The
Friends
of the
Green Howards
of the
Green Howards
April 2006 Vol CXIV No 1079
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The
Friends of the Green Howards |
From the
Green Howards' Gazette April 2006 Vol CXIV No 1079 |
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| Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment (19th Foot) The North York Militia, The North York Local Militia & North York Rifle Volunteers | |||||||
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The last edition of the Green howards' Gazette was published at the beginning of April 2006. The following items were amongst those to be found in this last issue of the Gazette.
From the April 2006 "Gazette";-
Message from His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
| For four generations my family has been closely connected
to The Green Howards. In 1914, my great-grandmother. Queen Alexandra, became
the Colonel-in-Chief and, subsequently, this honour has been passed onto
my grandfather and father in turn. The Green Howards hold a special affection to the people of Norway for their brave defence of Otta in World War II. Links remain with the market town of Richmond being twinned to Nord Fron Commune, where the Regiment fought in 1940. For the first time in its 318 year long history - which has been recorded in The Green Howards Gazette since 1893 - the Regiment is to be amalgamated. On 6th June 2006 it will become 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards). At least, the name Green Howard will remain in brackets, a name made famous by the duty and sacrifice of so many fine soldiers who have worn the Princess Alexandra's cypher and Dannebrog on their cap badge in peace and war. I am proud to have been your Colonel-in-Chief. |
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Message from Field Marshal The Rt Hon Lord Inge KG GCB DL
| It is not easy to do justice in a few words to our very special
Regiment, The Green Howards, which has had a great impact on me for nearly
50 years. How do you pay tribute to a Regiment that has served the Crown
with such distinction for well over 300 years? The Green Howards' 89 Battle Honours tell the story of a Regiment, not always called The Green Howards, that has served in almost every major campaign and virtually all the major battles of the British Army's history from the Battle of the Boyne onwards. There were 24 Green Howard battalions in the First World War and those battalions served in France, Flanders, Gallipoli, Italy and Russia. In the Second World War there were 12 Green Howard battalions and they served in Norway, North West Europe, North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Burma. The Green Howards were one of only two Regiments to have two assault battalions on D-Day, a day which changed the course of history. It was a Green Howard Company Sergeant Major who won the only Victoria Cross to be awarded on that historic day. How right it is that the 21 members of the Regiment who have been awarded the Victoria Cross and George Cross are to be shown separately in this final edition of The Green Howards Gazette. Our superb memorial at Crepon is a lasting reminder of the major part The Green Howards played, not only in Normandy, but throughout the Second World War. |
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| Since 1946 The Green Howards have seen active service in Malaya,
Suez, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. All in all
it is an outstanding record of service to our country. In acknowledging
and paying tribute to that record I include not only the regular Battalions
but the Territorial Army, the Reservists, the National Servicemen, the Cadets
and, of course. The Green Howards Association. That reputation and record
of service could not have been sustained without them - the key members
of the wider Regimental family. But what makes The Green Howards different are the officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and most importantly the men - mostly from the North-East of England - who have served together in good times and bad and have maintained the highest standards of comradeship, loyalty and honour. They displayed an ethos, spirit of service and sacrifice that I find inspirational. All of this would not have been possible without the support of our wives. I have no doubt that this ethos will now be taken forward by The Green Howards into the new Yorkshire Regiment and to the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) in particular. I congratulate General Sir Richard Dannatt and our Colonel, Brigadier John Powell, in managing to convince 'the powers that be' of the importance of retaining three Yorkshire battalions. We have been fortunate to retain a clear county regimental identity and to be joining two other great Yorkshire regiments. On a personal basis, I would like to thank the Regiment for all that it has done to make me and Tisha, my wife, so proud to be part of this very special Regimental family. We look forward to being associated with it in its new identity. |
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Message from the Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier J S W Powell OBE
