Frugaldom’s World War 1 Centenary Woodland

By NYK Media as part of www.frugalblog.co.uk

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World War 1 Centenary Woodland Project

Phase 3 of our planting began this month with the arrival of our next tree pack from the Woodland Trust, after being awarded a place in their World War 1 Centenary Woodland project last year.

Frugaldom was accepting onto this scheme last year, receiving our first tree pack for planting in November 2014. The planting is part of a nationwide project to plant millions of native trees throughout Britain and, thanks to generous funding from lead partners Sainsbury’s, IKEA FAMILY, players of People’s Postcode Lottery and Yorkshire Tea, the Woodland Trust is awarding the free tree packs to all those taking part in the planting. Trees are essential - we need trees!

The woodlands that these new trees create will become living memorials to commemorate all men, women, children and animals who were affected by the outbreak of the First World War. Here at Frugaldom, we hope to plant a new phase of our woodland every year from 2014 to 2019.

After starting our edible hedging last year with the hazels, sloes and elders, we have now filled in many of the gaps with crab apples to form a wild food foraging area near the barn. Pictured here is... read more here

Published by NYK Media

Barricades and Barack Aides

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Lottery Funded Trip of Remembrance to Java

The JAVA Far East Prisoners of War Club 1942

“To keep going the spirit that kept us going”

www.thejavafepowclub42.org

Patrons: HRH The Countess of Wessex and Dame Vera Lynn DBE

In March 2012, John Babbage is taking a group of Far East POW’s / wives / widows / siblings on a poignant return visit to the locations where they were incarcerated, namely: JAVA, AMBON and HARUKU.

Sadly, out of a group of 23, the actual number of veterans in the group has gradually dwindled to only four. Bearing in mind the average age of the veterans is 90 plus, it’s hardly surprising. Regrettably, failing health is taking its toll.

This will probably be the last such visit for this group of people, so John wants to make absolutely sure that every Far East veteran out there is aware of this tour.

Subject to Big Lottery terms and conditions, the trip will be covered by lottery funding, to the value of £1800.00. An equal amount could be given for an accompanying relative and/or carer. This is absolutely the last chance, as this particular lottery funding ends 31st January 2012.

The visit to honour and remember what was sacrificed for us is being organised by John Babbage, who can be contacted by Tel. 01582 737 172 or email info@worldwartwoheritage.com

The trip includes members of The Java Far Eastern Prisoner of War Club, which is the largest and only remaining nationwide Club for these veterans and their widows.

The itinerary and bookings are currently being finalised – if you or anyone you know would like to find out about how to join this trip you can contact John Babbage through the World War Two Heritage website or to simply learn more about The Java FEPOW Club, you can visit the Club’s web site at http://www.thejavafepowclub42.org/

On a slightly different, although related, note, an appeal has gone out to help recover a brooch belonging to Dame Vera Lynn after she lost it during the Remembrance Day ceremony she was attending at the Royal Albert Hall. The brooch has great sentimental value, as it was gifted to her from Field Marshall Montgomery. BBC news item about it here.

NYK Media

www.scottishmultimedia.co.uk

WW2 Veterans Visit Singapore and Thailand for VE Day

Memorial Tour to Singapore and Thailand - on a budget!

Tour review by John Babbage
World War Two Heritage


Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

 












We decided to make this trip as memorable as possible for the veterans, their wives and their siblings. With the veterans' average age being around 90, we were conscious of the fact that the chances of these fine, esteemed gentlemen returning here again were quite slim.

Our pre tour efforts involved spending weeks on extensive and exhaustive letter writing and PR, as well as pleas for cooperation from sympathetic ex-pats.

We managed to put together a special, genuinely unique tour, which we can say with total modesty would be hard to emulate by any other tour planner anywhere, not to mention keeping it within a tight budget. Our tour price came to £1800.00. The only similar tour we could find, without all the add-ons we provided, amounted to £2500.00

The result of our really hard work bore fruit by way of locating the “Wanderers” Rugby Club in Singapore, to which we are eternally grateful. Made up of tough ex-pats working in Singapore, they provided a 42 seater luxury coach (solely at our disposal) and, as a surprise, arranged a special trip for us to “Raffles” with all expenses covered, including the best champagne.

To their credit and our appreciation, the “Wanderers” also arranged an afternoon for us at the world famous Singapore “British Club”, which often receives heads of state including our own Royal Family.

The rooftop lounge was opened specially and the entire afternoon was devoted exclusively to the veterans and their accompanying families.

We communicated with the British Embassy and were present at their memorial service alongside the Gurkha contingent.

During the evening we were special guests at the British Defence Advisor's superb colonial style residence for a fish and chips supper with drinks.

Heartfelt thanks go to Mathew O'Leary of Barclays Capital, Singapore. Cheers, mate!



Singapore Krenji Cemetary



On to Thailand, transfer to River Kwai - Kanchanaburi

VE Day Service at the War Memorial, Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, and then a poignant, off-the-cuff chat with Victor Vale, survivor, Burma rail road.

The last 2 nights of our visit were spent at the 5-star 'Sheraton Orchid' with luxury riverside rooms. Our hosts for the duration of our stay were the brilliant duo of Mr James and Mrs Noi Fanning. James, who is an an ex-pat, and his charming wife looked after the vets throughout. James and Noi gave up their time voluntarily to cater and organise all the localised trips and absolutely everything was laid on by this wonderful couple.

