Essex Warriors Wargames Club - Kangaroo Court

Essex Warriors Wargames Club

Or when 6 men decide that expediency is better than honesty.

Kangaroo Court - sham proceedings which are set-up in order to give the impression of a fair process. In fact, they offer no impartial justice as the verdict, invariably to the detriment of the accused, is decided in advance. Such courts are associated with groups who have found a need to dispense a rough and ready form of justice but are, temporarily at least, outside the bounds of formal judicial processes.

I have given the events of the last few weeks some thought and decided that since the Essex Warriors Wargames Club had decided to carry out a “Character Assassination” in a determined attempt to destroy my reputation and defame me in public and post lies about me to back up their reasons to expel me from the club I think people that know me deserve to read my side of events and make up their own mind if I have been treated fairly.

I had to go back through all my emails from August 2018 to draw together a pattern of harassment from Les Mills. I think it all started from the time a former club officer shouted and swore at me during a club meeting in front of invited guests and I made a formal complaint. The committee of the time didn’t want to deal with it and it took me three months of pushing before they decided to follow the clubs disciplinary procedure. I felt at the time had it been me being accused of a similar offence that I would have been expelled but they basically allowed the club officer to remain in post with a “slap on the wrist” this made me think that I was a marked man from then onwards.

 

Scroll forward to August 2018

I freely admit that I made a public comment on the club Facebook page [which I subsequently deleted] about how certain members operated in a closed clique, never opening their games up to other players nor to people who visited the club to see how the club works. Rather than deal with this issue I got a formal rebuke which I accepted, deleted the FB comment and considered the matter closed.

 

Here is the club email from August 2018 and my response which remained unanswered.

 

Dear Drew,

 

I am writing to you on behalf of Essex Warriors Committee regarding your use of Essex Warriors Facebook page, in particular your post timed at 21:06 on Tuesday 7^th August.

 

Several club members have complained that this post and the subsequent comments unfairly portray the club in a bad light. While we appreciate that you are keen to get involved in a game, it is not appropriate to post your frustration in such terms on a publicly accessible Facebook page. Indeed, we wonder what you hoped to gain from the post. It will hardly encourage people to offer you a game if you publicly accuse fellow club members of being unwilling to interact publicly because they do not respond to your emails or label them dinosaurs for not following social media.

 

As you know, Essex Warriors Facebook page is a public group which can be viewed by anyone on Facebook. There are around 100 members in the group, of whom only about 33 are current members of Essex Warriors; the remainder are various interested parties, including those who are thinking about joining the club and ex-members who have moved away. However, literally any Facebook user can see the posts; one of our members reported that a non-wargamer friend of his mentioned your Facebook comments in the pub last Thursday. There is real potential for such careless posts to damage the club’s reputation.

 

Section 10.2 of the Essex Warriors Constitution states that “Any member whose conduct appears likely in the opinion of the Committee, to disrupt the functioning of the club or to jeopardise its reputation shall be liable to have his membership terminated or suspended. Such conduct is defined as including illegal action, grossly offensive behaviour or expressions towards members of the public present as guests of the club or its members, or other actions or expressions which appear to the committee to be discreditable to the club as a whole.”

 

Having discussed the situation, the committee have unanimously concluded that your Facebook post of 7^th August and your subsequent comments do constitute behaviour which jeopardises the club’s reputation and is discreditable to the club as a whole. At this point we do not propose to suspend your membership of the club. However, you should regard this letter as a written warning about your behaviour and you are requested to refrain from making any further negative comments likely to damage the club’s reputation. Any further incidents will be dealt with more severely.

  

Les Mills, President Essex Warriors

Peter Grimwood, Secretary Essex Warriors

Peter Hockaday, Treasurer Essex Warriors

Steve Clarke, Quartermaster Essex Warriors

14/08/2018

Notice to Members 14/-08/2018

Dear Essex Warriors Members

 

Several of you have expressed concern over  a recent post on our Facebook page and the comments it  subsequently attracted. You felt that it presented an unfair and unrepresentative picture of Essex Warriors and was potentially damaging to the club’s reputation in the wider world. Your Committee have investigated the post and have issued a written warning to the person concerned. No further action will be undertaken unless the offence is repeated.

 

Essex Warriors Facebook page is a public group which is viewable by literally anyone on Facebook. The group has around 100 members, of whom only 33 are current Essex Warriors members; the remainder are various interested parties including ex-members who have moved away and others who are interested in joining. Only the group members can post and make comments on the page but anyone can see the posts. To illustrate just how public the group is, a member has reported that his non-wargamer friend mentioned the recent post in conversation at the pub!