| Although I have had the honour of being your
Colonel for a short number of years, it could not have been at a more challenging
time. Never did I imagine, three years ago, that I would be faced with overseeing
the merger of our Regiment and the end of 318 years of history. The Green
Howards have been a key part of my life, for most of my childhood and all of my adulthood. I would never have wished to be the last Colonel. Faced with the unpalatable options of Infantry Restructuring, my main concern was to avoid being selected for disbandment - a very real danger at the time. The fact that we avoided that threat was a close run thing, greatly assisted by the influence of my predecessor, General Sir Richard Dannatt. Having secured our future, albeit in the form of a merger, my second task was two-fold: firstly, to ensure that the Yorkshire Regiment should start off on a firm, cohesive and positive footing, incorporating all that is best from our fine regiment. I firmly believe the foundations stones are in place, and that Green Howard standards will indeed form the cornerstone of this new regiment, which has the benefit of being the only remaining county regiment and has the potential to be a resounding success. The second part - and equally important - has been to ensure that Green Howards' institutions, such as the Museum, the Association (and the benevolent support to our old comrades) and a newsletter, will continue securely and successfully. |
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| In all of this, I am eternally grateful for the
support and calm good sense of all elements of the Regiment. In particular,
I must mention Majors Brian Metcalfe and Roger Chapman, who valiantly postponed
their planned retirements during a long interregnum with no regimental secretary
in post. I know my successor. Major General Andrew Farquhar, will safeguard
our interests and I wish him every success. The strength of a regiment is in its people and the comradeship derived from being a close band of brothers. Not only will Green Howards continue to sustain those friendships, in Scarborough, Richmond, Normandy - or wherever we choose to reunite, but we must rally to the new Yorkshire Regiment, wherein is placed our future as well as the golden (or better, green!) thread of our past. |
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This is the last Green Howards Gazette. It has been in production for 113
years, first monthly and then - in the 1970s and 1990s - down to four and then
three times a year. It has been an historical record, a means of communication
and a good read. All those Green Howards who have enjoyed receiving the glossy
magazine every April, August and September, may feel amiss that it will no longer
appear.
The Regimental Board has been aware of this impending loss for some time. There
has been consultation with the Friends of The Green Howards Museum Committee
and an agreement has been reached to widen the scope of the Friends' 'Newsletter'
to include GHA news, up-dates on the activities of the Yorkshire Regiment -
specifically the regular 2nd Battalion and the territorial 4th Battalion - plus
other Regimental events. The Friends of The Green Howards Trust have provided
the necessary funding to support the enlargement of the 'Newsletter' from 24
pages to 36 pages and approved the new magazine's title, simply 'THE GREEN HOWARD'.
Those who subscribe to the old 'Gazette' - if they maintain their annual subscription
- will receive 'THE GREEN HOWARD' every September and April.
As Curator of the Museum, I refer daily to past Green Howard Gazettes. I appreciate
more than most the incredible 'esprit de corps' this magazine has generated
and I am often touched by the words of many of its contributors. I was particularly
moved by the words of Ronald Ogden who was drafted into The Green Howards in
1940. He fought with the 6th Battalion from Dunkirk to D-Day and speaks for
all Green Howards past and present. This is what he said:
"Dear old Green Howards. What memories - what men. Wiry, stocky, tough,
full of humour and courage, kind, sympathetic, generous, yet hard and uncompromising
in battle. In France, in England, in Egypt, Cyprus, Palestine, Libya and Sicily,
I've seen them living and fighting, laughing, cursing and working.
Traditions upheld by the Regiment are not dead but living things - they inspire,
they give courage and strength. And so the Green Howards aware of these traditions
fought on cheerful, undaunted, undefeated.
When the war started I hardly knew of the existence of the Regiment - now it
will always remain one of my most grateful memories, that I had the privilege
to share its glories and call myself by its name."
But we must look to the future. After 6th June 2006,I am sure you will join
me in saying good luck to the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards)
and those that carry on the fine traditions, high standards and deep pride in
the regimental system paved by their Green Howard predecessors. So good hunting
to the new Yorkshire Regiment in all that lies before it.
