Captain Len Keeling has been shortlisted by the BBC Hereford & Worcester local radio as a finalist in the Volunteer Category of the BBC Make a Difference Awards 2024.  The BBC launched the Awards at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in March 2020 to celebrate local heroes, shining a light on people who go above and beyond in their local communities.  The Volunteer Award is made to an individual who makes a notable difference to their community by giving their time voluntarily to help others.  

Capt Keeling responded that "It is very rewarding to know that people appreciate the efforts made by my team and I for the military 'send off' given to ex members and old comrades of our Regiment."  The winners for 2024 will be selected by a panel of judges in September, so congratulations to Len for making the shortlist and the best of luck next month!

Jane Ellis has informed the Association that her father, Brian Ellis, of Huccaby, Cheltenham, who did his National Service in The Wiltshire Regiment, died on 26 July 2024.  He leaves his son and daughter, 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

The Association has been informed by his son-in-law, that Colonel David Jones, late DERR, died aged 87 years on 13 June.  A Service of Thanksgiving was held at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Powerstock, Dorset on 5 July.

Born in 1936, Colonel Jones was educated at Abingdon School where he was Head Boy and Captain of Cricket.  In those days Abingdon was still in Berkshire and the school CCF was affiliated to The Royal Berkshire Regiment.  Consequently, following 2 years at RMA Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Regiment, joining the 1st Battalion in Cyprus in December 1957.  He joined The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) when the Royal Berkshire Regiment and The Wiltshire Regiment amalgamated in 1959.  He served with 1 DERR in the Isle of Wight, Tidworth, Canada, Libya, Malta, Cyprus and Minden until 1967, with the single exception of a tour at the Wessex Brigade Depot at Honiton where he commanded the Junior Soldiers Company.

In 1967 he was posted to Mons Officer Cadet School as an instructor before attending the RAF Staff College at Bracknell.  From 1969 - 1970 he was the Brigade Major of 2nd Infantry Brigade and then took over command of A Company 1 DERR, serving in Catterick, Northern Ireland and Berlin.  During 1973 - 1975 he was posted to RMA Sandhurst as Chief Instructor at New College prior to promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.  He then spent 2 years as the Military Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and Commander Northern Army Group (NORTHAG).

He took over command of 1 DERR in July 1977 in Warminster where the Battalion was employed as The Demonstration Battalion for The School of Infantry and led the Battalion in fire fighting duties in Scotland during the winter of 1977/78.  In the summer of 1978 he moved the Battalion to its new role as a mechanised infantry battalion based in Osnabruck, West Germany.  In 1979 he took the Battalion to Northern Ireland for an operational tour in Londonderry, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches the following year.

At the beginning of 1980 Col David left the 1st Battalion to move as GSO1 Directing Staff at the Army Staff College in Camberley and in February 1981 he was posted on Loan Service to be the Deputy Commandant of the Ghanaian Staff College. This was a time of considerable political and economic turmoil for Ghana which had only recently returned to civilian rule following a coup d'etat lead by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.  Claiming that the new government under President Hilla Limann was corrupt and incompetent, Rawlings then executed another coup d'erat on 31 December 1981.  It speaks volumes for Colonel Jones' effective diplomacy and the esteem in which he was held by senior Ghanaian officers that the newly installed government insisted that he stay in post.  He and his wife Nerissa remained in Ghana until June 1983.  Col David's final tour in the Army was as Colonel (Operation Requirements) working for the Assistant Chief of the General Staff in the MoD for 23 months before retiring in August 1985.

In January 1983, towards the end of Col David and Nerissa's tour in Ghana, President Shagari of Nigeria ordered West African migrant workers, including a million Ghanaians, to leave Nigeria.  While Col David persuaded the Ghanaian military to set aside their differences and provide transport and aid to the many thousands returning to Ghana, both he and Nerissa set about personally helping with their reception and care, almost literally in their back garden.

