Archive for Marconi Veterans Association

MARCONI  VETERANS’  ASSOCIATION

Â	Secretary : Veteran Barry Powell 22 Juliers Close Canvey Island Essex SS8 7EP
Â	Direct Dial: 01268 696342
February 2010	Â

 

Dear Fellow Veteran 

First, let me wish all Veterans a healthy and prosperous 2010.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all new members to the Association and hope to see them at the Annual Reunion, which will be held on Saturday 17^th April 2010.  The venue will again be the Marconi Athletic and Social Club, Beehive Lane, Chelmsford, where there is parking for those who travel by road. 

We are, again, producing a commemorative Coaster and one per person is included in the ticket price.  I will also have additional coasters, for sale, plus some coasters from previous years as well as a number of Ties, Scarves and Badges. 

Our President for 2010 is Veteran Ron H Bradbrook Engineering Manager Broadcast Transmitters MCSL. He will be introduced by Veteran Raymond P Rowe formerly Assistant Technical Director MCSL 

The Guest Speaker will be Ex Chief Superintendent George Harris of Essex Police (23 years in CID).  He was deeply involved in a number of Essex murder enquiries including that of Jeremy Bamber and also the visits, to Essex, of Royalty. 

The proceedings will be timed as follows: –

a)      Reunion at 12.00 noon

b)      Luncheon at 1.00 p.m.

c)      Annual General Meeting as soon as possible after b)

The menu for this year’s luncheon will be as follows: –

Pate

Steak and Mushroom Pie

Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Coffee, Cheese and Biscuits

 We appreciate that some Veterans may have special dietary requirements and would request that you indicate this on your application.

Our caterers have not increased the price for the luncheon this year and, so, we are pleased to maintain the ticket price at £21.00.  We are also holding the Subscription for 2010 at £5.00.  Those Veterans who wish to attend are requested to apply to the above address at the earliest possible date in order that I may properly assess the numbers. As usual, we invite donations but I must stress that if only a modest donation can be managed, or even none at all, please do not let this prevent you from attending the Reunion, as all donations will be treated in the strictest confidence.  To reduce administration, please combine your ticket price, subscription, etc. onto a single cheque which should be made payable to ‘Marconi Veterans’ Association’.

Please note that it is not acceptable for guests to bring their own drink or food into the Club. Please refrain from this practice as anyone doing so may be asked to leave the Reunion and could be refused a ticket in the future.  As last year, cheese & biscuits are included in our menu and additional bottles of wine can be purchased from the bar.

Your assistance is requested with seating arrangements and we ask you to indicate, on your ticket application, with which Company you would prefer to sit (i.e. Comms, Radar, Baddow, Basildon, Marine, MI). 

We are, again, inviting entries for the ‘Absent Friends’ book, containing messages from Veterans who were unable to attend.  Two copies will be produced and prominently displayed at the Reunion.  If you wish to place a message in the book, please use the space provided on the attached form.  Entries will be identified by name but no contact details will be provided unless you include them in your message. 

As the Association has a very limited income, and in order to keep our expenses to a minimum, receipts for Subscriptions and/or Donations will not be issued unless requested so we thank you in anticipation. 

Your Committee is prepared to receive any nominations, propositions or suggestions for submission to the AGM, providing they reach me in writing by 31^st March 2010. 

As last year, we have to vacate the main hall as soon as the AGM is completed to enable the Club to prepare for an evening function.  We have arranged for the board room to be made available for you to continue the reunion.

 We are pleased to announce that a number of people have registered as ‘Friends of the Marconi Veterans’ Association’.  All ‘Friends’ receive the newsletter and we will do all we can to keep them in touch with ex-colleagues but they are not eligible to attend the Reunion.  If you know of anyone who would like to be included, please urge them to contact me, at the above address, as soon as possible.

I am often not informed when a Veteran dies, and in these circumstances, I would like to extend my condolences to members of the families who receive this letter and apologise for any distress or inconvenience caused.  Should you be aware of any Veterans who have passed away recently, I would appreciate it if you would let me know so that I can amend our records and avoid any embarrassment.

 We trust that you will accept this letter as a very cordial invitation to attend the Seventy-Fourth Reunion, but if, for any reason, you cannot be with us, your Committee would like to take this opportunity to wish you the very best of luck and good health for the future.

I look forward to seeing you at the Reunion.

With kindest regards

I am yours sincerely 

Veteran Barry Powell

Secretary

We recently received the folllowing e-mail from one of our veterans:

I am wondering if you might be able to assist please?

I was contacted in November last year by BAE Pensions (Xchanging) to be informed that they have found in an audit that they have made an error in calculating my pension which I took out 3 years ago. As a result I have been asked to repay approx £3,000 and take a drop in my monthy pension by £30 per month.

I believe that there may be other pensioners that will be in a similar situation and I’d like to try to contact them.

It is difficult to try to take professional advice on such a sum as the costs would far exceed the amounts involved. So far I am dealing with The Pensions Advisory Service who are being helpful in trying to understand how such errors happen? (apparently they are not uncommon!)

I am in the process of contacting all and sundry to seek some assistance so if you have some contacts on the BAE Pension Scheme I’d be most grateful. As the old Marconi Pension has been absorbed by so many other companies it is more complicated than many.

Thanking you in advance.

In the present circumstances it is impossible for the Marconi Veterans Association to offer any direct assistance in this matter. We have no legal expertise within the organisation.   However, if any other Veterans have had similar problems with the BAE Pension Scheme it may be that a small group acting together could acheive a satisfactory solution to the problem.

So, if anyone with a similar problem would like to contact us we will put you all in contact with each other.

We regret to announce the death of committee member, Veteran Arthur Spooner.

The funeral was on Thursday 27th August at 1.15 p.m. at

Christchurch Chelmsford United Reformed Church

If you wish to make a donation it is requested that this is to either Cancer Research UK or The British Heart foundation.  Donations may be made via the funeral directors

T Pennack & Sons,
1-3 Maldon Road,
Great Baddow,
Chelmsford, CM2 7DW

Phone: 01245 471157

For an appreciation of Arthur please click here

We have been advised by the moderator, Ian Gillis, about the above society.   It is an informal group of ex Marconi employees who may not all be veterans.   They run a forum on Yahoo that can be accessed at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/mogs/ and where more details of the society can be found.

From the point of view of meetings it will be of particular interest to those living in Chelmsford and district but their forum is open to people worldwide.

If you are logged in to the forum there are some good photographs of the 2007 Veterans Reunion in the photos section.