Updated 23rd July 2005
News
Reunion Week-end (28th, 29th & 30th October) click here
Sadly, we have lost another member. Ken
Greedy who served with J Bty from 1960 to 1966 died at the
beginning of July. His funeral was held in Bath on Tuesday 12th July and was
attended by members and
mates who had served with him.
Chris Harris continues to convalesce after his operation, despite a set back in
June.
Paddy O'Neill is looking into the pension rights of former soldiers who served
before 1975. Paddy will
have the relevant forms, for those who are interested, to complete at the
Reunion Week-end. If you are
unable to join us this year, but nevertheless are interested, please contact the
committee before the
Reunion and they will arrange for forms to be sent to you.
There is as an age limit of sixty for applying for the pension but please apply
as early as the onus is on the individual to apply.
We are still on the look out for former J Bty members. Once again, this year we
shall have the pleasure of
welcoming new members, some of whom have not been seen for more years than we
care to remember.
The Association is hoping to forge better links with the current J Bty which is
stationed in Germany. Next
year, J Bty will be hosting some Open Week-Ends and Open Days in Germany. 3 RHA
also intends to hold
similar events. However, no dates are available yet due to operational
commitments, but we shall post
information here as soon as we get it. Any former member of J Bty that has
not yet contacted
the Association, please contact the site as we would love to hear from you, even
if you are unable to join
us at the Reunion Week-Ends. We would love to pass on your messages.
First of all, we must apologise for the time it has taken us to update the website.
Well at the risk of repeating ourselves, what a re-union 2004 turned out to be. One hundred and eleven people got together at the Hanover International Hotel in Hinckley, an increase of at least thirty people on the previous year. We hope that you all enjoyed yourselves and that you will be able to join us again this year.
We hope that you will appreciate that as our numbers increase, so do our expenses. In the past, Committee members have paid for stamps, phone calls, stationary and this site out of their own pockets. To this end, we have decided to add a £2.00 levy for each person to cover some of these costs.
Because we could only book the Hanover International for one year, plus we had a few complaints about the price of drinks etc. etc., we have been searching for another venue for the future. Well thanks to Smiler Mountain and Ginge Walker, we have located one – The Copthorne Hotel, at The Waterfront, Level Street, Brierley Hill, Dudley, West Midlands. We hope that the ladies will enjoy this hotel as it is right opposite (and within walking distance) of the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. (If you would like more details of the hotel, please log onto www.millenniumhotels.com and follow the simple instructions to view hotel in Dudley.) We have informed the Copthorne that we would like to use their hotel for at least the next five years as we need to put down some roots.
Although the address makes it sound difficult to locate, it is in fact a doddle. Take Junction 2 off the M5 and follow the Merry Hill Shopping Centre signs. Ginge Walker found it, so anyone can!!
Costs for the week-end, which will be held from Friday 28th October to Sunday 30th October 2005, are:-
* 2 Nights £82.00 per person
* 1 Night £42.00 per person
* Meal Only £18.00 per person
N.B. There is a £10.00 supplement on single room accommodation.
Click
here for the print off form to send with your cheque
A non-refundable deposit of £25.00 per person is required and should reach Andy Napoleon by 30th June 2005. Please make cheques payable to “J” (Sidi Rezegh) Bty Past and Present and send it, together with the Pro Forma below to:-
Please email Martin Combes for a postal address to send you pro forma to m_c_combes@yahoo.co.uk for security issues.
The final cut off date to pay into our bank is the 15th September 2005, so after that date you will need to deal with the hotel directly.
Does anyone know George Castleton, who came to the reunion last year? If so, please can you contact Martin Combes on 01473 602431 as his address and phone number have been mislaid.
Could you also forward your email addresses to Martin Combes on m_c_combes@yahoo.co.uk as he is still trying to compile a contact list of email addresses.
We are still looking for old photographs and stories that you think would be of interest for this site. Please contact Martin Combes.
We hope to see you all soon.
With best wishes and kind regards.
THE COMMITTEE
D. Banton - Chairman A. Napoleon - Treasurer
P. Baker M. Combes J. Cuthbert J. McCullough G. Mountain
B O’Neil R Walker
