The Durham Light Infantry Association

Monthly Bulletin June 2014

43. DLI Reunion – 14 Sept 2014

    1. Secretaries General Instruction for the DLI Reunion are about to be issued by the Regimental Secretary (Rifles) Durham. This will include all detail for the DLI Reunion itself and information on the DLI Rifles Northern Officers Dinner.

43. DLI Memorial Unveiling – 14 Sept 2014

    1. The June Meeting of the DLI Executive explained further how members of the Association could apply for tickets for themselves and dependents to the Ceremony of dedication and unveiling of the DLI Memorial in Durham Market Place. All necessary documentation has been issued to Branch Secretaries for distribution to their members.

    2. DLI Association members not attached to a branch will receive documentation separately.

43. D Day 70 Association Normandy Commemoration Tour 5-8 June 2014

    1. A tour party of 43 including Association members, wives, partners and families travelled to Normandy for the D Day 70 Commemoration. They took part in the Bayeux Ceremony, visited Gold Beach, followed the route that 151 Bde took after their Gold Beach landing to Tilly-Sur-Seulles, dedicating a plaque to Pte William Barlow and Pte Evan Hayton at Chateau d’Audrieu, took part in the dedication of the Fire Services Memorial to the DLI at Lingèvres, visited Verrières and St Pierre, and took part in the Ceremony at Tilly-Sur-Seulles receiving Vin d’honneur under the arrangements of the town Mayor. All 43 returned home safely.

43. Legion D’Honneur

    1. D-DAY 70 - AWARD OF THE LEGION D'HONNEUR

    2. In conjunction with events to mark the 70^th Anniversary of the Normandy landings, the Government of France has advised the Ministry of Defence that it wishes to award the Legion d'Honneur to all surviving veterans; not only of the landings, but also the wider Battle for Normandy; the Invasion of Provence (Operation Dragoon); the Liberation of Paris and the Liberation of France. Any veterans, not only troops that landed, but also Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel who operated in support of the landings, who have not already received this award from the French Government, or have not been identified to take part in award ceremonies during the events in Normandy, are invited to submit their details to the MOD using the official form giving the information requested in the form.

    3. Branch Secretaries have been supplied with the appropriate form for distribution for their members. It should be noted that this applies to all Normandy Veterans not just those who attended the D Day 70 Celebrations.

43. Cenotaph Tickets

    1. It should be noted that the Association Secretary has tickets and documentation for those members who wish to attend the Annual Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph London. Interested Branch Secretaries should make contact with the Association Secretary on this matter.

43. Christmas Cards – (Clear Out Sale)

    1. It should be noted that the Secretary has a significant number of DLI Christmas Cards from previous years which are available at 20p each to interested members. Application for these should be made to the Durham Office and payment made to the AO.

43. DLI Stock Items

    1. It should be noted that there is at the present time a good stock of items of DLI clothing and accessories available for sale at the Rifles (Durham) Office. Applications for items should be made to the AO.

43. The ‘World War 1 Centenary’ Tommy

    1. The Rifles Office is about to take delivery of a batch of the new WW1 Centenary Tommy statuettes.

    2. Each statuette will be numbered and provided with a certificate of authenticity. The cost will be £50 per statuette.

    3. Application on the appropriate form should be made to the Rifles (Durham) Office.

43. Annual Draw Tickets

44. Secretaries are reminded that there are limited supplies of the Annual Draw Tickets available at the Rifles (Durham) Office.

    1. Branches with Annual Draw Tickets which they are unlikely to sell should return them to the Association Secretary as soon as possible for re-distribution.

43. Deaths . A list was posted on the 9th June see below.

Elvet Waterside

18 June 2014

Sedgefield Family History Group

Monday 16th June 2014
A talk by Harry Moses “The Fighting Bradfords”
Four brothers, 3 lost their lives in WW1.  The bravery awards they
won  included 2 Victoria Crosses, 2 Military Crosses and
1 Distinguished Service Order.

Please Note All meetings start at 7.45pm in Ceddesfeld Hall. These meetings are free of charge for Cleveland FHS members otherwise the charges are £1.50 for under 60 years and £1.00p for 60 years and over.

Recent Deaths

It is with great sadness we report the following deaths.

Major Frederick John Barrie Blackburn TD. Died Sun 25 May 2014 Aged 86 years.Royal Army Chaplains Department.Formerly Chaplain to 8th Bn DLI

Ron Hughes, died 31 May 2014 Aged 84 years.Served 1 DLI Berlin and Korea. Also National Service in Egypt

Major Ken Crockford MC, Tuesday 27^th May 2014 after a short illness, aged 90.Served KSLI/HEREFORDS

Arthur Willis,died at home 8 June 2014.aged 101 years He served with 2 DLI 1932-1938 and 1939-1946. Arthur was Vice President Stockton Branch DLI Association

George Kirsopp,died 6th June 2014.Served with 1 DLI. George was about 96 years of Age

May they Rest in Peace

 

D-Day and the DLI exhibition

Entitled D-Day and the DLI – 6 June 1944, the exhibition is in the Durham Room at County Hall until Friday, 13th June.

Documents revealing the secrets behind D-Day and the role of the Durham Light Infantry in the historic event are on display in Durham.

Durham County Record Office has put together a small exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.

Visitors can see the secret orders issued to the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry in the week before D-Day and the aerial photographs used to identify the landing area on Gold Beach.

Also on display are the top secret passwords which changed every hour and accounts of the day’s events from some of the men who were there.

 

Opening times are:

• Saturday – 9.00am to 3.00pm
• Monday to Thursday – 9.00am to 5.00pm
• Friday – 9.00am to 4.30pm

More information is available at www.ww1countydurham.blogspot.co.uk

The Cleveland Branch of the WFA Meeting 17th June

‘The 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers at Mons’ – John Mason Sneddon

This talk covers the actions of the battalion at the Battle of Mons including the fight to hold the bridge at Mariette, and Capt Wright’s attempt to blow up the bridge and his V.C.

Meetings take place at the Royal Navy Club, William Street Stockton.

and commence at 8.00pm, members and non-members welcome.

News: DLI Veterans Mark D-Day Landings 70th Anniversary

There was a send off early Thursday morning for DLI Veterans on their way to Normandy to take part in the D-Day Landings 70^th Anniversary event. They took with them a plaque to commemorate the murder of two DLI soldiers by the German SS after the D-Day Landings in 1944

Note: Durham PS will be putting on a remembrance themed exhibition of prints in Durham Town Hall for the month of September coinciding with the unveiling of the new DLI memorial statue in the Market Place. A Northern Echo report on the memorial is here

This is an important trip for the DLI and members of the Association as a plaque to commemorate the murder of two DLI soldiers by the German SS after the Normandy Landings in 1944 will be dedicated.