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
The
first section of the report on the 2008 Arborfield Old Boys Association Reunion
has been added to the site. Further sections will follow which will include
more photos of the weekend as they become available. Any contributions are
welcome but don’t forget to include names and intakes, as and where available.
This year, for the first time, some sound effects accompany the report which
may help to bring the reunion weekend a little closer to those who couldn’t
attend. Added
to the In Memoriam pages is a MOD announcement and tribute to Jason Barnes
REME, killed in action in Trevor 52A.
Editor
Our
thanks go once again to Brian Walker 55B, Chepstow AAS, for giving us access
to another edition of the Arborfield Apprentice, this one is No.4 and was published
in December 1947. It covers major changes which took place in that year and
includes the new school title, The Arborfield Army Apprentices School,
introduction of the Champion Company competition, new designations of the
Intakes to include year and letter for the spring or autumn term, formation
of HQ Company and the announced intention of the formation of an Old Boys
Association. Throughout
the site, links are available to contact the editor with contributions and
requests for information etc. Unfortunately my e-mail box is being choked
with funnies, jokes, cartoons, forwarded petitions and the like. All are
deleted and therein lays the danger. There is a possibility that a genuine
contribution will be lost in a mass deletion. If you have something which is
relevant to the web site then we certainly want to receive it and make use of
it. If it isn’t relevant then please refrain from sending it. Your
understanding and cooperation would be appreciated. Trevor 52A.
Editor
Updates
for the 1st of April were missed due to holidays. We
publish a variety of media to try to capture and preserve memories of
Arborfield. To date one vital ingredient has been missing, the Sounds of Arborfield. However, with
this update, we now have available a selection of marches which were
associated at one time or another with the school. To be taken back in time
to the parade ground, access the Arborfield Bands
section from this link or the link on the main menu page. Some clips may take
a little while to download, but your patience will be rewarded. Trevor 52A.
Editor
This
month Bob Barwick 51B has contributed a remarkable
collection of badges which was assembled by his father. It can be accessed
from the Militaria menu. On the leading page we
have a link which will take you directly to the story of a very remarkable
man, Bob’s father, a tale of one mans outstanding
devotion to the care and comfort of his fellow men. Trevor 52A.
Editor.
On behalf of George and myself
may I wish all our readers and contributors, their families and friends, a
Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year wherever you are in
the world. Trevor 52A.
Editor.
I
have been occupying the Editor’s Chair for twelve months now. It’s good to be able to report that the
circumstances that forced George Millie to step down have improved and he is
once again in the adjoining chair, offering guidance and help as and when
required. It’s much appreciated by
me. With
a broader outlook we have been able to bring in contributions which, whilst
not strictly Arborfield, are of interest to many readers. The 50th Anniversary of the founding of the
Army Air Corps is a good example where, though not Arborfield based, it is of
interest because at the foundation of the corps, Arborfield lads were right
up at the front of the line to help get it established. Another example is of the Royal Artillery
Weapons Test Establishment based on Trevor 52A. Editor.
Prominence
is given to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of
the Army Air Corps. We have reports
from the events in The
turmoil in AOBA Reunion 2007
Message
posted: 5th August 2007 Later
than planned a one man and his dog
report, with a selection of photos, on the 2007 AOBA Reunion is now on
site. Work is in hand to add several
more personal collections of photos from contributors over the next few days. Editorial Team Message posted: 1st August 2007 Clive Wagstaff has decided to stand down from the Editorial
Team. George Millie has once again
stepped out of retirement to help get on top of an increasing workload. This is not an ideal situation for George
and we will have to look again at advertising for some additional help,
particularly with some of the work that can be done off site. The Roll Call project is a major undertaking
and it would be possible to collate and format the pending rolls we already
have to make them easy to add to the site.
