The Rifles & RGBW Regimental Association

Present:

Name/Appointment

Initials

Chairman

Acting Treasurer

Secretary

Col (Retd) MJ Cornwell OBE

Lt Col (Retd) MJR Motum DL

Capt (Retd) MK Godwin

Plus 29 members listed in the minutes book.

MJC

MJRM

MKG

Apologies:

Brig (Retd) PEO’RC-B Davidson-Houston CBE

Lt Col (Retd) SJ Venus MBE Maj (Retd) PT Dunn

Alan Cotrell

Pat Burgess

John Biggs

Mrs Margaret Inchley

Mr John Drew

ITEM

SUBJECT

ACTION

Report from the Association Chairman

 The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and suggested that the down turn in numbers may be due to the proximity of Remembrance Sunday and members being on Poppy Appeal collections within their own towns.  It was suggested that for 2019 this clash should be avoided.

a)      Summary of Reunions in the Counties for 2018.

                    i.            Back Badge had been held on Sat 24^th March with the Service in St Mary De Lode Church followed with a lunch in Dr Fosters in Gloucester Docks.  Events had been organised by Rob Dixon and Len Keeling.  Numbers were up on 2017 due to the change in format.

                  ii.            A successful Imjin lunch had been held on Sunday 30th May in the Taunton Rugby Club Functions Suite. Phil Miller and his team the ever efficient organisers.

                iii.            03 June saw the Devizes Reunion with a Church service held in St John’s Church and a lunch following on in the Town Hall.  Marginal increase in numbers but we need to improve the communication to the non email membership.

                iv.            07 July at the Wardrobe, Salisbury saw the RGBW Officers meeting once again for their Annual Lunch.

                  v.            On the evening 07 July members of the RGBW OCA met in the South Wilts Golf Club for their Annual Dinner Dance.

                vi.            Sun 08 July was the annual Drum Head Service followed by Lunch for the RGBW OCA.

              vii.            The Maiwand/Reading Reunion was held on Sunday 22 July with a service at the Brock Barracks Cenotaph, March Past and lunch.

The Chairman pointed out that in most cases the change in format from a two day event to a one day function seemed to have increased the numbers attending.  However, Lawrence Whittle, representing the City and County of Bristol Branch members, pointed out that the change of format made it less attractive to his members as there was little point in staying in hotel accommodation if there wasn’t an evening event.  The Chairman noted his comments and would pass them on to the organisers but also pointed out the attendance for that event were up this year due to the change in format.

b)      President Certificate of Appreciation. There are three recipients of the President’s award Branch for 2018. Branch Chairmen will be organising the award ceremonies for Mrs Sonia Miller, Mr Michael Kemish both Somerset Branch and Mr Frank Cowley of Swindon.  Branches were encouraged to nominate members who gave outstanding service.

c)      Rifles Biennial Awards.  2019 will see the Rifles holding their Biennial Awards Dinner in the City of London Guildhall in the week before Remembrance Sunday.  We as an Association should look to nominate members who through their activity are promoting the ideals of the Rifles within their community.

d)      Newsletter.  With the time line of Christmas fast approaching trying to produce an annual Newsletter in the same guise as published by Tim Lerwill is unrealistic.  The Chairman will produce an extended Newssheet incorporating the articles already sent in.

e)       Obituaries. Chairmen asked that if we are to provide informative obituaries, as we now longer have Regimental Offices at Customs House or the Wardrobe those writing the obituaries will need information to make them meaningful.

The latter point and the passage of information was used to illustrate the hiccup caused by GDPR and the requirement to have personal consent for the association to communicate with members. Branches are asked to get the message to members who may have inadvertently “unsubscribed” to the Association” mailing list to get in contact to re-subscribe.

Minutes of the 6^th AGM of the Association

The minutes of the previous AGM held om 27^th January 2018 had previously been circulated within the meeting and had been published on the Association’s web site.

a)      There was one observation raised by Bill Sherman regarding the Business Plan of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum (SOGM) in relation to the grant.  At the Association Meeting held in Aldershot in 2017 the Chairman of the Trustees has promised that the Association would be able to view this Business plan. Whilst MJRM was able to give a progress report on what had been done in terms of a Business Plan being presented to the Trustees, MJC noted the matter and would raise at the regimental Trustees meeting late this month.

