Contents 1 February 2019

Contents 1 February 2019 Ø Replacement of the abbreviation RRF by FUSILIERS.. 2 Ø Rededication of Memorial to Warwickshire s Boer War soldiers 3 Ø Regimental Social Events 2019... 4 Ø People & Places... 5 Ø Notices... 6 Ø How to contribute... 11

Replacement of the abbreviation RRF by FUSILIERS Regimental Direction. The Colonel of the Regiment has directed that the Regiment is to stop using RRF as the abbreviated title for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and has directed that the abbreviation for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers will now be the FUSILIERS. Background. Across Defence the use of the abbreviated Regimental title RRF is often not understood as representing our Regiment. Furthermore, with the 2006 amalgamation of other Fusilier Regiments (Royal Welch Fusiliers, Royal Highland Fusiliers) to form The Royal Welsh and the Royal Regiment of Scotland, we are now the only active Army Regiment with Fusiliers in the title. This makes the Fusiliers a distinctive title which is only applicable to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Implementation. The staffing of request to change the titles from RRF to FUSILIERS is in process however, the Colonel of The Regiment wishes to effect the change now across the Regiment. Therefore, the initial direction is that the change will apply to all Regimental correspondence both internal and external from 1 Feb 19 whilst we wait for the staffing process to officially sanction the change. Usage. All members of the Regiment should note the following: a. The full title of the Regiment remains: The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. b. The following abbreviations are to be used: (1) FUSILIERS to be used by members of the Regiment when referring to the entity of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers or for instance in a DO letter. Examples: The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (FUSILIERS) was formed in 1968. Then the author would continue to use FUSILIERS as the abbreviated title. Lieutenant P F Jones FUSILIERS (2) 1 FUSILIERS - to be used by members of the Regiment serving with the 1 st Battalion and in correspondence when referring to the 1 st Battalion. Examples: 1 FUSILIERS deployed to BATUS in Jun 18. 2

CO 1 FUSILIERS announced to the members of the Battalion.. (3) 5 FUSILIERS - to be used by members of the Regiment serving with the 5 th Battalion and in correspondence when referring to the 5 th Battalion. Examples, 5 FUSILIERS marched through Newcastle City centre. CO 5 FUSILIERS announced to the members of the Battalion.. NB. The Regiment is defined as all serving regular and reserve personnel, all veterans and all cadets, badged Fusilier (ACF and CCF). Rededication of Memorial to Warwickshire s Boer War soldiers Major J C Bartlett TD laying a wreath on behalf of the Fusilier Museum (Warwick) Saturday 20 January 2019 was a cold but dry day when 8 members of Sheldon Branch, joined local residents, members of the Cheswick Green Parish Council, representatives of Bloor Homes and others at the rededication of the memorial to the men of Warwickshire who fought in the Boer Wars between 1895 and 1902. Major John Bartlett TD (representing the Fusilier Museum (Warwick)), Lt Col Richard Gale TD (Assistant Area Colonel Warwickshire & Midlands) and Capt Simon Hawker led the Fusilier contingent. The memorial s column and stones had for many years stood in the gardens of a local residence, with their significance lost with the passage of time. With the redevelopment of the site for housing, a local historian researched the history of the column and stones and as result Bloor Homes kindly restored the memorials and relocated them to a central site on their new development. 3

