The Cavalry and Guards Club - Spring 2024

Chairman’s Introduction

The Club closed its doors for Christmas following the Rutherford-Jones/Phillips wedding reception on 22 December. Over 200 guests celebrated into the early hours before going merrily on their way. It was certainly an excellent way in which to close off the year.

The Club has been very busy in January and February, and, as a result, we are slightly ahead of our financial targets. This is very encouraging especially as February brought more rail chaos as well as major road and utility works to Piccadilly. Function bookings for the year are strong, and I am pleased to see that we currently have nine weddings planned for 2024.

In February, we received some good news about business rates. We are due a rebate of around £120,000, negotiated by our agent CBRE, in respect of the period that the kitchens were closed last summer while work was done to the ventilation system. Our energy purchasing strategy is still paying dividends with our costs below those budgeted. The backdrop of falling energy prices is helpful.

Turning to a bit of housekeeping, I have been made aware that some members are not paying their subscriptions on time. Subscriptions are due on 1 January. While we do offer a little leeway until the end of the month, we expect them to be paid no later than that. If you wish to resign, please do so in writing by 31 December, do not simply cancel your direct debit. We offer flexibility on how subscriptions can be paid, which can be arranged with the Membership Secretary or the Accounts Department.

I have been very moved by a current informal exhibition at the Club of paintings and drawings by Robin Watt titled Reflections on War. Robin, a former Royal Hussar and my squadron leader in Fallingbostel 40 years ago, was an official war artist in the first Gulf War and laid on the exhibition in support of a talk he gave at the Club to the Basra Road Dining Club in the presence of John Major, among other dignitaries. Robin told me that the title of the exhibition could have been Humanity through the eyes of a Soldier – Artist that was the essence of his talk. He continued, ‘There is a need to treat POWs and the enemy dead with the dignity and respect due to any human being, friend or foe, which defines us professional soldiers and, without which, we would descend to the level of an undisciplined rabble that is no longer accountable or governed by the rules of war.’ The paintings and sketches displayed can been seen at robinwatt.co.uk

The Club had a terrific turn out for the Grand Military at Sandown in January. The race was won by Farceur De Large, owned by a syndicate made up of largely former KRH and antecedent regiments, ridden by Club member Major Will Kellard RL and trained by Jamie Snowden (former KRH). They also went on to win the Royal Artillery Gold Cup in February.

I am delighted to see the support given to Connect 127, the business network of the Cavalry and Guards Club. Sir Kenneth Olisa gave a most interesting and enlightening talk to some 50 members ranging in age from 27-82 at the

inaugural lunch in February. Simon Hill, who has driven this initiative, has done a fabulous job, thank you. He has lined up Sir Nicholas Lyons and Rupert Soames for later in the year.

In mid-March, we had over 120 members and their guests attend a talk by the Swedish and Finnish Defence Attachés. It is good to see members engaging and appreciating the wide variety of talks, events and interest groups that are organised for your benefit. Please feel free to provide suggestions to Catherine Brumwell if there are any topics or speakers who you think might be of interest.

Christian Yates Chairman

Contact Details

Please can we ask members to save the below information and to use the staffs’ direct emails and, specifically, their direct lines in order to reduce the amount of traffic going through the Front Desk.

Secretary

020 7659 0900 secretary@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Accounts

020 7659 0904 finance@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Dining Room

020 7659 0908

diningroomsupervisor@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Events

020 7659 0905 events@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Front Desk/Room Reservations

020 7499 1261 reservations@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Membership

020 7659 0902 membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Paying online and direct debit

As per the Secretary’s email a few weeks ago, we are keen to reduce people paying by bank transfer. If you have a bill to pay that is not going out by direct debit, please log into your account, hover over Members’ Area and then click on Card Payment. This will take you to your account and will show up any amounts that you are owing.

If you do not have a direct debit set up and would like to, please contact Accounts or the Membership Secretary who will explain how to set it up.

Secretary’s Ditty

One of the more onerous parts of my job is to taste the proposed menus that will be served in our tent at Royal Ascot. Catherine Brumwell and I drove out to the racecourse and tasted no less than sixteen dishes! Catherine emailed you all on 6 March explaining how to book your places in our lovely, air-conditioned tent. I hope that you will join me and some of the team for a day or two’s racing.