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General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC
All past and present Green Howards offer their sincere congratulations to
General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC on being appointed to become the next
Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in August 2006. He will take over the responsibility
from General Sir Michael Jackson GCB CBE DSO.
He follows in the footsteps of two other officers, who served in The Green Howards
since World War II, and also became CGS, namely: Field Marshal Sir Nigel Bagnall
GCB CVO MC in August 1985, and Field Marshal The Rt Hon Lord Inge KG GCB DL
in February 1992. It is a great distinction for General Dannatt personally and
a great honour for our Regiment as a whole.
Lieutenant General J N R Houghton CBE
We congratulate Lieutenant General Nick Houghton on his promotion and appointment
in October 2005 as the Deputy Commanding General Multi-National Force in Iraq.
This also makes him the Senior British Military Representative in that country
until his appointment ends in April 2006 when he returns to England to take
over as Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood.
Both tasks are of immense importance and we wish him every success.
It was particularly good to see him back from Iraq to attend the Officers' Ball
in Harrogate and chair many meetings in his other role as Colonel Commandant
of the King's Division and the future Colonel of the Yorkshire Regiment.
Major General A P Farquhar CBE
Major General Andrew Farquhar assumed the post of General Officer Commanding
5th Division in March 2005 on his return from Baghdad, where he had been the
Deputy Commanding General of the American-led, Multi-National Corps. Many may
have read about some of his impressions and exploits in the December Issue 2005
of The Green Howards Gazette.
Major General Farquhar will assume the role of Deputy Colonel of the Yorkshire
Regiment on 6th June 2006 with special responsibilities for the former Green
Howard element of the new Regiment. He will also chair all the Museum, GHA and
Financial Meetings, on the retirement of Brigadier John Powell, the Colonel
of the Regiment.
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Regimental Dinner - 25th November 2005
The Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier John Powell, hosted a dinner in the
Normanby Room at Regimental Headquarters in Richmond on 25th November. It was
an opportunity to thank many of those who had helped the Regiment in the 'Save
The Green Howards' campaign.
Amongst the guests was Dr Neville Poy, the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the
Toronto-based, Queen's York Rangers, one of the two Canadian regiments - along
with the Rocky Mountain Rangers - which have a formal alliance with The Green
Howards. The other guests included Lord Crathorne, the Lord Lieutenant of North
Yorkshire; Lord Gisborough, a former Lord Lieutenant of Cleveland and Honorary
Colonel in the 4th/5th Green Howards; John Greenway, Member of Parliament for
Ryedale; Cllr Eric Broadbent, North Yorkshire County Councillor and former Mayor
of Scarborough; Cllr Stephen Blondele, Chairman of Middlesbrough County Council;
Cllr Stuart Parsons, the Mayor of Richmond; Canon Richard Cooper, the Rector
of Richmond and Chaplain to the Queen and Major Michael Pennell, a Canadian
officer attached to the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick.
It was also a pleasure to invite Lieutenant Colonel Simon Downey MBE, who takes command of the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment in September 2006. It was his first visit to the RHQ and Museum since the announcement of his future appointment.
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The Green Howards Officers' Ball - Harrogate - 21 st January 2006
It was a night to remember. Almost 300 officers and their wives or partners
approached the Pavilions in Harrogate through a laser tunnel of green light,
with a large XIX revolving on the wall above.
Members of the Waterloo Band of the King's Division were playing military music
as guests passed the Queen's and Regimental Colours, the silver statue of Princess
Alexandra and a bronze model of a soldier resting after D-Day, to enter a hall
thronged with people. Some had travelled from Belgium, Belize, Bosnia, Canada,
Cyprus, Iraq, Nigeria, Norway and the USA to be at the final Green Howards Officers'
Ball. It was the end of an era, but all were determined it would not be a wake.
