St Patrick’s Day luncheon
The RLI Association members were again invited to attend the Royal Irish Rangers early St Patrick’s Day luncheon at the Conservative Club in Warminster this last weekend. Unfortunately, only 6 of us finally made it. Click here to view photos.
Lt Col Jimmy Beggs, our link man, was there to host us and ensure we all had our quota of Guinness! The Irish stew went down well, and we enjoyed two sessions of the local pipe band. Our small party won a couple of raffle prizes unlike at the Christmas dinner last December where we predominated.
The original plan was to have a golf challenge on the Friday and the lunch on the Saturday, but the best laid plans of mice and men did not materialise, and Jimmy had to accept that the RIR had chickened out. The challenge is still out there though for the summer.
The advantage of the RLIRA joining the RIRA in the Southwest is that we have a central venue for a get together with meals and drinks available at reasonable prices and we can have some banter with other ex-soldiers as our regiments have much in common over a similar time period. It also adds to the atmosphere having more people and enhances the spirit that we try to nurture in our membership.
Next time we will try to advertise the event better and where necessary assist people who may need a bit of help with transport or accommodation.
Our thanks go to Tom O’Brien and his committee for the open invitation and the enjoyable luncheon.
Faugh A Ballagh and March on the Saints!
B Coy Rhodesian Light Infantry (circa 1962)
by A. Ghost-Writer
Napoleon is cited as saying, “History is a set of lies, agreed upon” and unless we help each other with personal experiences, eye-witness reports and verified accounts, Napoleon’s claim is likely to be correct. Accordingly, what follows here is not guaranteed to be definitive, but close to the truth, perhaps? It requires reaction, commentary and correction. The memories are taken from 1872 (service number, not year) Cpl Jim Lake (B Coy RLI) who is now an octogenarian, living in Australia, and who (by his own admission) is not sure where he left his teeth, let alone his “housewife”! Reflections of his early RLI days are reproduced here for interest’s sake.
Jim Lake arrived in Rhodesia on 16 January 1961 and became a founder member of B Coy Rhodesian Light Infantry on 01 February of that same year. The regiment was structured in four main companies (A,B,C and D) before it moved from Brady Barracks (Bulawayo) to Cranborne (Salisbury) where it reformed into a commando unit. Stories about the early days are not in short supply, but facts seem to be few and far between. Reports, however, indicate that A, B and C companies morphed into commandos 1, 2 and 3, whilst D Coy was “essentially” a boy-soldier company where members filtered into the commandos once they became of age.
Some essential ingredients have been omitted here. As with all regiments, “The RLI” needed backup in the form of Support and Base Groups. Accordingly, Support Group mutated intoto Support Cdo whilst Base Group retained command of all other essential services, pay, QM stores, medical, signals, transport, catering, etc. That is a simplified version, at least.
Soon after the formation of the RLI, elements of A and B Coys were sent to the Northern Rhodesia/Congo border as a result of the disturbances in the Katanga Province, also known as the Republic of Katanga, a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moise Tshombe, leader of the local Confédération des associations tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT) political party. The new Katangese state did not enjoy full support throughout the province and was constantly plagued by ethnic strife in its northernmost region. It was dissolved in 1963 following an invasion by United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) forces, and reintegrated with the rest of the country as Katanga Province. The RLI was based in and around Kipushi (in the now DRC) where their only loss was the accidental death of 2634 Pte Ronald de Hass who died as a result of AD from a Bren gun on 21 September 1961.
Not all RLI were deployed to the Congo. Jim said farewell to his mate, Tony Louch, who was destined for a PTI course at the SInf (Gwelo). Others undertook the relief of the RAR at Gwanda where an outbreak of foot-and-mouth needed to be contained. Many “ouens” remained in Bulawayo to protect HQ (Brady) and a surfeit of spinsters clad in mini-skirts – but not necessarily in that order. Besides, there were a number of bars, night-clubs, joints and duck-tails that required serious “fixing” in order to guarantee maximum coverage in the Bulawayo Chronicle and, hence, an automatic transfer to Cranborne. Incidentally, Tom Douglas (current welfare committee member of RLIRA UK), also attended the PTI course with Tony Louch and, therefore, (despite earlier accusations) cannot be held accountable for any of the Bulawayo reparations!
