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Events
Evershed Fields
A new street off The Shade in Soham is to be called Evershed Fields in honour of Sister (Lieutenant), Mollie Evershed. Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Mentioned in Despatches, King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.
Mollie was 28 when she was lost on the HMHS "Amsterdam" which was sunk on 7th August 1944 by a German mine.
Fifty-five wounded men were lost, ten medical staff, thirty crew. and eleven German prisoners of war.
A total of 106 were lost.
The hospital ship had been operating by anchoring off Caen, by "Juno" Beach, transferring the wounded from the shore by L.C.A. (Landing Craft Assault) and ferrying them to Southampton.
This Sunday morning the ship hit a mine, broke its back, and went down in 8 minutes.
Mollie’s niece lives in Soham. The family commented that Evershed Fields is lovely name for her memory.
23rd June Cambridgeshire County Day Newmarket
Tom, Mike, Juliet, Lucy and Dave in front of the RBL County stand
March 2022 Soham Touchpoint visit to NMA
February 2022
MSO Dan Francis receiving his certificate of appreciation from County President Rodger Herriot OBE DL
Soham Drumhead Service November 2021
13th November 2021
The Royal British Legion welcomes members of the Royal family, Government Ministers and the public to join in the annual Festival of Remembrance.
To mark 100 years since our collective national Remembrance traditions came together for the first time, we will be remembering the military and civilian, the old and young, and the British and Commonwealth men and women who have fought wars, disasters and pandemics to protect and defend Britain.
November 2021
May 2021 100th Birthday celebration for WW2 veteran S/Sgt Reg Millns
St Ives branch teamed up with the RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band to wish a happy birthday to WW2 veteran S/Sgt Reg Millns who turned 100 on Tuesday 4th May. Reg was called up to serve in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1940. In 1941, he was posted to Egypt and he didn't come home again until 1946. Reg served in Egypt and Palestine throughout the war and played a supporting role at the battle of El Alamein. After the war, Reg trained to be an accountant and had a successful career with the National Coal Board and various Electricity Boards. Reg retired to St Ives some years ago and was unknown to the local branch until a few weeks ago when Alan Scott noticed a posting on Facebook asking for 100 birthday cards for Reg's birthday.
We were delighted to take the branch standard and the Women's Section standard to Reg's home and to sing Happy Birthday, accompanied by 4 musicians from the voluntary band under the direction of the bandmaster, WO Graham Sheldon. Also, the RSM of 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic), Royal Engineers, WO Brian Durber, RE came along to join the celebrations and to wish Reg a happy birthday from the Regiment. Afterwards, Reg's family treated guests to a (socially distanced) piece of birthday cake and a glass of bubbly in the garden of Reg's bungalow.
Photo’s courtesy of RAF Wyton Station Photography Supervisor, Mrs Hayley Ward.
2020
Mark Brazier Regimental Second in Command here and Cambridge University Officers’ Training Corps.
"In light of the current national pandemic due to COVID-19, CUOTC will undertake the ‘Cambridge to Singapore’ Challenge during the lockdown.
The aim of the challenge was, in the absence of face-to-face sports training, to:
As a unit, cover cumulatively the distance between Cambridge and Singapore (6,716 miles / 10,808 Km) just as our antecedent regiment, the Cambridgeshire Regiment, did in 1942."
10th December 2020
County Youth Officer Colin Elsden was at Soham Village College to receive Christmas gift bags made by students to be distributed by Soham branch to local veterans and RBL members.
The College is affiliated to the Soham branch.
Please also see the Remembrance 2020 page.
January 25th 2020 – Cambridgeshire County Conference will take place at Over Community Centre
10.30am to 15.00
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The Affiliation between the Cambridgeshire Scouts and the County RBL took place at Milton Community Centre on the 8th November. This is a first for the County, to have a Youth Affiliation between two County Organisations.
The presentation of the certificate was made by our President Col Roger Herriot OBE, DL to Ed Sewells MBE, Assistant County Commissioner.
