Museum Project Bedford
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During 2009 the UK Branch has been planning the RLIRA Museum project, which was given the go ahead during the AGM held at Hatfield in 2009 , the project was to be split between into two locations with two high quality cabinets going into bar at the Rifles home in Davis Street, Mayfair London and a larger display in Bedford covering the top floor of the local RAF Club, both locations are fully owned by the respective regiments and will give us no cause of concern about having to move in the future.
 
The pictures of the Rifles bar are already on the website www.therli.com and added to this news bulletin are the pictures from Bedford, however after the appeal went out for artefacts to put in both locations the response has been very slow and as a result of this the EXCO has decided temporary to go ahead with the Bedford location first. And as you will see from the photos that the work in progress is coming along nicely and it is planned to do a lot more work between Christmas and new year
 
 
We have now had the date confirmed to clear all the Regimental Artefacts from the British Empire & Commonwealth museum down in Bristol and this will happen on the 7th January 2010, and the initial date for opening of Bedford museum and marking your calendars is 30th January 2010.
 
Most of the Artefacts at the BECM are to be hung (lots of photos and pictures)  but we are looking for all the other items that went missing from the Battalion i.e. that odd bit of silver you might have in your loft including trophies ,beer tankards, china and cutlery the drums have been located and hopefully they will arrive in the UK for early March and anything else that you might have which you feel should be on display, the Presidential Colours have gone to be encased and will also be displayed in Bedford.
 
But we also need the hardware such as weapons, we currently have 3 (an AK47, G3 and a PPK) but for security reasons and costs we have managed secure a deal on replicas which will also be delivered in the New Year, how can you help ? We need urgently the items listed below.
 
Stable belts all regiments
Badges all regiments cloth and stay bright.
Uniforms, Sands, Cammo,Greens and CT. 
RLI Berets x3
Boots & Para takkies.
Stick boots.
Compass, Binos, bayonets, riffle slings,cleaning kits, field dressings, webbing inc CT , and any other souvenirs you might have picked up from the QM/CQ stores by mistake or on the battlefield.
 
If you live within the UK we can help to get parcels sent free of charge or if you live in RSA send to either George Dempster or Bill Wiggill and in Australia Bruce McGregor, if you cannot help with any of the above items a small cash donation would be very welcome as some of these items can easily be purchased in the UK.
 
To  those of you who already sent items we are very grateful and to John Thomson for the £1000.00 to purchase the two cabinets in London and the anonymous donation received today to purchase the cabinets for Bedford . I would also like to thank David Heppenstall and John Wynn-Hopkins of the Rhodesian Army Association for their generous help and the loan of Mannequins , uniforms  and Models of Aircraft used  by the fire forces and lastly Neill Storey who has put endless hours in trying locate items and doing manual labour.
If you need labels for free posting, email to me at martyn.hudson2@btinternet.co.uk  with your address to send them if you are  sending parcels them, please address them to.
 
Martyn Hudson
Cornerview
Bolnhurst
Bedford MK44 2EN
UK
 
We need your help urgently to complete this project.
 
 Martyn Hudson
 CEO