BNTVA London Memorial

w.perriman • May 15, 2022

BNTVA Memorial visit on the 65th Anniversary of Operation Grapple.

Today I decided that I wanted to try and visit the BNTVA London memorial, which is located in All saints church, West Ham. 

I have been down in London for 4 days as I travelled down to visit the Museum and Heritage show as well as attending the Royal British Legion national conference. 

Both visits went well, and I will be looking how we can integrate some of the ideas which came up.  

This morning I was invited to join the RBL Parade but as today is the 65th anniversary of Operation Grapple, I wanted to pay my respects to the BNTVA memorial.  

I wrote a short bit on the London memorial in Campaign magazine but it has been my mission to visit all of the memorials across the country. This one has been on my list for a while as I often come down to London but normally I haven't had time to get across to West Ham.

I Jumped on to the Hammersmith & City tube to West Ham and walked up the road to the church.
(in hindsight I should of jumped on the bus, its not a short walk!)

As you come you come up the road the first this you see is this wonderful bell tower.
The church is a grade I listed medieval church with some parts dating back to the 12th century.

As this church is not normally open, so I planned to drop in just after morning service.
(I had tried to contact the church prior to my visit but unfortunately I probably had left it too late and it didn't get through). 

My plan was successful and I managed to get in. I was welcomed by some of the lovely people in the church, and met with Pastor Si.
They were fascinated to learn more about the memorial in their church and I explained how today was the 65th anniversary of Operation Grapple. I went on to  highlight some of the other anniversaries that are happening this year.

Our memorial was very easy to find and in very good order.
(This is actually one of the best I've seen so far)

Here is some of the standards which are laid up above our memorial.

One last little treat for myself was I also discovered that they have some nice medieval wall painting which has suvived.

I would like to thank Pastor Si, his team and congregation for being so welcoming an to unexpected visitor and allowing me to share their beautiful church with you.

If you follow the link below it will take you to the website for the church.

West Ham Church, Website

I have now found the original article for the dedication of this memorial from Campaign June 2005.

24 Jun, 2023
The National Service of Remembrance, held at The Cenotaph in Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday, provides the nation with a physical reminder of all those who have served and sacrificed, with British and Commonwealth soldiers, sailors, airmen and women represented, together with members of the emergency services and civilians, ensuring that no-one is forgotten.
23 Jun, 2023
Return to Tradition...
21 Jun, 2023
We have an update on the current situation regarding the provision of Coffin Drapes and Standard Bearers for the funerals of BNTVA veterans.
21 Jun, 2023
NAVAD will be celebrated at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire this year on Sunday 1st October 2023.
10 Jun, 2023
To all BNTVA Members Due to the issues being faced by the BNTVA, we are currently unable to produce or circulate editions of Campaign magazine. To assist with the very real need to get information out to its membership the BNTVA Trustees asked exposure magazine if they would accept an editorial section from the BNTVA. Because exposure is an editorial-based publication our team had to confirm with the constituent organisations that they sanctioned the measure. We are pleased to say that they have approved this inclusion as a benefit to our nuclear community. Within the BNTVA Editorial section, you will find announcements and information on the activities of the BNTVA. If you are not a member of the BNTVA but would like to become a supporter after reading this section please contact Shelly Grigg: s.grigg@bntva.com BNTVA Membership PO Box 8244 Castle Donington DE74 2BY
24 Mar, 2023
The Trustees have decided to set the Direct Debit amount to £0 for this year and will not process any cheques, they will be destroyed. Any payments already processed will be offered refunds. This is in recognition of the current financial hardship being suffered by many of our members and the poor service given by the BNTVA last year. Due to the restrictions on litigation, we remain unable to comment on certain matters and this will continue for at least the next six weeks after which we should be in a position to disclose everything to our members. We can certainly state that malicious gossip and speculation that the charity is suspended and being investigated by the Charity Commission is utter tripe. The only investigations being conducted at this moment are into former employees and members of the BNTVA. We have recently secured a significant court ruling in relation to the BNTVA archival material and as soon as the case is finalised we will also report on the matter. There have also been deliberate lies circulated about the archives and artefacts of the BNTVA. We can state that we are working to ensure no member of the Nuclear Community nor Researcher or Journalist working to the benefit of our community will ever have to pay to access the archives and artefacts of the BNTVA and that they will be protected in the future from the political upheavals that have been the hallmark of the BNTVA since its inception.
by Wesley Perriman 05 Feb, 2023
The BNTVA have received numerous enquiries regarding the Chef Executive Officer.
by Wesley Perriman 23 Jan, 2023
We are mindful that there is a lot of speculation and uncertainty as to what is happening with the BNTVA. Firstly we want to assure you that the organisation is still active and will be around for many years to come providing key services to our beneficiaries and associate membership.
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Open invitation from the Office of Veterans' Affairs
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