the site but my computer threw a hissy fit last week. 1st
and 2nd I.A.s failed to cure the
faults and the VM’s Kiss with a 2lb Ball Pein hammer had no effect, so the
machine was back loaded to Base W/S where it was pronounced B.E.R. Consequently I am now doing battle with a
new machine and operating system, and going downhill fast. Hopefully sanity will be restored soon and things
will return to normal, whatever that is. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Gordon
Bonner 49B has added some comments to the HMT
Dorsetshire article. In there, a
new initiative is being trialled to link related articles together. You could of course end up by going round and
round in ever decreasing circles after following the links, and end up
disappearing upwards into the annals of history. New
information has been added to the Team Photos in the Arborfield
AAC section. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Ian
Rea 1939 has contributed a photo of 1941 ‘D’ Company. Ian
has also contributed a photo of 71st LAA W/S, West Wickham 1943 to his Photo Album. The
club magazine Champ World featured our web site
in an article. Web Site Admin Thanks to the few who made generous contributions to the sponsorship fund,
the website remains available to the many, until March 2013. They receive the thanks of The Editor in
the Acknowledgements
section. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
A
‘In Memoriam’ page has been dedicated to Terry King 49B. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Tunisia. Separate flags have now been included for Serbia and Montenegro. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
I
was saddened to hear that Terry King 49B had been recalled to HQ. Shocked
too, because just two days earlier Terry had e-mailed me with some news and a
photo to add to his collection. Though Terry has left us, we will be able to
keep him with us, and in our thoughts, through the contributions he made to
the web site. His last addition is an improved copy of his ‘C’ Company 1950
Junior Rugby Team and it can be seen in his Photo Album which can be accessed
by clicking on Terry King
49B Remember
feats of fitting with a photo contributed by Bill
Rogers 47B of some hand made tools. The
Nominal Rolls
Project continues to tick over which some much younger apprentices being
recorded. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Pete Henry
49B has contributed three photos of his service in Cyprus. Tony
Church 55A has added a photo of his award in the Drumming Competition
1957. Nyunt
Shwe 54B has added a photo of a recent gathering of Apprentices to the Burma
Modern section. He
also contributes some memories of his Arborfield Friends Some
early history of California
UK is contained in a pdf. file of a letter from New Zealand in 2003. Please
indulge The Editor whilst he adds more photos to his album of REME
Service. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Bangladesh and Malawi. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
In
our ‘In Memoriam’ section we pay tribute to the late David L
Crowson 49B. Nyunt
Shwe 54B Arborfield recalled returning home to Burma aboard the MV
Derbyshire. Searching for a photo, I uncovered a lesser known HMT with a
remarkable history of service which can be read from HERE Arborfield Army
Apprentices Barracks, now you see it, now you don’t. The
garrison closure saga rumbles on. The
Editor has revised his memoir ‘Wokingham Revisited 2003’
with additional photos and information. Similarly,
new photos have been added to the California in England
page. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Antigua & Barbuda and Jordan. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Toowoomba,
hometown of George and Marion Millie, has suffered extensive damage in the
flooding which has hit Queensland. However we now know that they are both
safe which is a great relief. Bill
Rogers 47B has contributed a photo of B Company 1947. He has also contributed some items of
documentation to be found in the Documents and
Photos section. Pete Henry 49B
has a new photo added to his album which features Dave Crowson 49B, who has
been recalled to HQ very recently. A
‘In Memoriam’ page will be prepared for Dave in the next few weeks, should
you wish to add a personal tribute to him. Chepstow
boys Khin Maung Win 55B and Malcolm Hay 53A have provided photos and
information which has been added to the Chepstow section of the Burmese
Apprentices. Malcolm is the Heritage Member of the Beachley Old Boys
Association with access to details of all Chepstow apprentices. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Just
before the passing of the old year, news was received that George Millie 49B,
founder of this web site, had taken a nasty tumble whilst visiting his family
in Sydney. By now, George will be back home in Toowoomba to recover and I’m
sure our readers would want to send all their best wishes to him with the
hope that much better news of him will be along very soon. A
small revision has been made to the Menus page which is the
preferred entry point to the site for many of our regular visitors. All
sections remain available via their individual link buttons but an additional
button has been provided which leads straight to this page. Here, links will
be inserted which will lead directly to the latest site updates on the
regular days. Brian Walker 55B Chepstow AAS has again
contributed more of his collection of the ‘Arborfield
Apprentice’ the school magazine.