Dates for your diary
Cambridgeshire County Standard Bearer Competition – Saturday 19th October 2019 at Over Community Centre
Huntingdonshire RBLWS Christmas Fayre - Saturday 23rd November at Warboys Parish Centre between 10am and 2pm, everyone is welcome
Central Band of the Royal British Legion – Ely Cathedral – December 7th 2019 – tickets can be purchased at the Ely Cathedral box office
Cambridgeshire County Conference – Saturday January 25th at Over Community Centre – 1100 to 1500
East Anglia and Essex Area Standard Bearer Competition - Saturday February 22nd 2020 at Over Community Centre - 1000 to 1500
Women's Section Events 2019
County Social Evening – Friday 28th June Warboys Parish Centre, 2 Blenheim Cl, Warboys, Huntingdon PE28 2XF
For tickets please contact Audrey Manchett (01487 813498 and [email protected]) or Gill Ward (01487 812143 and [email protected])
Entertainment will be provided by Pat Campbell, from 7pm until 10pm, please bring your own drink and nibbles – Tickets are £5
County Conference – Saturday 21st September – RBL Social Club, Somersham, High Street, Somersham, Cambs, PE28 3JB
Conference will begin at 2pm and will be followed by entertainment and a tea party
County Christmas Fayre – Saturday 23rd November - Warboys Parish Centre, 2 Blenheim Cl, Warboys, Huntingdon PE28 2XF
The fayre will take place between 10am and 2pm
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Fellowes’ War Living History Day, Saturday April 27th, 11am-4pm, Ramsey Rural Museum
In partnership with Ramsey Rural Museum, the Fellowes’ War Project will organise a First World War Living History Day for the whole family on Saturday April 27th 2019 from 11am-4pm. The event is free of charge and donations to the Rural Museum are welcome. Find out about nurses and medicine at the time of the First World War, get a fake wound, see the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry parade on their horses, hear talks about World War I and see numerous exhibitions, all set in the historic grounds of Ramsey Rural Museum.
About The Fellowes Family
John Fellowes is the 4th Baron de Ramsey and currently farms the Abbots Ripton Estate in Cambridgeshire. The Fellowe’s War Project has researched the experiences of the Fellowes family during the First World War and examined the role of Abbots Ripton Hall as a hospital during this time.
Stained glass windows in the Church of St Thomas a Becket in the town of Ramsey are dedicated to 2 family members in particular, Coulson Churchill Fellowes and his brother in law Heneage Greville Finch, Lord de Guernsey.
Coulson Churchill Fellowes was the son and heir of Lord De Ramsey when, as an experienced reservist soldier, he re-enlisted at the outbreak of the First World War. Educated at Eton, he followed in the steps of a long line of military officers. As a Captain in the 1st Life Guards (also his father’s regiment) Coulson Churchill Fellowes was sent to the Western Front shortly after war broke out, engaged in fighting around Ypres. He contracted a sickness in the trenches during the 1st Battle of Ypres, in November 1914. He was repatriated and died of an exposure related illness on 22nd October 1915, in London, and was subsequently buried in Ramsey.
Lord de Guernsey was the husband of Gladys Fellowes. At the outbreak of the First World War he re-joined the Irish Guards and left for France on 12th August 1914. He was fatally shot at Soupir, on the slopes of the Chemines des Dames, during the Battle of the Aisne, on 14th September 1914.
Following the loss of the heir to the De Ramsey dynasty and the loss of Lord de Guernsey, Abbots Ripton Hall (the home of the De Ramsey family) housed a VAD Hospital for the remainder of World War I.
About The Fellowes War Project
Ramsey Junior School has received National Lottery support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Project “Fellowes War”. The project aims to research and commemorate members of Lord de Ramsey’s family who fought in World War I and understand the role that Abbots Ripton Hall played as a hospital during that time.
About Ramsey Rural Museum
We are an independent museum in Huntingdonshire situated in open countryside on the edge of a small Fenland town. Housed in renovated 17th century farm buildings, the museum is full of items and exhibits kindly donated by local companies and the public. Ramsey Rural Museum is a charitable trust that is managed and maintained entirely by volunteers.
Ramsey Rural Museum, Wood Lane, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 2XD.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk.
Further information
Please contact
Nicky Stockman, [email protected], 07747025557
Gordon Phillips, [email protected], 07878000175
8th August
RBL representatives from, Soham and Cambridgeshire County branches travelled to Belgium for the Great Pilgrimage 90 (GP90), which took place between August 5th and 9th.
Jonty Woodbridge Standard bearer and Max Paines (Soham), as wreath bearer represented their branch and the local community at The Royal British Legion’s Great Pilgrimage 90.
Also representing Cambridgeshire Morwenna Woodbridge (Soham branch) Cambridgeshire youth standard bearer and Glenn Woodbridge (Soham) as county youth wreath bearer.
7th August
Tomorrow will be 90 years since the first Great Pilgrimage to Belgium and France battle fields of WW1. To commemorate and remember those who gave so much during those times over 2000 members of the worldwide families of the Royal British Legion together with their sister organisations throughout the world, will march to the Menin Gate, Yepres.
Sawston & Pampisford are represented by our own Standard Bearer May Fowler together with veterans from the forces Duncan Barton & Matt Reay supporting.
If you have a branch or club event you'd like listed here,
contact our County web editor.
Mike Donoghue
[email protected]