If you have been to the Club recently, you will see we have a terrific Sue Phipps portrait of our King, kindly on loan from the King of Bahrain.

In the Dining Rooms, we have added Crepes Suzettes to the menu, flambéed at your table by the Dining Room Manager, Emanuela. I am so pleased that they are going down well and without incident or incendiary. Also new on the menu are lamb shoulder crumble and a delicious and filling steak and ale pie.

With guidance from the committee, we have repriced a good deal of our wines, reducing the margin on our more expensive by over £30 per bottle to make them even better value. We hope that this encourages you to try wines that you would not consider on the high street. Some examples are:

Cos d’Estournel 2010, Saint-Estèphe, 2ème Cru Classé

• Was £295

• Now £210

Château Duhart-Milon 2009, Pauillac, 4ème Cru Classé

• Was £195

• Now £135

Tenuta Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori 2019, Toscana IGT, Italy

• Was £160

• Now £119

I am sorry to tell you that Joao Da Silva, our Food and Beverage Director since November 2022, will be moving in mid-April. He takes up the post of General Manager at The Gray’s Inn Society in The City. Nikolet Vieru from our Events team leaves us at the end of March after two and a half years to relocate home to Hungary. They leave us with our thanks for their hard work and for making a positive difference to the Club.

Rupert Elliott Secretary

Ascot 2024

A few weeks ago, we launched Ascot 2024. Once more our magnificent marquee will be sitting among the other clubs, but the big difference this year is that we have negotiated a larger garden area.

In an attempt to continue to keep the numbers up, we have purposefully kept our figures down, so we encourage you to join us this year.

If you would like more details, please contact the Membership Secretary.

Employee of the Month

November

Sandra Torres (Waiter) – Loves to travel, is from Ecuador and adores it when she can go home, has a strong interest in art and visits a lot of museums. Wants to improve her English so she can communicate well with the members.

Bledina Mino (Room Assistant) – Likes to travel and to visit castles. One of the castles she visited, and that left an impression on her, is the Castle of the Moors in Lisbon, Portugal.

December

Natalia Antoniak (Junior Banqueting Manager) – Likes to cycle even though sometimes she happens to fall off, likes to travel and driving fast.

Oluwaseun Edem (Chef de Partie) – Is from Nigeria

January

Francesca Montis (Events Coordinator) – I love ironing, I carry lint rollers everywhere, and, no matter how hard I try, my clothes always have some hair attached to them!

Bart Simionkowski (Senior Sous Chef) – I am passionate airsoft player (a Japanese survival game where teams eliminate opposing players using airsoft guns) and have been playing for two years.

Sandra Torres Bledina Mino

Natalia Antoniak

Francesca Montis

Oluwaseun Edem

Bart Simionkowski

From the Kitchen

As you are aware, the asparagus season will soon be upon us. Starting on St George’s Day and finishing on the summer solstice, the season is relatively short.

Asparagus has been harvested since biblical times and the Romans would hold chariot races from the mountains where they buried the freshly cut asparagus in the snow. The object of the competition was to bring the produce back while still in its frozen state.

There are three types of asparagus: green, which is the more traditional; white, which is green asparagus that has not been subjected to the warmth of direct sunlight; and purple, which should be eaten raw. For the latter, be brave and do not cook it as it simply turns it into green asparagus when you do.

There is the classical way of cooking asparagus by boiling it in salted water and serving it with hollandaise. However, my personal favorite method is freshly cut from the garden and put straight onto a cooling BBQ and finished off with a little sea salt and olive oil.

I am currently planning some lovely asparagus-based dishes for this period, so please look out for them on the menu.

Paul Farmer Executive Chef

Flambé

A thousand years ago the Secretary used to wash the flambé pans in the Queens Grill on the QE2. Having seen flambé being beautifully done at the Ritz, he and the Executive Chef thought the members might enjoy it, too. In January, the equipment was delivered, and Paul Farmer trained the staff on how to make the perfect Crêpes Suzette. Melted butter, sugar, orange, Grand Marnier, cognac and flames – you cannot go wrong!