 

So, when posting on Essex Warriors Facebook group please be aware of the possibility that your posts and comments may be seen by anybody who cares to look. If you have suggestions for improving any aspect of the club you should refer them privately by email to a member of the Committee rather than posting them on Facebook. Three of your Committee are on Facebook but Facebook discussions can often generate more heat than light; direct email communication is to be preferred. Finally, any negative comments likely to damage the club’s reputation should of course be avoided.

 Essex Warriors Committee

My Response 14/08/18

Peter etc

So rather than deal with the actual problems with wider gamer participation within the club the committee decided to give me a bollocking instead, "to protect the reputation of the club". The committee didn't seem to be too worried when I was publicly abused by the former club president in front of invited guests until I pushed my complaint as hard as I could to the other three committee members?

History is littered with examples of organisations putting reputational protection first that has resulted in criminal acts being covered up only for them to come out years later. Whilst nothing I have complained about is of a criminal nature, it is discriminatory and should be challenged. Perhaps the committee should reconsider it's position in this light and think of ways that game publicity should be addressed to ensure no one feels excluded from the wider club activities.

So be it if that's how you want to deal with the problem of small cliques of players excluding other members from their games. 

I know you cannot force players to open up their games but it's clear that with a few exceptions the current membership does not offer their games to wider membership. This isn't healthy for the club because it makes it an unfriendly place for new or existing members to attend and participate in games they may have never played before.

I have noted the formal warning and will take the committee's comments into consideration in future when posting in a public forum about the club.

Out of interest is this warning of an indefinite nature or time limited predicated on continued good behaviour?

Drew

Note that between 14^th August 2018 and 20^{th t} January 2021 I have received no communications either verbally or in writing complaining about any unacceptable behaviour. It would appear that the current club committee decided to fabricate this point to back up their false and libellous allegations. Don’t forget the warning email contained the sentence “Any further incidents will be dealt with more severely.“

 

The club went into formal closure on 23^rd March 2020 due to covid-19 Government restrictions and still hasn’t reopened. So the committee on the one hand claimed that I had committed unspecified transgressions between 14^th August 2018 and 23^rd March 2020 but took no action against me during this time. Note they didn’t take any disciplinary action between 23^rd March 2020 and 21st January 2021 either during the club lockdown.

 

Its clear to me that the problem has arisen because whilst the committee were taking policy decisions in secret whilst not consulting the membership before hand and when I raised legitimate points on their flawed understanding of the Covid-19 restrictions and how to operate safely they resented being questions. You will read that I was accused of wasting the committee’s valuable time in one email for questioning their decisions.

On 21^st January 2021 I received an email out of the blue telling me I had been expelled from the club until 2026. The committee justified this by making unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, but never listed any actual events where this was supposed to have taken place, This came as a shock since the club has been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19 so it could not have been due to any actions I had taken whilst attending the club and had there been any events before this time after August 2018.  I can’t understand why they not dealt with as was stated they would have done in my August 2018 warning letter.

 

Here is the email from the committee 21^st January 2021

 

Dear Drew,

Due to your behaviour and comments made towards Essex Warriors Wargames Club and its members over the last two years plus, the Committee in accordance with the Club Constitution feels your membership is no longer compatible with the club. The Committee has therefore issued you with a 5 year ban to expire at the AGM of the club in 2026. Should you wish to rejoin after this date then a written request should be made to the Club Committee of 2026 or subsequent years.

Your ban will mean that you may not attend any club meeting, open day or special event organised by the club as a guest without the express approval of the Club's Committee. You will be removed from any media system run by the Club. This action will be reported to the Club's membership and no one else. Should you make any comment directly or implied in any format concerning the Club or its current membership, the Club reserves the right to reply in the public domain.

Your club membership will be forwarded to you in due course.

Leslie  Mills

Club President , on behalf of the Essex Warriors Committee

As you can see within the email there were no specific allegations just some general but unspecified allegations.

 

I responded to this email by trying to lodge an appeal and asking for details of the allegations.

Les

So I get no warnings about any supposed unacceptable behaviour?

What comments have I made to individual members apart from Les who kept suggesting to me that I should leave the club which clearly indicates where the antipathy towards me is coming from.

Do I have the right of appeal as per the club constitution?

What specific offences have I supposed to have committed towards the club?

