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Extracts from the magazine that is published three times a year in March, August and December for the benefit of the membership Extracts from the August 2007 issue of The Newfoundland Times

Shipmates

We are fast approaching the final throes of the Association. Which also means there are only three issues to follow this one, with possibly a flyer to cover the final AGM.
We really have to make the next issues the most memorable and fulfilling that we can, but I need your help to achieve that.
I have a reasonable amount of copy I can fall back on but I also need new articles and I know there are quite a few of you out there who can produce the articles that are needed, so please get scribing.
What am I looking for, stories covering the war year and post war.
When I took office in 2000 I had no knowledge of editing a ship’s journal but I soon learned over the years. The first thing one had to master was the software which is used in the production. The next is to find a commercial printer who was prepared to take on the task of printing the journal, I was fortunate in finding Ottery Press, (via the internet) owned by Guy Massey and run with his team in Ottery, Devon. Guy has been a great help to me over the years and is always on the end on the telephone should I require help.

Peter Chatfield
Vice Chairman

Secretary’s Report

Not a lot has happened since my last report only that we have all got a little old and the other thing that doesn’t change is that most of us still have all our aches and pains plus a few more I would warrant. But keep on smiling and just remember there is someone out there worse off than we are.
The response to the ballot for the impending dissolution of the HMS Newfoundland Association was disappointing. The final vote cast was 192 which, when you look at the total membership of the Association which is 525 full members plus 70 Widows & Associates, this means that only a third of the Memberships took the trouble to vote. The outcome of the vote was, supporting the decision 166, those against 26. Abstentions 403.
After this Reunion look back on all the good times we have all enjoyed on HMS Newfoundland, also the good Reunions and meeting old shipmates and cementing lasting friendships that I am sure will continue until we cross the bar.
So let the 2008 Reunion be a rehearsal for 2009. Let’s have lots of lamp swinging and a great time. Please come and say hello to myself and the rest of the committee, we know quite a lot of you but some we are not sure of, once again the ageing process. Any proposals for the AGM should be with me by the evening of Friday 18 April or first thing in the morning of Saturday the 19th.
Happy New Year to you all and your families.

Yours Aye
Anthony Toms (Secretary HMS Newfoundland Association)

 
 
 
Chairman’s Address:
The Chairman, Ian Wigston, opened the meeting by asking everyone to stand for while he read the names of those who had Crossed the Bar in the last year; this was followed by the observance of a minute’s silence.
The Chairman then went on to welcome everyone to the AGM and hoped they would all have an enjoyable weekend. He then welcomed Wing Commander Russell Lawrence, Chairman of the Management Committee of the TS Newfoundland Sea Cadet Unit who is here with Lt. Stanley.
He then opened the proceedings by telling the members that the last year had been an important and eventful one for the Association with two memorial plaques having been erected and dedicated to the ship

and all those who served in her; one in Wolverhampton and the other in St John’s, Newfoundland. He then went on to thank the members for their generosity in making funds available for these events and then said that none of it would have come to fruition without the dedication and hard work of the committee all of whom contributed to the success of the events. In particular he thanked Tony Toms who organized the Wolverhampton dedication and Alan Waite who was responsible for the dedication in St John’s. Finally he thanked those members who supported the dedications by attending all of which was at their own expense.
The Chairman then said that despite his original reluctance to accept the chairmanship of the Association he felt proud and privileged to have been part of the events of the past year and asked the members to show their appreciation for a truly dedicated and exceptional committee.
After the applause, the Chairman then went on to say that the success of the past year was even more exceptional when the difficulties faced by individual committee members were taken into account. Alan Staton had had another stroke; paramedics had been rushed to the golf course where he had collapsed. Tony Toms has been in hospital, his wife’s health has deteriorated and his elderly mother is also in poor health. Alan Waite’s wife Christine is no longer able to travel without a supply of oxygen. Then there is the long serving Peter Chatfield who has been in post for six, going on seven years and needs a break from the duties of Editor and is standing down in 2008. Margaret Windebank has been in charge of slops for sixteen years and would also like to hand over her duties to someone else.
Ian then went on to say that the committee had served the Association well and there was now an urgent need for volunteers to step forward to allow those wishing to stand down through either poor health or long service to do so. He then said that later in the proceedings he would be calling for volunteers for the posts of Editor, Secretary, Events Organiser’s and Slops Bosun and asked everyone to give this serious thought.Finally the Chairman informed the AGM that for the first time ever we had failed to meet our target for the Reunion numbers, even though the figure had been reduced to 250, and as a result had a shortfall in income to pay for the weekend. The Events Organiser and the Treasurer would be saying more on this subject when they gave their reports and the meeting would be asked to vote a sum of money to cover the shortfall. Ian then went on to say that this has implications for the size of future Reunions as the membership ages and fewer people are able to travel.
The Chairman then concluded his address by informing the meeting that he had recently spoken to Colonel David Shallow and his wife Sally who are in reasonably good health and send their very best wishes for a successful Reunion.