Never volunteer is ingrained
from our Arborfield training but there is an even older saying. Ask
not what your web site can do for you, rather ask, what can I do for my web
site? Or it went something like
that. If anybody has a spare hour or
two available at their keyboard, your help would be appreciated. The AOBA web site is now well established
and the good news is that the Forum is going to continue. A report and photos of the reunion is in
hand, to be published soon. The
unprecedented weather conditions could have put paid to the reunion but once
again it was a well attended do, and, thanks to Bill Cleasby
and his merry men, things went much more smoothly than we had a right to
expect. Their efforts were very much
appreciated. Corrections to contents.
Message posted 1st July 2007 Some errors in the captions
on the Company Photographs section have been brought to our notice by John Doc
Houghton 56B. This information is
appreciated as it allows us to make corrections and ensure that the archive
detail is correct. If you spot any mistakes,
please contact us with the error and the location. The actual page title is located at the
very top of the screen and quoting that would be a big help. We have over 6000 individual files
contained in more than 700 folders so it can be a case of finding a needle in
the web site. Thank you for your help. Six Month Site Sitrep Message
posted 1st June 2007 The 1st of June 2007
marks six months since George Millie sat me down in the Editorial Chair, and
if you missed it, then you can read the reasons directly from Here. George stayed on to school me in running
the web site, no mean feat on his part, and gradually began to enjoy his
extra free time pursuing his other interests.
Even now he remains on call in case of emergency. A lack of critical e-mails could point two
ways, the first being that nobody is reading the site. That, we know, is not the case. The second reason could be that I have
managed successfully to carry out my intentions, which were to maintain the
style and quality of the site in the way George had laid out, whilst widening
the scope of the coverage. That is gradually
bearing fruit as we receive material from an increasing number of
intakes. The 49ers may be an archive
site but there are no cobwebs hidden away, the site is continually being
updated which takes up a considerable amount of time, and so it’s pleasing to
welcome Clive Wagstaff
onto the editorial team. Clive kicks off with his project based on the first three
Arborfield Apprentice magazines. These
provide a fascinating insight to the early Arborfield days, especially as,
sixty years on, many of the names mentioned in them
are still in touch with Arborfield and their friends. We hope they are taking the refresher
course by reading them. Following Max
Warwick’s generous offer to fund the web site, both Clive
and I felt that as we were hands on, we should share the costs and we ended
up with a three way split. When we
near the end of the two year subscription period the intention is to look for
a benefactor or benefactors to take us on to a further two year period. All in good time. Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. Editorial Team The
Arborfield Bands.
Message posted
15th May 2007 The bands were an important part of life at the school
and a section has been started to record photos of the personnel who were
members of them, and some memories of the events
they took part in. The
We are very fortunate in being able to add to the site
the first three editions printed of The Arborfield Apprentice, the school
magazine. They record major changes
that the school underwent in it's early years, not
the least being the introduction of the new badge. There are many more pages to put on site
but we have published a few tasters to whet the appetite. Our thanks go to Brian Walker 55B, Chepstow
AAS for making the magazines available to us. The
Burmese Apprentices.
Message posted 1st May 2007 Contact has been established with Nyunt
Shwe 54B in The
Burmese Apprentices.
Message posted 15th
April 2007 This section is new and
still being developed. If you have any
photos or memories of these lads please put them forward for inclusion on the
site. All contributions are welcome
and acknowledged. They were an
important part of the Arborfield story in the early fifties. Web
Site Sitrep. Message posted 1st April 2007 We are now at the end of a three month trial period of
our new name and the new web site hosting service. Once over some initial hiccups we have
experienced very little site down time and the absence of those annoying
advertising pop-ups has to be welcomed. Widening the scope of the site has meant a
good supply of new material and it is to be hoped that we will attract
contributions from more of the younger intakes,
after all it's their history as well. The return of the AOBA web site was very welcome and it
now includes a Forum which is open to all who did the Arborfield
stretch. Whether or not it will
continue will be discussed at the AGM this year. Meanwhile, please continue to support the
Forums which continued to provide meeting places during the trials and
tribulations of the AOBA.
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