Given the club has been closed since March 2020 it cannot be due to anything I have done in person. I guess it's easier to expel someone who raises genuine concerns and questions about how the committee runs the club than actually address those concerns to the member. I last contacted the committee some weeks ago about future opening of the club to be advised that we would be governed by the law and hall committee which I accepted should be the case. 

I realised had I replied all it would go to the general email address so address this to the committee only.

Failure to be more open about what has caused the issue will leave me with no option but to contact club members directly with my concerns about my unfair treatment. 

I did wonder why I was moderated on FB posts and why the committee was failing to respond to my query about this.

Drew sent 21^st January 2021

 

I submitted my appeal which the Committee refused to allow because it was the same people that instituted the expulsion that decide if the membership should review the decision to expel was valid or incorrect.

 

The EW Committee of course didn’t allow my appeal to the full membership so acted as Judge, Jury and Executioner in my case. Here is their notification of rejection.

 

Refusal of the Committee to allow an appeal to the full membership – IE the people that decided the punishment refused to allow an appeal

Dear Drew,

We regret to inform you that your request to appeal is refused. The Constitution allows a member to appeal against suspension or expulsion if two members of the Committee agree that an appeal may be heard (Essex Warriors Constitution section 10.6). Unfortunately, after an extensive online debate amongst the Committee we cannot muster the requisite number of Committee members prepared to allow the appeal to proceed. It must be said that you have not helped your case with your intemperate communications to the Committee and to individual members over the last few days.

Your disruptive behaviour over the past few years both online and at club meetings has been tolerated but the Committee has now decided that enough is enough. You have persistently failed to comply with the standards of behaviour required of club members as expressed in the club’s code of conduct. You have been warned on numerous occasions over the years and indeed were issued with a formal written warning from the full Committee in August 2018. In fact, the Committee has been forced to expend considerably more time and effort on dealing with your behaviour online and at meetings than it has with all the rest of the membership combined.  [None of this so called disruptive behaviour during club meetings was reported to myself and this is the first I have heard of it. again is sounds like the committee was making things up that could not be challenged because there was no record of any incidents].

Although the club has not met at Writtle since last March 2020, you have continued your disruptive behaviour online both on the club Facebook group and by challenging the Committee’s decisions at every turn. You set the tone by your email to the Committee dated 1^st June 2020 regarding Covid 19 restrictions, in which you stated that “Social distancing is just advice (sic) to be ignored or accepted by each individual”. [This is in fact a statement of the law – it is just advice and not a legal requirement, had the committee actually read the legislation like I have they would actually understand that this is the case]. Over the following months you continued in the same vein even as the pandemic worsened. Your many vociferous emails and messages to the Committee challenged our decisions and those of the Village Hall regarding public safety. [At no time did I challenge the village hall decisions I did contact the hall hire manager asking her to confirm specific restrictions, which she did in an email to my complete satisfaction, the hire restrictions completely backed up what I had been discussing with the club committee and totally undermined their position on how the club was legally allowed to operate if and when it reopened these emails are posted below]  Your view seems to be that, unless enforceable in law, all the government guidance is just advice which could be ignored in pursuit of getting a game. We note that you have criticised our decisions on your personal Facebook page, characterising the Village Hall restrictions as ‘verging on paranoia’. Elsewhere you have likened the Committee’s decision to bar you to the activities of a notorious Nazi court. While you did not name the club or the hall in either post, we deplore your actions. [I named no individual or organisation in either post but clearly the committee might have felt it reflected badly on their Kangaroo Court?]

Let’s be quite clear. We are not barring you because of your views on Covid 19 restrictions, wrongheaded though they appear to us. We are barring you because of your continued disruptive and bullying behaviour.  We are a members organisation and as such can choose who our members are. One would wonder why someone so unhappy about the club and how it is run would want to be a member anyway? While it gives us no pleasure to use our powers to bar you, we feel you have left no other course open to us. This is the first time this power has had to be used in our history and the decision was unanimously endorsed by the whole Committee

Essex Warriors Committee 

Les Mills, President 

Peter Grimwood, Secretary 

Ian Roberts, Treasurer

Mike Fitzsimmons, Quartermaster

Steve Dix, Hall Manager

Peter Hockaday, Communications Officer

25^th January 2021

 

In response to requests for further information Les Mills sent this out to the members but not myself. In it he made libellous allegations and some complete lies.

