Welcome to the Autumn 2016 Newsletter

This edition covers the adventures of Endeavour during the 1970s, the Veterans' Cruise Weekend at Hampton Court, a beautiful photograph of Endeavour and her crew during the 1940s, Community Events and Festivals news and the Co-Op Community Fund.

We hope you enjoy! Please drop us a line if you have any comments, or visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourTrustLeigh/

Endeavour Fishing in the late 1970s - Stuart Strauss

At the Leigh regatta in September, we were approached by Stuart Strauss. He told us that he had skippered Endeavour in the late 1970s and was able to fill in some gaps we had in Endeavour's working life, shortly before she left Leigh and worked out of Kent. We are very grateful to Stuart for spending time penning some memories he has, which we are delighted to share below with  members and the community.

In early 1976 I was having lunch in a cafe near Glendale Gardens when Mike of Mike's Boatyard came and sat at my table and we got chatting. I told him I was fitting out a boat to go weeding with. "Don't bother with that", he said, "I've recently bought the Endeavour. Come and work that for me".

Veterans' Cruise Weekend at Hampton Court - Andrew Wood

In July, I was asked by some members of the Endeavour Trust committee whether I was available to skipper Endeavour for the Veterans' Cruise. Last year I had joined the crew for the passage from Leigh to Hampton with Paul Gilson and other members of the Trust. It was my first trip on the Endeavour, although I have known her from my teenage years. The mast had to be lowered to go under the London bridges, en route to Hampton, so this year time was spent on sourcing materials and gear to make the lowering and lifting of the mast much easier and, at the same time, keeping the decks clear for the crew and passengers to move about safely.

James Colin 'Peter' Snoad

We are extremely grateful to Glynis Moss for letting us use this photograph  which she found amongst some old family photos. Her  Dad, James Colin Snoad, known as Peter Snoad is standing on the left of the picture. Glynis doesn't know the gentleman on the right.

Community Events and Festivals

Many good photographs were taken  at the barge match including this one by a Southend Echo photographer and published in the
Monday edition following the race. Perhaps the photographer thought Endeavour was a  barge!

Once again Endeavour sailed among the splendid Thames Sailing Barges competing this year in the 53rd Southend Barge Match. Paul and Chris Bailey were joined on board by Michael Howard, Peter Monk and Richard Baxter.

The Co-Op Community Fund

We are delighted that the Leigh Co-op food and funeral care outlets have approved the Endeavour Trust as one of two local community groups they are supporting for six months. This is a completely new initiative by the Co-op and works like this.

Photo Gallery

Cubs on board in October taken by Anne Hinton van’t Hof

Christmas Cards 2016

We have Christmas cards available again this year, from a watercolour by David Hurrell.

Front

Insert

If you wish to purchase any please email or telephone your order to Peter Dolby.

Cards, with quality envelope, are 60p each – delivery free within the Southend area.

AGM Papers 2016

The fourteenth Annual General Meeting of the Endeavour Trust will be held on Friday 21st October, 2016 at 7.30 pm in Leigh Community Centre, 71-73 Elm Road, Leigh-on-Sea SS9 1SP.

Click here for the 2016 AGM papers (links to folder containing all the documents), or click on the individual item below. All items are in PDF format.

The documents are:

• AGM Agenda 2016
• AGM Minutes 2015
• Chairman's report 31-08-16
• Balance Sheet and Accounts 2016a

Annual Dinner formally announced

Friday 18th November 2016 - 7.30 pm

Tickets £20 per person.

Come and join us at our Annual Dinner which this year is at the Essex County Bowling Club in Westcliff-on-Sea.
 
Hear the exploits of Endeavour over the last twelve months whilst partaking of the Bowling Club’s excellent choice of reasonably-priced wines and beers whilst enjoying great company.

Menu

• Tomato and Basil Soup
• Chicken and Leek Pie with boiled potatoes and seasonal vegetables
• Black Cherry Cheesecake (with ice cream if required) or Cheese (Cheddar & Stilton) and Biscuits
• Coffee and Mints
• A Vegetable Bake, vegetarian alternative, is available.

Please see the flyer for the full details and booking information.

Leigh Co-Op supporting Endeavour Trust

Dear members

I’m delighted to advise that the Leigh Co-op food and funeral care outlets have approved the Leigh-on-Sea Endeavour Trust as one of two local community groups  they are supporting for the next six months.

