MARCH 2014

H.M.S. Ajax & River Plate VeteransAssociation

NEWSLETTER

NEC QUISQUAM NISI AJAX

CONTENTS

Chairman/Editor's Remarks

Archivist / Memorial Report

Membership Secretary Report

Memories of the Royal Navy

What was … a tot of rum

The Flag

The Memorable Order of Tin Hats

75th Anniversary Polo Shirt

2.

H.M.S. AJAX & RIVER PLATE VETERANS ASSOCIATION.

CHAIRMAN/SECRETARYNEWSLETTER EDITORPeter Danks104 Kelsey AvenueSouthbourneEmsworthHampshire PO10 8NQTel: 01243 371947pandedanks@btinternet.com

TREASURERAlf LarkinLime Kiln CottageNo 2 Easton LanePortland DT5 1BWTel: 01305457259alflarkin@btinternet.com

ARCHIVISTMalcolm Collis‘The Bewicks’, Station RoadTen Mile Bank,Downham MarketNorfolk PE38 0EUMobile: 07717 559594malcolm.collis@gmail.com

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Mrs Judi Collis‘The Bewicks’, Station RoadTen Mile Bank,Downham MarketNorfolk PE38 0EUMobile: 07736 929641malcolm.collis@gmail.com

www.hmsajax.org

3.

CHAIRMAN'S/EDITOR'S REMARKS

I hope this unseasonable period of wet weather has not caused too many problems with you all – I suppose we can think Spring is around the corner as we go into March. Let us hope so anyway.

Web Site Still a very popular place to find out what is going on within the Association. Please let Malcolm know if you have some useful additions to the site.

Subscriptions Subscriptions are now over due. By payment of subs, it helps Judi to keep in touch with you and to ensure our list of members is kept up to date. There was no increase in the rate of £10 following agreement at last year's AGM.

Articles for the Newsletter Please take time to write an article or send in a picture for the newsletter – there must be many stories waiting to be published of your activities while serving or afterwards and there must be many Associate members who have tales to tell. Perhaps we ought to have a prize for the most entertaining article received and published.

Articles on this newsletter I recently heard from Ben Warlow, who some of the members will know was a Supply Officer on the Frigate. How many remember the story he has written.

There is also an article on the rum ration – now that must bring back memories to you who served in both the cruiser and frigate. What was it like getting your tot while on active service during the DDay landings or on active service in the Med. Did you get your tot at lunch time every day? Did you have to wait until Action Stations were fallen out before receiving your tot?

Dedication Ceremony – 12th April Malcolm has written up the latest news on the Dedication ceremony to be held on 12th April. Please get in touch with him if you wish to attend. There is a lot of preparatory work to do prior to the event and so it is important that we know how many are coming to the first of three important events in this, the 75th anniversary year. If you are unable to attend on the 12th April and may not be going to Canada, please make a note of the lunch to be held in Portsmouth on Saturday 13th December. There will be more details of this event in the June Newsletter including a Booking form, similar to that used for our Reunions.

Canvey Island Armed Forces Day – Saturday 28th June If any member is interested in attending this event, please would they contact Mrs Geraldine Vallis, Community and Events Officer on Canvey Island Town Council on 01268 683791. They will be very welcome.

Visit to Canada – June 2014 Message from Alf Larkin

The Town of Ajax are keen to know the numbers intending to visit in June. Any member who is going to Canada and has not yet been in touch with Alf Larkin are requested to do so urgently, either by telephone or email. Contact details on the inside cover of this newsletter.

ARCHIVIST UPDATEThe new property is still taking up much of our time and a very slow and very sick computer has made times frustrating, especially as there have been a plethora of emails bouncing backwards and forwards between the Memorial Committee members making sure the Memorial Dedication will be an event not to be forgotten.

My never-ending Wickes, Screwfix and B&Q orders continues to earn the memorial fund free money thanks to being registered with easyfundraising. You too could register with easyfundraising and earn us some more free money.

INFORMATION SOUGHT ON FORMER AJAX CREW MEMBERS

Not too many enquiries during this Newsletter period but I would be very pleased to receive information on the following:

FREDERICK POULTER

Julie Shaw is seeking information about her grandfather, Frederick Poulter who served on Ajax at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He died on 17 December 2013 and apparently always wanted to look for his mates.

ALFRED PEARCE

Lynda Kersey is also looking for information on her grandfather, Alfred Pearce who was on Ajax at some time and apparently sent home postcards from Russia (not aware of Ajax being near Russia) She was only aware that he went down with his ship in the War when he was a Petty Officer.

thI was able to give her the link to the war Grave Commission which advised a date of death as 17 January 1941 on the S.S. Almeda Star.

The Steam Passenger Ship Almeda Star was sunk by U-96 Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock. There were no survivors of the 360 crew. At 0508 hours on 17 Jan, 1941, U-96 was chasing an unknown steamer that already evaded three G7e torpedoes when the unescorted Almeda Star (Master Harry Cecil Howard, Commodore of the Blue Star Line) was spotted about 35 miles northeast of Rockall. The U-boat then fired a fourth G7e torpedo at the first steamer at 0710 hours, but it was also evaded and the boat forced to dive by gunfire. At 0745 hours, U-96 fired one G7e torpedo at the Almeda Star, which stopped after a hit amidships. As the ship did not sink after being hit in the stern and amidships by two coups de grâce at 0805 and 0907 hours, the U-boat surfaced to shell the ship. The Germans observed four lifeboats and still saw people on deck before opening fire from 0932 to 0948 hours, hitting with about 15 of 28 incendiary shells. Only small fires were started which soon went out, so another torpedo was fired at 0955 hours. The torpedo hit the forepart and caused her to sink by the bow within three minutes.

2.

H.M.S. AJAX & RIVER PLATE VETERANS ASSOCIATION.

CHAIRMAN/SECRETARYNEWSLETTER EDITORPeter Danks104 Kelsey AvenueSouthbourneEmsworthHampshire PO10 8NQTel: 01243 371947pandedanks@btinternet.com

TREASURERAlf LarkinLime Kiln CottageNo 2 Easton LanePortland DT5 1BWTel: 01305457259alflarkin@btinternet.com

ARCHIVISTMalcolm Collis‘The Bewicks’, Station RoadTen Mile Bank,Downham MarketNorfolk PE38 0EUMobile: 07717 559594malcolm.collis@gmail.com

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Mrs Judi Collis‘The Bewicks’, Station RoadTen Mile Bank,Downham MarketNorfolk PE38 0EUMobile: 07736 929641malcolm.collis@gmail.com

www.hmsajax.org

3.

