Colonel-in-Chief: Her Majesty The Queen Colonel and Gold Stick: Major General Lord Michael Fitzalan Howard, GCVO CB CBE MC
Lieutenant Colonel Commanding Household Cavalry: Colonel A.H Parker Bowles, OBE Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel V.A.L. Goodhew, MBE
BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL VAL GOODHEW, MBE
It goes without saying these days that every year :5 a busy year and 1987 has been no exception as you" will gather from the articles which follow. However, before ;·ou read about the year in detail I will attempt in this foreword to give you an overview of the year.
We started the year with the usual period of Regimental Training on Salisbury Plain, and this was quickly followed for A Squadron by a month's training in Cyprus which culminated in a demanding dismounted exercIse.
Once the Regiment was back together again in England we moved to Castlemartin for our annual firing, where we trialled a new RAC gunnery programme. Suffice to say that modifications were needed and we look forward to a more adventurous and rewarding firing period in 1988 (by which time the necessary adjustments will have been made).
July saw B Squadron Leader, Major Falkner, promoted to acting Lieutenant Colonel and Commandant of the Royal Tournament. He took his own Squadron together with other members of the Regiment and an assortment of temporarily attached personnel. Their job was to administer some 2200 troops from all three services at Earls Court. The task was carried out in the best traditions of the Regiment and the Earls Court Management recorded formally in the minutes of a subsequent meeting that they had never seen the job done better. Quite a tribute to the enormous amount of hard work by every member of the team.
Autumn saw the beginning of a busy brigade training period with an airlanded logistics exercise followed by Ex PURPLE WARRIOR. In essence the latter was a major tri-service out of area exercise involving 20,000 troops, 40 ships and considerable RAF assets. Many of you will !)ave coverage of the exercise in the media at the time, but some of you will not have been aware of the numerous and varied tasks which the Regiment carried out under the command of our own brigade and 3 Commando Brigade. You can read about this in Squadron notes.
This year there was no Spring State Visit and therefore no requirement for the Mounted Regiment to provide an escort or the Service Regiment to provide streetliners at Windsor. Instead we were delighted to receive an informal visit from Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh to Combermere Barracks whilst the Court was at Windsor.
For the rest of the year we undertook our normal share of exercises and commitments but found time to send an expedition to the Himalayas and maintain a healthy emphasis on sport. Inter squadron competitions have gone on throughout the year and at regimental level we have had some notable achievements.
The rugby team did particularly well to win the Prince of Wales Cup for the second year running (and second time in the Regiment'S history) and made the Quarter Finals of the Army cup. The Volleyball team won the London District Championship, whilst the fencing team won the Army Championship - another first for the Regiment. Within 5 Airborne Brigade the Tug of War and basketball teams won their respective championships and on the equestrian front the polo team won the Inter Regimental Captains and Subalterns competition for the fourth consecutive year. The most outstanding individual performances have been by Lt Mahony who is in the Olympic Pentathlon squad, and Corporal of Horse Margan who has continued as a member of the National Epee squad. .
All these sporting achievements are the more remarkable when considered against the background of a heavily committed regiment and they are an enormous credit to all the individuals who have taken part at whatever level.
So much for 1987. A Squadron have just left for a 6 month tour with the UN Force in Cyprus and in September two troops will go to Belize for 6 months. The remainder of the regiment can look forward to another busy and rewarding year with 5 Airborne Brigade.
1987 has been a rewarding year for A Squadron. Regimental Training in March saw relatively new troops consolidating and laying solid foundations for the testing year ahead. In March we also welcomed back 2Lt Ogden and 2 Troop, from the sunnier climes of Belize. This brought the Squadron back to full strength, the first time for over eight months.
The highlight for A Squadron this year was Exercise Lion Sun: a month long training period in Cyprus which \\-e did in It was designed to develop the leadership qualities of junior commanders and to enable everyone to take part in adventure training:
This \\-as a rare opportunity for us to exercise independenth- in an inreresting and warm part of the world, and \\-e th roughh- enjoyed ourselves. There were four differem acri\ities running throughout the period, and troops rotatec be '.-een each activity every week. In the Troodos :"Ioun <lllS \\-e concentrated on endurance training \\-ith a soup<;,on of culture. Troops were based at the excellent I lined camp on Mount Olympus from where the\- \\'ere ,.ble to ski above the snowline and trek amongst the rno ain-. The Package included several long \\-a -5 .• bseil.i \-isit to a Cypriot monastery and a da ·'5 s"-iing 51:. L cadre led by 2Lt Maddan rail this pha_e ,hich \ ::.s :1ee nh- thoroughly interesting but \'en: be enc-
2Lt Maddan - alert and menacing on the TALO demonstration to the CGS
Cyprus was by no means all work and no play, down on the beach soldiers learnt to windsurf, sail, waterski and rock-climb. The facilities available to us were excellent, and in addition everyone played sport and acquired a reasonable sun tan.
The idea behind all this activity/training was not only enjoyment, which is very important, but also to teach people more about themselves so that they gain in confidence, understand their strengths and weaknesses and build up endurance_
Squadron Leader, Commanding Officer and SCM discuss new gunnery techniques witl} DfiAe..:.: -
In Episkopi: the military skills phase was run by CoH Evans and Support Troop. This included day and night patrolling in \'er;- different terrain, ambush drills and counter insurgency techniques. It was excellent training and a complete change from the conventional armoured recce tasks with \-vhich we are familiar.
At Dhekelia several days were spent on ranges up on a magnificent clifT top firing out to sea whilst a motor launch crewed by the RCT with one of our own very capable NCOs aboard, kept watch for shipping_
The SQMC, SCpI Evans, resupplying A Squadron's patrol bases in Cyprus
The month ended with a final exercise in the Episkopi area_ It was based on a counter insurgency operation and the Squadron sailed along the coast top land by night on a training area. There followed a9 hour approach march with full kit, to an area where patrol bases were established. Lt Dalgleish, CoH Evans and
others provided a realistic, lively and evasive enemy, and for 3 days we operated in this very rugged but spectacular countryside. Everyone learnt a great deal, and greatly enjoyed it, albeit collecting a few blisters on the way.
In fact there was only one aspect of Cyprus to which we were glad to bid farewell -a very steep heartbreak hill just outside our camp which the Squadron Corporal Major insisted we ran up and down everyday. He enjoyed it - we became fil.
The Squadron took block leave in June. This provided a welcome three week break, unin terrupted by guards or duties. There was also time' over the summer months to organise adventure training. 2Lt Maddan managed to rotale the entire Squadron over a two week period through Guards House Folda, w'hich included some testing 'hill' walking, cycling, Canoeing, Pony Trekking and visiting several of the local distilleries. Subsequent adventure training trips had difficulty in competing with his success.
Under the guidance of Squadron Corporal Major Lodge, 1987 has been a highly successful year for sport. Winning a very close run Athletics meeting in September ending in a nail biting climax: we also won the Regimental Hockey and Cross Country competitions. Many members o[ the Squadron have represented the Regiment at most sports, reaping a reward from the endless miles of running and Physical Training that ha ve been a prominent feature in our early morning activities.
On our return from Cyprus the Gunnery Wing went into an elevated state of preparation and there followed two weeks hectic training for Annual Firing at Castlemanin. The week was, overall, a success, with new crews attaining a high standard of Gunnery albeit limited by the new GSTE still in its trial phases.
We have welcomed Capt Ley back [rom his attachment to I Coldm Gds, Lt D Mahony and 2Lt H Fullerton fresh from the resources of RMAS. We wish well to CaptJ Stewart who has been tempted away to the City, also to SCpl Holbrook who has departed [or RMAS as a Platoon Instructor. Finally, to congratulate Maj De Ritter on his recent marriage and wish him well on his posting to RAF Staff College as SOl (DS), after two very successful years with the Squadron.
1987 started with the customary round of internal trade training courses to prepare and qualify members of the Squadron for the rest of the year. As the only Fox equipped squadron in the Regular Army we suffer from new arrivals not being trained to drive the vehicle - all arrive either as gunners or CYR(T) drivers.
At the end of February Lt Robertson took a party of 30 to do some adventure training at the Guards House Folda. Reasonable snow permitted some sliding around on the slopes at Glenshee and the remainder of the time was spent hill-walking and undertaking various other adven turous pursuits such as visi ting the local distillery. In the meantime Captain Spowers and LCaH Hunter were bashing the pistes in the Alps as part of the Regimental Skiing Team.
Meanwhile .\Iajor Bayley left the Squadron to become Regimental Second in Command and Major Falkner arrived from the rigours of the All Arms Tactics Course to take O\'er command. Early in March the training year began in earnest with Squadron and Regimental training at Salisbury Plain. Apart from the normal activities we spent a morning preparing the vehicle- for bein lif; ed as underslung loads by Chinook helicopte. hen pu tina this skill into practice. This uainirn!" \-:as upe.· by SCpl Whatley HHI (Helicopter
Handling Instructor) who impressed us all with his depth of knowledge. Less impressed were the Chinook pilots who paid scant attention to his arm waving at them. However, we knew he was right! The weather remained typical for March and the ground was either frozen or sodden, the latter taking its toll in gearboxes and skidding vehicles. On a night navigation exercise LCpl Baker's Fox rolled causing no injury except for a somewhat shaken crew, particularly the driver, Tpr Prytherch. The final Regimental exercise brought a climax in the weather with storm force winds and lashing rain. After a quick weekend at Windsor the Squadron was back on Salisbury Plain for a reasonably successful few days on the NBC Battle Run at Porton Down. We learned many lessons (and relearned some as well). Singled out for praise was the Echelon which performed particularly well under the SQMC, SCpl Powell.
In April the SCM W02 Cusick left us to become RQMC and W02 Byrne took his place. Capt Spowers and LCoH Baker drove off to the Sahara to do a recce for Ex DESERT FOX which, at the time of writing, hasjust come to a temporary (we hope) halt having been refused entry into Algeria.
We also made a further visit to Salisbury Plain to support the All Arms Tactics Course Ex GLOBE TROT in which the command appointments in the squadron were filled by students. One Scots Guard officer on arrival with the Squadron for a couple of days commented "I know I'm back in the Household Division -I have just seen a man cleaning his cap badge" (LCoH Croager).
Almost immediately we were into a period of hard work preparing the vehicles for the 100% PRE. The hard work by all especially the LAD paid handsomely with a very good report. No sooner was the PRE complete then Castlemartin loomed. For B Squadron the
successful completion of the GSTE practices was relatively easy and under LCsoH Wilde, Tate, Harrison and Maksymiw, the Squadron gunnery instructors, a good standard was achieved.
In early June the Squadron went to Thetford to assist in an airborne exercise with I Para. 2 Troop under 2Lt Thorneycroft acted as enemy and the remainder of the Squadron was in support of friendly forces. For the rest of June the Squadron divided up and went on adventure training. The Squadron Leader took a party across the channel in GLADEYE. 2Lt Turner (now at Reading University) took a party to Guards House Folda and 2Lt Eden went with the remainder to Fremington. This was a good burst of fresh air for everyone before being incarcerated in Earls Court for a month to administer the Royal Tournament. A separate article appears elsewhere descri bing this period. The Royal Tournament did nothing to help the Squadron Athletics team which nevertheless very nearly won the Inter Squadron competition in early August. LCpl Nutt gave our resident Olympic athlete, Lt Mahony a very hard time. Less successful were our efforts in the Inter Squadron swimming.
After block leave we were quickly back into the swing of things with the 5 AB Brigade Exercise Fast Buzzard. This was a logistics exercise with B Squadron in the role of airhead security and running convoy escorts. It was notable for the high mileage done (about 350 miles each vehicle) for the loss of only one gearbox. A testimony to the hard work done during the PRE.
Internal trade training in October was followed by Ex PURPLE WARRIOR in November. The Squadron spent part of the time under command of3 Cdo Bde RM,
moving to the exercise area (Galloway) in the LSL Sir Tristram. This was a useful climax to the year with most of our armoured recce skills being tested. The area around the Glentrool Forest was less than ideal with very few roads and tracks and very soft ground resulting in a number of nose to nose confrontations. The final attack was noteworthy in that Support Troop was to carry a RM anti tank troop to the enemy. It was a surprise therefore to find they were 55 strong. Nevertheless we managed with Marines hanging onto anything to give them a handhold.
Recruit firing, the Brigade Sports week and tidying up before Christmas brought a very busy but successful year to a conclusion.
1987 began with the majority of the Squadron on courses except for 10 men whose military training was being tested to the limits on Ex WINTER WARRIOR. These 10 later returned to relate horrific tales of moguls, black pistes and apres ski.
March, characteristically enough, was taken up with Regimental Training culminating in the ever popular Troop Tests. 3 Tp, under Lt Connolly and CoH Smith won and I Tp under SCpl Coffey and CoH Smith came second.
However unified the Squadron was in March, as most people were in camp for courses and troop tests, April saw their dispersion to various aspects of our Out of Area Operational commitment. I Tp spent a month on Ex LION SUN in Cyprus whence sitreps were sent on small cards with pictures on one side. 3 Tp went on the first of many Tactical Airland Operational (TALO) exercises where CoH Clarke and LCoH Cripps showed their natural ability at this type of operation. Four vehicles were used on Ex BLACK ADDER and some SCORPIONS were used to practise underslung loads for Chinook lifts. The Squadron also took part in the first security exercise at Gatwick Airport.
L-R: Capt Jackson, CoH Theakston, Lt Harris, SSgt Rose, SCM Belza, Lt Garrett, Lt Connolly, Major Forbes-Cockell
Gunnery Camp at Castlemartin came half way through May and was slightly more frustrating and less fun than it has been in the past, possibly due to the new GSTEs. These are Gunnery Standard Training Exercises, a controlled progressive shooting test. This meant that only one Troop (and sometimes only a section) could fire at one time as supervision was essential and so everyone else was left hanging about. Good use was made of the time however, with the result that it was probably the first time C Squadron has returned from Annual Firing \\ith considerably better knowledge of First Aid, NBC and Tactics. Thanks must go to CsoH Lindsay and
Theakston and all the other Gunnery Instructors in lh Squadron for their help prior to and throughout ' week. Morale man of the week award should definite go to LCoH Barry for never being without a smile and joke.
CoH Steele - ready for anythul
It wasjust in time for Castlemartin that 2Lt joined the squadron from his Troop Leaders' Cours Bovington. Lt Smyth-Osbourne and 2Lt Farr aL dropped in for the week on their way down to Boving-" , from Sandhurst. We were very honoured to have I company of HRH The Duke of York for dinner since. was staying at Castlemartin 'while he and his Right \\'C'l" doing some live firing. Full marks should definitely n go to a certain trooper from C Squadron, who sh 1 remain anonymous, who just after handing HRH hi soup, commented to W02 Digney "I thought Prin e Andrew was coming to dinner tonight?".
The Director of the Royal Armoured Corps an the Commander of 5 Airborne Brigade visited us durin!! firing whereupon the brigade Commander fired 76mm and 7.62mm with great enthusiasm and not a lot I accuracy.
Ex GLOBE TROT in June proved a good opportunity for the Squadron to be exercised with the exception of the Troop Leaders' gunners, who did useful things at Windsor instead,
The tempo began to slow down a little after the end of June, with Adventure Training in sight and Summer Leave coming soon after. The Squadron selH two groups Adventure Training, one to Ardintigh in Scotland with Lt Connolly and 2Lt Cox and one walkin<F the Pennines with Lt Harris (a separate article featureelsewhere in the magazine).
Block leave followed the Regimental sport competition (in which C Sqn came third) and provided ample opportunity for" getting suntans, going to exotic
Tpr TOJiell in theSteeple Chase
places and in short, providing opportunities for those to achieve what they might not have done on Adventure Training.
After a couple of \-\leeks back in Windsor in September, SHQ and Echelon deployed on Ex FAST BUZZARD This was primarily a logistics exercise organised by 5 Airborne Brigade. SHQ bad the good fortune to be stationed permanently at \J\Test Down eamp and so all members improved their snooker duriug one or two quiet spells. 'Whirhvind Harlow' and 'Hurricane Hughes' both showed signs of mispent youths.
The climax of the year in terms of exercises came in November with Ex PURPLE vVARRIOR This was
Major forbes-Cockell's last major exercise with the squadron before moving on to a stafT job in Cyprns. One of the most enjoyable characteristics of the
exercise was the relations enjoyed with the civilian population. 1 Troop who were part of a screen at one stage were located at Pinwherry, a small village, where the locals not only provided vast quantities of tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes and whisky but also a complete school lunch from the local primary school. This was in retnrn for allowing the children to clamber over the vehicles and answering 1000 or more questions. Other civilians who lived further up the road telephoned their friends next to us to warn us of enemy advance. Other troops did not fare so well in the screen which was mostly on bleak windswept and exposed hills, west of Glentrool Forest. 2 Troop saw some people moving to their front - it was later discovered that these were RAf Regiment personnel who had bogged their lead Scorpion in their attempt to push through our TAOR. 4 Troop were luckiest of all; their 58 hours iu an OP position produced one siglHinga shepherd on a motorbike! However 196 rouuds of 76mm blank were fired in 10 minutes on the final attack from our fire support positions.
The Squadron returned from Ex PURPLE WARRIOR ou \9 November and has been cleaning vehicles since in preparation for recruit firing, Ex Team Spirit and hopefully some well earned Christmas leave.
On the sporting front it was with great delight and enormous pride that the Squadron Leader witnessed the Squadron Boxing team win the Inter Squadron Boxing Competi tion just before the end of October, for the second year running.
Other sporting success for the Squadron in 1987 have been winning the Volleyball, Basketball and sevena-side Rugby competitions with very creditable second places in the Tug of War; Swimming, Rugby, Cross Country and Orienteering.
Finally early in December tbe Squadron had a
'Christmas Party' which doubled as a farewell party for Forbes-Cockell, the Squadron Leader tor the prevIous two years.
During the- year the Squadrou also bade tare-well ro Capt The Han' VatsoD ( oOps Officer and then Staff , ptain . Lt Garren to e ADC to Maj Gen SC Cooper at R.\L\S and Lt C nnolI.· who had depaned for HCR \-ia the long- ri' course at Melton Mowbrav,. Cpl Collins I 0 2;\DS and LCoH Abel has joirwd Br'tish Tde :om. They have been replaced by C( pi Jac·son. :...Li ox. 2Lt Farr, Lt Smyth-Osbourne, Sepl Stephem an LeaH Layzell. In the near future Lt Hani:i dep .ur JLR at Boviugton via Ex Desert Fox in the 1 finaU·., aj r T· (ill job,
uadron will be commanded by on his return from an MOD
.' veal' although, as usual, the " pn:dicted a quiet one l Our first R _:m,' I Training on Salisbury Plain Fht" 0 kes iu a small wood heavily ". _. a most effective early warning 'n- '0 e t"ll of the exercise was Troop Tests an ' :-r: ',-li::ro ,. .01 Emsou, the Lieutenant OIOllt: C' mm .., • n by Brig Chaundler, the new 'omma CT 'f 1C Brif?:ade.
I. '> to Castlemartin for Aunual FirinQ;. adl wninf?:s we used last veal' had gone "but run on u the battle runs,' On one occasion h0 allowed to command a Ferret, despite the aCt 'M he had never fired a GPMG nor spoken no .l ra orc-, His lack of experience was quickly e "ide t hE" he was told La stop engaging a telephone bx tit !"c: ,--\s tor his radio procedure, it was most impressi\'(' lit we discovered thaL his driver, Lt Smyth-Osborne, was also seuding the contact reports!
The big event of the summer was the Royal Tournament which involved some of the Squadron. In particular, the Quartermaster and his staff were involved, not just tor the period of the TournamenL, but tor some months before it. 1t was hard work and certainly some people did not see the light of day from one day to the next. 'Earls Court Throat' was au occupational hazard, heing the dust that permeates through the building from the earthen floor of the arena!
As usual, the Squadron has been very much based at Windsor fighting the g-ood fight on paper and in the- backrooms of the Regiment. We have managed to gCl individuals away on overseas exercises, such as A Squadron's Ex LION SUN in Cyprus and, of' course, we had several people with the troop in Belize, As we go to press A Squadron is preparing to go to Cyprus on its UNFICYP tour and, as usual, the Squadron is well represented from various departments,
The RMO practices his bedside manner whilst the EME makes a point to the Ops Officer
Ex PURPLE \VARRIOR was the big exercise of the year and, in fact, was the first FTX in which the Regiment has taken pan since 1985. Headquarter Squadron was under command 3 Commando Brigade because our main role during the early part of the land exercise was to run the Evacuee Handling Centre. We travelled by road down to Plymoulh where we boarded MV Viking Viscount, aP & 0 ferry and, amazingly, the only British STUFT (Ship taken up from Trade - Ed) ship on the exercise, the remainder being mostly Gennan or Scandinavian I 'We were most fortunate because, not only was the Squadron all together, but we were also on a most comfortable shipl
Therc followed a five day cruise in which we enjoyed a variety of activi ties from PT to lectures on resistance to interrogation. The latler, givcn by members of the Joint Services Interrogation Wing, were fascinating and, at times, amusing. Tpr Bing, for example, proved to be most co-operative, giving the name of his Regiment with eagerness and pr·ide. Tpr Wade, on the other hand, withstood the most horrific tirade of abuse and gave away little information. The problem was that his interrogator, WO I Moore, unwisely invited Tpr Wade to stand up and was immediately overpowered by the classic Life Guard of well over six foot in Another amusing event on the ship was the nightly Trivia Qniz expertly run by CoB Wilde with the assistance of CsoH Harvey and Ormiston. The competition attr'acted teams from all the U ni ts on the ship as well as from the ship's officers and crew. SHQ did well by getting into the final but were beaten by the Intelligence Corps. The Squadron Leader was presented with his own bottle of whiskey and was then prevailed upon to give it to CoH 'Magnusson' \Vilde!
"Ve estahlished the EHC on a windswept airfield not far from Stranraer. During the first few days we
processed 500 evacuees some of whom were local civilians. One of the highlights of this period of the exercise was the visit of some official observers who were viewing the exercise under the terms of the Conference for Disarmament in Europe. A Russian Colonel quizzed LCoH Lambert about his job and the location of his Regiment and he responded with "I am sorry, 1 cannot answer that question". ObvioLlsly the lecture on the ship had done the trick.
The tHC was 'closed' in a rather dramatic way when the main registration tent collapsed under the considerable pressure of the wind. Much of the framework was damaged but fortunately no one was hurt.
As usual, we have said goodbye and hello to many during the year. Perhaps our most notable loss was W02 Digney who has been running the Officers' Mess
for mam' yea, and has been a distinct regimental character lor many more, He now works for a London catering cOllnany and has been succeeded in the Officer's ),1 -- by Cpl :"/IcBride. We have also said goodb\'e {Q the Payma ter. Captain Worts, who must go down in one of our most enterprising paymasters, He in .e. ed the worth of the Squadron's fund by mchasing. and quickly selling, some British Telecom shares. ban: goodness he wasn't interested in horse He' noW' working in the City and his successor, Capta:u (m·dl is often found hiding behind his 'Financial Tim -'!
SCM La: h.a- departed to work with the Honourable .-\nillt'T" ornpany and was succeeded by SCM Read \\110 rno lO • Squadron Royal Yeomanry at the end of the :ear doing a straight swap with SCM Lowry. The -quadr n Leader, Major Doughty, left for the Staff College i {he end of the year and was succeeded b\' :"Iajor He\\ill,
Our canUra!1 h;::u ' and thanks go to jvfrs Cheesman who has now camp/lied r. drs of service to the Household Cavalry Hospital. n,- -'Iajor General congratulated jUrs Cheesman on IJ/is r, .. Q£hievement during his visit in October.
And so we come to the end of another busy year at Windsor. The Forecast of Events looks good for 1988; no doubt we will have as quiet a year!
Since the last ediU.1 :- the .-\com the Regimental Orderly Room has se n a considerable change in both staff and in the wa\' we wmi.<. Firstly we welcomed back W02 McKenzie in anuan' as Chief Clerk. SCpl Carrington disapp ared to 'become NCO IC Co-ord H Cav at the fRO a Chester, a job which should really test his talenLS' In February we welcomed the arrival of the P.-\.IP. equipment vvhich was quickly installed and looked efficient. The only problem we had was uoclersrandino- how to use it! We were fortunate in gaining a couple of \'acancies on the operators course at \,,"orthy Down 0 both LCoH CookHannah and LCpl Bishop became instant experts. A long running training programme imolv'ing all other regimental clerks then commenced \-\'hich resulted in both the Orderly Room staff and. qn clerks becoming proficient on this equipment. he ma,iority of the Orderly Room have been out on e -ercise this year, we have become the Brigade experts on EHC operations with CoH Tomkins being the leading light on most occasions. One of the biggest tasks we had this year was
the runnll1g of the Orderly Room for the Royal Tournament. Four clerks were involved led by CoH Tomkins who was supported by LCoH CookHannah, LCpls Paterson and Farrar. They were administering to over 2200 men and women from all three services. The full details of this task are no dou bt covered elsewhere but suffice to say the task was completed to the absolute satisfaction of everyone involved. After a spot of block leave in August the regiment returned to work where upon LCoH O'Daly was posted and promoted to HCR as ORCoH vice CoH Beck who has now moved on to MoD PB 17 on promotion. We wish them both well for the future. The posting ofCoH O'Daly was as much a suprise to him as it was to the Chief Clerk who had to regig the clerical plot to cover the slot made vacan t. In addi tion, a replacement for CoH O'Daly who had been previously selected for a tour in the Falkland Islands had to be found! LCpl Bishop volunteered (after being offered promotion!). A large number of clerks were involved in a large exercise during November which went extremely
well for all those involved. Christmas was soon upon us with a well earned break for everyone. On the postings front we have said an additional welcome to LCpl Harman and the LCoH Price. We will shortly say farewell to 'Horse' who has decided that the job of ORCoH could be easier if taken on with 2 ADS in
As is common when these articles are written many faces in the LAD have changed since last year. We bade farewell to W02 (AQMS) Menage and congratulate him on his promotion. We also welcome W02 (AQMS) Neve (hobbies: canoeing and bar-stool break dancing) and his family to Windsor from sunny Kuwait. Artificers in A and B Squadrons have changed, and we wish SSgts Sayers and Simpson well in their new postings with TA units. The EME has already taken REME Manning and Records Office to task for posting in SSgts Elson and Imrie - with SSgt Rose the LAD must have the three shortest Artificers in the Corps! Nevertheless, we say hello to the two new Artificers, and also to Sgts Hooper, Jones, Lawton, Lunnon and McCallum and their families.
