ACC Memorial Hall Under Threat

[pitbull10]

And I'll be very interested to see if she signs it Brian!

132 as at 1700hrs on the 21st Jan

As Brian says, Get into your address books and spread the word...it's bloody time consuming for me going through the ACC thread on Friends Reunited sending individual emails!  A week on and I'm only on page 40 of 230 plus!

So please help me out!

Ian you do mean Rob, Not Brian??

[pitbull10]

I think this is called progress. And anyway it is now a libary and has been for several years. The building is not being knocked down, just reasigned to a different use. I totaly agree that we should have a place to remember the fallen. That place should be in the Garrison church in Aldershot, or at the cenotaph in London. We now remember our fallen comrades, as part of the RLC, which we have been a part of for over 15 years. The ACC has gone. Let it go and let other people use and enjoy the building.

What do you think to these comments made to me over the petition. I am genuinely interested in your views.

Rob

[Ian E Scott]

The wording is under threat!
 
There has been no mention of demolition in this thread!
 
I used the word reassigned, this was taken from the ACC Official Site

I am very aware of what our Memorial Hall is being used for at this moment in time, namely Army Kinema Services Library, this organisation very graciously took over the safe keeping of our memorial when they took up tenancy and have looked after it on our behalf.

As to suggestions of the Garrison Church - No, why should we give up this fight so easily, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice didn't give up so easily!

As for the Cenotaph, that is the national monument for all our fallen, can you seriously see them adding:

"The Cenotaph & Army Catering Corps Memorial"

We do not remember our fallen as part of the RLC, those of us who turn up at Whitehall each November on Remembrance Sunday remember as a Corps.  Come and see how many still remember proudly wearing the ACC badge!

Enough said Rob, there's my answer to the comments made over the petition, he/she is welcome to their views, it falls short of the emails I have had in support and with 172 signatures this morning it can only move upwards.  Thanks for your support.

[pitbull10]

My response to him was

:-  Thanks for that Jason, Even if its slightly disrespectfull, but you have the right to say what you like, in this day and age because of those that have now gone as you put it.
I cannot let it go as there is a small saying that still rings out, We Will Remember them or less we forget.

personally I think he is one of these modernday chaps that does not give a flying fig, about his history.

Rob

[Ian E Scott]

  Rob, Just checked out the official ACC Association site and they have attached a link to the petition which is great news

http://accassociation.org/index_files/MemHallUpdate.htm

[magpie24]

I think this is called progress. And anyway it is now a libary and has been for several years. The building is not being knocked down, just reasigned to a different use. I totaly agree that we should have a place to remember the fallen. That place should be in the Garrison church in Aldershot, or at the cenotaph in London. We now remember our fallen comrades, as part of the RLC, which we have been a part of for over 15 years. The ACC has gone. Let it go and let other people use and enjoy the building.

What do you think to these comments made to me over the petition. I am genuinely interested in your views.

Rob

When they built the Titanic it was called progress, letting the bankers run our economy into the ground was progress a few years ago, there are differing types of progress, you will always get someone posting comments to get a reaction they are sad people with no real lives and are generally referred to as Trolls by the internet community, a common phrase you hear is don't feed the Trolls, just ignore them. One of the most important points in this argument has hardly been mentioned, the ACC memorial hall was not paid for by tax payers money it was built upon the generosity of the ACC members and donations, I can remember donating to the fund myself and at no time was I told "oh and by the way sometime in the future we will ignore your views and replace it with a Gurkha temple.

[Ian E Scott]

  Well said Brian!

[Bobnicol]

The ACC memorial hall is for all members of the acc, the Queens regiment does not exist anymore but they still have a perminent memmorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire along with meny other units that have disbanded since the end of WW2.
If it is in the way where is is at prescent why not take it down and have it rebuilt at the National Memorial Arboretum where it will be always open ( no 12ft fence ) and cared for by the dedicated staff.
If they really want a Ghurka Temple in Aldershot why not just build one.


http://www.nationalmemorialarboretum.org/

[pitbull10]

Although I have not seen them myself, I have seen a lot of photo's of the memorials at the national memorial arboretum, a lot of them are just a small plaque laid in the ground. the actual memorial looks brilliant and a true tribute to our fallen.
why oh why cant they just leave thing alone. I was under the belief that once a site was set aside as a memorial, by law it can never be altered. under bylaws.