CHAIRMAN'S/EDITOR'S REMARKS

I hope this unseasonable period of wet weather has not caused too many problems with you all – I suppose we can think Spring is around the corner as we go into March. Let us hope so anyway.

Web Site Still a very popular place to find out what is going on within the Association. Please let Malcolm know if you have some useful additions to the site.

Subscriptions Subscriptions are now over due. By payment of subs, it helps Judi to keep in touch with you and to ensure our list of members is kept up to date. There was no increase in the rate of £10 following agreement at last year's AGM.

Articles for the Newsletter Please take time to write an article or send in a picture for the newsletter – there must be many stories waiting to be published of your activities while serving or afterwards and there must be many Associate members who have tales to tell. Perhaps we ought to have a prize for the most entertaining article received and published.

Articles on this newsletter I recently heard from Ben Warlow, who some of the members will know was a Supply Officer on the Frigate. How many remember the story he has written.

There is also an article on the rum ration – now that must bring back memories to you who served in both the cruiser and frigate. What was it like getting your tot while on active service during the DDay landings or on active service in the Med. Did you get your tot at lunch time every day? Did you have to wait until Action Stations were fallen out before receiving your tot?

Dedication Ceremony – 12th April Malcolm has written up the latest news on the Dedication ceremony to be held on 12th April. Please get in touch with him if you wish to attend. There is a lot of preparatory work to do prior to the event and so it is important that we know how many are coming to the first of three important events in this, the 75th anniversary year. If you are unable to attend on the 12th April and may not be going to Canada, please make a note of the lunch to be held in Portsmouth on Saturday 13th December. There will be more details of this event in the June Newsletter including a Booking form, similar to that used for our Reunions.

Canvey Island Armed Forces Day – Saturday 28th June If any member is interested in attending this event, please would they contact Mrs Geraldine Vallis, Community and Events Officer on Canvey Island Town Council on 01268 683791. They will be very welcome.

Visit to Canada – June 2014 Message from Alf Larkin

The Town of Ajax are keen to know the numbers intending to visit in June. Any member who is going to Canada and has not yet been in touch with Alf Larkin are requested to do so urgently, either by telephone or email. Contact details on the inside cover of this newsletter.

ARCHIVIST UPDATEThe new property is still taking up much of our time and a very slow and very sick computer has made times frustrating, especially as there have been a plethora of emails bouncing backwards and forwards between the Memorial Committee members making sure the Memorial Dedication will be an event not to be forgotten.

My never-ending Wickes, Screwfix and B&Q orders continues to earn the memorial fund free money thanks to being registered with easyfundraising. You too could register with easyfundraising and earn us some more free money.

INFORMATION SOUGHT ON FORMER AJAX CREW MEMBERS

Not too many enquiries during this Newsletter period but I would be very pleased to receive information on the following:

FREDERICK POULTER

Julie Shaw is seeking information about her grandfather, Frederick Poulter who served on Ajax at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He died on 17 December 2013 and apparently always wanted to look for his mates.

ALFRED PEARCE

Lynda Kersey is also looking for information on her grandfather, Alfred Pearce who was on Ajax at some time and apparently sent home postcards from Russia (not aware of Ajax being near Russia) She was only aware that he went down with his ship in the War when he was a Petty Officer.

thI was able to give her the link to the war Grave Commission which advised a date of death as 17 January 1941 on the S.S. Almeda Star.

The Steam Passenger Ship Almeda Star was sunk by U-96 Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock. There were no survivors of the 360 crew. At 0508 hours on 17 Jan, 1941, U-96 was chasing an unknown steamer that already evaded three G7e torpedoes when the unescorted Almeda Star (Master Harry Cecil Howard, Commodore of the Blue Star Line) was spotted about 35 miles northeast of Rockall. The U-boat then fired a fourth G7e torpedo at the first steamer at 0710 hours, but it was also evaded and the boat forced to dive by gunfire. At 0745 hours, U-96 fired one G7e torpedo at the Almeda Star, which stopped after a hit amidships. As the ship did not sink after being hit in the stern and amidships by two coups de grâce at 0805 and 0907 hours, the U-boat surfaced to shell the ship. The Germans observed four lifeboats and still saw people on deck before opening fire from 0932 to 0948 hours, hitting with about 15 of 28 incendiary shells. Only small fires were started which soon went out, so another torpedo was fired at 0955 hours. The torpedo hit the forepart and caused her to sink by the bow within three minutes.

4. 5.

Destroyers were ordered to search the area, but found no survivors. The master, 136 crew members, 29 gunners and 194 passengers were lost. Among the passengers were 21 officers and 121 ratings of the FAA (749, 750 & 752 FAA-Sqdn) en route to RNAS Piarco, Trinidad.

I also gave Lynda the MOD link so she can get her grandfather's service record.

HENRY SCOGGINS (misspelt as Soggins on some records)

Rosemary Capper is seeking more information about her father Henry Scoggins. Henry (Corporal CH/X1621) was part of the Royal Marine detachment on Ajax at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He joined the Royal Marines just before the war with another crew member Sammy Shale (well known to many of us who crossed the bar October 2012). Of the 40 men who passed out of training, 38 were drafted to HMS Hood; Henry and Sam were sent to Ajax. Fate obviously play a part as the other 38 all went down when the Hood was sunk.

He used to say his greatest achievement was becoming a G1 which put him in charge of a gun turret. He had many photographs including one of the Graff Spee with an enormous hole marked 'courtesy of the Ajax’.

RONALD ARTHUR REEVE

Janine Ripley would like any information about her father Ronald Reeve. He was about 17 at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He spent the latter years of the war in submarines. As a result of this enquiry Janine hopes to attend the NMA in April.

GEORGE LANDELS PATTERSONDavid Patterson is after information about his father George Patterson. He died at the age of 68 some 7 years ago. He apparently served on the Frigate straight from school but the Frigate was not commissioned until 1963 so not too certain this is correct. He was originally from Berwick but David was born in Portsmouth in 1976 and was apparently christened on-board Ajax in 1977. David is trying to gather information for the grandchildren who never knew him. Funnily enough, I received an NMA invitation form from Clifford Pantry who is bringing along his daughter who was also christened on Ajax, but in 1975. Was this a common occurrence and does anyone remember a christening in 1977?

EDWARD ASHLEIGH G COOPER

Sandra Hill would like any information about her father Edward Cooper. He was on Ajax in 1940. Unfortunately he died in 1989 and Sandra is putting together the family history so would like any information we have.

