News From the Glosters

The Slashers golf society on tour 2023.

The Slashers golf society on tour 2023.

The Slashers golf society on tour 2023.
We decided on Sueno golf hotel Belek Antalya Turkey twelve months in advance as we had been to this destination on four previous occasions, it is considered to be one of the best golfing destinations available, the society has been touring for over twenty years to many different countries such as Tunisia , Morocco, Spain & Portugal but none compare with Turkey for value,
This years tour was organised by Steve Bennion & Steve Knight both ex Glosters there organising skills are extremely good when it comes to golf tours , twenty four guys went on tour competing for a team prize ( the Salamanca trophy ) & the main prize The coveted Primrose Jacket ,
The first night is always a late night and some didn’t get to bed as it’s an all inclusive holiday so there were a few sore heads to start the weeks golf ,
Day one was a warmer in the bank team Texas scramble competition played in 36 degrees luckily we were in buggies with plenty of water, it’s a great friendly format where everyone can ease into the week ,
The facilities at the hotel are excellent the staff are very good and there is so much choice of food there is something for everyone ,
We played 5 straight rounds of golf with a rest day at the end of the week , however some guys played even on there rest day ,
The Twenty four players are divided into two equal ability teams 28th & LXI and play over two rounds for the trophy , this year the winners were team 28th captained by Tim Perrins ex Glosters,
The primrose jacket is the main competition, The jacket belonged to the England cricketer Tom Graveney who donated it to the slashers society , each year we play for the jacket on tour , the winners name is embroidered on the jacket and presented to that individual at the annual slashers August meeting,
This year we played two great courses , the Dunes & The National for the jacket with the winner scoring a magnificent gross four over par on the National 43 Stableford points ,and a par round on the Dunes course 36 points ,
The top Three were 1st place Roy Evans , 2nd place Matt Evans 3rd place Ron Cooke ,
The tour is finally is the end of tour dinner ,where we dress in planters order society ties and toast the king & Regiment , this year the dinner was organised by Graham ( Butch ) Sargent who did a fantastic job in booking a complete restaurant solely for our group with waiter service and a 5 course meal , needless to say it was a fantastic end to a perfect week ,
Roy Evans
Chairman

Some photos from the tour

 

The passing of the Rev John Morley-Bunker

It is my sad duty to inform the passing of the Rev John Morley-Bunker, who died at the age of 95 on 9th September 2023. He is survived by his wife, Edna Morley-Bunker and by sons Michael and Nigel (notifier). Anyone wishing to contact Edna should contact the County Chairman who has her address. John’s funeral will take place at Clifton (RC) Cathedral on Wednesday 27 September at 1100hrs.
John joined the 1stBattalion The Gloucestershire Regiment after the retreat from Rangoon in WW2. He was stationed in India (now Pakistan) until the country's partition and independence in 1947. Later in life, he became a priest in Bristol, first of all, Anglican and later Roman Catholic. A letter of condolence has been sent to the family and the County Chairman will be in attendance, other association members are welcome.

RE: Les Allen’s Funeral & Wake

I would like to add my thanks to all who attended, despite the Clergy, it was an outstanding day with amazing feedback and thank yous from family & friends.
The undertakers were particularly impressed with our professionalism and conduct.
Attached is a video link to the service which I did not know was running.
Well done everyone, “By our deeds we are known” was never more demonstrated!

Yours aye
Martin Vine

PS: Hope everyone got home OK, I had to stop halfway for a power nap 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv-pgO2s780

Service of Thanksgiving in Gloucester Cathedral

D

Dear Fellow Back Badge Wearer,

In November 1953 around 400 Prisoners of War from the Gloucestershire Regiment returned to Gloucestershire after two and a half years in captivity in North Korea after being captured at the end of the Battle of The Imjin River in Korea in April 1951.

On their return, they all attended a Service of Thanksgiving in Gloucester Cathedral during which The Carne Cross was presented to the Cathedral.

The cross was fashioned from a rock with a nail by Lt Col Carne during an extended period of solitary confinement, and used by the soldiers in church services within the prison camp and smuggled out when the prisoners were exchanged.