 

“Dear Essex Warriors members,

I am obliged to inform you that Drew Jarman has been barred from our club. Unfortunately Drew has been a disruptive element at the club and on our Facebook group, matters on which he has been given advice and warnings. His Facebook entries have been monitored as their contents fail to meet club standards on a number of occasions. He has repeatedly challenged Committee decisions in the past and particularly during the pandemic. He has even broken club protocol [Please note that there is no such document as a “Club Protocol” nor has any such document ever been sent to members demanding that they must get permission to contact any outside organisation even in a private capacity – so this is a total fabrication] by going around the Committee to speak to the Village Hall booking secretary directly and de facto tell her how to do things. [as you will read from my email to Wendy Risdon I didn’t tell her how to do anything, I clearly laid out the legislation and referenced the law and asked her to confirm if this was her understanding of how the hall was allowed to operate for private group hires going forward under the “Rule of 6” and venue capacity limit of 30 and the “No Mixing or Mingling” of said groups, She confirmed that this was the case]. He has also caused the unpaid committee members to spend a lot of time and wasted effort to deal with the issues he raises concerning the pandemic and other matters. [I asked legitimate questions concerning the committees decisions yet was accused of “Wasting their valuable time – see email] His actions and suggestions continue to be contrary to the spirit of the Club and Village Hall regulations and are likely to put the Club at risk of either being billed for a deep clean or losing access to the Hall, [at no time did I threaten any such action as claimed, this was an outrageous lie and I did ask for proof of this, but none was forthcoming, I even confirmed that I would be bound by current restrictions on 13^th January 2021] what either of which would put the club to great expense. So in accordance with the Club Constitution his position was considered and voted on by the Committee.

It has been decided that he should be barred until the AGM in 2026, when he may apply in writing to rejoin. This means he may not attend any of our club meetings, open day or special events as a guest without the consent of the Club Committee. He will be removed from the Club’s Facebook and other media communications. He will be refunded his 2020/1 membership in due course. Should he make any unwarranted comments in or on any media he has been advised the Club reserves the right to make a public response. [Basically I am being told that if I go public with what happens the committee will repeat their lies].

Those members involved in the Ancients competition, can I leave you to sort out what you would like to do? I have asked Peter H to act as a focal point for your comments as he is a player who is involved in the competition.

We tried to reopen the club but events overtook us. I have no idea when we will be able to reopen or under what conditions.  I am sorry to say I cannot give you any further information on this. It goes without saying we will do our best to reopen as soon as is practical. 

On behalf of the Committee, Les Mills, President, Essex Warriors

I have copied certain passages below which I will answer to:

 

“He has repeatedly challenged Committee decisions in the past and particularly during the pandemic” and “He has also caused the unpaid committee members to spend a lot of time and wasted effort to deal with the issues he raises concerning the pandemic and other matters”

 

As a fully paid up member I have asked the committee questions about certain decisions they have taken on our behalf. I raised legitimate queries on how the committee had decided to implement the government advice as it contradicted the written words in the relevant govt documents. For this I have been accused of challenging their decisions. Should I have just ignored the committee’s instructions knowing that they were wrong in law or as I quickly realised the committee was having difficulty in comprehending the ever shifting restrictions being announced by central government try to point them to specific points in the legislation that didn’t back up their flawed understanding of the law. You will see below a series of emails asking for clarification on various matters announced by the committee for which I was accused of wasting their valuable time.

 

“His Facebook entries have been monitored as their contents fail to meet club standards on a number of occasions” Apart from August 2018 I have not been informed of any further FB entries on the EW page that broke the clubs netiquette rules. Had this been the case why was I not informed of any transgressions? Nothing I posted was either barred or retrospectively moderated.

 

“He has even broken club protocol by going around the Committee to speak to the Village Hall booking secretary directly and de facto tell her how to do things” Firstly what is this “club protocol” Les mentioned has anyone ever seen this before? I never told Wendy Risdon how to do anything I clearly laid out the various bits of government advice to Covid-19 Secure venues and asked her to clarify if this is how the hall was being operated in the event of a group hiring the hall for a function. For the sake of clarity here is the email chain between Wendy and myself which at no time mentioned Essex Warriors or the type of event being held.

 

My initial email to Wendy followed by her response.

On 15 Sep 2020, at 20:24, Drew Jarman wrote:

Dear Wendy Risdon

I am looking to book a hall and wondered what restrictions you have in place.