Malcolm Collis – Archivist

MEMORIAL UNVEILING AND DEDICATION

Your Memorial Committee members have been working extremely hard to make sure the Memorial and the Dedication day on Saturday 12th April 2014 are as they should be. We all met at the NMA at the beginning of the month together with the stonemason and NMA representatives to consider the final wording and layout. Minor amendments and changes were made and the next step will be to sign off the design. The black granite is coming from India so we are a little nervous that it reaches our shores in time to be carved!

Thanks to all those who have responded to either the email or postal invitations but there are still quite a few members yet to respond, one way or the other – don't forget that we have put a deadline of 1st March for replies. IF YOU INTEND COMING ALONG; PLEASE ACT NOW.

Details about the NMA can be found on their website at www.thenma.org.uk. The centre opens at 9 a.m. and entry is free although car parking costs £3 including the disable parking spots. A café is situated in the centre. If you get there early it is well worth a trip through the grounds to view the many other memorials particularly the centrepiece, the Armed Forces Memorial.

There will be a welcome desk as you enter the centre and the days programme and directions will be explained. The site of our memorial is about 250 metres from the centre and a shuttle will be available for the less mobile. Mobility scooters are also available but are likely to be in short supply so please let us know if you would like one. Limited seating will be available around the memorial site. Hopefully the weather will be glorious but please come prepared as the site is quite exposed; in the event of atrocious weather we do have an indoor option.

Timings for the day is as follows:

1120 - 1129 Gather at Memorial site

1130 – 1200 Dedication Service

1200 - 1210 Official Photographs

1210 - 1220 Move to Marquee for luncheon (for those who have pre-booked)

1250 – 1420 Luncheon

1430 – 1520 Presentation by Jonathan Harwood, Grandson of Commodore Harwood, on The Battle of the River Plate. This will be open to everyone.

If you have any problems on the day please telephone 07736 929641 or 07717 559594.

Malcolm Collis

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S UPDATE

Geoff Hopkinson

4th July 2013 aged 89. We have recently been informed of the death of Geoff. Geoff was immensely proud of his service with the Ajax and had been an active member of our association, visiting the town of Ajax on one of your visits back in 1999. Geoff joined the Ajax in 1943 as a Radar Operator, later becoming a Chief Petty Officer. He saw service in the Mediterranean including the invasions of Italy and the South of France and was on board the Ajax for D-Day and the Normandy campaign. In 1945 he was transferred to the Valiant. After the war, Geoff trained as a Teacher and spent 33 years teaching at the Duke of York's Royal Military School in Kent. A long-serving member of the Ajax Association, Geoff attended many re-unions including the 1999 trip to Ajax in Ontario. His Ajax Street is Hopkinson Crescent.

Richard and brother Nigel always enjoyed dad's Geoff's stories of life on board the Ajax and wishing to continue the family links have both joined as Associate Members.

4. 5.

Destroyers were ordered to search the area, but found no survivors. The master, 136 crew members, 29 gunners and 194 passengers were lost. Among the passengers were 21 officers and 121 ratings of the FAA (749, 750 & 752 FAA-Sqdn) en route to RNAS Piarco, Trinidad.

I also gave Lynda the MOD link so she can get her grandfather's service record.

HENRY SCOGGINS (misspelt as Soggins on some records)

Rosemary Capper is seeking more information about her father Henry Scoggins. Henry (Corporal CH/X1621) was part of the Royal Marine detachment on Ajax at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He joined the Royal Marines just before the war with another crew member Sammy Shale (well known to many of us who crossed the bar October 2012). Of the 40 men who passed out of training, 38 were drafted to HMS Hood; Henry and Sam were sent to Ajax. Fate obviously play a part as the other 38 all went down when the Hood was sunk.

He used to say his greatest achievement was becoming a G1 which put him in charge of a gun turret. He had many photographs including one of the Graff Spee with an enormous hole marked 'courtesy of the Ajax’.

RONALD ARTHUR REEVE

Janine Ripley would like any information about her father Ronald Reeve. He was about 17 at the time of The Battle of the River Plate. He spent the latter years of the war in submarines. As a result of this enquiry Janine hopes to attend the NMA in April.

GEORGE LANDELS PATTERSONDavid Patterson is after information about his father George Patterson. He died at the age of 68 some 7 years ago. He apparently served on the Frigate straight from school but the Frigate was not commissioned until 1963 so not too certain this is correct. He was originally from Berwick but David was born in Portsmouth in 1976 and was apparently christened on-board Ajax in 1977. David is trying to gather information for the grandchildren who never knew him. Funnily enough, I received an NMA invitation form from Clifford Pantry who is bringing along his daughter who was also christened on Ajax, but in 1975. Was this a common occurrence and does anyone remember a christening in 1977?

EDWARD ASHLEIGH G COOPER

Sandra Hill would like any information about her father Edward Cooper. He was on Ajax in 1940. Unfortunately he died in 1989 and Sandra is putting together the family history so would like any information we have.

Malcolm Collis – Archivist

MEMORIAL UNVEILING AND DEDICATION

Your Memorial Committee members have been working extremely hard to make sure the Memorial and the Dedication day on Saturday 12th April 2014 are as they should be. We all met at the NMA at the beginning of the month together with the stonemason and NMA representatives to consider the final wording and layout. Minor amendments and changes were made and the next step will be to sign off the design. The black granite is coming from India so we are a little nervous that it reaches our shores in time to be carved!

Thanks to all those who have responded to either the email or postal invitations but there are still quite a few members yet to respond, one way or the other – don't forget that we have put a deadline of 1st March for replies. IF YOU INTEND COMING ALONG; PLEASE ACT NOW.

Details about the NMA can be found on their website at www.thenma.org.uk. The centre opens at 9 a.m. and entry is free although car parking costs £3 including the disable parking spots. A café is situated in the centre. If you get there early it is well worth a trip through the grounds to view the many other memorials particularly the centrepiece, the Armed Forces Memorial.

There will be a welcome desk as you enter the centre and the days programme and directions will be explained. The site of our memorial is about 250 metres from the centre and a shuttle will be available for the less mobile. Mobility scooters are also available but are likely to be in short supply so please let us know if you would like one. Limited seating will be available around the memorial site. Hopefully the weather will be glorious but please come prepared as the site is quite exposed; in the event of atrocious weather we do have an indoor option.