Secretary’s Report:

The minutes of the last AGM: Those Shipmates present were asked if we could take them as read. This was proposed by S/M Wilson Seconded by S/M Gale.
There were no Matters Arising.

The Secretary started his report by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Brenda and himself.
Correspondence:
Letters of apology were read out from S/M John Jackson, Roy & Betty Brooker and Angus and Margo Bremer; Margo had unfortunately had a stroke and was unfit to travel. Apologies were also received from S/M Tom Roxby who had intended to come but fell ill on Thursday and felt he could not travel. A message was also received from “The Ancient Mariner” Bill Stone who is now in a residential home.

The letter from the Queen thanking the Association for their loyal greetings wishing us a successful reunion was read.A letter from Captain Norman Jolin, Royal Canadian Navy was read thanking us all for making him and his wife very welcome in 2006 and looking forward to 2007 at Blackpool.
Councillor D.W.Thompson MBE of Gt. Yarmouth also wrote to say how very impressed he was by the warm reception he received from everyone in 2006.

Finally a letter from Peter Gale was read reporting on S/M Jack Wyatt’s funeral.

Tony wound up his report with comments on an article from a Portsmouth paper about ships’ companies having photos taken with the Queen in which HMS Glasgow claimed to be the first. A letter from a member of the 52/55 commission however showed that Newfy was in fact the first!

It was proposed by S/M Tony Cousins and seconded by S/M Gale and that Tony’s report be accepted, this was carried unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report :
It was proposed by S/M Dave Fiander that the previously circulated Statement of Accounts for 2006 be accepted. This was seconded by S/M Tony Lee and carried unanimously.

Alan Waite reported that once again the last year has been successful financially and thanked the members for their generosity and support. He also thanked those who include donations with their subs which are always sent in especially by those in the far corners of the world including both the poles as two members wrote in to say sorry for the late subs payment as one had been in the Artic region working and the other in the Antarctic so it really is true, we cover most of the globe.
Alan then went on to say that he did have problems at times getting in the subs but despite the fact that we are all getting older and some go to warmer climates to beat the winter, some have ailments and have to reside in hospital for a fair length of time and some just have senior moments and forget we still have 525 Members and 70 Widows and Associates

Memorial Account:
This account during its existence raised £1636.38 through donations and was finally closed in October 2006 when the balance of £376.02 was transferred to the main account. The whole of the amount raised was used in payments relating to the Memorial plaques.

Wolverhampton Dedication:
£500.00 was allocated to this dedication but actual expenditure was exceeded by £47.30.

St John’s Dedication:
During the bus tour on the first day, talking to the driver regarding our visit resulted in the suggestion that we use one of his firm’s Yellow school buses during our stay and after visiting the company office his boss agreed to provide all our transport for the visit at a rate of £40.00 per run which was considerably cheaper and more convenient than using taxis as was originally arranged. The resultant saving on taxi fares was well in excess of £1500.00.
Wreaths: 10 RBL wreaths were sent in advance, courtesy of the Canadian Forces PO, as they were cheaper than the Canadian wreaths which are made commercially.
Steve Cooney: Steve, a Newfoundland friend of mine, offered to take DVD film of some of our visit and as he was at work he only could cover some of the functions we attended so we offered to cover three days off so that he could be with us for a greater period of time.
Presentation gifts: As I had been working with several people in St John’s over eighteen months, to organize this trip and after consulting the chairman it was thought that we would give a thank you gift to them and the one person who I had been working with most was the Commanding Officer’s secretary at the CFS Base. Over that time she had dealt with our guests for the Dedication, Crows Nest reception, and our Farewell reception. She initially stared off with a list of at least 200 plus, the final guest list was still very lengthy and had to be revised several times. The Association at no time was asked to make any contribution for her time or to the coffers of the Canadian Navy so with one other member of the party we made a donation of £120.00 to cover the cost of something a little special.

