70th Infantry Brigade Website.

I am very pleased to let you know that the 70th Infantry Brigade Website, which has been under development for some months, has now been activated.

It can be accessed at www.newmp.org.uk/70brigade or by clicking on the 70 Brigade link on the left of the main page of the NEWMP Website.

It must be emphasised that the work is at a very early stage. The Website contains introductory and explanatory material, with the beginnings of some War Diaries (especially 23rd Division and 70th Brigade itself) together with the manpower databases for the three Infantry Battalions (10 DLI, 11 DLI and 1 Tyneside Scottish). The material is all searchable.

I have now got to get on and input several thousand pages' worth of War Diary material and continue to refine the manpower lists.

If you have any queries or comments, by all means contact me. Many thanks to all those who have been so supportive and helpful - I look forward to working further with you.

Kind Regards

John L Dixon

Armed Forces Day

The presentation of the Veterans Badges took place in the council chamber of county hall. The master of ceremonies was Jonathan Morrell from Real Radio. Presentations were made by councillor Dennis Morgan, Chairman of Durham County Council along with Lt. Col. Ian Banks commanding officer,5RRF, Group Cpt. J.B. Portlock from RAF Boulmer and Mr Kevan Johns MP the Shadow Secretary of Defence.
The presentation of the badges was preceded by a Rap written and performed by pupils of Escomb Primary school, poems written and read by pupils of Our Lady and St Thomas RC Primary School Willington and The Bowburn March by Ray Farr played by the Durham County Schools Brass Band conducted by Neil Hines.
Outside there were displays and activities provided by the local services, public and military. Late in the afternoon the crowds were entertained by the Band and Bugles of the Durham Army Cadet Force and a battle drill display by the 68th  Durham Light Infantry Society. 
  

LINK to all photos.

The Durham Light Infantry Association.

BRANCH BULLETIN JUNE 2011

43.11 NEW STOCK ITEM - LADIES BROOCH

A well designed ladies brooch has been added to the stock held at the Rifles Durham Office. It is circular in design with the DLI badge in the centre and is about the size of a £2 piece. They are reasonably priced at £9.50 and can be purchased in the usual manner.

44.11 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES

A copy of the Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting which was held on 15 June 2011 are enclosed with this Bulletin. Please ensure that their contents are made known to your members at the next available meeting.

45.11 ANNUAL REUNION 2011

The Warning Order for the 2011 Annual Reunion was recently dispatched to all branches. Please ensure that bids for accommodation and meals are mad in accordance with the time table and that all cheques are made payable to the “DLI Central Bank” and crossed A/C Payee Only.

46.11 SWEEPSTAKE

All branches with the exception of Horden & Peterlee have been supplied with 120 books of tickets and it is hoped that these will be sold as early as possible. Please note that our target donation for the DLI Memorial Appeal is £2000 and to achieve this we must sell all 3000 books. Only 260 books of tickets remain to be distributed and if any branch requires more books of tickets then please collect from the Rifles Durham Office. The response from those on our mailing list has, as usual, been superb.

47.11 CHRISTMAS CARDS 2011

The 2011 Christmas card is at the printers and will be available shortly. It is a very colourful card featuring a Bugle Major of the 68th of Foot circa 1850 standing on the banks of the River Wear with a background of the Castle & Cathedral. The price will again be .75p per card.

For your order form CLICK HERE

48.11 INDOOR GAMES 2012

You will note from the Executive Committee Minutes that it has been agreed that the Houghton Le Spring Branch will again host the Indoor Games. They will be held in The Royal British Legion Dubmire Club at Fencehouses on Sunday 25th of March 2011.

49.11 CHRISTMAS CARDS - PREVIOUS YEARS

A quantity of Christmas Cards from previous years is held in the stock room in the Rifles Office Durham. These may be purchased at the greatly reduced price of 10 for £.3.00. These are of course not dated but orders should be collected thus avoiding the madness of the postage costing more than the cards.

50.11 STOCKTON BRANCH - MEETING TIME

The Stockton Branch now meet on the 4th Wednesday in the month at 2 PM in the Rimswell (Hotel) Pub, Bishopton Road West, Fairfield, Stockton On Tees. This afternoon meeting is a new initiative which branches may wish to consider, especially over the winter months

51.11 BERLIN MEMORABILIA.

The Curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin is mounting an exhibition to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the erection of the Berlin Wall. As the 1st Bn were stationed there at the time he is anxious to acquire memorabilia from that period, especially a BD Jacket. The exhibition will run from August 2011 until January 2012. All items will be returned to the donator after the exhibition closes. Contact the Rifles Office Durham if you can help.

52.11 DEATHS

The following deaths have been reported to the Rifles Durham Office since the last Bulletin,

Bob Younger - 1 DLI Korea

George S. Richardson - d. June 2011

Roland Wass - 1 DLI Korea (died in Perth, W. Australia)

 

Kevin Storey. BEM.

Secretary

Elvet Waterside

Armed Forces Day 2011

Armed Forces Day takes place on Saturday 25th June at County Hall, Durham

Here in Durham, the Chairman of the council will be personally thanking those men and women who have served in HM Armed Forces at a special celebration at County Hall.
From noon, there will be family fun activities including army climbing walls, fire brigade and police activities, and much much more.

Entry to the DLI Museum will also be free of charge to mark the event.

Later in the day at 4.00pm, there will be the chance to enjoy a battle re-enactment which will be followed by an open-air concert by the Durham Army Cadet Force Band and Bugles who will beat the retreat.

Entry and activities are free.

Find out more about Armed forces day.

Military Talks Programme.

Thursday 30 th. June - 6.00pm

Taliban by James Fergusson

Following the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan the country was in chaos. In October 1994 a small group of religious students decided to take matters into their own hands. The Taliban, as they called themselves, fought with a religious zeal that the warring Mujaheddin could not match. By February 1995 they had become a national movement; 18 months later Kabul fell and the country was effectively theirs.

James Fergusson's fascinating account of this extraordinary story is essential for anyone who wishes to understand the current situation in Afghanistan. His foreign correspondent work has appeared in many publications, including the Independent, the European, the Daily Mail and Prospect magazine. A regular television and radio commentator, James is now an internationally acknowledged expert on Afghan affairs - a specialisation that began a decade and a half ago - and the author of three books on the subject.

His first, Kandahar Cockney: A Tale of Two Worlds (Harper Colins, 2004), was a Radio 4 Book of the Week, and told the story of Mir, his Afghan fixer/interpreter whom he helped gain political asylum in London. His second, A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the British Army in Afghanistan, was published by Bantam Press in June 2008, and was the British Army's Military Book of the Year. His latest, Taliban, combining a reappraisal of that movement and a call for negotiations with them, appeared in 2010 and has been reprinted in several languages.

James will be speaking as part of the DLI Museum's 'Courageous Restraint: 3 RIFLES in Afghanistan' exhibition and project.

Please note there will be no additional admission cost for this talk.

DLI DADS- Victory Fun Day

18th June.

Join the Western Front Alliance and try out their military vehicles. Help us to make flags,bunting and much more.

Contact the Museum for more details;Tel 0191 3842214. E-Mail dli@durham.gov.uk