The Military Historical Society

DRAFT: Approved by the General Committee  on 13^th December 2008 pending approval at the 2009 AGM.

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING,

SATURDAY 11^th OCTOBER 2008,

THE BOARD ROOM, IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, LONDON. 

Present:

Field Marshall Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL,                 President.
Colonel Denis Wood MBE,                                             Vice President. 

General Committee Members:

Colonel Tim Wright                                                         Chairman.
Mr. Michael Taylor                                                         Secretary elect & QM.
Lt. Col. Nicholas Beswick.                                              Committee Member.
Mr. Bill Herbert                                                              Membership and Grant Aid Secretary.
Lt. Cdr. Keith Hook RD RN(rtd.) LLB ACIS                       Committee Member.
Mr. Alan Jeffreys                                                            Deputy Editor.
Mr. Dennis Pillinger                                                        Lummis Files & Coordinator of Talks   and Visits
Capt. Richard Tatham.                                                    Committee Member.
Lt. Col. Bob Wyatt MBE TD                                            Editor. 

Members:

Mr. David Hunter.                                                           Secretary East Midlands Branch.
Mr. John Chapman.
Mr. A. Rainbird.
Mr. Eric Osborne.
Miss Caroline Eddlestone.

Guest:

Ms. J. Bee.

1.         Welcome.

            Colonel Tim Wright welcomed members to what was in fact the 60^th AGM of the Military Historical Society rather than the 57^th as shown on the agenda.

2.         Apologies.

            Apologies for absence had been received from John Atherton, Eric Dickinson, Gordon Dine, Peter Grove and Bob Kelly. 

3.         Minutes of the 2007 AGM.

The Chairman read out the minutes of the AGM of 13^th October 207. The proposal that they be adopted was moved by Denis Wood, seconded by Alan Jeffreys and approved nem con.

3A.       Matters Arising.

a)         Enquiries of a historical nature from the public had been coming in at two or three a month earlier in the year but appeared to have tailed off subsequently. Responding to these enquiries helped show the Charity Commissioners that the Society provides a public benefit.

b)         The rules amended at the 2007 AGM are now available on the Website.

c)         There had been a good, but not universal, response to the increase in membership fees. Those paying at the old rate had not been struck off and would have another opportunity to amend their payments in January 2009.

4.         Reports from Officers and the Committee.

a)         Secretary.

Lt. Col. Stephen Durant, had resigned in the spring for family reasons. A Secretary designate was in place for election later in the proceedings.

b          Membership Secretary and Gift Aid.

                        i)          Bill Herbert said that membership currently stood at 722. He estimated that the Society was losing around 20 – 30 members a year but that recruitment was static.

                        ii)          He said that, although he wished to stand down as Membership Secretary because of pressure of work, he would be happy to stay on the Committee to provide continuity and advice.

                        iii)         Regarding the Gift Aid documentation, he hoped to have this completed in the near future.

c)         Branch Secretaries.

            i)          East Midlands.

                        David Hunter apologised for the Branch not being able to attend the Farnham exhibition.

He said that although the Branch members were keen overall numbers attending meetings were decreasing as the average age increased. New members were not coming forward. The Branch nevertheless managed to maintain an interesting series of talks at each meeting and they had an excursion each year, in 2007 to the National Arboretum.

            ii)          West Midlands.

The Chairman spoke on behalf of the Branch. He said they continued in good health and met on the first Saturday of each month. The Branch was actively supporting the Hopton Heath Battlefield memorial and a letter was on the Branch page of the MHS Website.

            iii)         Southern.

The Chairman spoke on behalf of the Branch, which remained in good health. It met seven times a year in Dorchester. They had recently had a talk on the Nijmegen March, completed by a cadet unit The Rifles at 140 paces to the minute.

            iv)         Northern Ireland.

The Chairman said that he had received no report but Gavin Hughes had said that it was difficult to organise events.

            d)         Coordinator of Talks and Visits.

