ARBORFIELD
- Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July 2007 inclusive.
The following report contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD (52A)
Photographs are by the contributor, unless otherwise attributed.
Saturday. The
Drumhead Service and Barbeque.
Clear of the square the column wheeled left in the
direction of the old gates, the guardroom and the AOBA Memorial
Garden. Brought to a
halt the marchers were stood down for a short break before the Drumhead
Service started. Water was
thoughtfully provided and accepted by all after quite a long parade. At the start of the service the AOBA Banner
was laid on the piled drums by the padre.
The congregation had gathered in a crescent before the altar so that
all had a good view of the service.
The Earley Salvation Army Band were to play but the
chaos on the roads around the camp had delayed their arrival, and so it was
that an Old Boy, of Welsh extraction, stepped up to the microphone to lead
the gathering in the first hymn, appropriately Guide
me, O thou great Redeemer. Hesitant
at first, voices grew in strength and gave a really spirited rendition of an
old favourite.
The service followed the long established tradition
with an added poignant moment when, to a lament played by a lone piper, the
names of those who had been recalled to Headquarters in the past twelve
months were read out, unfortunately they numbered in the fifties. For me it was an especially sad moment when
the name of an old Scottish friend was heard, he having passed away just
seven months previously. He would have
appreciated the Flowers Of The Forest
being played. During the service the
band had appeared and were able to join with the Old Boys in the remaining
hymns and National Anthem.
The Remembrance
Garden is now mature
and hopefully a way can be found to keep it in situ whilst the turmoil of the
Arborfield Garrison relocation plans is sorted out. It stands on the site of the old
guardroom. This year a cross was
planted for each of the Old Boys lost during the year. The guard room would be the first building
through the gates, but there is no entrance through them these days.
With the service completed it was time to leave
Rowcroft, our old home, and return to Hazebrouck Camp to enjoy the lunch
which was prepared for us. Black
clouds were gathering in the sky and last year came to mind when the storm
broke just as we were about to sit down and enjoy the outdoors barbeque. It’s a tidy walk and by the time we got to
the dining hall large spots of rain were falling. Forewarned, the meal was laid out under
cover and so safe from the weather. We
gathered with some liquid refreshment and relaxed with old friends to catch
up on all the latest gossip and news.
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Fred Mills 51B, Elizabeth Bass, Bill Gibson 52A and
George Thrower 52A.
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Terry Reddin 52A, George Fleck 51B and Keith Tilly
51B
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Ken Byford 52A, Fred Mills 51B, Elizabeth Bass, Bill
Gibson 52A, George Thrower 52A, Frank Bass 52A.
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Keith Tilly 51B and Alan Algy Morton 51 B
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A photo by Ken Byford 52A
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George Fleck 51B, Trevor Stubberfield 52A, Fred Mills
51B, Elizabeth Bass, Bill Gibson 52A.
Having enjoyed the meal and the company it was time
for me to follow an old tradition and break camp. It was time to take the yearly opportunity
and catch up with my old friends who were looking after my wife for the
weekend in Winnersh. I was assured
that the roads were now clear but that was a trifle misleading. One road which normally acted as a
rat-run for traffic between Wokingham and Reading had been closed, throwing all the
traffic back on to the main road.
There were long delays but, the Pony Express always got through, and
so did I and spent a pleasant afternoon catching up on local gossip. Then it was back to Arborfield for the
OABA Annual Dinner.
Published: 5th August 2007
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Saturday continued. The 44th
Reunion Dinner.
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