Those present, from Field Marshal to Second Lieutenant, were committed to enjoying
the evening and seeing that the tradition of loyal service to The Green Howards
is carried forward into the new Yorkshire Regiment. The Colonel of the Regiment,
Brigadier John Powell spoke to the assembled guests before dinner and said:
"Tonight will obviously be tinged with sadness as it is the end of an era,
but I also see this historic Ball as a celebration of continuing friendship.
The strength of a Regiment is not in its cap-badge or name - however dear and
powerful they are - but in its people. As The Green Howards' family, we have
always been a close band of brothers - and sisters - and we will continue to
be so. I also know that we will take all these fine qualities forward into the
Yorkshire Regiment and I have every confidence that under Nick Houghton's and
Andrew Farquhar's leadership, those Green Howard virtues we hold dear will endure.
I see it as the end of one long and glorious chapter but also the beginning
of a new and exciting one."
It was good to note that our senior officers all agreed to wear The Green Howards'
gold-laced waistcoat, instead of the black waistcoat of a General Officer's
rank. Fortunately, it is to be the waistcoat of the mess kit for the future
Yorkshire Regiment so there will be no extra expense to incur.
Lt Col David O'Kelly, who organised the whole event, was delighted with the
response to the invitation to attend. Three hundred was almost the optimum number
to dine together in the Pavilion's Aire Room. It was just sufficient to leave
space for the Waterloo Band under the Director of Music, Captain John Griffiths,
and a suitable dance floor for the disco and live band which played on until
2.30am on Sunday morning.
After a splendid meal followed by a Toast to 'The Queen', 'The Colonel-in-Chief
and 'The Regiment', Lt Col David O'Kelly give three cheers for the Regiment.
This was followed by more military music to pay respect to some of our guests
- Lt Col Michael Stevenson representing the Queen's York Rangers in Canada,
Lt Col Magnus Brekkhus representing HM Kongens Garde of Norway, Lt Comd Derek
Powles representing HMS Richmond and Canon Richard Cooper the Regimental Chaplain.
Then the dancing began.
Perhaps the evening was best summed up by Major General Andrew Farquhar, who
will be the Deputy Colonel of The Yorkshire Regiment after 6th June 2006, who
said:
"This Ball marks the end of an era, as 318 years of Green Howard history
is coming to an end. But, it is not coming to an end per se, it is moving on
into the future as one of the principle foundation blocks of the new Yorkshire
Regiment. So everything that is good about The Green Howards - such as the family
spirit, as seen tonight - is being transmitted forcefully into The Yorkshire
Regiment."
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The Final Dinner - Dunster Castle - 14th March 2006
In order to formally commemorate the end of The Green Howards as an independent
infantry regiment before the amalgamation into The Yorkshire Regiment, a special
dinner was held in Dunster Castle, Somerset, where the Regiment was raised in
November 1688.
It was also an opportunity to thank our Colonel-in-Chief, HM King Harald V of
Norway, for his 14 years' tenure following in the footsteps of his father. King
Olav V, his grandfather King Haakon VII and his great grandmother Queen Alexandra.
Colonel Sir Walter Luttrell MC, the direct descendant of our founder, Colonel
Francis Luttrell, kindly arranged with the National Trust for the Regiment to
use the Castle. However, only a very limited number could attend the dinner
because of the size of the main hall which could hold only 40 people. There
was also the problem of providing silver, cutlery, glasses, china, furniture,
wine and outside catering. Major Brian Metcaife, at RHQ, co-ordinated this from
over 300 miles away. However, the greatest problem was to transport HM King
Harald and Queen Sonja from Heathrow Airport to get them to Dunster Castle in
time.
It was a night to remember and a marvellous finale to 318 years' service to
the Crown by then the oldest, unamalgamated English infantry of the line regiment.