This is a completely new initiative by the Co-op and this is how the scheme will work.

Every time Co-op members choose Co-op branded products and services and use their Co-op membership card, 1% of what they spend will go to their chosen cause.

Co-op members can change their choice at any time until the end of the giving period on 18^th March 2017.

If members don’t pick a cause then 1% is shared equally between all the local causes in their community.

Any funds raised will be distributed to the local cause shortly after the end of the giving period.

If you have a Co-op membership card go to  https://membership.coop.co.uk/sign-in , input your membership card number and please choose the 

Leigh-on-Sea Endeavour Trust as your preferred local good cause. If you haven’t a membership card you can visit this same web address and register for one.

My account shows that after my visit today 9p of my spend has gone to the Endeavour Trust!! ...........From small acorns.......

I hope that you do not mind me contacting you as this is a golden opportunity for us to accumulate some much needed funding.

These are the Co-op outlets in our community......

Food: Leigh On Sea - The Broadway - SS9 1AW
Food: Leigh on Sea - Leigh Rd - SS9 1BZ
Food: Leigh On Sea - London Road - SS9 3JE
Funeral care: Leigh on Sea (TCF) - SS9 2AT 

Happy spending at your local Co-op’s branded products.

Peter Dolby

Welcome to the Summer 2016 Newsletter

This edition covers the Commemorative Cruise to Ramsgate, the Endeavour memories of Dunkirk evacuee Bill Brewster, the veterans' cruise, Endeavour's age is settled once and for all, the summer reception, an adendum to last issue's Margaret White Wrixon piece and very importantly, a reminder that subscriptions are due.

Please drop us a line if you have any comments, or visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourTrustLeigh/

Commemorative Cruise to Ramsgate and Beyond - Paul Gilson

As many of you will know the Endeavour will be part of a feature film about the evacuation of Dunkirk. She will be in the thick of it, on the beaches loading troops and taking them to bigger boats offshore. She has done this before, its old hat, this is old news.

Bill Brewster Recalls His Father's Dunkirk Memory - Finlay Marshall

Every time Bill Brewster visited Leigh and looked at the cockle boats lined up in the creek he pointed to Endeavour and said, "I was rescued at Dunkirk by that boat!"

Back in 1940 Bill Brewster was a badly wounded soldier; shot three times and carried to the beach by his comrades.

Veterans on Board - Finlay Marshall

In May, ahead of sailing to Ramsgate, we were delighted to welcome on board, for a short sail, two Dunkirk veterans; David Wightman, who we featured in our April newsletter, and 97 year-old Alfred Smith from Shoeburyness. Alfred served with the Royal Army Service Corps. He was evacuated from Dunkirk after surviving two days on the beach without food or water and under constant shelling and bombing.

92 Or 11 Years Old?

How old is Endeavour? She was first launched in 1924 the year that Imperial Airways was formed, Ramsay MacDonald was Prime Minister and Lenin died. Fully restored in 2005, re-launched and back to Dunkirk was the year YouTube was created and Tony Blair was re-elected Prime Minister.

Summer Reception

A record one hundred and thirty-five members and guests attended our fourth summer reception. This was held once again at Osborne Bros. on Billet Wharf in the Old Town. The weather, although breezy and a bit chilly for a June evening, was thankfully dry. This year we welcomed the Hoy Shanty Crew who entertained us with a blend of traditional shanties and choral songs.

Margaret White Wrixon

In the last newsletter, we reported that Margaret had attended Caitlin Davies’s lecture at the Museum of London. Margaret has contacted us to advise us that this wasn’t the case. Rather, Jenny Landreth from the Guardian was the author of the Wikipedia  entry stemming from that lecture. Margaret  did not meet Jenny Landreth; in fact, Caitlin engaged the assistance of Jenny after asking the group in attendance for assistance in getting a Wikipedia entry on her. We are happy to correct this and confirm that the Wikipedia page entry, where Endeavour is mentioned, is live at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_White_Wrixon

Annual Subscriptions

A reminder that subscriptions are due for renewal on 1st September.  This is such an important revenue stream, and this year perhaps more than any other , we really need them paid on a timely basis. You can if you wish pay your subscription by standing order thus ensuring that your subscription is paid on time, or, you may wish to use internet banking. If you want to change to either of these payment methods please contact Peter Dolby, [Contact details removed as no longer current - please refer to Shop and Membership tab above.], who will provide the details required.