Timings for the day is as follows:

1120 - 1129 Gather at Memorial site

1130 – 1200 Dedication Service

1200 - 1210 Official Photographs

1210 - 1220 Move to Marquee for luncheon (for those who have pre-booked)

1250 – 1420 Luncheon

1430 – 1520 Presentation by Jonathan Harwood, Grandson of Commodore Harwood, on The Battle of the River Plate. This will be open to everyone.

If you have any problems on the day please telephone 07736 929641 or 07717 559594.

Malcolm Collis

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S UPDATE

Geoff Hopkinson

4th July 2013 aged 89. We have recently been informed of the death of Geoff. Geoff was immensely proud of his service with the Ajax and had been an active member of our association, visiting the town of Ajax on one of your visits back in 1999. Geoff joined the Ajax in 1943 as a Radar Operator, later becoming a Chief Petty Officer. He saw service in the Mediterranean including the invasions of Italy and the South of France and was on board the Ajax for D-Day and the Normandy campaign. In 1945 he was transferred to the Valiant. After the war, Geoff trained as a Teacher and spent 33 years teaching at the Duke of York's Royal Military School in Kent. A long-serving member of the Ajax Association, Geoff attended many re-unions including the 1999 trip to Ajax in Ontario. His Ajax Street is Hopkinson Crescent.

Richard and brother Nigel always enjoyed dad's Geoff's stories of life on board the Ajax and wishing to continue the family links have both joined as Associate Members.

6. 7.

Reginald Austin Dolby

Another late notification of the death of Reg on 2nd December 2013.

A familiar sight at our reunions and Canada visits, Reg, in his wheelchair, was often seen making for the front door where he can have a puff! Reg was born on 16th June 1924 and lived near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk with wife Estelle, another familiar face at reunions and visits.

At the tender age of 16, and a bit, Reg, having told The Admiralty he was 18½, joined the Navy when the Second World War had just entered its second year. Off he went to HMS Collingwood in Hampshire for training for 3 months until early 1941 when he was drafted to HMS Pembroke at Chatham to continue his training. Here he moved between Pembroke and St Mary's Island where he joined C Company Naval Battalion. He finished his training as a Machine Gunner.

He was drafted to the Middle East in October 1941 and arrived at Sidi Bishr in Alexandria before moving on to C Company at Derna, Benghazi and Tobruk in Libya. Here he undertook harbour defence duties including transferring wounded onto hospital ships and making harbour boom nets for HMS Magnet. The surprise attack by Rommel in his second offensive of Tobruk on 21st June 1942 saw Reg being evacuated by HM Yacht “Eskimo Nell”, only to be sunk by an E boat off Bardia, Libya, and taken Prisoner of War. He was taken to Derna then Benghazi, before being shipped on a fishing boat to Brindisi on the Italian heel. He ended up near Rome in the 'Fara in Sabina' region where Reg spent the rest of '42 and much of '43 as a POW before being transferred to Germany. Reg became a POW in Stalag No. 1943-45 but ended up in Stalag 8B, later to become No. 344, at Lamsdorf, about 40 miles from Breslau near the now Polish border.

On 3rd January 1945, with the advance of the Russian Forces, the prisoners in Stalag 8B-344 were forced by their captors to set out on 'The Long March', getting on for 800 miles, across Germany, in sub-zero temperatures. The 1000 strong column set out with just one loaf of black bread issued per two prisoners and they averaged 20 kilometres a day, sometimes 25, stopping off in barns for rest. If they were very lucky the barns held produce and they could 'borrow' grain, potatoes or swedes, all eaten raw, to supplement the often late bread deliveries. Throughout the whole march there was no hot food or drink for the prisoners. Needless to say, the cold and mountains took their toll. By March '45 the column was passing through a wooded area at Bad Gandeshein near Kessel in now Belgium, when Reg and S/Seaman Kerr managed to give the guards the slip.

Two days later he had the good fortune to be picked up by an American Patrol and just 5 days later he was on a plane flying home from Brussels. The next day he was back at HMS Pembroke to be re-kitted but then sent on a well-deserved 90 days recuperation leave during which the war ended.

By July 1945 he was back at Pembroke on readjustment training and as a working party on HMS Battleaxe, Euryalus & Crossbow in charge of mothballing.

In 1946 Reg joined the Ajax in the Mediterranean as Quarter Master Fore Top Division and remained there for two years where he qualified as Leading Seaman. He visited numerous Mediterranean ports and Ajax was the lead ship in the capture of Exodus used for transporting illegal immigrants.

1948 saw him back at Pembroke where he qualified as a Quarter Armourer (QA2) and on to Sheerness where he was involved in mothballing some of the reserve fleet, during which time he passed his Petty Officer's course. In 1950 he was part of the trial crew for HMS Dainty and later that year he qualified as Acting Petty Officer and QA1. The following year he was drafted to HMS Superb in the West Indies where he was confirmed as Petty Officer. He was back at Pembroke by 1952 but rather than retire he had to serve an extra year, on barrack duties, thanks to the Korean War but by 1953 Reg finally retired to the Reserve Fleet.

Reg entered the pub trade as manager where he stayed until 1963 before moving on to become a breakdown fitter responsible for a range of equipment at the Johnson Matthey bullion refinery. Reg retired in 1986.

Reg and Estelle were unable to attend the Reunions in 2011 or 2012 due to Reg’s ill health but we were very pleased to see them both at the October 2013 and they were hoping to visit Ajax in June - he will be sadly missed.

MY MEMORIES OF THE ROYAL NAVY(By a Bell ringer from East Ewell)

My granddaughter asked me how long I had been in the Navy and off hand I couldn't remember. However, I turned up some long forgotten papers and found that Ordinary Seaman C/JX 350584 accepted the King's 1/- or was it 2/6d on 13 March 1942 and was discharged as an Acting Lieutenant on 20 May 1946. To answer her question therefore – a little over 4 years. Service was for 'Hostilities Only' and in fact it was only my time in AJAX that involved enemy action; so what was I doing the rest of the time?

I tried to persuade Jack Fielding, a past member of this Association with a road named after him, who thcrossed the bar a short time ago, to record how he, as a member of the Navy, came to serve with the 8

Army in North Africa. He was rather ill at the time and could not be persuaded but I thought his story might have been of interest to members. It seems likely that other members may also have had interesting experiences, so I thought I would start the ball rolling in the hope it will stir those little grey cells before we all cross the bar.

