OPERATION TELIC POSTAL & COURIER RESERVES REUNION 2023
Situation
1. It is 20 years since a full squadron of PCS reservists and attached personnel mobilised for service in 2003. In recognition of this historic occasion in our history a reunion is to be scoped. Furthermore 2023 is a particularly poignant year whereby the Army Reservists of PCS disband after 140 years of dedication and service.
Aim
2. The aim of this reunion weekend is to bring together those who served with TA PCS during 2003 to conduct a celebration and recognise the commitment and loyalty of all past and present PCS reserve personnel. This is to be a total civilian based event.
Execution
3. Intent. To deliver a celebratory dinner at the Hilton Hotel, East Midlands Airport. The proposed date is 4 Nov 2023. This whole event will be developed and planned dependent on the number of responses received. This event will likely comprise of 3 phases as follows:
- Phase 1. All attendees arrive at the hotel on the Saturday, with an option to arrive on the Friday.
- Phase 2. Dinner at hotel, with guest speaker(s).
- Phase 3. Optional breakfast Sunday, dispersal.
4. Main Effort. To deliver a great reunion, safely and effectively.
Tasks
5. All recipients you are requested to:
- Notify the secretary if you are just interested or keen to attend by 1 Mar 2023.
- At this point, contact details are unknown for many of those eligible to attend. Therefore, please circulate this warning order to eligible members known to you. (Better for them to get it more than once than not at all).
- Email the secretary your rank or ex rank, name, email address and contact telephone number.
6. Event Secretary is to:
- Complete a central register of responses.
- Acknowledge email responses received.
CO-ORDINATING INSTRUCTION
7. Timings – Detailed timings will follow in subsequent Admin Instructions.
8. Admin Instruction – A detailed Admin Instruction to support this event will be produced by the secretary and distributed NLT 1 Jun 2023.
9. Attendance – Attendance at this reunion is open to all PCS reservists who were serving in 2003 and their respective spouses/partners. Should we be restricted by numbers, we may have to prioritise those who mobilised in 2003.
SERVICE SUPPORT
10. Dress – Dress for the weekend will be collar and tie, dresses/trouser suit for ladies. Medals optional.
11. Transport – This is a non-military organised event; therefore, all attendees need to make their own travel arrangements.
12. Costs – This will be a self-funding event and all costs will be borne by those attending.
COMMAND AND SIGNAL
13. The C2 for the weekend is as follows:
- a. Reunion Director: Lt Col Kevin Bingham.
- OIC Event/Dinner: Mr Kevin Thornley.
- Event Secretary: Mr Cameron Hill MBE (cameron.hill146@mod.gov.uk)
SUMMARY
14. This is an opportunity for us all to meet up with friends old and new to mark and celebrate the achievements of the Reserve Postal & Courier Trade over the past 140 Years.
CA Hill MBE
Secretary
RLC 30 – The Corps 30th Anniversary
Please find the following amendment from The RLC Regimental Secretary,
Lt Col Steve Yafai. If you have already responded to the original
request, please do not resend. Your interest will have already been
noted.
Please note, as published in the recent edition of The Sustainer, that
The RLC will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary throughout 2023 with
a major event on Thu 01 Jun 23 that includes a service in Winchester
Cathedral, a parade/march-past in Winchester, followed by lunch and
events in Worthy Down.
In response to the above, the intent of this correspondence is to focus
on the parade/march-past where the Corps is keen for circa 100 veterans
to join the parade. We are looking for interested personnel from The
RLC, RASC and RCT, RAOC, RPC, ACC and members of the Postal and Courier Branch of the RE Associations.
Accordingly, if you are interested in attending what will be significant
event (we would love you to join us), please contact the Veterans,
Families and Civil Engagement Officer (VFCEO) Victoria (Vic) Parkes at
Victoria.parkes100@mod.gov.uk or vfceo@rhqtherlc.org.uk to register
your interest.
Members
BLUF: We would like to invite you, your members and branches to attend the March Armed Forces Fair (MAFF) on Sun 3 Sept 23.