On the 70th Anniversary of the arrival of the prisoners back in Gloucestershire we will be holding a Service of Commemoration to honour them and their fallen comrades from both the battle and the period in the camps. This service will be held on 25th November 2023 and will be based on the original service held in the cathedral 70 years ago to the week. The service will include the ceremonial re-presentation of The Carne Cross to the Cathedral.

We would like to invite you to this service which will take place at 1630hrs on Saturday 25 November 2023 in Gloucester Cathedral. All veterans and families are welcome to attend, dress suited & booted or smart civvies (former would be a preference). All those planning to attend should RSVP to Len Keeling at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with all names, to ensure we have the appropriate seating available. No march this time, expecting a large gathering of veterans and families so get your seat reservations in early.

“By our deeds we are known”

The death of Alan Lloyd

It is my sad duty to inform the passing of 24375344 Pte Alan Lloyd aged 69 Years.

Alan’s funeral is being organised by his sister, Wendy Bevan, and will be held at the Forest of Dean crematorium (Yew Tree Brake, Speech House Road, GL14 3HU Cinderford) at 3.30 pm on Friday 3 March.  Afterwards, a wake will be held at the Yew Tree Inn, Peterstow, HR9 6JZ.  The family welcome any former Glosters who would like to attend both Alan’s funeral and the Wake.  Condolences may be sent to his sister, Wendy Bevan, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

see obituary

Veterans ID Card

The Veterans’ Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; with Service leavers receiving a recognition card as part of the discharge process.

Phase 2 is to extend the scheme to existing veterans so that they can more quickly, easily and securely prove they served in the UK Armed Forces so they can access the services they need.

There is a need to future-proof the roll-out and ensure that we are giving ID cards only to those with verified service to guard against fraudulent use as veterans become able to access a wider range of benefits.

In the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan (2022-2024) the government committed to exploring the secure, digital verification of veterans’ status. This work is underway, and we are currently working with veterans and other stakeholders to ensure any solution meets the needs of all veterans. This will support delivery of the Phase 2 roll out of ID cards. The government is still committed to delivering ID cards but cannot give a timescale for final delivery as this work is in progress.

Last reviewed 15 February 2022

Source New veterans ID cards rolled out to service leavers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Service Reminders For This Week (4):

Service Reminders For This Week (4):

Stephen (Steve) Edward James Wright, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, the funeral service will be held at St Mary the Virgin Church, Fore Street, Torquay, TQ1 4QY on Monday 30th of January 2023 at 13.45. Please wear what you are comfortable with. Family flowers only but donations, if desired, for the Rowcroft Hospice at Home team by retiring collection.


Mark Bessell, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, the funeral service will be held at Bristol South Crematorium, on Friday 3rd February at 3 pm. No flowers please, but if you would like to show your appreciation for the impact Mark has had on your life, please donate to Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team which brought Mark home to his family.


Philip Miller, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, the funeral service will be held at Sedgemoor Crematorium Stretcholt TA6 4SR at 1100hrs on Monday 30th January 2023. No flowers please, but should anyone wish to donate, there is a just-giving site at: Crowdfunding to In memory of Philip Allen (Dusty) Miller 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment 28th/61st on JustGiving

Richard Smith will be held at Gloucester crematorium on Friday 3rd February @ 1pm and the wake will be held at Stroud rfc , family flowers only , donations to Gloucester royal hospital intensive care unit charity

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Upcoming Funerals

Listed below are dates and times for upcoming funerals

  • Phill Miller-Somerset 30 January 11:00hrs
  • Richard Smith- Gloucester Crem 3 February 13:00hrs
  • Alan Putterill- Cinderford Crem 17 February 13:00hrs
  • Ivor Panting- Glos St Barnabas ch ( burial) 24 February time tbc
With the exception of Alan Putterill all will have bearers, wreath and bugler

The Funeral of SteveWright

Service Notice: Funeral details have now been released for Stephen (Steve) Edward James Wright, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, who died on the 31st of December 2022.

The Association will be supporting the family at the service, providing the Regimental drape and wreath, no standard bearers are required. Steve's funeral will be held at St Mary the Virgin Church, Fore Street, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4QY on Monday 30th of January 2023 at 13.45. Please wear what you are comfortable with. Family flowers only but donations, if desired, for the Rowcroft Hospice at Home team by retiring collection. Please contact Coop Funeral Care, Moorview Funeral Home, 79-85 Barton Road, Torquay, TQ2 7NY. Tel 01803 311511. A full obituary will be shortly published on the Glosters Regimental Website.