Having
“seen the world, met some wonderful people, and killed them” the men
returned from the Congo to Brady for less combative duties. Jim believes that
this photo was taken at Victoria Falls circa 1962. A close inspection, however,
reveals the faint steel latticework of Birchenough Bridge, underpinning Jim’s
self-confessed “dimming of the lights” but conjuring ideas that “bridge patrol”
must have been an exciting addition to a soldier’s life back in the day.
Bridge deployments served not only to reassure the populace that all was well on the “Eastern Front” (east of Greenwich, that is) but provided ideal locations for general training and retraining exercises, not least of which were navigation skills, classical warfare planning, team-building and camaraderie:
Not
all, of course, returned from the Congo. Some with a thirst for the “insane”
remained behind to fuel the hondo and pave the way for a future “soiree” in the
Seychelles. Messrs Standish-White, Prinsloo, Goatley, et al are advised to keep
a sense of humour here.
From
all accounts, the move to Cranborne certainly was a culture shock for some.
Indeed, refinements in dress-code, table manners, choice of women, etiquette
and “dickie-bows” became the norm of the capital. Don’t tell Le Coq d’Or ouens
that tale!
Lastly – a piece of history, dug from the depths of the abyss. The British army had a brigade group of three battalions in around Nairobi, Kenya - Scots Guards, Gordon Highlanders, and Inniskilling Fusiliers. A corporal from each unit was exchanged with a corporal from the RLI during an on-going programme. B Coy had a corporal from the Gordon's who fitted in very well, albeit his uniform (or underneath thereof) was of more interest to the ladies than soldiers. “I think the exchange lasted several months and was quite successful . I also think the political events in both countries brought an end to the scheme........hopefully someone else can elaborate further.”
The End (almost).
I came to Prague in 1993 to open a hotel, which was then part of a hotel group called ‘Penta’ which was a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Airline Group.
I was working for this group in Gatwick in their airport hotel as a night manager when I got a call from a Swiss friend of mine who was also working for the same group in Germany, and he’d just been appointed General Manager of the new hotel to be opened in Prague. We had worked together in Joburg at a Southern Sun hotel called the ‘Johannesburg Sun and Towers Hotel (which has now been mothballed for years). Going to Prague was an adventure but it helped that my salary doubled and would be tax free!
I was what is called in the hotel trade a ‘Front Office Manager’ responsible for reception, reservations, Porters, Garage and Fitness etc, with about 40 staff reporting to me. As an Expat Manager I thought I’d be there about 3 years and then move on. I was the only Brit Manager; the rest were mostly German and French. The accountant was French and would always have a bottle of French wine on his desk and when entering his office, if he liked you, he’d pour you a small glass of wine, whatever time of day it was! (You wouldn’t get that in the UK, would you)!
As it is, here I am 30 years later, married to a Czech woman and two adult sons. I was also sent to Moscow for a month to help open a hotel there, that was a scary experience but that’s another story. I could think of worst places to be, it was until recently a cheap place to live, a litre of beer GBP 1, a three-course meal (not in a tourist area) with drinks GBP 6! Prague being the capitol is very cosmopolitan but outside areas are very conservative in their politics and in the personality of the people.
The older generation in some parts of the country loved the Communist system and hated democracy because in the old days, you were taken care of, there was no such thing as unemployment, the State would always find work for you, whether you liked it or not was irrelevant. The Czechoslovak Government was more hard line than other communist states, the church wasn’t tolerated here, whereas in Poland and Hungary because most of the population were Catholics, the authorities worked with the Catholic Church. Most Czechs are atheists and that is thanks to Jan Hus and his reformation in the 14th Century against the corruption of the Catholic Church. When the Communists came to power in 1948 they stripped the church of all it’s assets ( their land and property being considerable) and it’s only a few years ago that parliament gave back the land and paid a considerable amount out due to loss of property.
