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'Stories of the month' from The Royal Norfolk and Royal Anglian Regiments B&C site 18 July 2009
CHANGI – ‘THE QUEEN, SHE'S A GOOD OL' SORT’ B&C 87 Dec 96
On 29 Aug 96 the EDP carried a full page article on a remarkable tribute in Repps Church to the memory of FEPOWs. In a boat you may have passed a riverside chalet at Thurne, bearing the name 'CHANGI' in large white letters, a Union Flag flying from a flagpole. It belongs to Bill Goodwin. He was with 4 Royal Norfolk at the capitulation and spent the rest of his war in a grim struggle to stay alive. 'During my three and a half years as a prisoner I learned as much as some folk do in a lifetime. I learned about the things that matter. We only went where we were sent, but the fellowship .... that was wonderful, and that's what you remember.'
For the 50th Anniversary of VJ Day, Bill decided to recreate the Thanksgiving Service held in Changi on 27 August 1945, attended by 4000 allied troops and 16 Chaplains. On 27 Aug 95 a service was held in Repps Church, attended by 450 FEPOWs and their families.
To make a lasting memorial Bill had a grand vision. 'What better than a plaque made from wood from the Royal Estate at Sandringham? I thought, why not write to the Queen? She's a good ol' sort. She'll help us.'
The response surpassed his wildest dreams: 'Not only has the Queen given us the wood, but she has paid for the whole plaque to be done, inscription an' all!'
Dedicated in Repps Church on 27 Aug 96, the splendid gold leaf inscription on the oak plaque reads :
'This plaque is to commemorate a service held in this church 27 August 1995. A replica of a Thanksgiving Service held in Changi Singapore on the 27th August 1945 for the release of POW and remembrance of all who died and suffered in POW camps. Go with God.'
Afternote: Bill died on 12 Nov 2002. Click here for his obituary.

A COLLECTIVE NOUN FOR COLONELS ?
When Col Paul Raywood was Hon Col of A (Royal Norfolk) Company there was a meeting at Bn HQ in Bury St Edmunds of the Hon Cols and OCs of A (Royal Norfolk), (B (Bedford), C (Essex), D (Cambs) and HQ (Suffolk) Coys. Awaiting the arrival of the last one, the Norfolk Editor {then OC A (Royal Norfolk) Coy} mused aloud, wondering what the collective noun was for TA Deputy Colonels. (A tab?)
A memorable part of CVHQ (Central Volunteer HQ) TA Training weekends was the outdoor assembling of 200 Watchkeepers awaiting transport to the Gas Chamber or Range. I had long sought a collective noun for us on the lines of: a sloth of bears, watch of nightingales, muster of peacocks, fesnying of ferrets, skulk of friars, wandering of tinkers, implicity of subalterns, subtilne of sergeants, drunkenship of cobblers or a truss of hay. My best offerings were: a clasp, lurk, skulk, smoke or snore of watchkeepers. An appeal in the CVHQ Christmas Newsletter was made to obtain the best definition with an offer of a CVHQ tie to the contributor of the winning entry.
‘A vigil of Watchkeepers’ was the winner.
B&C 100

A personal memory
 At 1995 Norfolk ACF Camp Redesdale, Lt Col Miles Green (then a Major, as Training Officer) and the Webmaster (then Assistant to Miles Green) faced a stern test. The dreaded Matrix Tick test had to be passed in order to continue to drive military vehicles. No matter that we had last looked at a copy of The Highway Code just before passing our driving tests over 30 years previously. Capt Jack Dallimore was the Quartermaster and with great patience explained to us 2 'getting crusty Majors' that the rules were clear. We had to swot up the Highway Code, identify a plethora of road signs we swore did not exist on any of the roads on which we had ever driven and learn some complicated speed and distance figures before being subjected to a written test. We spent hours in the ante-room of the Offr's Mess, our 2 pipes ensuring that no bugs would invade for days. Jack's encouragement and confidence we could do it played a major part and we surprised ourselves by achieving a pass. Rather like our experiences years earlier with the dreaded 6 R Anglian Audit Boards we knew it would all have to be gone through again but not for another 5 years. Thanks Jack.
Afternote Jul 2009 - I had the opportunity to renew my licence while in Bosnia in 1998 via the Ghurka MT Section Sgt. I did not fancy swotting up on the Bosnia Highway Code nor foresee my ever driving in Bosnia with lunatic drivers on hairy roads. It was an opportunity missed. My successor, Maj Colin Allder TD **** went for his test and was back within 5 mins with his chit. It seems the MT Sgt just signed the pink doc ! 
See B&C 95 Dec 00 for the obituary page for Jack Dallimore

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Editorial Rule
 To qualify for inclusion in the B&C there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened. 
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.

However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied.

Rule Britannia!

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B&C Norfolk Editor