NVA Hull & District
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!
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History of Normandy Veterans Association Hull
Was June 6th 1944.
Thousands of men (and some ladies) invaded “NORMANDY” from sea and air.
The greatest invasion the world has known.
Afterwards, for a lot of us, the traumatic experience of battles on the Normandy Front, stayed in the back of our minds, work to do, families to bring up etc. then, and ex-serviceman thought, where are my old mates, where’s that deep feeling of comradeship we had? Can we possibly regain some of that feeling?
So in April 1981 “THE NORMANDY VETERANS ASSOCIATION” was born.
The original idea, our current Branch and Association Chairman, Eric Bulman, (R.E.M.E Att/Royal Irish Hussars/7th Armoured Div).
Charles Tattersall, (Royal Lincolnshire Regt) (sadly no longer with us). Ken Collins, (R.A.S.C. 53rd Welsh Div), Eddie Fielder, (5th Bn. East Yorks Regt). Branch Social Chairman.
These four lads convened our first meeting.
Len Osbourne was voted in as combined Secretary & Treasurer. (R.E.M.E. No2 Med. Workshops).
Arthur Flodman, (9th Bn. Durham Light Infantry) became our publicity officer,
and with the O.K from the committee, contacted many local newspapers and through this medium Grimsby & District Branch, quickly grew to 250 plus members.
Bill Cruickshank in Aberdeen (M.N.), down through the U.K where our first Lady member Harriet Fisher, saw our advert in a local Kentish paper.
Arthur is now Association Secretary, and at time printing we have grown to twenty two branches.
A tiger caught by the tail, a full time plus job, so Arthur & the executive committee do a massive job of work.
Some of our highlights, the designing of and ordering Association ties, badges and standard? Arthur designed it and with the socials, raffles. buffet, dances and donations from some very nice folk, our first Normandy Veterans Standard was dedicated at Old Clee Church Grimsby on May 30th 1982, We paraded our standard in Normandy in June 1982. 53 Grimsby branch members and their wives were proudly in attendance. In the two and a half years of our existence three local reunion dinners and also Association reunion held over two days at the Beachholme Holiday Camp, Cleethorpes. Over 250 members and their families gave us a smashing weekend and after a Drumhead Service on Sunday, Exec. Committee members held a meeting and amicable decisions were reached on a pretty full agenda. In the advent of branches growing, thoughts of Branch Standards became priority, five of our branches now have their own standards, again hard work and dedication by the committees made this possible. Having been privileged to attend all five dedications it is good to see that the old spirit and comradeship is still very much in evidence. The five Districts to have their standards are Grimsby, then Bristol, Hull, Wirral & Chester, followed by Durham. These standards we trust will be paraded with a possibility of one or two more in the forty years anniversary in June 1984. We are hoping that there will be over a thousand of our members joining in this historic pilgrimage. Six branches are staying in Caen, and we are looking forward to holding a service in Arromanche on June 6th and possible news of a big get together Autumn 1984?