When I first started working here, I used to go by public transport, bus and metro (underground) and I would be the only person wearing a suit because the Czech approach was that if you were a manager and you had a car, you would use that, as it was a sign of ones status symbol. Also if a Czech had a meeting with you, they would never be on time, it was quite normal for them to be late and would never understand why we foreign managers would be upset. They would often quote to us ‘ do in Rome what the Romans do ‘ !
If you went into any shop, whether book store or supermarket, they would control how many people entered by limiting the amount of baskets available. Of course I wasn’t aware of this and the one day I wanted to buy some pens and pencils from a nearby store and saw this queue outside and walked blithely past, took what I needed and people inside the store were looking at me when i was standing inline waiting for the cashier. I got to the cashier, who started shouting at me, snatched my money and I left. Later when asking one of my staff, why the cashier was upset, she explained not having a basket was really bad and no Czech would ever go into a store without one ! So that was my first lesson of how things were done in this country.
Czechs in general area a conservative bunch, none of the US greetings ( Hi, how are you, my name is Cindy’ when entering a restaurant here, ( the Czechs think it’s completely false), you’re more likely to get "Good morning/afternoon, what do you want’ ! Most tourists complain of Czech people in the service industry being miserable.
When the Communists took over, they encouraged city/town folk to buy a piece of land and build a cottage on it, so that people had something to do or look forward to and not complain about their way of life ! So that is why now, the majority of older Czechs drive out to the countryside to their ‘weekend house’ Friday afternoon and come back Sunday evening when Spring arrives.
Younger Czechs like to go and visit their parents/grandparents but don’t want the hassle of looking after a place, as it ties you down most weekends, cutting the grass, weeding etc.
THE LAST OF THE BRADY BUNCH - Nigel Rittey
Chairman Brian Lewis and I (Tom Douglas) thought it would be appropriate to acknowledge and pay tribute to a dying breed - the last of the founder members of our regiment. Such a man is Nigel Rittey. You should be aware of him through his article, ”The RLI Begins to Take Shape”, on page 39 of the 60th Anniversary Cheetah. Service - Feb 1962 to 1964; Pte/L Cpl, Cpl, Sgt A Coy/1 Cdo.1964 to 1966 MT Sgt and RP Sgt. He left the RLI in 1968.
He was a founder member when No1 Training Unit spawned the RLI in February 1961. As a young subaltern I remember Nigel as the OC 1 Cdo, Bruce Campling and then Peter Rich’s driver and the Cdo MT Corporal. We were on Op Yodel together at Makuti when Trevor Desfountain’s patrol had the first RLI contact and kill.
Nigel has unfortunately been very unwell for some time now. In spite of this he reached the impressive age of 80 years on 10 January 2023 and on the same day he and his wife Basia celebrated their 50th “Golden” wedding anniversary. Congratulations on reaching these milestones.
We the Chairman and members of RLIRA UK salute you as one of the last of the Brady Bunch! Hope you have a better year in 2023. Tom Douglas
To War in Tennis Shoes – Rhodesia’s Fire Force
By Richard Cecil
With “Operation Thrasher” in eastern Rhodesia
Narrative reproduced by Ed Allsop from page 5 of The Daily Telegraph UK Edition dated Saturday February 26th, 1977
Rhodesian Light Infantry men are skilled and battle-hardened in counter-insurgency operations and their airborne “fire force” troops are in the front line of the battle against Communist-trained insurgents now creeping into Rhodesia in larger numbers than ever before.
The support commandos were already in action when I arrived soon after dawn at a remote airfield in eastern Rhodesia. They had been sent to kill a group of insurgents holed up on a rocky hillside 30 miles away.
