THE SECRET WW2 LEARNING NETWORK REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1156796
REPORT OF THE CHAIR AND TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2022
| CONTENTS: | Page |
|---|---|
| •Reference and Administrative Details | 2 |
| •Report of the Trustees | 3 – 9 |
- Statement of Financial Activities (attached as a separate document)
THE SECRET WW2 LEARNING NETWORK REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1156796
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS, year ending 31 March 2022
TRUSTEES: Louisa Russell, Chair Martyn Bell Rod Kedward Paul McCue Brian Spencer Juliette Pattinson (appointed 14.7.20) PRINCIPAL ADDRESS 29 Wiseton Road Tooting LONDON SW17 7EE BANKERS: NatWest Bank PLC 5 East Street CHICHESTER West Sussex PO19 1HH
THE SECRET WW2 LEARNING NETWORK REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1156796
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES, for the year ending 31 March 2022
The Trustees present their report with the draft financial statements of the Charity for the year ending 31 March 2022. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims
The objects of the Charity are the advancement of the education of the general public in the nature, context, history and impact of covert operations during times of conflict and in particular the covert allied operations during the Second World War.
Significant activities
| Significant activities | Significant activities |
|---|---|
| Significant activities for this year are listed below under the relevant headings: | |
| The following personnel from the Charity involved in the Programme are listed below: | |
| Martyn Cox, MC | Co-Founder |
| Louisa Russell, LR | Chair, Trustee and Friend |
| Paul McCue, PM | Executive Trustee and Friend |
| Martyn Bell, MBe | Co-Founder and Trustee |
| Brian Spencer, BS | Trustee, Treasurer and Friend |
| Carol Browne, CB | Information Officer and Friend |
| Nick Fox, NF | Supporter and Friend |
| Peter Robinson PR | Membership Officer and Friend |
| Rod Kedward RK | President, Trustee and Friend |
| Edward Jones EJ | Supporter and Volunteer |
| Barbara Cronk BC | Friend and Supporter |
| Juliette Pattinson JP | Trustee |
| Tony McCallum TM | Supporter and Photographer |
| Ashley Barnett AB | Supporter and Friend |
| Steph Waters SW | Media Officer and Supporter |
| Charles Ashton CA | Research Coordinator and Supporter |
| Debbey Clitheroe DC | North Representative, Friend and Supporter |
| Jen Hilton JH | Geneology Officer, North Representative and |
| Supporter | |
| Meryl Jones | Friend and volunteer |
Trustees’ Report: 1.4.21 to 31.3.22
The Covid19 Pandemic has curtailed some of the planned events and activities for this financial year resulting in many cancellations. They are listed below.
Greater detail and information including photographs may be found on the Charity’s website, www.secret-ww2.net.
Events organised/presentations planned:
27[th] April – AGM of The SECRET WW2 – conducted by Zoom
5 to 6 May 2020 – Annual commemoration of SOE agents at Romorantin-Lanthenay and at Valencay, France. Events cancelled except a small scale gathering at Valencay for those resident in France.
6 May – replacement small scale ceremony at The Memorial to the Missing, Brookwood.
18 June – L’appel, small limited ceremony in Carlton Gardens. No representative from SECRET WW2 attended.
. 11 July – The Annual Memorial Gathering at Violette Szabó GC Museum. Event cancelled.
14 July – Unveiling of 3 information noticeboards at Bellasis House, Boxhill, one of the training schools for SOE, in conjunction with the National Trust. Project implemented by AB and PM in conjunction with National Trust and funding from Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charitable Trust and Mole Valley District Council. LR, MJ and CB assisted.
14 August – ‘Dutch Courage’, Cranleigh Arts Centre. Presentations by PM included ‘secret war’ operations of Dutch bomber 320 RNAS Squadron and STS 4 Winterfold Special Training School where many Dutch trainees attended. LR, CB. MJ and AB assisted.
August – Friends and Volunteers Luncheon. Postponed.
5 September – Annual Commemorative Ceremony with an introduction/Talk by PM at the Memorial to the Missing 1939 -1945, Brookwood Military Cemetery for Jewish SOE personnel. Led by LR and PM. Mike Bluestone, Chairman of AJEX in attendance.