Shortly after joining HMS GANGES, we must have had a lesson on how to put on, the strange uniform and likewise how to deal with a hammock and I find it strange that I have no recollection of this. But I do remember the class on how to strip and reassemble a Lewis gun because the Chief Petty Officer giving the talk could have been a stand-up comedian in alternative comedy in the present day; also how seriously we took soundings on dry land and shouting “by the mark”.

I feel sure everyone who has been to GANGES will remember the mast. Some had problems with heights while others did not. I watched some climb to the top and sit on the button, while one, reputedly a fisherman from Newfoundland, actually stood on the top and semaphored – I think all those watching must have held their breath. Anyway, I decided to try and climb to the top and did so one sunny evening and hung on tight to the lightning conductor. I then made the mistake of looking down and hung on even tighter and wondered how I was going to get down. I eventually summed up the courage and got down and once on terra firma, resolved never to do that again.

After GANGES we were sent to Chatham where we slung hammocks in the tunnel; presumably in case of air raids. During the day we were employed in various ways; one was to escort prisoner from the guardhouse to the pussers stores to be kitted out according to KR and AI. I got some idea of the length of their sentence by the amount of soap they brought out. Another duty was at the Diving School where we had to man the pump because they still used the old heavy gear.

Finally we were marched to the docks, where, to my surprise at least, we joined the then famous ship called AJAX. One memory I recollect was rolling cigarettes made from pussers' tickler. Next stop Scapa Flow, which as Richard Llewellyn has described, is not much fun in the winter. He could also have been describing our voyage through the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar.

WHAT WAS …. A TOT OF RUM?'RUM, SODOMY and the lash' was Churchill's response to a pompus admiral banging on about naval tradition. During my National Service naval days in the early Fifties I never encountered any sodomy, and the lash had been gone for over eighty years, but the daily tot of rum was still the alcoholic staple for the lower deck.

One of my responsibilities as a very junior officer was supervising the issue of rum – not as mundane a task as it may sound, as that honey-brown liquid is powerful, and can even be lethal. At noon the ship's loudspeakers would ring with the strident whistle of the bosun's call, followed by the command: 'Up Spirits'. In a central lobby the supply ratings had placed a large oak barrel with 'The Queen, God Bless Her' in brass on its side, and a set of copper measuring jugs from small, one tot, to large.

The first to arrive with their jugs were the 'cooks' from the chief and petty officers' messes; the senior rates were trusted to have about three normal pub measures, neat, taken from the wicker wrapped stone jars in which the rum was stored. The amount needed for the rest, with a little over for safety,

6. 7.

Reginald Austin Dolby

Another late notification of the death of Reg on 2nd December 2013.

A familiar sight at our reunions and Canada visits, Reg, in his wheelchair, was often seen making for the front door where he can have a puff! Reg was born on 16th June 1924 and lived near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk with wife Estelle, another familiar face at reunions and visits.

At the tender age of 16, and a bit, Reg, having told The Admiralty he was 18½, joined the Navy when the Second World War had just entered its second year. Off he went to HMS Collingwood in Hampshire for training for 3 months until early 1941 when he was drafted to HMS Pembroke at Chatham to continue his training. Here he moved between Pembroke and St Mary's Island where he joined C Company Naval Battalion. He finished his training as a Machine Gunner.

He was drafted to the Middle East in October 1941 and arrived at Sidi Bishr in Alexandria before moving on to C Company at Derna, Benghazi and Tobruk in Libya. Here he undertook harbour defence duties including transferring wounded onto hospital ships and making harbour boom nets for HMS Magnet. The surprise attack by Rommel in his second offensive of Tobruk on 21st June 1942 saw Reg being evacuated by HM Yacht “Eskimo Nell”, only to be sunk by an E boat off Bardia, Libya, and taken Prisoner of War. He was taken to Derna then Benghazi, before being shipped on a fishing boat to Brindisi on the Italian heel. He ended up near Rome in the 'Fara in Sabina' region where Reg spent the rest of '42 and much of '43 as a POW before being transferred to Germany. Reg became a POW in Stalag No. 1943-45 but ended up in Stalag 8B, later to become No. 344, at Lamsdorf, about 40 miles from Breslau near the now Polish border.

On 3rd January 1945, with the advance of the Russian Forces, the prisoners in Stalag 8B-344 were forced by their captors to set out on 'The Long March', getting on for 800 miles, across Germany, in sub-zero temperatures. The 1000 strong column set out with just one loaf of black bread issued per two prisoners and they averaged 20 kilometres a day, sometimes 25, stopping off in barns for rest. If they were very lucky the barns held produce and they could 'borrow' grain, potatoes or swedes, all eaten raw, to supplement the often late bread deliveries. Throughout the whole march there was no hot food or drink for the prisoners. Needless to say, the cold and mountains took their toll. By March '45 the column was passing through a wooded area at Bad Gandeshein near Kessel in now Belgium, when Reg and S/Seaman Kerr managed to give the guards the slip.

Two days later he had the good fortune to be picked up by an American Patrol and just 5 days later he was on a plane flying home from Brussels. The next day he was back at HMS Pembroke to be re-kitted but then sent on a well-deserved 90 days recuperation leave during which the war ended.

By July 1945 he was back at Pembroke on readjustment training and as a working party on HMS Battleaxe, Euryalus & Crossbow in charge of mothballing.

In 1946 Reg joined the Ajax in the Mediterranean as Quarter Master Fore Top Division and remained there for two years where he qualified as Leading Seaman. He visited numerous Mediterranean ports and Ajax was the lead ship in the capture of Exodus used for transporting illegal immigrants.

1948 saw him back at Pembroke where he qualified as a Quarter Armourer (QA2) and on to Sheerness where he was involved in mothballing some of the reserve fleet, during which time he passed his Petty Officer's course. In 1950 he was part of the trial crew for HMS Dainty and later that year he qualified as Acting Petty Officer and QA1. The following year he was drafted to HMS Superb in the West Indies where he was confirmed as Petty Officer. He was back at Pembroke by 1952 but rather than retire he had to serve an extra year, on barrack duties, thanks to the Korean War but by 1953 Reg finally retired to the Reserve Fleet.

Reg entered the pub trade as manager where he stayed until 1963 before moving on to become a breakdown fitter responsible for a range of equipment at the Johnson Matthey bullion refinery. Reg retired in 1986.

Reg and Estelle were unable to attend the Reunions in 2011 or 2012 due to Reg’s ill health but we were very pleased to see them both at the October 2013 and they were hoping to visit Ajax in June - he will be sadly missed.

