MINUTES OF THE ZONE MEETING HELD AT

BRANCH 005 IN LOCHEM, THE NETHERLANDS

ON SATURDAY 06 OCTOBER 2007

In Attendance:

Zone                                      Zone Commander                                          Reg Bonnar

                                             Deputy Zone Commander                              Girard Lemay

                                             A/Zone Secretary                                          Tineke Lamberts

Branch 001                            1^st Vice President                                          Kevin Grainger

                                             Treasurer                                                      Geoff Sanger          

Branch 002                            President                                                       Alfons Deguire

                                             1^st Vice President                                          Bill Fairley

Branch 003                            President                                                       Brian Burchart

                                             Past President                                               Val Laucke

Branch 004                            President                                                       Gaetan Bienvenue

                                             Sgt-at-Arms                                                  Harry Irish

Branch 005                            President                                                       Ben Zonnnberg

                                             Treasurer                                                      Piet Polderdijk

                                             Sgt-at-Arms                                                  Hendrik Kuiper

Observer Members in Attendance:

Branch 002                            Member                                                        Lucien Perraut

Branch 003                            Member                                                        Elisabeth Hine

Branch 004                            Member                                                        Stephanie Politano

                                             Member                                                        Rod Almrud

                                             Member                                                        Irma Irish

                                             Member                                                        Edgar Dorner

                                             Member                                                        Walter Huston

Branch 005                            Member                                                        Danny Murphy

                                             Member                                                        Wayne Johnston

                                             Member                                                        Yvonne Swarthoff

                                             Member                                                        E. Van Wyngaardan

                                             Member                                                        P. Van Wyngaarden

Item                                                               Description

Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Zone Commander distributed to each Branch an information folder. The contents of the folder will be listed as Annex A.

1.     The Zone Commander opened the meeting at 1430 hours by welcoming all in attendance. The Zone Commander said before we begin with business of the meeting we will take a few minutes to reflect on the Life of Comrade Syd Phillips who since our last meeting lost his battle with cancer and passed away in the hospital in Baden Baden. Syd was an Air Force War Veteran and to us will be remembered as a founding member of Branch 001 and an active member of the executive until recently when health problems forced him to give up his position as secretary of the branch. Syd will also be remembered for his willingness to help others, his humour and being able to sing all the old war songs on our many trips to ceremonies all over Europe . He will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Members present from Branch 001 added many kind remarks in their association with Syd over the years and loss felt by all members. Branch 001 gave Syd a Legion Funeral. Continuing his opening remarks the Zone Commander gave an update on the condition of our two remaining War Veterans in the Lahr area:

George MacMullen; George continues to do well on my last visit he was in bed but he assured me he is okay just tired. I checked with the staff to confirm that he wasn’t ill and they said for the past couple of days he has been asking to rest in the afternoon. I am pleased with the way he is being cared for in this facility.

Thomas J Andrews; Andy is not doing so well. On a recent visit he was sitting in a wheel chair receiving therapy, I stood directly in front of him, at one point his eyes opened I talked to him but absolutely no reaction and then his eyes closed again. It’s sad to say but in my opinion I don’t think there is anyone at home anymore.

The Zone Commander requested a report from Branch 001 on the condition of John Wallace who is our last remaining war veteran in the Baden area. The consensus was that John like the rest of us has his good days and bad days but in general he is doing okay.

2.        The Zone Commander reviewed the minutes of the last Zone Meeting held at Branch 003 in Geilenkirchen on 28 July 2007 . There being no errors or omissions to report the minutes were adopted as presented by Comrade Val Laucke and seconded by Comrade Gaetan Bienvenue.

Motion Carried

3.       The financial statement was presented and there being no observations raised the financial statement was adopted as presented by Comrade Brian Burchart and was seconded by Comrade Bill Fairley.

4.   17-22 Aug 2007 65^th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid Ceremony

In general the ceremony was a great success. It was not as hectic as five years ago but considering the age of our Veterans it was plenty and all the major events were covered. Due to lack of communications we missed the march along the promenade on Saturday morning but we were present at all other ceremonies. As usual it was delightful to see a good turn out of Dieppe Veterans. It was also a pleasant surprise to meet and spend some time with our Immediate Past President Mary Ann Burdett who is also a honourary member of Branch 002 in Lahr and Mike Cook representing Dominion Command and our European Zone Representative to Dominion Command.

