Chairman's Welcome | HMS President Old Hands Association

Welcome to our new website!

As an introduction to the Association, I thought it would be interesting to share a little of the story behind how we came to be.

Unfortunately, very little documentary evidence of our early years appears to have survived. What we do have, however, gives us some fascinating glimpses into our past. Among the items that have survived are the Association Standard and a number of handwritten books recording the meetings of the HMS President Canteen Committee, dating from the late 1940s.

I have been looking after the Association Standard for several years. It was, rather sadly, destined for disposal when HMS President, at St Katharine's Way, underwent a major refurbishment some years ago. Thankfully, it was rescued and preserved.

Even our Division's official crest changed as the years passed, reflecting the changing face of the Reserve itself.

There are still many gaps in our story, and perhaps that is part of what makes it so interesting. We are fortunate to have a few surviving artefacts, records and memories which allow us to piece together the history of those who came before us.

This website is not just about where we are today; it is also about remembering where we came from, the people who served, and the friendships and traditions that have continued across the generations.

If you have photographs, documents, memories or stories relating to HMS President, the RNVR, RNR or the Association, we would be delighted to hear from you. You may hold a small piece of our history that can help us fill in some of the missing chapters.

Welcome to the Association — and welcome to our story.

G. Gatehouse

Chairman

The brass crown mounted on the Standard is dated 1932, providing our earliest evidence that an association connected with the RNVR had been established by that time. Unfortunately, the Standard does not identify the division, so we cannot say with absolute certainty that it belonged to the London Division. However, there is good reason to believe that it did.

Then came the Second World War. With virtually all the Reservists being mobilised for service, the Association was, understandably, placed on hold. It was not until 1947 that it was resurrected and our members began meeting again.

We know this from one of our old newsletters, published in 1997, which referred to the 50th anniversary of the Association's revival.

During these early post-war years, we were still very much the RNVR. In the early 1950s, however, the RNVR was absorbed into the newly formed Royal Naval Reserve (RNR). This change was reflected in our own history and eventually gave rise to our former name, the RNVR/RNR Old Hands Association.