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Reunion 2008 (21st April 2008)
Plans are now well advanced for the 2008 AGM and Reunion Dinner, which will be held in Leicester, with an opportunity to visit the National Space Centre. The date of the AGM is Saturday, October 11th, and accommodation is available at the Leicester Stage Hotel. For full details, contact our Secretary - Harry Williams.
Hong Kong re-visited (18th January 2008)
The week in Hong Kong was a great success, with 29 people making the nostalgic trip in early December 2007. Several members had not been back for over fifty years and, for them, the changes were mind-blowing. Junks? Sampans? If you were lucky, you caught sight of the one ‘tourist’ junk that lazily motors its way around the harbour, sails limply hanging down, but still an intriguing sight for all those tourists who have no memory of the days when the harbour was crowded with sailing junks and sampans. Hardly any of the old colonial buildings survive but the sky scraping buildings are hugely impressive. Even at Siu Sai Wan there are three tower blocks that have well over 60 storeys.
For many, highlights had to be the Star Ferry, the tram rides through the busy streets, the ride on the Peak tram and the incredible views from there. For others Cheung Chau had retained some of its old charm and, of course, the walk over to Big Wave Bay and Shek O was really nostalgic – if somewhat more tiring than it used to be! Several of us braved the sea at Big Wave Bay and even in December it was warmer than around the UK in summer. There were even a few waves to remind us why the bay is so called. We visited the war cemeteries at Chaiwan and Stanley and had a conducted tour round the Wong Nai Chung War Trail – very sobering experiences.
Several of us went to Lyemun camp, now a popular leisure park where people can spend holidays away from the frantic pace of life in downtown Hong Kong. We leaned on the same balcony rails that we had last leaned on some 55 years ago and outside the old NAAFI, overlooking the Lyemun strait, was a popular place to sit and reminisce. Stanley Market proved a good place to do our souvenir shopping and some of us went to Lantao and Macao. The latter, always a gambling destination, has developed enormously but the former still has, in spite of the new airport on its north shore and a huge new Disneyworld, plenty of open space, and the enlarged Buddhist monastery proved quite an attraction. The Temple of 10,000 Buddhas at Shatin was also popular. Now, there are almost 13,000 small Buddhas sitting on the shelves in the main temple and, outside, row upon row of life-sized Arhan statues.
Everyone got on well and the action-packed week passed only too quickly. We were blessed with a totally dry spell and temperatures in the lower 20s were just comfortable. The Metropark hotel at Causeway Bay was very comfortable and the staff helpful and friendly. The hotel even had a roof-top swimming pool, but those of us who braved it soon found that it was colder than the sea! However, the views from up there over Causeway Bay, Wanchai and across the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui were splendid.
It was a great week and one that we shall all remember. For seven days, seventeen old men were nineteen again, and eleven ladies realised why our members have been so obsessed with the Hong Kong of their youth. And how pleased we were to see how healthy, prosperous and happy the people of Hong Kong are compared with those days more than half a century ago when life for them was often so hard.
RAF Service Records (22nd November 2007)
Have you ever thought about getting hold of your RAF Service Record? It could be a useful addition to your 'Family Archives'! Records are readily obtainable by writing to:
PMA IM 1B RAF
Room 5 Building 248A
RAF Personnel Management Agency
RAF Innsworth
Gloucester
GL3 1EZ
You will need to provide name, rank and service number, DofB, service years and trade when demobbed. In addition, some form of proof of identity, such as a copy of the appropriate page of your passport or driving licence.
Book 12 (6th November 2007)
Members will be receiving in the post the latest book (Number 12) of what our Historian describes as 'Recollections of the life and times of service with 367SU' rather than a factual history of the unit. He is always anxious to add more information to his not inconsiderable collection, so if you - or someone you know - served with 367, get in touch with us via this web-site. Items for Book 13 are already being assembled!
Where are they now? (6th November 2007)
As a result of a conversation during the recent Reunion, a new page has been added to the web-site, initially linked just from the 'Home' page. This page lists names of friends and colleagues of current Association Members with whom contact has been lost, in the hope that they might recognise themselves and establish contact with us. Members reading this item are encouraged to provide the Webmaster with any names they would like added to the list.
Reunion 2007 - Additional Item (27th October 2007)
Full details of this year's Reunion can be found by following the link above. However, those of you interested in the history of the 'Y' Service, might be interested in the following book which I forgot to mention at our AGM! It is called:
'The Searchers - Radio Intercept in Two World Wars' by Kenneth Macksey originally published in hardback by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. but available from Amazon in paperback. Mr Macksey is also the author of 'Without Enigma', an interesting speculation on how WWII might have progressed without Enigma and Ultra.