The Zone Commander thanked Comrade Josh Gelinas on his performance as the Sgt-at-Arms and the performance of the Colour Party at these ceremonies. The question of dipping the colours was again questioned by the Military CWO but didn’t cause any great concern. The good news is the Zone Commander met the new replacement of the outgoing CWO who said the Legion dipping the colours will not come into question for the next four years while he is in charge since he is fully aware of the very important role the Royal Canadian Legion plays at ceremonies. He is aware of the flag protocol and what we are mandated to do. This is proof that miracles can actually happen sometime.

5.   07-10 Sep 2007 Liberation of Belgium ceremony

On Saturday morning at 0830 hours we paraded our colours and done a ceremony at the Canada Bridge (Also referred to as the Manitoba Bridge ) in Brugge and the commencement of the Operation Switchback-March. A wreath was laid on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion by the Deputy Zone Commander Gerry Lemay. At 1100 hours we done a ceremony on the Leopold Canal and at 1630 done a ceremony at Moerbrugge.

Sunday we paraded the Colours at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem which marks the Annual Liberation of Belgium. The combined Canadian/Polish Ceremony was highlighted by the participation of local school children taking an active part in the ceremony. The two hour ceremony was attended by a Reprehensive of the King, Ambassador of Canada many local Mayors, Military Dignitaries and local population, choir, band, pipers all playing their part. A wreath was laid on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion.

At the reception following the welcoming address by the mayor the Zone Commander took the stage and presented a Dominion Command Certificate to Comrade Iris Van Landschoot that recognized her contribution and assistance to Canadian Veterans and the Remembrance work she has done over the years in her community. Iris was totally surprised and as she and her work are well known in this area she received a warm response and congratulations from the audience and her fellow comrades.

A few members stayed in Belgium until Tuesday morning where we took part in a private burial ceremony at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem. The widow of a Canadian Soldier that was killed in Belgium and is buried in the cemetery at Adegem had as her last request to be buried with her husband. The daughter made the arrangements and brought her mothers ashes from England . Relatives of the Canadian Soldier were also present for the ceremony. The family members were quite overwhelmed and very grateful that we were present.

6.       07 Oct 2007 RAALTE, the Netherlands Ceremony

Branch 005 has organized a remembrance ceremony in the town of Raalte . The ceremony in the local town cemetery pays tribute to 27 allied Air Force personnel who gave their lives for our freedom. Buried in this cemetery are 20 members of the Royal Air Force, 6 from the Royal Canadian Air Force and 1 from the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

The ceremony will commence with a meet and greet in the town hall of Raalte at 1200 hours followed by a church service at 1300 hours. Following the church service we will parade to the cemetery with the Apeldoorn Pipes & Drums where a graveside ceremony will take place. Following the ceremony we will return to the reception hall for a small reception.

The Zone Commander then turned the meeting over to Ben Zonnenberg who described the events of tomorrow in detail.

7.   20 Oct 2007 IJzendijke Ceremony

This ceremony is to pay tribute to the victims of an accidental explosion that occurred on 20 October 1944 . The explosion caused the death of forty-one British and Canadian soldiers and caused injury to another fifty-one some of which would be fatal. The majority of the soldiers present on that fateful day were from 204 Armoured Assault Squadron, Royal Engineers and ten soldiers of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps of the 7th Infantry Brigade.

The Zone Commander and the President of Branch 002 will travel to Belgium for this ceremony and the Belgium members will form the Colour Party.

8.   03-04 Nov 2007 Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy Ceremonies

The Zone Commander stated that he did not receive the official invitation at this point but in summary we will travel to Arras on Friday 2 November where accommodations has been arranged at the Hotel Campanile in Arras do the ceremony in Beaumont-Hamel on Saturday, Vimy on Sunday.