That experience set the tone for both their lives after Col David's retirement from the Army.  In a move which caused consternation to some he took up an appointment as Deputy Director of Oxfam, quite an achievement for a soldier to be accepted into an organisation whose founders included Quakers and pacifists.  For more than a decade, Col David's service at Oxfam took him to the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.  In early April 1991, Oxfam received a call for help from the Turkish Red Crescent.  After the 03 March ceasefire following the 1st Gulf War, rebel Iraqi and Kurdish rebels had risen against Saddam Hussein who responded by unleashing his remaining armed forces against them resulting in thousands of civilian deaths and some 1.5 million Kurdish refugees trapped between the Turkish border and Hussein's troops.  Within 36 hours of receiving the Turkish request Col David was above the snow line on the Turkey/Iraq border.  His grandson recalls that he quickly understood that the only feasible solution was to get the Kurds back down the Iraqi side of the mountains into safe areas.  His advocacy rapidly evolved into the British/Dutch Operation Haven led by the Royal Marines.  As more nations became involved, including the USA, Op Haven evolved into Operation Provide Comfort and Northern Iraq 'No Fly Zone'.  Although he would never claim it himself, Col David really was the saviour of the Kurds of Iraq.

While Col David laboured with Oxfam, Nerissa began training for the priesthood, taking up a parish in Coventry once ordained, moving to Dorset in 2001.  Their daughter Anna recalls "Nerissa as the star lead with David supporting as the super charged Vicar's 'wife'. He fulfilled the role with aplomb ... running the Powerstock fete, starting the 5 pubs challenge, chairing the Eggerton View, helping at the Cider Festival and much, much more.  He was especially good at jumping through hoops and raising money for worthwhile causes, especially in Coventry, where huge amounts of work by them both ended up with £54 million being allocated to the Wood End area by Government."

Col David and Nerissa married in 1960 and were very much a team from then on, both within the Army and the Church.  She predeceased him by 10 months in 2023.  They had 3 children, Anna, Tom and Harriet.  Harriet, who sadly was severely handicapped, also died in 2023, six months before her mother.  We send our heartfelt condolences to Anna and Tom and to their families and conclude with these words from David and Nerissa's grandson Charlie's eulogy for his grandfather - "As we remember David today let us take comfort from the fact that there are thousands around the world, people we will never know, people we will never meet, who will today break bread with their loved ones because of the deeds of this Christian soldier.  May his legacy be an inspiration to us all."
 

No More Parades/Service Notice: It is my sad duty to inform the passing of SSgt Herbert (John) Wake of the 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment on the 5th of August 2024 at the age of 96. Hector, as he was known at the Regimental, served from 1956 to 1974 and was a popular soldier with many friends. Sadly, Hector has no direct relatives, and his final parade would have been very small. However, as news of his passing was circulated, we contacted all those concerned and arranged a full military send-off for Hector in keeping with the traditions of the Gloucestershire Regiment. Both County Chairmen will be attending, as well as Rojer Phelps and his trusty bugle for the last post, two standard bearers and the Regimental coffin drape and wreath. All we need now is some additional boots on the ground to make the numbers up. Please can any members of the Regiment who are local and available please attend the funeral service at Weston Super Mare Crematorium on Thursday 22nd August 2024 at 12:30 pm. “By our deeds, we are known”

We are reaching out to see if you can offer some support to the Wardrobe for our major fundraising event of the year.

This year, on Saturday and Sunday 10th and 11th August we are holding our Living History Festival, with groups representing armed combat from Medieval times, through the Napoleon Period, the two World Wars and up to the modern day.

Support Area 1

Can you spare a couple of hours over the weekend to come and help? 

Last year this event went well, with over 1,500 people through the doors during the two days. This year we intend to do better and to trial a new way of making some money from the footfall, to support our museum redevelopment which starts in October this year.

Entry to the venue of the Wardrobe, which will include access to the museum, gardens and the Living History events will be free (that is how the event was first publicised and we can't change it now) but we need to encourage entrance by donation. 

We will establish a small meet and greet area as a choke point by the front entrance. This will quickly process people through, directing them into the museum where they will follow the museum route round to the garden door.

What we need are the right sort of people to welcome visitors, very quickly explain:

• The whole event is free, including entry to the museum which is normally £5.
• You can stay as long as you want and leave and come back later.
• Look through the museum, wander the gardens, see all the events, visit the shop and cafe. 
• We are a charity and it would be great if you could support us so we are able to run such events in the future - by making a small cash or card donation - how about just £5 or £10 for your family of 5? 

(or similar)

We also need people to be explaining the story of our Regiments at the front end of the museum route and ushering people through and/or be on hand to answer any questions.

We have our normal volunteers, but with an event of this scale we need more support - in particular at the front end - the meet and greet and to encourage donations.