We highly recommend that the next time you are dining with us, that you order this dish. It serves a minimum of two portions and costs £19.50

Fine Wine Dinner

Wednesday, 22 May

For our May Fine Wine Dinner, we are delighted to be inviting Pol Roger to present their wines. Paul Farmer is already planning an exquisite dinner to perfectly complement the selection. We will have two Pol Roger hosts. One is George Prideaux, who works at Pol Roger Agencies and the second, our main speaker, is Martin Heidsieck. He is a sixth-generation direct descendant of the founder Pol Roger and is in charge of the house.

For the reception, magnums of Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV will be served. Alongside your starter, there will be the wonderful, recently released Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2016 before moving on to the exclusive and magnificent Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2015, a real treat, showcased alongside the Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune Rouge 2018. With your dessert, we will serve Pol Roger Rich NV Demi Sec.

We are charging £130 for members and £140 for guests. In order to keep it exclusive, we are limiting numbers to 40. To book, please contact the Membership Secretary.

The Royal Horse Artillery Stables 1888

by Godfrey Douglas Giles

From the Archivist

This painting, hanging in the Strawson Room, is undoubtedly a favourite of many members and their guests and with its vibrancy, colour and multiple characters provides a large and complex panoply for discussion and observation..

My father, having served in the Blues and a great horseman and coaching enthusiast until the end of his life, always enjoyed looking at this particular gem of the Club’s collection, but was always mildly amused by its artistic liberties that he would, on occasion, point out to drinking companions in the adjacent Geoffrey’s Bar. ‘You see,’ he would say, ‘for one, the saddles on their racks are far too high for any of the soldiers, as drawn, to reach and, equally, replenishing the hay in the horses’ mangers would be difficult given how high they are on the wall!’

Nevertheless, these comments should not distract us from a fine painting and so what do we know of its subject matter? The Stables depicted were built in the 1870s (possibly as early as 1866) and the RHA batteries occupied The Wood from 1880. In 1888 (the date of the painting), B Battery were occupying the barracks, the Battery Commander, in those days called the Superintendent) inspects the stables accompanied by the Battery Sergeant Major. Several men can be seen bringing boxes of oats to the horse. Those pictured in more casual states of dress are likely stablemen.

The Royal Horse Artillery nowadays consists of three regiments (1RHA, 3RHA and 7 Para RHA) and one ceremonial unit (The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery). Almost all of the batteries of the RHA have served continuously since the Napoleonic Wars, except the King’s Troop, created in 1946, and M Battery, which was reanimated in 1993. Horses are still in service for ceremonial purposes but were phased out from operational deployment in the 1930s.

In February 2012, The King’s Troop relocated from St John’s Wood to the King George VI Lines at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, where they are currently based. A copy of the painting used to hang in the Officers’ Mess at The Wood and was moved to the new mess in Woolwich. King’s Troop officers liked to believe that the original was ‘being looked after’ at 127 Piccadilly.

The artist Godfrey Douglas Giles* (9 November 1857-1 February 1941) was a prolific painter of horses, military scenes and battles, many experienced firsthand whilst on service with the British Army in India, Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa.

Having attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Giles’ first posting was to India in 1875 and he saw action in the Second Afghan War with the 1st Sind Horse. He was present at the battle of Khuski-Nakhud in February 1879 and later painted the Charge of the Scinde Horse at Khuski-Nakhud. He also painted a scene of E/B Battery RHA at Maiwand that was exhibited in 1893.

Having attained the rank of Major (and having also served in the Artists’ Rifle Corps), Giles retired from the army in 1884 and went to Paris in 1885 where he studied under Carolus-Duran. He successfully exhibited paintings such as The Battle of Tamai and El Teb at the Paris Salon and the Royal Academy, after which he settled in Newmarket where he was able to depict horse and racing scenes. After the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, Giles was sent there as a war correspondent and artist by The Graphic and the Daily Graphic. He contributed greatly to the pictorial record of the Boer War with works on display in both South Africa and the UK.

Having also produced numerous caricatures for the magazine Vanity Fair, he died in Edinburgh at the age of 83 in 1941.

(*Interestingly, in the Club history Cavalry & Guards - A London Home the artist is mis-identified as Geoffrey Douglas – an error possibly on my part!)

David Cowdery Honorary Archivist

In the Nobel Pursuit of Peace

by Captain Adrian Blackshaw

Club membership comes in all shapes and sizes. We are often the product of our individual regimental DNA. Yet within our ranks, we have some rare individuals. One such example is Colonel Geoffrey Cardozo CBE, who can be described as a truly compassionate soldier.