I have read the current guidance on meeting up in Covid-19 Secure venues, especially Part 3 of the attached guidance for meeting up which makes it clear that a Covid-19 Secure venue may allow a gathering of up to 30 people but only if the gathering consists of multiple Groups of no more than 6 people who are then forbidden from mixing with another group during the gathering.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing?fbclid=IwAR3GbE-wLgDJKzayMhlBsAeC7sh3g8K6nMdenhXHh4T4qUur4at3RIrwVVA

I gather each venue has to do a Risk Assessment which is then used to decide on its actual maximum capacity in the event that it isn’t large enough to accommodate 30 people legally. I also understand that anyone who attends will be required to give the organiser their name and contact details for track & trace which must be kept for 21 days after the end of the gathering.

The Statutory Instrument also makes it clear that Covid-19 Secure venues may allow gathering of up to 30 people as long as they follow the Rule of 6 Guidance at all times.

See Section 3 [a] [2B] which defines a Group and Gathering.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/986/made

Is the Writtle Hall Covid-19 Secure and are you allowing gatherings of up to 30 people [or your lower capacity limit] to take place that will consist of multiple groups each containing no more than 6 people as long as they follow the For Hire rules in the venue?

Regards

Andrew Jarman

Her response. 17/09/20 [about hiring Writtle Hall and Groups of 6 at no time did I mention wargames or EW]

Hi Andrew

Thank you for your email. 

You are correct in all you have said. However, due to the size of our main hall we can only allow 21 people in groups of 6 with 2 metre social distancing. 

We are Covid secure and a Risk Assessment is required from all groups who hire the hall and we also have our own Risk Assessment. We have also had to put in place Special Conditions of Hire with regard to Covid which run alongside our own Conditions of Hire which all hirers are asked to read and sign. 

If you wish to discuss hiring the hall it is probably easier to phone me on [phone number deleted] when we can discuss your requirements further. 

Regards

Wendy Risdon

Secretary 

Writtle Village Hall

 

Lastly this outrageous lie. 

“His actions and suggestions continue to be contrary to the spirit of the Club and Village Hall regulations and are likely to put the Club at risk of either being billed for a deep clean or losing access to the Hall, either of which would put the club to great expense” At no time did I say I would be taking actions that were against the current govt guidelines for Covid-19 Secure venues. I reiterated this in an email to the committee as recently as 13^th January 2021 [copied further down the chain.]

 

Random email from Les

05/11/18 Drew; thank you for your unnecessary Email.  les 

Sent to Les about Social Distancing within Games

01/06/20

Les

As expected. Since the Government of all the Talentless jumped from Level 1 to Level 4 over Sunday night I cant see it ending well.

Tim and I are happy to game, we chatted off list about this. I know others are not of course. It might not be viable to reopen the club unless the numbers attending make it worthwhile. Social Distancing is just advice to be ignored or accepted by each individual.  [This was in respect to any games Tim and I would have played because the committee was demanding that we should stay 2m apart despite our forming our own Group of 2 as per the regulations and would not be mixing or mingling with other games or players]

As to the annual fees, if it results in closure until September might just be worth bumping the cash into 2021 and reducing the subs unless members request a refund.

Drew

Another Series

16/06/20

Les

Thanks for the prompt response. It's why I did it back channel. If Social Distancing ADVICE continues I cannot see how the club can allow more than two people per pair of tables to play in future which means we are probably limited to two rows of three pairs of tables in the main hall, one pair of tables on the stage and two pairs of tables in the small hall along with keeping the doors open to ensure as much airflow as possible. 

I cannot see the ancient players agreeing to time limited games given most of them do not play in tournaments outside of the club.

The biggest impact will probably be on those must vulnerable and the group that Mike etc plays in normally crowd round in a tight circle. Plus those multi player games might become an impossibility. [this was before we realised that legally anyone could form a Group of 6 and attend a meeting as long as they didn’t mix or mingle with another group during the meeting].

I for one am happy to restart gaming today. I am an adult able to make an informed choice as to the likely risks.  It is for others to do the same. 

Drew

From: MILLS LESLIE  Date: 16/06/2020 07:19 (GMT+00:00)

To: Drew Jarman <

>, committee@essexwarriors.org

Subject: Re: July meetings

Drew. I have said we will hold back from an early notification of July's dates as we wait to see what changes may occur. As outlined we are subject to a number of social fences. 1. Government,  2.Village Hall, 3 booked dates and last individual choice. Also we may have to restrict table usage in the hall. We may not be able to use the small hall. So the committee may have to limit the number tables used by only two players. So that as many can play as possible etc.  You may wish to consider getting in 2 games a table on a club day to reduce the game back log by means of game timing.  On the up side we may be able to get some extra club meetings in the Autumn months.  at this point in time I do not intend to speculate, but to wait and see where we go. The committee will follow the Health and Safety guide lines on this. Last thing I will say the committee is keen to get our club open and running as soon as we can.  les 