Sheeting rain had turned the airfield into yellow mud. While I waited, I looked over a Douglas Dakota aircraft, a veteran of Orde Wingate’s Burma campaign.
The commandos use the “Dak” to drop on guerrilla positions, jumping from 500 feet.
For the jump they wear their normal battle order of a tee-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes.
Rifles are strapped to their sides with string and their ammunition pouches are filled.
The commando unit returned at dusk, muddy and weary. They had killed 10 of their enemy and lost one man, a young White soldier of 22 who had just been married.
Young soldiers
They were subdued and talked quietly among themselves, their thoughts on the day’s fighting and their dead comrade.
They were young, mostly 18 or 19. The veteran corporals were in their early twenties, and many were scarred by old bullet wounds.
Late the following morning the war began again. A police patrol 40 miles to the south of us ran into another group of guerrillas. Both sides saw each other simultaneously and in the exchange of fire a Black policeman was shot through the thigh.
Within minutes “Stop 1,” the first “stick” of the fire force, was on its way in helicopters, followed swiftly by a tracker team. It soon became clear that a small guerrilla group “bumped” by the police was part of an unusually large concentration.
Helicopter pilots estimated between 30 and 40 men and coolly reported by
radio that they had been missed by a couple of rockets but were taking hits
from small arms fire.
My “stick” was next in. We prepared to sprint down the landing apron as the first helicopter returned from the contact area.
The machines rotor blades had been hit and there was a delay of five minutes while the pilot filed down the rough edges of the bullet holes and covered them with sticky tape. Then we were in and away.
Only Cpl Hennie Du Toit commanding the “stick” had headphones to listen to the briefing from the contact area.
The only order he gave his men was to jab his finger towards a narrow strip of bush between some maize fields as we swooped down to land. Everyone knew what he meant.
The soldiers spread out and began the sweep, moving slowly and firing into denser patches of bush.
The fighting is often a series of duels. I remembered how the soldier had died the day before. A guerrilla had jumped out of the grass two yards in front of him and cut him down with a burst of automatic fire. The soldier had managed to fire one round before the guerrilla fired, but it went wide.
Russian rifle
A dark movement in the cornfield on the right: the machine gunner whirls and fires. The rapid rattle of the guerrilla’s automatic fire and the heavy crashing of the soldier’s machine gun are simultaneous.
The soldier stoops and second later his thick brown arm holds up the Russian rifle above the waving corn. The sweep moves on. The bush is so thick that a man can remain hidden only a yard away.
A huge explosion and a black hole appears in the ground on my right. Cpl Du Toit is thrown backwards and at the same time the bush erupts as unseen automatic weapons open up on us.
The blast was a rocket and the insurgents had waited until we were 15 yards away before opening fire. The soggy ground took most of the shrapnel, but the corporal had blood streaming down his face from a splinter in the head. The rest of us were untouched.
The Rhodesians, with their fingers curled lightly round their triggers and their safety catches “off,” fired back instantly, at the same time flinging themselves sideways, forwards and back into the thicket available cover.
30 yards range
The ground was flat, with no solid cover, although we were at least hidden from view. The insurgents had the advantage of a hollow in the ground and some thick trees.
The volume of fire put down in the first minute and a half was intense and the noise deafening. With no more than 30 yards between both sides the bushes were cut to pieces.
The corporal withdrew the “stick” about 15 yards to better positions and we were reinforced by a young officer, Lt Neil Jackson, with four soldiers. He called in an air strike and within 30 seconds one of the circling aircraft came sweeping down.
We were so close to the guerrilla’s positions that the plane had to fire its rockets well behind us. They passed low over our heads before crashing into their targets.
Chinese grenades
Chinese stick grenades started exploding just in front of us., showing the crouching troops with mud and debris. The Rhodesians replied in kind, hurling the heavy hand bombs, and then flattening themselves to avoid splinters.