He embodies the view that an enemy in war need not be so in perpetuity. Also, that the impact of conflict has a long reach. It is not just frontline soldiers who carry the wounds of war way beyond the end of battle. If a soldier dies in defence of his or her country, their families carry a great burden of loss to their own graves.

At the end of the Falklands War in 1982, Captain Cardozo was tasked with the welfare and discipline of our troops in the Falklands. Outside his brief, he took it upon himself to respond to reports of the discovery of dead Argentine soldiers. Reports frequently came from our Royal Engineers involved in clearing mines around Stanley. The work

he undertook often involved dangerous recoveries by helicopter from the middle of minefields. Some of the bodies had been booby-trapped, others buried by their Argentine peers in mass graves, at Stanley, Darwin and Goose Green. Many were scattered in shallow road-side graves or simply left in the open on the battlefields.

The handling of the Argentinian dead was a sensitive political issue. With a change of Government post-General Galtieri, there remained a deep sense of national humiliation in Argentina. Their authorities insisted that the bodies should remain on the islands. Cardozo therefore continued his searches and temporary burials. However, in view of the gruesome nature of the job, Geoffrey was sent back to the UK to recruit professional funeral contractors to assist with the work. Here follows an extract from Geoffrey’s diary at the time.

‘When I arrived in the UK off a C130 in my dirty combat kit, after a shatteringly long flight, a car was waiting for me. “Where d’you be going to, Sir?” the driver asked. “Hyde Park Corner, please.” I was fast asleep in seconds and, the next thing I knew, we were parked outside No. 127. It was 7pm on the evening of 10 December 1982, Christmas decorations, black cabs, red double-deckers everywhere – a far cry from Stanley.

‘I staggered up the Club’s steps. Christmas parties were going on everywhere. One of them had spilt over into the hall, which was chock-a-block with members, some of them elderly, pinstriped, puffing cigars and, also such very pretty girls. And there I came to a faltering halt in front of reception. Everyone in the hall, at the sight of this apparition, fell silent.

‘Geoffrey, from Geoffrey’s Bar, uttered, “Sir, would you be wanting a bedroom?” “Yes, please,” I croaked. “No problem, Sir, always one for people like you.” He turned to Toni, gave him a key and bade him take me to the third floor. “The gentleman, I imagine, will need a clean set of clothes and probably a good bath too.”

‘I had a long soak in an awesome old bathtub, then strode back down the corridor where Toni was patiently waiting for me with three suits and an array of rather dated shirts, ties and shoes that members had left behind.

‘The first suit fitted me like a glove and a thought immediately came to me, “Where, apart from one’s home, could I ever have been made to feel more welcome and doted upon so warm-heartedly?” Answer: our Club, our home from home.’

The next day, Geoffrey selected 12 professional contractors, who joined him in the Falklands a few days later. Of the 220 bodies recovered, only 106 of them could be named. The remaining 114 soldiers, mostly young conscripts with no identity discs, had the epitaph, ‘An Argentine soldier known unto God’ marked on their crosses. Geoffrey had the foresight to enclose each body in three separate PVC body bags, before burying them in a coffin in individual graves, in the hopes to preserve them for future identification. He also meticulously recorded the details of every soldier – location found, personal effects etc. A report was sent to the ICRC in Geneva and on to Buenos Aires.

“Mainly due to the meticulous handling of the bodies in 1982, the DNA testing was successful. To date only seven Argentine soldiers remain to be identified.”

The burial ceremonies were simple but poignant with full military honours, with the Last Post and firing party included, in a specially constructed cemetery near Darwin, on a piece of land magnanimously gifted by a local landowner. A small posy of chrysanthemums was placed on the graves by the people of Darwin.

Some years later, in 2008, a chance encounter triggered a remarkable chain of events. Geoffrey had left the Army and was working for the Army charity, Veterans Aid, when the South Atlantic Medal Association invited him to interpret at a meeting with an Argentine veteran, Julio Aro. Julio was a 19-year-old conscript at the time of the conflict. He had come to the UK to research the care the British were giving to their soldiers with psychological disorders.

Unrelated to the subject being discussed, Geoffrey noticed that Julio, who had just visited the cemetery in Darwin, was staggered to find half the Argentine soldiers in the cemetery still had not been identified. Geoffrey in turn was astonished and angered that nothing had resulted from his report.