The new additions cover the year of 1979. During
the holiday period, two e-mails were received from ex army apprentices in
Burma, Nyunt Shwe 54B Arborfield and Khin Maung Win 55B Chepstow. They send their best wishes to all the
friends they made during their training. At least we know that it is still
possible to send and receive e-mails there, if a trifle erratically at
times. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
Brian
Walker 55B Chepstow AAS has contributed some more of the ‘Arborfield
Apprentice’ school magazines, the first of which is Spring 1961. More editions will be added as time
permits. Brian
has also furnished a Passing Out Parade program for Intake 54B. The
opportunity has been taken to gather all the various POP programs that are
scattered around the site and put them into a dedicated section which can be
accessed at Passing Out Parade Programs.
There is room for more. Is your one displayed? At
last, plans for the redevelopment of the Arborfield garrison have been
published and it is possible to make your thoughts known. The time span for
consultation is quite short so act now at Arborfield
Garrison Closure. Royal
Engineer Eddie Hawkins has contributed some wartime memories to go with his
account and photos of the HMT Nevasa. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The
quest to record the names of the 1939ers continues with a few more new names added and corrections
made to place one or two in their proper intakes. The hunt goes on. Names
have also added to several of the other intakes in the Roll Call
Project. The
California Poppies speedway
team had another reunion and a news article is added. In
a related subject the Little California
article is updated with another Bathing Beauty contest held there. Will
it, won’t it, the Arborfield Garrison Closure
saga rumbles on. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Albania and Bahrain.
On
the 3rd of December 2010 the web site marks the 4th anniversary of it’s
revised title, ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’ whilst still following
the format under which it started nearly 10 years ago with George Millie 49B
in the Chief Clerk’s chair. The good
news is that, thanks to Max Warwick 49B, our domain name registration has
been secured for a further 2 year period, taking us up to the 3rd of December
2012. The
1st of December 2010 marks the 4th anniversary of the current Editor taking
over the front desk, an enlightening and somewhat frightening
experience. Running a web site whilst
learning how to run it is not to be recommended. With
‘Things Arborfield’ remaining the main thrust of the site, broadening the
scope has brought in a wider band of readers looking for information which we
have tucked away in the depths of the site.
Just google ‘Detmold’, ‘TEGWRA’, Lilliburlero’, ‘Hobart Barracks’,
‘California in England’, ‘Crimpy crisps’, ‘Arborfield Garrison’, ‘Battle of
Britain’ and you will see the 49ers on the front page of finds. If they stay a while the visitors learn a
little bit about the life we led at Arborfield. So far we have had guests from 125
countries. Bare
bones statistics show that at the end of November 2010 we have recorded
179,147 page turns in 4 years. In the
month of November there were 4,563 turns with a daily average of 152. Not startling figures for most web sites but
for an archive site with a limited potential audience and no interactive
Forum, not too bad. To
reach the next major anniversary in April 2011, the10th Anniversary of the founding
of the web site, there is a hurdle to climb over. Funding will have to be
found early in the year to pay the required fees to the web hosting company
for the space that the site uses. Watch this space!!!! Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Five
more editions of the Arborfield
Apprentice Magazine have been added.