I was now on the extreme left of the line, on the edge of cover, and could see the lighter Soviet-made bullets ricochet of the thick undergrowth, while the heavier Rhodesian sliced through everything to their targets.
Now the light was fading, and I edged out of cover to try to get film of the enemy. I saw the muzzle flash of a machine gun some 30 yards in front of me and was looking for the man behind it when the guerrilla saw me and swung his gun on to me.
As the bullets spattering up the mud on my left came towards me, I remembered that some fool had said “Terrorist always shoot high in thick bush.” The burst stopped 12 inches short of me and, as I rolled back into cover, I heard the machine-gunner fitting a new magazine.
The firing continued for about an hour after dark, each burst momentarily silencing the chorus of frogs in the wet maize fields. Two wounded Rhodesians were evacuated to hospital via helicopter while the others moved up to spend a wet night in ambush round the enemy.
The action finished early the next morning. Teams went out to find the wounded and those who had escaped. The dead were loaded into helicopters.
The insurgents had lost six dead and probably some wounded. Three Rhodesians had minor wounds. For them, they said as they climbed into a lorry bound for the nearest pub, it had been “a very ordinary day.”
Notes and Image from Gordon Harland
On Saturday 24th September 2022 members of the Rhodesian Armed forces gathered at the Troopie Statue to remember those that died not only in the Puma 164 but also members of the RLI in & after the war.
I will not go into details about the service I will leave that for others. Only to say it was very moving. More than a few wet eyes & more than a few handkerchiefs were on display.
After the services we were invited into Hatfield House to have a tour including the chapel. I along with a friend, I had brought along were first there. We were met by Dermot the guide, & what a guide.
Byne my friend & I were given a quick tour & ended u in the Chapel. Dermot had popped to the door to let the others in as he did so two ladies came in carrying flowers. I thought they were part of the staff cleaning up. In my normal happy go lucky tome I said “alright girls how are we doing “they both smiled I then said to them that the keep the place nice & clean. They said thank you. Just then Dermot arrived back with the rest of the party. Came smarty to a halt Then the dreaded words came out. “Good afternoon, Lady Salisbury” Lady Salisbury looked at me with a smile, I look up to heaven & said a prayer.
A flash back to Christmas 1977 delivering extra food to kitchen at Independence House for a party they were having. As the catering staff were unloading the trays. A European lady seemed to be in charger. Words came out of my mouth, like all right darling Merry Christmas to you. Vince who was the duty driver just looked at me. Anyway, the lady smiled & gave us two beers each & wish us a Merry Christmas. We got back into the Land Rover with Vince £$%^&*() do you know who she was. No, I reply that was Mrs Smith. The Prime minister’s wife. You $%^& POME.
Spending Time Cleaning The Statue
It’s not, by even the wildest stretch of the imagination, the Zambezi river - in whose valley the RLI earned its reputation as one of the finest protagonists of COIN warfare. But the River Lea in Hatfield Park provides a tranquil and contemplative resting place for The Trooper. A fine setting in which to pause and remember those of our number who have shuffled off this mortal coil to join the ever-growing 2nd Battalion.
Spending time cleaning the statue and its surrounds feels like time well spent and we urge members to join the occasional cleaning party if they are at all able to do so.
Watch out for future announcements
Simon Carpenter
Across the span of 43 years filled with achievements, tragedies, small and large victories and losses and a myriad of other individual experiences there is one indelible memory carried by those who were there. Mapai on the 6th September 1979.
This was one of the largest external operations carried out by Rhodesian security forces against the communist-backed guerrilla forces of the Zimbabwe nationalist movement.
A combined force of RLI and SAS soldiers conducted operations across the Gaza province, Mozambique, from 1 – 7 September with the aim of destroying infrastructure and disrupting enemy operations and incursions. The finale of the operation was an attack on the well defended Mapai camp containing combined ZANLA / FRELIMO forces with Russian advisers.