Martin Lee-Browne proposed the minutes be adopted, the proposal was seconded by Roger Smith and passed unanimously.

         MJC

Report on Accounts & Income & Expenditure of the year 01 Apr 2017 to 31 Mar 2018

a)       MLRM reminded the meeting of the members of the Association who were the Trustees and that for the period being reported on (2017-18) the Association Account were being presented separately from the Regimental Trust Accounts. He also provided and insight into the management of the accounts and examples of the Expenditure the came under the heading of “Other Expenditure”.

b)      The total income for the period had been £22.928 and Expenditure was £51,310. However, £30,000 of that was a grant to SOGM.  If one removed that exceptional expenditure Income was in fact higher than Expenditure.

c)      There were a couple of questions from the floor:

                    i.            Why were the accounts being called Draft Accounts? MJC explained they had been properly examined by the Trustees Accountant.  The accounts needed to be approved by the Regimental Trustees.  One trustee had already signed and MJC would be doing so after this meeting to signify to the remaining Trustees that the comments and observation by the Independent Examiner were acceptable.

                  ii.            Peter Richens asked if the Trustees had thought of the Investment Advisors.  He mentioned he was a Regimental Trustee of the Parachute Regimental Association. They too had used the Investment Advisors we currently use and had changed to another firm and were financially better place as a result.  MJC pointed out that, as with other founding Regiments of the Rifles, we had placed our investments into a ring fence fund all using the same Investment Broker.  Andre Fletcher suggested using the same criteria and profile were have with our Investment Advisor and seek comparison. MJC agreed that he would raise this at the next Rifles and RGBW Regimental Trustee and ask that it be forwarded to the Rifles Trustee.

 Andre Fletcher Proposed the 2018 Accounts be accepted and this was seconded by Bill Sherman and passed unanimously.

MJC

2019 Regimental Reunions and AGM

January

February

March

23^th       Back Badge Day – St Mary De Lode Church followed by Lunch in Dr Fosters, Gloucester Docks.

Tbc     Illustrious Remnants (Wiltshire) Luncheon

April

6^th        DERR Band Reunion Wyvern Club, Devizes

Tbc      Informal Back Badge Luncheon in London

May

19^th      Somerset branch Imjin Lunch Taunton

June

02        Devizes Reunion St John’s Church and Town Hall

07-10   DERR@60 Hayling Island (Update provided by Farren Drury)

July

21^st         Maiwand/Reading Reunion

September

Tbc     Wiltshire Officers Regimental Lunch – The Wardrobe

October

            Glosters Band and Corps of Drums Reunion

13^th      Officers Back Badge Luncheon Chavenage

November

6^th         Rifles Biennial Awards Dinner

7^th            Westminster Abbey Garden of Remembrance

10^th       Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph

23^rd       Association AGM

December

1^st        Ferozeshah Church Service and Luncheon

Any Other Business

a)      Lawrence Whittle representing the City and County of Bristol commented on the lack of support for Branch from the Association.  When asked for specific he mentioned that they were no longer receiving the £100 they had previously received each year. That matter was resolved by the offer from MJRM because their treasurer had been long term ill and the accounts had not been submitted.  His other point seemed to revolve around the loss of exchange personal information with the closure of the Gloucestershire office.  It was tacitly agreed that could be discussed with the Association Secretary after the meeting.

b)      Bill Sherman raised the matter the accountability of Association Standards.  It was agreed that firstly the Association need to record all the Standards that have not yet been laid up.  That is to include Standards of antecedent, forming or current Regimental Association.  It was also suggested that rather than laying Standards up there might be merit in finding out if County ACFs would wish to carry the standards as is currently practiced in two of the counties.

c)      John Case gave a summary of the activities of the Warminster Branch and indicated that when he finally stops being the Standard Bearer, they would seek to lay the standard in St Lawrence Chapel.

d)      When providing an update on the DERR@60 Reunion Farren Drury asked that the DERR@60 Committees thanks be passed to the Trustees for the provision of the grant.

e)      The Secretary requested that Branches provided average attendance figures for their branch meetings.

f)       Phil Miller and Col Martin Lee-Browne gave a vote of thanks to the Secretary for the conscientious work he has put into recreating the database and for the regular communications he passes to Association branches and members

MKG to initiate

 MJC