The year for the LAD has, as always, been a busy one in support of Squadron and Regimental commitmen ts, many of which are described elsewhere in this Acorn.
Sgt Castle and LCpl Williamson had the honour of being presented to Her Majesty the Queen when she paid an informal visit to Combermere Barracks in April.
In July, members of the LAD assisted B Squadron in the administration of the Royal Tournament at Earl's Court. Much fun was had by all concerned, although they felt they had earned Block Leave in August.
Following the severe storms in October, several REME tradesmen were involved in Military Assistance to the Civil Community, clearing trees which were blocking many roads around Windsor and making safe others threatening to fall. Sgt Hextall, fresh from his sojourn with the HCR camp at Stoney Castle, provided advice (and the generator) to supply power to a retirement Home near Ascot. All involved were called at short notice and thoroughly enjoyed giving assistance to the local community. Some valuable contacts were made with the local populace and also the Windsor and Ascot police!
March. LCoH O'Neill will take over on promotion. Finally three clerks are curren tly in Cyprus 'vvith A Sqn on an UNFICYP tour. Led by LCoH McSherry, LCoH Rosborough and Tpr Smith are sure to be working hard, it is hoped they have a successful tour.
Cfn King assisting the civil community, the local police are amused
The most recent, and perhaps most important, commitment this vear was Ex PURPLE WARRIOR. With the of A Squadron Fitter Section, the complete LAD was involved in supporting their relevant Squadron. A long road move to the embarkation port at Plymouth was complicated for HQ Squadron by Sgt Straughan and Cfn Thorburn's bid for freedom near Oakhampton. Fortunately, they finished sightseeing before the ship sailed and they enjoyed the comforts of 'Viking Viscount' for nearly a week. During the voyage, the AQMS and Sgt Lawton went fishing, catching very little apart from SgtJones (a fish out of water away from the AF G 1098 Stores). The ASM nearly took an overdose of sea-sickness pills (and went through withdrawal symptoms when \\-e hit dry land), and the EME was busy explaining ro HQ Squadron Leader that the Regiment didn't ha\-e am- CVR(T) Scimitar. Nevertheless, the cruise passed calmly enough for HQ Squadron.
as
On B Squadron's boat, SSgt Elson was ideally built for adapting to the confines of his 19-man studio apartmen t. C Squadron's trip was uneventful although Cfn Davey enjoyed himself in support of the TALO Troop - leaving Windsor two days after everyone else and in some comfort.
Once on dry land, the ASM's problems were not over_ His driver LSgt Lock is not mechanically mindedthis presumably explaining why he could not understand why the Landrover would not move when the hand brake was still applied. Sgt Castle and LCpl Cresswell were fully employed on recovery tasks mainly on the Foden. LSgt Forster set new records in the length of time required to repair a 500W generator, whilst Cfns Murray and King built a dummy weapon for 'Freddy'. Fredd:was a dummy, acquired from a wrecked aircraft, dressed in an NBC suit, who stood guard over HQ LAD during the gales. In the dark, Freddy was quite convincingRQMC Cusick spent two minutes haranguing him before realising he was only a dummy_ Nor was Freddy's use exhausted at Endex, as he was earmarked as a vehicle commander to give Sgt Jones someone to talk to_ The exercise came as something of an eye-opener to Cfn McDermott who joined the unit straight from basic training on the second day of the land phase_ He perhaps was responsible for Sgt Hextall developing a bad shoulder, due to Sgt Hextall being woken too roughly too often. SSgt Meredith looked on with an experienced and amused eye and suffered LCpl Richardson's strange sense of humour throughou t.
B Squadron Fitter Section's valiant attempt to replace all the major assemblies in their CVR(T) during the Exercise was frustrated by limited supplies, and such was their fit of piq ue that they blew the engine in their Stalwart. For their pains they were rewarded with LCpl Richardson and HQ Squadron Samson for the remainder of the Exercise. LSgt Rogers coped admirably, LCpl Binns kept his sense of humour and LCpl Wilson kept his smiles 'on the inside'.
Meanwhile C Squadron Fitter Section were unamused at missing Bonfire night, whilst Sgt Lunnon and LCpl Poulson were unamused at missing their boiling vesselleacl. LCpl Cowling got stuck in to several
recovery tasks and Crn Rogers, after several trips to various hospitals, decided that in any contest between his head and part of a ship, he would be better off backing the ship.
At this point I realise that I have no room left to mention the several PREs, the LAD Annual Technical
The Ceremonial year for The Mounted Squadron followed a fairly familiar pattern wi th one or two notable exceptions. Three State Visits were scheduled for the year all to take place in London; King Fahd of Saudi Arabia was received in April and King Hassan of Morocco was received in July. The President ofItaly was due to pay a State Visit in November but this had to be cancelled at three days notice due to the fact that his Government had all unexpectedly resigned. A State Visit had never before been cancelled at such short notice.
The Squadron provided The Sovereign's Standard and the Field Officer for The Queen's Birthday Parade. The field Officer was the Squadron Leader, Major DC Waterhouse, and the Standard was carried by Squadron Corporal Major Flory. Besides being an outstandingly slick and smart performance by the Mounted Regiment, the Parade was also significant this year as it was the first time that The Queen had not ridden on her horse Burmese. The Queen was instead driven in a small carriage to Horse Guards Parade. The Major General's Parade, Garter Service and Beating The Retreat all came and went without a hitch and the Squadron also had the honour of providing a Travelling Escort for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. This was a short Escort from Clarence House to Horse Guards one June evening when Her Majesty took the salute at a performance by the Light Division's Beating The Retreat. The Escort was commanded by Lieutenant JR Cape. Finally The State Opening of Parliament deserves a mention due to the fact that this year it was sandwiched between the Trooping and the Summer State Visit. The General Election in June led to Parliament being reconvened within three weeks and consequently the month of November which normally witnesses a State Opening and a State Visit was left relatively blank.
Moun ted training has continued unabated throughout the year. Troops went on individual Winter Camps at Sopley in Dorset in 1986 and are currently at Cowdray Park in Sussex for this winter. Twenty of the
Review, Regimental Training or the forthcoming Christmas period and A Squadron Fitter Section's tour in Cyprus during 1988. Nor have I mentioned LSgt Flavell and LCpl Walls' Belize tour, nor CfnWinning's tour in NI and LSgt Aspinall's BATUS tour. There is always next year's Acorn .
better horses from the Squadron have been pooled and Troops are rotating through Cowdray Park every twc weeks. Every soldier in the Squadron will have successfully completed his B2 Mounted Dutyman trade by the end of the year and we are managing to get more than ever before away on the Bl Instructors Course at Melton Mowbray.
Col S. Gilbart-Denham inspects the Escort prior to the State Opening of Parliament
Showjumping has been relentlessly pursued all year initially by Troops in the Riding School progressing to inter Troop and Squadron Competitions at Kensington Palace Field and at Summer Camp. The Squadron alsc had five representatives in The Prince of Showjumping Competition at The Royal Tournament. Troopers Roberts and Bandey are members of the Regimental Tentpegging team which have performed creditably at Shows all over the Country. A BHS (AI) Course is being run at Windsor this winter which three
members of the Squadron are attending each taking two young horses with them. Also a Competition Troop has been established which hopefully will progress to competing at all the top class events throughout the Country. LCsoH Maxwell and Waygood make up two of the three man team of Instructors who will be working throughout the winter on preparing our best young horses.
Six new Rides have passed out this year which has resulted in approximately 40 new troopers coming into the Squadron. vYe have lost some troopers and junior NCOs to civilian life but a great many troopers are now posted to the Service Regiment having completed two years service \ovith the Mounted Squadron. This inevitably leads to a lack of continuity and experience within the Mounted Squadron but it does mean that we create a wealth of troopers with mounted duty experience who are then ready and able to return to the Mounted Squadron at a later date on promotion.
Major Waterhouse and Lepl Lloyd depart from barracks for the Queen's Birthday Parade.
The Squadron strength of horses currently stands at 105 blacks, 11 greys and 2 Drum Horses. We received 10 new remounts last year which, without exception, have all come on well and this year's remounts have just arrived at Windsor and look to be an exceptionally good bunch. We have cast eight horses this year, three of which have gone to good homes but the remainder were sadly not sound enough to live cast and consequently were destroyed. Virtually every horse in the Squadron had a minimum of six weeks at grass between June and October and we had a very fit and healthy bunch in time for Summer Camp at Stoney Castle.
Summer Camp took place in the Autumn this year and it might have been Winter by the final week. Two glorious weeks were followed by a very wet and cold week which brought our return to London forward a few days. Nevertheless everyone in the Squadron thoroughly enjoyed Summer Camp and a great deal of beneficial training was completed. An excellent Squadron Handy Hunter Course was built by LieutenantJ R Cape and the Competition was won by Troopers Fu tcher and Jones riding Zahir and Lydia respectively.
Hunting has again been given great support. Ten Squadron horses have gone to Melton Mowbray for the Winter and in addition for the first time a Winter Training Troop has been established at Windsor. Six horses from the Squadron make up part of the Troop which is on hand for hunting with the VWH hunt and the Sand hurst Drag. All soldiers who have taken advantage of this extra facility have benefitted enormously. The Squadron has also provided ten horses and men to the Musical Ride display team from March until September. They have been Main Arena attractions in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, all over England and even in Holland this year alone and plans are already underway for a more extensive tour next year.
IVIembers of the Squadron have toured the USA with a promotions venture for Trust House Forte, have performed in an equestrian event in Calgary, Canada, have opened a new branch of Harrods in Frankfurt West Germany and have been on an exchange visit with the Garda Hussar Regiment from Holland. In addition we have sent people away adventure training in Folda, Scotland and onto the Naval Destroyer HMS Scylla with whom we are affiliated.
Most senior Personalities will have changed at some time throughout the year and a few of the major
changes are: Major Waterhouse will hand over to Major Graham in December as Squadron Leader, Lieutenants Assheton and Thorneycroft have replaced Lieutenants Sunnucks and Clark and SCpl (SQMC) Gilbert is replaced by SCpt (SQMC) Whatley after two years
running the Squadron stores. We have also lost CsoH Wilson, Dobson, Scott, Norcombe and Schubert and they are replaced by CsoH Pickard, Puddephatt, Bellringer, Doyle and Burns.
November 1987
It all started wi th a telephone call at the end of May; "Was the Band interested in going to Japan for a British presentation?" What a question! For a Band that never gets further, these days, than BAOR or Cyprus, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So it was down to the detailed planning. What about passports, freight, currency etc. These were problems enough, we thought, but worse was to come. When we did sit down with the
British Company involved, Rosehaugh Stanhope Developments PLC, we found out that the date required was during the period that we had already signed contracts to play at Bournemouth. However we are not going to allo\,· a little thing like a clash of dates to interfere with th:s marvellous chance. So another Band agreed to do ou:· last day at Bournemouth to let us fly to Japan. :'\e:--:, problem? If you remember there was a go-slow at aU Passport offices in UK in June and Julv. \'\"ouldn·t y just know it? As half the Band needed their passpor updated and at least six had no passports at all, thi could
have been the end of the dream. However, the Band Corporal Major camped out at the Passport Office behind 'vVellington Barracks, or so it seemed, and we managed to get passports for everybody except for one musician who had sent his passport to the Office in Gwent and didn't get it back in time.
The other great problem was the freight. Apart from the documentation required, which was extensive and mostly incomprehensible, the Band were playing at Bournemouth until the evening before the flight dates. How were we going to pack everything in to boxes and get it to Heathrow in time for the flight? Well, as we in The Life Guards know, problems exist only in order to be solved and it was managed.
So off we went! Terminal 3, Saturday afternoon 11th July, London to Tokyo with one stop in Alaska, arrive Tokyo afternoon Sunday 12th. We were met by Cpl Major Whitworth and one of the Rosehaugh directors. A longish drive from the Airport found us at the very sumptious Hotel Ana in Tokyo. (See article by W02 Whitworth elsewhere in the Acorn) However, any ideas of a shower and a change of clothes were dashed by the itinerary of'recces' lined up for us. So it was dump the suitcases and offwe went. Three hours later we were back at Hotel Ana, it was about half past seven in the evening and we were free until half past five in the morning!
Of the working day itself perhaps a bare list of timings will be enough to show what sort of day it was:
0530 Breakfast
0600 Depart for TV Station
0630 Rehearse for TV morning show
0745 Live performance on TV
0830 Depart TV Station
0930 Arrive MITSOKOSHI department store. (Tokyo's Harrods)
1000 Rehearse march through store 1100 March into store and Concert.
1145 March ou t of store
1150 Depart Store for Hibiya Park
1210 Arrive at Park
1230 March through Park to concert location
1245 Concert
1330 Shopping!
1430 Depart for Hotel OKURA
1500 Rehearse for presentation
1645 Presentation - including Brass Quintet, - 2030 Trumpeters and Marching Band
2100 The rest of the day is free!
We left Tokyo early on Tuesday. morning and flew directly to Heathrow with no stops. After unpacking in Windsor, we had the whole evening free, and left for the Great Yorkshire Show the very next morning.
It all seems a bit mundane to talk of the rest of the year, but Tokyo was after all, only four days. That leaves 361 days to be accounted for. Well, it was a fairly normal year. All of the usual Ceremonial duties came up in their turn and were duly moaned about, done and forgotten the same as every other year. But perhaps the one period of this year that won't be- forgotten so easily was the last three months when the Band of The Life Guards was detailed to play at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst for the Winter term.
When the Band of the RMAS was disbanded in 1984, it was decided that each Band in the Army would take it in turn to be the 'Sandhurst' Band, and this was our turn. For those or you who have either not been to Sand hurst or have forgotten what it was like, let me tell you that the Band have never spent a busier three months as long as we can remember. There are three companies of students at the Academy and they all have separate requirements for music. These include Dinner nights, drill parades and Church services, as well as single engagements like Fireworks Night, Staff College Pantomime, RMAS Horse Show etc.
In all, we did 95 separate engagements within the Academy and 30 engagements outside. Some of the statistics have an unusual ring for the Band of The Life Guards. For instance, when was the last time that our Band did 52 Drill Parades in a year never mind in three months? Oh well, now it's over we don't have to worry about doing it again until 1998 or whenever our turn comes up agam.
Another year gone, where do they go? In 1987 we said farewell to Nick Davies who has gone sailing in the Med, and welcome to Musicians'Stott and Bolstridge who joined us from Pirbrigh t. Congratulations, too, to Musicians Carson and Egerton who became fathers for the first time.
At the time of going to press, the following venues for the Regimen tal Band have been confirmed for 1988:
The Pavillion, Southend East Terrace, Windsor Castle Cyprus East Terrace, Windsor Castle
Guard Mounting, Horse Guards
Guard Mounting, Horse Guards Polo, Smith's Lawn, Windsor Beating Retreat, Horse Guards
Garter Service, 'Windsor Castle
Royal Ascot
Polo, Smith's Lawn, Windsor
Castle HiJl, Windsor
St james' Park
Castle Hill, Windsor
Castle Hill, Windsor
Castle Hill, Windsor
1987 has been a particularly turbulent year for postings which has left LSgt O'Brien as the only survivor of the former team. SSgt Ackroyd arrived in December 1986 to be confronted with a torrent of Christmas festivities and a hand over which was concluded by an introduction to. Brickhanging. As a result he has spent most of the year trying to shed those 'extra pounds', it's a good job Christmas is but once a year.
Captain vVorts eventuaJly found the caJl of the City irresistible and left to devote more of his time to watching price movements on SEAQ. He has been replaced by another 'ex Gunner' on transfer to the Corps, Captain Stovell who seems to have survived the crash of 87.
In june we bade farewell to Sgt McHale who was posted on promotion to RPO Leicester and welcomed Sgt Burton-Doe from HQ SW District. Since his arrival he has spent most of his time outside the office on EPC (A) courses and the Div 2 promotion course and is currently on holiday in Cyprus with A Squadron. Some of us are looking forward to meeting him.
LSgt Lamb was eventually prised out of the Regiment in june and is serving with 2 Coldstream Guards. The announcement of his marriage proves that the shock was too much for him. He has been replaced by LSgt Cameron who similarly announced his own wedding in September. This has left LSgt O'Brien as our only batchelor and we understand, ifhis frequent trips to the West Country are anything to go by, that his marital status could be subject to change.
7
Castle Hill, vVindsor 14 Castle HiJl, Windsor
DECEMBER 3 1930 Cheltenham
SSgt Pinney has been moving in equestrian circles during the past year and is now safely off the lunge line. He has also found time to embark on an A Level Biology Course, though we are not sure how this is going to help him improve his seat. LSgt O'Brien has continued to represent the Corps and the Regiment at soccer as well as appearing on the Paymaster in Chiefs video newsletter. Captain StoveII surprised not only himselfbut the rest of the office by winning the veteran's shield in the Inter Squadron Cross Country and has since made an effort to convince everyone that he isn't that old reaJly.
On the broader financial front the team visited the new CMRO at Exeter. This proved to be a particularly worthwhile trip because, by coincidence, we were able to introduce ourselves to our own postings branch. It's surprising just how many jobs are available in warmer climates! A visit was made to the Money 87 Exhibition at Earls Court where we came away with 'armfuls' of free gifts and too much advice.
The major development of the year has been the formation of the Unit Admin Office which has involved us in changes in working practices and increased responsibility. The introduction of PAMPAS has brought with it a new dictionary of service jargon. It is important to know that you have to access the maintenance system 'to produce' an acceptance print on the slave before doing a visual on the audit trail!! Isn't it fortunate that PAMPAS is a user friendly system?
The New Year started fairly quietly to give mess members time to recover after the Christmas festivities.
The dining out of the ASM, WO I Forsyth was the first major event of the year. Next, the incomparable Derrick Jameson of radio fame, whilst taking part in a publicity campaign for the Radio Times within Barracks, visited the mess for lunch. March arrived with the Regimen t deploying onto Salisbury Plain. \tVhilst the Regiment was away a major renovation of the bar area took place. The end product proved to be excellent with a complete new bar and roof.
April was quite a busy month. The Windsor Police used the mess for a dinner night to entertain their counterparts from Goslar in West Germany. It proved to be an excellent evening and those mess members who attended had a very enjoyable time. The following night, the mess was invited back to the police station for a games night. May saw the build up to Castlemartin and on 2 May the Regimental Open Day took place which was quickly followed up by Cavalry Sunday. A very large turn out of mess members set the day off well which was finished off with a very fine lunch in the mess. The month was ended by a living in members lunch.
June saw the Association Dinner. A very large turnout of mess and ex-mess members attended. The mess then hosted 100 disabled RUC officers and their families to a fine lunch with many mess members getting involved with raising money for the RUC charity.
During July the majority of mess members moved to Earls Court where the Regiment was tasked to run the Royal Tournament. Many new friends were made from all 3 services during the ensuing 4 weeks.
Almost immediately the main highlight of the mess this year took place which was our Summer Ball.
In these days of cutbacks and thrift throughout our modern Army we are fortunate in having in the Household Cavalry England's premier professional display team. The Musical Ride goes from strength to strength and this year performed allover Great Britain, at shows large and small and under wildly varying condi tions.
A damp and miserable Spring did not help the ride in its frantic 6 week training period prior to the first
This was held in Blazers Night Club in Windsor. An extremely entertaining evening was had by all with the ladies looking extremely elegant in their gowns.
In September mess life started with a 'bang' after Block Leave with a Cafe Continental, which was very well supported, seating 147 members. This was followed by an exercise night. Wives and girlfriends were made to endure the hardships of an exercise, which slightly backfired with them all enjoying the all-in-stew. October saw the 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment holding their Annual Dinner in the mess with over ninety officers and men seated, being joined by mess members after dinner for an enjoyable evening.
Major General Airy visited the mess and during his visit presented SCMs Lodge and Byrne with their LS&GCs and at the same time congratulated Mrs Betty Cheesman on serving 25 years with the Household Cavalry Hospital. In November, the Regiment was away yet again on Ex PURPLE WARRIOR, leaving just A Sqn behind to guard the Camp. The Rememberance Parade went well and was followed by a buffet lunch in the mess. Now that December is upon us the normal Christmas festivities have begun starting with the Mess draw. The mess year will finish off with a ew Year's Eve party. A Sqn mess members will depart to Cyprus ona six month UN Tour starting at the end of December.
We welcomed the following: WO I (RCM) Mead, W02 Neve REME, W02 Brierley APTC and W02 Lowry.
We said farewell to the following: W02 Denton, W02 Mills, W02 Read, W02 Stay and W02 Digney on his long awaited retirement. WOI (RCM) Kelly finally took those steps along the path towards the Officers' Mess on commissioning in June.
show of the Summer. However, the Press Day passed without mishap in early May and the season was under way. The Riding Master had put together one of the most ambitious displays so far, demanding great skill, hard work and courage from the Troopers and JNCOs taking part. Our first major trip was to Belfast, prior to the Queen's Birthday Parade. We drove overnight to Stranraer with 25 horses and found to our dismay that the crossing was courtesy of Townsend Thoresen. The
Tpr Smith found this a good deal easier than driving his horse
usual jokes were cracked and nearly everybody spent the time either out in the fresh air on deck or at least near an exi t door. In the end it was a perfect crossing both waysbut a week later, after our return from Ireland, this same ferry ran aground just outside Lame!
We could not have had a better welcome from the people of Northern Ireland. This amazed everybody as they fully expected to be issued with flak jackets instead of cuirasses and have to hard-target around the showground for the next week. We were to remain gated on the showground for the week, so while the horses and men settled into their stables, our expert scroungers in the shape of LCoH Butcher and LCoH Evans began to set up our private 'Shebeen'. With gifts of Guinness barrels and mysteriously acquired carpets and curtains our bar took shape and soon became infamous not only on the showground but throughout 'the Emerald Isle'.
As for the performances, they got better and better and over a hundred thousand people saw us perform over four days. Glasgow, our next major trip, was notable for two things; the first was staying in a five star hotel and the second, the unceasing downpour which by the end of our next few shows had become known as good Musical Ride weather. To round ofT our nationally tripartite programme, we performed at the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells. Crowds in Wales were a record 180,000 but we were unflappable by now.
The accommodation in Glasgow was good! The service even better! Tpr Long picks up a few tips.
After traditional British reserve, Dutch crowds in Rotterdam really came out on top as far as appreciative audiences were concerned. It was clear that they liked us from the moment CoH McDermott and Tpr Curley appeared in the ring to put the markers out and received a rapturous standing ovation. By the time our grossly eulogized 'stars' LCpl Nicholls and Tpr Jackson, had lain their horses down, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Needless to say 'Lyric' and 'Gladstone', our four footed 'stars', took it all in their stride!
The season ended at last on Open Day at Summer Camp, where the weather was in our favour for
a change. After a very successful performance, a memorable evening was spent reminiscing and culminated in Major Waterhouse and Captain Faulkner illustrating how best to lie down in 6 inches of mud.
Next year the Musical Ride will continue to
Leading out the British Team at The Nations Cup, Rotterdam International Horse Show
I would like to start this article by saying a sad farewell to Major 0M Price (formerly RHG/D) who, after 45 years service to the Household Cavalry, has retired to his garden in Ascot, we wish him well. Also a farewell and 'Bon Voyage' to W02 AB Cozens LG who has left the Regiment upon completion of his service and is now a Night Manager for a Plastics Company, we hope he has settled into his new way of life and wish him the very best ofluck. We welcome in their place firstly Major BW Lane (Retd) (formerly RHG/D) and SCpl Kennard RHG/D.
The Household Cavalry Mobile Display Team has covered 6,000 accident free miles this year (well done the drivers), from points North, Aberdeen, South, Portsmouth, East, Dover and West, Pembroke with some 25 shows in between, from one day stands to 10 day Tattoos. The year has been full and varied and, with the
perform all over the country but at necessarily fewer shows than in 1987. It promises to be every bit as good as this year and a I ucky few will get the chance to lake part again. Those newly trained dutymen who are selected for the ride in 1988 will learn what it is like to belong to a highly professional and much respecled team and it will be the experience of a life time.
Thanks must go to everyone connected with the ride for their unstinting hard work and the weekends they gave up, to the Household Cavalry Recruiting Team who showed no jealousy over our difTering accommodation in Glasgow. (I gather they had a very comfortable drill hall) and who then proceeded to pull our horse boxes out of the cloying Scottish mud.
Most of all our thanks go to the old lady at the Thame Show. "Excuse me, dear", she said as she admired LCoH Connaughton astride 'Basil', his impeccable Drum Horse. "What do you call this lovely Cart Horse?" "Belisarius", He said, with the practised ease that comes of a classical education. She mentally wrestled with this tongue twisting nomenclalure, then a ray of enlightenment crossed her face as she remarked, "Oh yes! After that nice Spanish golfer,,!"
exception of a lew events, very successful. During the first few weeks the Staff settled in and grew accustomed to dealing with the public in gf.neral and the characters in particular. One over-enthusiastic gentleman in York City Centre gave us a practical demonstration of both his personal drill technique and his vocal ability as a drill instructor to prove his prowess as, I quote "an Army Man!!". The 'fly' in the Ride, Drive & Fly logo was ably borne out by Tpr Byrne RHGID who managed to step aboard a Hot Air Balloon and take off into the ulu at the Great Yorkshire Show (in full State Dress), a spectacle which the public seemed to appreciate. Various TV and Radio interviews were conducted with stars from the Team, proving that talking into the mike is not as easy as it looks. LCoH Rosborough LG in particular was fooled into talking to the whole of Lancashire when he thought he was 'On the Air' to just the showground (well deceived by SCpl Kennard). The Mounted Dutymen proved, as ever, a major attraction; enhanced by the Scorpion the Display looked the business and the crews were kept busy, chapped lips being the order of the day'!