The Argentine authorities had apparently filed his report away 25 years earlier, without informing the families who had lost their sons and were still grieving. Geoffrey gave Julio a copy of his report. This was the start of an epic journey and a lasting friendship.

Julio returned to Buenos Aires, had the report translated and, quite by chance, met Gaby Cociffi, a tenacious Argentine journalist whose help was to be defining. Both set about tracing the relatives of the Argentinian fallen to encourage

them to submit their DNA. Initially, this proved an uphill struggle. Their government was not helpful and many of the families believed their sons were still alive, prisoners or living abroad. Others could not believe that the British enemy had attended to their relatives and buried them with such dignity.

It was only thanks to the intervention of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters that things really began to move. On his 2012 tour in Buenos Aires, he successfully lobbied Argentine President Christina Fernandes and she immediately sought the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Her successor signed an agreement with the UK government and exhumations in the cemetery and DNA sampling began in 2017.

Mainly due to the meticulous handling of the bodies in 1982, the DNA testing was successful. To date only seven Argentine soldiers remain to be identified.

The families were overwhelmed with relief. Eighty-nine of them visited the cemetery near Darwin in 2018 and again a year later. The scene on each occasion was charged with emotion, mothers for the first time being able to weep openly at the graves of their sons. Closure had come at last.

Some people wear their achievements lightly, none more that Geoffrey Cardozo. He received a military MBE in 1984, honours from the Argentine Senate and Congress in 2018 and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. He was recently awarded a CBE (civilian division) in recognition for his services to UK/Argentina relations. His father was in the Special Operations Executive during WW2 and his grandfather in the Buffs in WW1. Geoffrey, a fluent French and Spanish speaker, attended the universities of Saragossa in Spain and Cologne in Germany before joining the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards.

Geoffrey has agreed to come to the Club later this year and do a talk on his work. Please watch out for notices about it.

2024 Inter-Club Cresta Competition

‘Up and apparently unharmed,’ a term which echoed loudly over the St Moritz Toboggan Club (SMTC) tannoy system with increasing frequency. A phrase that encompasses the rather casual approach to speed, danger and the gallant madness that is the Cresta Run.

Since 1887, the SMTC has built the Cresta Run and maintained its fast, icy, banking turns throughout the St Moritz winter months.

The run is 1,212 meters in length, dropping 150 vertical meters. As should be expected, racers dress in the traditional style of breaches, shirt and tie. Luckily some thin leather pads are issued to protect the racer against an inevitable high-speed crash into an icy wall. A racer starting at Junction, which was to be the start point for our inter-club competition, will quickly gather speeds of around 50mph before entering the infamous Shuttlecock Corner.

Shuttlecock. A corner that is meticulously designed to ensure that even the most seasoned riders will fly out of the course at breakneck speed, with only some loose straw to cushion one’s unavoidable tumble. The 2024 Cavalry and Guards Club team were greatly reassured that ‘the safety hay is really much thicker this year’.

In 2023, the illustrious Club team of Tony Snook (C), Edward Orr, Phillip Kilby and Edmund Wood (yours truly) took on the challenge with flair and a distinct lack of precision when it came to staying in around Shuttlecock, following the Club’s previous glory and silverware won by Dougie Ross in 2022. The 2023 team managed to hold their own with one individual second place. Previous glory set the tone for the relatively greenhorn 2024 team of Edmund Wood (C), Hamish Martin, Mark Harrison and George Tomley.

Day one is considered the beginners day. Novices from all clubs are thrown together at 0700 sharp for the intimidatingly titled Death Talk. After this cheery chat, the beginners huddle in groups at the coffee bar and could be overheard discussing highlights such as, ‘I doubt his foot actually came off’ and ‘surely not that many squirrels live on the run’.

Soon after the talk, the novice racers enjoyed their first toboggan lesson with their SMTC Guru. These fearless and experienced Cresta Riders were tasked with imparting valuable advice that would get them to the bottom of the first run safely. Their advice brought the realities of their station into sharp focus. Such instructions as ‘the breaks will not, in fact stop you, they merely guide you’ and ‘to reach speeds in excess of 50mph, one should ensure all their chins are as close to the ice as possible.’