So the request is can you spare a couple of hours over the weekend of 10th and 11th August to come and help. Will you also spread this request out through your network so others can come and enjoy the date/weekend and give is some additional support? You can bring partners, kids, grandchildren and enjoy the event yourself - in addition to a short shift at the entrance!

Please respond by sending an email to Ross Keel at:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ross will be putting together the schedule for manning the meet and greet area, so please tell him your available/preferred times across the two days. Also note that we will have vintage vehicles and food outlets on the front drive so there will be no parking available on site. 

Full instructions will be given on the day and passed down across the shifts. You can wear what you want, collar and Regimental tie, polo shirt and regimental golf cap or just shorts and T shirts. We will try to get some caps for the on shift team to wear.

Support Area 2

We are running a 'Military Surplus' style stall which will contain stock from the Wardrobe that has drifted in/donated over the years - such as military and historical books,  mugs, tankards, sleeping bags, webbing, buttons etc. These are not accessioned or historical items.

Please can you add to our stock? If you still have your old respirator, webbing, helmet, some uniform or military books you have read and don't want anymore then please can you donate these and we will try to sell them for the benefit of the museum redevelopment project.

Either send them to the museum FAO Alistair Riggs and marked as a donation for the stall, or drop them in, or bring them in person on the weekend of 10/11 August and put them on the stall.

We are sure you all have something to clear out - so this is an excellent opportunity and for a good cause.

And Finally.....

Apologies if you get this message several times from different directions. Our contact lists are fragmented and owned by different people. We are looking at how we can best combine these going forwards and who wants to receive what emails on what subjects!  Thank you for your patience.

Please do everything you can to support us on this important day. Its a great opportunity to meet up with old comrades and see the old Lee Enfield you may have once used?

Very many thanks.

Numbers of Association members applying to take part in this year's Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London are very much down on previous years.  Members who would like to join the Association contingent marching this year are requested to inform the Secretary as soon as possible via email <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>.

Following the funeral of CSgt Navarro on 11 June, his daughter, Gianinna, has written to say how grateful his widow Iris and the family are to his former comrades for attending his funeral and to apologise to anyone who they failed to speak to.  With that in mind, the family would love to get together with anyone who knew Miguel to hear their stories and chat about their reminisces.  If you would like to get in touch with the family, please email Gianinna at <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>.

Mr Nicholas Patten has informed the Association that his father, John Walter Patten (22467486), died at The Royal Gloucestershire Hospital on 14 April this year.

After completing his National Service basic training at Plymouth, John served in the 1st Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment from 1951 -1953, serving initially in Eritrea before moving to the Canal Zone in Egypt and then, briefly, in Cyprus.  He had a brass band background and on arriving in the 1st Battalion was asked to join the Band, where he played the tuba under the direction of Bandmaster Freeth.  His son comments that he was very proud to  have been a member of 1 R. Berks Band and kept in touch with 2 other former band members, Charlie Bull and Don Waltham.  He joined the Severn Branch of the Association in 2000 and attended branch meetings for a few years.

I had the privilege to be asked to take the salute at Brock Barracks on Sunday. Of course I had to nip into Forbury Gardens to pay my respects to the Maiwand Lion and Col Galbraith’s men of the 66th, who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1880.

An excellent event organised by Peter Richens and the organising committee. Special thanks must go to:

The Band

The Sea Cadets carrying Standards (& others)

The ACF Platoon

Last, but not least the Old Comrades who attended

I was particularly pleased to see many faces from my past & special thanks must go to the 1WESSEX/RGBW contingent who travelled from Gloucestershire for the day.

Sad not to see many Wessex Old Boys & Girls or 1 WESSEX BN old comrades. Perhaps next year?

It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of Bob Garland after a long illness. Bob served in A Coy 1st battalion Also as an instructor in Sandhurst followed by House Csgt to Gen Robin Digby Grist.
Condolences have gone out to his wife Sharon and family RIP Bob duty done

Service Notice Update: 24343168 Robert (Rob) Bishop of the 1st Battalion of The Gloucestershire Regiment. Following the announcement of the death of Rob, who passed away on Sunday the 16th of June, we can now confirm that his funeral service will be on Monday, 8th July, 2024 at 3.15 pm at Woodlands, Westerleigh Crematorium, Westerleigh Road, Westerleigh, Bristol BS37 8QP. The offer of Association services was greatly received but declined. Family and friends are invited to join the service in a celebration of his life and afterwards at the wake at Little Nannies Café (Feltham Farm, Hinton Road, Pucklechurch, BS16 9SJ). No flowers please, donations to Cancer Research.

