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FAAA 2014 AGM / TRAINING DAY


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FEBRUARY 9th AGM/TRAINING DAY

THE DRILL HALL, ASHRIDGE MILITARY TRAINING AREA

FIRST ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMY HONOR GUARD

 

 

 

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This last weekend saw the FAAA -A team undertaking its 2014 AGM at the Dill Hall, Dagnal, Hertfordshire. Prior to this a group social event took place at its forward Command Post , the "White Horse" Pub.

 

Originally the group had organised itself to undertake its AGM at Bletchley Park and much organisation and admin had taken place to put this into action, however the recent problems at BP involving the mismanagment and poor treatment of volunteers caused us to relook at our plans and in support of the Volunteers we decided to relocate for the Sunday AGM.

 

Sometimes things happen for a reason and the new venue gave us exclusive use of a building which covered all we needed for the AGM and training day. There was no change for the Saturday evening Social event which was again held at the White Horse pub, this time however with added numbers we had the exclusive use of the Restraunt. A cracking evening with friends with great food and drink in a very old country Pub.

 

 

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The whole reason of course for the weekend was the 2014 AGM, where the groups draft programe was to become a reality.

 

The venue like BP had WWII history, not as famous of course, but very local, in fact the whole area around Ashridge was very busy in WWII and even after the war the area featured in the film the Dirty Dozen. From the outbreak of WWII the area was a hive of activity, however Later in the war the agricultural work force was further supplemented by German and Italian Prisoners of War, some of whom were in a camp at the Pre War Gliding Club (3 miles from the hall). They mainly worked in groups under the supervision of a soldier, but were also used singly, when they stayed on the Cross keys Farm (across the road from the hall) they were the responsibility of the farmer.

 

The countryside around the village of Dagnal where our Sunday Base location was located became increasingly populated in the build up to the D-Day landings. There were British and American troops stationed in Ashridge forrest in the lead up to D-Day and Ashridge House became a troop hospital. A section from the R.A.F. Regiment were at the Radio Station (one mile up the road from the Hall) and some A.T.S.Girls were stationed on what is now the Golf Course and manned the Searchlight at Hall Farm just outside the village. There were also some Czechs and Poles in a bomb disposal squad billeted in the village. There was a fair number of bombing raids in the area, the targets presumably being the RAF rebroadcast station Radio Masts on the Leighton Road and General Motors Factory at Luton.

 

The army had two firing ranges nearby, one at Beacon Hill and the other at Incombe Hole. There were Tank manoeuvres around the village (11th Hussars) and a very large exercise in preparation for D-Day involving thousands of troops and armoured vehicles took place in the area.

The local menfolk who weren’t in the services were in The Home Guard or were A.R.P. wardens. A three months stock of tinned food was kept in an outbuilding at Cross Keys Farm across the road frm the Hall, as an emergency food supply for the village in case of an attempted invasion.

During the War, as might be expected, the Village Hall and our base location had been mainly used for war purposes; School for evacuees, A.R.P. and Home Guard stores and training, and other activities pertaining to the war effort.

 

The Village Hall Management committee meetings were very infrequent. It was in December 1946 that the minutes record that owing to the conditions prevailing during the war years the committee had been unable to maintain the hall in the condition laid down by the rules. A new committee was elected and arrangements made to start on the necessary repairs.

 

So even a little hall in a very small village in the Chiltern Hills has war time history, it was nice to bring it back to life as a military training location for a day at least.

 

 

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AGMs are very personal to groups who hold them, so the detail of that aspect of the weekend can remain within the FAAA-A Team, suffice to say the new dynamics of the group and the events we are to be involved in where very much appreciated by all who now hold full membership. So the remainder of the report will deal with the training aspect of the weekend and to that end to illustrate what we got up to, below is the training programe we worked to:

 

1000hrs---------------------Report to Drill Hall-----ALL MEMBERS.

1015hrs---------------------Muster in Drill hall-----ALL MEMBERS.

1030hrs---Chow------------PFC S SOMERVILLE , Admin Mess and Supply---All Group Members

1030hrs---1115hrs---------EXECS Meeting----All Groups EXECS.

1030hrs---1115hrs---------Basic Infantry Drill/Soldier without Arms----DI / Sgt S CARPENTER /remaining group members.

1130hrs---1230hrs---------AGM------All group members, less Admin Mess and Supply.

1230hrs---1300hrs---------Lunch -----All Group Members.

1300hrs---1345hrs---------Manual of Arms for the Rifle---DI/ Sgt B GREENING/Sgt S CARPENTER-- Male Members

Manual of the Guidon----DI 1st Sgt L M BOWDEN---All Female members

1345hrs---1400hrs---------Chow--- PFC S SOMERVILLE , Admin Mess and Supply—All Group Members.

1400hrs---1430hrs---------Care and preparation of the Class A Uniform----1st Sgt LM BOWDEN/PFC B MACDONALD

1445hrs---1500hrs----------Honor Guard France, Rehearsals----DI/1st Sgt LM BOWDEN/All Group Members

1505hrs----------------------Dismissal Parade---All Group Members

1515hrs---1600hrs----------Clean up and Hand Over Hall-----Rear Party

 

 

It was great to have the exclusive use of the Old village hall which in Wartime had become the Home Guard Drill Hall, it gave us all the facilities we needed. The kitchen was put to good use uder the command of PFC Frank Sommerville from Admin Mess and Supply and the back room, rather large in its self gave the Group Execs a location in which to thrash out the 2014 programe of events and group policy before the main AGM. The remainder of the group had the main hall in which to undertake some basic drill under Drill Instructor S/Sgt Steve Carpenter while the Execs done their thing and was later used for Centralised training Under Drill Instructor Sgt Ben Greening.

Below, the series of pictures illustrate some of the activites we got up to on the training day:

 

 

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FAAA-A-TEAM EXECS Go over the 2014 programe of events and go firm on the overseas deployments.

 

 

 

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FAAA Muster in the briefing room for the AGM, The programe is discused and event organisers task responsibilities agreed on

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After the AGM it was chow time and then stright into drill practice for the Honor Guard personel

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Drill Team pose for a happy snap

 

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Oh Go on then, may as well get some of the other team members on here.

 

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PFC Frank Somerville prepares chow in the mess hall

 

After Lunch the troops were instructed on care and preparation of Uniform under PFC Bob Macdonald. This subject was of great interest to the group members. Bob has had years of caring for Vintage clothing and his expertise was passed on to the troops.

 

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The FAAA-A TEAM came together for the weekend and had a great night on the Saturday evening with great company, we covered all important subjects on the AGM and did some basic drill and Honor Guard Training all with a chilled out approuch with humour at the right time and place.

The decision to move our venue from Bletchley Park to the Old drill hall was the right one, giving us exclusive use of the facilities. The weekend was never about undertaking a reenactment of anything and Uniforms were only worn to fit in with the drill the guys undertook. The pictures here only illustate what we got up to and are not supposed to represent a time line scenario. All worked very hard to achieve all the aims, however a special thank you has to go to Frank from Admin Mess and Supply who cooked us a fantastic Lunch on the Sunday, this combined with the Dinner on the Saturday evening ensured that we eat far too much.

 

By the looks of it all who attended went away with a sound knowledge of what we are doing in 2014 and who from the Execs team are organising what show. Those that could not make it was very much missed, especially on the Saturday evening, however the AGM main points will be general knowledge to the rest of the group by now and they will know that there is a great year ahead and this last weekend has confirmed the group now in its 20th year is is safe hands with the execs team running it at this time.

 

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Lee Bowden
Chairman
The First Allied Airborne Association

 

 

 

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