On the 6th September, as our combined force of RLI, SAS and Engineers flew low over the scrubland and sandalwood of Gaza province in South African Airforce Pumas, we came under intense small arms and RPG7 fire from satellite camps. Tragedy struck when Puma Hotel Four was hit by an RPG-7 as it headed for its LZ, killing all on board. This was the worst loss of Rhodesian army lives in the entire war.
Today we remember, with reverence and respect our comrades-in-arms:
· Capt Paul Denzel Velleman, SAAF
· Lt Nigel David Osborne, SAAF
· Sgt Dirk Wilhelmus Marthinus (Dick) Retief, SAAF
· Capt Johannes Matheus Du Plooy, 1 RLI
· Capt Charles David Small, Rh Eng
· 2nd Lt Bruce Fraser Burns, Rh Eng
· Sgt Michael Alan Jones, Rh Eng
· Cpl Leroy William Duberley, Rh Eng
· Cpl Gordon Hugh Fry, 1 1 RLI
· L/Cpl Peter Fox, Rh Eng
· Tpr Jacobus Alwyn Briel, 1 RLI
· Tpr Alden James Coleman, 1 RLI
· Tpr Jeremy Mark Crow: 1 RLI
· Tpr Brian Louis Enslin, 1 RLI
· Tpr Stephen Eric King, 1 RLI
· Tpr Colin Graham Neasham, 1 RLI
· Tpr David Rex Prosser, 1 RLI
'They shall not grow old,
As we that are left, grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor do the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. '
Dedication submitted by Simon Carpenter
All members and friends are invited to attend the
annual wreath laying service which will take place at the Troopie Statue, Hatfield House commencing at 1200 noon.
Please wear blazer, tie and beret, refreshments will be on sale. Can you please advise if attending to enable wreath layers to be nominated. maryandmartyn@gmail.com
Meeting of the Central/Northern chapter will be held at Bedford RAFA Club commencing at 14.00 hrs on the 12tH November 2022. RAFA club will open from 12.00 noon to 20.00 hrs. Contact maryandmartyn@gmail.com for more information.
Sunday 13th November 2022 is Remembrance Sunday. The Lord Lieutenant and the Royal British Legion have invited the RLIRA to march with them. Meeting and forming up commences at 10.00 hours next to the suspension bridge, Radhuni restaurant, on the Bedford Embankment.
Following the march, we will be welcomed back to the RAFA club together with RAF, RBL members and other military organisations.
Suggested accommodation is available at Premier inns Priory Marina, Barkers Lane Bedford. Book early for ASAP as Bedford is always busy this weekend. Contact maryandmartyn@gmail.com for more information.
Report Back from call sign “Delta Lima” 07/2022
Lt Col I R Bate
Greetings one and all. Trusting this letter finds all members, their families, and close ones in good health. It was with very deep regret that we were informed of the passing of Lt Col I R Bate on the 8th June 2022.
As all will know, Lt Col I “Tufty” R Bate served as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion the Rhodesian Light Infantry from 26th June 1978 until 3rd December 1979.
A by-election was held for the position of secretary of
the UK/EU branch with a call for nominations, followed by an online vote.
Two (2) nominations were received (George Dempster &
Gary Huxham). Gary withdrew due to health concerns.
Members were requested to vote for George or AN Other.
Forty (40) members voted in favour of George with no opposing votes.
We wish to thank Neill for his commitment over the years
while welcoming George as the new branch secretary.