It was found that the public had to be talked to on the first occasion, as they would stand and look at us but not actually cross the line and enter into conversation: LCoH Bell soon got a grip and had them telling their life stories. To actually break the ice was the mas t difficul t task set before the crew but once a few civilians were lured in to conversation the rest rook their lead and started asking questions. The uniforms provoked a lot of comment and the most popular question being "where's yur 'orse l ". The Scorpion had its admirers from all age groups and one young American lady bafAed us with science as she estimated "probable direct fall of shot in a possible interface situation" against "Humanoid error", whatever that means! Tpr Stewart LG addressed a Colonel CRLS as 'General', subsequently a highly
delighted Colonel left our Display with only good thoughts about the Household Cavalry, well done that man! The travelling soon became tedious as we plodded up and down the country from show to show with just occasionally someone in the convoy getting lost adding a bit of spice to alleviate the boredom. Tpr Gibbons RHGID was the only 'cab happy soldier' amongst us as he only passed his driving test a few weeks before going out on the road, and gained some valuable experience throughout the year. The RCT personnel, two of them, attached to us for the duration were the self styled, fashion conscious smooth dudes of the tour, desperate to keep ahead of the fashion stakes they held serious parlays each night before proceeding bedecked and bespangled into town for some serious posing' The other teams in our group were very amicable RA and ACC and we learnt a lot from each other. One member of the RA Team walked into a shoe shop and asked for a 'Diddly' after seeing ususe the silvettes on our boots, needless to say he did not get one. The LG Sabre Squadron representatives provided sterling service to the team as they rotated and we lost in turn Tpr Beel of C Sqn and Tpr Goodwin of A Sqn, both of these crewmen were an asset to the Team. They were sorely missed on their return to their respecti ve Squadrons.
And now the bottom line from OC Recruiting: May I through the columns of the Regimental Magazine. appeal to all mem bers of the Associations to act as our scou ts. If you know of a 'Likely Lad' who you think is suitable for your Regiment please let me know, we will do the rest. Our forecast target for 1988-89 is 62 Junior Leaders and 100 Junior Soldiers, minimum ages 15 years II months for Junior Leaders and 16 years 6 months for Junior Soldiers. We may even initiate an award for the 'Best Regimental Association Recruiter'.
At the time of going to press, the Basketball team has had little activity but a high success rate. The team has been in only one competition and emerged as the Brigade Champions having beaten all the other teams. The fact that the competition was excellently organised by Capt Maclean at Windsor no doubt spurred the team on.
This year for the first time we have introduced Boardsailing (Windsurfing for the uneducated) into our Regimental activities.
Unfortunately our sailing season got ofT to a rather slow start. This was attributed to not being able to find a suitable expanse of water on which to sail.
Eventually the Regiment joined a Club in Frimley near Camberley.
The Regimental Club have a total of four boards, two Hi Fly and two Whalers. All four are long boards and well suited to beginners.
In addition the club has recently purchased five Tornado Wet Suits, a must for sailing in this Country, particularly when beginners spend 90% of their time in the water.
Club membership has been limited this year with only six fully paid up members. However it is hoped that with another Squadron completing a UN tour and Ex LION SUN programmed for April, that more interest will be generated.
The Club is able to offer Basic Sailing courses at a far more competitive price than those offered, for example, at the Hawley Lake Sail Training Centre. Requests to attend two competitions, in the UK and BAOR were sadly declined due to not being able to field a team with the required experience.
LCpl Shipton successfully passed his Royal Yachting Association Instructors Certificate and is now able to teach students to sail up to and including stages one and two.
In October 1986 LCoH Pringle approached Major D Howie RAEC, who had recently been posted to 24 Army Education Centre in Combermere Barracks, and suggested that there was sufficient interest in the Regiment for a team to be entered for the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. This is a racc which takes place every year at Easter from Devizcs, along the Kennet and Avon Canal to Reading and then down the Thames to \tVestminster Bridge. The total distance of 127 miles is completed non-stop from the start on Good Friday and finishing, hopefully, on Saturday morning.
Major Howie agreed to organise the team and obtain suitable double kayaks (K2s) for the event. With the full support of the Regiment a special welfare grant was applied for and a meeting arranged for all interested personnel. In anticipation of approval of the grant the Regiment allowed its contribution to be spent in advance to enable canoe training to begin in January 1987. Twelve canoeists volunteered for the training and a full training programme involving regular canoeing on Wednesday afternoons and Sundays from 7 January 1987 was arranged. Unfortunately, LCoH Pringle, whose brainchild the scheme had been, was sent to Belize with the Troop there and on his return was almost immediately sent to Cyprus on Ex LION SUN to assist with the adventure training of A Squadron. As a result he was not available for the training or the race.
The weather in January 1987 was particularly hard. On 7 January 1987, with snow on the ground, not one of the volunteers turned up for training. During the remainder of January the early enthusiasm of the volunteers was blunted as they discovered the hard way that their experience in slalom canoes did not help them in K2s. After a few duckings in the icy water the motivation to succeed was dulled and many fell by the wayside. In an effort to keep the team alive the Regiment designated the race as an Inter Squadron competition. However, the wastage rate was stil1 high and although the Squadrons kept replacing their crew members with further volunteers throughout February and early March, it was stil1 a fresh squad, apart from three canoeists who had persevered through the winter, which began the final intensive training session three weeks before the event.
At the start of the two weeks intensive training, none of the crews had actual1y paddled more than ten miles in anyone session. Despite canoeing every day the average speed did not raise itself above 3Y2 miles per hour for even the best crews. One reason was due to the newcomers fal1ing in regularly and therefore affecting the training of the others. At least the weather in late March/early April was milder and therefore the experience of falling in several times during a two hour training session did not adversely affect the enthusiasm of the crews.
By the time of the race the crews ought to have been capable of paddling 35 miles in 6 Y2 or 7 hours and to have thought nothing of paddling 20 miles day after day. Unfortunately, given the constant change of personnel this was not possible. This was not due to lack of time because the weekend training and the in tensive training period provided 3 to 4 hours of training which by April should have enabled crews to paddle 20 miles at least. Unfortunately no crew managed more than 10 miles in the time available before the race.
Each crew is al10wed to choose its own start time between 0700 hours and 1600 hours on Good Friday. It is important that the crew has an estimate of how long it wil1 take to get to Teddington in order to catch the outgoing tide. Any crew which underestimates its time could be faced with an incoming tide and therefore would have the choice of waiting until the tide turned or running the 17 miles of the Tideway with the K2 on their shoulders. All the crews from the Regiment planned to leave Devizes as soon after 0700 hours as possible. Not real1y knowing what to expect, they were full of optimism about their ability to cope with the physical pain and stress which the race inevitably engenders despite their lack of adequate preparation.
After the ardous training during January, February and March, the weather on Good Friday was a heatwave and for the first time some of the crews did not bother wearing their wet suit long johns. The first crew to retire through injury after completing 18 miles was
LCpl Hatcher B Sqn and Tpr Barratt C Sqn. LCpl Beaumont HQ Sqn and LCpJ Bishop HQ Sqn managed to reach the Thames and the halfway point at Marsh Lock before being forced to retire in a poor physical state. They had been paddling for 16 hours. Tpr Knowles B Sqn and Tpr McGuinness C Sqn reached Windsor after 20 hours and 84 miles before the pain proved too much to be endured for longer. Tpr McGuinness in particular was suffering and was granted a week's sick leave as he was unable to use his arms for some time after the race. Major Howie completed the race in 19 1/2 hours with Captain Bradborn OC GATW. They were placed 15th out of the 230 crews which started the race. A total of60 crews failed to finish.
Although none of the Regimental crews completed the race, the exercise (EASTER CHALLENGE) was not a failure. Given the circumstances the two crews which went furthest did much better than could have been expected given the lack of miles they had achieved in training.
With their experience of what is required to complete the race, the two crews who went furthest were determined to succeed in 1988. Unfortunately, LCoH Bishop wil1 be in the Falklands, LCpl Beaumont hopes to be off to the Sahara, Tpr McGuinness is regularly committed to Rugby and only Tpr Knowles with a new partner LCpl Bentley HQ Sqn is left of the experienced paddlers. And LCoH Pringle? He wil1 be in Cyprus on a UN tour over Easter 1988.
Unfortunately it has not been possible to organise a climbing trip abroad since last January when Capt Mitford-Slade and Capt Garrett took an expedition to Nepal. This is not to say that no climbing has taken place. Several adventure training exercises took place in July, al1 of which involved several phases, one of which was climbing. C Squadron had two adventure training trips. One went to Cumbria and the other to Scotland. Both lasted two weeks, by the end of which al1 personnel had learnt to climb, abseil and top rope. LCoH Pugh and Tpr Corner had said that they would not climb, but due to Sgt Corfield's power of persuasion and excel1ent instruction they were both coaxed on to the rock face and said afterwards that they had actual1y enjoyed it.
A Squadron had a two week stay at Guards House Folda and hoped to do some basic and advanced climbing which was hampered by a lack of kit.
At the time of writing Capt Spowers is about to depart to the Sahara for January and February with a party of seventeen al1 ranks. Whilst out there, aU personnel wil1 have plenty of time to climb and abseil in conditions very differen t to those to which people are used to experiencing in the UK.
3-25) lost to LG 124-4 (LCpl Grantham 75 not out) by 6 wickets.
HeR t07-410st to LG 108-7 (LCpl Dyball 41 not out) by 3 wickets.
Matches Abandoned:
LG v HMS Intrepid
LG v HCR (Acton)
LG v IIG
LG v Slough Police (Windsor)
LG v National History Museum
Inter-Squadron Competition 1987
One of the wors t days of the year for rain proved itself incapable of dampening the performance of most of the runners who took part on Wednesday 21 October. The course was a pleasant run through Windsor Great Park for 4 or 5 miles (depending on the rain)
The times recorded ranged from, in I st place, QMSI Brierley, who, as the Head of the Gym Department, was definitely the pacemaker who failed to fade away in 27.30 mins; to, at the other end of the scale, the PMC who stormed inin a very respectable to I st place in 48.30 mins.
or Runners
Individual Overall Winners:
1st Tpr BEBBINGTON - ASqn
2nd 2Lt MAD DAN -A Sqn
3rd Tpr MATTHEWS A Sqn
Over 30 Age Group:
1st Capt STOVELL
2ndW02 LODGE
3rd Sgt STRAUGHAN
- HQ Sqn - 32 mins 00 secs - A Sqn - 32 mins 01 secs HQ Sqn 32 mins 44 secs
Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who ran in a spirited fashion under awful conditions; that applies to the 'human markers' too, who were very patient.
The Regimental Diving Club has once again surfaced (!) during 1987 with a large increase in numbers
from within the Regiment and the Household Cavalry Regiment under the guidance of SCpl Beck. We were fortunate in gaining a grant from the Regiment which enabled us to test existing equipment and to replace certain items that had become unserviceable. At the time of writing there are 28 members of the diving club the majority of whom are novice divers all keen to learn about the underwater world or 'bubbling' as it is known amongst divers.
Diving as a club commenced in April with a trip up to Stoney Cove in Leicestershire. This site is a large flooded stone quarry which has a number of wrecks in it ranging from the front end of a Comet aircraft to a 56 seater coach! All very in teres ting to divers as you never know what you may find.
LeaH Cripps - taking the plunge
This was followed by a long weekendbased at the Royal Engineers Training Camp at Wyke Regis near Weymouth. 12 members of the club took part in this expedition which proved to be very successful. The majority of the diving was from inflatable boats which is always great fun. The highlight of the weekend was a dive on the wreck of HMS Hood which was scuttled by the Royal J avy sometime during the 1st World War to prevent torpedoes being fired into the Naval Base at Portland. Swimming around 40,000 tons of wreckage is an unbelievable experience. The wreck is absolutely teaming with life ranging from large spider crabs to Rainbow Wrasse, Pollock and a large conger eel which scared the hell ou t of a couple of divers by appearing suddenly out from the wreck itself. A number of other dives were carried out throughout May mostly from Chesil Bank at Portland which is an ideal site for novice training. The next individual dive worth a note is that of a dive carried out by W02 McKenzie and CoH Craister. For those of you reading this article who do not know the Dorset Coast there is a place called Durdle Door. It is possibly the steepest climb down to the sea in the whole 28 mins 05 secs 29 mins 55 secs - 30 mins 00 secs
area. Well like all things that go down to the sea, they have to come up again. The climb back up with full diving equipment on one's back is rather like a CFT, BFT and assault course all rolled in to one exercise. To date this dive has not been repeated I
A further nine dives "vere completed by members of the diving club either at Stoney Cove or shore dives from Chesil Bank. A series of boat dives were then carried out over another long weekend at Portland which due to the weather conditions proved to be a little hair raising at times as the boat we were using was not ideal. On one occasion it was decided to cancel a dive, the problem was, this decision was taken in the middle of Portland Harbour with the boat we were in beginning to sink' Thankfully we managed to limp into the Naval Base and reach dry land but only just.
On the training side of things both CoH Craister and LCoH Cripps are avidly learning the skills necessary to become Advanced Divers which with luck should be completed in time for next year's proposed expedi tion to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Tprs Crawley, Evans and Todd are training to become Sports Divers. Our Chairman, Lt Smyth-Osbourne, and 2Lt Davies are also in training for their initial qualification. We welcome back from the Guards Depot CoH Wise who as a Diving Supervisor will shortlybecome the Training Officer within the club. The club is taking full advantage of the swimming pool at Chelsea Barracks every Wednesday evening so if there are any budding Jacques Cousteaus amongst you, come along anytime, you may find you have hidden talents.
A large number of the Regiment have been eventing from the Mounted Regiment this year and their results have been most encouraging.
W02 Sanderson has done very well with Fenton coming 5th in two Novice One Day Events and 7th in his third. He has also been successful in novice Dressage Competitions with two 1st prizes, three 2nds and three 3rds. LCoH Maxwell has been riding Mrs De Stacpoole's horse Straight Point and has done well in Novice Competitions. LCoH Waygood, operating from the Guards Depot, has been competing on a number of horses but most notably The Queen's horse Valentine which he rode to a very creditable 2nd in the Tweseldown Two Day Event. He was also 4th at Chepstow and 9th at Urchinwood Manor.
From Melton Mowbray W02 James rode in the winning team in the Bicton and Cranwell One Day Events and was also in the winning team for the Belvoir Team Chase.
The big Show Jumping success of this year has been LCoH Maxwell riding Equerry who has won two Foxhunter Classes and been placed 3rd in two Grade C competitions. He has now qualified for a Foxhunter Regional Final. He also won the Top Score at The Aldershot Show.
LCoH Thomas was in the winning Army School of Equitation Team in the Team Jumping at The Royal Tournament and W02J ames was in the Team that came 2nd in The Seniors Jumping at The Royal Windsor Horse Show and was 3rd in The Princess Anne Cup at The Royal Tournament.
During the 1987 Polo Season both our teams and individual players continued to achieve successes in military and civilian tournaments. Perhaps encouraged by last year's successes, en thusiasm for the sport spread to new players and beginners alike. 2Lt Ogden for example, has shown both determination and ability to play polo and the 1988 season should see him prove his worth with the benefit of new ponies bought over the Winter from Brazil. Established experienced players have very much had to keep an eye over their shoulder to maintain a position in the Regimental teams. For the first time in many years, Maj Graham had to face the tricky problem of picking the best team composed of players playing in their favoured position rather than looking around for a fourth player to make up the team.
We even managed to enter two good teams for the Inter-Regimental, who were unfortunately drawn against each other. Team A won but had a hard fight and only one team will be entered in future as it caused difficulties due to dispersion of resources and freedom to change individual players at a later stage.
The Summer was comparatively clear of major exercises which helped many officers play quite frequently. Most of the Regimental team managed to play on average 20-30 matches and 150-200 practice chukkas. Our future success without doubt now lies in the ability of our teams to play together and practise as much as possible. In general the skills and ability are there but need a concerted effort to perfect the match winning team play skills. This fact was apparent when we played the 14/20th Hussars who have devoted much time to team practices and have sensibly used the opportunity provided by their regimen tal role to release officers to play full time at the Guards Polo Club. This foresight
Winners of the Captains & Subalterns sponsored by Laurent Perrier
L-R: Capt Jackson, Capt Hewitt, Mr R Nicholson (ViceChairman Laurent Perrier;, Capt Graham, 2Lt Mackenzie-Hili
was the deciding factor in their victory in the InterRegimental. The following list shows the results of the main team tournaments:
LLOYD CUP Against Alfursan Air Lanka Squires Farm INTER-REGIMENTAL LG 'A' v LG 'B' 14/20 H
CAPTAI IS AND SUBALTERNS TOURNAMENT
First Round Bye
RWxY Bye
14/20 H Won
INTER SERVICES MAJOR GENERALS CUP
RWxY Won
Guards Polo Club Won
The Foot Guards Won
The Regiment entered teams as The Life Guards in many civilian tournaments, which reflects well on the Regiment as other Household Division Regiments are seldom seen at the Guards Polo Club.
Individual players had many successes with civilian teams and laj's Graham and Hunter and 2Lt MacKenzie-Hili were selected for Army and Combined Services teams. Indeed the Army team against the RAF was captained by lVIaj Graham and had three of the four players from the Regiment with Maj Hunter and 2Lt MacKenzie-Hili!
The grooms worked very hard throughout the season and with great success. This resulted in the impressive second year record for Maj Graham's six ponies of no inj uries or lameness which is to say the least unusual for polo.
LCpl Goodwin, LCpl Pendle and Tprs Terry, Edmonds and Wall played well against the Foot Guards, who were captained by Major Watt, but allowed the Foot Guards to end up the winners this year. In this match which sticks in my mind for its ferocity and effort, Tpr Edmonds showed exceptional ability. If anyone thought polo was for the soft hearted they should have seen either that match or any Inter-Regimental!
In conclusion, Polo as a game is becoming increasingly popular in the country as a whole and this has been reAected within the Regiment. The game continues to demand fitness, aggression, hard practice, team skills, riding ability and sportsmanship.
The following Officers played in 1987:
Maj CHN Graham 2
Maj IS Forbes-Cockell I Capt] L Hewitt I
2Lt RE MacKenzie-Hili I
Maj PRL Hunter 0
Capt NDF] ackson 0
Capt The Hon MRM Watson 0
Capt C Mitford-Slade 0
2Lt AC Ogden -2
The following Officers play, but were unable to play during 1987:
Lt Col R] Morrisey Paine
Maj H S] Scott
2Lt ES Connolly
The Grooms Team:
LCpl Goodwin
LCpl Pendle
Tpr Terry Tpr Wall
Tpr Edmonds Tpr Hood
Success at the 1987 Army Fencing Championships held at the Army PT School provided The Life Guards with two trophies, although perhaps a little humble alongside the majority of the Regimental Silverware. The team,consisting of Lt s Dalgliesh and Mahony, Sgt Corfield, Tprs Parrington and Stand lake and Cfn Hollingshead got off to a good start with Sgt Corfield's individual victory in the APTC Sabre Tournament.
Thus spurred we sharpened our swords and wits to do battle with a variety of teams ranging from hordes of Royal Engineers to the 16/5 Lancers, for the three man Inter Unit Team Trophy. Sadly, despite indignation and amongst rumours of an immediate return posting (untrue!) the 'inter unit' rule meant we could not play our Ace in the shape of prize epeeist, CoH Margan, currently attached to PMC Arborfield. Despite this set back, the invaluable energy and resourcefulness of SgtCorfield in the Sabre fights and the elegance of Lt 'ZORRO' Dalgleish in the foil bouts, meant that Lt Mahony had only to maintain the momentum in the epee, for The Life Guards to emerge clear winners over 16/5 Lancers. 25 Engineer Regiment were placed third.
L-R: Capt The Han MRM Watson, Maj Graham, 2Lt Mackenzie-Hill, Maj Hunter
L-R: Sgt Corfield, Lt Mahony, Lt Dalgleish
The Regiment was similarly well represented in the individual events. Lt Dalgleish and Sgt Corfield took
Lt Mahony (seated) and CoH Margan and father at this years Inter Services Tournament
part in all three weapons, and there were good performances in the foil event from Cfn Hollingshead and Tpr Parrington. Lt Dalgleish, who only just missed the foil final, qualified for the Inter Services Tournament which was held in July at Earl's Court. Sgt Corfield's form in the Sabre did not quite match his earlier performance; however we were assured that those who had been unwise to cross swords with him also bore marks to the effect.
The Individual epee was predictably our most successful weapon. Lt Mahony and CoH Margan are both members of the British Olympic Epee Squad and so it was not unreasonable to expect some success in this department! In fact Lt Mahony won the title for the third time with CoH Margan in third place, 3! fitting end to what had been an excellent Competition for the Regiment.
the
vVith the arrival ofQMSI Brierley the Regiment has never been so strongly equipped with fencers, and we can look forward to more success in 1988.
Our congratulations go to CoH tvlargan who has been promoted to become an England selector.
Football Officer: 2Lt Cox
Team Coach: LCoH Godson
Team Captain: LCpl Lindsay
Club Secretary: LSgt O'Brien
The 87/88 season's start saw us relegated to Division I from the Premier Division (a penalty never before inflicted upon us). This happened even though we reached the London District Challenge Cup final in which we were beaten 3-0 by the Irish Guards.
We tended to find the Premier Division a little harder than we expected as our side was unsettled side owing to other commitments and some valuable losses, (i.e. LCsoH Bridges and Hughes to Household Cavalry Regiment and LCpls Nutt and Grantham to the Rugby Squad!).
A prolific goal scorer left us with the departure of CoH Bellringer to HCR and Tpr Brown (top scorer with 9 goals) for a rest he felt he deserved in BFPO 655. Perhaps Gary Lineker would consider joining up!!
The goal drought we have met this season will end soon, we hope, and we should begin to finish what we start so weI!. Our leading scorers at the moment are LCpl Poulson (3), LCoH Godson and LCpl Lindsay (2) and a few people with I goal apiece.
As our squad starts to settle down into more natural positions and our younger players start to find their legs, we should do well in the League, but only time, practice and a lot of hard work will tell (perhaps a few goals would help).
With four games played this season we have amassed four points with 2 wins and 2 losses.
v RM London lost 2-1
v 20 Sqn RCT won 1-0
v Guards Depot lost 2-0
v HMS St Vincent won 5-1
The semi-final of the Cavalry Cup was played in front of an eager home crowd. Unfortunately they were disappointed as the Regiment lost 4-1 to 9/12th Lancers in a hard fought match on a heavy pitch, with the home side making most of the play but being unable to finish off some spectacular moves.
In the 5 Airborne Brigade Sports Week a creditable 4th place was reached with a makeshift team due to injuries (noticeable absentees being LCoH Godson, LSgt O'Brien, LCpl Dean, Tpr Brown and a few more carrying injuries received from the Cav1iry Cup). \lVe hope that after the Christmas break the rest will do us good for next year but with A Squadron in Cyprus who knows what the future holds. (Perhaps even a few goals!!)
A special mention must be made to LCpl Lindsay, who during the 5 Airborne Brigade Sports Week Football Competition decided to try to become the
team's saviour and make up for our lack of goals. After five attempts at trying to score he did, even if it was with the help of the post!
Hockey in the Regiment has undergone something of a decline due to a lack of interest on a regular basis and the pitch problems. As from November of last year, the Hockey pitch has been turned over to Football, leaving Hockey without a permanent home until the redevelopment of Queen Anne's Meadow has been completed. However, outside Squadron Competitions and Brigade Sports Week, little Hockey is played in the Regiment - and it is probably not until we return to Germany that it will start up again. However, that said, just over 55 people took part in an extremely tightly contested Inter-Squadron Competition and many more will have benefitted from Squadron run pre-tournament practises. In terms of base results, A Squadron triumphed for the second year running defeating B Squadron in the final. C Squadron narrowly defeated HQ Squadron in the play-off after the match had gone to extra time. On the basis of this competition, the Regiment will select a side to play in the Brigade Sports Week in December. We hope to run a six-a-side competition in March so there should at least be something towards which the Regiment'S Hockey players can look forward.
The Orienteering team has been unable to make a serious challenge for any of the major District League Trophies this year. Unfortunately, other commitments have militated against the fielding of a 'first eleven' team on a regular basis. Consequently success has proved elusive in this strongly contested sport.
Despite this, a useful team was entered for the 5 Airborne Brigade competition in December which was held at Long Valley after an early morning dusting of snow. The competition was fierce with particularly strong teams field by 7 RHA and 3 PARA who used their local knowledge to good effect. Everyone enjoyed the event, some so much so that they were reluctant to navigate via the shortest route, choosing rather to take in as much of the area as the light permitted. The Inter Squadron Orienteering Competition was held in Windsor Great Park during March. The area is used infrequently for Orienteering so the event was made available to all other competitors in the local leagues. The event was well supported and much enjoyed. A Squadron emerged as the eventual winners narrowly defeating HQ Squadron followed by Band C Squadrons. The individual award went to Capt Worts on the A course who finished a clear 5 minutes ahead of the
field led by LCoH Roberts. Tpr Deans won the B course event and finished a convincing 10 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, Capt Stewart.
Throughout the year LCoH Stanley and more recently Capt Stovell have been much in evidence at local events. It is hoped that next year will prove a little less busy and enable greater team participation in league events.
In August of this year, the British Modern Pentathlon Team won its first ever Team Medal, a bronze, in the World Championships, held in Moulins, France. I had the pleasure of being part of that Team, and am taking the opportunity to explain a little about the Sport, and now, its connection with The Life Guards.
The Pentathlon is best explained in the terms in which it was conceived, by the founder of the Modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Couberin. The Sport follows the adventures of a somewhat luckless Napoleonic Liaison Officer who is first pursued across country on his horse, before being forced to defend himself with his Pistol and Sword, swim across a river and deliver his message on foot.
