Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts
1 January to 31 December 2023
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Charity Number: 1196849
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Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity
Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts
1 January to 31 December 2023
Chair’s Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 3 Report of the Trustees ....................................................................................................................... 4 Financial Statements ......................................................................................................................... 9 Notes to the Financial Statements ................................................................................................... 11
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Chair’s Foreword
We are very pleased to present our second set of Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts since the Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity (NRWGC) was established as a CIO in 2021. These cover the period from 1 January to 31 December 2023, inclusive.
2023 has been a busy year for our relatively new charity. Our growth has steadily continued and we are satisfied that our Charitable Objects have been well met during this period.
First and foremost, we are proud to have funded a number of significant grave and memorial restorations during the year. These include the headstones at Alresford in Hampshire of a quartet of Napoleonic French prisoners of war, buried alongside the wife of another French captive. The funding by the NRWGC of a cleaning of all five memorials brought welcome national media attention for our work. Other restorations completed by the NRWGC during the year include the graves at Southampton Old Common Cemetery of British Waterloo veterans Captain William Hewett and Private John Russell.
Our volunteer programme continued during the year. This is allowing both members and nonmembers of the NRWGC to contribute to the Charity’s work by identifying and recording relevant grave and memorial sites near them. In particular, 2023 saw us launch our Rediscovering the War Dead initiative. This is an ambitious new volunteer-led project to build a global database of the resting places of veterans of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period.
We seized every opportunity to fundraise and bring the NRWGC’s mission to wider audiences during 2023. In June, we hosted the unprecedented Waterloo Live : a 12-hour livestream of expert speakers covering events as they occurred 208 years earlier during the Battle of Waterloo. Later that month, we exhibited at the Chalke Valley History Festival in Wiltshire, one of the UK’s largest dedicated history events.
The Charity continued to deliver on our educational remit by hosting regular online lectures from academics and other specialists on our period, as well as being active on a range of key social media platforms. Planning took place for our next War and Peace in the Age of Napoleon academic conference, which is being held in York in September 2024.
We also expanded our fundraising potential by releasing our first merchandise. Branded products including NRWGC ties and calendars were made available for sale during the year. This is an important new avenue of income for the Charity.
None of what has been achieved during 2023 would have been possible without the effort and enthusiasm of our dedicated Trustees, committee officers, volunteers and members.
To them, and indeed to everyone who has donated to us or otherwise supported our work during the year: thank you.
Dr Zack White Chair, Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity
22 August 2024
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Report of the Trustees
The Trustees of the Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity (aka ‘the Charity’ or ‘the NRWGC’) present their annual report on the Charity and its accounts for the period 1 January to 31 December 2023 inclusive and confirm compliance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the Charity’s governing document and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
1. Key Charity Information
Trustees (as of 31 December 2023)
| Name | Role | Date Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Zack White MA PGCE | Chair | 3 May 2021 |
| Marcus Joseph Cribb MSc VR | Trustee | 3 May 2021 |
| Professor Beatrice de Graaf | Trustee | 3 May 2021 |
| Professor Edward James Coss PhD Trustee | 3 May 2021 | |
| Peter Edmond Molloy | Trustee_*_ | 3 May 2021 |
| Dr Catriona Kennedy | Trustee | 3 May 2021 |
| Samantha Louise Jolley | Trustee | 16 August 2021 |
| Dr Katie White | Trustee | 16 August 2021 |
*Also Treasurer.
There were no new Trustee appointments during this period. Professor Ed Coss and Professor Beatrice de Graaf both stood for re-election, and were both duly re-elected, at the charity’s AGM held on 2 September 2023. The Board of Trustees met on four occasions during this period.
Address
14 Sarah Sands Close Christchurch Dorset BH23 3SP United Kingdom
Phone Number +44 739 863 8108 Email contact.nrwgc@gmail.com Website www.nrwgc.com Charity Number 1196849 Bankers National Westminster Bank Plc. 250 Bishopsgate London EC2M 4AA United Kingdom
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2. Structure, Governance and Management
The Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity was established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 30 November 2021. Trustees are appointed for a term of three years. All Trustees are selected in order to offer specific expertise on matters relating to the charity’s operations, whilst also reflecting the charity’s international focus and areas of operations. In accordance with the charity’s constitution, all Trustees stood for re-election at the first AGM in 2022, and are now rotating the process of re-election by voluntarily agreeing who will stand for election over the next three years. This will ensure a constant rotation of elections of Trustees at each AGM. There were no new Trustee appointments during this reporting period and the Trustees met on four occasions. Professor Ed Coss and Professor Beatrice de Graaf both stood for reelection, and were both duly re-elected, at the Charity’s AGM held on 2 September 2023.
