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RSA Reunion 2012

Dear all. Many of you will have heard by now that the Blandford Camp accommodation, usually offered to RSA members at reunions, has been condemned. There are no plans for it to be replaced. Unfortunately this means that there will be no accommodation on Camp for our members for 2012 and future reunions.

Every alternative has been explored, but without success. Whilst caravans, campervans and tents will still be welcome, it is regretted that members will have to make their own accommodation arrangements for the reunion weekend.

It is hoped that as many branch standard bearers as possible will continue to attend the reunions and to assist, Assn HQ is prepared to grant up to £50.00 per standard bearer to help with his/her local accommodation costs for the weekend. This grant is dependant upon the standard bearer taking part in the Saturday afternoon arena display and the Drumhead Service on the Sunday morning. There is no obligation to participate in the Standard Bearers’ Competition, which will only continue if there are sufficient entrants. Claims for this grant should be made after the reunion and be supported by a receipt.
A list of local accn is available from Assn HQ, although the details are from last year. It is hoped to update these details when the North Dorset Tourist Board issue their 2012 local accn brochure, hopefully early in the new year.
The full instructions for the 2012 reunion, which will be held on Blandford Camp over the weekend 23-24 June, should be available in February.

Yours,
Peter Cuckow

Admin Officer/Membership Secretary

BAD AIBLING HOGLING REUNION 2012
As most of you already know,Hogling is a small hamlet in Bavaria and was the home of a 13 Sigs DF site.
We were billeted in a US Army camp at a spa town (Bad Aibling). The nearest town of any size was Rosenheim..... Munich was about an hour away.
I’m in touch with Mick Caddick and have recently renewed contact with Clem Robson (both ex Hogling reprobates) and this has brought back many memories of that fantastic place and of the crew that I served with from Dec ’64 to Dec ’65. Detachment Commander was initially Fred and then Tom Jephcote.
So, are any ex Brit Det ops keen to have a reunion at B.A.?
It will take a lot of organising but I’m thinking of summer 2012 (although Mick has advised me that we’d have to avoid the Olympics).
Perhaps those who served there may like to see Bavaria once more before we all get too old.

Anyone interested??
Bernard Derrick
(cllr.bernardderrick@lichfielddc.gov.uk)

BVA Forum
Many of our members have registered for this facility and having done so have never posted a comment, answered a question or indeed, posted one themslves.
The forum will be run until the end of 2011. If after that time it is still under utilised unfortunately, it will close.

An important announcement from David Sutton
I read with interest the AOB area of the Reunion minutes. I may have said in the past of my role in SSAFA/Forces Help. Should any member of the BVA require, or know of an ex-colleague requiring help, or their families I would be most willing to send their details to the nearest branch of SSAFA/Forces Help in their area. Unfortunately as with many organisations these days and Data Protection we normally require the person to contact us and not us them, however we can accept referrals in most cases from the member passing on the information. I would prefer any contact by email. Best wishes to all members
David Sutton Asst. Branch/Divisional Secretary SSAFA/FH (East Yorkshire)

Regimental/Personal Photographs
Have you any photographs of your time spent with the Regiment or any of its sub-units, (224/225/226/10 WTS/12 Wrls Sqn/H Tp/Hogling/Herzo/Comms & Sy Group etc ) that we can publish on the BVA website, I would be pleased to have them. It would also help if you cold send them in their original format (un-compressed and .Jpeg format).We do not have a surfeit of good photographs so anything that you can do to help would be appreciated.

Fraud reduction advice
Keep your PINs and passwords secure – never write them down or reveal them to anyone.
• Avoid using obvious passwords like your date of birth, home phone number or mother’s maiden name.
• Always check your statements thoroughly.
• Destroy bills, receipts and other financial papers, preferably by using a shredder.
• If you move house, have your mail redirected and give your new address to your bank, building society or other financial provider.
• Immediately notify your financial providers if you have been subjected to identity fraud and ask them to confirm that no similar attempt has been made on your investment with that company.
• Ask your financial providers to enhance security on your investments, if you have been subjected to identity fraud.
• If you lose or have your passport or driving licence stolen, immediately contact the organisation that issued it.
• Check your personal credit file from a credit reference agency such as Equifax or Experian and see if it includes any entries that you do not recognise.

In addition to the above watch out for the following:

• Post from financial institutions that does not arrive or you stop receiving post.
• You receive bills or receipts for goods and services you haven’t asked for.
• You receive letters from solicitors or debt collectors about debts that are not yours.
• You apply for state benefit but are told that you are already claiming.

As your personal details have been targeted, you may wish to consider applying for protective registration with CIFAS – the UK’s Fraud prevention Service. For more information, visit
www.CIFAS.org.uk and click on Protective Registration or phone them on 0870 0102091 0870 0102091 . In any event, if you have been 'scammed' send the received emails to : emails to email@actionfraud.org.uk

BVA Membership
Do you know of anyone who served with the Regiment but is not yet a member of the BVA, if so, why not encourage them to join.
There will come a time when our membership will start to drop away, so the more we get now the better. I cannot offer any incentive for doing this other than the satisfaction of knowing that we have renewed contact with another member of the family.

BVA Online shop
We now have good quality BVA mouse-mats, base ball Caps, Association Tie and an excellent Gwen Sangster CD titled, 'We will Remember them'(monies for which, she has kindly donated to the BVA charity) on sale. Entry is via the Members page. Additionally - if you have anything that you wish to sell, why not do it through the shop?

Links Page
Wish to advertise your business? As a member, we will advertise it free on our website Links Page.

Did you Know?
Have you ever wondered what that senior officer said about you in that Confidential
Report or when you actually took up a posting, was it June or was it July? Well now you can find out. Write to the:
Administrative Officer, Army Personnel Centre, Disclosure Section 2-Data Protection Cell, Mail Point 515, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX.
Make sure that you enclose a photo-copy of your passport and that you include your regimental number.
After a few weeks you will receive a huge envelope (at no cost to yourself) containing all of the information pertaining to your army career.

Did you Know?
That by applying to the BSTU Berlin that you can find out if Stasi (East German Secret Police) hold any information on you. The website is:
http://www.bstu.de (Site can be accessed in English)
e-mail:post@bstu.de
Address is: Der Bundesbeauftragte fur die Unterlager
des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen
Deutschon Demokratischen Rebublik
Postfach 218, 10106 Berlin.