1969, 1970-71(2)-72. These
cover the College days and there are one or two more in the offing. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
More
information added to the Arborfield
Army Apprentices College section. Eddie
Hawkins has added a photo to his account of the last voyage of the first HMT Nevasa. Peter
McGuiggan 57B has added to his Memoire of life at Arborfield. A
tribute to our Arborfield Fallen in Remembrance 2010. Four
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Ethiopia, Guernsey, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Information
is coming in to be added to the photos in the Arborfield
Army Apprentices College section. New
AAS Badge photos and information from Brian Walker added to the Militaria Section. Two
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Oman and Slovenia. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
More
photos added to the Arborfield
Army Apprentices College section. They provide an interesting comparison
between the eras, some things changed but many more just stayed the same and
are instantly familiar to us BOFs. Great
progress has been made in the appeal for funding of the Army
Apprentice National Memorial at Alrewas and it is now certainly going to
happen. However funding is still needed and there can’t be any let up just
yet. The bar has now been raised to £60,000 to provide for ongoing
maintenance costs. The fund now has official Charity status. Three
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Cambodia, The Falkland Islands and the Isle of Man making a total of 116
different regions who now know a little bit about Arborfield and our history. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The
Arborfield
Army Apprentices College features in these updates. We take a big step
along the Arborfield Time Line to 1973 – 75 with a collection of photos
contributed by Terry Reddin 52A who was on the permanent staff at that time.
They may attract some of the ‘brighter younger’ ex-apprentices to the 49ers
web site. We need information to turn the photos into a record of College
life. Hopefully they will be able to help. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for the Bahamas. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
An informal,
unofficial report on the 2010 AOBA Reunion is available from our Menu
page, just click on the Reunions section. Information is somewhat curtailed
so any input regarding names to photos and events would be appreciated. Photos
of the Army Apprentices College 1973-75 bands are available in the Bands
section of our Menu One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Bermuda. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘C’
Company 1952 now has an improved and enlarged version of the photo to view
from Company
Photos. Burmese
Apprentice ‘Maung Than 54B’ now has a thumbnail shown in the Arborfield
Apprentices section. Work
is underway to present a very unofficial but photo filled report on the 2010
AOBA Reunion. Watch this space. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
For
the Army
Air Corps lads there are 6 aerial views of Middle Wallop. Docs
and Photos has a photo added to Alan Morton’s 51B page. Several
aerial views of the school site have been added to the Arborfield
Apprentice School section. Photos
added to the Military
Vehicle Conservation Group of some REME Museum exhibits. A
name has been added to the1939 section of the Roll Call Project. One new flag added to the VISITOR
FLAGS section for Liechtenstein. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
There
are two updates featured in The Arborfield
Garrison section. One is an in depth survey done after the closure of
Poperinghe Barracks which you may have visited as the REME Depot. The second includes
thoughts of the Wokingham MP on the demise of the garrison after the cuts in
the new government budget. Two
names, including one Burmese apprentice have been added to the Harrogate
Burmese photos section. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for the Cote d’Ivoire. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
An
unfortunate omission has been rectified by the addition of the R.A.O.C. badge
to our Front
Page. This was the first badge worn by the boys who opened the Arborfield
ATS in 1939. For added flavour you can click on the badge and play the corps
quick march ‘The Village Blacksmith’, very appropriate for those of us who
included that trade in our training. Two
company photos from 1939 are added and available from the Company
Photos index page. For
the Army Air Corps boys
there are links available to several Pathe News videos of the early days of
helicopter pilot training at Middle Wallop. Many
will remember this version of Lilliburlero available from the Arborfield Garrison
section. Two
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Armenia and Iraq Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
we add another page to the In
Memoriam section for Dan Rennie 53B. Information
on the award of the Queen Elizabeth Cross
is available from our Militaria pages. The
projected costs of the Army Apprentice National
Memorial have been revised upwards, now thought to be in the region of
£50,000. Please keep up to date with the latest news of the project and
spread the word far and wide of the need for more contributions. A
new addition to our Weblinks page will take you to
the web site of The Armourers Association. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Nepal. . Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Further
information has been added to the photos in the Military Band section and it
also now possible to listen to the march,
‘Boys Of The Old Brigade’, added in honour of the ‘Chelsea Boys’ of
the AOBA. Well
remembered Major P C Stocker, Rifle Brigade, OC of HQ Company features in a
photo in the General page of the Docs and Photos
section. The
Roll Call Project continues to be updated on a continuous rolling basis
as new names come to light. The
Mailed Fist is added to the Militaria Section
in the ‘Patches:Formation’ section.