Rates remain unchanged, as follows:

Individual - £15
Family - £20
Senior Citizens and under 18’s - £10
Life Membership - £130

The membership form can be accessed here.

Photo Gallery

Rob Everitt liked Endeavour’s tin man impression  and was impressed with the Endeavour Hub livery at the Belfairs Academy.

Anne Hinton van’t Hof took this photograph of Endeavour at the Summer Reception.

ADLS Commemorative Cruise Supper - A Reminder

Dear Member

If you are intending to join the fleet in Ramsgate at the end of May and haven’t returned your form can I ask you to do so asap please or by 29^th April latest.  The marina and caterers will need an indication of numbers fairly soon.

We will also need names of all those in your party attending the Supper.

Attached is the menu for the Commemorative Cruise Supper.

If you are unable to join us then please ignore this message.

Best regards

David Knight

Hon. Secretary ADLS

Welcome to the Spring 2016 Newsletter

This edition covers the Endeavour's possible big screen debut, David Wightman's memories of Dunkirk (expanded from the version that appeared in the Newsletter), a rather interesting correction and additional context to an old story about swimming the channel, an update on the Educational and Community Programme, an explanation of why Endeavour's mast has been down over the winter and last, but not least, some fabulous new merchandise items.

Please drop us a line if you have any comments, or visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EndeavourTrustLeigh/

The Year Ahead

Goodness, is it really six months since the last newsletter? Many apologies to everyone for the delay.

There is so much to talk about that I’m sure another newsletter will follow shortly. We are extremely excited about the year ahead; there is much to contemplate and lots of opportunities for members to come aboard and join the crew on voyages.

Veteran's Memories of "Days of Hell" at Dunkirk - Finlay Marshall

When Dunkirk veteran David Wightman recently contacted Paul Gilson, our own roving reporter, Finlay Marshall was quickly engaged to meet with him at his home in Laindon.

They are a dwindling band of warriors these days. When they were young they had gone into what became the ‘phoney war’ landing in France to fight Hitler's fascist army. In early May 1940 the Battle of France began and within three weeks the British Expeditionary Force was retreating towards the beaches of Dunkirk.

David Wightman was a medical orderly with 125 Field Ambulance tending the wounded of the 42nd Division. Within three weeks the BEF was encircled around the French town and being bombed and shelled night and day.

Margaret White-Wrixon

In the April 2013 newsletter we carried a story of Endeavour being used as an escort vessel for Margaret White, who was in training for a swim across the English Channel. Two members informed us that we had incorrectly captioned the accompanying photograph (see left). The couple with Margaret were not Melville and Doris Chadwick, but despite our best efforts we had been unable to correct our error... until now!

Educational and Community Programme

Peter Dolby has been busy over the winter with two talks to local community groups; Links at Leigh Road Baptist Church and Age Concern in Westcliff.

There was also a first when Peter was invited to talk at the Royal Corinthian YC in Burnham.

Winter Blues

Those readers local to Leigh will have noticed that Endeavour was still afloat on her summer mooring, mast down and looking a little miserable, well into March. This is to explain why and how she will look spritely once again in time for the upcoming events. She had her mast lowered to go under the bridges above Tower Bridge for the A.D.L.S. Veteran’s Cruise last year– these do not open to allow clearance. 

Anne Hinton van't Hoff’s photograph graphically shows Endeavour on her mooring in choppy seas

Merchandise and Memorabilia

The more events that we participate in, the more we recognise how vitally important they are as a platform, not only to tell the Endeavour story, but to fund raise and to recruit new members.

Finlay and Linda Marshall have put their minds together and have come up with three new items of merchandise to go alongside our sweatshirts, t shirts, prints and cards.

Summer Reception

• Thursday 30th June – from 7 pm

• Osborne Bros, Billet Wharf, High Street, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2ER

• Individual portions of hot and cold delights served by waiting staff

• £14 per person

• Drinks available from the Crooked Billet PH 

•  Come and join trustees, committee members, fellow members and guests

• Beautiful views providing a stunning backdrop for a summer’s experience of al fresco dining

• Endeavour after her recent return from participating in the commemorative cruise to Ramsgate will be on her creek mooring

• Traditional shanty and chorus songs by the popular Hoy Shanty Crew 

• Ample parking, free after 6 pm, is available in nearby car parks and on Belton Bridge 

• Please contact Peter Dolby to confirm your booking
  

•  Please forward your remittance using the tear off slip on the linked PDF.