h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Congratulations Dad! I'm very proud of this, and you

How does it feel to be a published writer of social history?

sure nice entry and the subject is interestingly dealt with they were the navigators of the new world post war

Thank you for your kind words.

Congratulations and thank you for the article on the NVA which is very,very good but it is slightly incomplete. My father, Arthur Flodman who later became the first National Secretary, attended the second meeting of the Association. The main reason for the formation of the association was that the D Day landing Association membership requirements only allowed those that had landed on the 6th June 1944 could be members. As the landings took place over a period this excluded many thousands of servicemen and Dad, on behalf of the fledging association, went on to put an advert in the Grmsby Evening Telegraph to announce the formation of the NVA. The rest is history. He later went on to design the National Badge and Flag for which he gave the copyright to the Association. I vividly recall him sitting in the kitchen of their house in Cleethorpes designing the badge but like many of his generation he did not want to make anything from this. As is known there is now a stained glass window in St.Peter's Church in Cleethorpes, North Lincolnshire which incorporates the National Badge. In the design he used a predominance of Gold out of respect for the fact that Gold Beach was one names given to one of the beach landing sites. Fortunately, he attended the 40th Anniversary celebrations in France in 1984 but ill health caused him hand over the National Secretary's repsonsibilities to Eddie Hannnath who subsequently did a fabulous job. Dad sadly passed away in November 1985 and a memorial service was held in St. Peter's Church in Cleethorpes.

Hello Arthur's son
I'm Ann, daughter of Frank Wolstencroft who wrote this article. We still live in Cleethorpes. My Dad is now 88 and terminally ill, he is unable to reply but I will tell him you posted here.

All the best, Ann

Thanks and please pass on my regards. Your Dad was right that 4 attended the first meeting. My dad couldn't get to it for a reason that I have long since forgotten. Ten attended the second meeting.There was a lot of opposition to the setting up of the Association particularly from Regimental Associations who sadly feared that they would dissapear. Thankfully, this was never intended but my dad travelled around England and wrote many letters and made numerous phone calls calming the fears of many. Even the D Day Landing Association thought they would lose their membership and I got him to go to a meeting in Newcastle to speak with them. Thankfully it resolved any opposition.
Major General Sir John Mogg who I think became the President of the NVA, was as Lieutenant my father's company commander on the beach landing near Arromanche which I think was D Day + 2. Dad landed in his plimsolls and took a pair of boots off a German prisoner and got told off by General Mogg. Sir John denied it was him and used to say it was another officer.

That's great

Would you like to check the updated version now?