The Charity’s key governing document is its Constitution, dated 19 November 2021. The Constitution sets out the Charity’s Charitable Objects, namely:
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To advance education for the public benefit about the lives and experiences of members of the armed services and auxiliary forces who served at any point between 1775 and 1815, irrespective of nationality, by conducting research and disseminating the useful results of that research to the public; and
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To promote and support the maintenance and upkeep of graves, cemeteries and memorials, and facilitate the burial of the human remains of, members of the armed services and auxiliary forces of all nationalities who served at any point between 1775 and 1815.
On a day to day basis, the NRWGC’s activities are overseen by its Chair, assisted by a number of committee officers, including a Treasurer, Membership Officer and Projects Liaison. Of these committee officer positions, the Treasurer alone is also a serving Trustee, in order to ensure a voice for the Charity’s finances at Trustee level. All Trustee and committee roles, including that of Chair, are discharged entirely on a part-time, voluntary basis without any remuneration. The Charity has no full or part-time employees.
3. Review of Main Activities
Grave, Memorial and Remains Projects
We are proud to have funded a number of significant grave and memorial restoration projects during 2023. Our first completed project of the year was the cleaning of five unusual Napoleonic graves at Alresford in Hampshire. These belong to a quartet of French officers who died whilst in British captivity during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as the wife of another French prisoner. The funding by the NRWGC of a cleaning of all five memorials brought
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welcome national media attention for our work via BBC News and The Times. In June, we marked the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo by unveiling the restored graves at Southampton Old Common Cemetery of British veterans of the battle Captain William Hewett and Private John Russell. The Charity organised a ceremony at the cemetery which was attended by descendants of John Russell as well as veterans of his regiment, the Scots Guards. We were grateful also on this occasion for national media coverage, which is helping to bring our important mission to as wide an audience as possible. Other restorations completed by the NRWGC during the year include the grave of Napoleonic Royal Navy Admiral Sir Charles Burrard in Hampshire. Alongside this, 2023 also saw the NRWGC carrying out field research and engaging with key stakeholders in a range of locations in relation to potential future projects. This includes grave, memorial and remains sites in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and the US.
Membership Programme
The Charity’s membership programme continued during 2023. This is an important aspect of our fundraising framework, with members paying an annual subscription of £25.00 and receiving benefits in return including a membership badge and monthly newsletter as well as free admission to talks hosted by the NRWGC. By the end of the year, the Charity had 109 members across some 11 different countries; a fitting reflection of our international focus.
Volunteer Programme
Our volunteer programme went from strength to strength during 2023, under the management of our Volunteer Coordinator. This programme is allowing both members and non-members to contribute to the work of the NRWGC by gathering information about relevant sites near them.
Rediscovering the War Dead
2023 saw us launch a major new public research project, Rediscovering the War Dead . This ambitious initiative is intended over the years ahead to build a crowd-sourced global database of the graves and memorials of veterans of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Committee Work
The work of a number of Charity sub-committees continued throughout the year. These focus on specific activity areas and report to the Chair. They include a Fundraising Sub-Committee to develop plans to drive the NRWGC’s financial growth.
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AGM
To facilitate attendance by members across a number of different countries, we held the Charity’s second AGM online via Zoom on 2 September 2023. Two Trustees, Professor Ed Coss and Professor Beatrice de Graaf, stood for re-election and were duly re-elected by attending members. The Charity’s draft 2021-22 Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts were also approved by members ahead of submission to the Charity Commission of England and Wales.
Waterloo Live
Our headline fundraising event in 2023 was Waterloo Live . This was an unprecedented 12hour livestream on 18 June of expert speakers covering the events of the Battle of Waterloo as they occurred 208 years earlier. Broadcast online from the University of Southampton, the event raised some £1,300.00 in donations for the Charity and received c. 4,500 individual views.
Chalke Valley History Festival
We exhibited at the Chalke Valley History Festival from 26 June to 2 July 2023. Held in Wiltshire, this is one of the UK’s largest dedicated history festivals and provided us with a valuable opportunity to fundraise and to outline the charity’s vision to stakeholders as well as the general public.
War and Peace in the Age of Napoleon Conference
Planning for the third War and Peace in the Age of Napoleon conference took place throughout 2023. This major academic conference will be jointly hosted by the NRWGC and York St John University in York in September 2024.
Website and Social Media
Communicating the work and research of the NRWGC has remained an important focus for us during this reporting period, particularly in view of our educational Object. We maintained a strong social media presence during 2023, with the NRWGC active on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and BlueSky. Our www.nrgwgc.com website was also live throughout this period, offering resources including a blog, mailing list, Trustee information and donation and membership portals.