Fuel: We rented a 7 seater 4x4 to help with the expected cost of ferrying members around during our stay but with using the school bus there was not much need except for taking the chairman to meet other citizens of St John’s and in total we incurred a charge of £22.70 is for 47ltrs of petrol.

This dedication was also overspent and if I knew, when I asked for £2500.00 to cover both dedications, to what I now know, after the events, I would have asked for that little extra.

It was proposed by S/M Fiander, seconded S/M Tony Lees that the financial report on the dedications be accepted and the additional expenditure be funded from the Main Account. This was carried unanimously.

Main Account: Alan talked briefly about the published accounts and highlighted the item relating to Cadet Jack Hudson who was given £100 spending money which was donated by two members at the 2006 reunion.

It was proposed by S/M Wilson and seconded by S/M Jack Mills that the main accounts be accepted. Carried unanimously.
 
Editor’s Report.
He said he was here to report on the state of The Newfoundland Times.
He went on to say that when this association was formed all those years ago the method of communicating with members was one A4 page printed on both sides,
But over successive years it had been improved upon until we reached the number of pages we now have, 13 A4 pages printed both sides; which was all down to you the members. However he said we are in danger of this all collapsing around our ears if we do not increase the number of articles for publication. The Editor went on to say there are writers out there; all we had to do was to encourage them to put their pens to paper and get scribing.
The Editor then said we have what could arguably be called one of the best single ship association publications.
He then went on to say, and it has been said before (and he had said it) if we lose The Newfoundland Times how will we communicate with the members: the answer was quite simple: an A 4 flyer would have to be produced and posted to each member informing them of what was happening.
The Editor then reiterated what he said last year that he would be staying on as Editor for as long as the members wanted or for as long as he could manage.
However, he said he had had to renege on this and would be standing down in 2008.
In conclusion he thanked everyone for listening.

Events Organiser’s Report:

After outlining the weekend’s itinerary Alan reported that next year the Reunion will be at the Burlington Hotel in Eastbourne from the 28th to the 31st March 2008.

He then went on to say that Eastbourne would be his last year organizing the Reunion but would be on hand to assist with planning the Reunion in 2009 if required. He then invited anyone willing to take on the role to have a quiet chat with Hilary and himself about exactly what is involved we would be glad to see them any time over this weekend. He then went on to thank everyone for their help and support over the last few years.

Gift Bosun’s & Association Archivist’s Report:
Margaret had nothing to report except that the slops are going very well.
Ron, as archivist, gave a lengthy report in which he appealed for photographs and details of events from members of all commissions. Details of Ron’s report are to be published separately.

TS Newfoundland Report:
Trevor Stanley CO of TS Newfoundland introduced the Chairman of their management committee, Wing Commander Russell Lawrence to the members. He then went on to say that the Sea Cadet unit has had a fair year with the usual ups and downs and is still waiting for Lottery funding to come through. On behalf of the Sea Cadet Corps he thanked Newfoundland Association for their support and help over the last year in sending one of their Cadets to Newfoundland to take part in the dedication of the plaque in St John’s. He then wished everyone an enjoyable Reunion adding that he was unable to stay as both he and his Chairman had to return to Wolverhampton.
 
Election of Officers:
The posts of Treasurer & Treasurer’s Assistant were due for re-election and there being no other nominations it was proposed by S/M Tony Moore and seconded by Anthony Toms that S/Ms Alan Waite and Christine Waite be re-elected. This was carried unanimously.

The Chairman then returned to his earlier remarks and asked for volunteers for the posts of Events Organiser, Editor, Secretary and Slops Bosun. Despite painting a very graphic picture of the ultimate disintegration and demise of the Association if these posts were not filled, there were no volunteers. The Chairman emphasized that the decision needed to be made by this AGM as it was not possible to defer filling the posts for another year as by that time it would be too late. After some discussion, and an impassioned plea by Margaret Windebank, the Chairman said that the meeting would as a result have to consider setting a date for winding up the Association otherwise it would collapse and disappear. He then went on to suggest that it would be better to go out with a bang while most of us are fit and well enough to enjoy it rather than have people in a few years time asking, “Whatever happened to the Newfoundland Association?” On that subject he said that the committee had, at their meeting on the previous evening, discussed what could or should be done in the event that no volunteers were forthcoming and, with one exception, were agreed that it should be proposed that the Association should be wound up and, that as 2009 would be the 21st Reunion of the Association and the 50th anniversary of the end of the last commission the AGM should consider making that the final Reunion and go out on a high note with a real celebration befitting the ship and the Association. After further discussion Tony Toms asked if there was anyone who would propose Ian’s suggested action. A proposal was made by S/M David Fiander and seconded by S/M Patrick McGee that the Association should be wound up with the final reunion taking place in 2009. The motion was carried.