Fortunately, the Modern Sport is not quite so hazardous! Day one is a showjumping course, day two up to fourteen hours of continuous fencing, day three a three hundred metre freestyle swim, day four twenty -hots duelling with a pistol, and finally a four thousand metre cross-country run.
It is, in elTect, the 'Victor Laudorum' of Olympic Sports, requiring technical skill as well as athleticism. It is also a Sport in which Britain has traditionally done well. Some might remember the 1976 Team of Fox, Nightingale and Parker, who ran olTwith the Gold medal in Montreal - the only country ever to have done so in the presence of the all dominant Russian and Hungarian Teams.
Once more we have a British Team capable of winning an Olympic medal, and 1988 will be an exciting opportunity for me, to fulfil a boyhood dream of taking part in an Olympic Games. In addition, with the arrival at the Regiment of QMSI Brierley from the Army PT School, himself a former member of the British Team, I hope The Life Guards can once more become a major force in Army Modern Pentathlon, starting with the Army Championships to be held in July 1988.
L- R: Mr R Phelps, Lt D J G Mahony ( LG), Mr G Brookhouse and Cpl P Hart ( REME)
Blood, sweat and a certain amount of success have combined to make the 1987/88 season thoroughly erUoyable. Captained by SCpJ Evans and coached by WO I (ASM) McCombe, the team has been able to develop and even thrive. This season has seen us without the weight and skills of LCoH Drennan, LCpl Ward and LCpl Richards who have gone on to other pastures, but many new players have begun to show through. The season has been notable for a consistently high turnout at training sessions, even in poor weather and when a severe 'beasting' session has been in the offing. The hard work has paid dividends with fine wins in the Army Cup against the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the
team who put us out last year, the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital at Woolwich. Sadly we went out to 1st Bn Cheshire Regiment in the Quarter Finals. The highlight of the season to date was victory against 2nd Bn Coldstream Guards to win the Prince of Wales Cup for the second season running. The new year promises to be busy wi th the Regiment participating in the Royal Armoured Corps and South East District Competitions.
The second annual Household Division Seaview Regatta took place at Seaview on the Isle of Wight at the end of June. Sadly last year's joint winner, Maj Falkner, was unable to go so the Regiment was represented by a rather more social than nautical crew. Maj Doughty was the team captain, Capt O'Kane was the chief tactician and Lt Connolly was the crewman who pulled all the ropes.
Seaview is a most idyllic place where time has all but stood still. The yacht club looks over the Solent and it's particularly well known for its 'Mermaid' class of racing yacht. The 'Mermaid' is a beautiful clinker-built keel boat, almost impossible to capsize and comparatively easy to sail. The Life Guards crew immediately gave itselfa handicap (our excuse for coming last) by inviting two Australian girls and a young Coldstream Guards officer onto our boat. The latter's regiment was sadly not represented at the Regatta and the two girls persuaded us that their experience of ocean racing made them indispensible. In truth, we gained considerable ballast which was only relieved by the regular dumping of empty beer cans!
Once we mastered the ropes we were able to get down to some serious sailing. Our particular speciality was the art of crossing the start line on time, that fine dividing line between sailing in the wrong direction when the gun goes off and crossing the line too early. We had some good starts but were not so good thereafter! It must have been all those passengers' The result was that we certainly did not win, nor did we come in the first three, bu t we did get a prize!
If the reader has gained the impression that this is yet another 'officers sport' he would be wrong. A wide range of ranks were represen ted among the crews and the event was enjoyed by everyone. The experience could, perhaps, be best summarized by a conversation overheard by Maj Doughty in the Gentlemen's 100 just before the prizegiving Bemonicled officer to the Major General: "It is all rather pleasant, sir, because I can confidently say that we have the whole of the civilized world represented here today".
Racing can be a most serious business so it was refreshing to take part in a regatta where we were not embarrassed by our lack of experience. Maj de Burgh-Milne of the Grenadier Guards had done a splendid job. Good luck to next year's crew and to the continued success of a most enjoyable event.
The 1986/7 season was reasonably successful considering the overstretch that has become the norm at Windsor. The Regimental team competed in the South East District League and knock-out competition, and several of the team competed as individuals in the London District Competition with considerable success. The Regiment also ran an Inter-Squadron competition which was a great success as it encouraged those not fortunate enough to play on a regular basis for the Regiment, to have a highly competitive game under the watchful eye of the Squash Officer. There is considerable ta1mt in the Regiment and with the right amount of coaching seasons, skills could be improved to enable a wider selection for the team.
As far as results are concerned the team played 6 matches and won 3 in the league, reached the semi-finals of the knock-out competition (only to be beaten by the eventual winners the Light Division Depot whose team included 3 PTIs) and HQ Squadron won the InterSquadron competition with C Squadron runners up. The individual results in the London District Competition were very impressive. Capt The Hon M R M Watson reached the semi-finals of the London District Plate and Tpr Leeson retained his Under 25 title. Tpr Leeson was also in the Army Under 25 team and in the Combined Services Squad. If the Regimental team can run some coaching sessions with Tpr Leeson, skills could be dramatically improved.
Prospects for the 87/88 season are mediocre as many established members of the Regimental team have left on posting, Maj Lumb to RMAS, Capt Watson to HQ Household Division, Capt (now Maj) Graham to HCR, CoH (now SCpl) Jordan to the D & M School, . SSgt Sayers and Sgt Symons on postings to other units and last but not least Maj Forbes-Cockell to HQLF Cyprus. Also between Jan and Jun 88 A Sqn will be in Cyprus. However W02 Sanderson, Musn Carson and Tpr Leeson are still at Windsor and recently have been joined by Maj Falkner, 2Lt Farquhar (the 87/88 season Squash Officer) and 2Lt Farr. Hopefully they will encourage others to play and improve the pool of players from which the Regimental team can be selected.
For the first time a Life Guards Ski Team qualified for the Army Alpine Ski Championships this year.
A team of6 spent six arduous weeks in Verbier. The instruction was of a very high standard and with the benefit of having a race every week each member of the team made remarkable improvements.
A team of 5 then went to Galtur, Austria to compete in the divisional Championships with the result that 4 of that 5 qualified to go on to the Army Championships. With the benefit of having 4 people qualifying we were able to 'drag' one more person through to ski in a team made up of individuals.
Out of the 4 Household Division Teams in Saltur The Life Guards came 1st and out of 14 UKLF teams The Life Guards came 6th.
At the end of the Army Championships The Life Guards finished 3rd out of the UKLF teams and 10th overall.
Surrounded by some very experienced racers this was a remarkable achievemen t.
TEAM MEMBERS
Lt A M Clark
2Lt R E Mackenzie-Hill (Capt)
2Lt The Hon J E M Eden
LCoH Hunter
LCpl Knight
Tpr Beech
Lt Clar!<, 2Lt Eden, LCpl Knight and Tpr Beech all skied for The Life Guards Team in the Army Championships whilst 2Lt Mackenzie-Hill skied in the mock-up team.
RESULTS - ARMY CHAMPIONSHIPS
12th in the slalom 12th in the giant slalom 10th in the downhill
Making the overall position 10th.
Having achieved this high standard with such an inexperienced team and with consistency in team members, The Life Guards Ski Team can only go from strength to strength.
This year the Regimental Swimming Competition was held in the swimming pool at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. It was a "veil-contested competition, held on the afternoon of Monday 10 August, and we were privileged to have the senior serving officer in The Life Guards, Major General S C Cooper - Commandan t of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to present the pnzes.
The competition was decided over eight individual races and five relays, and the results were as follows:
I
I
I
I
2
2
4 X 2 lengths
4 X 2 lengths
4 X 1 length
ButterAy
The overall positions were as follows:
4th B Sqn
3rd C Sqn
2nd HQ Sqn
1st A Sqn
'From Little Acorns'
Working on the principle that it takes four years to produce a good high standard Tug of War Team, the Regiment hasjust completed its second year at the sport and a very successful one it has been.
Starting in Feb 87 an Inter Squadron Training League every Wednesday afternoon was organised to encourage soldiers to come along and try the sport and take it up if they wished. From this grand beginning of some 40 pullers by the time the Inter Squadron Championships took place on 2 May 1987 this squad was approximately 15-17 strong, which it has remained for most of the season, the majority of members being from C Sqn and HQ Sqn.
As the season progressed so the training and preparations became harder with 3 training sessions a week followed by a Sat or Sun Competition with civilian cl u bs at various shows and meetings around the countryside even managing to appear at the same show as the Band, Recruiting Team and Quadrille on 3 occasions making it a real Household Cavalry spectacular.
Hio-hlights of the year have undoubtedly been the .- Howing:
'he Warrior Trophy 5 AB Bde his is a Trophy competed for by all members/units of o .-\B Bde on an annual basis. The Life Guards won the .lajor Units Trophy for Tug of War being undefeated in .e 640 Kilo class. This proved quite a shock to the :Stem for some of our cherry coloured opponents.
!nler Squadron Championships
. t Windsor on Families Day 2 May 87. A terrific Competition in which The Life Guards MoutHed . uadron also took part as did the Teams from the Officers and was' & NCOs' Mess (what a result!!), the ("\-entual winners being HQ Sqn from C Sqn. ,! aterbeach TO W Championships :\0 medals here but probably the most rewarding Trophy the Team were awarded 'Most Sporting Team' Trophy.
Household Division Championships Shield
This Shield is competed for by all Sqns and Coys of The Household Division. The Regiment entered Teams from .-\. B, C, D? and HQ Sqns and after a terrific day's pulling emerged the winners defeating The Guards Depot in the finals by two straight pulls.
outh East District Championships - Bicester :\lthough not technically part of SE District the Regiment was invited to take part and entered Teams at all weights (640-680 Kilo) coming Runners Up to the .-\rmy Champions at 680 Kilo and third in the 640 class.
Household Cavalry
e Regimental Tug·of- War Team and Trophies 1987. :"-R: (Standing): Major BLane, Tprs Hoon, Laing, Smart, Thomas, --:.Ji(Seated): Tpr Yeomans, LCpls Bishop & Beaumont, CoH .:lore, LCoH Layzell, LCpl Wilshire, CoH Tierney, SSgt Simpson J Tpr Underhay
Royal Tournament: Finals of the 660 Kilo Single Service Championships
Royal TOurnament - Earls Court
One of the highlights of the season was the Team's performance at Earls Court. Having established themselves during the week by some excellent training pulls against the various Service Champions RAF and RN and also the USN and Hong Kong Police, who were all defeated. The Team were unlucky to miss the finals on the Saturday night by half a point finishing in a very credi table fifth place.
Royal Highland Games - Braemar
To crown the season the Team were invited to Braemar to compete in the Highland Games. Out of eleven teams competing the Regiment finished sixth, again with such high class opposition (3 RA Teams in the first 4) a very creditable performance.
Readers will no doubt have noticed that no names have been mentioned to date and this has been done to emphasise the fact that it is essentially a team sport with no individual gladiators. However, my personal thanks are made to all those named who have given their own time and made great efforts to enhance the name of the Regiment in Tug of War both in the Service and Civilian world, with the hope that 1988 will see us with an Army Trophy.
The Team are now sponsored by A.E.L. Communications Ltd to whom we are very grateful for our extremely smart strips. During the season Regimental Colours have been awarded to those indicated and many at present are about to be awarded for their efforts during the season:
B Sqn C Sqn
LCpl Wilshire (C) Tpr Thomas
Tpr Yeomans
Tpr Smart
Tpr Toft
HQ Sqn
LCpl Moore (C)
LCoH Whittaker (C)
LCpl Beaumont
LCpl Knight
LCoH LayzeJl (C) Tpr Hoon
Tpr Underhay (C)
LCoH Drennan (C)
CoH Tierney
Tpr Laing
LCpI Bentley
The year started off well with the Inter Squadron Volleyball Competition. This proved to be of a very high standard, with HQ Squadron the eventual winners from C Squadron, with B Squadron third and A Squadron fourth.
We then formed the Regimental Volleyball Team for the 5 Airborne Brigade Sports Week, not doing too well in the competition due to half of the first team players being on other sports. We persevered, though, and trained for the London District Competition which we finally won after a very hard fought game with QEMH, the score being two sets to one.
The whole team played well and are now looking forward to the UKLF finals in April. We are hoping to get most of the team their Regimental Colours.
This was held immediately after the swimming and was very competitive! The referees were completely on the ball and the ruthless efficiency with which they sent 'out' almost every member of every team at one stage or another, including the water-polo officer himself, made for a very amusing finale to the afternoon.
I am not sure that every participant had a full grasp of waterborne polo tactics, even less the faintest intention of complicity with the rules - but it was fun. In the final, HQ Squadron swam out winners by beating A Sq uadron 4 goals to nil.
Our thanks go to all the organisers, the Commandant RMAS for presenting the prizes and allowing us the use of 'his' pool, and to Tpr (now LCpl) Wilsher (B Squadron), who asked to have his name mentioned for something.
For the month of July about 2300 men and women of all three services gather together at Earls Court Exhibition Centre to stage the Royal Tournament. Of this total nearly 600 form the administrative element and the remainder are the performers. This administrative element was this year based on B Squadron The Life Guards with a lot of help from the remainder of the Regiment, notably the QM and his staff and the other Squadrons.
Earls Court staff transformed the building before we arrived. The central arena was surrounded with seating for 13,000, the arena itself was covered with hundreds of tons of tan to spread the loads on the wooden floor which covered the swimming pool beneath, stabling was erected for over a hundred horses and partitions were erected to form dormitories for over 1000 men and women, stores and bars (II in all). A mobile bath and laundry unit moved in. Within three days the QM and his staffhad moved in over 50 container loads of stores. 1000 beds were placed in the dormitories and office furniture was positioned. Work continued night and day until the influx of performers.
A publicising parade was held on the first Sunday in the Medway towns of Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester. Elements from each of the performing groups totalling 500 embarked on two special trains, formed up at Gillingham station and marched to Chatham via the Historic Dockyard. The Garrison Sergeant Major managed to create order and a good parade out of Australian Bands, Royal Naval Reservists, Danish Mounted Troops, Motorcyclists, Royal Marines in arctic warfare kit carrying skis (the temperature was in the 80s), RAF Police Dogs etc.
A further three days of rehearsing before the first performance followed the parade. The Royal Navy Field Gun teams started fitness training at 0500 hours and from then until late into the night the whole building was
Tpr Wade, the Regimental carpenter, carries out running repairs on a 'Sidewinder' missile.
filled with noise; bands practising, people shouting, PA systems booming. Speaking on a telephone was practically impossible. Meanwhile most of The Life Guards were settling into a routine. Apart from all the normal regimental type of du ties such as guarding, clerking, issuing of stores, driving and running messes we all had to find our way around the building. The sheer size and complexity of such an edifice was confusing.
B Squadron Leader, who had become the Royal Tournament Commandant, wore a pedometer throughout and clocked up over 110 miles inside the building. A Royal Marine bandsman descended the stairs to the basement in his towel in search ofa shower he had heard of, went through a door and found himself standing on Earls Court tube station.
The cookhouse in the basement rolled into action catering for up to 1000 people for each meal. Proportionate numbers were fed in both the officers and
Continued on page 42
WOs and NCOs messes. For nearly three weeks there were two performances each day except for Sundays which were rest days. Fatigue parties were organised in shifts, some soldiers spending the entire period scrubbing pans in the basement. Some people never actually saw the light of day for the whole period.
The end of the Tournament was inevitably punctuated by endless parties. After the penultimate performance the rum ration was broken out with surprising effects on those who had never tasted the 'tot'.
The final performance included a parade of the administrative staff with some surprises, one of which was the arrest of the Commandant on suspicion of driving a Sinclair C5 under the influence of alcohol. Finally all the packing up was done and we all returned to Windsor, happy to be away from the hot, noisy, dusty atmosphere of Earls Court but happy also that the Royal Tournament Committee had voted The Life Guards the best administrators of the Royal Tournament in memory.
A cold wind swept down the icy Khumbu Glacier as we headed North for our final objective, Kala Pattar. An insignificant peak dominated by the revered mountains of Everest, N uptse, Lhotse and Purnori. Clear skies contrasted with the white peaks and rocky outcrops. An eerie silence, broken only by avalanches, hung in the thin air. No wildlife, no flowers, cut off from civilisation; stone cairns and engraved rocks, the stark reminder of those who never return. But mankind remains to be lured to this remote and inhospitable corner of the world.
Kala Pattar stands at 18,650 feet on the western side of the Khum bu Glacier. The two week approach march prepared the team for the climate, terrain and altitude. Above 10,000 feet everyone is prone to altitude moun tain sickness which can be fatal. Unfortunately LCpl Richards suffered from this after spending a day on Polkade East. He was very sick and was suffering acute nausea and headaches. He would only recover if he lost altitude quickly and so Sgt Corfield and a yak escorted him down the mountain to Pheriche. They nursed him back to health and after four days he was back on his feet. Fortunately this was the only major incident on the expedition.
Eighteen months of planning, a budget of £10,000 and an opportunity for ten Life Guards to experience life in Nepal resulted in this expedition. Selecting a well balanced team was a formidable task with the backbone of the team coming from B Squadron: Capt Mitford-Slade, LCpls Richards, Wilsher, and Core and Tpr Bright. The supporting cast consisted of the finance officer (played by Capt Garrett), the medic (LSgt Harrison), climbing instructor (QMSI McKay), training instructor (Sgt Corfield) and LCoH Steed.
The aim of the expedition was to complete a high altitude trek in a remote part of north east Nepal. To achieve this the team flew out to Kathmandu at the end of February. The advance party, Capt Mitford-Slade and LCpl Richards, went out a week in advance to organise the finance, trekking permits, equipment and porters. The Nepalese government needed a lot ofpersuasion and paperwork to clear the rations through customs, but within a week everything was organised.
A local bus was hired to take everyone to the start point atJiri. Kami, the guide and interpreter, set off immediately to organise the porters whilst Kalde
prepared the meal - our first taste of 'daal baaht' (the local dish consisting of rice and lentil stew).
Food was always a topic of conversation (and complaint): porridge and eggs for breakfast, soup and biscuits for lunch, and a decent meal in the evening. The water provided the main health hazard and despite efforts to sterilise the water with iodine, puritabs and boiling, everyone suffered from dysentry at some stage.
In four weeks the team walked over 350 miles from Jiri to Dhankuta via the Everest Region. The weather varied considerably from damp tropical mists in he foothills, crisp, clear days above Namche Bazaar and IOrrential rainstorms in the Arrun Valley. The sun normally broke through by mid-day which allowed everyone time to dry out, wash clothes, take a rest and devour some· food. Each day the team walked for about ,even hours, pitching camp by four in the evening and ;:itting round a warm fire discussing life or playing cards.
The expedition was generously sponsored by the Major General, the Royal Armoured Corps, London District, The Life Guards, John Moulem and Company and Clive Watson Transport Limited. Equipment was loaned from the SAS and the RAGC Adventure Training Depot at Thatcham. The RAF flew out the arctic rations and equipment. Mike Cheney gave invaluable advice and provided the sherpas. Many others were involved with the expedition and all their service and support were greatly appreciated.
RM The Queen admiring the photograph album presented
Maj Falkner tells the Brigadier that he's not worried. The Second-in-Command is not convinced
W02 Digney had become so much a part of the life of the Regiment and, in particular, the Officers' Mess, that it is difficult to believe that he has now left. For nine years he ran the Officers' Mess with a unique charm and style that will be sadly missed.
There are so many 'Digney' stories, some apocryphal but all quite believable like the story of the young recruit who, on being challenged for wearing an Eton tie, replied that of course he had been to Eton ... on a bus!
The young (and probably the not so young!) officers of today would probably be surprised to know that W02 Digney has not always been in the Officers' Mess. In a career of 32 years he has done many things although he hasn't always appeared keen to reveal details of his pre-Officers' Mess period! Once, long ago in the Far East, for example, he worked in the Tech stores where he proved himself adept at procuring helicopter spares! His report from the Army School of Recruiting declared that he 'failed to sell Liverpool to the enquirer'. A somewhat surprising condemnation as he was a good salesman. Who hasn't, in the Officers' Mess, purchased an expensive bottle of coloured water with the declaration that it was an 'excellent hair preparation'!
Presentation to W02 Digney BEM for services to the Officers' House
L-R: Brig A B S H Gooch, W02 Digney, Lt Col V A L Goodhew, MBE
But on a serious note, \,V02 Digney's considerable knowledge of good food and wine ensured that the officers always enjoyed the highest of standards in the Mess. And not only in Barracks but also, sometimes to our embarrassment, on exercise as well. The food has always been of a high standard although some officers have expressed alarm on receiving mess bills for what they thought would be free. Sadly freshly baked bread at breakfast and l'escargot for dinner are no longer part of 'field conditions'!
W02 Digney had a remarkable circle of acquaintances throughout the Army, not to mention a few past and present (and, no doubt, future) members of the Army Board. Several Commanding Officers have admitted, with humility, that the 'General' didn't know them but he did know the 'Corporal Major' and 'how lovely to see him looking so well!'
He is now working for Searcy's in London where he will continue to supervise many grand parties. To him and to his wife, Pam, we offer our best wishes for the future. The Viscount and Digney Added Tax may have gone bu t the memory Ii ngers on!
Editor's Note. LeoH McAlpine is one of the more widely travelled members of the Regiment. A few years ago he wrote an article for The Acorn on his travels and this year tells of a few more far off countries:
A small island in the Mediterranean Sea south east of the Greek mainland (or just before you reach Cyprus). Leaving Gatwick Airport on a mild UK evening flying through the night, we touched down at Heraklion Airport at 0400 hours and the temperature was a modest 55 degrees. (Note the comparison.) Although the island can be very busy with tourists during the summer between September and April you do not get a Brighton or Bognor Regis-type atmosphere. Most of the bars (tavernas) are open from about 7 o'clock in the morning until 2 o'clock the following morning (3 o'clock Saturday night/Sunday morning).
Besides going ou t on the razzle, Crete also offers peace and tranquility, whether on the flat plains or the mountains and the cost of living is relatively inexpensive as well. A good 3 course meal costs less than a fiver.
A country that goes back 5,000 years or more. Although Cairo (the capital with a population of 7 million) is a modern city, there are still a lot of ancient sites as well from the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx to The Cairo Museum. The Great Pyramids have stood for over 5,000 years and are still in good nick; yet there are blocks of flats at home which are less than 20 years old and they are falling to bits. Although Cairo is the current capital it has not always been so. The first Egyptian capital was Memphis (no Elvis Presley Boulevard though) but after 5,000 years or more, there is not very much of it left.
Tipping is a way of life there and a street map of Cairo is essential unless you want to spend a small fortune asking directions to places. Whilst the Pyramids and the Sphinx are big enough NOT to miss there are other places which you might miss if you are not sure where you are. You can even take cameras into the Museum or if you have the money you can even cheek taking a video camera in there. Having seen Uncle Tute's treasures one could not help feeling sorry for those poor suckers who come to the Museum hoping to see them and they turn out to be somewhere else in the world.
Alexandria, generally regarded as Egypt's second city, is situated on the North Coast, about 4 hours by road from Cairo. I t was named after Alexander the Great, and known more affectionately as ALEX by the British since the Second World War. A city where most of the historic sights are either Greek or Arabic. The beach tended to remind one of home though, people sprawled out in deckchairs and sunbathing with handkerchiefs on top of their heads.
After Alexandria and Cairo, it was all aboard the overnight express for the journey South to Luxor (in Upper Egypt would you believe?). A train journey wi th never a dull moment, travelling 500 miles through the Sahara Desert. After a rather eventful journey on the train and arriving in Luxor at 6 o'clock the following day, it was time to prepare for the highlight of the trip - an audience with Uncle Tute at his place (The VaJley of The Kings). First however we paid a visit to his aunties in The Vajjey of The Queens, including morning coffee with a couple of them. In the afternoon we wen t to Uncle Tu te's place and took afternoon tea with him. I must admit that for a 3,000 year old he is keeping well.
The following day involved a trip to Aswan, a further 3 hours by road to the south taking in a visit to Kitchener Island, both the new dam and the old dam and Lunch at El Shati's Restaurant, however, after sampling the coffee I declined the food. U nfortuna tely as there was a Moslem gathering in Mecca a trip to the Abu Simbel Temple had to be cancelled. However, both the Sound and Light shows in Luxor and Cairo are well worth going to. All in all for the amount of money that it cost me to go there a trip to Egypt is good value for money.
In some ways from the historic point of view like Egypt but the nightlife is somewhat different. Formerly known as Siam, Thailand borders Malaysia in the south, Burma in the north, Vietnam and Kampuchea (Cambodia) in the east.
Bangkok, the capital and the largest city in the country, offers just about the lot, from markets and temples to restaurants and lots of other things (no they are not Knocking Shops they are caJled Girlie Bars). Honeymoon couples are not recommended (well that's what they say in the travel brochures).
Some 4 hours' journey to the north of the capital lies the infamous bridge across the River Kwai, in many ways a sight more moving than Belsen or Dachau. POWs, mainly from the UK, Netherlands and Australia who died from just about cvery disease under the sun from malnutrition to malaria, from starvation to dysentry, building the Burma or 'Death Railway'.
After spending a week in Bangkok I moved South to the coastal town of Pattaya, some 2 hours by road. Pattaya ofTers many things like Bangkok; some might say that if they ever made another sequel to 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet' then Pattaya would be the ideal place for it.
The Author
The other side or the world, well you can't go any furthcr or you start coming back again.
The trip to New Zealand takes the best part of 30 hours whichever way you go and even 'knackered' tends to be an understatement when you get ofT the aircraft at the other end; the Customs and Immigration authorities tend to be slow as well. More than one jumbo at Auckland Airport and you have Piccadilly Circus gone wrong!