Committee response

08/07/20

Drew, thank you for your comment. At this point in time we all would like to see our club having it's meetings. We are however subject to a number of restrictions. The Government/health team need advise [sic] on reopening. Then The Village Hall committee will need to consider this and advise hall users on any restrictions. We as a club meeting at such hall will need to comply. Since we don't known as a fact said terms we need to wait to see.  To the credit of the village Hall committee, they have taken this opportunity to undertake restoration of the hall's facilities during this period. We at this point in time do not have any factual time scale on this.  So like all hall users in UK we wait to see.  In respect of hall  windows, I suspect they are kept locked for security reason, so hall users (NOT OUR CLUB) don't leave hall open.  In respect of the clubs heating I take as my guide one our members who has health issues and do my best to ensure they re comfortable with in basic parameters. We can open doors and use the air blowers in main hall. 

les

On 07 July 2020 at 19:19 Drew Jarman > wrote:

It is essential that if the club reopens that they windows remain unlocked and open to ensure ventilation keeps the air fresh. I have tried to open windows in the past but they are always locked at Writtle and no one seems to have a key.

Drew

Committee attitude over Face Coverings Exemptions causing problems

17/08/20 Dear Committee

Thank you for your hard work in respect of making the venue secure.

Unfortunately as per the law I am legally exempt from wearing a face covering by way of my disability which prevents me from placing anything near or around my ears as this causes both my hearing aids to constantly whistle in a high pitched tone which results in great discomfort to me and prevents me from hearing. My actual ability to hear normally is already quite limited and made impossible if people are wearing face coverings in shops.

By insisting I wear a face shield instead of a face covering doesn't negate my exemption from the law and is direct discrimination as per The Equalities Act 2010 S6

I refer you to the relevant

Statutory Instruments

791 which created the law on face coverings in relevant places

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/791

I specifically refer you to the following section:

Part 2, S4; 1; a; i.

Exemption by reason of disability.

And 831 which extended the law to the Hall

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/839/made

I am registered Deaf Disabled with London Borough of Newham. Copy of registration attached.

This situation isn't ideal but is no different to anyone going into a relevant place to find any other person legally not wearing a face covering.

I am legally exempt in shops and on public transport too and whilst I have not used public transport since 6th June I have shown my exemption proof in numerous shops without a problem.

Does the committee have any practical suggestions on how to solve this problem.

The logical solution would be for me to only be allocated a game on the stage if I attended. 

Drew

Delayed Committee Response

26/08/20

Dear Drew,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Essex Warriors Committee regarding your claim for exemption from the need to wear a face covering in Essex Warriors meetings at Writtle Village Hall.

 

The Committee cannot of course deny your request but we would remind you that without a face covering you must maintain two metres social distancing at all times within the hall. We have spoken with the Public Health department at Chelmsford City Council and they have confirmed that our interpretation of the law is correct.

 

You have said that you cannot wear a visor in place of a face mask.  Our Public Health contact also observed that it is reasonable for the Club to ask an exempt person whether they would be prepared to wear a clear visor in place of a face mask, but the Club cannot insist on it should the exempt person be unable or unwilling to do so. They also reiterated that one metre distancing is only permitted to a person wearing a face covering.

 

So you are officially exempt from the need to wear a face covering at Essex Warriors meetings. However, as noted above, you must observe the two metre distancing rule at all times including at the table. Given that our table setups are typically no more than one and half metres across, this will entail you and your opponent alternately standing back from the table while the other makes their moves. We would ask you to inform your opponent when arranging the game that you are exempt from wearing a face covering and, when booking your game with Mike, please confirm you have informed them. Also, we are all trying to create the safest possible environment to bring  wargaming back to Writtle. So we hope you will understand if we occasionally have to allocate your game to a specific table in order to ensure two metre social distancing can be maintained. 

 

So far there are two exemptions, yourself and one other. Any further requests for exemption will receive the same consideration.

 

Regards

 

Peter Hockaday 

On behalf of Essex Warriors Committee 

 

P.S. We are drafting an update email for members on progress so far. We will cover exemptions in that email but will not name those exempt.

My Reply 26/08/20

Peter

I give the club permission to disclose my exemption situation to the members, it's only fair that they know in advance.