MY MEMORIES OF THE ROYAL NAVY(By a Bell ringer from East Ewell)

My granddaughter asked me how long I had been in the Navy and off hand I couldn't remember. However, I turned up some long forgotten papers and found that Ordinary Seaman C/JX 350584 accepted the King's 1/- or was it 2/6d on 13 March 1942 and was discharged as an Acting Lieutenant on 20 May 1946. To answer her question therefore – a little over 4 years. Service was for 'Hostilities Only' and in fact it was only my time in AJAX that involved enemy action; so what was I doing the rest of the time?

I tried to persuade Jack Fielding, a past member of this Association with a road named after him, who thcrossed the bar a short time ago, to record how he, as a member of the Navy, came to serve with the 8

Army in North Africa. He was rather ill at the time and could not be persuaded but I thought his story might have been of interest to members. It seems likely that other members may also have had interesting experiences, so I thought I would start the ball rolling in the hope it will stir those little grey cells before we all cross the bar.

Shortly after joining HMS GANGES, we must have had a lesson on how to put on, the strange uniform and likewise how to deal with a hammock and I find it strange that I have no recollection of this. But I do remember the class on how to strip and reassemble a Lewis gun because the Chief Petty Officer giving the talk could have been a stand-up comedian in alternative comedy in the present day; also how seriously we took soundings on dry land and shouting “by the mark”.

I feel sure everyone who has been to GANGES will remember the mast. Some had problems with heights while others did not. I watched some climb to the top and sit on the button, while one, reputedly a fisherman from Newfoundland, actually stood on the top and semaphored – I think all those watching must have held their breath. Anyway, I decided to try and climb to the top and did so one sunny evening and hung on tight to the lightning conductor. I then made the mistake of looking down and hung on even tighter and wondered how I was going to get down. I eventually summed up the courage and got down and once on terra firma, resolved never to do that again.

After GANGES we were sent to Chatham where we slung hammocks in the tunnel; presumably in case of air raids. During the day we were employed in various ways; one was to escort prisoner from the guardhouse to the pussers stores to be kitted out according to KR and AI. I got some idea of the length of their sentence by the amount of soap they brought out. Another duty was at the Diving School where we had to man the pump because they still used the old heavy gear.

Finally we were marched to the docks, where, to my surprise at least, we joined the then famous ship called AJAX. One memory I recollect was rolling cigarettes made from pussers' tickler. Next stop Scapa Flow, which as Richard Llewellyn has described, is not much fun in the winter. He could also have been describing our voyage through the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar.

WHAT WAS …. A TOT OF RUM?'RUM, SODOMY and the lash' was Churchill's response to a pompus admiral banging on about naval tradition. During my National Service naval days in the early Fifties I never encountered any sodomy, and the lash had been gone for over eighty years, but the daily tot of rum was still the alcoholic staple for the lower deck.

One of my responsibilities as a very junior officer was supervising the issue of rum – not as mundane a task as it may sound, as that honey-brown liquid is powerful, and can even be lethal. At noon the ship's loudspeakers would ring with the strident whistle of the bosun's call, followed by the command: 'Up Spirits'. In a central lobby the supply ratings had placed a large oak barrel with 'The Queen, God Bless Her' in brass on its side, and a set of copper measuring jugs from small, one tot, to large.

The first to arrive with their jugs were the 'cooks' from the chief and petty officers' messes; the senior rates were trusted to have about three normal pub measures, neat, taken from the wicker wrapped stone jars in which the rum was stored. The amount needed for the rest, with a little over for safety,

8. 9.

would then be poured into the barrel and twice the quantity of water added to make 'grog' – which had to be drunk quickly as it went sour after a couple of hours. It was said that 'grog' had been named after the eighteenth century Admiral Vernon, who ordered the dilution with water and was known as 'Old Grog' because he wore a uniform made of coarse grogram cloth.

The 'cooks' would then arrive from the junior ratings' messes with their jugs. Every man over twenty was entitled to three tots of the diluted liquid – about half a pint. To prevent its being snaffled, anything that remained in the barrel was tipped over the side.

Problems could arise back in the messes. Each man was supposed to down his own glass and no more, but there were a number of practices, in particular 'sippers' and 'gulpers', which enabled more to be consumed. For 'sippers' a man was allowed a sip from a messmate's glass and for 'gulpers' a generous gulp with a bounce of the Adam's apple. They were usually offered in return for a favour, but what often caused serious problems was the tradition that a man could have 'sippers' from all his messmates on his birthday. Tragedy could follow if he found an out-of the-way corner to sleep it off and then choked on his own vomit.

On special occasions the Admiralty would signal 'splice the mainbrace', and every man would get a second tot, a tradition which harked back to the arduous days of sail.

The rum tradition was ended in 1970. For some time the naval hierarchy had been concerned about the effect on men employed in more sensitive tasks than those of the traditional seaman; it is not easy to monitor a radar screen or arm a sensitive fuse when slightly befuddled. Canned beer was made available through the ship's NAAFI, and the tot vanished.

So what did I make of my tot? Nothing. I never had one. I was well under twenty, and on Coronation Day I was still too young. But I did sample some many years later. In the Eighties I worked in a Fleet Street newsroom and I covered a story about the sort of rum used by the Royal Navy. I was offered a bottle; on the day Prince Charles married Diana I brought it out for a celebration round the office. I took quite a quantity myself, and, wow, did it hit me. The sight of Rodney Bennett completely Brahms and Liszt – not, I assure you, a common one – was the talk of the office for days.

By Editor. This is a copy of an article by Rodney Bennett and is published with permission of the Editor of The Oldie Magazine. I am sure it will bring back many memories – some good and maybe some not so good – of the Tot issue. I am sure members are very grateful to Alf for continuing to promote this tradition at our Reunions. Perhaps this is an opportunity for my post bag to receive some contributions from members on their recollection of their tot issue. So please put your pens to paper or email me on receipt of this reminder!!!!

THE FLAG by Ben Warlow

The Captain received a letter from the Cathedral at Bridgetown, Barbados offering him an ensign from the previous AJAX. He sent for the First Lieutenant and after a chat they decided to accept the ensign, and hand it on to the RNA at Chatham, it being both the home port for the current AJAX and her predecessor. Letters were sent, and a delighted reply came from the RNA.

Soon afterwards there was another letter, from the RNA at Gillingham, claiming a stronger right to the ensign than the RNA at Chatham. Correspondence grew thick and fast between the two RNAs, and the Captain, wisely, decided to let them battle it out. The story grew too, that it was the Battle Ensign from the cruiser, damaged during the River Plate action. The correspondence started to come from lawyers, asserting rights of possession.