The Zone Commander set the deadline for members wishing to attend at Monday 15 October include also when you will arrive and depart for home. Further details of these events TBA

9.   10 November Passendale Ceremony

For information it was announced by a Government of Canada Representative during the Liberation of Belgium Ceremony that Veterans Affairs will host a ceremony in Passendale , Belgium on 10 November. I have no further information but since we just finished Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy and the Branches have Remembrance Ceremonies on 11 November we will be unable to attend. I will forward information regarding this event as it becomes available for anyone wishing to attend.

10. 11 November Branch Remembrance Day Ceremonies

This item will be discussed under Report by Branches later in the agenda.

11.  18 Nov 2007 Choloy Ceremony

The Choloy Ceremony in the past has been conducted by Branch 001 but apparently there was some difficulty organizing the event last year and Branch 004 actually did the ceremony. It is important that we do this ceremony since the Zone Commander has received letters from people in Canada who wish to attend this year. The president of Branch 004 said they are willing to conduct this ceremony if Branch 001 is unable to do so.

Follow a discussion it was agreed that Branch 004 will organize the event and information will be distributed to the Branches and individuals wishing to attend in the near future.

12.  Membership

The Zone Commander urged the Branches to process membership in a timely manner. Communicate with members keeping them informed as to what is happening at the Branch level especially members that are unable to get to the Branch because they live in another country.

13. Correspondence

The Zone Commander read a letter he received from Rob Donald regarding the ceremony in Choloy, “My dad and uncle are buried there, I look forward to meeting your group on 18 November and to really thank you so much for remembering the individually who’s resting place is at this cemetery. It means so much to those who care for them”.

Other letters and information of importance have been included in your handouts.

14.  Ceremonial Events Calendar for 2008

The events calendar for 2008 was reviewed and will be added to this report as Annex B.

15.  Report by Branches

Branch 001; The 1^st Vice President Kevin Grainger reported the Branch has recommenced activities after a summer break. Normal planned Legion activities such as bingo’s, cards, remembrance ceremony and Christmas Party will be conducted from their present location. Due to circumstances however the Branch will be moving in January of 2008. The Branch will move from Söllingen where they will have a club room located in the curling club at the former Canadian Forces Base Baden. Time will tell of course but it is hoped that this move will give the Branch a fresh start and rekindle comradeship among the members.

Branch 002; The President Alfons Deguire wished his 1^st Vice President Bill Fairley a speedy recovery from the medical treatment he has been undergoing for the past few month and is pleased he is able to be with us today. Alfons apologised for not being present at the last Zone Meeting but he was in Canada having too much good Canadian food and a good time with his family. He thanked Comrades Daniel Van Landschoot, Ken Gardiner, Lucien Perraut and Hans Von Jutrzenke for their support and representing the Branch at the Dieppe Ceremony. Also that he and his members enjoyed the Liberation of the Belgium Ceremonies in September and that all went very well. Bingo’s are still going every second Sunday everyone is welcome to attend. The Branch received an invitation from the Canadian Embassy in Berlin along with the Mayer of Lahr to attend a reception at the former Canadian Black Forest Officers Mess on 28 October celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of Canadian presence in Lahr which we will attend. The next planned event will be the Remembrance Day Ceremony on 11 November in the Canadian Section of the Lahr Cemetery . After the ceremony we will have a Levy at the clubhouse in Reichenbach.

Branch 03; The President Brian Burchart reported the Branch is still having some success recruiting new members. Legion activities are still going strong with the “wing night” being most successful. The Branch will partake in several Remembrance Day ceremonies, our own in support of the Canadian Military contingent and with the Royal British Legion in Rheindahlen. We will also do a ceremony at the AF North School ( International School ) and plan to conduct a Literary/Poster Contest at this school. In general things at the Legion seem to be in order.

Branch 004; The President Gaetan Bienvenue reported the Branch is doing well with the exception that sometimes they are restricted because they have to coordinate events with the club owners that provides them with their club house but they can live with that. He announced the following upcoming events; 20 October initiation of new members, 3 November a roast beef dinner where everyone is welcome and on the 15 December they will have their annual Christmas Dinner and also invited members from the other Branches to participate. Remembrance Day Ceremony for the Branch will either be conducted at the Canadian Memorial in the Malberg Cemetery or we will join Branch 002 in Lahr. Last but not least we are in the early planning stages for Branch Elections that will take place 15 March 2008 .