Message from The Webmaster

Hi there

Some of you may have noticed some changes with this website!

My name is Jim Waterfall and since the death of Dusty Miller I have taken over the duties of webmaster for the Glosters. I realise that I have a very hard act to follow after Dusty’s magnificent contributions to the Association and the Glosters website over the years and I hope that you will be as supportive of me as you were of Dusty.

Whilst I am not a Gloster, I did serve for 17½years with 1DERR, leaving with the rank of Sgt in 1991 (20 years including Junior Soldiers at Oswestry).

I have made changes to the website as it was in, my opinion, in need of a makeover, making it easier to navigate and more relevant to you.

One thing that I will ask of you all is that this is YOUR website and we need you to contribute material for the website, photo’s, reports on events, news on our veterans in fact anything that you may think a Gloster maybe interested in.

One last point, as with DERR, I do not believe that whilst there may be ex-servicemen, there is no such thing as an ex-Gloster, once a Gloster, always a Gloster.

So I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with you as your webmaster and to carry forward Dusty’s legacy into the future.

The Death of Ronald Mann

Harry Mann informs us:

With sadness I pass on the information my brother Ronald Mann passed away just before Xmas.
He was 89 years old.Served in the Gloster's in ,Germany and at Andover.
Buried at Matson,Gloucester,12-01-2023.
I served in the regiment 1945-1950.Still fair health at 95 years old.I now live in Adelaide,South Australia.

The Death of 24907396 Pte Alan Alderman (AKN Stan)

The Death of 24907396 Pte Alan Alderman (AKN Stan)

24907396 Pte Alan Alderman (AKN Stan)

Len Keeling reports that It is with great sadness that Alan Alderman passed away on the 8th August. Condolences have been sent to his wife Andrea in Cheltenham and to the family from the Regimental Association.

Alan joined 1 Glosters in 1990 transferring to 1 RGBW in1994. He served in NI, Bosnia, Yugoslavia. In addition, his service took him to Canada, Germany, Botswana, Cyprus and the Falklands. He was discharged from fulltime service in 1997 and in civilian life he was employed in engineering.   

UPDATE

 Latest on  Alan Alderman’s  funeral. He will be cremated at Cheltenham crematorium, Bouncers Ln, Prestbury, Cheltenham GL52 5JT on Friday 26 Aug at 15:00 hrs in the Oak Chapel.

The Death of  24099263 WO2 Nick Bosquet

The Death of  24099263 WO2 Nick Bosquet

 24099263 WO2 Nick Bosquet, of the 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment. Nick passed away on Thursday 21st July 2022 at Southmead Hospital Bristol as a result of pneumonia and a stroke.

 The Regimental Association has sent sincere condolences to the family on behalf of all members and offered assistance at the service. Having spoken to the family they have requested the Regimental Coffin Drape, and a personalised Regimental Poppy Wreath at the funeral. The funeral will take place on Tuesday 16th August, 12 noon, at St George's RC Church, Warminster, Wiltshire. Afterwards, there will be a celebration of his life at the church hall next door. The County Chairman is unable to attend as out of the country, however, his family would really appreciate any of Nicks's friends or veterans from the Glosters to attend.

 After 23 years of service, with postings to Germany, Northern Ireland, and tours to Belize, Cyprus and Oman, he completed his service at the School of Infantry in Warminster. Post-service, he joined the Territorials and embarked on an extended period of study, gaining his HND in Business & Finance at Bristol Polytechnic, Accountancy qualifications, a certificate in Horticulture from Lackham Agricultural College and a qualification to teach English as a foreign language. In between these study periods, he was an accountant at Buxted Chicken Company, and then returned to Mauritius to turn his hand to farming - first tomatoes and then pigs - before finally joining the British Council in Mauritius, teaching English to adults and young learners.

After being diagnosed with kidney failure and type 2 diabetes, he returned to the UK to be near his family. During lockdown, he was admitted to hospital with gout and ended up having an amputation below the knee. Earlier this year, his other leg was amputated in the hope of stemming a recurrent infection. In between his bouts of illness, he remained intellectually sound and fought to maintain his independence, hoping to begin his application to a military retirement home. Sadly, this was not to be.