The ribbon cutting was performed by Mr Jonathan Leese who as a child, lived in the house where the stones stood. A history can be found at: Memorial Column history Regimental Social Events 2019 Date Event Where Lead/Comments Thu 14 Feb Fusiliers Officers Club Lunch RHQ Maj (Retd) McCarthy Thu 14 Feb Col of Regt Livery Dinner RMAS RMAS RHQ / ADC - by invitation Fri 8 Mar Warwickshire Dinner Nuneaton Maj (Retd) Turquand Fri 26 Apr Charity Golf Day Bury Golf Club Fri 26 Apr Drinks Reception Newcastle RHQ / Capt (Retd) O Grady 5th Fusiliers - by invitation Sat 27 Apr St George s Weekend Newcastle 5 th Battalion, Church Service, Parade and Ball Sat 27 Apr Gallipoli Dinner Bury RHQ (N) Sun 28 Apr Gallipoli Church Parade and lunch Bury RHQ (N) Sun 19 May Regimental Chapel service RHQ RHQ Mon 13 May Battlefield Tour Cassino Italy Thu 6 Jun Founders Day Royal Hospital, Chelsea RHC Thu 6 Jun 75 th Anniversary Normandy Lunch RHQ Sat 8 Jun Sat 8 Jun Northern Ireland Remembered Dinner Normandy 75 Weekend - Assn event pm Wychwood Park Hotel, Crewe Nuneaton RHQ - till 16 May, now fully booked RHQ - by invitation only RHQ - invites co-ord by RHQ Micky and Susan Taylor - contact through RHQ Sun 9 Jun Normandy 75 Weekend - Freedom Parade Nuneaton RHQ Thu 27 Jun Regimental Cocktail Party RHQ RHQ - ticketed event Wed 10 Jul Fusilier Officers Club Lunch RHQ Maj (Retd) McCarthy Fri 2 Aug Minden Madness Manchester RHQ (N) Sat 5 Oct Afghanistan Reunion Location tbc RHQ tbc Fog on the Tyne Newcastle 5th Fusiliers Fri 11 Oct Officers Regimental Dinner Clothworkers Hall RHQ - ticketed event Thu 17 Oct Fusilier Officers Club Lunch RHQ Maj (Retd) McCarthy Wed 4 Dec Regimental Carol Service RHQ RHQ - ticketed event RHQ 4

People & Places The retired great and good of the Warwickshire Fusiliers at Sheldon in A Company, 5th Fusiliers Reserve Centre, surrounded by the furniture and memories of the 5th (Warwickshire) Battalion. We are assured that they are doing more than just drinking coffee...that will be a change then... A blast from the past...a young Fus Joe Coleman (later WO1) and Fus Gary Jones (now Maj as QM (T) at 5th Fusiliers) in 1981 during the long 3 RRF tour during the 1981 Hunger Strikes in NI. Lt Col S A Kelly FUSILIERS wins at martial arts championships Lt Col Kelly with Cpl Leon Hinds RLC, who won a gold and a silver Lt Col Shamus Kelly recently competed at the International Brazilian Ju-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) European Championships. Despite nursing an ankle injury prior to Christmas, he won a bronze medal. This could well have been a gold without the injury. Lt Col Kelly is taking an Army Team across to the IBJJF World Championships, which takes place in Las Vegas in Aug 19 and we ll be looking to add to the 1x Gold, 1x Silver and 2x Bronze that they won last week. 5

Notices Mayor of Bury s Fusiliers Concert in Bury 23 Mar This Concert is in support of The Mayor of Bury s Charities. The Music is provided by the RRF Band & Corps of Drums (Lancashire), supported by other bands and groups. This includes the Encore Youth Choir, which is drawn from schools across Bury. Timings are 1930 to 2130, including a 30 min interval. Light Refreshments and a Bar will be available. Individual tickets are 5, with a family ticket costing 15 for 2 adults + 2 children. They can be purchased on the door or beforehand the details are in the poster below. 6

Mozzagrogna Commemoration 7 Feb The battle of Mozzagrogna in Italy took place on 7 February 1943 and the 1 st Battalion Royal Fusiliers was brigaded with 1 st /5 th Royal Gurkha Rifles. The battle will be commemorated by a brief ceremony outside the Church of Holy Sepulchre London. Representatives from the Indian High Commission will attend. Association members are invited to arrive in the Garden of Remembrance outside the church by 1040. The ceremony will end shortly after 1100 and members may book in for the pub lunch that day by contacting the Association Office on 020 3166 6910/11. Walking with the Wounded - May 19 Capt Straker will be entering a team England s Fusiliers into the WWTW Cumbrian Challenge in 2019, hoping to retain the fastest over 50s team for the 3 rd consecutive year. Walking with the Wounded supports those who served. They target veterans who have fallen the furthest, men and women struggling with mental health issues, unemployment, homelessness or caught in police custody. By providing early intervention programmes and speeding up access to therapy we are changing the lives of veterans and, crucially, their families. England s Fusiliers will be entering the Tough Challenge : 24 Kms over some of the highest peaks in the Lake District. Our aim is to raise 1,500 and you can help us reach this target by donating on the Just Giving page at :http://www.justgiving.com/englandsfusiliers?utm_id=121 Army vs Navy Rugby Match 4 May improve our behaviour From the Deputy Chief of the General Staff The Army and Royal Navy Rugby Unions will compete for the Babcock Trophy at Twickenham on 4 May 2019. We now routinely fill the stadium to capacity. The event is hugely popular, televised on Sky Sports and generates revenue which is put directly back into the game. It is a uniquely high-profile occasion which enhances our reputation. 7

