After this terrible year of Covid, lockdowns, cancellations and worst of all, the loss of Cyril Tasker, Fred Glover, Tom Hughes, Dennis Coates & Alan Edwards we can but hope that 2021 will give us back some normality and hope.
2021 Annual Reunion Club Dinner
We were, as you know, planning our Annual Dinner at the UJC in March. However, due to the ongoing Covid threat we have decided to postpone the Dinner until Saturday September 18th 2021. It was just too risky to go for the March date (and this has been borne out with the additional lockdowns and COVID spikes since this decision was made in mid-December). The cost of the Dinner will be £30 per head for everybody. You will need to buy your own drinks at the bar in our usual Gascoigne Room downstairs. Do not send us any money yet, though.
2021 Pilgrimage
Update: The 2021 Pilgrimage has unfortunately now been cancelled.
The Pilgrimage to Merville has been booked for June 4th – 8th 2021. We will be staying as usual, at the Hotel Du Golf and our usual coach is booked with Amport & District. There will be pickups at the UJC in London and the docks at Portsmouth. As of writing this, we cannot confirm the costs for next year. We have been blessed in the past by the generosity of the French who have paid quite a chunk of the costs. They have done this for years. However they, like the UK, have been hit hard financially, and we should not expect them to help us out this year. Thus the costs, including travel, room and meals could be £520 per person for a double room or £580 per person for a single room. This is the true cost of the Pilgrimage that the French have generously spared us all these years. It may be that the French may still offer some subsidy, but we are waiting to hear about that. We cannot assume anything.
The Future of the 9th Battalion Reunion Club
As a final reminder, the goal of the 9th Battalion Reunion Club is to continue honouring the memories of all our veterans – those that fell at Merville, and all those who have been called to Higher Service. 2021 will be especially poignant, and we encourage families and friends of our veterans to make contact with the club and sign up for the Pilgrimage as we gather at Merville once again. Again, please contact Mike Woodcock & Paul Hill as soon as possible (you can email us via admin@9thparabattalion.com). As always, you can also join the 9bn Facebook Group which has lively contributions and discussions from friends and family of the 9th Battalion. See above for links.