The following attended the dinner: HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja of Norway, Colonel Sir Walter and Lady Luttrell, Elizabeth, Lady Gass, HE and Mrs B Lindstrom, Brigadier and Mrs J S W Powell, FM The Rt Hon Lord and Lady Inge, General Sir Richard and Lady Dannatt, Lieutenant General and Mrs J N R Houghton, Major General and Mrs A P Farquhar, Brigadier and Mrs M A Atherton, Commander S Gjelstad, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs D R E O'Kelly, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs J F Panton, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs C B K Smeeton, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs J M Willis, Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs S J Downey, Major and Mrs J R Chapman, Major and Mrs G B Metcalfe, Major and Mrs D J Nicholson, Major Z R Stenning and Miss Sarah Brindley, Lieutenant T E Holmes, Mr and Mrs T Morkill, W01 (RSM) and Mrs D A Paylor.
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An Update on the Formation of The Yorkshire Regiment
As a further update, on what appeared in the last Gazette (December 2005),
the following has been agreed by the Colonels of the three Regiments:
Cap Badge - the Army Dress Committee has approved the design of the
beret cap badge to be bronze with a silver rose, placed on top of a green cloth
square.
Stable Belt - the Colonels agreed to a silver buckle. The green of the
initial sample of the belt is to be slightly lighter.
Regimental/Battalion Flags and Signboards - the background will be plain
green.
Regimental Marches - the Regimental Quick March will be 'Ca Ira', the
oldest of the three regimental marches. The 'Bonnie English Rose' will be retained
as the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) Quick March. No
decision has been made on the Slow March.
Regimental Motto - the three Colonels have agreed to "Virtutis Fortuna
Comes' or 'Fortune Favours the Brave'.
Regimental Collect - the Colonels agreed to use the old West Yorkshire
collect written by the Dean of York in 1948:
'0 Lord God: the shield and buckler of all that trust thee; grant to our Regiment,
in its battalions and ranks, the strength that fears no evil tidings; no desperate
endeavours; and no foe bodily or spiritual; but advances in thy righteousness;
through all rough places; under the captain of our salvation; Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.'
The Yorkshire Regimental Day - 6th June.
Regimental Dinner Club. It was felt that The Green Howards Regimental
Dinner Club would continue so long as officers wished to dine together annually.
With time, the three regimental dinner clubs will diminish as The Yorkshire
Regimental Dinner Club becomes established and become the primary club for all.
Regimental Headquarters. Major David Harrap is presently the Acting Regimental
Secretary for the new Yorkshire Regiment, based at Tower Street, York Y01 9SB
(co-located with the RHQ PWO). The RHQ will have the following staff establishment
after 6th June 2006:
Cl - Regt Sec (equiv to an R01)
C2 - Regt Affairs (equiv to an R02)
C2 - Recruiting and Liaison (both soldiers and officers)
C2 - Finance
El - Clerk
E2 - Clerk
Museum Attendant - for PWO Museum
The Yorkshire Regiment Area Office (North & East)- Richmond.
With effect from 6th June 2006, the RHQ Green Howards will become an outstation
of the RHQ Yorkshire Regiment. It will have the following staff:
C2 - to be recruited
E1 - Pat Cooper
Museum Attendant - Paul Cooper
Part-time Clerk - Karen Tiller
Captain Dennis Appleyard has agreed to continue at the Area Office (N&E)
to provide continuity until December 2006.
Museum. The Museum will continue exactly as before except it will display
the history of The Green Howards in peace and war from 1688-2006 only. Work
will resume on the refurbishment of the Museum from October 2006 to March and
be opened again before Easter 2007. The present Curator, Major (Retd) Roger
Chapman MBE, retires on 7th July 2006. An advertisement for a fulltime professionally
qualified Curator, to take over this summer, has been placed in The Museum Journal.
Selection will be made by June 2006 to allow for a suitable handover period.
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1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (PWO)
Role : Air Assault
Location : Somme Barracks, Catterick
Operational Tour : Afghanistan 2006/7
Future Postings : Move to Germany as a Light Role Battalion - 2008.