Then there arrived onboard a package from Barbados. On inspection it was clear that the ensign was a tatty old boat's ensign, nailed to a broom handle, which was riddled with holes from white ants. It was decided that the kindest move was to forward the package to the RNA Chatham, as first offered, and stand well back.

For some reason, no more was heard!!!!!

(By Ed – do any of you remember this episode – circa 1970– or if any of you are members at the RNA Chatham, do you recall what happened to the ensign?)

THE MEMORABLE ORDER OF TIN HATS (MOTH)By Malcolm Collis

On 17th October I received the following email through the Ajax website from a Tony Munnik:

“Good morning. I am the History and Archives member of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) here in South Africa. I have been advised of the existence of some Memorial plaques in a church in the Cape Province and it states these are in memory of members of the crew of HMS Ajax. Can you kindly advise me how I can find a crew list of HMS Ajax in order that I could verify these details?”

You will be forgiven if you have never heard of the MOTHS. However, for Judi and me it brought back happy memories. As many of you know, we shipped our expedition Land Rover to Cape Town in 2009 and spent a year travelling to remote parts of southern Africa taking in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe & Namibia.

On 28th October 2009, following a challenging border crossing from South Africa we entered Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was never on our initial itinerary but having heard encouraging reports on our travels and the fact that they had adopted the $US to stem the ridiculous inflation meant fuel was more readily available. The downside was that my 300 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note was now redundant – don't worry, it would have only bought a loaf of bread! The only problem with adopting the US dollar being that they only had notes and thus the 1 $US was the smallest denomination. With no coins available, change was given in the form of sweets or similar or if you were very lucky, South African Rand. Otherwise we had to buy a dollar's worth of whatever!

We decided to chance a visit; we were glad we did.

With fuel readily available and basic provisions to be found visiting the many well known reserves and parks was relatively easy, despite the frequent police and military checks; 7 in one day being the record. One less than enthusiastic gun check went like this – “Do you have any guns?” “No.” “Okay you can go,” but before we did we had a pleasant conversation about his country and the many problems.

Towards the end of our stay we crossed over to the north-west of the country and experienced the only problem we had getting fuel thanks to a Mr Mugabe commandeering it all for his Presidential visit to Victoria Falls. We spent 5 nights in the Hwange Park and were impressed with the wildlife, although

8. 9.

would then be poured into the barrel and twice the quantity of water added to make 'grog' – which had to be drunk quickly as it went sour after a couple of hours. It was said that 'grog' had been named after the eighteenth century Admiral Vernon, who ordered the dilution with water and was known as 'Old Grog' because he wore a uniform made of coarse grogram cloth.

The 'cooks' would then arrive from the junior ratings' messes with their jugs. Every man over twenty was entitled to three tots of the diluted liquid – about half a pint. To prevent its being snaffled, anything that remained in the barrel was tipped over the side.

Problems could arise back in the messes. Each man was supposed to down his own glass and no more, but there were a number of practices, in particular 'sippers' and 'gulpers', which enabled more to be consumed. For 'sippers' a man was allowed a sip from a messmate's glass and for 'gulpers' a generous gulp with a bounce of the Adam's apple. They were usually offered in return for a favour, but what often caused serious problems was the tradition that a man could have 'sippers' from all his messmates on his birthday. Tragedy could follow if he found an out-of the-way corner to sleep it off and then choked on his own vomit.

On special occasions the Admiralty would signal 'splice the mainbrace', and every man would get a second tot, a tradition which harked back to the arduous days of sail.

The rum tradition was ended in 1970. For some time the naval hierarchy had been concerned about the effect on men employed in more sensitive tasks than those of the traditional seaman; it is not easy to monitor a radar screen or arm a sensitive fuse when slightly befuddled. Canned beer was made available through the ship's NAAFI, and the tot vanished.

So what did I make of my tot? Nothing. I never had one. I was well under twenty, and on Coronation Day I was still too young. But I did sample some many years later. In the Eighties I worked in a Fleet Street newsroom and I covered a story about the sort of rum used by the Royal Navy. I was offered a bottle; on the day Prince Charles married Diana I brought it out for a celebration round the office. I took quite a quantity myself, and, wow, did it hit me. The sight of Rodney Bennett completely Brahms and Liszt – not, I assure you, a common one – was the talk of the office for days.

By Editor. This is a copy of an article by Rodney Bennett and is published with permission of the Editor of The Oldie Magazine. I am sure it will bring back many memories – some good and maybe some not so good – of the Tot issue. I am sure members are very grateful to Alf for continuing to promote this tradition at our Reunions. Perhaps this is an opportunity for my post bag to receive some contributions from members on their recollection of their tot issue. So please put your pens to paper or email me on receipt of this reminder!!!!

THE FLAG by Ben Warlow

The Captain received a letter from the Cathedral at Bridgetown, Barbados offering him an ensign from the previous AJAX. He sent for the First Lieutenant and after a chat they decided to accept the ensign, and hand it on to the RNA at Chatham, it being both the home port for the current AJAX and her predecessor. Letters were sent, and a delighted reply came from the RNA.

Soon afterwards there was another letter, from the RNA at Gillingham, claiming a stronger right to the ensign than the RNA at Chatham. Correspondence grew thick and fast between the two RNAs, and the Captain, wisely, decided to let them battle it out. The story grew too, that it was the Battle Ensign from the cruiser, damaged during the River Plate action. The correspondence started to come from lawyers, asserting rights of possession.

Then there arrived onboard a package from Barbados. On inspection it was clear that the ensign was a tatty old boat's ensign, nailed to a broom handle, which was riddled with holes from white ants. It was decided that the kindest move was to forward the package to the RNA Chatham, as first offered, and stand well back.

For some reason, no more was heard!!!!!

(By Ed – do any of you remember this episode – circa 1970– or if any of you are members at the RNA Chatham, do you recall what happened to the ensign?)

THE MEMORABLE ORDER OF TIN HATS (MOTH)By Malcolm Collis

On 17th October I received the following email through the Ajax website from a Tony Munnik:

“Good morning. I am the History and Archives member of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) here in South Africa. I have been advised of the existence of some Memorial plaques in a church in the Cape Province and it states these are in memory of members of the crew of HMS Ajax. Can you kindly advise me how I can find a crew list of HMS Ajax in order that I could verify these details?”