The Secretary then thanked the members for what had been a sad and difficult decision.

Dedication of Memorial Plaques:
Brief reports on the Dedication Ceremonies in Wolverhampton and St John’s, Newfoundland were then given by Tony Toms and Alan Waite.

Any Other Business:
A suggestion was made from the floor that consideration should be given for some form of presentation to be made to S/M Bill Stone. A show of hands indicated strong support for this and the committee agreed to discuss this at their mid-term meeting.

There being no other business the meeting was closed and “Up Spirits” was piped.
 
 

Treasurers Report

For a change this is a short report due to the impending dissolution of the Association. I can report that so far there has been no decline in the membership numbers which I expected there to be. To those who have not yet paid their subs please put them in the post or else this will be your last TNT.
The Reunions both for 2008 and 2009 are being run by Isle of Wight Tours and they will require their accounts to be settled by their given dates, so please pay your dues and demands to Alan Staton early so that the bill can be settled when presented.
The funds are still very healthy and it is hoped that the 2009 Reunion will have some special attractions, also it is hoped that the Lottery Fund will be generous to us once again.
If anybody has commission books that they do not require I would be pleased to have them as there are requests for them, not only from me but also from St John’s and the Cadets.
To all those who wrote letters of thanks, both to Christine and me thank you, it’s most appreciated.
Thank you to those who have posted on the used stamps. The odd case has cropped up where a member has had to pay Royal Mail excess postage for their TNT. The correct postage has been paid by Margaret so in future please send me the receipt and mail office address so that I can follow it up
Christine and I will see you at the Reunion.

Special report from St John’s

Alan Waite, RM...1956/58


After my meeting with the St John’s City solicitor the following has happened.

Freedom of the City.
After exchanging correspondence with the city clerk’s department I have been advised that the recipient’s board in the Foran Room, City Hall, is in the process of being changed to include HMS Newfoundland 13th May 1944.

Plaque and Picture.
These were presented in 2002 and it was noted when on the 2006 visit that they could not be sighted. It has been reported that they cannot be located. I have sent a replacement plaque and the city solicitor has assured me that the plaque and ship’s picture will be put in a prominent position and included in the city’s Inventory of Art and Plaques. There is a spare framed picture already in St John’s to be handed over.

HMCS Cabot
The new CO requested a HMS Newfoundland cap tally to go display in their museum which contains some artifacts from the ship. This has been sent and they will get a cap from the sea cadets adjacent to them..
Alan

When your committee held its half-yearly committee meeting held in South Petherton in October, high on the agenda were the results of the ballot on the decision taken at the last AGM to make 2009 the final Reunion and the survey to find out how many of you would attend. The Secretary, Tony Toms, presented the results and of the 172 ballot slips returned 150 supported the decision and 22 opposed it and as a result the decision taken by the AGM is confirmed. Although this has been a sad and difficult time your committee have been encouraged and heartened by the telephone calls and letters that have been received expressing sadness but giving support and understanding to the AGM decision.
The committee are now working to make that final Reunion a truly memorable occasion and Hilary and Alan Staton will no doubt release details of the proposed programme at the 2008 reunion. The number of bookings for the 2008 Reunion is really encouraging and by all accounts we should have no difficulty meeting our target figures. The results of the survey to discover how many of you would attend the final Reunion was also very encouraging, especially the number of overseas members planning to travel to the UK to take part in the celebrations. All being well it will be a great party!
It is planned that the final edition of TNT will be a souvenir edition in colour. At the moment this is only at the planning stage and as costs are approximately double that of a normal edition we need to ensure that we can cover all the Reunion costs before we commit ourselves. I have no doubt however that a souvenir edition will be produced and be something you will all want to have and keep. Any thoughts or suggestions on the subject may be sent to me or Peter Chatfield.
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. Stay healthy, keep cheerful and I shall look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it to the 2008 and 2009 Reunions.

Ian Wigston

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