I wish to address some behaviours that undermine our celebration of some of the best aspects of service life. The police report from the 2018 game is most disappointing. We are significantly out of kilter with civilian behaviour at all the other Twickenham matches. Current behaviours in the general vicinity prior to, during and after the match - in service stations, train stations, pubs and clubs can no longer be tolerated. "Traditions" of alcohol-fuelled travel to the event, particularly those on coaches and transiting service stations, do little to help. The event is becoming increasingly resource intensive due to an augmented requirement for policing and the ensuing clean-up operation. So we need to act: 1. First, I have directed that we will no longer hold preliminary matches at Kneller Hall on the same day. 2. Second, we have brought forward Kick Off to 1400hrs with bar timings tailored appropriately. 3. Third, you all need to review travel arrangements and to consign offensive public acts of urination and vomiting to the past. 4. And finally, we know that both serving service and veterans have a part to play in improving our behaviours and ask them to do so. We wish this historic and prestigious annual sporting event to serve as a demonstration of disciplined physical robustness, courage and commitment the battle-winning qualities that we promote and develop in our people. Before and after match behaviour must not therefore detract from this public display of service qualities. 8

1 February 2019 Finding the right home for WW2 Dog Tags 9

Passport Expiry Dates post 29 March 2019 checks The UK Government recommends that travellers going to the EU after 29th March 2019 have 6 months left on their passport and is also advising that any extra months which have been added to a 10 year passport will not be valid. Here s their latest information: 1. You should have 6 months left on your UK passport from your date of arrival. This applies to adult and child passports. 2. If you renewed a passport before it expired, extra months may have been added to your new passport s expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months that should be remaining for travel to most countries in Europe. Click the link below to read the full article: 3. The Passport Office now have this useful tool where you can check if your passport will be valid when you are travelling: https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport 4. If you would like to know more take a look at these Passport Office FAQs: https://angliatours.co.uk/brexit-latest-news-dont-get-caught-uk-passportholders/?dm_i=1d3w,62hju,udzgf2,nthwo,1 https://www.abta.com/sites/default/files/2019-01/passports%20qa-jan- 2019.pdf?dm_i=1D3W,62HJU,UDZGF2,NTRPS,1 Job Vacancy in the NW HEAD OF ENGAGEMENT GLADSTONE HOUSE, ALTCAR TRAINING CAMP A full time vacancy will arise on 1 May 2019 for a permanent Crown Servant position (Grade C1) in the role of the Head of Engagement based at Gladstone House, Altcar Training Camp, Hightown, Liverpool, L38 8AF. This position is a full time appointment managing the Engagement Team for the NW RFCA. Full details and job description can be found here: https://thefusiliers.org/latest-jobadverts-sent-to-rhq/ 10

How to contribute Contributions are welcome from anywhere in the Fusilier Family. Articles should be no more than 150 words, ideally with a good photo and caption. Get them to midsec@thefusiliers.org by the 25 th of each month. Archive copies are held in the Regiment s Dropbox account. Please note that the Editor and RHQ make every effort to ensure factual accuracy and whilst we might edit articles for reasons of space, we do not censor them. Any mistakes are purely accidental and no harm or slander is ever intended. Photos The Editor accepts photographs for publication on the understanding that those submitting them have, where required by data protection legislation, obtained consent to publication from those depicted. Anyone who believes this is not the case or has a DPA related concern should contact the Editor. 11