18 and 19 September – Annual week-end event at Wanborough Manor, Surrey’s School for Secret Agents including an exhibition and 4 Talks about SOE Agents given by PM and CB.
15 September – Tour of Southside House, Wimbledon, former home of SOE agent Malcolm Munthe. Implemented and led by LR.
11 November –SWW2LN commemoration led by PM of SOE personnel listed on the Memorial to the Missing, 1939-45 at Brookwood. This was followed by attendance at Free French ceremony honouring French personnel of F Section and BCRA.
28 November – SECRET WW2 Memorial Service and presentation at the Air Forces Memorial, Cooper’s Hill, Egham. Organised by CB with PM.
Additional Events Attended/Activities/Networking:
9 May – PM represented SECRET WW2 at the Czech and Slovak Annual Commemoration at Brookwood.
18 May – 80[th] Anniversary of Operation Boatswain honoured with a wreath laid at The Memorial to the Missing, Brookwood by PM.
18 and 25 May – PM, assisted by EJ and TM, made presentations at Brookwood for students of the Royal College for Defence Studies.
27 May – SW represented SECRET WW2 at AJEX Annual Service of Commemoration at National Memorial Arboretum in honour of National Armed Forces Week.
4 July – Lt Pierre Geelen, a Belgian SOE agent of F (French) Section had his name corrected at The Memorial to the Missing at Brookwood. Organised and attended by PM with EJ and TM, with unveiling by Captain Renaud Flamant, Belgian Defence Attaché.
11 September – The Intelligence Corps Memorial Wall was rededicated at The Corps Day held at Chicksands. Attended by PM and wife at invitation of NF.
3 October – Annual ceremony for the Intelligence Corps at Brookwood Military Cemetery. Organised by PM and NF, assisted by EJ and TM.
3-8 October – PM acted as joint historical guide for a Battlefield Study Tour in France for a British Army special forces unit.
31 October - AB represented SECRET WW2 at The Annual Czech and Slovak Commemoration Ceremony at Brookwood
31 October - JH represented SECRET WW2 at the memorial dedication for Kurt Goldschlager, X Troop commando, organised by the Manchester branch of AJEX.
14 November – LR attended the National Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony at The Cenotaph.
21 November – LR and PM attended the annual AJEX Remembrance Parade and Ceremony at the Cenotaph.
5 December – PM, EJ and TM hosted the Leccia family at the Brookwood Memorial to the Missing, 1939-45, to unveil the corrected name of Lt Marcel Leccia, F Section, SOE.
19 February – Group visit to Thame Museum for exhibition on Thame Park, as contributed to by SECRET WW2
3 March – Presentations given at the Defence HUMINT Unit at Intelligence Corps HQ, Chicksands by PM, NF and Clare Mulley, SECRET WW2 Supporter and Voluntary Speaker.
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS
PM introduced a series of newsletters, ‘ By the Light of the Moon’ for Friends, Supporters and those on the Charity’s email list with effect from August 2020. These have been exceedingly informative and very well received and through the pandemic have been produced on a bi-monthly basis. From 2022 they change to quarterly production.
BI-MONTHLY PRESENTATIONS
PM has continued to organise a bi-monthly programme of online lectures courtesy of Zoom, for which a subscription was purchased.
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The following have taken place:
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14 April Operation Boatswain, by Paul McCue, Executive Trustee 16 June Shetland Bus, by Gilly Halcrow, Friend and Supporter
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11 August Meeting and Interviewing Former French Resisters and SOE Personnel, Professor Rod Kedward, President and Trustee
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13 October More SOE Missions, ‘ Because It Was The Right Thing To Do’ , By Gilly Halcrow
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8 December “Foursquare’, the Last Parachutist, by George Bearfield, author and volunteer of SECRET WW2.
From 2022 Zoom presentations are on a quarterly basis.
OTHER ACTIVITIES:
SECRETWW2 Volunteers:
Charles Ashton appointed as Research Coordinator Ashley Barnett appointed as Projects Officer Paul McCue appointed as Executive Trustee Debbey Clitheroe and Jen Hilton, SECRET WW2 Representatives, ‘North of Watford’.
