Following on from our item of news in
Lioness 2/2007, the reporter from the Birmingham Mail failed to arrive
at our July meeting. Lesley Wallace persevered and a reporter and
photographer came to the Birmingham United Services Club and spent two hours
with six ex-ATS members listening to their stories and taking photographs.
On 11 November the edition of the Sunday
Mercury had a double page spread featuring “women at war”, complete with
photographs and edited versions of their stories. The quality of the
photographs is not such that they can be reproduced from the paper apart
from the copyright laws but we may obtain some prints for the next edition
of the Lioness.
On page 37 of the Lioness 1/2007
there is an article written by the husband of Muriel Evans née Wheeler
W/56708. She must have been with our latest member to join us – Elizabeth
Grogan W/238249 who also landed on Omaha Beach with the Royal Signals.
Editor: sadly, you will see that Muriel Evans has died.
Since our last newsletter, we have been
given a talk by the Liaison Officer of the Birmingham Branch of the National
Servicemen’s Association and also a talk from SSAFA. We aim to have some
amusing speakers next year and also a poetry session (also amusing)! We also
plan to visit the National Memorial Arboretum to view the new Armed Services
Memorial.
We also enjoyed the Wales and West Area
Reunion at Shrewsbury. The food was excellent as usual at The Lord Hill
Hotel and good company of course including Sue Westlake and Jane Freebairn –
thank you Maggie and Irene for your hard work in organising this. Maureen
Peach again represented us at the Cenotaph in London and Frances Jenkinson
carried our wreath at the Service in Birmingham.
Four of our members were fortunate enough to
be invited to a “Not Forgotten” Christmas Lunch at the Arden Hotel just
outside Birmingham and Mary Gunning has written this paragraph about the
occasion. Together, there were some 400 guests and it was lovely to talk to
ex WAAFs and WRENS as well as all the other veterans. The entertainment was
a good old sing along and everyone had a good time. Rosie Thompson, the
lovely organiser is such a friendly person with time for everyone. Colonel
Stephen Rowland-Jones, their Director, also introduced himself – a most
charming man!
We held our Branch Christmas Lunch last week
at the College of Food, Tourism & Creative Studies (the old College used to
be known as the College of Grub & Scrub) and the students performed
admirably: both the food and service thoroughly enjoyed by us all.
The following day we had mince pies and our
Christmas Raffle at the December meeting. In January several of us will
have lunch followed by a visit to the pantomime – arranged as usual by Vi
Horsley who incidentally was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for all
she has done for the Branch and still does.
All good wishes for a Peaceful New Year.