Having cleared formalities, New Zealand is a very scenic country indeed. With a population of around 2 million and nearly half or them living around the Auckland area there are more people unemployed in the UK than there is population in New Zealand. In terms of land mass Auckland is probably the largest city in the world. However there is more to New Zealand than just Auckland. A visit to Cape Reanga right at the top of the North Island where the Tasmanian Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet is quite a unique sight especially when the tides are the best part of 4 hours apart. Watching the geysers perform is somewhat spectacular too. The mud they throw up is rather warm though.
The South Island also has a lot to afTer as well considerably more than what in fact I managed to see but I
did get the opportunity to pan for gold at a couple of the Frontier type towns - not very successful though. A visit to Queenstown is a must for anybody who visits the South Island. Queenstown is completely surrounded by the New Zealand Alps, is on a lake with boat cruises, has chopper tri ps up to the Glaciers, rafting and all types of Al pine sports all the year around.
After the best part of 13 years travelling I finally made it to the South American continent. Although I spent most of my 2 weeks in and around Rio it was 2 weeks well spent.
Rio like many other big cities around the world is a lively and exciting city, and you don't need to go at the Carnival Time (normally the last week in February/first week in March) to enjoy it. Rio is the all-in 24 hour city: you name it - it goes on. One thing to note though - If you ever go to Rio DO NOT exchange your money at the Banks. Generally tourists go on the Black Market and Johnny Law couldn't give a monkey's.
From taking Morning Coffee with JC on Cocovado Mountain (How he finished up in Rio tends to be a mystery - to me anyway - but he did appreciate my visit) to the Cable Car Trip up Sugar Loaf Mountain although it was a bit bumpy to say the least. Would one ever expect to find a Cricket Pitch in Rio? - well, there is one and it was the English who put it there. The Brazilians, though, as we all know prefer Football and when you get a Stadium (the Marracana) with a capacity of close on 250,000 and no other sport is allowed, can you blame them? Whether you like Football or not, the atmosphere in the Marracana is unique, and is not to be missed.
There is even a Crystal Palace in Braziljust outside Rio on the main road to Sao Paulo, although it is not as big as the original in London was.
During my short time in Brazil it was clear that 2 weeks was nowhere near enough and to appreciate a vast Country like that 2 months would be more appropriate.
The idea for a large scale expedition to the Sahara was conceived in the autumn of 1986. Detailed proposals were presented in October, but the expedition was not given clearance until March 1987. In order to ensure the smooth running of the expedition, it was decided to carry out a reconnaissance. Capt Spowers and LCoH Baker set off by Range Rover for a one month trip to the Sahara, during the course of which they covered 9,000 miles and carried out detailed inspections of various areas. Lt Col Coleridge, the assistant Defence Attache in Algiers, was most hospitable on the outward and return journeys and assisted in the supply of several spare parts required by the 15 year old Range Rover.
The original plan for the expedition involved the use of a variety of vehicles of types likely to be encountered in a possible out of area operation in a Third World country. The problems with logistics caused by such a mixture of vehicles were deemed to be too great a disadvantage, so the plan was modified to a team of 4 Landrovers, 2 Bedford 4 ton trucks and 2 motorcycles. Preparation for the expedition began in earnest at the start of September. Four brand new Landrover 90s were allocated for the trip by the UKLF pool, together with 2 Bedford MJs, one new and one almost new.
After collecting the vehicles, all were given a coat of white paint. This operation was not as simple as it might sound. The standard green paint is infra-red reflective, a fact proved when Lt Harris' camera, with auto focus, got confused when trying to focus on it. Army white paint will not take on this infra-red reflective surface, so a neu tral layer had to be applied before the white. Everybody involved with the expedition by now realises things take longer than you expect. Painting the vehicles was no exception.
The pre-departure training has included 2 lectures on D & M related topics, 3 medical lectures, a day's driver training with Tom Sheppard, a veteran of 17 desert
expeditions, and a day with Captain Joyce, an instructor at the D & M school and a man thoroughly experienced in the use of trucks off the road on African expeditions.
A two day course at Landrover covering maintenance, fault diagnosis and repairs was most beneficial and should enable the team to deal with any mechanical problems which confront .. it. Sub Lieutenant Holmes, a navigator, delivered a thoroughly entertaining and informative lecture on the principles of navigation, which each member of the team then put into practice by carrying out a variety of position plotting exercises.
The pre-departure training was rounded off with a one day session at the Michelin training centre in London where 6 selected men were shown the correct and easy way to change tyres. Ham-fisted techniques such as driving over the tyres with other vehicles to break the beads and using 2 people and a sledge-hammer per tyre lever were seen to be much harder work and more time consuming than 14" tyre levers and knack. During the expedition, each Landrover will go through 2 complete changes of tyres, including spare wheels, so the day at Michelin should prove its worth.
The expedition will leave Windsor on December 29th and aims to catch a ferry from Genoa to Tunis on January 2nd. After entering Algeria, the team will visit the Assistant Defence Attache in Algiers, where the vehicles will be stripped to the waistline and any unnecessary equipment will be stockpiled pending the return from the desert. About January 8th, the expedition will enter the Sahara.
The next 6 weeks will be split into three 2 week phases. Each phase will take place in a different type of desert, each area having been selected as a good example of one of three main types of desert common to all arid areas of
the world. The first area is a fairly flat, rocky, dissected by dry river beds, having some vegetation and numerous steep escarpments. The second area, the Hoggar, is mountainous, very barren and relatively cold. The peaks, some of which reach over 9,000 feet, will offer excellent opportunities for rock climbing, The last area will be sand dunes, a classic example of the type of desert envisaged by everybody unfamiliar with the Sah'ara. The latter is composed of only 17% sand, the reIl)ainder being rock and gravel.
A base camp will be established in each area. The team will then split in two, One team of 8 will attempt a 6 day route in the 4 Landrovers the others will remain on foot. During the course of 6 days they will do a trek, rock climb, abseil, practice navigation and be instructed in desert survival techniques. Halfway through each 2 week phase, the two teams will change over. Therefore, by the end of the expedition, everybody will have spent a week on foot in each area and a week in a vehicle in each area.
Although there is to be no attempt at an expeditionary first, everybody will feel they are achieving something all the time as the routes chosen will be arduous yet possible. The aim of the expedition is purely training and it is hoped that everybody will benefit from the opportunity to Jearn as much as possible about all aspects of living and travelling in deserts, both on foot and in vehicles. For a full account of Desert Fox, readers of The Acorn will have to wait another year.
Corrugations on a Sahara track
The expedition set off, as planned, on the 29th December and made good progress as far as Nice. After securing the vehicles in a French Army barracks, the t-eam dispersed to make the most of Nice on New Year's Eve. Remarkably the team was able to set off again at a sensible hour the next dqy, without having to wait for any missing team members. A short drive along the corniche road brought the expedition to the Italian border where an incorrectly .filled in document necessitated a call to Windsor. At this point devastating news was received. That morning, a telex arrived from the Difence Attache in Algiers sqying that he had been summoned to the Defence Ministry in Algiers and informed that British Soldiers were not welcome in Algeria, since two had apparently been seen wearing uniform on a recent expedition. Having been given the go aheadfor the expedition at an earlier stage, it was most distressing to then be refused permission to enter the country. In spite of several attempts to .find an alternative area in which to achieve the original aims, the whole team returned disconsolate to Windsor. After a year's hard work and thorough preparation this was a very sad conclusion but it is hoped that much of the equipment might be used on another such project in the future.
You have probably heard of 'Broadgate'. It is a collection of new buildings in King's Cross composed of office blocks and the like to be used by the business
community. The Band were asked by Rosehaugh Stanhope Developments PLC to go to Japan to play at the Japanese promotion (called a 'presentation') in Tokyo. We agreed with alacrity! Being the Band Secretary, I am not usually allowed out of the Office long enough to take part in these
'swans' and so carried on my office work in the usual way. The Band were on a week's engagement at Bournemouth the week before the Tokyo trip and I was in the office, as usual, in charge of 'Home HQ'. The phone rang and a director of Rosehaugh said "Can you tell me the name of the chap who is going out toJapan on Thursday to recce for the Band's visit this weekend?" Not having been told anything about a reece, I played it along. "The Band are down in Bournemouth at the moment," said 1. "It would be a bit awkward to take someone out of the Band to go; but, if you like, I could go ou t there." What a stroke of luck! He said "I'll send the plane ticket to you by courier this afternoon." Thursday dawned and, after last minute frantic packing (you always forget something!), I was in young Musn Bailey's mini going towards Heathrow (he was cheaper than a taxi!). I travelled out in a British Airways Jumbo Executive Class (there were no Tourist Class tickets left at the time of booking!) in the lap of luxury; a glass of champagne on boarding, excellent food and free drinks. The only ins truction that I had received was to report to Geoff Watson in the Hotel Okura after booking into the Hotel Ana in Tokyo (where the Band would be staying). The airport, by the way, is ll/2hrs away from Tokyo and so I had to find my own way to the hotel. Anyway, I arrived at the Hotel Ana - it was absolutely amazing! My room had everything you could possibly want; en suite bathroom, shower & WC; fully stocked bar with fridge and ice; tea and coffee etc, etc
But I didn't have time to hang about, the plane had landed at 0900hrs and I had to be at the Hotel Okura to meet Mr Watson at l200hrs - no time to bath or even shave. Geoff \!\latson turned out to be a very helpful man although he was extremely busy - he was the only one on the team who spoke fluent Japanese and so he was in constant demand. Geoff, Bill Poole (a manager with Rosehaugh) and I went straight out (after a quick meal and a drink) to do the recce in company with some Japanese liaison types who were with the team. We whizzed round the various places where the Band were playing and I did my best to explain the intricacies of a military marching band, how much space to allow, taking overhanging trees into account (we were wearing helmets and plumes), how many chairs for the concert band etc, etc. The Band were going to be very busy by the looks of it; they would start at 0530hrs (breakfast) then to Kitanomura Park at 0630hrs where they had to do a rehearsal for Breakfas t Television which was live at 0745hrs. I enquired about a changing room and was met by blank looks. "A changing room? We hadn't thought of that!" There was nowhere available and so, in the end, the Band had to change in the coach and in the bushes to looks of amazement from the TV crew. Then change again and off to the Mitsukoshi Department Store Oapan's equivalent of Harrod's) in the middle of Tokyo. The traffic was absolutely diabolical; I have never seen such a succession of traffic jams, even in London in the middle of rush hour. I remarked on this and was told that this was nothing; wait until you see the weekend traffic!
The department store was marvellous - everyone and everything was so neat and tidy, all the staff so helpful and smiling all the time. That particular venue was not too
W02 Whitworth and 'friends' setting up music stands in Hibiya Park, Tokyo
difficult apart from the geography of the marching; you can imagine trying to march in threes through Harrod's from Haberdashery to Butchery on a Saturday morning! "What about lunch?" I said and was immediately whisked up to the restaurant on the top floor and given a menu. When I had successfully obtained some very expensive looking sandwiches I said "I meant for the Band on the day, not for me!".
Having sorted that out, we went to Hibiya Park which is right in the middle of Tokyo next to the Imperial Palace. The Band was required to march into the middle of the park, give a concert and then march off again. "How long a concert?" I asked. "About an hour." "They can't stand up for an hour!" "We thought they would sit down." "They can't sit down in helmet and plumes." "Can't they change?" "What, in front of the audience?" And so it went on. It's amazing; people don't realise that you need things like music stands, banners for them, music and, of course, some sort of transport to get the stands to the concert area. I was imagining the Band marching through this beautiful park trying to play their instruments with music stands, drum kit, music and the kitchen sink slung on their backs! (I twas 'alrigh t on the night' though!) As a matter of fact, on the actual day it was left up to muggins and one musician to set up the whole band, music stands, banners, chairs, music, the lot. But I must admit everyone on the team who were around at the time gave us a very welcome hand. Then back to the Hotel Okura where the Presentation was being held. This was composed of a Guard of Honour, various trumpet fanf"ares and a couple of" Ceremonial Marching Displays. There was not much that I could do in advance of the Band arriving and so most of the ragged edges were trimmed off by the Director and Band Corporal Major when they arrived on the Sunday. So finished my first day in Japan. It seemed as though I'd been there a week! But Friday was pretty quiet, allowing me to do some shopping and sight seeing. The Band arrived on the Sunday afternoon and from then on everything was very hectic. But I must admit that I enjoyed every minute of" it!
When I was standing in the airport waiting for the No wonder he was upset! Again, when standing at flight back, I asked the Director if he was sitting anywhere Heathrow waiting for the coach to arrive to take us back to near me. He stalked ofT wi th a frown on his face leaving me Windsor, I suggested to the Director that I might go and to wonder what I had said wrong. It wasn't until I boarded ring the coach firm to find out what had happened and he the plane that I realised that the whole Band including the said "I expect they're sending a ruddy Rolls Royce to pick Director of Music and the Band Corporal Major was in the you up!" Tourist Class at the back and I was in the Executive Class!
Ex Pennine Way was a 3 phase adventure training exercise which took place in the North of England.
Phase I was a 3 day walk through the beautiful countryside between Skipton and Warcop along the Pennine Way, after which all personnel moved to a tented camp in the Lake District 7 miles North of Penrith.
Phase 2 was 3 days adventure training, learning to climb, abseil, canoe and windsurf.
Phase 3 was a competition with teams completing a 3 day course along which their new found skills were tested.
All personnel left Windsor on Sunday 5]uly 1987, with the maID party going to Yorkshire and advance party to Cumbria to set up the tented camp and carry out a recce for phases 2 and 3. The main party spent their first night at Malham, where they arrived late at night having completed an 8 mile walk. The late arrival was due to being dropped ofT late because of a major traffic jam on the M6. Monday morning dawned warm and sunny. The plan for the day was cut short and the night was spent at Harton-onRibbledale. CoH Theakston and CoH Lindsay argued the whole way. CoH Lindsay had to help CoH Theakston with his ruck sack which weighed over 601bs. At night, it was found that part of the weight was attributable to a large metal alarm clock. On Tuesday everyone completed the distance to Haws village to find that as it was market day the hostelries stayed open all day so a well earned drink was had by all.
With phase I completed, the exercise moved from Yorkshire to Cumbria and there followed 3 days of adventure training with all personnel learning to climb, abseil, canoe and windsurf. Sgt Corfield instructed the climbing, which took place to the East of Lake Derwent. This proved popular and Sgt Corfield even succeeded iri getting LCoH Pugh and Tpr Corner to climb. LCoH Preece taught the canoeing and Capt O'Kane the windsurfing. These took place on Ullswater. Each morning was spent teaching individuals the skills needed and in the afternoon the canoes had an expedition down the Ecnout River and the windsurfers went across Ullswater.
Sunday and Monday were set aside as rest days. On Sunday a potted sports contest was arranged with four teams taking part in seven events including shooting, football, tug of war and volleyball. Monday was spent at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach. This day out was only possible due to the kindness of the Thompson family, especially Amanda Thompson, who supplied us with free tickets not only to the Pleasure Beach but also to a very good show in the evening. Their kindness was greatly appreciated by all.
On Tuesday Phase 3 started. This phase was a 3 day exercise with teams of eight competing against the clock to get from one point to another and carry out tasks along the way. Day one started with the team canoeing 4km along Lake Ullswater. This was followed by a walk into Martindale where a climb had to be completed; then they ran over the hills to Glenreddig where they had to successfully cross a river before setting up camp for the night. At the end of the first day SCpl Carter's team was 3 minutes in the lead. It was at this stage that the good weather ended and the rain started to fall.
Day 2 involved a walk from Glenreddig to Keswick. The sense of competition was so strong that the team ran to Keswick. Unfortunately the cloud came down which called for some good navigation over the hills. Unfortunately SCpl Carter's team was geographically embarrassed for a while which caused them to lose the lead. At the end of the day, the Squadron Leader joined us just outside Keswick.
For the final day, an escape and evasion phase was planned ending in an abseil and boat race. Unfortunately this was cancelled because of bad weather. This caused a rather damp end to an otherwise most enjoyable 2 weeks in Cumbria.
Ever since SCpl George and I bade farewell to Majs Ellery and' Doughty, Capts Hopkins and MitfordSlade, SCpl Frazer and Tpr Douglas after Exercise Saif Sareea ('Sharp Sword') in December last year, we have found it hard to believe we're supposedly near a 'war zone'. Our sympathies were with that triumvirate of LG RCMl's with the Kuwait Liaison Team Commanded by Col Keighley (late RHG/D). Messrs Lloyd and Townsend are after all very nearly within range of the Chinese 'Silk worm' missiles Iran has just bought. At times the Gulf war must seem a little too close for comfort to them. Goodness knows what Sin bad the Sailor's ghost makes of it all!
On the remote Omanis' equivalent of Salisbury Plain this Arab conflict features only as an item on the BBC World Services news bulletin. Each inciden t currently seems to be started by Iranian Revolutionary Guards crewing extraordinary Swedish patrol craft called Baghammers, who appear to have a Kamikaze like penchant for attacking supertankers with RPG 7 rockets. Naval colleagues return from duty tours in the Strait of Hormuz with amazing photographs of phenomenal blazes on moonlight nights as stricken ships float out of control in the Gulf until the heat of the fires in their holds melt their hulls, and they sink after their keels snap. Sadly a pollution disaster may well happen soon if an oilcargo spills, and a slick hi ts the coast line.
All this is a far cry from what until recently had been a year intended for consolidating the training of the previous campaign seasons. 'More of the same only better' would have been a good theme for the training directive. The cool winter months were spent working up for Exercise Dara al Jafira (,Island Shield Force') which took place in March. Each member country of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, The United Arab Emirates and Oman send contingents for a fortnight's 'collective training'. The assembled array of weapons was impressive: M60, Chieftain, AMX-30 and Brazilian tanks, Scorpion, Panhard and M 113 lighter AFVs as well as an awesome armoury of artillery and infantry
weapons. Sadly 'whites' were only allowed to help with the preparatory phases, but our Omani colleagues seemed to enjoy hosting their allies. The post-exercise 'R + R' was co-ordinated for half the GCC contingent (4000 men) as well as the Regiment (1200 men) by Maj Mick Harding, the Oman Armoured Regiment's QM, who some readers may remember in Maj Lumb's troop in Herford! All 5000 Arabs had to be fitted in to a camp designed to hold only the Regiment. So it was no mean feat. Unfortunately the March rains fell flooding the camp! Eventually all the GCC members managed to extricate themselves
The Officers of the Sultan of Oman's Armoured Regimen t with HM Sultan Qaboos, March 1987
A description of the Oman Summer as 'Hot' would probably win first prize in 'the understatement or the Year' competition. Unless they are 'Mad Dogs' most Englishmen snooze well out of the midday sun. In order to take any worthwhile exercise like a man, it is necessary to get up about an hour before dawn. Luckily other sports facilities like a Gym, and Squash Courts are air-conditioned, as is the 'All Singing, All Dancing' Armour School where SCpl George who ran the Signals Wing, and his colleagues taught courses when it was almost impossible to work outside. As we are based inland, we escape the humidity which smothers the coastal areas. Working hours are reduced during the month long Ramadam fast to compensate for the religious rule, which only allows Muslims to eat and drink between sunset and sunrise.
Like European armies Omani troops tend to exercise in early spring and late autumn. The Regiment had begun to deploy for troop tests in October when orders arrived to send the Chieftain Squadron and two of the three Scorpion Squadrons to Southern Oman, 600 miles away. This was achieved within 48 hours, which was remarkable for the fairly inexperienced native soliders. We were to prepare to counter a cross border incursion from South Yemen, the Air Force stopped the enemy in their landcruisers armed with Soviet RPG, heavy machine guns and reccoilles rifles, after they had overrun one Observation Post which was subsequently reoccupied. The last Scorpion
Squadron troops returned nearly two months after they had deployed. We are now about to start again, having been so unduly interrupted.
The Oman Army is now nearly 30 years old, and the Armoured Regiment can trace its history back half that time. The original Saladins - known as 'The Trained Equivalent' - are now mounted on Plinths of honour around the new purpose built Armoured Regiment Camp, which was officially opened by HM The Sultan in March, the British contribution to Oman's army is now being changed to a purely training role as Omanis assume their positi"ons in their chain of command. While British kit is being used here there will always be a requirement for a Training Team to work alongside other Arabs and Muslims, who also operate British kit, for example, Jordanians. I have relished my 18 months somewhere 'Completely Different', and I recommend Loan Service here to anybody who believes 'A change is as good as a break'.
Major (QM) Harding (late LG), Adj Capt Zawoszi, Capt Judd RTR - Celebrating a forthcoming event
Beneath an equatorial sky You must consume it or you die; And some indomitable men Have told me, time and time again, "The nuisance of the tropics is The sheer necessity of fizz!"
On the morning of the 28th of November 1987, there were certain people in A Squadron who were very reluctant to get up and it was not only because they had terrible headaches from the night before. I t had suddenly dawned on them that the parachute jump for which they had volunteered weeks before was upon them.
We left camp covertly (in the cars of Lts Ogden, Cox and Fullerton) at around 0700 hours after a hearty cookhouse breakfast and headed for the Joint Services Parachute Centre at j etheraven.
Training began in earnest with an introduction to Staff and Instructors and a tour of the airfield and Drop Zone, which we were told is the biggest in Europe, Salisbury Plain' However they told us "We want you to come within a 4 square mile area". How's that for optimism:>
After initial paperwork was completed it was straight to the Ground Training Room, where after a quick warm up session we began practising our Parachute Landing Falls (PLFs), something that not only produced a few bruises but a few laughs too.
During ground trall1ll1g certain people came through as stars in their own right, either by merit or just sheer body unco-ordination. Amongst the latter Tpr Ellison must rank as one of the funniest: it was as if his whole body was rebelling against him. On the other hand CoH Saddler was impressing the instructors with his near perfect falls. After a few hours doing PLFs it was time for a bit of classroom work where we learned about the canopy and how to collapse it, field packing and chute characteristics and all about how to control the parachute once airborne. It was at this stage that Tpr Erwin decided that he was going to turn with the wind and plough into the ground at the first available opportunity.
After the lecture we returned to the Ground Training Room, but this time to do aircraft drills, which entailed jumping out of a mock airplane harness and doing reserve drills which meant being suspended from the ceiling in something we were assured was not designed as an aid to family planning. Suspended in the harness we were taught positions for different landings and obstacles we could
encounter. This was when we were taught how to use the most important piece of kit, the Reserve Chute. Arter a few more PLFs we were knocked ofT and told that we had done all the necessary training to make a parach u te d escen t and aU we had left was one more lecture then we'd be up in the plane.
The next day it was back to the lecture room for the final talk, which appropriately enough was malfunctions, causes and how to recognise them, then to the packing room to get ki tted up.
Each man was detailed ofT into a 'stick' of seven men and we made for the runway where any last minute problems were asked and anything uncertain was gone over, then it was aboard the Islander and into the designated places.
As the plar;e started to climb everyone went silent all except the instructor who was smiling and cracking jokes. He moved to connect up the static lines, each head in
The Solent July 1987
Dear Mother
Do you remember me saying that I was due to go Adventure Training in June? Well, here I am - half way across the Channel on Gladeye. I am at the moment looking out across a fairly calm sea, compared to what it has been like, although I am worried about two people sitting either side of me looking positively green. I think Trooper Fickling has already 'lost his lunch' and Trooper Ashman is about to follow suit. We have had a simply marvellous week, full of excitement and horrible French wine. We sailed under the threat of rain and Trooper Standlake boring us with renditions of 'Star trekking across the universe'.
Everything started off so well that the Squadron Leader decided we were ready for a night crossing at the end of the first day. I am trying to remember where we have been, and in what order. I think it was Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey, Cherbourg, Poole and finally Cowes. Each port of call had its own story to tell- most of which I cannot repeat in a letter to you. I could not believe the variety in style of Trooper Ashman's wardrobe. He claimed that his wife had
turn watching his being hooked up. The door was then opened, and Tpr Westbury instantly looked ill. Next it was in the door, it was now or never, then theJump Master just screamed 'GO' and the next thing- you saw (or were supposed to see) was the instructor giving the thumbs up and the plane flying away from you.
Four seconds after leaving the plane is when the real reason people jump from planes takes over as one can relax and look around and head for the drop zone. But all good things must end. Next came the landing: adopt the position, watch the ground coming to meet you and wait. Then it's up and running, collapsing canopies.
Back at the airfield everyone was swapping stories and the general feeling of ''I'm glad I did it" took over. All in all the weekend was enjoyed by everyone who did it and most are determined it won't be the only jump they are going to do. I'd recommend it to anyone.
The Author
bought his clothes. What remains uncertain is whether the electric green boiler suit was bought for him or her. Anyway the offending article and soldier met their just deserts late at night in Jersey harbour, when he jumped into a dinghy that was not there.
The comedian of the trip is definitely Trooper Cornock (or so he would claim)regaling us all, plus all our neighbouring yachts with his rather varied, limited style (for want ofa better word).
The Squadron Leader thought a more cultural outing should be planned - so offwe all went to Alderney, and to the museum. The most interesting fact about the little island is that with a population of a mere 2000 it boasts 20 pubs.
A trip across the channel would not be complete without a visit to the Duty Free Shop in Cherbourg. And so, with Gladeye sUitably stocked we set sail for England. A 10 litre 'jerry can' of wine was bought by LCpl Hubble who claimed it was a good buy - the only problem being that we had to drink it before the Customs Officer came on board at Poole. However, determination won through.
Poole is where we stayed last night. The Customs men boarded soon after we arrived. Trooper Cornock was given strict instructions not to open his mouth, which thankfully he obeyed, and with the help of one of our glasses of whiskey, the officer left us feeling slightly happier about life.
We had a number of visitors that night. Firstly two rather aged sailors who, having noticed that we had our ensign flying after sunset, discovered what H.D.Y.C. stood for. On inquiring what Regiment we were from - one asked if there "were any Micks on board". Once they found that none of us were, they retorted - "well there must be some Irish Guards!"