Honorary Life Friends. Geoffrey Pigeon (ex SIS/MI6), died on 12 August 2021. Two lunches in north London with Jack Mann were undertaken by PM and (Friend) Ambassador Gershon Gan. NB birthdays – S/L Stanley Booker will be 100 years old on 25[th] April 2022; Jack Mann will be 97 on 23[rd] September 2022 (Jack falsified his age and joined the British Army one week short of his 17[th] birthday – subsequently serving with the Long Range Desert Group, the Special Boat Squadron of 1[st] SAS Regt and being attached to the Greek Sacred Squadron).
Steve Weiss Student Research Bursary (in memory of Dr Stephen Weiss, a WW2 veteran and UK-based academic and writer who died in 2020, aged 94). Olivia Smith, from University of Chichester was awarded the first bursary in December.
Ursula Graham Bower Bursary. 3 year scholarship to be awarded in conjunction with the Kohima Education Trust (KET). See below
Brand Name . SECRET WW2 is the recently adopted brand name for The Secret WW2 Learning Network and was agreed by the Trustees in December and will help with promoting its activities
Barnett’s ‘Out and About’ Activities . AB, as Roving Reporter, has undertaken much travel, exploration and reconnaissance in the UK and written in length for the Newsletters. He also visited India and Burma in March to present the Ursula Bower Bursary in conjunction with KET.
SECRET WW2 ‘North of Watford’. DC and JH will represent the Charity and are hoping to set up a small branch for the SECRET WW2 in the Manchester/Merseyside area.
Plaques/information boards : we presently have projects under way or under consideration in Austria (Mauthausen concentration camp); France, Canada, Australia, Israel, India and here in the UK. Barbara Cronk, Friend of The SECRET WW2 has succeeded in having a plaque installed on the property in Paris where her family member, Lilian Rolfe of F Section, was born. A full project list is appended as Appendix A.
Talks to other groups : Zoom talks in 2021 have been given to British and Israeli Army units and in-person and by Zoom to four local groups in Surrey and Hampshire. We have further bookings in 2022 and 2023 and early interest from another unit of the British Army.
Filming – in 2022 we commenced a programme of short commemorative videos by PM and TM, with assistance by EJ, on ‘secret war’ individuals commemorated at Brookwood or Runnymede. We have also produced a ‘loop’ Powerpoint presentation on the SOE history of Wanborough Manor, to be used in partnership with the organisation that manages Wanborough Great Barn. We also expect to contribute further to a French film on the life of Captain Paul Sarrette of F Section, SOE.
Projects - advisory work for the Israel Antiquities Authority continues regarding SOE and SAS/SBS service in the former British Mandate for Palestine; the Roll of Honour for the 104 agents of F Section SOE is now over 90% completed; work has started on a biography of Section Officer Lilian Rolfe, WAAF and FANY of F Section, SOE; we are taking part, in a tour guide role, in France; we continue with adding or amending SOE details to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's records. . A full project list is appended as Appendix A.
Support from other organisations and individuals and partnership working
The SECRET WW2 acknowledges and is extremely grateful for the support and/or partnership activity of the following organisations in the 2021-22 year:
The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charitable Trust
Eddie and Dagmar at The Trench Experience, Brookwood Cemetery
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
AJEX (London and Manchester)
Walton and District Local History Society
The National Trust
Mole Valley District Council
The Intelligence Corps
Embassy of the State of Israel/Defence Section.
Ognisko Polskie.
Memorial Association of Free Czechoslovak Veterans (MAFCV)
Wyrdlight Photography
Mauthausen Memorial
Brigadier-General (Res) Erez Maisel IDF
Mr Paul Wates, Bellasis House
The Brookwood Last Post Association
Public benefit
The Trustees have due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Results for the year
There was a surplus for the year of £2,000.
The state of affairs of the Charity, which The Trustees consider to be satisfactory is set out in the Balance Sheet and there are adequate resources available for the Charity to be able to meet its commitments at the balance sheet date.