Text is added to identify the Black Cat on a yellow background patch. Information
on applying for the ‘Veterans Badge’ continues to
change. Our link page has been
revised. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Qatar Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
we add another page to the In
Memoriam section for Frankie Bass 52A. Two
new photos have been added to the Arborfield
Bands section. One military and one pipe band. Fusilier
Ted Blowers P.S. remembers Captain Ian MacHorton in his Memoire
page. ANZAC Day in Cooroy is
recorded by Greg Peck 53B for 2010. Two
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Iran and St. Vincent & The Grenadines. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Just
one item added to the National Memorial Arboretum pages telling the story of Gallipoli. New
information added to the Army Apprentice National Memorial web site. Access via our
link page. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Search
‘Google’ for ‘California In England’, or ’Little California’ or just ‘The
Cali’ and you may well end up here on the 49ers web site where there are
several mentions dotted around the pages. These have now been gathered into
one spot so if you want a trip down memory lane, just click on ‘CALIFORNIA IN
ENGLAND’ and have a nostalgic wallow. Plenty of room for more photos and
memories if you have them. Nominal
Roll for 1936-1940 has had a few
more names added and Intake dates revised. The
Tom Spurs
(53B) Photo Album has two photos added which include the late Dan Rennie
(53B) for whom an ‘In Memoriam page’ is being prepared. Two
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Moldova and Panama. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Information
has come in enabling some corrections to be made to the Nominal
Roll for 1936-1940 Ian
Rea has furnished more details of the photos contributed by G
W Bill Humphrey Intake No.1 1939 The
Army Apprentice National Memorial web site is now well established. This
should now become the sole location on which to find the very latest news of
the progress of the project and so avoid fragmentation and out of date
features on too many sites. To this end I have put a prominent link on our Menus Index page which will
access the memorial site via our own link. Please visit it regularly and keep
up to date with the project. Four
new flags are added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Brunei, Jersey, Latvia and Nigeria.
These additions take our total past 100 countries
These updates mark the 9th Anniversary of
the founding of the web site by George Millie (49B) on the 1st of April 2001.
Originally entitled ‘The September 49ers’ it soon became apparent that
members of other intakes would like to contribute material and so there was a
minor change of title to ‘The September 49ers & Others’ to recognise the
widening interest. Three years ago there was another change up to our current
title ‘Arborfield & The September 49ers’.
This coincided with putting the site onto a more secure footing with
the provision of voluntary funding which enabled us to avoid any commercial
advertising or annoying ’pop-ups’. We have funding in place to take us up to
our 10th anniversary at which point we will have to pass the hat round to
enable us to continue for another two year period. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
and names contributed by G
W Bill Humphrey Intake No.1 1939
take us right back to the start of the Arborfield Army Technical School. Trevor 52A Editor ____________________________________________________________________________________
This
unscheduled update is brought about by a major rework of the Nominal
Roll for 1936-1940. From
information received recently, it became apparent that many names were
missing from our lists of the first Arborfield intakes. They were also missing from the AOBA
records and so, with the help of Keith Evans 45A, Assistant Secretary of the
AOBA, this is an attempt to give credit to the lads who were the pioneers of
our Arborfield. It will still contain
many errors, particularly starting dates of individuals, so any information
to make the list more accurate will be very welcome. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly another IN
MEMORIAM page is added for T B Barney
O’Shea 45B. The Nominal
Rolls project continues to add names. Names and corrections to the
photo album of John Williams 52B Two new flags added to the VISITOR
FLAGS section for Egypt and Kenya. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
Twenty
new photos have been added to John William’s 53B photo album,
Arborfield, Aden and BAOR. The Nominal
Rolls Project has several more names added for the 1939 intakes. The Joint Army Apprentices
National Memorial web site has added more news and a Donation Form can
now be downloaded directly if required. One new flag added to the VISITOR
FLAGS section for Togo. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
The
Nominal
Rolls Project is ticking over nicely. This month Keith Evans 45A,
Assistant Secretary of the AOBA, furnished a list of recent new members
signing up with the association. 76
new signings of which I have added 22 to our rolls. A
new web site has been initiated to co-ordinate the Joint Army Apprentices
National Memorial fund. The site
is under development and subject to modification but already gives a lot of
information on the project. Weblinks
contains a direct link to the Help For Heroes web site, set up to assist our
wounded service personnel and well worth a visit. NAAFI Tokens
for use in Egypt and France have been added. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Ghana and Sri Lanka Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
‘Salute
to a Monster Pud’, a photo of the annual stirring of the Arborfield AAS
Christmas Pudding in 1974. The Photo Album
for Terry King 49B has had several new photos added and a number of the
existing ones have undergone some improvement to their quality. The Photo Album
for Ed Cooper 52A has new photos added. . Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
As
we take the first tentative steps into Year 2010 the only New Year Resolution
that comes to mind is ‘More of the same’. Fulfilling that promise depends
on our readers sending in their contributions for inclusion in the web site.