Their departure brought a rather pleasant visit from the entire chorus line of a local production of 'Grease', who having helped us finish LCpl HubbIes 'jerry can' proceeded to do a rendition of the [mal scene
P.S. I enclose a photograph of all concerned.
on the Quay side. We later met LCpl Hubble and Trooper Standlake outside the Kebab House, whom we duly told about our evening's visitors. At the point where the Squadron Leader was imitating the girls from 'Grease' a police patrol car came round the corner. We decided it was time for bed!
We set sail early this morning - but with a couple of pink pills we all felt remarkably well- and there was still some more of that jerry can to drink. We stopped briefly in Cowes - for a quiet bite to eat before returning to Hamble. Our nautical skills were really put to the test when we found we had moored alongside the Editor of Yachting Monthly -I can't wait to see next month's issue.
Well, the skipper hasjust decided to bring down the sails - so I must go - Hamble is in sight off the starboard bow.
With much love from your loving son.
The Life Guards on a T-62?! No, not the spoils of war from out of area operations with 5 Airborne Brigade, but just one of the vehicles that were part of a foreign equipment familiarisation tour that a select group of people, all of them experts in either gunnery or D & M, undertook in early June.
Our first port of call was Athlone Barracks, where The Blues and Royals let us loose in one of their six Challanger tanks. We played space invaders on a TOGS
G.T.S., crawled around the inside and outside of the vehicle
and then moved out to the training area for a bit of driving. What a change from CYR(T) and Chieftain! The new tank soon won our hearts and even fooled the old and bold with its speed and hydro gas suspension.
Any visit to Germany would not be complete without a night in Detmold and a very good night was had by (almost) all. One o'clock found us sitting in the Klut feeling very much at home.
The next day we set ofT south towards Grafenwoer, which left LCoH Maksymiw wondering how the Germans
managed to steal his IPK, which disappeared from the roof rack when he was doing 70 mph+ down the autobahn in the mini bus.
Confusion was rife when we arrived, the Americans could not understand that we were not 'beach bums', but we eventually managed to find out what we were doing for the next two days and so retired to a dilapidated B&B which was run by a Hilda Ogden look-alike.
It was very clear the following day that we were all very welcome but unexpected; Sgt Savage gave us an excellent 'off the cuff brief on how to convert a Battalion to M-Is injust 32 weeks and then gave us a guided tour of the vehicle and the UCOFT gunnery trainer. The M-I was a true American tank, full oflabour saving devices but, to our horror, we found that it could not be used by the British Army as it had no BV.!
Bombadier Maksymiw
Fry with an AK47
The UCOFT was a grown up gunnery computer which produces a printed read out on how well or badly you have done. We concluded that this was broken as the only word it would print was 'FAILED'.
The next day the Americans let us loose on their many Russian vehicles and weapons which left us all thanking God that we are British. The vehicles are very spartan and very small. We decided that there must also be a lack of meat in the USSR, otherwise their troopers would be the same size as ours and would not fit in the turret. The weapons (AK-47 and derivatives), are very simple, operating on a blow-back system similar to our SMGs. They are easy to handle and very accurate up to 100m, although beyond that the iron sight became more of a hindrance than a help.
That afternoon we bade a fond farewell to 'Hilda', who repaid our bunch of flowers with a crate of beer for the drive back to Sennelager.
Saturday was spent at the Rhine Army Summer Show, still as popular as ever with both the equestrian minded and those who are interested in nothing but a few beers.
The final send off by The Blues and Royals (straight from their Association Dinner at 5 o'clock in the morning), made for a peaceful drive home - LCoH Harrison woke up as we reached the outskirts of Zeebrugge and asked how much further it was to Wankum'
It was a fascinating week which opened our eyes to a great many misconceptions we previously had about foreign equipment and made us aware of what is in store for us on our return to Germany in 1990. With new wagons in a new barracks it is bound to be different but it promises to be fun too.
G'day! It is both timely and appropriate that, on the eve of Australia's Bicentennary celebrations, the 1988 edition of Acorn should record some thoughts from its Life Guard 'down-under'.
Based in Canberra, the diplomatic and publicservice Capital, one is unavoidably segregated from the great wide beyond and its inherent culture-cringe; for this reason and many others, Canberra is much maligned by its own countrymen. It is mistakenly thought by the uninitiated to be soulless and clinical and is popularly described as a good place to get to Australia from I All these considerations bely what is in truth a most beautiful clean and modern city that boasts a large scenic lake and whose backdrop is a range of eucalypt-clad hills. Like the Edinburgh/Glasgow rivalry, the capital of Australia depends upon where you live. Canberra is the official capital; Sydney thinks it is and Melbourne thinks it should be; Brisbane is the capital of a separate nation called Queensland and few mainlanders are actually sure where Tasmania is l What chance, then, do the Northern Territories have without even the status of Statehood? - Without Paul Hogan, possibly none!
But what of the Bicentennary? This celebration is set to mark the 200th anniversary of the European settlement of Australia where on 26th January 1788, the First Fleet of II ships under the Command of Captain Arthur Phillip, sailed into Port Jackson (now Sydney) with 750 convicts on board. Despite Australia's proud claim of having developed the quintessential multicultural society (Melbourne has more Greeks, for example, than any other city except Athens), the official language here remains English. The arrival of the First Fleet, however, served to form a clash between the Mother Tongue and its bastard olTspring. It is a popular misconception, shared not exclusively by MOD Stanmore, that one can survive without a working knowledge of the spoken word, Strine. This is patently untrue! It is only now as my tour of duty with the British Defence Liaison StalT in Canberra rounds the final bend, that I have come to realise that the first 6 months of my 21/2 year posting should have been set aside for language training. Having an Australian wife and residing in a suburb called 'Bruce' has reduced the handicap somewhat, but still one cannot avoid being the proverbial dummy in the desert. To appreciate the subtlety of being called a bastard only by one's friends or having to order a middie, schooner, pot, pony or stubby when all you want is a beer, takes time. When you then discover that stu bbies are also very short shorts worn just below the beergut and gathered nattily around the crutch, mild panic can take over and you may justifiably feel the need to enrol at the University of 'Sinny' under Professor AlTerbeck Lauder! This I have avoided, not on the account of the pressure of work, bu t because of the need to travel the 2.9 million square miles that make up this vast continent; the need to go in search of the 50 varieties of indigenous marsupial that Australia has to olTer; to surf along her 12,000 mile coastline; to walk in the rainforests of the tropical North East; to explore the marine life on the world's largest and most spectacular coral reef and quite simply to have the time to 'throw another prawn on the barbie'.
But what c;;lse -makes up the job of Assistant Defence/Military Adviser in Canberra? Contrary to popular belief, there is an element of duty as well. There are 90 permanent 2 year exchange posts filled by Army, Navy and Air Force, who with their families are stationed in units all over Australia and need to be administered; there are hosts of senior officers from UK who apply to and in many cases succeed in being invited to Oz, whose visit-programmes need to be stalTed; and there's a busy defence sales programme between UK and Australia and much more besides.
The Dawn service on Anzac Day in Alice Springs
A host of hats - slouch, Akubra Snowy River or otherwise, are all worn to advantage. One such is the appointment of British Army Standardisation Rep at the
The Author under attack in the New Guinea Highlands
Army Office in Canberra. This quadrapartite forum (ABCA) holds regular working-groups throughout the Region and has led to my visiting New Zealand on more than one occasion. New Zealand's recent break with ANZUS makes such contacts even more valuable.
The MA in Canberra also serves as Defence Adviser in Port Moresby. It is difficult to adequately describe the fascination of travelling in Papua New Guinea; sharing a jungle-border with Indonesia's Irian J aya, the population encompasses a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and some 700 quite distinct languages, 85% of whom live in tribal village communities. I have been fortunate to visit PNG on two occasions, once to arrange a Royal Naval Ships' visit to Port Moresby and most recently to assist in the escorting of a touring syndicate from the Royal College of Defence Studies. The primitive systems of 'WANTOK' and 'PAYBACK' ensure that if you, as a visitor, are seen as a threat, you can expect the chop or at best a poisoned-arrow.
Much credit must go to those Life Guards who, with great fortitude, have clawed their way over the 12,000 miles journey to visit Oz. Last year, Sydney audiences were
thrilled by the stIrring performances of 4 Life Guard trumpeters at the International Military Tattoo; LCoH Batchelor was over here for almost four months on an Ex LONG LOOK attachment to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. This year Lt Col Alec Jackson made guest appearances in NS\'V and Canberra in his role as Royal Tournament talentscout and this very week, Colonel Earl's son Philip completed his time as a jackaroo (Australia's equivalent of finishing-school) in the hill-country near Gundagai; having rested up for a week with the Andersons in Canberra, he set orron the 4,000 Kmjourney to Perth to meet a chum before crossing the hostile GABA (Great Australian B AU!) to Alice Springs; from there he plans to make his way across to the East Coast "Gud on ya, mate!"
And Major Hunter has just written to say that he is hoping to bring out a Combined Services polo team to compete for the Mountbatten Challenge Cup next Easter; if all goes according to plan, this will provide another worthy event for the very full and varied Bicentennial calendar. 'liVe enter now our last summer season in Australia before returning to the 'Old Country' and to the Regiment next year. It will be good to be back yet sad to leave; we have seen a lot but there will always be so much to see in the remarkably vast and beautiful country.
A Pom hasn't got much to whinge about, I'd sayl by Major CS K Anderson
When the Commanding Officer called me into his office and asked me to go down to the Guards Depot as a Platoon Commander, my mind instantly filled with the horrors or my Basic Training and or the long days at Sand hurst. Needless to say, the relentless yapping or Sergeants on the drill square, the heartless PTI's lessons and the platoons moving about at Mach 4 rrom one lesson to another, still have not changed I The saying 'The grass is always greener on the other side' is most certainly true in this case and what is more, as a member or staff, is most entertaining as well.
My first platoon was rormed with two others. CoH Hearn, LCoH Knowles and LCpl Wells were also involved in this intake, rriendly races amongst a sea or Foot Guards berets. Over one hundred and thirty longhaired slouching raw recruits arrived on the 1st or June. Their first lesson was soon over arter an instructor pointed out that his name was not 'mate' bu t 'Sergean t'!
With all the recruits looking a touch apprehensive, the great training machine set to work confirming their worst rears, giving them the biggest short, sharp, shock or their lives. In the first rew weeks, Section Commanders were seen returning to the platoon office screaming in rrustration as the recruits slowly, sometimes very slowly, grasped their subjects. My tasks in this big machine were to give many lectures, teach map reading, run ranges as well as generally oversee the whole training. Arter a while, the recruits' confidence and capabilities grew; however, there was never a dull moment while one awaited the next antic to occur. It was only a rew weeks arter the beginning or training that the Major General's Inspection took place. The rehearsals proved too much ror a 6'5" recruit who rainted on parade, flattening a passing Drill Sergeant. Perhaps not the best way to introduce oneselr to the hierarchy at the Depot l Another incident involved a Coldstream Guard recruit who was once asked by a senior NCO what his regimental motto 'NULLUS SECUNDUS' meant. The reply was: "Better than nothing"! All the staff had to retire biting their lips as the Coldstream instructors taugh t the unrortunate recruit, in no uncertain terms, a more accurate translation!
The LiCe Guards have certainly contributed well to lire at the Depot. CoH Hearn did extremely well in the World Paces ticking Championships this year being a member or the winning team. His perrormance in
demonstrating the effect or CS gas was also remarkably good when he round out that his respirator was unserviceable as he gassed the recruits during Battle Camp' LCoH Knowles, 'Zippy' to his rriends, is always providing en tertainment to all, ei ther wi th his discotheque, his thousands or jokes or with his war stories. LCoH Mills did well captaining the Household Cavalry Basketball team to victory, beating the Irish Guards Depot team who were ravourites. LCpl Wells is orten to be seen breezing effortlessly about the training area with a huge bergen and a platoon stretched out ror miles behind, the remainder orthe platoon staff bringing up the rear!
Arter taking the platoons up to Thetrord ror their Battle Camp, we returned ror the Passing Out Parade. The platoons had over 800 guests watching. It is always an extremely proud day ror both the recruits and their ramilies. Great satisraction is achieved watching the change rrom young careless boys to smart, confident Guardsmen, throughout the training, but it is only when the recruits are in rront or their parents that they realise the extent or the change within themselves and always ror the better.
Having finished training the platoon on a Friday, we received a new intake the rollowing Monday: the Depot wastes no time! This is no place for the lazy but the rewards and the entertainment are immense.
Life Guard representatives serving at the Guards Depot Standing: LCpl Weller "Jerusalem" LCpl Wells Seated: LCoH Knowles, CoH Hearn, W02 Mills, Lt Dalgleish with Poppycock, CoH Valentine and LCoH Price
SCpl Carrington
How many ChierClerks have uttered those words? Whenever a query arises that an internal investigation is 'unable to solve, the Manning and Records Office has been there to sooth, advise and instruct; occasionally it pulls a rabbit out or its bowler and obtains a job outside the Regiment too!
The Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps Manning and Records Office (MRO for short) rrom its position on the banks of the River Dee in Chester has two runctions as the title suggests - Manning of Regiments and the Recording or all personal service details. In order to do this the Office is divided into two distinct factions which are
nevertheless dependant on each other. Division 1 covers all Manning and Career matters and is sub-divided into three main Wings: Postings, Promotions and Regimental. all under control of an Officer. The first two are self explanatory and the third Wing deals with such subjects as Vetting, Transfers, Pilots and SAS courses, Long Service List, RQMS courses and the RAC Bands. These Wings are supported by a small but vital HQ Co-ord and a Division I Co-ord (Y Lists, WOl and Regimental Promotion Boards). Also within the Division is the WO I Document Inspector. The Records Division is likewise split into Sections each covering its own field. Whereas Division I is devoted entirely to Household Cavalry and RAC matters, Records Division is responsible for all Records of Service (ROS) of both these Corps and also of the Medical and Women's Services. It is controlled by a Higher Executive Officer in the Civil Service. Under this official there is a Major (Retired Officer or RO) and four Executive Officers who control Record of Service Wing, Enlistments/Technical Wing, the Discharge Wing and Reserve Wing (including the TA). ROS Wing is responsible for every detail of a soldier's record from regimen tal en tries to courses, from changes of theatre to birth of children, next of kin to medals and the thousand and one other items that make up the computer and manual picture. Enlistments are just that, junior and adult entries, and the Technical people are the computer experts who field the flak whenever the machinery goes down. In fact they do a great deal more than this and are tasked for advice to the Office on Ad Hoc rolls, listings, errors, print outs and the link with the mainframe computer at Worthy Down. They also bravely cope with the mountains of redirected post that find their way here - so please ensure you give your new addresses out and include your Regimental number! Discharges see a person out of the Army in whatever form he or she leaves it and thereafter protects that ex-serviceman/woman by applying MoD disclosure of information rules. No Record Office would be complete without its Library. Not thrillers, gardening or reference books but thousands of personal files of effective (serving) and non-effective (reserve and discharged) soldiers. Also held are tracer cards for thousands more whose files have been passed to the Public Record Office, microfiche records going back to the First World War and Regimental Histories from the same period up to current years.
So, in a nutshell, we have 2 Divisions, Manning and Records, both of them supervised by Officers/Civil Servants and containing Administrative Officers and A.dministrative Assistants (A Os and AAs) most of whom are dedicated (for the H Cav and RAC) to a particular group of Regiments.
To return to Manning and Careers (the aspect in forefront of most soldiers minds). The MRO is :ummanded by a Regular Colonel with a Deputy Officer in _harge (Lieutenant Colonel) and a serving Officer as OIC ?ostings. In addition there are 3 ROs in charge of Co-ord, ?romotions and Regimental; the two remaining military sts are the Documents Inspector and the Household avalry Co-ord WO/NCO. Supporting these are 23 AOs nd AAs in the Division.
The two Manning and Career sides or Promotions and Postings affect the soldier in his career movement. Promotion is governed by vacancies with the Regiment and jobs outside it respectively known as 'Regimental Duty' (RD) and 'Extra Regimentally Employed' (ERE). Each Regiment holds Junior Rank Promotion Boards under the Chairmanship of the CO and Senior Rank Promotion Boards which are held at the MRO under the Chairmanship of the OIC. Selections are made and slots filled in applying the 'merit tempered by seniority' maxim from those fully qualified and recommended at the time of the Boards. It is important to note that qualifications are or great consequence here. A soldier requires certain courses (eg education, map reading, instructor) and also in most cases a period of time in his substantive rank berore selection can be made. I t is not therefore a good idea to pass up the opportunity to do that military calculations course people are not keen on! Confidential Reports constitute a major part of promotion selection and are read with much concentration on Promotions Boards and when ERE jobs are allocated. It is vital therefore that great care is taken to ensure that a WO or NCO is recommended and reported on honestly and suitably in his annual Army Form B 2048. The size and constitution ofa Regiment or Unit is governed by its Establishment over which strength it is not possible to go. RAC ERE Units are manned by soldiers from all Household Cavalry and RAC Regiments (egJunior Leaders Regiment RAC) and other type of Units have both our Corps personnel and soldiers from other Teeth and Service Arms in them (eg Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Royal Military College of Science). The filling of ERE jobs are by two methods. One is the 'Allocation' or
Household Cavalry Staff at M & RO:
L-R: Back Row: Tony Byrne (ROS) Martin Roberts (Tech)
Front Row: Wendy Ashcroft (Discharges, Karen Phelps (Promotions) Jackie Davies (Postings)
PA job; this is a group of posts assigned to a particular Regiment to fill for all time (about 20 per Regiment). The other is a Pool vacancy when all Regiments will be invited to bid for perhaps a one-ofT or a permanently filled post not earmarked for a Regiment. The selection for posts is made by OIC Postings and when necessary by a Board convened at Chester. Career movement therefore consists of Regimental Duty interspersed with ERE. In the case of the Household Cavalry there is also the Mounted Regiment and the Guards Depot which feature in a soldier's lifetime. Perhaps it is also opportune to mention here the RAC Schools Instructor Posts. These are filled by NCOs who have gained at least a B Grade on their Instructors course and have been recommended as suitable to return to the School as a Schools Instructor. Becoming a Schools Instructor opens up the chances of reaching WO I or Commissioning in two fields either at Regimental Duty or in the Schools Instructor system.
A quick mention to finish ofT with of the lone Red and Blue incumbent at Records among the Red and Yellow of the RAC. The Household Cavalry Co-ord NCO can be found (when not fighting on the squash ladder, captaining an Office quiz team, organising a Party for the whole building or a Garrison Dinner), to be dealing with the movement of recruits, working statistically on our 1,300 or so soldiers, advising other Office stafT on Household Cavalry matters and most importantly keeping the link open with the other great controllers at RHQ Household Cavalry. Visits to the Manning and Records Office and guided tours of the pubs of Chester can be arranged and are encouraged for anyone who may think a trip beneficial in either case.
A vacancy exists for a keen and willing young man preferably of SNCO standing with a lively sense of humour and the patience of a saint; broad shoulders are an advantage.
LOCATION: The post is pleasantly situated and the work environment overlooks some of the best coastal views in Dorset, which are visible through the odd clearings in the fine Dorset mis t.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT: The firm uses a combination of rustic and hi-tech surroundings, some of which are air-conditioned, courtesy of the October hurricane. Some of our buildings will be of particular interest to any budding archaeologist, many of them are listed, some with preservation orders on them. There is also plen ty of scope for ou tdoor work wi th the purpose built 'REs yard' and Dog range.
COLLEAGUES: There is a large workforce taken from a wide selection of backgrounds, including representatives from the USA and Australia. Constant management/ employee consultation meetings to update all concerned ensure everyone here works together as one big happy family.
JOB SPECIFICATION: The job will entail the successful applicant using a wide variety of skills,
many of which you will already be familiar with, i.e. area cleaning, painting and decorating and stopping fast balls. These duties can be vastly reduced by the quick thinking and smooth talking of the employee. In addition the applicant may occasionally be required to teach some gunnery lessons to various courses which may be seen here from time to time. Although this takes up only a small amount of the working week one does need to keep alert the whole time, particularly if taking a Troop Leaders' course (this can be a very testing time, to which the extra duties role bears testament). Some common errors here are the aforementioned troop leaders leaving guns in the wrong place and disappearing to London when they think it is time to clock ofT, thereby leaving the instructor studentless! These troop leader students are easily recognisable, particularly on a Friday as they usually wear civvies under their denims.
As mentioned before this job is very close to the coast and when I arrived in January 87 there was a good supply of Life Guards here in the shape of CsoH Williams, Lindsay, Sansom and myself. However by April I shall be Life Guarding on my own.
So if anyone reading this is considering life as a Schools Instructor I can strongly recommend the job.
STAFF CORPORAL D FRAZER, BEM
The first Life Guards Brick Hangers Association meeting took place at Combermere Barracks on 19th December 1986 at 1130 hours unaware of the dramas unfolding behind the scenes which started for me at 0715 hours that morning. Being the Warrant Officers' and Non-Commissioned Officers' Silver Member for December I was asked by the Regimental Corporal Major in quite a casual way over a cup of tea, did I have the 1986 Bar which he had to present to Mr E 0 Lloyd who was hanging the Brick that lunch time. I said that I would look in the Silver Room (thinking what has the bar got to do with me), not trying to look a fool I spent 10 minutes scowering the silver room NO Bar! I had to then go into the dining room to confront the Regimental Corporal Major who was having coffee with the ASM. Admitting that we didn't have the Bar but there was a spare on the medals in the presentation case hanging on the wall in the Ante Room .JOT TRUE - the silver member the year before (1985) had used that one - NO BAR!!
0800 hours. I was then informed I had until 1200 hours to produce and that the ASM may be able to help, after frantic (the panic starts to set in) consultation with other Mess Members who really didn't want to know or indeed get involved. "It's your pigeon", I was told "someone has dropped a danger he' he' he"'. I went to see the ASM at the LAD who with the Metal Fusion Technician Sgt Kennedy decided that they didn't have the correct metal to make one. I asked Sgt Kennedy if a stainless steel knife would do, scratching his head he said "it might" willing to give anything a try at this stage I ran to the Mess taking the shiniest knife I could find, then back to the LAD where Sgt Kennedy (still scratching his head) then cut out a piece from the blade the shape of the BAR.
To the Tailors Shop next to collect a clasp and to warn him that the medal ribbon on Mr Lloyds medal required repairing and, that I would be back, when we had the new bar (not too sure at this stage if it would work or not) fitted.
After 11/2 hours (1015 hrs) time's going by fairly quickly now (typical) how do we get it engraved with the 1986, the idea? The High Street Slough? Into SSgt Sayers car, mine is not fast enough (only goes 96 mph). Parking on the double yellow lines in Slough High Street we seek out an engraving shop. Timpsons' Shoe Shop, "can you put 1986 on this piece of stainless steel" I asked "could you come back Monday" the manager says. Explaining the situation to the Shop's manager who seeing the look of panic on our
faces said he would do it there and then. Time now 1050 hours. Back to Windsor to polish the Bar up, now it's engraved and looking fairly good.
Next Problem! The Tailor has to take the ribbon down a few centimetres each side so we can stitch the bar on - no problem we refurbish the whole ribbon. Time now 1125 hours.
1145 hours I presented the finished medal with 1986 bar to the Regimental Corporal Major who asked "what kept you" ahhhhhh!
Mr Lloyd was told the story and was also informed by the Regimental Corporal Major that the Bar would be replaced, he refused saying it was there forever as it was a small piece of history.
The LAD presented a Bill to the Regimental Corporal Major, the 1986 Bar cost £111.03, in real terms it cost I knife and £3 engraving and time. Thanks to all those who helped get the author out of the proverbial
I. The bill for bar for the Brick Hangers follows:
Consultation Fee ASM/RCM
Plans & Drawings
£10.00
£03.50
£00.76
£00.10
Materials: I X Soldiers Knife I X Brazing Rod Gas & Extras Medal is as
£05.50 Labour: 2 hours by metal fusion Technician £20.00 I hour by assistant
£10.00 I hour for SSgt
Petro] for SSgt Sayers to Windsor (return) for engraving - I gallon
Total: Plus 15% VAT £96.55 £14.48 Total: £111.03
2. The fee is to be paid no later than 1600 hrs 19 Dec 86. PAYABLE IJ BEER or any alcoholic beverage (I want a free pint).
For several years, Des Howe and others had been nagging me and others "WIry don't we form a 'Brickhanging Association "'. And on the Association Dinner Night June 1986, Des along with Basil Stanford, Tug Wilson, Tom Trindall, Arthur Green, Derek Underwood and Mick Wardell ganged up on me (Colin Dean). We had a quick meeting in the Gym, elected a committee as follows, Des
Howe became Chairman, Colin Dean - Secretary, Mick Wardell - Treasurer.
Rules
I. The Mess Rules are to be obeyed at all times. 2. To further the 'Esprit de Corps' of the Brickhanging ceremony.
Since then we have had two very successful Annual General Meetings followed by very successful Brickhangings. The Resident RCM is to be the President, and the Brickhanger is to be Vice-President. We have started a SelfHelp Fund, to finance trips to BAOR, Brickhangings, i.e. Bankers Orders to Central Fund, The Life Guards, approximately £5 per month or £10 per quarter.
We now have a Certificate Scroll, For Brickhanging attendance and these are on sale at a cost of £1 plus post and packing. To qualify. Attendances at Brickhangings in BAOR and Windsor, minimum 3. We also have a souvenir type Membership card and Association Tie, these are available from the Mess Bar at a cost of £3.50.
Unfortunately before we could have our first Brickhanging as an Association, Des Howe tragically died.
Basil Stanford was then elected Chairman. For Members wishing more information on the purchase of Scrolls, Ties and details of Membership, also details of the Self-Help fund Bankers Orders, please write to me at: (enclosing s.a.e.) Colin Dean, 32 Bedson Walk, Rainham, Kent ME8 8NN. Tel: (0634) 370911.
The RCM has asked me to state that you do not have to belong to the Brickhanging Association to be able to attend Brickhanging. All ex WOs and NCOs of good character are allowed to attend, just one condition you write and tell the RCM that you are coming, this applies to Association Members as well.