As to the 2m rule, I am perfectly happy to do this, I did suggest deploying to the stage if no where else is suitable, ditto the back hall if I would be the only game to use it though ensuring that the chairs are pre positioned and putting a single table as an additional barrier would help emphasise this requirement.  [Note I said I am happy to do this, despite it contradicting the “Rule of 6 and No Mixing or Mingling Law which allows ANY 6 people to form a group and sit together with no social distancing as per going to the pub or restaurant]

Did the club make any further progress on ensuring that the windows are unlocked to improve ventilation as per the WHO and PHE advice?

Drew

Les Mills series

09/09/20

Les

As club president you represent the membership. As a member I am fully entitled to engage with the clubs officers about related club business.

If you feel that a member raising genuine concerns is a waste of your valuable time I really dont know what to say? 

As a volunteer for the position it is reasonable to expect that it takes up your free time. I know this is the case having held various positions in the Naval Wargames Society many years ago.

If it has become too onerous a task due to Covid-19 have you considered co-opting other members to share some of the burden?

Drew

From: MILLS LESLIE <>Date: 09/09/2020 19:08 (GMT+00:00)

To: DREW JARMAN >

Cc: Peter Grimwood, Ian Roberts, Mike Fitzsimmons, Steve Dix, Peter Hockaday

Subject: Re: [DBMMlist] "Game On" Sunderland - Saturday 19-Sep-20

Drew, let me assure you that the committee is looking at the COVID situation, as will be clear by actions taken to check with authorised public bodies on this.  Some of these actions take time to get a response. We will update the club as and when we have the information. This will be done in an orderly manner. It would be appreciated if you would stop consuming Committee members time on this. As a committee we are seeking  to get the club fully opened for members use at the earliest date possible . We are guided as previously stated other parties.  That is the simple reality. THE PRESIDENT 

09/09/20

I am having problems with some of the club committee.

I am legal exempt from wearing a face covering, as is another member. I raised this with the committee when they published the reopening data. This has finally been dealt with to both our satisfaction.

I have recently made constructive suggestions on how to proceed after the change from 30 people meeting up was reduced down to 6 was announced last night.

I have been accused of taking up too much of their valuable time and they are now ignoring my email correspondence. Refusing to engage with members raising legitimate questions is not on. Is this the sort of committee the club needs at this difficult time.

When I suggested I was happy to air the details at the next AGM Les Mills responded "Bring it on!"

Perhaps it's time for a change?

Drew

More of my time wasting? 21/10/20

Hi Drew,

In response to your question, I believe that you are correct and that any member in a tier 2 area would not be allowed to attend the club if it were in tier 1. This has to be confirmed by the rest of the committee but I believe it is correct. We can only hope that this situation resolves itself soon.

Regards, Mike. 

On 20 October 2020 at 23:10 DREW JARMAN < wrote:

Dear committee

Due to Essex County being in Tier 2 along with London if for any reason Essex dropped back to Tier 1 whilst London remained in Tier 2 or 3 that would mean I and a few other members residing in London will not be permitted to play at Writtle.

Something to remember when the madness starts to end.

Drew

Finally I asked some questions that came out of the email the committee sent out in lieu of the AGM taking place by way of clarification – were any of these questions unreasonable?

 

On 10 Jan 2021, at 19:58, DREW JARMAN < wrote:
Dear Committee

Thanks for your hard work. 

I read that assets were disposed of in a hurry on committee approval including items being sold to members such as cloths. As a member I had not been notified that this was being done nor offered a chance to buy anything.

In the spirit of open debate I have not raised this matter publicly but it seems a shame that some items were apparently just thrown away which could have been repaired and EBayed to raise club funds.

Could we have a break down of assets that were sold that generated £26. It is incumbent of the committee to ensure fair and open publicity of items for sale to ensure that there isnt a chance that "mates" get a look in and everyone else misses out.

I am a frequent EBay seller so am well suited to sell things for the club in future if necessary.

£600 Hall Charge presumably covers the club up until 22nd March when the National Lockdown1 was announced, confirmation of this date in the report would be useful to know.

With the roll out of the vaccination programme proceeding apace along with individuals being given proof of a vaccination certificate. This will also impact on how society moves forward. Although by the govts estimate I am due my vaccination in late February by the current. Expecting members to continue to follow pre vaccine protocol Covid-19 Secure rules after vaccination might well have a negative effect on attendance numbers. Why would people put up with these restrictions when they could choose to meet up at home in comfort and relative safety. Advice, Guidance & Guidelines do not apply in law outside of legally designated controlled venues.