No More Parades/Service Notice: It is my sad duty to inform the passing of Sgt Jim Watkins of the 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment on the 10th of June 2024. Jim is survived by his wife Ruth, who has requested the Association to assist by providing the Regimental Drape and Wreath. The County Chairman is liaising with Jim's brother-in-law Bob, who is the point of contact for the family. His details are held by the County Chairman should anyone wish to contact the family. The service will be on Monday the 1st of July at Exeter & Devon Crematorium, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 6EU at 12.30 hrs. “by our deeds, we are known”

No More Parades: It is my sad duty to inform the passing of 24343168 Robert (Rob) Bishop of the 1st Battalion of The Gloucestershire Regiment on the 17thof June 2024 at Taunton Musgrove Hospital after a brave fight against cancer. Rob is survived by three Sisters who are coordinating his funeral which will be held at Westerliegh. The County Chairman for Somerset is liaising with the family and will issue a service notice when all details are confirmed, On behalf of the Regimental Association, sincere condolences are sent to Linda, Hazel and Nina.

“by our deeds, we are known”

Dear Association members,

It is almost 2 months since I assumed the role of Chairman of the Rifles and RGBW Association and to say it has been a steep learning curve would be an understatement.
I am still in the fact finding/research phase and trying to understand a). What is the role of the Association as we grow older? b). What do the Association members want? I think it is fair to say that the answer to both questions differs depending upon length of service, Regiment served with and a million and one other factors, so please bear with me whilst I learn more.

My immediate findings fall into the following categories and my observations are included.
 

• Communications – I have yet to work in/with/for any organisation that has excellent communications, and the Rifles & RGBW Association is no exception. The Association has no desire to close any Facebook Groups/Pages etc, nor to use a one size fits all approach. However, with all the Association members being volunteers I am keen to reduce the burden on them, whilst improving communications. Listed at end of this message is a list of the communication portals we will use to send out details of Association matters. Individuals are actively encouraged to share any newsletters/messages far and wide on social media, or to friends they know who do not have access.
   
• Social Media – Not all our Association members use social media, or the same platforms, indeed some do not have access to e-mail, which provides unique challenges in itself. We will use Rifles & RGBW Facebook and Rifles & RGBW Website as the primary site for Association matters and ask everyone to repost/share to sites they are members/administrators of.
  If you have not already joined the Facebook Group and the Website can I please ask you to do so, so that we can keep you informed about all Regimental Association matters?
  We do not have a Twitter/X account and currently I cannot see the need for one. Please let me know if you think otherwise.
  You may not have heard about SWIFT, which is the RIFLES wider Social Media network and is open to all Association members. It is easy to join, just follow this link and register - https://theriflesnetwork.co.uk. 
  I have picked up on the fact that many of you feel that the SWIFT network is too broad and does not meet your needs. I have been speaking with the Trustee responsible and hope to have a meeting with him and our branch chairmen to see how it can be adapted to help us. More news to follow. Meanwhile, I would encourage you all to register and obtain an account as I am sure we can do more to use it to the Association’s benefit.
   
• In Memoriam – Sadly hardly a week goes past without hearing the news that someone who served in our regiments has passed away.
  The Association tries to ensure that we support the family at what is a very stressful time. This includes booking a bugler through the Army (if possible and the individual fits the category for having a bugler provided at MOD expense), arranging for Standard Bearers and Standards or ensuring a regimental wreath/flowers. Unfortunately we struggle to get all the information we need to provide timely support.
  We have a simple form available on the website (Rifles & RGBW Website) where we can capture all the details we need (it will also be able to be sent out in paper form, if needed).
  It would be incredibly helpful if you would go to - Service details, where you can enter your service details, to be used as the basis of an obituary
   
• Welfare – Welfare is handled by the Rifles and unless I am told to the contrary is working well. If you are aware of anyone needing welfare support, please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to myself, or the Secretary (contact details below).
   
• Branches – It is a delight to see the branches thriving and the allocation of funds for an annual event seems to have been well received and working to the branches advantage. If you have any observations and ideas for how we might improve on the current arrangements, please do let me know once you have discussed it with your County Chairmen, who are doing an excellent job and providing an invaluable service to the Association in helping the branches run smoothly.
   