The MAFF
The MAFF is not just an REA event, its open to all Armed Forces Organisations, one of its Aims is to get ALL of us working together more and share events so we can all prosper.
The Fenland Sappers are heavily involved organising and delivering the MAFF and will be having their gazebo on parade. We are looking forward to seeing other Sappers especially our neighbouring branches, the Peterborough & Cambridge branches as Jesse, Chairman & Tony, Sec are keen to arrange another Games Night or Gold day.
The Invite:
1. Bring your REA gazebo/tent and set up within our Armed Forces Area, Advertise what you do, where you meet and show non REA members the comradeship we have. Some branches attended last year and are planning to attend in 2023. If you wish to attend, please book in via our website application and Mark Wilding will co-ordnate, MAFF 2IC and Ex Sapper.
2. Have any of your members or their families got a stalls, we would like to invite them to have a stall within the MAFF. Another Aim is use the event to showcase and support our veterans with companies. Stallholders application via website and I’m co-ordinating this.
3. Have any of your members or friends got a military display or vehicle, we would like them to take part within the MAFF. We want people to display their pride & joys. We may be able to assist transport costs, via me again.
4. Your Standards and members to take part within the Parade of Standards and Act of Remembrance, Mark Wilding.
5. Last of all your members and their families to attend, it should be a good day out and we are making FREE for visitors.
VIP’s Attending
Major General (Retd) Alastair Dickinson CBE, President of the Royal Engineers Association subject to commitments will be attending.
Ken Kirk, Chief Executive Officer, REA attended this year and will be attending in 2023.
Both of whom will be keen to meet your members and socialise with fellow Sappers.
More details can be found within: https://maff2023.com/
March Armed Forces Fair 2023
Veterans New Railcard
Government fulfils promise to veterans with a new railcard.
Military veterans to get cut-price train travel to help boost job prospects and bring them closer to family and friends.
Military veterans will get cut-price train travel to help boost job prospects and bring them closer to family and friends, with a new railcard on sale from Armistice Day, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced today (22 January 2020).
The railcard will extend discounted train travel to the more than 830,000 veterans not covered by existing discounts.
Veterans ID Card
21 August 2023
HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Update
Work is underway to develop the digital verification system required to begin the second phase of the card rollout (to those who left the Armed Forces prior to December 2018).
The office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) has led this work through the prototype stage and it has now passed to MOD for development and roll-out.
The Government will begin issuing the card by the end of this year (2023) and will be engaging with veterans over the coming months to participate in the BETA testing phase.
For future updates please visit GOV.UK where the latest news on progress will be shared.
18 February 2019
The launch of a Veterans’ ID Card has been announced.
The delivery is to be rolled out in two tranches:
Phase 1: The Veterans ID Card will be provided to all Service Leavers only, as part of the discharge process with effect from today, and retrospectively to those who left on or after 17 December 2018.
Phase 2: Applications from the wider Veteran Community will be encouraged once the process has been agreed. Information on how to apply will be made available closer to the time, before the end of 2019.
The UK Armed Forces Veteran ID Card
The Ministry of Defence will be launching a new Veterans ID card on 18 February which will enable public and charitable sector services to instantly recognise the service of a Veteran. This card will provide proof that a Veteran has served in HM Armed Forces in line with the Government definition of a Veteran, which is one day’s service.
Currently, there is no way for existing Veterans to easily prove the fact that they have served, and the administrative burden on providers when verifying that a person is a Veteran can be considerable, both in time and cost. This card will allow you to confidentially verify that someone has served in the Armed Forces.
However, this card will not be held by all Veterans as it is being rolled out in tranches and some genuine Veterans in need may not have the capacity to apply for one.
Therefore, please do not take the absence of a Veterans ID card as proof that a person is not a Veteran. Instead continue to use your existing processes to verify their Veteran status.
If you are asked questions about the ID card, please refer Veterans to the Veterans UK helpline number and they will be able to provide the relevant information, details below.
Telephone: 0808 1914 218
Website – www.veterans-uk.info
I completed my service in 1989, when am I likely to have the card issued or must I apply for it?