Reserves policy
The Charity has very limited need for future reserves whilst it is in its initial period of operations. The Trustees believe that the Charity holds sufficient reserves to enable it to meet those costs for the foreseeable future.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The Secret WW2 Learning Network is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by its constitution. It was constituted on 24 April 2014.
Recruitment, Appointment, Induction and Training of Trustees
It is the policy of The Secret WW2 Learning Learning Network to invite new Trustee members to give an expression of interest to join the board outlining their reasons for doing so, what they can bring to enrich the organisation and the experience and knowledge they can offer. The Trustee Board then discusses the application,
formally votes on the application, and then if successful, the new Trustee is inducted onto the Board and into the Organisation. All new Trustees are provided with copies of its constitution, accounts and documentation, explaining the approach the Charity takes on a number of key issues. It is expected that most new Trustees will already be experienced in that role, if not some training will be given. In 2022, one Trustee was redesignated Executive Trustee to reflect the executive duties of the position.
Organisational structure
The Trustees oversee the day to day management of the Charity.
Risk management
The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the Charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales, the Charities Act 2011, Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the Charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently:
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Observe the methods and principles and in the Charity SORP
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent:
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by order of the Board of Trustees on 22 April 2022 and signed on its behalf by
Louisa Russell, Chair and Paul McCue, Executive Trustee
| The Secret WW2 Learning Network | ||||
| Statement of Financial Ac9vi9esyear ended 31st Ma | ||||
| Income and Expenditure Account | ||||
| 2020/2021 | ||||
| Income | £ | |||
| Dona%ons | 674 | |||
| Dona%ons :- Gi/ aid | 200 | |||
| Dona%on Cranleigh - Arts centre | - | |||
| Dona%ons - P. McCue for speeches | ||||
| and researchgiven to external organisa%ons | 180 | |||
| Grants - GerryHoldsworth Trust | - | |||
| Mole ValleyDis%ct Council | 450 | |||
| Friends | 1,294 | |||
| Educa%onal Ac%vi%es | 150 | |||
| Total | 2,948 | |||
| Expenditure | ||||
| Ofce Costs :- | ||||
| Website | 185 | |||
| Zoom Subscrip%on | 144 | |||
| Sta%onery | 112 | |||
| Insurance | ||||
| Equipment | ||||
| Memorial ac%vi%es(Wreaths) | 51 | |||
| Advancement of charity's core | ||||
| educa%onal objec%ves:- | ||||
| Carole Nu^ Transla%on into English of Albert | ||||
| Browne-Bartoli memoirs(Holdsworth Trust) | ||||
| Scholarship-The Kohima Educa%onal Trust | ||||
| Cranleigh Event | ||||
| Signage | ||||
| Total | 492 | |||
| Surplus | 2,456 |
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| w 2 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Secret WW2 Learning Network | |||||
| Statement of Financial Ac9vi9esyear ended 31st Ma | |||||
| Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2022 | |||||
| 2020/2021 | |||||
| Current Assets | |||||
| Cash at Bank | 6,625 | ||||
| 6,625 | |||||
| Represented by: | |||||
| Accumulated Reserve | |||||
| Balance Bt/Fwd | 4,169 | ||||
| Surplus | 2,456 | ||||
| 6,625 | |||||
| Note1 | Reserved funds - £200 forprin%ng6 copies of Albert Browne-Bert | ||||
| and £1,600 for signage beingbalance remainingfrom £6,600 GerryHolds | |||||
| Grant. This will be spent in 2022/23 | |||||
| Note 2 | Gi/ aidpayment of £520.40 for 2017/18,2018/19,2019/2020 and | ||||
| been received and will be refected in 2022/23 accounts. | |||||
| Note 3 | Grant from Guildford Borough Concil £725 has been invoicedpayment aw | ||||
| Note 4 | Chari%espolicy,as agreed at the 2021 A.G.M.,is that the charitysho | ||||
| a reserve of £2,000. |
2
rch 2022 2021/2022 £ 1,221 85 938 6,600 1,649 10,493 - 221 96 205 4,800 350 280 2,534 8,486 2,007
3
rch 2022 2021/2022 8,632 8,632 6,625 2,007 8,632 oli memoirs worth 2020/21 has uld maintain
4