RSME and RE Museum Meeting

Danielle Sellers, Deputy Curator (Collections Management) of The
Royal Engineers Museum, wears gloves to handle a delicate artifact. It's one of two Thai Princess Crown's presented to the Corps by Thai Lieut-General Kriangsak Chomanan at the end of the Post Crown project. Our Chairman Mike Stanbridge had asked to view the Crown's as they are to have a special role in our reunion plans. The other crown is on display in the Curators Unique Artifacts Cabinet.

Three OCA committee members had travelled to the RSME at Chatham for meetings with officials from Brompton Barracks and the RE Museum. Mike Stanbridge as Chairman lead the party in discussions for a 2014 Reunion and AGM with the Corps Secretary Lt Col Charles Holman, RSM Andy Gossen and SSM Rob Daniels. The party also met with management of the RE Museum to discuss a special Op Crown display area being set up for our visit. OCA member Jimmy James was invited along on the day. He bought along two Op Crown vets who were unaware of OCA.

The picture above shows from L/R Roger Robinson, Tony Purcell, John Hamnett, Neville Wareham, Mike Stanbridge and Jimmy James. Roger worked in the Power Station as a member of Crown Works. Tony was the Survey Sgt of the first group of Engineers to travel to the North East of Thailand in late 1963. They stayed in Mukdahan travelling up and down Highway 212 looking for a suitable site for the airfield finally settling on Kok Talat. Welcome to OCA gentlemen, we'll see you in April. The solid silver Thai Dancer (left) was commissioned by Officers serving on Crown in late 1966. Larry Inge, the Officers Mess Secretary, as a surprise, had placed the dancer as a centerpiece on the dinner table. The dancer had been discovered in the Mess Silver collection after Larry had ordered the collection to be cleaned. This is another artifact from Operation and Post Crown, which like the Princess Crowns, had lain unknown at Brompton, coming to light as a result of the Chairman's requests to view them. Thanks Larry for that thoughtfull gesture, it's much appreciated.

The picture right only has a tenuous Op Crown connection but I feel it's a story worth telling. The silver cocktail shaker Jimmy's holding, was shown to me at the October 2013 JLRRE reunion in Lichfield, by Mick Dobson (standing left). It had been commisioned in December 1960 by the members of B Sqn JLRRE passing out troop. The name inscribed at the top of the list of members of that troop, was J/RSM E James. Underneath that was J/SSM M Dobson and underneath that was J/Sgt L Inge. I immediatley understood who they were as I was a J/Spr in B Sqn's induction troop taking part in their passing out parade. On learning from Mick, that he and Larry had never met up with Jimmy since they left No1 Training Regt, I helped put Jimmy and Mick in touch. Later, as Mike Stanbridge made contact with the Brompton Mess Secretary who turned out to be Larry Inge, the seeds for a fifty two year anniversary reunion were sown. I've told this story as a thank you to Lt Col (Rtd) Larry Inge (right), for his work in helping bring about our visit to Brompton. Thanks Larry, it's much appreciated.

The image left is reproduced with the kind permission of the Royal Engineers Museum. It shows one of the Thai Princess Crowns referred to at the top of the page. By now all the OCA members and associates will have received an email from the Membership Secretary Neville Wareham outlining our 2014 April 1st 2nd and 3rd RSME reunion plans. If you are an Operation Crown veteran who did not receive the mail and wish to attend the 50th Anniversary Reunion, of the start of work on Operation Crown. Please contact Neville on Nevillewareham@aol.com