Nick leaves behind his wife Sybille, children Michaela, Leane, Andy and 7 grandchildren.

The Death of WO2, 24388132 Graham “Jasper” Scarrott

WO2, 24388132 Graham “Jasper” Scarrott.  We are most grateful to Kayleigh for providing us with an excellent account of Graham's service life with the Glosters, The Intelligence Corps and after with the Ministry of Defence.

Graham enlisted into the Army on 18th August 1975,  joining 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment at 16 and half years old.

He served in Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles where he met his wife, Verity. His tour included special duties with 14 Int. Company, after which he transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1985.

After a tour of the Falklands, Jasper returned to the UK and with Verity, and welcomed two children. Their son Simon, born in 1987 and daughter Kayleigh, born in 1990.

He was among the first Int Corps personnel to deploy to theatre at the start of the 1st Gulf War, just 16 days after the invasion of Kuwait.

He deployed to (what was) Yugoslavia with NATO in the mid-90’s and on return, was posted to Cyprus. 

After 25 years ‘exemplary’ service in uniform, he retired from the Army on 31st March 2000 with ACSM, Gulf, Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, General Service, and Long Service and Good Conduct Medals. 

Upon leaving the army, his testimonial described him as: “and outstanding imagery analyst, well adjusted with a good sense of humour, reliable, trustworthy and with integrity of the highest order”.

A day after his retirement from the Army, Jasper officially joined the Ministry of Defence as a Civil Servant. He continued his work as an analyst, going on to lead key elements of the UK analytical effort post 9/11. 

Jasper retired in September 2020 after serving a total of 45 years in Defence. After 25 years ‘exemplary’ service in uniform, he retired from the Army on 31st March 2000 with ACSM, Gulf, Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, General Service, and Long Service and Good Conduct Medals.

Jasper passed away at the age of 63 on 31st July 2022 after a short, but complicated illness. Jasper was surrounded by his family and those that knew him will be heartened to know that he remained cantankerous until the very end.

Jasper’s funeral will take place on Thursday 1st September at Peterborough Crematorium (PE6 7JE) at 1130hrs, followed by a celebration of his life at The Greystones Pub in Sawtry (PE28 5ST) from 1300hrs. All those that wish to honour him will be welcomed.

Family flowers only please. Those wishing to make a contribution are requested to donate in Jasper’s name to the Royal Papworth Hospital, and/or the Intelligence Corps Association.

The Death of 24121357  (William Charles George Wallace)

24121357  (William Charles George Wallace)  always known as George.

He Joined 1 Glosters 1967  and served until 1973 in Chester,   Berlin,    Londonderry,   Honiton,   Minden,  Belfast.

We learn that the funeral will take place at 1100hrs on 10 august 2022 at west Berkshire crematoriam Bath road Thatcham Berks RG19 4LD 

Afterwards wake will be held at the RBL Haigh House Pelican Lane Newbury RG14 1NP

The Death of 24203424 Mike Perrins 

24203424 Mike Perrins 

Len Keeling writes:

It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of 24203424 Mike Perrins who served with the Glosters from 1972-1983 best remembered as C/Sgt SP Coy transferred to the RAOC in 1983 finishing his time as WO1. Mike lost his battle with cancer on weds 15th June. I am in touch with the family, condolences have been sent.


UPDATE
Details of Mick Perrins funeral to be held at Gloucester Crem on 7 July at 14:00 hrs and after at Saintbridge Rugby Club.

Dress : NO Military dress, but please wear- Hawaiian Party dress and bright clothing ( grass skirts would be acceptable) any ex Gloster or comrade/friends are welcome to attend. Unusual form of dress but it was Micks last wishes

 Len.

The death of Tom Barn

We hear from Stratton St. Margaret RBL of the death of Tom Barns.The only other infomation to hand at present is that the funeral is on the 6th July 12 noon.St. Margarets Church, Ermin Street Upper Stratton St. Margaret followed by burial 1300hrs. Wake at the RBL Branch in St. Phillips road. Captain Len Keeling will be in attendance with two Standard Bearers.

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