The Cavalry and Guards Club team were keen to keep up appearances on and off the ice. Engaging eagerly with the serious nature of racing and the social aspects of the inter-club competition. From welcome drinks, lunches in the sunny bar at the Kulm hotel, and some spectacular dinners, we were made to feel delightfully welcomed. The good-natured and light-hearted ethos of the SMTC permeated the week with all regular members embracing the interlopers as though we were old friends and not knee-chattering novices.

The eagerly anticipated competition arrived far too quickly. With only three training runs a piece our breeks and nerves were in equal tatters. The race format saw 50 racers attempt three runs each. If more than one racer from each team fell in one run the team would be disqualified.

The first racers are called to junction start. With the tannoy system calling ‘to the box’ a phrase that precipitates the calm that enters each racers mind as they know that the next 50 or so seconds it is just them alone on the toboggan. The first run came and went with some spectacular offs at the infamous Lady Shuttlecock. With the tower being heard to comment, ‘disappearing elegantly into the safety hay’ and ‘bowled out at Shuttlecock, no attempt to turn at all.’

Quite possibly thanks to sheer unwillingness to let the side down, we delivered consistency and some surprising precision with ever improving run times all round. Teams that we had trained with and well liked such as the MCC Ladies

and the Singapore Cycling Club fell away to disqualifications. We eagerly began to discuss the surprising possibility that we could be doing rather well.

After a day of fine competition with very like-minded and friendly people, we retired relieved to the Sunny Bar for the award ceremony. The Cavalry and Guards Club retained its silverware winning streak for a third year in a row, with George Tomley winning sixth individually fastest racer, and the Cavalry and Guards a glorious second place in the team event.

While I am sure words cannot fully do justice to this incredible event, we had all become hooked on the Cresta Run. Not only the sense of intense excitement and comradery in the race and run itself, but also the atmosphere, where friendly rivalry is mixed with the incredible beauty of St Moritz. The snow sparkles around the club house, the ice glints intimidatingly in the sun and the experienced club members afford all newcomers constant affability. We remain enchanted and truly excited for next season.

It has been indicated that the Cavalry and Guards Club may return for the 2025 Cresta Inter-Club competition. If you would like to apply to race in next year’s event, please contact the Membership Secretary, Catherine Brumwell.

“The mountains are both friend and foe, they inspire and challenge in equal measure. For those who have been called they simply must go…”

Welcome to the Cavalry and Guards Club Alpine Group

Whilst undoubtedly ski focused, the idea is to unite all of those members, and their families, who have a love of the Alps and the mountains. The intention is to share knowledge and experiences across a range of alpine disciplines that will kick off a group ski trip to Austria in February 2025. On the agenda is everything from organised ski trips, amateur racing, training and an assault on the Eiger! In order to gauge interest and begin to grow a group of core members, we will be holding an inaugural meeting in the Club very soon. More details to follow.

In the meantime, please show your interest and offer support by getting in touch with Tim Bradshaw tim@sanstonecommunications.co.uk and Catherine Brumwell membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk

Art Exhibition Lunches

Throughout the year, we organise trips to London galleries to see their various exhibitions. Beforehand, there is lunch at the Club before we organise transportation to whichever gallery you are going to.

On 13 March the group visited the Tate Britain to see Sargent and Fashion and coming up there is:

Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King at the Wallace Collection on 2 May

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers at the National Gallery on 25 September

Monet and London: Views of the Thames at the Courtauld Gallery on 21 November

To book, please contact the Membership Secretary membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk or 020 7659 0902 or book online.

Sailing Group

As the sailing season is gearing up, Colonel Sean Costello, the Chairman of the Cavalry and Guards Sailing Club, is planning lots for the 2024 season.

Wednesday, 24 April

Informal drinks. Please get your drinks from the bar and meet in the Field Marshal’s Room at 1830.

Friday, 3 May. The first event of the season is the Yeomanry (Inns of Court) Regatta being held at Seaview, Isle of Wight. This early season one-day event is open to all regular or reserve, serving or veteran members. There is a dinner at the Seaview Yacht Club on the Friday evening.

The main competitive sailing event is the Combat Arms Sailing Regatta, again at Seaview, from 9-11 September

Following the last few years of dominance on the water, the intent is to enter three Club crews. We have a squad of around 12 members and a number of expressions of interest.

