All members will now have received FORT 31 and I congratulate all those involved in the production on an excellent issue, particularly Steve Dent who designed and produced it, and other recent FORTs. The issue has been well received and a number of complimentary e-mails have been sent to the committee. It was encouraging to get such positive feedback; all of which is welcomed, negative as well as positive! I really would encourage members to comment on issues of FORT and Casemate, the organisation of Tours, the Annual Conference, Members Day, or any other matter. This will help give the committee an accurate idea of when they are doing and arranging things that members approve of and, more importantly, when they aren’t!

As Members will be aware there were three ‘missing’ issues of FORT and FORT 31 was one of them. Your committee intends that the remaining issues, 28 and 30, should also be published. An editorial board is currently working on FORT 30 which is the next ‘missing’ issue, which we hope to publish before the end of 2010. This will be another commemorative issue, celebrating the life of the third of our founding fathers to die recently, Andrew Saunders. The issue will contain a previously unpublished work by Andrew and, in addition, a reprint of the 1860 ‘Report of the Royal Commission Appointed to Consider the Defences of the United Kingdom’. This is an important document that is frequently referred to by writers on Victorian fortifications but one that I suspect few of our members have had access to.

In March a successful Members Day was held in Leeds, organised by our Secretary, Alastair Fyfe. Only twenty members attended, a bit disappointing but not surprising; the geographical spread of our membership is wide but largely in the southern half of England.

On Saturday 8 May we will hold our first ‘Away Day’ when David Bassett organises a visit to Flatholm in the Bristol Channel to view the C19th fortifications. This should be an excellent visit and I do recommend it - but numbers are limited!

Finally, a word about the Annual Conference in North Wales in September. This will be a fascinating venue as it is a part of the UK not previously visited by the FSG. We will be accommodated in RAF Valley on Anglesey and Medwyn Parry has arranged a varied programme which will differ slightly from that shown on the flier in that on Monday 6 September there will be an optional visit to Beaumaris Castle for anyone not wishing to visit Rhydymwyn mustard gas factory. Once again, I hope that I will see many of you at this important event in our annual calendar.

Bill Clements