Brian Lewis
Chairman
RLIRA UK/EU Branch.
for 2023 only Notification to all RLIRA UK/EU branch Members
Treasury-Amendment 1/ 2022
The Following Rules are instituted with immediate effect:
WITHDRAWALS - RLIRA UK/EU branch – NatWest Bank
DEPOSITS - RLIRA UK/EU branch – NatWest Bank:
Accounts Name: RLIRA
Account Number: 62234145
Sort Code: 60 - 02 - 13
Bic: NWBK GB 2L
IBAN: GB42 NWBK 6002 1362 2341 45
The Membership and Other Depositors will henceforth use the same logic as above for bank ‘Reference’, for all deposits / paid-in transactions. Example: Prefix ‘SUBS’ Suffix 23 (or other such year) 2 only character numeral). In this case, the bank reference for subs paid in advance for 2023 will read SUBS-23 on the bank statement. Likewise, a donation to the Museum, bank reference will read Donation-Museum etc ; a purchase of Merchandise would read QM-Polo shirt etc .
A fixed date for final receipt of RLIRA UK / EU branch annual subscriptions, in advance into the bank has been set for midnight on the 30 November of each year for the next 3 years, commencing 30 November 2022 for 2023 subscriptions, SUBS-23.
· Reminders for subscription due by you will be sent out to all members 30days before due and again 14 days before due.
· In ‘special ’financial’ circumstances only, will a maximum of 2 equal split payments be accepted. The first payment being by 30th November each year SUBS-23/1 and SUBS-23/2 for the second the second being with 60 days of the first.
· Temporary or Permanent exemption from payment of annual subscriptions will be considered for exceptional financial difficulties only. An e-mail application, justifying the required exemption must be made direct to the RLIRA UK/ EU Branch ‘welfare officer’ 90 days before the 30th of November each year.
Amnesty is in effect immediately until 30th November 2022, for the entire RLIRA UK / EU branch membership for the non-payment of past subs. However, we appeal to all members to ‘volunteer’ to pay any arrear subs. There will be no need for explanation, nor any questions asked about the amounts paid or for which years they apply. This information will remain private and confidential; bank reference is SUBS- Arrears
·
We will accept
multiple subs payments in advance for the next 3 years, based on the 2023 rate
published in Treasury Amendment 2/2022.bank reference to be used is SUBS-23/24/25.
Deryck Stokes
Treasurer
07838929275
Treasury-Amendment 2/ 2022
The Following Rules are instituted with immediate effect:
All
request for ‘Refund’ for any and all deposits made by members of RLIRA
worldwide will not be considered for payment after 31st Aug
2022. This rule does not apply to
‘outsider’ donors.
Deryck Stokes
Treasurer
07838929275
Treasury-Amendment 3/ 2022
The Following Rules are instituted with immediate effect:
Please direct all financial enquiries, comment and suggestions directly to me, as per details below. You may of course, copy in any committee member of the RLIRA UK/EU branch directly for comment and back-up..
Deryck Stokes
Treasurer
07838929275
Treasury-Amendment 4/ 2022
The Following subscriptions are increased to cover the overall inflation rate of over 8% in the United Kingdom. We have kept the subs increase to below 6%.
From 1st December 2022 subscriptions for all categories, bar ‘Honorary’ Member’ will be a standard £35.00 per annum per member including the members spouse/partner, children and grandchildren, even family friends at social gatherings. The membership category ‘Family Member’ thus falls away. Included in the £35.00 amount is a welfare levy of £10.00 for 2023 only per annum to be allocated to a the new ‘welfare’ funding project.
Deryck Stokes
The following Treasury Amendment 5/2022 is approved for publication/notification by the Chairman.
When any person joins or gets nominated the for membership of the RLIRA UK/EU branch for the first time, the following rules apply immediately.
Deryck Stokes
Treasurer
0044 (0) 78389289275
Open Meeting of the RLIRA UK/Eu Branch held at the RAFA Club Bedford on Saturday 2 July 2022 at 1230hrs
Click below to download as a PDF document
Report Back from call sign “Delta Lima”
Greetings one and all. Trusting this letter finds all members, their families, and close ones in good health.
It is the intention of the newsletters to provide info on any upcoming events/dates etc as well as points of interest and importance, relevant to the Battalion and its members.
Please click below to download the newsletter
© 2023 | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Website login | Admin |