I am eternally grateful to them, as well as to Mathew in Singapore, for taking some of the strain off me. Being a pensioner myself, this did prove to be a pretty exhausting, although very worthwhile, trip.

(Photos and videos will be added to the website soon, in the meantime you can see some of them here.)

Please feel free to redistribute this article, as it shows the great work still being done for our WW2 veterans. Mr Babbage did a tremendous job putting together this tour and he hopes to be able to do many more of a similar nature. Heroes Return 2 Lottery funding for battlefield, commemorative and memorial tours is available until January 2012 for WW2 veterans, their spouses and, in some cases, their carers, too.

LEST WE FORGET

British WW2 Veterans Attending Service of Remembrance at Kanchanaburi and Chungkai Cemetaries.


This weekend, a group of British veterans, accompanied by wives and families, embark on a two week tour of Singapore and Thailand, visiting places they possibly haven't seen since the Second World War.

The group is scheduled to arrive in Changi airport on the evening of Sunday 6th November and will attend a Memorial Service at Kranji Memorial on Tuesday. This will be followed by a trip to Changi Murals, Museum and Chapel before going for tea at the famous Raffles Hotel.

They will depart for Bangkok on Wednesday, where there will be a visit to the River Kwai before visiting Kanchanaburi and Chungkai Commonwealth War Cemeteries and travelling along the Burma-Siam ‘Death railway’ from Kanchanaburi to Namtok.

The tour includes a visit to Hellfire Pass and Museum before attending two Services of Remembrance on the Saturday at Kanchanaburi and Chungkai War Cemeteries.

November 13th is the British Embassy held Service of Remembrance at Kanchanaburi and Chungkai Cemeteries, where the group will meet up with other FEPOW veterans, as well as British Embassy staff.

Other features of this tour include travelling by long-tail boats along the River Kwai to spend the rest of that day exploring and meeting up with other veterans from various parts of the world.

There will be an afternoon's short tour of Bangkok with a canal cruise and visit to the Temple of Dawn, plus a trip to the Grand Palace and Rose Gardens before resting up for a day in preparation for the return trip home by overnight flight from Bangkok to Heathrow, via Dubai.

For further information about this or other tours, contact Ted Cachart or John Babbage at World War Two Heritage.

Tel: 01582 737152
Mobile: 07543 550 660.
Website: http://www.worldwartwoheritage.com/

NYK Media
www.scottishmultimedia.co.uk

Please Help Spread the Word Before this Money is Gone

Well Earned Travel, a Fitting Tribute and Funding to Make it all Possible.

Frugal living is something that many of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents have been familiar with for years. This lifestyle is nothing new to them and they can certainly teach us a thing or two about household budgeting after what they have been through during The War.

Making the most of whatever was available, adopting a waste not, want not attitude and trying their best to eke out every penny was all part of a normal day. This has never been more apparent than during wartime.

Vegetable growing, sewing, dressmaking, batch cooking for their hungry families and keeping the home fires burning may have been essential to survival. Meanwhile, husbands, fathers and sons would be in far off places, facing the challenges and dangers of war. Back then, there were no such luxuries as computers, globally networked mobile phones or public telephony - communications were whatever brief notes could be scribbled and sent to comfort loved ones and offer a tiny fragment of reassurance to those back home. It really is amazing just how much we take for granted nowadays when we get down to thiking about it all.

The Dig for Victory scheme was introduced as soon as World War II began, meaning that every available space back home had to be turned over to food production. Stores would never last the entire nation  for six months, let alone years, so allotments began springing up everywhere.

Looking back, it is difficult to imagine how people coped living with the stresses of a war-torn nation while trying to carry on with life in the absense of many of the able-bodied men. The fight was as much here as anywhere else, only here it was a fight for survival in a slightly different way. Life was a struggle.

All of those survivors deserve recognition and all deserve to be able to afford to visit those far-flung places where they once fought or where loved ones lost their lives. Hopefully, the following will be of help to some. All that I ask is that you spread the word to all concerned before this funding is gone.

Heroes Return 2 is a £17 million scheme providing funding to WWII veterans, their wives or husbands, widows or widowers and, where needed, accompanying carers to visit the overseas areas where World War II veterans saw active service.

Launched in 2004 as part of the Big Lottery Fund's Veterans Reunited programme, the scheme has already helped thousands of UK veterans to revisit battlefields where they once fought and for widows, spouses and carers to witness where it all happened.

Many fought and died to defend our nation in order that we might enjoy freedom and safety. We have what we have because of our wartime heroes. It is only natural that we should make every effort to ensure all those affected can afford to make the trip to pay a final and fitting tribute to their loved ones who lost their lives in the name of this country.

Grants of up to *£5,500 are available to veterans resident in the UK and Republic of Ireland who fought with or alongside British forces in WWII. Widows and widowers of veterans are also eligible, as are carers and spouses traveling with veterans.

Ted Cachart, himself a WW2 veteran who has successfully been through the funding process, is more than willing to help anyone through their application process. Ted can be contacted via any of the following:

Tel: 01582 737152
Mobile: 07543 550 660 
Email: info@worldwartwoheritage.com

Please help spread the word before funding ends in January 2012.


*£5500 is the total for a husband and wife as well as a carer to the far east.

Please feel free to print this blog post and redistribute it to anyone who may not know about the scheme or even to your local newspapers, radio and/or TV stations. Full details regarding the funding available from the Big Lottery Fund website.