How do I get involved?

If you would like to join, please let Sean know costellos69@gmail.com

If you would like to join the Cavalry and Guards Sailing Club WhatsApp group please scan the QR code.

Bouquets and Brickbats

Bouquets

From my perspective, I particularly appreciated how well the team worked in both the foreground and the background to make the event pass smoothly and effortlessly. HC

The food was, as always, so beautifully presented and delicious. CC

Thank you for your great kindness and service to our club. CH

The Club is buzzing. You are doing a great job, as are your team. AC

You have had a huge amount to organise this year, but you always have a lovely light touch to everything you do. SS

A big thank you to the Club for a most enjoyable Members Christmas Lunch. As always the Club was looking wonderful, decked out for Christmas and we had such a delicious meal with perfect service. I don’t think my cooking would ever come up to such a superb standard! PS

I thought I would just send you a note to tell you just how much my father enjoyed the General Sir Mike Jackson talk. It meant a great deal to him to reconnect with former and current members of his old regiment. GHH

It really is the most beautiful setting and your team was amazing. TT

The staff were exceptionally understanding and tolerant of our rather enthusiastic behaviour. DT

No one collapsed due to cheese overdose! GT

We are all quick to complain but slow to praise. Last night I was in the dining room with a guest for an excellent evening. Max and his team were first class, I am now getting

to know him. He, himself, served us, he was charming and gave a top quality service, faultless. 11 out of 10! JM

Duck for that many people can’t be easy. AH

Thank you for all that you do for our Club. CH

Your team is fantastic! ST

Please convey our thanks to Marius and Robert, the Porters, and especially Natalia and her very impressive team. I must admit, 21-year-old boys are very thirsty and I think that the humidor in Geoffrey’s Bar took a serious hit. Luckily on their wallets, not mine! JD

The Club is in good shape and it is always a pleasure to spend time there. Thank you for both your hard work and that of the wider team. GD

Brickbats

Someone said the silver looked rather dirty. I do not notice these kinds of things but someone did! JM

The food was good and the staff charming as ever, but we waited 50 minutes for the food. I use the Club quite a bit these days and the service is generally top rate. BA

I had an excellent stay at the club last night. However, it was a shame to see a number of fellow members too idle or bothered to dress correctly: one couple in the bar – the gentlemen in a woollen quarter zip with a lady in fashion trainers; a group in the sitting room off the entrance hall looking pretty slovenly also without jackets. I am sure they know the expectations but just could not be bothered. It is particularly annoying to see idle members when there is a function going on with people correctly dressed. It is disrespectful to staff and fellow members alike. Perhaps it would be useful to remind the sloths of the dress guidance! CP

In Memoriam Deaths

Mr Alastair Gunning, The Life Guards, in March 2024. A member since 1 September 1961.

Major David Walter, Scots Guards, on 4 March 2024. A member since 1 January 1954.

Lieutenant General Norman Arthur KCB CCVO, the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Division) on 18 December 2023. A member since 26 January 1954.

Major The Lord Rodney Elton, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry, on 19 August 2023. A member since 27 July 1954.

Cavalry and Guards Sailing Club Drinks Wednesday, 24 April

Ladies Lunch with guest speaker Rupert Lycett-Green Thursday, 25 April

Opera Holland Park at the Cavalry and Guards Club Tuesday, 30 April

Art Exhibition Lunch: Ranjit Singh – Sikh, Warrior, King. Lunch at the Club before heading to the Wallace Collection Thursday, 2 May

Fine Wine Dinner with Pol Roger Wednesday, 22 May

Royal Ascot 18-22 June

Cigar and Port Dinner Thursday, 27 June

Connect 127 Business Lunch with Rupert Soames Tuesday, 10 September

Grouse Dinner Wednesday, 18 September

Art Exhibition Lunch: Van Gogh – Poets and Lovers Wednesday, 25 September

Fine Wine Dinner Thursday, 26 September

Game Lunch Thursday, 10 October

Club Talk: Surveyor of the King’s Works of Arts Wednesday, 16 October

Art Exhibition Lunch: Monet and London – Views of the Thames Thursday, 21 November

Sons and Daughters Wednesday, 11 December

Members Christmas Lunch Thursday, 12 December

If you wish to attend any of these, please contact the Membership Secretary. membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk