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Monthly Minutes 2026

April

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Date:
Tuesday, 7 th April 2026

Present:
27 members were present at the meeting.

The Branch Chair opened the meeting at 2000hrs

Apologies for absence:
Mick Coleman, Ian Whiteside, Derek Hesketh, Phil McCauley, Wally Thorburn, Danny Hary, Billy Melia, Paul Hennesey, Joe Pettigrew, Ken Barney, Tom McCormick, Billy Young, Jimmy O’Connell.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by Waddy and seconded by Ian McKelvey.

Matters Arising:
N/A

Visitors/new members:
Peter Robinson introduced himself to the branch and was welcomed as a new member.
 
Chair's Report:
Bruce opened the meeting with some very sad news about the recent passing of both Eddie Jones and Vic Southern. Both Eddie and Vic served in IV PARA and were very well-known and respected by members of the branch. both will be sadly missed, and our condolences go out to their family and friends.

We have lost some good men in such a short period of time which also includes our Honorary member John Dennet RN who sadly passed away aged 101 and served in WWII and was involved in many operations including the Sicily and Normandy Landings.

Funeral details
George Fitz:
13/05/20 at Devonshire Inn. 11.30

John Dennet:
23/04/26 at Landican Crematorium. 15.00

Eddie Jones:
29/04/26 at Greenacres, St Helens, 3.45

Vic Southern:
30/04/26 at Springwood Crematorium. 3.30

Welfare report:
Bruce contacted several members of the branch over the last few weeks and provided and update. Members sent their best wishes to all of those who are unable to attend the branch meetings.
It is important to make sure members are regularly contacted and if a phone call or a quick visit can be arranged by members, this would make a massive difference for those that are unable to attend branch meeting personally to meet with friends.

Tony Woods' funeral was attended by members of the branch, and his daughter wanted to pass on her thanks to those who attended. Tony was 95 years young and served in 12/13th Battalion.

Secretary's Report:
A reminder: the date for the unveiling of the Airborne Forces Statue is 31st July 2026. The statue will be in Abbey Field, adjacent to 16 Air Assault Brigade’s front gate at Merville Barracks. All Associations are encouraged to attend this event.

Tickets will be available via the PARA App. The new PARA App is now available to download in the App Store & Google Play Store. As well as accessible by website access from your home computer, laptop or tablet. The PRA are the driving force behind this App so please get involved. To upload the App on your device, click this link using the password 1942 to register: https://link.militaryapp.org/para/fcEzu

Regimental Commemoration Day 24-26 July 2026.
The National AGM will be held at Airewas, NMA, on Saturday, 25th July. We have booked a minibus for the event so all those wishing to attend MUST provide Brian Welsh with names, especially for those who wish to book a lunch. If anybody can drive a minibus (D5 on licence) please let Alfie Brennan know as he will have to get you verified to drive the bus if not already done so.

Tony ‘Frog’ Barlow and Niall Cherry attended and delivered an excellent presentation on their new book “A Tom's Tale” and Frog's experiences during their time in the Falklands in 1982 and the battle for Mt Longdon. The branch purchased several of Tony's books for £20.00 each for those who were unable to attend but may wish to purchase one of the books. Brian Blanchard has the books, and anybody wishing to purchase one should contact Brian direct There was also a show and tell of the kit and equipment the lads wore and carried during the battle.

Treasurer's Report:
Reminder from Treasurer to those who have yet to pay subs. £30.00 per year or pay in instalments. Subs can be paid via cash or cheque to Brian Blanchard or via BACS at:
Liverpool PRA
Sort Code: 23-05-80
Account Number: 44716631
Reference: Subs and your surname.

Brian Blanchard has gone firm with the Christmas dinner date and timings.
A unanimous vote was carried in favour of cancelling the annual PRA church service.

Events sub-committee:
N/A Future events.























AOB:
N/A

Close Meeting:
The Branch Chair closed the meeting at 21:00 hours.

Date of next meeting Tuesday, 5th May 2026 at 20.00hrs

AVCC Sports And Social Club,
Lancing Drive.
Aintree
Liverpool
Merseyside L10 8LN

Brian Welsh,
Branch Secretary,
Liverpool PRA Approved:

Please check out the events list on the website for details of Regimental and Local events near you: www.theparachuteregimentalassociation.com


 

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Monthly Minutes 2026

March

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Date: Tuesday, 3rd March 2026.


Present:
20 members were present at the meeting.
The The 
Branch Chair opened the meeting at 2000hrs

Apologies for absence:
Ian Whiteside, Derek Hesketh, Phil McCauley, Wally Thorburn, Danny Hary, Mick Melia, Joe Pettigrew, Ken Barney, Tom McCormick, Ozzy McLoughlin, Pete Smedley.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by Cooky and seconded by Ian McKelvey

Matters Arising:
N/A.

Visitors/new members:
N/A.

The Chairs Report:
Bruce praised the branch and fellow paratroopers who attended the funeral of Chris Baines.
The guard of honour outside St Teresa's church was shoulder to shoulder up the steps with over 50 maroon berets on show. It was an excellent and fond farewell to Chris.

We lost another good man recently, Tony Woods, who was always a stalwart member of the branch and often liked to tell us one of his jokes at the end of branch meetings. Tony will be sadly missed, and our condolences go out to his family and friends.
Tony's funeral details are:
St Bede's church,
Appleton Village,
Widnes, WA8 6EL
Wednesday 11th March at 10.00.
Afterwards, friends are invited to the Woodlands Bar & Grill, Widnes, to raise a glass and celebrate Tony's life.

Confirmation of our annual AGM on 7th April 2026.
Any members wishing to submit proposals for any of the committee positions please send them to the Branch Secretary, Brian Welsh.

Welfare report Bruce contacted several members of the branch over the last few weeks and provided an update. Members sent their best wishes to all of those who are unable to get to the branch meetings.
It is important to make sure members are regularly contacted, and if members can arrange a phone call or a quick visit, this would make a massive difference for those who are unable to attend the branch meeting personally to meet with friends.
Remember that if members require additional support, it is available through the branch, where we can contact the Regimental Welfare Team, who are trained to deal with a variety of issues and cases that are more complex.

Secretary's Report:
The date for unveiling of the Airborne Forces Statue is 31st July 2026.
The statue will be in Abbey Field, adjacent to 16 Air Assault Brigade’s front gate at Merville Barracks.
All Associations are encouraged to attend this event.

The new PARA App is now available to download from the App Store & Google Play Store, and also accessible using website access from your home computer, laptop or tablet. The PRA are the driving force behind this App, so please get involved.
To upload the App on your device, click this link using the password 1942 to register:

https://link.militaryapp.org/para/fcEzu

Regimental Commemoration Day 24-26 July 2026.

The National AGM will be held at Airewas, NMA, on Saturday, 25th July.

We have booked a minibus for the event, so all those wishing to attend MUST provide Brian Welsh with names, especially for those who wish to book lunch.

We still haven’t confirmed drivers. If anybody can drive a minibus (D5 on licence), please let Alfie Brennan know, as he will have to get you verified to drive the bus, that is, if not already done so.

Brian Jenkins informed the branch of a talk provided by SBS and SAS B Sqdn Lindsay Bruce, on 13/14 August at Bury & Stockton, respectively. Tickets are £12.00 with a buffet. Talk timings are 18.00 – 22.00

The branch has invited Tony ‘Frog’ Barlow to attend on April 7th to provide an insight and talk about his new book “A Tom's Tale” and his experiences of the battle for Mount Longdon. He will also talk about 1982 in general and respond to questions from the branch.
He will have several books with him for £20.00 each (cash only). The book is A4 size with 186 pages and around 100 colour and black and white photos and maps. Additionally, there will be a show and tell of the kit and equipment the lads wore and carried during the battle.
Please encourage as many as possible to attend this meeting, and please invite those who may not be members or served with the Parachute Regiment or Airborne Forces, as Tony's talk will be extremely interesting for anyone who has served or has an interest in the events of June 1982.

Treasurer's Report:
Reminder from Treasurer to those who have yet to pay subs.
They are £30.00 per year or can be paid in instalments.
Subs can be paid in cash or cheque to Brian Blanchard or via BACS at:
Liverpool PRA
Sort Code: 23-05-80
Account Number: 44716631
Reference: Subs with your surname

Events sub-committee:
N/A Future events




















AOB:
Lunch served at 1400, Pete O’Brien had two copies of an 8-page booklet on Chris Hennessey 22 SAS and the circumstances around how he was killed while serving in Oman.
Tommy Barney and Bruce borrowed the books and will pass them on to members when read.

Close Meeting:The 
Branch Chair closed the meeting at 21:00 hours

Date of next meeting:
Tuesday 7th April 2026 at 20.00hrs
AVCC Sports And Social Club,
Lancing Drive.

Brian Welsh, Branch Secretary, Liverpool PRA

Approved: Branch Chair Signature:

Please check out the events list on the website for details of Regimental and Local events near you: www.theparachuteregimentalassociation.com




 

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February

Date: Tuesday, 3rd February 2026.

Present:
28 members were present at the meeting.

The Branch Chair opened the meeting at 2000hrs.

Apologies for absence:
Ian Whiteside, Roy Bevan, Ken Barney, Jim O’Connell, Danny Hart, Wally Thorburn, Joe Pettigrew, Stan Fortune, Tony Woods. Neil Platt, Steve Miley, Tommy Dempsey, Steve Doran.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by Dave Woodray and seconded by Frank Boyle.

Matters Arising: N/A

Visitors/new members: 1

Chair's Report:
Bruce opened the meeting with apologies for the cancellation of the January 2026 meeting, which was due to works being undertaken at the venue.