No other marathon in the World has the same atmosphere as 'The London'. This year 86,000 applications chased 28,000 places. So many people took part that 3 different start points had to be used. I was lucky and got the Regiment's only guaranteed entry to the race, but this was more a cause for nervous worry than excitement as this would be the first marathon I had attempted. The reality of the race on a Sunday in May was a pleasure compared to the many hours of training in the previous months. In my case the whole event appeared to be a four hour tea party with virtually the entire population of London lining the streets, cheering and clapping from the very start to the finish on Westminster Bridge. To say that the atmosphere was electric and very patriotic is something of an understatement, and it more than compensated for my extremely sore knees at the end of the race. That's not to suggest that I was a speed merchant at all; I managed a fairly below-average 4 hours odd and finished l4,856! However, I was more than pleased to have completed at all, and consoled myself by recalling that it had taken me all of 8 minutes to get past the start point, due to the thousands of 'racing snakes' in front of me.
I would urge anyone even remotely in teres ted at least to have a go. Your finish time does not matter at all; it's the fact that you have done the training and gone the distance on the day, 26.2 miles, that produces an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction.
The organisation of the race, as always, was superb. A computer finish system was very efficient, able to cope with up to 9 runners finishing per second. Runners were quickly channelled through a sea of pretty girls (sadly too tired to really respond) who dished out space blankets, medals and a liberal quantity of mars bars and drinks.
This year the Regiment has been more lucky and is entering a team of 4, based largely on C Sqn with the specific aim of raising money for chari ty.
For any budding Charlie Speddings (best time 2:08:33) within the Regiment, it is worth noting that the applications for the April 1989 marathon will probably have to be in by September 1988, and that it is best to apply on your own behalf as the Regimental vacancies are likely to be very limited for the forseeable fu ture.
In summary 'The London' is one of the few really worthwhile events and given a little determination anyone can do it.
During Exercise 'Breton Panache' (Sandhurst Military Academy annual bash in France) a Bedford MK was involved in a fatal traffic accident, sustaining damage to the complete front end axle.
As there was civilian involvement the local police impounded the vehicle to inspect and eliminate from their
investigation the possibility of mechanical fault. 3 months later investigation complete, the Bedford was released to the British Liaison Officer in Brittany. The problem now was how to repatriate the vehicle. Driving was ruled out (broken axle). Flying was out (Bedfords haven't any wings). Swimming was a possibility.
_ e final solution however, was to send a Recovery Team to .-rance, and tow it back. Cheap, effective, a bit of 'PR', .. eat idea! But who to send? Ideally a smart, efficient and ::Jjable CO. As none were around it was decided I should _ accompanied by Cfn Cresswell as Crewman/Interpreter dan RCT Driver from Sandhurst who knew the route, as avigator. This is our story.
At 1700 hours on Tuesday 4 August the Foden eavy Recovery Vehicle nosed its way into the traffic on 'l Leonards Road. 30 minutes later we stopped at andhurst and collected our escort, LCpl 'Doc' Martin CT. We were in high spirits, visions of Dolly Birds in black ockings and little else, comedy sketches from 'Allo Allo' d huge quantities of French vino swam invitingly only 3ft front of the windscreen. A 'Swan' was in the making!
High spirits were dampened however, when on rrival at the Ferry terminal we were mistaken for an RAF mit and put in the wrong traffic lane. We were still trying to = rt out the problem with disinterested ferry stafTwhen one fthem said "Oh you're Army! Sorry lads but the ferry left hour ago". Would we ever get to France? Spirits low, we ·:ondered what else could go wrong. It started to rain.
0600 hours Wednesday, 3 hours before departure :ime we booked into the ferry terminal. Armed with .:nowledge of previous experience (last night's) we sailed :hrough the paperwork procedure and found ourselves on at last) a Brittany ferry bound for port St Malo in France. We found our Cabins, the Restaurant and the Bar although not in that order) and settled down to a 10 hours ea crossing.
After docking and clearing French Customs I was oking forward to some smooth cruising on French Route u Auto's. I cracked open yet another Yorkie Bar. However, .hings were far from perfect. The Yorkie Bar had melted, he sun in my eyes, Cfn Cresswell's awful French grammar, pertaining to 'Chamois Leather and Plastic Booklet', in my ears, LCpl Martin's never ending grumble, "where's all the wimmin then Sarge?", ringing around the cab and even the BHP Rolls Royce Turbo engine couldn't keep pace with [he worst road this side of the Hoggar Mountain Range. We bumped and ground our way into deepest Brittany heading for the bastion of the French Military machine, St Cyr French equivalent of Sandhurst). At last, the Guardroom, we made it.
Amongst hearty back slapping and other manly pastimes we asked for the BLO. The Gaelic shrug was in full swing and, my "Parlez Vous Anglais" didn't impress the Chrome Helmeted, Yellow Cravated sentry, mind you with a cigarette sticking out of the corner of his mouth, he didn't impress me.
Eventually Major Thompson, Irish Rangers, the BLO, arrived, a walking French Dictionary, thank goodness. \lot only was he on leave, but he turned up in uniform so as to be instantly recognisable. With all due respect to the Irish Rangers, the green cau bine was indeed instantly recognisable.
A few refreshing Bieres with the local uniformed
conscripts then off to bed. I could say here that Major Thompson looked a little rosy in the cheeks, but I won't. I could also say the barman was ever so helpful and changed some ££s into Francs, but he didn't, so I won't.
Up at the crack of dawn, a little group had surrounded the Foden, a French custom we were to get well used to. We had all day to motor a further 60km south, collect the Bedford and make it to St Malo for the crossing back to the UK. Plenty of time. Major Thompson knew all the short cuts and so put our navigator (Ho Hum') out ofa job. I think LCpl Martin was so overawed at the BLO's caubine as he never mentioned 'wimmin' during the rest of the trip, a situation I was more than happy with (coz boy, they make 'em big over there!).
Pausing only to change some money and a quick coffee break in a quiet little village, we arrived in Vannes, and whilst Major Thompson sorted out the legal business wi th the Gendarmerie I chatted to the French Recovery Mechanics who didn't understand a word. LCpl Martin looked forlornly for some Can Can girls and Cfn Cresswell sorted out the Recovery kit muttering to himself about language barriers and channel tunnel schemes.
Adjutant-Chief Gourdren, the French Recovery Boss explained the damage to me, using international technical gestures. Finger pointing and the word 'Kaput' were used frequently. Within 10 minutes we were ready to go. The French were impressed with our vehicle which was not really surprising. They still drive a 1940's Renault, max speed of 30km/h, max lift 8 tons and max possibility of a breakdown every few km!!
A photo call, much handshaking (we drew a line at the kissing of both cheeks, thank you very much), a spot of lunch then back on the road again.
Meanwhile back at St Cyr a power cut at the POL Point meant vehicles had to fuel up by using a hand pump. The POL Storeman looked ready to quit when we told him we required 260 litres of DERV! We bid Au Revoir to Major Thompson and steered slowly through the inevitable crowd of gawping Frenchmen and headed for home. More
pot holes plus more yorkie bars = more kilometres. Onward ever onward.
Stopping in the picturesque fishing port ofSt Malo for Duty Frees and another coffee, we made the ferry with two hours to spare. Things were going too smoothly. I was a bit suspicious. Surely we would meet some sort of problem soon? Ah Yes I Here it comes in the shape of a port official with a radio. The conversation went something like this. (Voice of official to be in outrageous French accent.)
Official: "Bon Soir"
Self: "Hello"
Offuial: "Ow long eez it?"
Self: "Pardon"
Official: "Ow long, ze truck, ow long eez it?"
Self: "Look, here's my tickets, it says IS metres. Can I board the ferry now?"
Official: "Non! Non! (waving of arms), eez too long"
Self: "Look mate, it says 15 metres on my ticket, so it's IS metres. OK? (slightly annoyed)"
Official: "Non! Non! (waving of radio), I fetch ma rooler (very annoyed) "
Two minute pause whilst officials measure length of Recovery Vehicle and support tow Bedford.
Official: "Ha! I av you. Eat is 16.5 metres (Smug)"
Self: "Well OK, it's a little bit longer than 15 metres but I'm sure you can squeeze me on the ferry (Hopeful)"
Official: "Non!" (powerful)
Self: "Look, I can dismantle all the recovery equipment, push the Bedford right up to the big truck, and that will save 1.5 metres, is that OK?" (knowledgeable)
Official: "Can you do theese quickly?" (unsure)
Self: "It'll take two minutes" (lying)
Official: "OK, OK,you can board, Bon Voyage" (satisfied)
Self: "Thanks'" (can't afford another night in France!)
Friday 7 August. Blighty at last. Boring crossing, bit of hassle with the ,]obsworth' at customs, then head towards Sandhurst. Drop off LCpl Martin, then home. We made it 24 hours behind schedule, loads of hassle, but we made it!!
To finish: I'm sure LCpl 'Doc' Martin thinks that Recovery Mechanics are insane.
I'm positive the French Port Authorities won't beg us to return.
I'm indebted to the BLO, Major Thompson Irish Rangers, for his invaluable help throughout our short stay. Good on yer Sir.
I t's a guaranteed bet that Cfn Cresswell's face, whils t listening to 6 Frenchmen arguing will be a picture of such hopeless and total confusion that he will only ever eat Granny Smiths!
I left Windsor on a cold and icy November Saturday bound for Belfast more than a shade unsure about exactly what would be awaiting me at the far end. I was due to spend a five mon th period attached to the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards based in Ballykelly who are just concluding a two year tour as the resident battalion. The freudian choice of videos - such as 'Lethal Weapon' - on the ferry aJJied to the sight of a wet and fog-bound Belfast, did little to ease the growing feel of nervousness about the whole enterprise that was overtaking me. So it was a considerable relief to arrive, late at night, in a friendly and welcoming mess at Ballykelly. There I learnt that I was to be attached to No Two Company commanded by Major Lord Valentine Cecil which was due on operational deployment in a fortnight.
However, before I could be released on an unsuspecting public there were courses to attend. I was already familiar with NITAT but the aptly named NIRTT was still to be conquered so I spent the next week at Ballykinler coming to grips with low level Northern Ireland infantry tactics (the licensed to kill course) and the new SA 80. On my return to BallykeJJy, there was a short work up period (mainly scanning the local suspect terrorist list to learn that, unlike the Welsh Jones, not every Irishman is called Paddy Murphy) before we arrived in Aughnacloy for the last two weeks of November. There, the Grenadiers have one rifle company - with a platoon detached in Londonderry - to complement another company in Dungannon and a third on security in Ballykelly.
The SF base itself is a veritable fortress of metal
plate, reinforced concrete, watchtowers and searchlights where the seven day a week, 24 hour a day routine is punctuated only by the noise of arriving helicopters and different days are marked only by a different type of newspaper in the mess. There is a heavy workload revolving around a simple platoon rotation between patrolling, guards, the quick reaction force and manning a permanent vehicle checkpoint providing access through Aughnacloy to the bordering republic. Patrols, in concert with the RUC and UDR, cover the extensive border area, the Caledon Estate and the country further North around Ballygawley, Castlecaulfield and the IRA stronghold of Cappagh. The local IRA suffered a considerable setback in the SAS ambush at Loughgall in the summer so, it is generally felt, they are looking to step up their offensive in the run up to Christmas, particularly with regard to the security forces and Protestant commercial premises. Therefore the patrol phase of the platoon rotation often revolves around night lurks of likely spots and an extensive programme of snap VCPs to prevent the carriage of arms and explosives around the TAOR - army initials proliferate in Northern Ireland to a mind boggling extent; I spent a fortnight worrying over the military implications of a PPV only to discover that it in fact stood for Postman Pat Van! Lurks involve a long, and at this time of year cold, waiting game but often produce worthwhile intelligence results - certainly after eight hours in a hedgerow you feel that HM Government is getting her money's worth I
Already, in three weeks, there have been many memorable moments from the discovery of stolen banknotes to tea with the infamous Ma and Jack Gillespie in Caledon - still proudly displaying their Life Guards Shield on the fireplace ten years on from the last tour. The local population are an interesting mix generally affecting an air of divine indifference to the security forces (I suppose you get used to it after 19 years) but sometimes producing implacable hostility and very occasionally real warmth. It does get hard to be consistently polite to the hood abusing you at a VCP when you really want to give him the sort of reply learnt as a subaltern at the Major Falkner school of tact - but so far there have been no real disasters! The hostility is most evident at VCPs after closing hours when, fortified by Guinness, the local Catholic you ths turn ou t in
force to upset the securi ty forces. U nfortunateJy, long car and personal searches in the cold, and the possi bili ty of four hours detention seem rarely to act as credible deterents and there is always the feeling that while this diversion is in progress, more serious IRA wrongdoing is afoot. Certainly, it ,vill be a surprise if the festive season comes and goes without serious incident.
I am leaving Aughnacloy for Londonderry on December 14th for a period as a platoon commander in the city before, after a weekend's leave, returning with my platoon to both Aughnacloy and Dungannon. I then finish the tour by spending a period as Operations Officer with another company whilst the Grenadier Subalterns rehearse for spring drills, so the immediate future is both varied and interesting. Mind you, from the middle of a cold Tyrone winter the prospect of returning to the Regiment and the sun of Cyprus in April seems a very welcome prospect. It would, however, be fitting to conclude by offering two observations. Firstly, it would be unfair to write an article such as this without paying due tribute to The Grenadier Guards. I have been enormously impressed by both the standard of their soldiering and by the real warm th of their welcome for a five month cavalry attache. The standard of their work is a powerful argument in favour of residen t battalions for, due to their experience in the Province, they have allied high personal professional standards to a tremendous bank oflocal knowledge, making them a highly efficient organisation. The second observation is that it is a tremendous pity that The Life Guards no longer tour the Province as a regiment. Many locals still fondly remember the regiment from the late '70's and, as the RA are allowed four month foot tours, it is the shame that the RAC are not. Considerable initial training would undoubtedly be required in the modern world of counter terrorist work but the innate intelligence and training of the average Life Guard soldier would make an extremely suitable and effective end product. Furthermore, on a slightly different note, there would certainly seem to be a roJe left for CVRW - ifnot for CVRT - and one squadron could be most profitably employed here on the border. However, that is for MOD and the future, for the present it is back to patrols and dreams of the Cyprus sunshine in April!
Editors note. In November 1986 Captain A M Cherrington and the The Jollowing article is an edited version oj Mr Butler's memories oj then Regimental Corporal Major, now Lieutenant I W Kelly visited his time in the 2nd Life Guards taken Jrom his as yet unpublished .11r and AIrs Stanley Butler at their home at Peppard Common book 'Peppard, the Hindenburg Line, and Return'. .Vr Henley-on-Thames on the occasion oj their Diamond Anniversary.
I knew one senior NCO who lived quite close to 2nd Life Guards at Combermere Barracks in late 1915, I ':here I was working. When I was thinking of joining the asked his advice and he said, "At the moment you are about
half an inch below the minimum height which is five feet ten inches. However I think it will be reduced to five feet nine inches in a few weeks' time. In any case, go up to the guard room and have a go". So I duly presented myself at the guard room and the sen try took me to the officer in charge of recruiting. From there I was sent to the Regimental Quartermaster's office. I told him I wanted to join and he said I must have a medical first and then go back to him.
I passed the medical all right, and the doctor said, "Go and present yourself to the QM and tell him you are quite fit and also that you are around half an inch under the minimum height". This I did and the QM said "You're young, probably you'll grow the other half inch. Anyway, we'll take you on". Then I told him, "I don't want to join for peacetime". There were two lengths of service. You either joined for the duration of the war or for peacetime service after the war which meant an eight year period. When I said I didn't want to join for peacetime he looked me straight in the eye and said in very loud voice, "You're not tall enough yet boy".
We had training in riding of course. That was in the Riding School. Then there was drill on the square, physical training, musketry, use of gas masks, map reading and sundry other items.
"',Ie then had very interesting schemes in Windsor Great Park and the surrounding countryside as Cavalry, though the time was fast coming when we should lose our horses and become either infantry or some other form of foot service.
Discipline was strict but fair. One thing that was essential for everyone was to be of smart appearance both inside the barracks and, particularly, ou tside. The first Colonel I served under was a man known as 'Ozzy' Ames, he was actually Colonel Oswald Ames who had been a friend of Queen Victoria. An old man but a real gentleman. During the time the regiment was under his command we had to wear kid gloves outside the barrack gates and nobody was allowed to pass the sentry unless he had them on. This was stopped when Oswald Ames retired and we had a new Colonel - Colonel Trotter who had been wounded while in command of the regiment in France. We of course, were reinforcements for the regiment on active service in France.
Eighteen months after I joined we were still in the barracks with men who had enlisted, then orders came through from the War Office that we were to form a battalion to go to France as artillery and everyone was wondering who would have to go. I missed that one. The regiment that was formed was the Household Battery and they saw a lot of service in France and sustained heavy casualties.
Towards the end of 1917, when we were in trouble in France and lots of regiments were under-strength through casualties, it was decided that cavalry regiments should lose their horses and be trained as machine-gunners. We were very sad when this happened as we had enjoyed cavalry work and we thought all our time training had been spent in vain. However that was the requirement of the Army so that was what had to be done. Very reluctantly we all left barracks - that is, all the men who were fit to go. We
had a lot of men who had come back from France who were not fi t and they remained in barracks for some time to look after the horses.
"Ve were transferred as a regiment, that's about six hundred of us, to Pirbright Camp to train as machine gunners. After about two months' training at Pirbright we left for France. The Regiment in France had also lost their horses and they were all to assemble at a place called Camiers near Boulogne for the completion of training. We were equipped with Vickers 303 machine guns on lorries. We had no footslogging to do because, whenever we moved, we had the lorries to take us around which was very nice. But the guns were heavy and we couldn't have carried our equipment very far so we were made a mobile battalion and our sister Regiments, the 1st Life Guards and The Blues, were also turned into the same type of Regiment.
I've read since that it was generally recognised that our brigade, when it went in the line, was the most highly trained Regiment of machine-gunners in the British Army and, perhaps, of all the soldiers serving on the Western Front. We were training for about six weeks or two months then everything was complete and we had all our equipment. Then the three Regiments were split up again. The I st Life Guards wen t to the Third Army, the Royal Horse Guards went to the Second Army and we went to the Fourth Army under Lord Rawlinson.
A few nights before we moved from Camiers the camp was very badly bombed. We had to scamper from our tents and take refuge in the estuary. Everybody had to move as far ou t as they could get in to the water.
From Camiers we moved up the line and our first billet was at a village called Sarton, well behind the line. It was just after the March retreat and everything was very quiet. The Germans seemed to have expended their energies and the British Army wasn't in any position to take the offensive.
From there we were sent up to the line in batches to become acclimatised to the work with machine-gunners actually holding the line. We were attached to a battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the place we went to was called Founcevillers. That was the first sight I had of the devastation that had been caused at the Battle of the Somme. We were there for about a fortnight. We lived with the South Staffordshire Regiment and had our final instructions in the techniques of machine-gunnery. Our job was to put down barrages for the Infantry for the attacks which we hoped were going to finish the war. We spent one week in the line and two or three weeks in the rear and gradually advanced over the whole of the old Somme battlefield. On completion of this advance we reached a place called Rancourt where the 74th Division were stationed. They had just come back from Egypt and were called the Division of the Broken Spur because they were all dismounted cavalrymen. We laid down barrages for them at two places, one at St. Pierre Vaast Wood and another just in front of Epehy. We were then moved from that part of the front and travelled about twenty miles to the area behind St Quentin. There we practised schemes which were designed to prepare us for the attack which was to take the Hindenburg Line. We were in training for about a fortnight
and eventually moved up the line early in September 1918. This was to be the big trial of strength. We were attached to the 46th Division, a Midland Territorial Regiment and a very fine Division.
The actual attack took place on September 29th and the successful outcome had not been anticipated. In fact we were through the Hindenburg Line by the same evening which was unheard of at the time. We thought that it was going to be a desperate battle but it just shows that the German troops were losing their morale and gradually fading ou t. This became known as the battle for the Hindenburg Canal and Bellenglise.
At the village of Flesselles we were billeted and in training for some time. While we were there our band arrived from England. We had them for about a week and they played in the main square of the village which was a O"reat treat for the civilians as well as for us. After abou t a .-, week the General Officer Commanding the Fourth Army, Lord Rawlinson, whose Headquarters were quite close at Querrieu, asked our Colonel ifhe could have the loan of our band for a week or so to play in his mess. They played there for about ten days and were well received by the troops, especially those who had been in the line for some time. While they were there they performed one rather sad operation. That was when one of the officers ofD Squadron, Captain Ferguson, was killed near St. Quentin and they officiated at his funeral. This was a sad occasion as Captain Ferguson had been connected with the Regiment for many ,"ears. He was a very tall man. Unfortunately, going along lhe trenches, he looked over and a sniper got him.
I t was also at Flesselles that we first saw the .-\rnerican Army. Lots of stories have been written about d1at happened when they arrived but it was our experience hat they arrived in the village with a tremendous amount f bombast, shooting in the air and asking any of the troops \·ho lined the way watching them where 'this Goddam hooting gallery' was. The replies they got from some of our men who had been serving in France since l\!Ions were very trIleresting but I won't record them!
On one occasion, following an attack we made Tom Bohain, I got left behind. We had a lot of equipment hen we came out of the line as the lorries couldn't come up :u our firing positions because it was too hot for them. We c.ad guns, tripods, ammunition and all that sort of thing .J1d, when my section went forward, I was left behind to ')Ok after the equipment. I was left beside the road all ...t.fternoon and there was a terrific amount of traffic. There 'ere army redcaps on the road to keep it all moving and it '<\,; a question of all go and devil take the hindmost. I'd en left with the equipment about midday and I was still .. ere about six or seven o'clock in the evening. I didn't ow what to do -I knew I couldn't leave the equipment. ='l"affic kept thundering by going up or coming back and, all .. a sudden, the Company Commander, Sir Archibald . inclair, who later became Lord Thurso, arrived in his car. e saw me and told his chauffeur to pull up. He rolled wn his window and asked me what I was doing there so I !d him I'd been left in charge of the equipment. "Well", he iel, "they must have forgotten you. You'd better jump up :th me and I'll leave one of my batmen to take your place
because everybody else has gone back to Bohain". So I got in the back and was driven to Bohain.
We were only at Bohain for about a week and then we had to move forward again to another very important battle at a place called Vaux Andigny. This was fought through a very thick patch of woodland and we laid down a barrage for the 46th Division who suffered very heavy casualties. We had some too. I think a bou t six or eigh t men ou t of the twen tyfour in my section and we never saw them again. They went back down the line. It's rather strange how our casualties came about. We knew Jerry had drenched this particular valley with gas but this was open country and. we were going into places where the inhabitants were still living. The gardens were cultivated and, for the first time for several months, we were able to go into the gardens and get fresh vegetables. The gas settled in these vegeta bles and it was through eating the contaminated vegetables that our men were gassed. I remember we ate one or two rather raw vegetables because we hadn't seen a cabbage or anything like that for nearly six months and we all enjoyed them. I, fortunately, missed the worst of it. I think I felt a bit grim at the time but not bad enough to be sent down the line. Those who were sent down went back to England. It was tear gas. Eating the vegetables affected the eyes. I twas rather tragic losing three men as most of them were key men. Sergeants, corporals and men in charge of the guns so it was unfortunate for the ordinary soldiers like myself to be without them. VVe stayed where we were for about a week I suppose. When I say the local inhabitants were still living there, for the most part they stayed in their cellars. They didn't come out and walk about the streets because there was a terrific bombardment from the German side at this particular spot. I always remember this place was a very tough spot and we lost men there. Some sections lost a lot of men, all through the same thing because Jerry hadn't done anything with tear gas for a long time. Then, suddenly, they came down with a full volley of it. We had gas masks but they didn't do any good - you had to eat and, in our particular section, the damage was done through the saturation of the vegetables in the gardens and we didn't know about that. Nobody had heard of that before. I don't think any of them died but several were sent back to England.
We would normally be eating only tinned stuff, stew and tinned beans and bully beef. We never had anything fresh. Food was rationed. There were army biscuits to eat and tea to drink. We had two cooks to feed a section of perhaps twenty-four men. It was their job to organise the food. As soon as we got to a new place they set up their cookhouse and started on the cooking. The first thing they made was always tea. We each had our own mess tin, the top part was used for tea and the bottom part for stew. There was always stew. The bobagees very often made a stew of bully beef, McConnachies stew and all that sort of thing and biscuits. They'd boil it all up in a big cauldron and it was good food.
From Vaux Andigny we moved up to a place called Wassigny and I remember D Company were just unloading their lorries when the Germans opened up again and two lorries were blown to pieces with heavy casualties. Then we
went up to the Sambre and Oise Canal and the Forest of Mormal. In peacetime I believe it was a wonderful place but the Sambre and Oise Canal was really the last barrier which the Germans could hold to keep themselves intact. Actually that was the last place where we went into line and the only thing I remember about the area is that it was scantily populated. There were only a few scattered farms and we were billeted in little dugouts. We dug our own holes and my section was along a hedge running down towards the canal.
We were pulled out from there and went back to a place called Trones Wood where we were billeted in broken down huts. The whole brigade went back and then we paraded for baths These were set up in a huge row of corrugated iron huts which the Germans had been assembling from stuff they took off the Somme battlefield. There were some huge boilers and eventually the troops were able to have hot baths.
We went into billets in huts for about a fortnight I think. That's when we left the Fourth Army and were transferred to the Fifth. Now the Fifth Army was assembling behind Lille for what they said would be the final attack by the German Army. We went to a place called Libercourt and that's where we were when the Armistice was signed. The attack we were planning for never came off.