Branch 005; The President Ben Zonnenberg welcomed the large contingent present at the Zone Meeting it is also a pleasant surprise to have lot of observers and as always when we are guests at the Restaurant Mondani we are grateful to Yvonne and Barry for their hospitality. Branch 005 as all the other European Branches was saddened by the passing of Syd Phillips. The Branch paid tribute and honoured him in our last news letter to the members. We are happy to let you know that Comrades Peter Dekker and Andre Liefrink are back in good health. Comrades Rob Heinen and Joop van der Veen are still ill and we have encouraged our membership to contact them and of course we don’t forget Andy. Our news letter is in a new format and I thank all for their hard work which is appreciated. Some members of our Branch took part in the Nijmegen March and in addition the Branch provided a Colour Party for a ceremony in support of the Canadian Contingent at Groesbeek. A special thanks to Danny Murphy who done a fantastic job as Sgt-at-Arms who included a young Canadian Naval Cadet as a flag bearer. The Branch received a letter of appreciation from Canadian BGen Rommes for a job well done at the ceremony. The Branch under the Command of our Sgt-at-Arms Comrade Hendrik Kuiper done a ceremony at the Canadian Engineers Memorial in the town of Driel to pay tribute to the Engineers that died while rescuing the ill fated Para Troopers of Operation Market Gardens. Tomorrow for the ceremony in Raalte it is expected to have a great ceremony thanks in a large part to the cooperation of the mayor and the towns people of Raalte. Preparations are well underway for the Remembrance Ceremony on 11 November where we are delighted to have a contingent of 20 Canadian Air Force Officers who are on tour of Europe along with the newly appointed Canadian Military Attaché John Roeterink join us at the Remembrance Ceremony in Apeldoorn . In December we will prepare for the executive elections that will take place in the spring.

16.  Open Discussion

      The Zone Commander reported that the city of Lahr in conjunction with their annual flower festival 20-28 October will host a Canadian Reunion marking the 40 years presence of Canadians in the city. Many prominent guest have been invited former CF Commanders, Embassy Representatives from Berlin and Stuttgart . On the events calendar they have designated Friday 26 October as time to visit The Royal Canadian Legion at the Linde in Reichenbach. It would be nice to have a few members present.

      The Zone Commander said all Branches should have received an invitation to the reception at the former Canadian Black Forest Officers Mess on 28 October celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of Canadian presence in Lahr that was mentioned in the report by Branch 002. Legion members attending are requested to do so in Legion dress to be recognized.

      The Zone Commander advised Branches that the NATO Flag has been added to our Colours placed between the UN Flag and the Branch Banner.

      The president of Branch 004 requested Zone financial assistance in conducting the Werl Ceremony in June of 2008. In the debate that followed the point of contention was that other Branches fund and conduct ceremonies as a Branch project why shouldn’t Branch 004 do the same with Werl. Branch 004 then requested Zone to pay travel cost only and any other expense would be covered by the Branch. In further discussion it was made clear if this request was to be considered that vehicles travelling to Werl would be in the form of a car pool with vehicles kept to a minimum. The Zone Commander asked the President of Branch 004 to put his request in the form of a motion. The motion put to the floor was; Request that Zone cover the cost of travel (Petrol only) for the Werl Ceremony in 2008. There being no further discussion the Zone Commander asked for a vote. The vote was unanimous in support of the request.

17.  Zone Pins

      The Zone Commander asked the Branches if they would be interested in ordering more Zone Pins. It seems there is interest so the Zone Commander will inquire on costs and advise Branches accordingly.

      To conclude the meeting a minute of silence was requested by Branch 001 in honour of and in Remembrance of Comrade Syd Phillips … We will remember him.

18.  Meeting Adjournment

      There being no further business to discuss a motion was made by Comrade Kevin Grainger and seconded by Comrade Gerard Lemay that the meeting be adjourned. The meeting was adjourned at 1710 hours.

Note: The next Zone Meeting will be hosted by Branch 002 and will be held on Saturday 26 January 2008 at 1400 hours at the Linde in Reichenbach.

