CHICK LONGLEY - A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

Richard Longley was born in Maidenhead in 1921. When he was two the family moved to Bournemouth and he attended Bournemouth School. He joined the R.A.F. in 1941 and spent 1 1/2 years training in Canada. He became a Signals Operator on Lancasters and was shot down over Belgium in 1945. He was awarded the C.G.M.* for his wartime activities.

By this time Richard had become Chick. In his own words, he had pre-war fancied himself as a drummer and the name Chick was by association with a well known American drummer of the time whose name was Chick Webb. By now he was combining a civilian career in Estate Agency and Surveying with a successful group called Chick Longley 4. Chick played a succession of keyboard instruments with a drummer, bass guitarist and a girl singer. He reckons to have played in every Hotel and Club in the Bournemouth and Poole area. He became Secretary to The Royal British Legion Club in Broadstone in 1961. He has held this position for over 39 years. At the A.G.M in December 2000 he relinquished the post partly to care for his wife and also due to his own declining health. He stressed that he would continue to be involved with the Legion he had helped to shape over such a long period.

The Broadstone Club today is a very different place to the two army huts in which it was founded in 1947. A permanent building was constructed on its present site in 1970;the interior was remodelled in 1980;major extensions were made to the kitchen and storerooms in 1993 ; a top to bottom interior refurbishment, planned and supervised by a professional designer, was carried out in 1995 and finally a Toilet for the Disabled was installed in 1999.

All this was carried out under the watchful eye of Chick, who during his term has been partnered by no less than 9 Chairmen. A thriving membership of over 2000 has much to thank him for. Typically, Chick wished his successor every success in the future, pointing out that only the foresight of dedicated volunteers had brought the Broadstone Legion to the position of eminence it enjoys in the U.K. today. Truly, his will be a hard act to follow.

*Conspicuous Gallantry Medal

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