Bryce, on behalf of the branch, paid respects to those we lost in 2025 and, more recently, Chris Bates in 2026.

Bruce reiterated the ongoing drive to encourage new members to join the branch and for us all to push the benefits to those who are not yet members. We have produced business cards for members to hand out to any interested people with details on joining.

It was also encouraging to know that the Wirral Branch are slowly growing in numbers and had 12 members at their last meeting.

Brian, our Branch Secretary, will send a message to our PRA WhatsApp group with information on how potential members can join.

Welfare report:
Bruce contacted several members of the branch over the last few weeks and provided an update. Members sent their best wishes to all of those who are unable to get to the branch meetings. It is important to make sure members are regularly contacted, and if a phone call or a quick visit can be arranged by members, this would make a massive difference for those who are unable to attend the branch meetings personally to meet with friends.

Remember that if members require additional support, it is available through the branch, where we can contact the Regimental Welfare Team, who are trained to deal with a variety of issues and cases that are more complex. Tony Woods is currently unwell, and if anybody wishes to visit him, please contact Bruce.

Secretary's Report:
The new date for unveiling of the Airborne Forces Statue is 31st July 2026.
The statue will be in Abbey Field, adjacent to the 16 Air Assault Brigade’s front gate at Merville Barracks.
All Associations are encouraged to attend this event.
The branch Secretary will contact Mike Farrington (NW PRA Chair) with a view to arranging transport to support those who wish to attend across the Region to potentially save some money if enough wish to attend.
It was agreed at the branch that, due to Joe Harkon’s daughter, Freya, representing the Regiment on behalf of her late Father, we would consider appointing her as an Honorary Branch member. Although the branch voted in favour of this request, Brian Welsh will review the constitution and bring this back to January’s meeting.

Brian Welsh would arrange the booking of Altcar Camp facilities in March 2026 for a commemorative event for Joe Harkon.
The Camp commandant has had to suspend this booking due to ongoing works on-site. He will contact Brian Welsh with an alternative date as soon as possible.

The new PARA App, funded by Support Our Paras, is a platform for Serving Personnel, Veterans and Partners & Families. It will transform the way we can communicate, connect and engage across the entire Regimental Family and airborne community. The app is now available to download in the App Store & Google Play Store in December, as well as accessible by website access from your home computer, laptop or tablet. The PRA are the driving force behind this App, so please get involved. To upload the App on your device, click this link using the password 1942 to register: https://link.militaryapp.org/para/fcEzu

An additional brief reminding members of the procedure to submit claims for TA/Reserve pensions: Pensions update for those applying for their TA pensions. Once your training days have been received from Glasgow via the government website https://submit-a-data-protection-request.service.mod.uk/start, they will be training days ONLY over the period you served.

MOD pay Offices only keep pay slips for a period of 7 years after discharge, therefore pay scales are no longer available to them.

When you apply for your training days following the link above, in the drop-down box which asks for proof of service, write in the free text box that you require your pfile. This will then be directed to the Army Personnel Centre (APC), who will send you your file, which may have details around pay scales you were on during the period of service.

The appeal from the MOD has been refused; therefore, continue to gather information on your records of service.

Regimental Commemoration Day 24-26 July 2026 The National AGM will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum, Airewas, Staffordshire, on Saturday 25th July. We have booked a minibus for the event, so all those wishing to attend MUST provide Brian Welsh with names, especially for those who wish to book a lunch.

Treasurer's Report:
Reminder from Treasure to those who have yet to pay subs. £30.00 per year or pay in instalments.

The Hard Days Night Hotel has offered the branch a provisional booking for 2026 for 12th December.

Events sub-committee N/A Future events














AOB:
Lunch served at 1400, Mick Coleman provided an update ref laying of the colours at St Nics.
Mick will be meeting the new Vicar on Thursday, 5th February and will report back.

Kevin Hughes informed the members of a trip to Ypres, 3 nights and 4 days, on October 1st to 4th. Travel from Altcar, with the event being arranged by the Royal Engineers Association.
Five Liverpool PRA members have already booked on the trip.
Contact Kevin Hughes if interested.

Chris Baine's funeral details:
12th February at 11.45,
St Teresa's Church,
Sedgemoor Road,
Norris Green,
Then to Everton Cemetery,
And finally, to raise a glass to Chris's memory at
Queen of Martyrs,
Croxteth Hall Lane.

Close Meeting:The 
Branch Chair closed the meeting at 21.00hrs
Date of next meeting Tuesday, 3rd March 2026 at 20.00hrs
AVCC Sports And Social Club,
Lancing Drive.
Aintree

Brian Welsh, Branch Secretary, Liverpool PRA Approved:

Please check out the events list on the website for details of Regimental and Local events near you: www.theparachuteregimentalassociation.com 
 

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