History of 367 SU (19th September 2007)
The writer has recently joined the local U3A (University of the Third Age) Family History Group, and had the opportunity to visit the National Archives which are held in custom-built facilities located close to Kew Gardens. The object of the visit was primarily to research family history via the military records held at Kew - the Personal Records Office moves to Kew in 2008. As I had some time to spare, I took the opportunity of searching for any historical information about 367 Signals Unit that is now in the public domain. The Archives comprise in excess of 10 million records, and a Catalogue Search on '367' produces 7 references in the AIR/ category covering the period 1943 to 1963 in a matter of moments! I was only able to look at three of the files in the time available, but it was fascinating to hold and read the original operational summaries prepared by the various Commanding Officers of 367 Signals Unit - as it became known in October 1946 - previously it was 367 Wireless Unit. I hope to find an opportunity to return to look at the older files!
New Members (19th September 2007)
Since the last update, we have been joined by:
Derek Ovens, Dennis Kent, Melvyn Fancy, Bob Hope and Edward Maris
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Autumn Newsletter, 2007 (19th September 2007)
The last Newsletter before this year's Reunion was sent out by our Secretary - Harry Williams - in August, although there was a bit of a 'glitch' on the postage paid as a result of misinformation from the post office. We apologise for any inconvenience to those members who had to pay a surcharge to collect their envelope but we relied on the information given to us. Along with the Newsletter were included the latest Membership List, Subscription renewal details, and menu choice selection for the Reunion Dinner. At the latest count, there will be at least 100 Members and Associate Members attending, so it should be another successful event.
General News (29th March 2007)
Hotel bookings for the AGM and Reunion in October are proceeding apace, so if there are any Members out there who are thinking of attending, the advice is Get Booking Now to be assured of a room at the hotel. Our Historian tells me that Book 11 - yes, eleven - of 367SU Memories is now complete and printed. It will be posted out to Members with the next Newsletter which will contain more information about the Reunion plans. It is imperative that we have your correct address, etc. so if you change anything, tell us!
New Members (29th March 2007)
We have been joined by John Fraser (missed in 2006 - sorry John!), Ivor Radcliffe, Ernie Southwick, John Stevens and John Woods. For more information, visit the 'Members' page.
Pingat Jasa Malaysia (14th March 2007)
Last month, the writer joined about 60 ex-Servicemen from Bucks, Beds and Herts in the Officers Mess at RAF Halton to receive this award from the Malaysian Government. The Mess is in a splendid building which is part of the Rothschild Estate, just outside the town of Wendover in Buckinghamshire. The event was organised by the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association (see 18th April 2006 item), and will be repeated at several locations around the British Isles during the year. The NMBVA are trying to obtain permission from HMG for the wearing of this award on appropriate occasions.
Newsletter and Ties (9th February 2007)
The latest Newsletter carries an excellent article about the 2006 Reunion for those who were not able to attend, and for those who do not have access to the Internet - there are still a few!! The Association 'Commemorative Mugs' proved very popular at that event and are virtually sold out. The Newsletter also included a fascinating interview with our Patron and member - Ken Sly. (see also the item below for 2nd July 2006) Several members have now received their UK 'Veterans' Lapel badges, which are well made. [although the fastening is a bit 'fiddly'. They could better have used our style of fastening! - Ed.] Colin has also obtained a fine Association Tie - in Royal Blue with the Unit/Association Crest printed on it - contact him for details.
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Reunion, 2007 (20th January 2007)
The 14th Annual Reunion, AGM and Dinner of the Association will be held in Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, on Saturday, October 13th, 2007. Details of the hotel, etc. to be used will be sent to Members imminently, and our Secretary encourages Members to get booking ASAP.
Membership List, 2007 (20th January 2007)
After much checking and double-checking, we 'think' that our Membership List is finally up-to-date, and a copy will be sent out to all members with the imminent Newsletter from our Secretary, Harry Williams. Inevitably, there will be the odd error, but if Members check their entries and advise our Membership Secretary of any changes required, that will be most helpful. Members names are removed from the mailing list after non-payment of subscriptions for two years, and membership is withdrawn after three years non-payment.
Reunion 2006 (13th November 2006)
Our web-site now carries a link to the Report from the 2006 Reunion which will hopefully provide those Members who were unable to attend, with a flavour of the event. More photos of members - as they are today - were taken at the Reunion and have - or will be - added to the 'Members' page.
