Early News

20th October 2009 – AANM Inaugural meeting at the NMA

During 2008, the Beachley Old Boys’ Association started their own Memorial project, with David Chapman (60A) at the helm.

During the summer of 2009 at the Arborfield Association AGM, Maurice ‘Mo’ Hope (59B) proposed that the Association should consider a memorial to the Army Apprentice and they subsequently formed a Memorial Committee too. Gordon Bonner (49B) was tasked to investigate the possibility of all the known Ex-Apprentice Associations collaborating on a project to have a single national memorial located at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire.

Subsequently, at the inaugural meeting of representatives from three of the four interested associations of Chepstow, Arborfield, Harrogate and Carlisle, a Memorial Steering Committee (MSC) was formed, an administration structure was proposed and members were appointed to be responsible for the various activities required. Its task was to first look at the possibility of the project and should there be agreement, to plan and implement the activity to make it happen. Mike Davis (Arb 60B) and Ted Cooper (Car 61C) were unable to attend but were still given jobs!

1st Mar 2010 – Maj Gen Gerry Berragan appointed Patron of Project

Recently the AANM Steering Committee formally approached Major General Gerry Berragan CB to ask him if he would consider becoming the overall patron of the project. He graciously accepted the offer and is very enthusiastic about helping to get the project moving forward. Gerry started his long career at Arborfield with Intake 48B in September 1948. He passed out of Arborfield in July 1951 as a trained vehicle mechanic and entered the REME as a Craftsman.

In 1954 Gerry attended an officer selection course at Eaton Hall, Cheshire and was then posted as a 2nd Lt in the REME. However, in 1956 he applied for a regular commission and was successful, being transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in which he ended up as it’s Director General (DGOS). He served for a total of 40 years, retiring from the Regular Army in 1988.

Major General Berragan was awarded the Companion of the Bath (CB) in 1988 and was Colonel Commandant of the RAOC and later the RLC. He was chairman of the RAOC Charitable Trust retiring from the post in 2002 – marking 54 years of service to the Crown. From 1988 to 1998 he was Chief Executive of the Institute of Packaging.

1st Mar 2010 – The AANM Fund appointed a registered Charity

The AANM Committee recently made an application to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to be recognised as an exempt charity for tax purposes in order to be able to claim Gift Aid payments on donations made to the project by individual UK taxpayers. We are happy to report that this has been approved and we will now be able to claim around 28 pence rebate for every pound donated after 9th December 2009. (HMRC Ref No XT 23205)

 

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