As Chairman of the WFA, I wish you and all your family a very happy 2012.
As the year 2011 drew to a close it was very great privilege for me to be able travel to Branches around the country. I was very pleased to see the number of younger people getting involved in Branches, and being fascinated by trench art and military equipment on display. It certainly helps as a hook, but I was blown away by one young man's presentation to the North Wales branch, of his first visit to the battlefields. His PowerPoint presentation with modern music was so right and blended in so well with his slides. It was a great lesson on how the younger generation relate to the music of today and perhaps those of us who have been brought up on Elgar and Nimrod would be proud to see a modern interpretation of memory and remembrance relating to such modern music. We must look to the young and give all the encouragement we can, they are the future!
The first month of this year has started with a flourish with WW1-related media events and the release of Steven Spielberg's Hollywood epic, War Horse, and the BBC adaptation of Birdsong. A better man than me said there is no such thing as bad publicity and I look forward to the reviews and the renewed interest. It is now up to us as individuals to build on this renewed interest and invite like-minded people to join the WFA. If we all did that just once each this year we will have 10,000 members in the run-up to 2014.
The WFA will be represented at Who Do You Think You Are at Olympia again this year. This is a major event to meet and help the general public with all aspects of WW1 and family history. We will be joined by members of the Gallipoli Association and members of the Great War Forum, so a great array of knowledge and comradeship will be on display. We all look forward to seeing you between Friday, 24 and Sunday, 26 February at the Military History pavilion on the top floor.
I was fortunate to be able to join Kathy Stevenson, our President Prof Peter Simkins, and many friends for the John Terraine appreciation day in London on what would have been John's 91st birthday. I feel sure he would have been very happy with the interest and the great memories of him we all held. I am sure he would have been very proud to see the WFA going from strength to strength and proud of our Branches and all that you do.
Thanks to you all.
I look forward to the future and meeting many more of you throughout the year.
Bruce Simpson
Chairman