Reunion 2006 (28th August 2006)
Our Secretary has advised that 84 members and guests (48 members) have registered to attend this year's Reunion, so this could be the largest attendance ever! Let's hope that the weather is kind to us, although our principal visit - to the RAF Museum at Hendon - will be under cover.
UK VETERANS BADGE (28th August 2006)
The Veteran's Badge is now available to those who served in the forces up to and including 31st December 1959. In my village, the Royal British Legion are holding award ceremonies to recognise and celebrate the contribution made by those who served in whatever capacity. (See the entry for 8th April 2006 for further information).
Flt/Lt. Ken Sly (2nd July 2006)
The writer recently had a short holiday at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, and paid a visit to the Wellington Aviation Museum which is on the western fringe of this pleasant Cotswold town. Browsing the various displays of RAF and aviation memorabilia, I spotted a collection of Pilots Notes for several types of aircraft including the Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster, donated to the museum by Flt/Lt Ken Sly of No.1 FTS Moreton-in-Marsh. I introduced myself to the museum proprietor - Gerald Tyack - who knew Ken personally during his time at RAF Moreton-in-Marsh. Ken later served with 367SU from 1957 - 66 and was OC Battys Belvedere during the time I was there. Small world, isn't it !
Silent Key (26th June 2006)
Our Secretary has informed me that our member, David Bridgman, died suddenly in May of this year. David did two tours in H.K. and ran the Classical Music Club at LSW on both occasions. He also served at RAF Tangmere and in Cyprus, and was duly commissioned, serving at RAF Cottesmore and with AFCENT (NATO). After ten years in civvy street, he joined the RAuxAF and became OC for his unit. On retiring, David and Pam moved to Cornwall. The Association extends its sympathy to David's wife and family.
Newsletter (15th June 2006)
The latest Newsletter carries a final reminder about the Reunion in October, complete with booking form and Reunion Dinner menu selection! There is also an order form for the Unit Commemorative mugs, which look really good. Well done, Harry! In addition, there is information relating to a possible visit to Hong Kong in 2007, to enable us to start planning if there is sufficient interest.
‘GWEILO’ by Martin Booth (15th June 2006)
'Gweilo' was once a derogatory term, referring to the European's pale skin, but is now a generic expression devoid of denigration. Anyone who served with the unit in Hong Kong during the 1950's will be fascinated to read this book. It is a delightful account of a young English boy's early life being brought up in the Colony. It is evocative of the noise and bustle of Hong Kong half a century ago, full of local colour and packed with incident. Published by Bantam Books.
Commemorative 367 SU Mugs (26th May 2006)
Our Secretary has identified a source of chinaware mugs, and has been working with our Historian to finalise a design. The mugs are in fine bone china, with a gold rim, decorated with the unit crest and a picture of the base at Little Sai Wan. Underneath the picture are the words: R.A.F. Little Sai Wan. 1951 to 1962.
The mugs will be available to Members at this year's AGM and Reunion, or can be obtained directly from our Secretary.
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‘HORSE GROWS HORNS’ by Kenneth Sly (26th May 2006)
After
several years of hard work Ken, who served on the 367 Signals Unit as Officer
Commanding Battys Belvedere, has completed his autobiography, ‘Horse
Grows Horns’, which is being launched in
http://sidharta.com/books/index.jsp?uid=175
Puzzled
over the title of Ken’s book? You’ll
have to read it, but it’s got something to do with
The Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal (18th April 2006)
Member Roy Taylor has made me aware of the following information. Last year, the Malaysian Government approached the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to seek approval to present their new commemorative medal, known as the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, to British veterans and others who served in operations in Malaya/Malaysia between August 1957 and August 1966.
An application for for this commemorative medal from the Malaysian Government can be obtained from:
Their web-site address is: http://www.nmbva.co.uk/
UK VETERANS BADGE (8th April 2006)
Committee member Ray Whiteoak has drawn my attention to the availability from the MOD of a 'Veterans Lapel Badge', which can be obtained now by those who served in H.M. Armed Forces up to 31st December 1954. The Veterans Agency can be contacted via:
Postal address:
Veterans Agency, Thornton-Cleveleys, Norcross, Blackpool, FY5 3WP
Fax:
01253 330561(UK Only)
+44 1253 330561 (Overseas)
Email: help@veteransagency.gsi.gov.uk
Web-site address: http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/vets_badge/vets_badge.htm
Contact the Veterans Agency by telephone:
Free: 0800 169 2277 (UK
only)
Free: 0800 169 3458 (Minicom)
+44 1253 866043 (Overseas)
Please ensure you provide all the details asked for on the application form.