Background : The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire (14th/15th
Foot) was formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of the West Yorkshire and East
Yorkshire Regiments. The latter two Regiments were raised in 1685.
2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (GH)
Role : Light Role
Location : Beachley Barracks, Chepstow
Operational Tour : Bosnia (March-September 2006)
Future Postings : Move to Weeton Camp as a Light Role Battalion in
August 2007.
Background : The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own
Yorkshire Regiment) (19th Foot). Raised in 1688 to serve William, Prince of
Orange in the 'Glorious Revolution.'
3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (DWR)
Role : Armoured Infantry
Location : Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster
Operational Tour : To become the operational reserve.
Future Postings : No change.
Background : The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding)(33rd and
76th Foot). The 33rd Foot was raised in 1702, renamed in 1853 and amalgamated
with the 76th Foot in 1881. It has had a historic link with the Duke of Wellington
since 1793.
4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (TA)
Role : Reserve in order to reinforce the Regular Army.
Location : Bases in Yorkshire and south of the River Tees.
Operational Tour : On-going deployments in support of operations world-wide.
Background : The East & West Riding Regiment and Tyne-Tees Regiment
were formed in 1999 from the amalgamation of local Territorial Battalions. The
Territorial Army traces its origins from the Territorial Force of 1907 and Volunteer
Force of 1859.
To learn more about the future Yorkshire Regiment it is worth looking at their website on: http://www.army.mod.uk/yorkshire_regiment/index.htm.
Yorkshire Regiment Events
6th Jun 06 Formation Day (Regular & TA)
Regular Battalions re-badging and renaming at Battalion locations - 1st Bn in
Catterick, 2nd Bn in Bosnia, 3rd Bn in Warminster. 4th Bn in TA Centres.
10th Jun 06 4th Bn Parade & ACF & CCF re-badging day
1000 hrs: 4th Bn parade in Museum Gardens, York
1200 hrs: Royal Salute
1500 hrs: ACF and CCF parade in Imphal Bks and receive new badge.
16th Jul 06 Service of Blessing & Beating Retreat
1330: Service of Blessing in York Minster.
1530: The Yorkshire Regiment and 15 (NE) Brigade Beating Retreat, Imphal Barracks,
York.
21st Jul - 6th Aug 06 Freedom Marches
March of the Yorkshire Regiment through selected Freedom Towns.
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The Museum closed for cleaning on Friday 2nd December 2005, which coincided
with a visit from the Director of Infantry, Brigadier R L Scott-Bowden MBE ADC.
He used the opportunity to call in to Regimental Headquarters and the Museum
prior to taking the salute and presenting prizes at the Infantry Training Centre
at Catterick Garrison.
Brigadier Scott-Bowden was most complimentary about the way the Regiment co-located
their HQ and Museum and saw for himself how the Museum had become the shop window
for The Green Howards. It not only shows the Regiment's history from 1688 but
also displays with models and film of the present regular battalion on operations.
He was interested in the quarter of a million pound HLF Grant and the way the
Museum was planning to use part of it to promote the new Yorkshire Regiment
in the re-structure of the ground floor. In a 'thank you' letter he generously
acknowledged that it was one of the best infantry museum displays he had seen
on his travels and the type of co-location to which he hoped other regiments
would aspire.
Development has begun, as a result of this HLF grant. Sarah Taylor, a Canadian
graduate in Museum Studies from Leicester University, has been appointed as
the new Collections and Audience Development Officer (CADO). Already she has
completed the refurbishment of the archive stores by installing new mobile shelving
and photograph cabinets. She has used volunteers to help complete the cataloguing
of all 164 photograph albums and many of the 6,000 individual archive photographs
since 1855 to the present day. These are presently being scanned and captioned
and then placed onto a database which, in time, will be co-located on the Friends
of The Green Howards website.