You will be forgiven if you have never heard of the MOTHS. However, for Judi and me it brought back happy memories. As many of you know, we shipped our expedition Land Rover to Cape Town in 2009 and spent a year travelling to remote parts of southern Africa taking in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe & Namibia.

On 28th October 2009, following a challenging border crossing from South Africa we entered Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was never on our initial itinerary but having heard encouraging reports on our travels and the fact that they had adopted the $US to stem the ridiculous inflation meant fuel was more readily available. The downside was that my 300 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note was now redundant – don't worry, it would have only bought a loaf of bread! The only problem with adopting the US dollar being that they only had notes and thus the 1 $US was the smallest denomination. With no coins available, change was given in the form of sweets or similar or if you were very lucky, South African Rand. Otherwise we had to buy a dollar's worth of whatever!

We decided to chance a visit; we were glad we did.

With fuel readily available and basic provisions to be found visiting the many well known reserves and parks was relatively easy, despite the frequent police and military checks; 7 in one day being the record. One less than enthusiastic gun check went like this – “Do you have any guns?” “No.” “Okay you can go,” but before we did we had a pleasant conversation about his country and the many problems.

Towards the end of our stay we crossed over to the north-west of the country and experienced the only problem we had getting fuel thanks to a Mr Mugabe commandeering it all for his Presidential visit to Victoria Falls. We spent 5 nights in the Hwange Park and were impressed with the wildlife, although

10. 11.

Entering the park we by chanced passed by what looked like a shrine and checked it out. It was a strange place set up by the Memorable Order of Tin Hats that we later found out was formed in 1927 to help military comrades in need. There were numerous names dotted all around the site and various memorials. Despite it slightly higgledy piggledy appearance it was quite moving - all the more so

thwhen we realised it was 11 o'clock on 11 November! (Check out www.moth.org.za)

Following a few days in the park, in complete solitude save the wildlife, we headed off for Botswana. We really had enjoyed a stay in Zimbabwe. The people were extremely friendly and genuinely pleased to meet us despite the poverty. We certainly will include a return visit when we go back on our next travels.As part of my reply to Tony I mentioned visiting Matopos and he came back to me to say he was originally from Bulawayo and knew the shrine well – small world. I've asked him to keep me updated with his researches and I'll keep you all posted.

most facilities were non-existent or very run down. At one waterhole campsite, alone save for a pride of lions, just to make life exciting, there was a young local, Donald, assigned to keep the camp tidy. One day he asked me if I had a newspaper he could have and when asked if this was to read or light a fire with he replied “to smoke”!

Following months of sun we finally ran into the wet season and when we left the park, heading back to the tarred road, we came across a lorry stuck in very sticky black cotton mud as they tried to avoid a fallen tree. The 3 park staff had been there all night but I cheered them up by telling them I had spotted fresh lion footprints a hundred yards from them. Not being one to miss an opportunity to play with my toys I soon had my winch hooked up and eventually managed to pull them free, impressing the gathering crowd of workers sent to clear the tree. I later received a very nice thank you email from the park manager.

Heading back south we entered a very flooded Bulawayo where we stayed in the City municipal camp allowing us to draw out some cash, buy provisions and visit an internet café. With the sun now shining we left Bulawayo west to the Matopos Park, famed for its amazing rock formations and resting place of Cecil Rhodes.

75th ANNIVERSARY POLO SHIRTOne of our members, Vic Wilson, has had a polo shirt designed to mark this year’s anniversary - see picture below.

The cost of the shirt is £15 plus p&p and the producer has said he will donate £4 per shirt sold to the Memorial Fund. If you would like a shirt, please send a cheque, made out to Mr J V Wilson, at 9 Ashleigh Avenue, Egham, Surrey, TW20 8LB.

ABSENCE OF REUNION PICTURESBy Editor - I wish to apologise to members for the absence of the Reunion pictures. I sent the CD to Colin, our printer, last Thursday and 5 days later they still have not turned up. Hence the shorter than usual newsletter but we will make up for it in June.

10. 11.

Entering the park we by chanced passed by what looked like a shrine and checked it out. It was a strange place set up by the Memorable Order of Tin Hats that we later found out was formed in 1927 to help military comrades in need. There were numerous names dotted all around the site and various memorials. Despite it slightly higgledy piggledy appearance it was quite moving - all the more so

thwhen we realised it was 11 o'clock on 11 November! (Check out www.moth.org.za)

Following a few days in the park, in complete solitude save the wildlife, we headed off for Botswana. We really had enjoyed a stay in Zimbabwe. The people were extremely friendly and genuinely pleased to meet us despite the poverty. We certainly will include a return visit when we go back on our next travels.As part of my reply to Tony I mentioned visiting Matopos and he came back to me to say he was originally from Bulawayo and knew the shrine well – small world. I've asked him to keep me updated with his researches and I'll keep you all posted.

most facilities were non-existent or very run down. At one waterhole campsite, alone save for a pride of lions, just to make life exciting, there was a young local, Donald, assigned to keep the camp tidy. One day he asked me if I had a newspaper he could have and when asked if this was to read or light a fire with he replied “to smoke”!

Following months of sun we finally ran into the wet season and when we left the park, heading back to the tarred road, we came across a lorry stuck in very sticky black cotton mud as they tried to avoid a fallen tree. The 3 park staff had been there all night but I cheered them up by telling them I had spotted fresh lion footprints a hundred yards from them. Not being one to miss an opportunity to play with my toys I soon had my winch hooked up and eventually managed to pull them free, impressing the gathering crowd of workers sent to clear the tree. I later received a very nice thank you email from the park manager.

Heading back south we entered a very flooded Bulawayo where we stayed in the City municipal camp allowing us to draw out some cash, buy provisions and visit an internet café. With the sun now shining we left Bulawayo west to the Matopos Park, famed for its amazing rock formations and resting place of Cecil Rhodes.

75th ANNIVERSARY POLO SHIRTOne of our members, Vic Wilson, has had a polo shirt designed to mark this year’s anniversary - see picture below.

The cost of the shirt is £15 plus p&p and the producer has said he will donate £4 per shirt sold to the Memorial Fund. If you would like a shirt, please send a cheque, made out to Mr J V Wilson, at 9 Ashleigh Avenue, Egham, Surrey, TW20 8LB.

ABSENCE OF REUNION PICTURESBy Editor - I wish to apologise to members for the absence of the Reunion pictures. I sent the CD to Colin, our printer, last Thursday and 5 days later they still have not turned up. Hence the shorter than usual newsletter but we will make up for it in June.