Drew

13/01/21

Dear Drew,

Thank you for your email. After reviewing your queries and comments, the Committee responds as follows:

Disposal of Assets

Mike Fitzsimmons reports that you did know that some assets were being disposed of at the beginning of the year and indeed you yourself bought at least one of the cloths that was sold. As far as he can remember 5 cloths were sold to club members.

The club assets that were disposed of were old books and magazines that had been in the cupboards for quite sometime. Many of the magazines were in fact Mike’s that had been left since the last open day. As for the books (of which there were 3), all of them were damaged beyond repair. We also had to throw away a few broken hills which were at least 10 years old and unserviceable.

Rent

The £600 rent does indeed represent the six meetings which took place from January 2020 to March 2020 inclusive. The meetings cost £100 each since they all used both halls. As Ian’s report states, the Hall did not charge us for meetings which we had to cancel because of the pandemic.

Covid-19 Protocol.

We are at a loss to understand your reasoning or even why you feel it necessary to raise this matter right now when the pandemic is at its height. If people wish to play at home, that is their own business although they will still be subject to government restrictions. However, the club has a responsibility to ensure that members meet in a safe environment. Moreover, the club has to comply with the Hall’s conditions of hire, which include health and safety considerations.

We do not know what rules will be in place when the authorities allow us to meet again. However, the authorities have been at pains to emphasise that vaccination is not a magic bullet and that a certain level of restrictions may be needed for some time. When the club reopens, we will follow both government guidelines and any revised conditions of hire issued by the Hall.

All members and their guests present at a club meeting have a responsibility to ensure they do not endanger the health and safety of themselves or others (Essex Warriors Constitution Section 10 Conduct of Members, Sub-section 10.1) We consider that this duty includes complying with whatever guidelines are in place to protect members and guests from risk of infection. This is not a matter for debate or interpretation and the guidelines will be rigorously enforced during meetings. If you feel unable to accept this, perhaps you should resign your membership. We will of course refund your membership fee.

Essex Warriors Committee 

My response dated 13/01/2021 18:01

I can assure you that I did not purchase any cloths from the club. There must be some confusion there as I already have my own cloths of the pre printed higher cost type.

Thanks for updating me on what was disposed of earlier this year.

Re vaccination, restrictions & reopening venue.

Of course the club must be guided by the legal restrictions, I was just pointing out that if the restrictions are relaxed for private meetings but not in the hall due to onerous govt regulations it might end up stopping the club from being viable.

Repeating your offer to refund my membership in some sort of effort to persuade me to leave isnt working. I am aware of the clubs duty of care. The disaster that is our government's response to this pandemic has affected everyone badly. We are part way through month 10 of being denied our own freedom to choose to meet up legally and clearly the hapless idiots in charge of national policy still do everything way after the event when it's too late.

Drew

Finally 

This Facebook post on my own FB page in response to a wargaming friend was used against me too. I restated the legal situation & adherence to any legal prohibitions so wasn’t advocating breaking any actual laws. I made it clear that I would follow the law applicable at the time. I know other individuals have been meeting up indoors & wargaming in private houses in secret in direct violation of the law [I wont name them but they know who they are]

20/01/21

Lucky you, our hall is Covid-19 Secure meaning even under Tier 2 they were insisting on conditions verging on paranoia. Our club even stopped all games of more than 2 people despite the Rule of 6. None of which were actual law. Other clubs got hit by bans on more than 6 attending despite this being legal if mixing and mingling was prohibited. If 6 people are legally allowed to meet up in doors and Social Distancing is just advice it basically killed most clubs options to reopen. Personally as a mature adult I would be totally happy to do my own risk assessment and decide if I am willing to meet up and game indoors at a venue of my own choosing subject to any legal prohibitions in place of course. The main issue is adequate ventilation to ensure any viral shedding is quickly dispersed plus some common sense of course.

01/02/21

I personally feel I have been treated very badly and unfairly by the Essex Warriors Committee. They made unsubstantiated allegations, refused to state when and where any of the alleged incidents took place and when challenged to supply the evidence to back up their claims have not done so. At least one member asked for further information and was sent a repeat of the lies and libellous comments.

So we are where we are, I don't expect the current committee to change their decision and by my going public I have opened a can of worms which will make Essex Warriors Wargames Club look bad in the public eye.

01/04/21

I was informed back in January if I went public that Essex Warriors would respond, yet to date no one has actually responded. Its clear that they have decided to ignore anything I publish and pretend that nothing is wrong. Some of the current members know what has happened. I have received comments of support from some and have been completed Ghosted by others, some of whom I thought of as friends. I guess that fear of being targeted by the committee if they speak out has silenced some people. 

Drew