Annex A to the

Minutes of the Zone Meeting

Held on 06 October 2007

Contents of the Folder,

• Itinerary for the Zone Meeting

• Minutes of last Zone Meeting held at Branch 003 on 28 July 2007
• Financial Statement covering period 26 July 2007 to 04 October 2007
• Correspondence
• Ceremonial Events Calendar for 2008
• Branch Contribution to Ceremonial Fund

Annex B to the

Minutes of the Zone Meeting

Held on 06 October 2007

Royal Canadian Legion Branches Europe

Events Calendar For The Year 2008

26 Jan 2008            Saturday 26 Jan a Zone Meeting will be held at 1400 hours in the Legion Hall of Branch 002 in Reichenbach.

09 Apr 2008           Wednesday 09 April is Vimy Ridge Day - "National Day of Remembrance" to commemorate this famous battle where Canadians done what others could not; the capture Vimy Ridge. Legion Branches are to fly their Canadian Flags at half mast from sunrise to sunset.

26 Apr 2008           Saturday 26 Apr a Zone Meeting will be held at 1400 hours in the Legion Hall of Branch 001 in Söllingen.

04-5 May 2008      Annual Liberation Ceremonies in the Netherlands

?? May 2008         Branch 003 will participate in the annual ceremonies at Hotten and Bure in Belgium . The details of this event will be announced at a later date.

21-25 Jun 2008      The Legion Convention will be held in Ottawa . The convention theme is “Freedom and Democracy Our Veterans Legacy”.

01 Jul 2008             Tuesday 01 July will be the annual Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Service.

01 Jul 2008             Tuesday 01 July Branches will celebrate Canada Day with scheduled events as appropriate.

19 Jul 2008             Branch 005 will do a ceremony in support of the Canadian Military Contingent that participates in the Nijmegen March at the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek.

28 Jul 2008             Saturday 28 Jul a Zone Meeting will be held at 1400 hours at Branch 003 in Geilenkirchen.

?? Aug 2008          Branch 003 will participate in the Ceremony at the Jahlay/Tegelot Memorial in Belgium . The details of this event will be announced at a later date.

13-14 Sep 2008      Saturday 13 Sep there will be a Ceremony at the Moorbrugge Memorial in Belgium followed by the Liberation of Belgium ceremony on Sunday 14 Sep 2008 at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adagem. The details of this event will be announced at a later date.

11-12 Oct 2008      A Zone meeting to be hosted by Branch 005 at 1400 hrs on Saturday 11 Oct in Lochem on route to the Annual Royal British Legion 450 Ceremony that will be held on Sunday 12 October. Details TBA

20 Oct 2008          Monday 20 Oct Ceremony at IJzendijke, the Netherlands , if this ceremony develops the Zone Commander and Deputy Zone Commander will travel to Belgium and our Belgium members will form the Colour Party.

08-09 Nov 2008     Friday 07 Nov a Colour Party will depart for France to take part in the Annual Remembrance Day Ceremonies at Beaumint-Hamel on Saturday 08 Nov followed by the Vimy Ceremony on Sunday 09 Nov. Timings, accommodations and details of the events to be announced at a later date.

11 Nov 2008           Tuesday 11 November is the Official Remembrance Day in Canada . Branches will host their Remembrance Day Services accordingly as appropriate.

23 Nov 2008           Sunday 23 Nov Branch 001 will host a Remembrance Ceremony at Choloy , France , commemorating the 332 Canadians buried there. Members of other Branches are also welcome and encouraged to attend. Members will meet at the Cemetery in Choloy at 1430 hours. The Colours will be parades to the Cross of Remembrance where a small ceremony will take place. Following the ceremony members will have the opportunity to visit grave of friends. This ceremony is considered basically a day trip so following the ceremony we will depart for home.

Note:                    All dates are subject to change. Branches will be notified of amendments, as additional information becomes available. Future requests received by Zone for further ceremonies we may be required to attend will also be added to this list as an amendment notification. This schedule will also be published on the Zone Webpage at www.rcl-europe.org

This schedule was distributed to Branches on 06 October 2007 and will be amended as necessary by the Zone Commander. Additional information pertaining to the schedule and further requests for ceremonies are to be forwarded to the Zone Commander for consideration. 

Amendment No. 1.