• Meetings – Although I try and follow as many Facebook groups etc as I can I am sure I do not have a full picture of some of the excellent gatherings that are taking place not just across the Southwest, but across the rest of the country and world-wide.
   
• Forecast of events – We are working with the Webmaster for the Association (Rifles & RGBW Website) to:

  • Provide a Calendar/Forecast of events where members can see what events are taking place throughout the year. If you do have an event coming up, can I ask you to ensure that County Chairmen add it to the calendar on the Website?
  • Create a ticketing portal to allow individuals to book tickets for Association events and pay electronically so that branches are released from some of the admin burden.

Please feel free to e-mail or phone me if you have any observations/ideas on how we can best support our Association members, wherever they might be. 
I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards,

Jon

Key Contact details:

Jon Wort
Chairman, Rifles & RGBW Association
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Mobile: 07753 816598

Steven Bowkett
Secretary, Rifles & RGBW Association
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Tel: 01367 240531


Primary communication channels:
The RIFLES Network
Rifles & RGBW Website
Rifles & RGBW Facebook
Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum

What are you doing on the 20th July?
Do you live near Salisbury?
Are you a social creature?
If you answered:
Nothing.
Yes.
Yes.
Then a magical Hog Roast & hot rocks music is right up your alley.
What could be a finer place to spend a convivial evening than at the The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum enjoying yourself?
Spread the word & let other know what they could be missing.

More info here - https://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/.../hot-rocks-and-hog-roast

I am sad to inform you of the death of ex CSgt Miguel 'Spanish' Navarro on 21 May 2024.  His funeral will be held on next Tuesday, 11 June at the Church of All Saints, Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4AE at 15:00 hours.  The funeral will be followed by his burial at 16:00 hours.  All mourners, family, friends and old comrades will then be welcome at his daughter Iris' home (10 minutes walk from the Church).

The Church of All Saints is in the centre of Sutton Courtenay village, near the village green.  The village is easily accessed from the A34 and is close to Didcot GWR main line railway station.  CSgt's Navarro's obituary will be published in this month's Association Newsletter in due course.

[wpgmza id="24"]

The four county administrators can now submit news items directly onto this website to keep members informed. All they simply need to do is once registered onto the website, log in and a new item will appear in the main menu "Submit News" and the submission page will appear. Once checked the news will be published. Or follow this link https://www.rgbw-association.org.uk/submit-news/

Mr Dave Andrews has informed the Association that his father, ex-Pte Courtney Gibbard Andrews (14191220) who served in the Wiltshire Regiment for 4 years, died on Sunday 28 April 2024.  He had celebrated his 95th birthday on the previous Friday.

Mr Andrews served as a Bandsman in 2nd Wilts in West Germany prior to amalgamation with the 1st Battalion and further service with 1st Wilts in Hong Kong.  His son remarks that his father proudly wore his Regimental tie on every possible occasion and the family is very grateful to Bethany, the Curator of The Wardrobe Museum, for enabling them to purchase a replacement for one lost during his final stay in hospital.

Mr Andrews' funeral will take place at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Fordingbridge on Tuesday 21 May at 11:00 hours.

John Tristram has informed the Association of the death of Professor Chris Williams.  Christopher Williams was born in Monmouthshire in 1963 but his family later moved to Swindon.  He completed a Short Service Limited Commission with 1 DERR in 1982/83 in his gap year between finishing school and attending Balliol College, Oxford University.  He became a noted Welsh academic, lecturing at Cardiff University and Swansea University, and editing the diaries of Richard Burton, before becoming Professor of History at University College, Cork from 2017 until his death on 4 April.

he Association has been informed of the death on 28 April of Mr Peter Holmes, aged 64 years.  He served as a private soldier in 1 DERR during 1971 - 77 and on discharge joined 2 Wessex, eventually becoming CSM of D Coy and later CSM N Coy 2 RGBW in Newbury.  In between serving in 2 Wessex and 2 RGBW he completed commando and parachute training, serving with 29 Commando RA.  His funeral will be at the West Berkshire Crematorium, Bath Road, Thatcham, RG19 4LD on Monday 20 May at 16:00 hours.  Any Old Comrades wishing to attend are requested to arrive by 15:30 hours.