Friday 14 February 2014

The Wirral and Chester Branch No: 11 At Our A.G.M ..2014..

All Members and Friends enjoying a spot of Lunch ..
ltr ( Ellie ,Gordon  , John  Ron, Les, Ron's Daughter )

ltr Maurice Carpenter & Graham Smith 

ltr Sue Wardle and Brenda Hanigan
Les Baynton and Ray Wardle.


ltr John Dennitt and Richard llewellyn 

ltr Derek and Yvonne
..have a little chat..

The Members Enjoying a Chat! 

..The Standard ..
.Wirral and Chester Branch.

...Enjoying a there afternoon..

...Members and Friends Enjoy Fish and Chips..
....yummy!..

The Normandy Veterans of the Wirral and Chester Branch No: 11
Meet today and enjoy Fish and Chips as part of the A.G.M..
It was nice so many of the members attending this afternoon despite the very bad weather.

Our Visit  to Normandy is coming along nicely..
So I will be doing some fund raising to help make this Visit just that like bit extra!..

Many thanks to Secretary & Friend Yvonne Innes, For her Support and Help on doing this Blog..

As We get closer to our visited, I will be Blogging over the week And Telling to you all what is going on in Normandy..

Wednesday 12 February 2014

THIS POEM TAKES YOU BACK TO THAT DAY IN '1944..


...A Poem will make you think?..
So when you read this you will Remember them..


I have been sent this poem by a local men Derek Pritchard
For the Normandy Veterans here in Ellesmere Port.
The Day In '44, Shows' how the young men were fighting in bloody War with bodies never seeing the light of day  and How they landed on Sword , Juno and Gold Beaches and did n't see there day at Home, So that is why we remember them on the June 6th..

So Remember now though you should Pine.
for those pals so grand, who toed the line 
That they gave their lives to save the nation.
And remembering, feel a proud elation 
Where they left off, we carry on 
Praise the Lord his will be done.
And we shall live........................

















Monday 10 February 2014

No.11 Branch History



   
This is a bit about the No:11 Branch History,
An Inaugural Meeting called on 12th January 1983 in The Royal British Legion Club was attended by 23 men who signed up, formed a committee and named the branch, Wirral and Chester Branch, Number 11.
Our First Branch Meeting was on Monday, 13th February 1983.
Don Harvey,Chairman,Ernie Innes, Secretary,Eric Holmes, Treasurer. More members came to join and we have continued to grow.

His Grace The Duke of Westminster D.I., consented to be branch Patron and Major General P.L.de C.
Martin C.B.E. to be Branch President.

A member donated our Standard which was Dedicated at Christ Church,Ellesmere Port on
Sunday, 9th October 1983 amid gale force winds and torrential rain. Alan Kidd was the Standard Bearer.

A tree was planted by our patron in Grosvenor Park, Chester on 8th April 1984, and on the 28th April 1991 a tree and plinth were placed in Hamilton square,Birkenhead, near to the Cenotaph.
Both in memory of fallen comrades.

New Branches were being formed and we attended many Dedications and all main events in the
  N.V.A.calendar.The march past in Arromanches on 6th June 1984 to mark 40th Anniversary
Was attended by H.M. The Queen. We were there again on 6th June 1989, the 45th Anniversary.
Tour of Holland and Belgium also take place and we always have a full social calendar throughout the year.

Among our 150 members we are proud to have three ladies who were nursing sister in Normandy.
Phyl Wright,,Maire Page and Ann Burrell. Wives play an essential part in the smooth running of the Branch and we have 12 "friends of the N.V.A " who help and Support us in many ways.

We hope our memorial in Ellesmere Port will Serve as a reminder to everyone of the debt we owe to
the young men and women who gave their lives to free other nations from bondage and persecution,
to enjoy the freedom that we take for granted.

                                              .... WE WILL REMEMBER THEM...








Sunday 9 February 2014

N.V.A
The Beginning




A group of ex-Servicemen talking together in a club in Grimsby, all claiming to have won the war
( as usual),when a chance remark about the Landings in Normandy,Tuesday, 6th June 1944,led
to four of the men deciding to form an association based on service in Normandy.

A letter in the local Grimsby press led to an Inaugural Meeting in the Central Hall, Grimsby on 
the 8th April 1981 when 29 men attended. All had been involved on the sea,on the land,or in
the air at Normandy during the landings or in subsequent battle to free that department of 
Northern France from Nazi Occupation.This as we all know led to the Liberation of Western 
Europe, V.E. Day 8th May 1945.

At the Inaugural Meeting it was decided to form The Normandy Association and full members
would be anyone who served with the Royal Navy,The Army,The Royal Air Force, The Merchant Navy,
Any of the Imperial Nursing Services,any of the ancillary bodies like NAFFI, ENSA etc..,
Provided they met the requirements, that was, that they must have served in the Normandy Campaign
Between 6th June - 20 August 1944.

Offices were elected, one Arthur Flodman, elected as P.R. of the Association, Wrote to every local
Newspaper in Britain. form the immense number replies  was it obvious that Branches in other part
of the Country should be encouraged. so this was done, with Grimsby Branch No: .1.  or Founder
Branch and Considered as H.Q. By 1985,35 Branches had been formed and at a  meeting in
Sloane Square, London, the Association was put on a National  and International Level.

The first National conference was held at Bristol in October 1985. National Officials were elected,
General Sir John Mogg G.C.B.,K.C.B.,C.B.E.,D.S.O.,D.L. was elected president, Mr Vic Britton
M.B.E. was elected Chairman and Arthur Flodham was elected Nation Secretary.Later H.R.H.
The Duke of Gloucester KCVO was made National Patron.

Tragically, Arthur Flodman died in November 1985 so did not live to see the results of his early
groundwork. The Number of the branches increased rapidly, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Belgium, Holland and France,Branches these became part of the Association.Each  year since
1985 The Association has had an Annual parade on House Guards in London and a wreath laying
ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on the second Sunday in June.

The Association Branches marched past The Queen at Arromanches, Gold Beach, 6th June 1984,
On the occasion 40th Anniversary of the landings.Again on the 6th June 1989 the 45th Anniversary
was observed with a service in the commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Bayeux and march at Arromanches.

We go from Strength to Strength.!






Friday 7 February 2014

Queen Elizabeth II 
Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh have Confirmed that they will be Joining the Normandy Veterans over in Normandy to mark the 70th Anniversary.

The Royal Couple will be Visit the Northern French Coast,
They have been invited to stay 5th until 7th June,
To mark the D -Day Landing.

The Royal Couple have also been invited By French President Francois Hollande and for one of the days. Prime Minster David Cameron will be attending.


There will be over 150,000 Troops in be attendances
From United States, Britain, Canada,European Country's
Where they will remember those who died on the sands of Normandy and the push onto Berlin..




Wednesday 5 February 2014

Battle of Arnhem - British Gliders Shot at by SS (1944) [HD]

The Boys'fly in at Arnhem for the Battle of their lives! 
"as  Sir Winston Churchill Said,It will be a Bloody Mud Bath!"
 Before they go into Battle, they will crash and 
 like lots of young men in  the "Red Devils" came into Normandy in  a there AirCraft.
The Young Men win the first Battle and take the first Bridge.
Then go and seek out the Germans and give them a Bloody Battle! and 
To give the people of Germany freedom and to make their lives better but sadly it wasn't like that the young men were killed on the battle lines,in the most cold blooded way! 
Just makes you  think what they went through. 
R.I.P