The Armistice was signed on a cold, wet sort of morning. I can see it now. They announced it and we all lined up in the orchard, all my Regiment. There were no celebrations then - we didn't even get a rum ration that night. The civilians in a place like that got nothing after being under German control for a long time. They provided us with coffee but there were no celebrations as such. Next day the Colonel came along and addressed us, telling us what was going to happen, that the war was over. V'Ve had a rum ration the next night and that's when we started the jollifications, when they brought the rum up to us. I've forgotten what happened that night! We were in German huts. You see the area had been occupied by the Germans. They'd built quarters and all along the sides of the sheds and barns were tiers of wood framed iron beds, perhaps six to a row then six above that and six again above that with steps to get up to them.
We were appointed headquarters troops to Fifth Army command which was at Lille. That was General Gough's army. There is a very fine square at Lille and that's where General Gough had his headquarters. On one occasion my section was appointed to be headquarters guard. That was very important because there were other troops about from different Regiments - all sorts of troops were at the headquarters of an army - so it had to be done properly. The man my section made Corporal of the Guard was an old soldier, an old Life Guard, and he had three or four Life Guards with him and they stood guard. We always reckoned that he was drunk when he went on guard but you'd never have known it. They were asolutely great because they were professional soldiers. They knew exactly what to do and they created quite a feeling for the Regiment throughout the Fifth Army because they rose to the occasion.
'vVe spent the first Christmas after the Armistice at Wevelghem and we had a proper 'beano' as you can imagine. Most of our men having served all through the war they were intent on having a good time and, in my section, we had a party at a big cafe nearby. We had a good selection of food and our own rum ration and wine came up. Everything was set [or a good evening and, at the end we were leaving, we suddenly discovered that one of our number was missing. To get back to our billet from the cafe we had to go over the railway level crossing. This chappie, had gone missing between leaving the cafe and getting back to the billet so, of course, we had to go back and find ou t what had happened. The line was still being used by military traffic, it actually ran from Ypres to Wevelghem, and although the traffic wasn't heavy, two or three trains went through each day and night. Fortunately for him we discovered that he had fallen and was asleep lying across the lines! I don't think he knew much about it when we got him back to the billet but we told him in the morning what a nuisance he'd been and he was very grateful that we had gone back for him.
Eventually we returned to England. There was a Captain left in charge, Captain Miles Graham. He was left in charge with a couple of Lieutenants and we went to Dunkirk where we embarked for England and returned to barracks at Windsor. I don't think there were more than about forty of us left who didn't qualify for demobilisation because I hadn't ajob to go to. We stayed on which enabled us to be with the brigade that took part in the Guards Division march through London and I was very proud to be a member of that party.
We were demobbed at Chisledon on 23rd October 1919 but we first had to go to Wellington Barracks to receive the necessary papers from the Guards Division Headquarters. I was with a party about forty strong and was very delighted when we arrived at Wellington Barracks to see that one of the NCOs on duty was a corporal named Long who was in our Squadron and we served with him nearly all the time we were training. He was delighted to see us and we celebrated with a jug of beer with punch in it. Beer in barracks, on guard and suchlike is poured in gallon buckets. After I'd been demobi1ised my friend Joe Freak and I were going on holiday to Thanet and we called at Knightsbridge Barracks to have a look round. The corporal on guard,Jack Rogers, also happened to be an NCO we'd known very well and the first thing he asked for was money for a gallon of beer. I forgot how much it was in those days but that's what we had to pay for.
The Hon Secretary is endeavouring to compile a complete set of The Acorn but is missing the following editions: Volume I Nos I to 3 (produced in the Far East circa 1966-67), 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1975. If any members of the Association have a spare copy of these editions and is prepared to part with it the Hon Secretary would be pleased to hear from them.
lieutenant Colonel J C B Cookson DSO
Died June 1987, aged 84 years
Served 1923 to 1927
294894 Tpr S H Barden
Died 31 May 1987, age unknown
Served 1929 to 1939
299358 FCoH S F Baxter
Died 29 May 1987, aged 89 years
Served 4 November 1915 to 3 November 1936
2029162 H P Blake
Died 10 September 1987, aged 73 years
Service details not known, but transferred to CMP on
30 November 1941
294920 CoH H A E Bruce
Died December 1986, aged 73 years
Served 15 February 1932 to 14 February 1961
294688 Tpr E C Knight
Died 26 October 1987, aged 80 years
Served 24 January 1928 to 17 December 1937 and 1 September 1939 to 29 December 1945
294443 Cpl J Lewry
Died 2 February 1987, aged 85 years
Served 27 January 1920 to 26 January 1928
24103888 Tpr M J Lloyd
Died 3 March 1985, aged 34 years
Served 19 May 1967 to 5 March 1974
294691 Cpl H Martin
Died 5 June 1987, aged 79 years
Served 10 February 1928 to 15 November 1935 and 1 September 1939 to 14 November 1955
294978 McMillan J
Died 26 June 1987, age unknown
Served from 1933 until transferring to RAMC on 295209 CoH E Charnley
Died 15 May 1987, aged 66 years
Served 24 June 1937 to 21 January 1960
295537 LCpl A J R Cook
Died 27 November 1987, aged 81 years
Served 16 January 1941 to 3 February 1946
6197800 Tpr A G Court
Died 23 November 1986, aged 76 years
Served 17 October 1928 to 6 September 1933
294777 LCpl R J Curtis
Died 12 February 1987, aged 76 years
Served 19 August 1929 to 20 August 1937 and 1 September
1939 until transferring to CMP on 21 September 1942
4112 Tpr H Dennett
Died 22 April 1987, aged 88 years
Served 11 December 1915 until transferring to RGA on
22 June 1944
295430 Cpl F G 0 Meade-King
Died 31 May 1987, aged 76 years
Served 2 December 1939 to 14 January 1946
299431 Tpr R C Moore
Died 2 November 1987, aged 86 years
Served 12 May 1920 to 18 December 1922
329231 Tpr R H Parris
Died 10 March 1987, aged 70 years
Served March 1940 to May 1946
299536 CoH J A Pickett
Died 1 June 1987, aged 80 years
Served February 1924 to December 1945
4258 Tpr A H Sands
Died 12 June 1987, aged 88 years 20 December 1917
3958410 Tpr T J Evans
Died 24 January 1987, aged 76 years
Served 7 November 1939 to 22 December 1945
295552 Cpl R Harris
Died 13 May 1987, age unknown
Served 16 January 1941 to 4 February 1946
832259 W01 (RCM) E Henderson
Died 28 January 1987, aged 71 years
Served 11 February 1936 to 20 September 1958
3285 Tpr T W Inseal
Died 2 February 1987, aged 92 years
Served 12 November 1914 until transferring to the Machine Gun Corps on 10 May 1918
294450 BandCoH J J W King
Died 2 January 1987, aged 81 years
Served 8 April 1920 to 30 December 1945
Served in 2LG from 14 June 1917 until transferring to the Guards Machine Gun Regiment on 10 May 1918
294170 FCoH F S Sherwood
Died 29 May 1987, aged 94 years
Served from 1913 to 1925
299313 Musn S Titman
Died 5 March 1987, aged 88 years
Served 28 November 1914 to 26 September 1922
22386283 Cpl S W Wallis
Died 28 February 1987, age unknown
Served 6 July 1950 to 27 July 1952
RHQ
Lt Col V A L Goodhew, MBE
Maj J R Bayley
Capt C N Mitford-Slade
Capt M C van der Lande
Capt A M Cherrington
Capt H D Dyson
W01 (RCM) A J Mead
W02 (OROMC) McKenzie
CoH Tomkins
LCoH O'Neill
LCoH Cook-Hannah
LCoH Harman
LCpl Dodsworth (Post NCO)
Tpr West
PAY OFFICE/UAO
Capt R J Stovell
SSgt Ackroyd
SSgot Pinney (SFA)
LSgt Cameron
LSgt O'Brien
RHQ TROOP
SCpl Jones
SCpl Frazer BEM
CoH Lewis
LCoH Wragg
LCoH Shone
LCoH Lyne
LCoH Appleby
LCpl Gilbert
LCpl Beaumont
LCpl Knight
LCpl Standlake
LCpl Underhay
Tpr Byrne
Tpr Deans
Tpr Laing
Tpr Lowe
Tpr Leafe
Tpr Rowe
Tpr Steel
QUARTERMASTER (EQUIPMENT)
Capt (OM) C R Slater
W02 (ROMC (E)) Lee
CoH Craister
CoH Rodwell
LCoH Bannon
LCoH Vince
LCoH Bissett
Tpr Chubb
Tpr Gray
QUARTERMASTER
Capt (OM) J D Knowles
W02 (ROMC) Cusick
SCpl Cavin
CoH Pace
LCoH Hardacre
LCoH Taft
LCoH Hadden
LCoH Jones (RHG/D)
LCpl Hale
LCpl Fawkes
Tpr Wade
MOTOR TRANSPORT
TROOP
W02 Byrne
CoH Moore
LCoH Godley
LCpl Cobb
LCpl Robinson
Tpr Alsop
Tpr Frost
Tpr Hoon
Tpr Lerwell
RECRUITING TEAM
LCoH McAlpine
LCpl Mundy
MEDICAL CENTRE
Surg Capt C A J O'Kane
SSgt Hedges RAMC
LSgt Colman-Holland RAMC
LCoH Stanley
ECHELON TROOP
SCpl (SOMC) Swallow
LCpl Ford
Tpr Leete
Tpr Terry
TRAINING WING
W02 (OMSI) Brierley APTC
SCpl Carter
SCpl Gilbert
CoH Wilde
LCoH Tate
LCoH Lambert
LCpl Paterson
SHQ TROOP
Maj J L Hewitt
W02 (SCM) Lowry
LCoH Whittaker
Tpr Bing
Tpr Hood
Tpr Wrightson
OFFICERS MESS
SCpl McBride
LCoH O'Connor
WO'S & NCO'S MESS
CoH Sutherland
LCoH Blowey
GUARDROOM
CoH Sansom
LIGHT AID DETACHMENT
Capt M D Maclean
W01 (ASM) R C McCombe
W02 (AOMS) Neve
SSgt Meredith
Sgt Straughan
Sgt Kennedy
Sgt Jones
Sgt Hextall
Sgt Hooper
LSgt Lock
LSgt Foster
LSgt Halcomb
LCpl ·Richardson
LCpl Watson
LCpl Ellis
Cfn McDermott
Cfn Murray
Cfn Reed
Cfn Rodgers
Cfn Petherick
Cfn King
Cfn Thorburn
ARMY CATERING CORPS
W02 (SOMS) Ridgeway
Sgt Pinkney
LSgt Cooper
LSgt Stones
LSgt McHenry
LCpl Webb
LCpl Dean
Pte Dew
Pte Holland
Pte Sowden
Major H S J Scott
Capt C I Ley
Lt I W Kelly
W02 (SCM) Lodge
ONE TROOP
2Lt R B Maddan
CoH Steed
LCoH Coles
LCpl Birchall
LCpl Douglas
Tpr Parkinson
Tpr Warren
Tpr Irwin
Tpr Logan
TWO TROOP
2Lt H R D Fullerton
CoH Darley
LCoH Stillwell
LCpl Carter
LCpl Walker
Tpr Lloyd
Tpr Goodwin
Tpr Kingston
Tpr Heath
2Lt R E MacKenzie-Hili
CoH Sadler
LCoH Camp
LCpl Key
LCpl O'Sullivan
Tpr Fitzmaurice
Tpr Auld
Tpr Clubley
Tpr Bebbington
2Lt G C Davies
CoH Fry
LCoH Roberts
LCoH Kitching
LCpl Davidson
Tpr Stewart
Tpr Doyle
Tpr Parkin
Tpr De-Fraine
FIVE TROOP
SCpl Ritchie
CoH Evans
LCoH Pringle
LCoH Carey
LCpl Coleman
Tpr Young
Tpr Addis
Tpr Ruddy
Tpr Barrott
SHQ TROOP
Lt A C Ogden
CoH Ormiston
CoH Gaunt
LCoH Baker
LCoH Sprague
LCoH Steed
LCpl Bentley
LCpl Cox
Tpr Allen
Tpr Benge
Tpr Bradie
Tpr Dean
Tpr Dugard
Tpr Gander
Tpr Gardner
Tpr Mathews
Tpr Mullins
Tpr Pitt
Tpr Taylor 416
Tpr Westbury
ECEHLON
SCpl (SOMC) Evans
LCoH Smithers
Tpr Holmes
Tpr Ellison
LCpl Leggott
LCplO'Hare
Tpr Greasley
LCoH Judge
ADMIN TROOP
Sgt Burton-Doe
LCoH McSherry
LCoH Rosborough
Tpr Smith 777
LCoH Willis
LCpl Jones RAMC
Tpr Leeson
Musn Allen
LCoH Hazlewood
Tpr Waller
Tpr Turnbull
Tpr Greenhough
LCoH Allen
Tpr Todd
Tpr Newton
Tpr Taylor 986
LCoH Cairncross
LCpl Fisher
Tpr Crawley
Tpr Downes
Tpr Parsons
REAR PARTY
LCoH Godson
LCpl Irving
Tpr Jacobs
Tpr Rees
LAD
SSgt Rose
Sgt Russell
Sgt Castle
Sgt Lawton
LCpl Dyball
LCpl Walls
LCpl Rourke
LCpl Binns
Cfn Dobbs
Cfn Winning
ACC
Sgt Cape
LSgt Briggs
LSgt Morrell
Pte Holroyd
LCpl McGarva
ONE TROOP
2Lt T J F C Masterton
CoH Yarrow
LCoH Tate
LCoH Harrison
LCpl Hubble
Tpr Addis
Tpr Cooke
Tpr Cox
Tpr Farrimond
Tpr Hepple
Tpr Rees
Tpr Wills
THREE TROOP
2Lt The Hon J E M Eden
CoH Tierney
LCoH Croager
LCoH Flynn
LCpl Reade
LCplNutt
Tpr Airey
Tpr Brown
Tpr Gray
Tpr Holden
Tpr Parsons
Tpr Ouinn
FOUR TROOP
2Lt E P H Farquhar
CoH Wise
LCoH Hunter
LCoH Baker
LCpl Core
Tpr Bartlett
Tpr Hammon,d
Tpr Holloway
Tpr Mullins
Tpr Patternotte
Tpr Stevens
Tpr Till
SUPPORT TROOP
Lt H M Robertson
CoH Hickman
LCoH Maksymiw
LCoH Newton
LCpl Grantham
Tpr Few
Tpr Goddard
Tpr McGregor
Tpr Metcalfe
Tpr Nunn
Tpr Parkin
Tpr Stewart
Tpr Whittaker
Tpr Stokoe
SHQ
l\Ilaj P S W F Falkner
Capt A R W Spowers
Lt D J G Mahony
2 Lt H D Fircks
W02 (SCM) Powell
CoH Bagnall
LCoH Bradley
LCpl Farrar
LCpl Lindsay
LCpl Howie
LCpl Postance
LCpl Wilshire
Tpr Barratt
Tpr Hoare
Tpr Kingston
Tpr Knowles
Tpr Ryan
Tpr Thawley
ECHELON
SCpl (SOMC) Coffey
LCoH Cross
LCoH Hodge
LCoH Brown
LCoH Coole
LCoH Stillwell
LCpl Smith
LCpl Ablott
LCpl Renton
Tpr Bright
Tpr Burns
LAD
SSgt Elson
Sgt McCallum
LSgt Rogers
LSgt Aspinall
LCpl Binns
LCpl Wilson
LCpl Mattinson
Cfn Carrington
Cfn Hollingshead
Cfn Burn
Maj The Hon N J Adderley
Capt N 0 F Jackson
W02 (SCM) Belza
CoH Norcombe
LCoH Layzell
LCoH Barry
LCpl Gollings
LCpl Risbridger
LCpl Erskine
LCpl Merrifiel d
Tpr Warren
Tpr Daynes
Tpr Barratt
2LtJDRCox
CoH Smith
LCoH Davis
LCoH Renshaw
LCoH Dunn
LCpl Harlow
Tpr Pynter
Tpr Kellet
Tpr Chapman
Tpr Hughes
Tpr Swinburne
Tpr McGuinness
TWO TROOP
2Lt H J PFarr
CoH Theakston
LCoH Cumming
LCoH lies
LCpl Mackey
Tpr McLeish
Tpr Evans
Tpr Wallis
Tpr Hodge
Tpr Beel
Tpr Devlin
Tpr French
Lt E A Smyth-Osbourne
CoH Clarke
LCoH Clarke
LCoH Cripps
LCoH Dobson
LCpl Dixon
Tpr Smart
Tpr Mansbridge
Tpr Collins
Tpr Edmonds
Tpr Carvell
Tpr Conway
FOUR TROOP
Lt P L Harris
CoH Lindsay
LCoH Maunder
LCoH Pugh
LCoH Shipton
Tpr Miller
Tpr Tovell
Tpr Hopkins
Tpr Whiteside
Tpr Buckley
Tpr Davidson
Tpr McMillan
ECHELON
SCpl (SOMC) Stephenson
SSgt Imrie
Sgt Lunnon
LSgt Reynolds
LSgt Flavell
LCpl Smith
LCpl Hunter
LCpl Pulson
LCpl Cowling
Cfn Davey
Cfn Lyons
Cfn Rogers
Major J G McColl
W02 (BCM) Harman
W02 Whitworth
SCpl JVIean
SCpl Morris
CoH Bourne
CoH Poland
CoH Hopkins
CoH Allen
LCoH Woodhouse
LCoH Grieve
LCoH Young
LCoH Graves
LCoH Bole
LCoH Pankhurst
LCplCox
LCpl Collier
LCpl White
LCpl Bromley
LCpl Gook
LCpl Dutton
Musn Dare
Musn Newnham
Musn Clark
Musn Lazenbury
Musn Severn
Musn Legerton
Musn Carson
Musn Bailey
Musn Pearson
Musn Rickard
Musn Copson
Musn Everatt
Musn Dry
Musn Wilman
Musn Goodchild
Musn Bolstridge
CoH Steele
LCoH Nicklin
LCpl Price
LCpl Lloyd
Tpr Thomas
Tpr Meggison
Tpr Yeomans
Tpr Corner
Tpr Mattison
Tpr Robson
Tpr Walker
Tpr McNeill
MOTOR TRANSPORT
CoH Rigby
LCoH Robertson
L Cp I E veratt
Tpr' Dane
Tpr Laithwaite
Tpr Mitchell
RE GIMENTAL PROVOST
CoH Cowling
LCpl
ALCpl Wilson
LLCpl Radford
RIDING STAFF
Capt B J McKie
W02 Sanderson
SCpl Burns
CoH Flaherty
LCoH Maxwell
LCoH Thomas
LCoH Waygood
MEDICAL CENTRE
LCpl Vaughan
Tpr Nelson
FARRIERS
FSCpl Jones
FLCoH Hayes
FLCoH Phillips
FLCpl Renson
FLCpl Smith
FLCpl Jenkins
Farr Bartlett
Farr Thomas
TRAINING WING
SCpl Ritchie
CoH Nicholson
LCoH Lanahan
LCpl Humpage
Tpr Marvin
TRAINEES
CoH Keech
CoH Stanworth
Tpr Butler
Tpr Chambers
Tpr Dean
Tpr Denker
Tpr Fearnley
HOUSEHOLD
CAVALRY
REGIMENT
HEADUUARTERS
SUUADRON
RHU
Lt Col R J Morrisey Paine
ORDERLY ROOM
CoH O'Daly
LCoH Davies
LCoH Snow
LCoH Lewis
LCpl Sims
W02 (ROMC) Denton
CoH Castelow
LCoH Goodchild
LCoH Tinkler
LCoH Evans
LCpl Button
LCpl Hodgekins
LCpl Young
LCpl Stevenson
Capt S F Hayward
W01 Etches
Lt A M Clark
W01 Etches
W02 Stay
SCpl Borthwick
SCpl Hale
LCoH Diamond
LCpl At yeo
MOUNTED SUUADRON
Major C H N Graham
Capt T J K Faulkner
Lt E S Connolly
W02 (SCJVI) Flory
SCpl (SOMC) Whatley
SCpl Gilbert
CoH McDermott
LCpl Burge
LCpl Lloyd
LCpl Lugg
LCpl Watson
Tpr Bundy
Tpr Cooling
Tpr West
ONE TROOP
Lt J R Cape
CoH Puddephatt
CoH Burns
LCoH Meredith
LCoH Worrall
LCpl Hatcher
LCpl O'Connor
Tpr Allen
Tpr Brown
Tpr Ellis
Tpr Heaton
Tpr Hiley
TprJohn
Tpr Lawson
Tpr Mitton
Tpr Reece
Tpr Roberts
Tpr Rogers
Tpr Scarr
Tpr Thorp
Tpr Whitfield
Tpr York
Tpr Jones 651
TWO TROOP
Lt T Assheton
CoH Bellringer
CoH Doyle
LCoH Leader
LCoH Bridges
Tpr Ford
Tpr Goodier
Tpr Hammond
Tpr Jones
Tpr Martin
Tpr Nesbit
Tpr Newman
Tpr Royston
Tpr Squires
Tpr Stickings
Tpr Strain
Tpr Winn
OFFICERS MESS
CoH Schubert
LCpl Curson
Tpr Bandey
Tpr Redhead
Tpr Llewelyn
Tpr Hayes
WOS & NCOs MESS
SCpl Robertson
Tpr Richardson
Tpr Swaddle
LCpl Hodder
Tpr Corney
Tpr Dixon
Tpr Dunn
Tpr Long
Tpr MacDonald
Tpr Mann
Tpr Maxwell
Tpr Miller
Tpr Norris
Tpr Parkes
Tpr Pellet
Tpr Rutter
Tpr Sharpe
Tpr Slater
Tpr Slingsby
Tpr Stephens
Tpr Tennant
Tpr Wall
Tpr Ward
Tp( Wilkinson
RMAS
Maj Gen S C Cooper
Maj (OM) LA Lumb MBE
Capt N 0 Garrett
W02 Bunyan
SCpl Holbrook
SCpl Redford
LCoH Berrisford
LCpl Jacobi
RAC CENTRE
Brig A B S H Gooch
W01 R Hennessy-Walsh
W02 Radford
W02 Cruddace
SCpl Bishop
SCpl Kallaste
SCpl Jordan
CoH Ingram
CoH Kidd
CoH Jenkins
CoH Williams
LCoH Lewis
MOD
Brig J B Emson, CBE
Lt Col C S Harcourt-Smith
Maj P R L Hunter
RCDS
Col T J Earl
TLCpl Taylor
LCpl Matthews
Tpr Baker
Tpr Bullimore
Tpr Clarke
Tpr Cooper
Tpr Couling
Tpr Futcher
Tpr Hammond
Tpr Hooper
Tpr Jones 995
Tpr lawery
Tpr Lee
Tpr Marston
Tpr Pietruszko
Tpr Plimmer
Tpr Reid
Tpr Rudge
Tpr Simpson
Tpr Smith
Tpr Thompson
THREE TROOP
Lt T E Thorneycroft
CoH Hawkins
CoH Pickard
LCoH Walker
HU LONDIST
Lt Col S V Gilbart-Denham
Maj S 0 G Vetch
Maj R C B Sampson
21 LIAISON HU
Lt Col C J D'Oyly
RAF STAFF COLLEGE
Lt Col A P de Ritter
HU 1 (BRI CORPS
Maj J W M Ellery
Tpr Squire
ADA CANBERRA
Maj C S K Anderson
CDE (PEl
Maj C J Simpson Gee
I\IIaj I S Forbes-Cockell Lt R R D Griffin
RMCS
I\IIaj W S G Doughty
I\IIaj D C Waterhouse
ROYAL YEOMANRY
Capt (OM) J Leighton
W02 Read
SCpl Mayo
CoH Oldman
CoH Windebank
LCoH Clark
LCpl Moore
LCpl Gilby
HQ H DIV
Capt The Hon M R M Watson
SOlF OMAN
Capt G G E Stibbe
SCpl George
JCSC
Capt J D Boldero
GUARDS DEPOT
Lt E J Sunley
Lt J D A Dalgleish
Lt R Lawrence
W02 Mills
CoH Fletcher
CoH Hearn
CoH Valentine
LCoH Bell
LCoH Derbyshire
LCoH Knowles
LCoH Howatson·Jones
LCoH Mills
LCoH Price
LCpl Richards
LCpl Weller
LCpl Wells
CoH Davies
LCpl Brookes
EXETER UNIVERSITY RAC RANGE 4 RTR
2Lt R A Bramford
RHQ HO USEHO lD
WOl A C Etches
CoH Charlett
CoH Dean
Tpr Coker
KUWAIT LIAISON TEAM
WOl J E Lloyd
WOl M J Townsend
QOY
W01 D Rennie
SCpl Smith
Tpr Marsh
RAVC TRG CENTRE
CoH Howard
PRINCESS MARINA COLLEGE
CoH Margan
CoH Yarrow
1 GREN GDS
CoH O'Flaherty
CoH Hoskins - Stoke on Trent
CoH Rodwell - Newcastle
CoH Wolczynski - Bournemouth
CoH Lea Bradford
CoH Beck - Manchester
W02 James 5 CTT
SCpl Williams
2 ARMD DEL SQN
SCpJ Collins
LCoH Smith
HCAV & RAC MRO
SCpl Carrington
MOD MS
SCpl Beck
RAC TRG REGT
CoH Blunt
CoH Dangerfield
CoH Gratton
Tpr McCartney
Tpr Henderson
CoH Kelland
RHG/D
LCoH Parsley
LCoH Sharples
LCoH Thorpe
LCpl Avison
LCpl Gynane
Tpr Jackson
Tpr Tanner
ARMY SCHOOL OF PT
and DEPOT APTC
LCoH Mallon
RARDE CHERTSEY {PEl
LCoH Gelder
RAF MOUNT PLEASANT
(Falkland Isles)
LCoH Bishop
Tpr Collier
LCpl Wright RMSM
Musn Goodchild
Musn Wilman
lONG SERVICE LIST
HQ EPISKOPI GARRISON
W02 Juleff
SSO PADERBORN
W02 Mitcheson
CHURCH HOUSE lUBBEKE
SCpl Bartlett
AC10 SALISBURY
sCpt Jones
AC10 WEMBlEY
W02 Richards