Photos, documents and memories all go to preserving our Arborfield history
for those who follow on behind us, albeit it in a very much changed
environment. Trevor 52A Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________
In
this, the last scheduled update for 2009, a new tribute has been added to the
In Memoriam page for Peter
Humpston Jersey 1938A / Arborfield 1939. From there a link at the bottom
of the page will take you to ‘Boy Service Nostalgia’, the memoir penned by
Peter, and which records his early days as an Army Apprentice, travelling at
the age of 14 years and two months from home in Leicester to the training
camp on the island of Jersey. In
the article about the dedication of the REME Memorial at Alrewas, it is now
possible to play the two REME Corps marches, Lilliburlero and The Duchess of
Kent by clicking on the thumbnails of the REME Badges beneath the photo of
the front view of the Memorial. One
new flag added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Iceland. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
A
September 49er has made contact after finding the web site. Geoffrey Cook
49B has provided an updated CV and in return has been put in touch with
several of his old friends. There’s no better reason for maintaining this
type of web site. Members
of the September 49ers gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum
to remember friends recalled to HQ. A report and photos of the occasion
contributed by Max Warwick 49B There
is more news and some revised sketches of the Army Apprentices Joint National
Memorial which can be accessed at the AOBA News Blogspot. A dedicated web site to the Memorial is
under construction and a link will be added here once it is up and running.
Doesn’t
time fly? I can’t believe that it is now three years since I sat down in the
Editor’s chair and took up the reins of the 49ers web site. A 52A Jeep I/C
the 49ers? Doesn’t sound quite right somehow. Despite the changes I’ve
introduced gradually, the site is still instantly recognisable as the one
that it’s founder George Millie handed over to me. Life at Arborfield is
still the core subject but widening the scope to include the ‘Beyond’ element
has brought in articles which have attracted a whole new category of readers.
They arrive through various search engines, looking for specific information
which we happen to have tucked away in the depths of the site. Sometimes
curiosity tempts them to explore some of our other articles and thus Life at
Arborfield reaches the parts that others don’t. We are hovering on the edge
of completing 100 countries from which we have had contact. Not bad for a
musty old archive site. Onwards and sideways!!! Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Another
IN
MEMORIAM page is added, this time for Arthur Peter Humpston who started
his army life in 1938 as an apprentice
at the Army Apprentices School on Jersey before transferring to the
Arborfield ATS in 1939. The
Arborfield Village web site has photos of the local Remembrance
Sunday 2009 Parade. Because
of legal technicalities the OFFICIAL Arborfield
Old Boys Association 2010 Calendar is made available as a free download.