                        Nothing additional to report that was not already published.

            e)         Editor.

i)          Bob Wyatt said that he had been doing the job for some 20 years and wished to thank all the contributors who had supported him in that time. He thought the key to the success of the Bulletin was diversity, which contributors had maintained.

ii)          He reported on a number of significant submissions.

* a summary of dress regulations to be published in the Bulletin;

* a piece on Imperial Yeomanry Uniforms 1901 – 1908 for a Special Publication in May 2009;

* a piece on Militia Buttons, possibly for a Special Publication;

* a long item on Army numbering, which could be spread over several Bulletins or put out as a Special Publication.

iii)         An Index for the Bulletin for the years 2000 – 2004 had been received from Mr. J. P. Haynes and would be put on the Website.

iv)         David Hunter said that he had received positive feedback about the British Shako Special Publication.

            f)          Treasurer.

i)          The Chairman said that the Society had received a windfall in the form of Society books recovered from the estate of John Gaylor, the sale of which amounted to around £300.00.

ii)          The accounts with Alliance and Leicester and Lloyds remained open mainly because some Members who had not responded to amended membership arrangements were still paying into these accounts. This remained under review.

iii)         The Chairman said that Paul Riches was standing down as Treasurer but that a replacement would be proposed later in the meeting.

iv)         A copy of the 2008 accounts was circulated.

5.         Adoption of 2008 accounts.

Nick Beswick proposed and David Hunter seconded the adoption of the accounts, which were approved nem con.

6.         “Public Benefit” and charitable status.

The Chairman said that the Charity Commission now required more detail about what a charity does to justify charitable status. He read his report to the Commission.

7.         Insurance.

The Chairman notified the meeting that the Society insurance was due for renewal at the end of October and that there was no change in the premium.

8.         Financial support for Branches.

a)         The Chairman said that the Committee felt that current finances would allow the full £50.00 annual subsidy to be re-instated for Branches with immediate effect. This was proposed by Bob Wyatt and seconded by Bill Herbert. The motion was agreed nem con.

b)         The Chairman said that the West Midlands Branch was actively supporting the Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial appeal. It was decided that it would be inappropriate for the Society to provide funds for this on the grounds that it could set a precedent for requests from similar projects that would be financially unsustainable.

9.         Appointments.

a)         On the recommendation of the Committee, Peter Grove was appointed as Treasurer and Michael Taylor as Secretary. The proposals were approved nem con.

b)         The Chairman said that there was currently no nomination for an independent examiner. He proposed that this appointment be left with the Committee. This was approved nem con.

10.        Should the AGM always be in London?

a)         David Hunter said that the proposal to consider out of London venues had come from his West Midlands Branch. Falling numbers and other practical considerations meant that he would have to withdraw his invitation to hold the AGM at Nottingham.

b)         Caroline Eddlestone said that the rail and road network made travel to London straightforward relative to some cross country journeys.

c)         It was agreed that the AGM should normally be held in London.

11.        Presentation of the Lummis Cup.

No decision by the special committee had been made concerning a recipient for the current year and the decision was deferred.

12.        Any Other Business.

a)         IWM premises.

i)          The Chairman wished to thank Alan Jeffreys, a member of the IWM staff, and the IWM management for allowing the use of the Museum for the AGM and Committee meetings. He asked whether the meeting was content to sanction a donation of £100.00 to the Museum for the use of the facilities.

ii)          Lt. Col. Nick Beswick proposed that £100.00 be given this year and that the sum should be kept under review for future years. This was seconded by Keith Hook and approved nem con.

b)         Farnham Exhibition.

            i)          The Chairman said that it was a great disappointment that David Hunter, Eric Dickinson and John Atherton had to withdraw.

ii)          The Society’s share of the proceeds should be around £50.00.

iii)         Although numbers were again down, he was sure that the Farnham Society would be keen to go ahead in 2009. The date was to be finalised.

The 2009 AGM was scheduled for Saturday 10^th October at noon, at the IWM.

The meeting closed at 13.30.

The meeting was followed by a presentation on HMS Trincomalee by Caroline Eddlestone.