If
you served between
1st January 1955 and 31st December 1959 you can apply for the lapel badge with
effect from 27th June 2006.
NEW Members (2nd April 2006)
Since the beginning of the year we have been joined by:
Bob Addison
Stephen Davies
John Giles
Peter Keeley
Robert Robertson
Michael Sykes and
Ken Wheeler
It is not practicable for our Membership Secretary to re-issue the Membership List every time a new member joins. It is hoped that new members will get in touch with their old friends and colleagues whose details are in the Membership List provided on joining. The list is normally re-issued twice a year, one of these issues being for the Reunion. If you see a new name here on our web-site which you think you recognise, get in touch with me or Colin.
Top of PageReunion 2006 (2nd April 2006)
Harry Williams has asked me to include details of the hotel being used for the Reunion.
It is the Cumberland Hotel (Best Western) in Harrow (Tel: +44 (0)20 8863 4111, Fax: +44 (0)20 8861 5668, e-mail: reception@cumberlandhotel.co.uk , http://www.bw-cumberlandhotel.co.uk/ ) Favourable rates apply, so if you are booking in, ensure that you tell them you are with the 367 Association, and get confirmation of your booking. I don't think the online booking process will deal with the special rate.
If you are intending to go to the Reunion, please book into the hotel as soon as possible, and certainly before the next Newsletter due towards the end of May/early June, which will include details of the Reunion Dinner menu! As in previous years, we expect many members to arrive on the Friday or even before, and some may stay on for a few days. There is likely to be growing pressure on accommodation - so over to you!
Book 10 from the Association's Historian (2nd April 2006)
Book 10 duly hit my doormat on the Saturday, and as usual, is full of interesting information and accounts of members experiences with 367 SU. Although the same number of pages (74) as previous volumes, it seems slightly more substantial - maybe it's just the newness! What will Volume 11 hold I wonder!
Aerial Riggers Association (5th March 2006)
Brian (Eddie) Edwards, who runs the Ex-RAF Aerial Erectors Association, has been in touch and put a link to our web-site from their site, which is at: http://www.hariggers.co.uk He was based at Kai Tak Signals Centre and also helped to build Tai Mo Shan in 1958. There are several riggers in the Association who were at Little Sai Wan.
Enigma Variations (5th March 2006)
Chris McDonald (see next item) and member Frank Pickard have made me aware of a fascinating item on the BBC web-site, relating to the final deciphering of German Naval messages originated in 1942 using the four rotor Enigma M4 machine. These messages were decrypted by a group of 'amateur' code-breakers using a network of PC's on the Internet.
For details see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/technology/4763854.stm
and http://www.bytereef.org/m4_project.html
Top of Page3 TelU - RAAF (5th March 2006)
In the Autumn of 2005, we were contacted by ex-pat. Chris McDonald who wanted to get in touch with an old pal who is one of our members, and we were able to put them in touch. Chris subsequently made available a copy of the 3 TelU History covering the period 1946 - 86, and pointed out that the RAAF were first attached to 367SU in 1949, a year earlier than we originally thought. In addition, there was an RAAF presence in Labuan from 1951 [although they had all gone by the time I arrived in 1959. Ed.] Relevant extracts will be included in Book 10 of '367SU Recollections' which will shortly be with the printers, I am told.
Reunion 2006 (17th February 2006)
Our member - Andy Armstrong - who is closely associated with the RAF Museum at Hendon, has set the wheels in motion for this years Reunion, to be held on Saturday, October 14th. The Cumberland Hotel in Harrow will be the principal venue, with a visit to the Museum during the day. The Committee look forward to welcoming members old and new to this the 13th Reunion.
VOIP (17th February 2006)
A current hot topic is VOIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol - which is starting to challenge conventional landlines for voice/video communication. Several members have installed SKYPE, a free download from www.skype.com , which provides VOIP - and video with a webcam and Windows XP ! Although there is a slight delay with speech and video is a bit jerky, it is interesting to be able to see the person at the other end! Both end users have to be running Skype.
NEW Members (17th February 2006)
The new year has seen the first of the new membership for 2006 with Stephen Davies from Staffordshire joining us. Steve was at LSW from 1954 - 56.
26 new members swelled our ranks in 2005, the majority via the web-site.
but can be obtained by contacting the Webmaster via the 'Contact Us' link above