Online Talks
Another important aspect of our educational outreach has been the hosting of online talks covering various aspects of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras on which the NRWGC focusses. We held a series of these talks during 2023. NRWGC members were able to attend these talks for free as part of their membership benefits, with non-members charged £5.00
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per talk. Topics covered by our expert speakers during the year ranged from re-enactment to the role of women in the Peninsular War.
Merchandise
We opened an important new avenue of income for the Charity in 2023 with the launch of our first merchandise. Branded NRWGC products including ties and calendars were made available over the course of the year via the online shop on www.nrwgc.com and sales have proven steady.
4. Financial Summary
The Charity had total income during this period of £6,782.29; primarily via donations, membership subscriptions and merchandise sales. Total expenditure for the period was £7,267.22, leaving available unrestricted funds as of 31 December 2023 of £7,157.61 (i.e. the balance of our financial assets less restricted funds of £800.00).
At a meeting on 10 November 2022, Trustees approved the creation of a financial reserve of £800.00, representing approximately 10% of the Charity’s available funds at that point. No financial commitments that would reduce funds below this level will be entered into. As the NRWGC has at present no debts, liabilities or significant recurring costs, the Trustees consider this reserve sufficient for the time being. This figure is reviewed periodically by the Treasurer with an eye to maintaining a balance between having an adequate reserve and ensuring that no more funds than are prudent are ringfenced. Trustees will be asked to vote again on any future proposed increase or decrease.
5. Financial Statements
The Financial Statements appended have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with all income and expenditure shown on a cash basis. The Financial Statements have been drawn up in compliance with the Charities Act 2011 and with the Charity’s Constitution. They are unexamined, in line with the Charity Commission’s guidance that examination is not a requirement for CIOs with a total annual income of less than £25,000.00. As the Trustees have identified no significant short or medium term financial risks to the charity’s continued operations, the Financial Statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.
Approved by the Trustees on 22 July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
_____ Dr Zack White Chair
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Financial Statements
Statement of Receipts and Payments
For the Period 1 January – 31 December 2023
| Unrestricted Funds(£) | Restricted Funds(£) | Total Funds(£) | Previous Year Total(£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts | ||||
| Amazon Smile | 40.77 | - | 40.77 | - |
| Donations | 2,623.80 | - | 2,623.80 | 1,456.01 |
| Events Income | 289.02 | - | 289.02 | 13,375.43 |
| Membership Subscriptions |
2,350.00 | - | 2,350.00 | 1,600.00 |
| Merchandise | 1,373.70 | - | 1,373.70 | - |
| PayPal Giving Fund |
105.00 | - | 105.00 | - |
| Total Receipts | 6,782.29 | - | 6,782.29 | 17,031.44 |
| Payments | ||||
| Administration | 1,106.25 | - | 1,106.25 | 740.35 |
| Events | 843.87 | - | 843.87 | 7,477.10 |
| Grave, Memorial and Remains Projects |
3,594.37 | - | 3,594.37 | 250.00 |
| Insurance | 166.14 | - | 166.14 | - |
| Merchandise | 1,423.81 | - | 1,423.81 | - |
| PayPal Fees | 132.78 | - | 132.78 | 121.45 |
| Total Payments | 7,267.22 | - | 7,267.22 | 8,588.90 |
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities
As at 31 December 2023
| Unrestricted Funds(£) | Restricted Funds(£) | Total Funds(£) | Previous Year Total(£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | - | - | ||
| Cash at Bank | 7,157.61 | 800.00 | 7,957.61 | 8,442.54 |
| Non-Monetary Assets |
- | - | - | - |
| Total Assets | 7,157.61 | 800.00 | 7,957.61 | 8,442.54 |
| Liabilities | - | - | - | - |
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Notes to the Financial Statements
1. Statutory Information
The Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Charity’s office address is 14 Sarah Sands Close, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 3SP, United Kingdom.
2. Basis of Preparation
These Financial Statements are prepared on a receipts and payments basis, with all income and expenditure shown on a cash basis.
3. Going Concern
The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
4. Pensions
The Charity does not employ any staff and no pension is currently arranged.
5. Staff Costs
There were no staff costs during this period.
6. Remuneration, Expenses and Related Party Transactions
There was no remuneration during this period. Reimbursement totalling £1,088.28 was paid to Trustees and committee officers relating to vouched expenses incurred by them on behalf of the Charity in connection with project, events and merchandise activity.
7. Operating Currency
The Charity’s operating currency is £ Sterling.
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