There is a facility by which a contribution may be made to the Army
Apprentices Joint National Memorial fund should you wish to donate to this
worthwhile cause. There is only one AOBA authorised calendar, beware of
imitations. Two
new flags added to the VISITOR FLAGS section
for Colombia and Macedonia. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
contributed by Max Warwick 49B have been added and text revisions made in the
2009 AOBA REUNION
diary. Three new slide shows have been added and feature many faces of those
on parade. It’s
always a sad time when a page is added to the IN
MEMORIAM section, our numbers can only ever diminish now. There is a
particular poignancy for me as I add the tribute to John Simon 52A, a member
of my own intake. John’s career at Arborfield came to a premature end when he
was given a medical discharge after six months, which finished his military
service, almost before it began. REMEMBRANCE
DAY 2009 in the UK will be on Sunday the 8th of November. The
Forum attached to the Arborfield Old Boys Association web site has been
re-located. Registration is necessary to gain access to it, and even if you
have previously been a member you will need to register again. A direct link
to the AOBA Forum can be found in THE FORUMS section. A
link has been added to a collection of Military Vehicle photographs
contributed by Ray Tarrant 61B, they can be found in WEBLINKS Three
new flags added to the VISITOR
FLAGS section for Botswana, Mozambique and Senegal. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Staff
holidays mean there is just one update this time. An appeal has been launched for funds to
sponsor a joint memorial for all Army Apprentices. The location will be the
National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. For details access the page
from HERE. Max
Warwick has made more photos of the AOBA Reunion 2009 available and I hope to
have them on site with the next scheduled update. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Some
photos of my visit to the National Memorial Arboretum have been added and
these include shots of the recently dedicated REME Memorial. Available
from Arborfield Garrison Index Additions
to the Roll Call Project for
51-55 and 66-70 sections. Two
new flags added to the Visitor
Flags section for Honduras and Morocco. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
A
page has been added to the In Memoriam
section for Norman Padfield 46B who left Arborfield to follow a different
military career path to the one followed by most Apprentice Tradesmen. Helen
Davies has contributed more details of her family connection with the SS
Nevasa A
R.E.M.E. Memorial has been dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum. The
article is available from the Arborfield Garrison Index
page. Press
report of the passing of Brigadier E G Bailey
R.E.M.E. Commandant of the Arborfield AAC 1970-73. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
More
photos have been added to the pages of the 2009 AOBA Reunion diary including
PowerPoint slide shows featuring mainly faces of those on parade. Memories
of the last voyage to Southampton of the first SS Nevasa have been
contributed by Eddie Hawkins, ex Royal Engineers and now 83 years young. Names
continue to be added to the Roll Call Project and
thanks go to those who put them forward for inclusion. Photos
of BAOR and Tobruk have been added to Terry King’s Photo Album. Rowcroft
Barracks is for sale. Contact details for submitting a bid are available from
the Arborfield Garrison section.
In the same section we have a contribution from Alan Morton 51B detailing the
planning application meeting for the new training establishment at St. Athan. Four
new Visitor
Flags have been added for Bosnia & Herzegovina, Indonesia, Namibia
and Venezuela.
Since
adopting the new site name and moving to a paid hosting service some two and
a half years ago, we have just clocked up 125,000 page turns by visitors
coming from 84 different countries. In the wider world of the internet these
figures would not be considered worthy of a mention but, as a purely archival
web site which has limited numbers
of potential readers interested in
Things Arborfield, they seem quite healthy. We look forward to a continuing
steady increase in viewings of the information we have on site and here’s to
reaching the quarter of a million page turns in the not too distant future.
Thanks go to all our visitors. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
A
first draft of the very unofficial diary of the 2009 AOBA Reunion has been added.
There are still many photos to add and all pages will be subject to revision over
the next few weeks. As it is still very much a work in progress, if anybody
would like to add their photos or thoughts then please contact The Editor
from the link above. Eventually we should be able to present a good feel of
the do to those who could not be present. Brian and Helen Paton (52A)
celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary and photos have been added to the
album. Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
A
start has been made on compiling the very unofficial annual report on the
AOBA Reunion 2009 and the first part should be uploaded on the 15th August.