The two months of December and January have been frantic for Paul Cooper, the
Museum Assistant, who has had to co-ordinate the cleaning of over 3,800 medals,
over 3,000 button, badges and belt buckles, object in 60 display cabinets and
over80 uniforms and headdress. This would not have been possible without a team
of volunteers from the Friends of the Museum whose contribution has been invaluable.
All the scarlet dress tunics and blue undress uniforms from 1870-1914 have been
specially treated for bug infestation then cleaned and repaired by two conservationists,
Caroline Rendall and Dinah Jones. This also has been paid for by the HLF grant.
They will also help to pack the Militia and Volunteer uniforms on the lower
ground floor in October 2006, before it is turned into a larger shop, research
workplace and 'hands on' area for children.
Just before the Museum opened for the 2006 season. Piers Shepherd and his
wife, Angela, were invited to unveil a new touch-screen medal interpretation
display in the Harrison Gallery. Piers had obtained a grant from the Sir Peter
Shepherd Charitable Trust to pay for the hardware for a touch-screen display
and for software to be prepared. After four months work, KRA (York) Ltd and
the Curator have written the programme and installed the display unit in one
of the corners of the medal room. It is believed that this is the first such
medal interpretation unit in the country.
After months of research one of the Museum Guides, Jim Brown, completed the
final temporary exhibition in two display units on the lower ground floor before
it is to be revamped in 2007. The 90th anniversary of the First Battle of the
Somme 1916, has been commemorated by paying tribute to Green Howards who volunteered
for the Royal Flying Corps and fought in the air above the trenches. Group Captain
lan Morrison, the Station Commander of RAF Leeming, opened the temporary exhibition:
'Green Howards over the Somme' on the 13th February. Some 70 Green Howards served
with the RFC in the Great War, of whom 50 were either pilots or observer/gunners.
Some of them transferred into the new RAF in 1918 and two rose to the rank of
Air Marshal during the Second World War. We are indebted to Jim Brown for bringing
to light such a fascinating and, until now, unknown part of the Regiment's history.
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RHQ has been informed, by his son, that George Outhwaite died on 20th
February 2006. He served with The Green Howards between 1939-45.
Mr Michael Dutton informed RHQ of the death of former Private R J Long
on 20th May 2005.
Brigadier C J (Bill) Marchant-Smith informed RHQ of the death of his brother
Lieutenant Colonel John Harry (Simon) Marchant-Smith MBE on 23rd December
2005. (see Obituaries)
Captain Eric Hopkins informed RHQ of the death of Captain G W Thrift
on 30th December 2005. (see Obituaries)
Lieutenant Colonel C B K Smeeton OBE informed RHQ of the death of Lieutenant
Colonel F A M Thierry on 12th January 2006.
RHQ has been informed of the death of Mr Denis Hockney on 18th January
2006.
Mr George Wilson, Hon Sec Scarborough Branch, informed . RHQ of the death from
a heart attack on York Station of Major John A Sothcott on 26th January
2006. (see Obituaries)
Mr Ron Boyes, Hon Sec Guisborough Branch, informed RHQ of the death of ex-Sgt
Albert Ernest Mitchell on 29th January 2006. (see Obituaries)
Mr George Wilson, Hon Sec Scarborough Branch, informed RHQ of the death of Dennis
Tuckley. Dennis was an Honorary member of the Whitby Branch but attended
Scarborough Branch meetings.
Mr Joe Bracchi informed RHQ of the death of Lawrence (Lol) Costigan
in February 2006 aged 70 years. He served with the Regiment for 22 years and
was a member of the Corps of Drums. His funeral service was on 13th February
in Scarborough.
Major Philip Banbury, Hon Sec Malton Branch, informed RHQ of the death of Stanley
Lake on 15th February 2006. (see Obituaries)
Mr G (Ben) Gunn informed RHQ of the death of ex-Cpl Eugene Fisher MM
on 4th March 2006
