Aylesbury & District RNA celebrate AFD, and prepare for their 80th Anniversary

22 July 201522 July 2015 Karl Webb Daphne Edgar, Glen Beck, Ken Satterthwaite, Ron Hale, Tom Spurrier

Armed Forces Day – Saturday 27th June. This was held at Aylesbury Rugby Club and well attended by many service and ex-service organisations. This year’s event was opened by HM Lord Lieutenant for Bucks, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher.

Aylesbury & District Branch No 1 man a stall for Armed Forces Day

Photos above and below show the Aylesbury Branch Stand and four members who ran the stand; from left to right: S/M’s Glen Beck (Welfare and Area Rep), Ken Satterthwaite (making up the numbers), Tom Spurrier (Chairman and Standard Bearer) and Ron Hale (Vice Chairman and Branch Secretary).

S/M’s Glen Beck, Ken Satterthwaite, Tom Spurrier and Ron Hale at Armed Forces day

Birth of the Branch Anniversary: Aylesbury and District Branch No.1 celebrate their 80th Anniversary this year (see below for our Branch history). To celebrate the event, the Branch will be holding a Dinner/Dance on Saturday 7th November at the Ex-services Club, Walton Street, Aylesbury (this will not be for the faint-hearted as the Remembrance Day Parades are on the 8th). Guests of Honour will be HM Lord Lieutenant for Bucks, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher and Lady Aubrey-Fletcher. Tickets will be available from S/M Glen Beck (01296 489107) in due course.

THE BIRTH OF THE BRANCH

On 16^th March 1934, a number of ex-naval men sat down to a dinner presided by the late Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Keynes. As a result of discussions throughout the dinner it was agreed to form a National Association – this became the National Royal Naval Old Comrades Association.

On 3^rd January 1935, an inaugural meeting took place at Ye Olde Ship Restaurant, Whitehall with 14 ‘Old Salts’ turning out – to what became the birth of the of the Association.

From that inaugural meeting came the decision to set up a Bucks Branch and finally on 8^th March 1935, the Bucks Branch, Certificate Number 1, was officially formed, the Hon General Secretary being Mr. Thos. Oakley, 16 Tring Road, Wendover.

To avoid confusion when other branches were formed in Bucks, the branch underwent a change of name to become the Aylesbury Branch of the National Royal Naval Old Comrades Association. The branch underwent a further name change to incorporate membership from outlying villages to become Aylesbury & District Branch No.1.

By the end of the Second World War there were some 270 branches – in order to be considered for a Royal Charter it was necessary to change the name of the Association and finally in July 1954, the National Royal Naval Old Comrades Association officially became the Royal Naval Association and granted a Royal Charter by H.M. the Queen.

Within a period of 19 years the early Bucks branch underwent 4 changes of name but confidently remains as it is today, the Number 1 Branch.

Our longest serving branch member is one of our Vice Presidents, Daphne EDGAR who joined on 23 March 1954.