There are a large number of photographs from several contributors so we
should be able to give a good taste of the do. The mystery EME badge
contributed by Ray Tarrant 65B has been identified and information has been
added to the Cap
Badges page. A few minor changes have been made to a small number of
pages to correct one or two details. Two new visitor flags have been added for
Barbados
and Kazakhstan. A link has been added in the AAS Arborfield section to an
external web site where you can read the fascinating story of Digby
‘Otto Von Pivka’ Smith 51A. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
The
program and some photos of the R.E.M.E. Corps Weekend 2009 Open Day have been
added to the Arborfield Garrison
section. Mystery EME Cap Badge and
Sporting Medallions contributed by Ray Tarrant 65B in the Militaria Menu
Discussions are taking place on the number of houses proposed for the
Arborfield site. Latest report. Sound clips modified. Throughout
the site there is a selection of music clips designed to give an added
dimension to some of the articles, namely The Sounds Of Arborfield. The files
have been stored in mp3 format and for some of our visitors on dial up, or
slow broadband connections, there has been an unacceptable delay before the
music started playing. I have now rewritten the links into the m3u format
which should ensure that there is a minimal delay before you can enjoy the
marches. There may be one or two still lurking in corners of the site which I
have missed. Once found they will also be converted to the new format. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
A little
piece of Arborfield Village history can be seen at The Arborfield Barn. Visitor Flags
are added for Argentina, Lithuania and Puerto Rico. Photo added to Derek Breeze’s album. The Arborfield Old Boys Association is
preparing an official calendar for 2010 featuring Arborfield photos. Proceeds from the sale will go to good
causes. To keep in touch with progress and publication date, visit the AOBA Web Site. Beware of unauthorised versions. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
have been added to the Arborfield section of The
Burmese Apprentices. Listen to
Lillibulero Australian style, and see the publicity for the REME Corps
Weekend from the Arborfield Garrison
section. More Visitors Flags have been added
for Anguilla, Belarus, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Monaco.
Press report featuring George White 1943,
Dukie to Tech Boy to Chelsea Pensioner. Link to a Press Report for Walter Harris, D Day Veteran. New Photo
Album added for Ray Starbuck 52A . Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Due
to staff holidays no updates were added for the 15th May. This month a photo is
added to Alan Morton’s (51B) album. Derek Breeze (53B) has furnished more
information on life at the Maralinga Atomic Weapons Test Range. Both items
can be accessed from Docs & Photos. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
The
following text is taken from postings placed on various web sites by Greg
Peck 53B
As
the current editor of this web site I would like to make it very clear that
no request to publish Greg’s article has been received by me. Had I received
such a request the enquirer would have been asked to contact Greg direct to
seek his permission. Any material submitted for inclusion on the 49ers, be it
photographs, documents or memories, remains the property of the contributor.
Nothing precludes him or her from submitting their work to any other web
sites for publication. We do not pass material on without the express
permission of the author, nor is any material sold for private or commercial
gain. The site is funded by voluntary donation when needed and we have no
need of commercial sponsorship. The link below takes you to a page which sets
out the rules regarding the use of material from the 49ers. http://www.arborfield-september49ers.co.uk/archive_use.htm The
49ers is open to one and all to read and hopefully it will stay that way.
Greg’s article has been published on other sites from which it might have
been copied. We are aware that other commercial sites are selling Arborfield
material for profit. The 49ers is not one of them Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
This
month there is an article on the formation of the Arborfield
Branch 203 of the Royal Canadian Legion. Located in Saskatchewan Province
it appears to be the only other Arborfield to our own one in the UK. Photos
have been added to the Pipe Band section and
information has come in which enables us to complete the line up of the
1954/55 band. A photo album for Dan Rennie (53B)
is added. There are several updates of names on photographs throughout the
site, 53B 6 Div Vehicle Mechanics being
one in question. Photos without names remain just photos. Photos with names
become a record of the life we knew at Arborfield. The more information the
better, the Who, When, Where & Why tell the story. If you can add names
or details to any of the photos then please contact The Editor from the link
above. New Visitors Flags have been added
for Afghanistan, Cyprus, Ecuador, the United Arab Emirates and the Northern
Mariana Islands. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Updates
this month include a belated but sincere In Memoriam
page for Alan Blofield 53B who died at the all too young age of 54. Photo
Albums updated are those of David Pickworth (52A),
Terry Reddin (52A), Bob
Driscoll (53B). Trevor 52A Editor __________________________________________________________________________________
Back
from the brink. Thanks to some very generous contributions to the funding of
the 49ers Archive Web Site the future presence of the site on the internet is
now assured for the next two year period. An acknowledgement of our sponsors
will be found Here. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Sadly
these updates add another tribute to our In Memoriam
pages as we record the passing of Brian Barber 49B. There is a Tribute paid by Wokingham Town to two
R.E.M.E. fallen soldiers. Photos
contributed by Dave Kemp RAF have been added to the AAC 652 Squadron section. A new anecdote has
been added to the memories of Dick Moseley.
