[Peter.D.Evans]

Hi all...

First off... a big heartfelt thanks for the many kind words of support received via email during the last 36 hours, they mean more to me that mere words can describe. Rumours of the forum falling foul for financial reasons are just not true, as this thread (open to every member to see) quite clearly states. There is no reason financially why the LEMB cannot continue in its current form for the foreseeable future. It is true that my recent health has been far from good, culminating in several visits to hospital & doctors at the start of this week. I am happy to say that I currently feel much better and appreciate the support of those who I have kept in the loop...

Many apologies also to everybody for the lack of a forum for the last 12 hours. To be 110% clear to everybody, its not just one isolated incident that has prompted my action, its the culmination of years of having to deal with silly issues surrounding the forum rules. Given that the rules are the very foundation on which any forum is built, these are issues which I should not be having to waste my time dealing with. As a result, I needed time to sit back, take stock, and decide that if after 15 years of running the LEMB, whether what we've created was really worth all the time and effort I am having to put into it. Having had time to mull over these issues, I'm now a position to make a decision with regards where the LEMB goes from here...

Before I do though, I feel that I need to make you all aware of the way the LEMB is run. When I say run, I mean from my perspective as the guy who spends over 12 hours a day, 365 days a year here dealing with all manner of posts, posting issue and all other associated problems. There may well be some here who think this forum operates straight out of a box and runs itself but I can assure everybody that this couldn't be any further from the truth. This forum is also my hobby and one that I undertake with a huge amount of pride and (a majority of the time) enjoyment too. But even I grow tired of my administration decisions and the general rules being questioned by those who cannot just do what a majority of you do on a day by day basis, which is abide by the forum rules. It is worth me reminding EVERYBODY that when you join the LEMB, you tick a box to say that you will abide by these rules. If after joining any member here feels that they cannot follow the rules, you are all more than welcome to go elsewhere. It goes without saying that I don't want this to be the case with any of you here but there comes a time when I have to make a stand so that we ALL pull in the same direction. Its not as if I've never been open to discussion and debate with regards some of the decisions/rules made here and I'm always more than happy to listen to genuine constructive concerns & criticisms. However, when all is said and done, what I say goes and the sooner some of you here accept that, the better it is for all of us. A happy, positive LEMB is a productive and helpful LEMB...

I have always tried to ensure that whatever format this forum has taken (whether email or message board format) a positive experience here for every single member is my number one priority. It may come as a surprise to some but the rules are not here so as to enable me to behave like a tyrant, chasing and chastising every member who makes a mistake. In most cases, I let a majority of the silly mistake slip by without even making the poster or the membership aware. The rules are here to ensure that you all not only get an answer to your post, they also enable you to provide help and support to others and most importantly, meet and become friends with fellow enthusiasts from all corners of the globe who share our passion for all things Luftwaffe...

As a result of the genuine concern shown today by those who made contact with me and for those who use this forum for what it was intended, I'm pleased to say that the forum will be back in its original state in the very near future. In the meantime, I would recommend that every member reinforces their understanding of all the rules associated with this forum during this hiatus. Please note that all posting rights have been suspended and that I hope to restore the full forum at the weekend. Please bear with me as this was the only way I could ensure that everybody read this post and reintroduced themselves to the forum rules. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to PM me and as has always been the case, I'll be happy to try and help.

Finally... let me make one thing very clear to everybody, any member who takes it upon themselves to lock horns with me in an unconstructive manner with regards how they think this forum is run, will be banned without question. By all means PM me with your issues or concerns and I'll always be happy to chat about everything and anything. After all, I would never be openly critical or rude to any of you in public, so why should I put up with it in return?

[Peter.D.Evans]

As you can no doubt see, full access to the forum has been re-established and all members should now be able to read/post in all the relevant forums.... I am more than a little disappointed that only a fraction of the membership have bothered to read the announcement above and even fewer have taken time to reintroduce themselves to the forum rules. So if you haven't read this or taken a look at the rules, please can I ask that you do? If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to PM me...

Finally, once again, many, many thanks to all the members who took time out to email or PM me with their kind words of support... :)