Rob

[mick jones]

REF, MY LAST COMMENT ABOUT THE GUARDS CHAPEL,I'VE had a rethink,why not convert one of the churches on Queens Avenue into a Hindu Temple as I'm pretty sure there are not enough paid up church going Christian sorts to justify three churches within a couple of miles of each other,especially with a good percentage of the garrison about to become non Christian.
        Leave the garrison church and take over the rest.

[mally]

as ex member of the acc i feel that yet again the back room boys get hit we have lost friends
in the past wars and should have a place to remember them  white hall think we shouldn't i have signthe pertion to stop this from happening and will stand along side any member to stop it

[Bobnicol]

Hi Everybody,
I wrote to my MP concerning the redevelopment of the Memorial Hall, he writes back saying.

" Dear Mr Nicol,
Thank you for your recent email expressing concerns about proposed redevelopment plans for the Army Catering Corps Memorial Hall in Aldershot.
I have written to the revelent minister at the ministry of defence to ask about this, and I will write again when I have more inforation.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Levitt MP "

If every body wrote to there MP'S and they all wrote to MOD it would make a big difference.

Bob Nicol

[Ian E Scott]

     I have received the following from a very reliable source.

For your information Ian - "I am led to believe the Memorial Hall is no longer going to be converted to a temple for the Gurkhas. However  If this IS correct, it still does not secure the future of the hall/gardens.

I fully support that the Memorial should remain in its present state and not be converted for ANY other use. Consequently may I suggest you amend the wording of the petition to accentuate the fact that it should not be converted into ANYTHING and must remain as it is?

Please accept this in the spirit it is sent, the temple plan may be “off the table” but you can bet your bottom dollar there’ll be another plan replacing it pretty quickly!

More info just for your peace of mind – The Gurkhas rejected the proposal on a number of grounds; one of their main concerns was that it was a memorial! They were very sympathetic and didn’t want to see it converted anymore than the rest of us".

This is NOT confirmed and the Petition is still to be signed if you so wish.  We must maintain this hall as a memorial to our fallen comrades!

As the Petition is "Live" I have no way of ameding it as my source suggests, however, MOD will be well aware of us now!  Thanks to Bob Nicol's MP.

Like Bob I have written to my MP, Andy Burnham, as yet he hasn't replied but has received my mail

[pitbull10]

Hi all.

Never been so disappointed as I am with this campaign, there are only 271 signatures on the Government petition to save the memorial hall.
I started a link on facebook with 170+ members who have joined, OK they might not all have signed but from the rest of the ACC  old and RLC only 100 more signatures. It will be resigned to the bin if it does not reach 5000 minimum, never to be seen by the Government.
I think from the response, all that the memorial hall is supposed to represent for the ACC. will be lost forever. It does not say a lot for Camaraderie amongst the ACC.

Rob

[Bobnicol]

Hi All,
I have just got a reply from MOD via my MP, it reads as follows

Dear Tom
Thank you for you letter of 30 January enclosing email from your constituent, Mr Robert Nicol of 29 Pictor Road, Buxton, regarding concerns over proposed change o use of the Army Catering Corps Memorial Hall in Aldershot.

As part of the redevelopment of Aldershot Garrison under Project Allenby/Connaught, the Army Catering Corps memorial all is due to be turned into a Hindu Mandir for the Gurkha's of 10 Queens Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment when they move to St Omer Barracks, Aldershot from North Camp in Aldershot in 2011. This change of use was approved after an extensive evaluation period that involved many stakeholders, in the Army Chain of Command. However, given the concerns recently expressed by individual members of the Association, a further review of alternative options for the provision of the Mandir has been initiated. While no firm decision has yet been reached, it does appear that the most likely option at this stage will be to proceed on the basis of alternative focus or acts of commemoration and quiet contemplation by members of the Association, together with suitable arrangements for accommodation of the Association's memorabilia.

I hope this explains the current situation.

Kevin Jones MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans

As you can see from the reply, they intend going ahead with the plans as they stand, as it says in the letter individual members we need a concerted letter writing campaign, I have wrote to The Prime minister and the Secretary of State for Defence today, also the shadow Secretary Lord Astor.

Here are the Names at the MOD Please get writing.
Secretary of State for Defence
Rt Hon John Hutton MP


Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP


Minister for International Defence and Security
Rt Hon Baroness Ann Taylor


Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment and Support
Quentin Davies MP


Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans

all can be reached at

Ministry of defence
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2HB