Visitors to the site come from many nations and so their Flags are displayed on a new page. Greg Peck
reports on a visit to Australia by Jim Culley
(44A) Derek Breeze adds a photo of 53B Vehicle Mechs in 6 Div. A photo of a
daily journey to Greenford is added to Alan
Morton’s (51B) album. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Lack
of interest in the funding requirements needed to keep the site on line
indicates that, after an eight year presence on the internet, the 49ers has
run its course. Consequently I have now formulated plans to make a series of
backups of the site which will be kept secure should it become possible to
reinstate the site at a later date. At the end of our current two year deal
the site will be withdrawn from the web. Unfortunately the equation is quite
simple, No Funding equals No 49ers Web Site. So, as things stand: The Arborfield & The September 49ers Archive Web Site
will no longer be available on the internet w.e.f. 2nd of April 2009 Trevor 52A Editor ________________________________________________________________________________
We
have a report with photos by Greg Peck recording a visit paid by Alan and Sheila Cook (60B) to Australia.
Photos have been added to Brian Paton’s (52A)
photo album. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________ .
The
end of the current financial sponsorship of the 49ers Archive Section is fast
approaching and I need to seek new funding to keep the site on the internet
for the next two year period. There
are several possibilities in mind and I have prepared a word document as an
attachment for anybody who might like to receive information on the projected
costs and ways of contributing to them.
The more contributors, the less cost per head. A request for the
document will place you under no obligation whatsoever. The title of the attachment will show up as
Sponsorship.doc in the attachment section of my e-mail to you. For ease of administration, contributors
will be restricted to UK based people, thus ensuring that no monies are lost
in exchange rates or commissions. Please use the link in the icon above this
message to request a copy of the document.
Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Photographs
have been added to the albums of Alan Morton
(51B) and John Williams (52A). Names have been added to the Maralinga
photos in Derek Breeze’s (52B) album. An ongoing program is in hand to improve
the readability of some of the presentations, the Arborfield Apprentice
magazines No1 and No2 being two examples already completed. Further refurbishments are planned. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Just
one photograph added in this update.
John French 52A in the page 52A Today. We have plenty of space available for
anybody who has photos, documents or memories they would like to share with
us all. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
2009
is the 70th Anniversary of the opening of the first Arborfield School. It
will probably be the final year in which we will be able to gather on our old
parade ground for the AOBA Reunion. For
the Australian Army Apprentices Association, 2008 marked 60 years of
Australian Apprentices, and during the year they constructed and dedicated
the first stage of a new Memorial and Garden of Remembrance. Photos of the
Memorial and details of how the project was brought to fruition are reported
in the General section. Photos
have been added to the albums of Derek Breeze
(52B) and David Pickworth (52A).
Derek displays the first photos we have of medallions awarded for athletic
success at Arborfield whilst David’s photos record his post as Pipe Major
with the St Andrews Pipe Band based in Hambledon. FEOFA
records a meeting with Jim and Jennie McGuire
(52A) following their move to Australia. Trevor 52A
Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
A
change in Administration has been forced on us because of growing concerns
for the effects of George’s health problems. Please read the message in the General section. A
sad day indeed for the 49ers. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________
Brian
Walker 55B Chepstow has come up with another edition of The Arborfield
Apprentice, this one for December 1948.
It records the first presentation of the Champion Company Banner. The inaugural Old Boy’s Club Dinner is
reported and the annual subscription is set at 5/- (25p) and Life Membership
at 2 Guineas (£2.10). Brian has also
contributed items of memorabilia from the Apprentices Schools. From Eric Wearmouth 52B there is a Prize
Certificate presented to W. Laws 44B A Coy. after the Passing Out Parade on
19th August 1947. Derek Breeze 53B
sent in some more photos from Maralinga. Trevor 52A Editor _________________________________________________________________________________ Please Note: The earlier messages, dated from the 1st of April 2007
through to the 15th of December 2008, 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 ___________________________________________________________________________________
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