6 Royal Anglian was founded in Bury St Edmunds on 1 Apr 1971 with CO, Lt Col (later Col and DL) Paul Raywood TD; 2IC, The Late Maj Paddie Drake TD; Trg Major, Maj Bill Peat; QM, The Late Maj Danny Bebbington MBE; Adjutant, The Late Capt Harry Woods;
Paymaster The Late Maj Fred Ayers TD TEM; OC A (Royal Norfolk) Coy in Dereham - The Late Maj David Standley TD;
OC B (Bedford) Coy in Bedford - The Late Maj Jim Holl TD JP DL; OC C (Essex) Coy in Braintree - The Late Maj (later Col and DL) Tim Swayne TD and
OC D (Cambridgeshire) Coy - Maj (later Col and DL) Dick Shervington TD.

Known surviving Founder Members, in Dec 07, are: Cols Paul Raywood TD DL and Dick Shervington TD DL, Majs Chris Bull TD, Ron James TD, Bill McNab and Duncan Stewart TD.

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BREAKDOWN
One winter night in the 1980s, when the Norfolk Editor was OC A (Royal Norfolk) Coy, 6 R Anglian, he was heading through Hingham to Dereham TA Centre for a Drill Night in his impoverished schoolmaster's ancient Hillman (sob-sob!). The wretched car broke down so he left it outside a house under a Norfolk sticks rarity, a street lamp. Thinking it best to advise the householder of his predicament, he knocked and an elderly lady agreed to his leaving the car. Noticing the uniform she asked the unit and was ecstatic on hearing it was the successor to 4 R Norfolk. ‘I’m Molly Braithwaite and my late husband once commanded it!’
He was the late Col Mike Braithwaite, CO 4 Royal Norfolk Jan 53 - Jan 56, who died 1 Dec 1974. It was either Cpl Pete Whitwell or the late Cpl Doug Ottaway who came out to fix the car - a good game being in the TA! (Paul Boxall will tell you of another TA car incident when the 4th Bn Adjt went off the road in his sports car. When related to the car owner, the Late General Sir David Thorne, he replied, with his customary smile and a wag of a finger: ‘You’ve been talking to Paul Boxall!’)
Next day, the Norfolk Editor called on Molly after the 6-monthly TAVR (Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserves) Meeting, this time in suit and Norfolk tie, to present her with some mementoes of the Tercentenary Celebrations. Molly was delighted!
At an earlier TAVR Meeting the Norfolk Editor attended in a tweed suit and explained to Col Paul Raywood that he wasn’t wearing a Royal Norfolk tie as it didn’t go with the suit. His response was enlightening: ‘Change the suit!’
Molly died in Dec 1999, her sparse obituary being in B&C 94 Jun 00.
B&C 100

Col Tom Dean's battered aluminium mug
Col Tom had retained his army mug for years. No one nicked it or would want to as it was so battered and stained!
The writer could have really made his number with Col Tom Dean at Oakington in 1981. Tom was the Commanding Officer 6 R Anglian and it was near the end of a long exercise which had stretched from Suffolk to Nottinghamshire.
While Col Tom and I, then Battalion Intelligence Officer, had largely flown about in a Gazelle helicopter, he was very tired.
We were leaning on the Battalion Command Post trailer in a hangar at Oakington Barracks discussing the next Orders Group.
I didn't know ENDEX was nigh but had wondered why Col Tom was repeatedly telling me not to bother too much about his forthcoming Commanding Officer's Orders Group, ie the Intelligence, Meteorology, moon phase, sunrise and sunset, roads and routes etc on which it was my responsibility to brief the Company Commanders and other 'Heads of Sheds'.
Then he said: 'I'd give anything right now for a Scotch.'
Col Tom departed to prepare his final orders and as I followed I recalled what was in the Command Post trailer, under the  cover, on which we had been leaning - the Officers' Mess survival box.
It had been packed by me in Bury St Edmunds and contained glasses, tonic, gin, a bottle of sliced lemon, angostura bitters - Tom liked his pink gin - ginger ale and ... a bottle of Scotch whisky.
I could really have made my number with him if I'd said: 'Double Colonel? Sorry we haven't any ice!'
So the moment passed. I'd forgotten about it until now and as Col Tom is no longer with us I can't make amends!
Back in Bury St Edmunds, Col Tom's favourite drink was a Pink Gin.
It really is a pink gin I'm raising as this is typed so 'Cheers, Col Tom!'

Col Tom Dean died in Apr 1988.
B&C 100

Click picture above to enlarge