Chairman’s Introduction
At the beginning of March, members received the circular setting out the background and rationale for the reorganisation of the Club. At the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 31 March, I am very pleased to record that the resolutions were passed with 99.9% of votes cast in favour.
This marks an important moment in the life of the Cavalry and Guards Club. The move to charitable status is a carefully considered step designed to place both the Club and its building on a secure and sustainable footing for the long term, safeguarding what we value today and our heritage for generations of members to come. As the Secretary notes in his piece, while the governance structure changes, the day-to-day business of looking after members and their guests remains exactly as it is.
The work undertaken over the past four years is visible throughout the building: the refurbishment of the historic lantern; the renewal of the Third and Fourth Floor bedrooms; the installation and replacement of air conditioning; extensive redecoration; aesthetic improvements to the Garden and Strawson Rooms; upgraded ladies’ and gentlemen’s facilities; enhancements to staff areas; and important, but largely unseen, initiatives such as security upgrades to ensure that the Club remains a safe and welcoming place for members, their families and guests. None of this happens without the commitment of an exceptional staff team. I was particularly pleased to see Imran Zaki’s 30 years of service marked in March –a reminder of the continuity and loyalty that sit at the heart of the Club’s standards.
I would like to thank members for the thoughtful engagement, encouragement and support shown throughout the reorganisation process. The clarity of the mandate given at the EGM is both heartening and decisive and reflects the shared commitment of the membership to the Club’s future.
This will be the last occasion on which I write the foreword to the Newsletter as your Chairman. It has been a great honour and privilege to serve the Club in this role over the past four years. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from fellow members, the Committee, Trustees, Directors and the staff, and I am pleased and proud to have played a part in helping the Club navigate this important period in its history.
I recommend reading the circular for fuller background to the reorganisation, and I look forward with confidence to the next chapter in the life of 127.
Christian Yates Chairman
127 at Royal Ascot
Running from Tuesday, 16 to Saturday, 20 June, we will be providing delicious food and drinks in our air-conditioned marquee. We have the same large garden as in previous years and there is a betting station, bar, lovely loos as well as a place to put your belongings.
To book
Contact Catherine on membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk or 020 7659 0902 or scan the QR codes:
Badges
These give you access to our garden, marquee and all the facilities within. Please be reminded that if you are eating with us, you will need one of these, too.
• Tuesday to Friday: Member £67.50. Guest £77.50
• Saturday: Members £42. Guest £47
• Five-Day Badge: Members £270. Guests £310
Food
From Tuesday to Friday you will be served a threecourse lunch and on Saturday an impressive buffet lunch. There is the option for tea on all five days. If you book for both lunch and tea, you will keep your table for the whole day.
• Lunch (Tuesday to Friday) £149.50
• Buffet (Saturday) £95
• Tea (Tuesday to Saturday) £49.50
Secretary’s Ditty
Imust start by reassuring you that as far as my team and I are concerned, the transition into Charitable status will make little difference to our day-to-day duties of looking after you.
2026 got off to a shaky start when we reopened on 5 January with a lift out of order, a power cut over two days and no heating; a perfect storm. As I write the ‘little’ lift is still out of order, and we have decided to replace the whole thing with a fireman’s pole. While progress up to the fourth floor might be somewhat slow, coming down will not!
You will all know Imran Zaki in accounts. We celebrated his 30 years with us in March, and we are all so pleased to have him on the team. He supports Jay who has ‘only’ 27 years with us!
We are just putting the finishing touches to the refurbishments in the final nine rooms on the Fourth Floor, and we are really pleased to have added air conditioning to all the rooms as well as full face lifts, new tellies and new Hypnos beds. We have refreshed the carpets on the stairs from the fourth to third floors as well as the basement landing.
This is our last newsletter before Christian Yates steps down as Chairman after four years. Those of you who use the Club will know that it has been a very busy period. We have fully refurbished the historic lantern, to which you all kindly contributed, refurbished the Third and Fourth Floor bedrooms, replaced the air conditioning on the Third Floor, and installed new air conditioning on the Fourth Floor. We redecorated the Garden and Strawson Rooms, as well as the gents’ loos on the Ground and the Second Floors. We have replaced one ladies’ loo with four and fully refitted the staff ladies changing rooms, including installing a loo and shower. Behind the scenes, too, there has been activity around staff contracts, conditions, benefits and welfare in general. Lastly, and not least, the great and demanding work to move the Club into charitable status.
I do not think we would have got this over the line without him. Christian has been a dynamic, thoughtful, amusing and energetic leader. I think we have all learned a good deal from his time as Chairman. I suspect Chairmen never quite know what they are signing up for in this role, but we must recognise his many achievements.
As Christian steps down in June, we warmly welcome Brigadier Andrew Hughes. The team and I anticipate continued strong leadership, passion and a benign drive to continue to evolve the Club for the benefit of you, the member, and your guests.
Rupert Elliott Secretary
Employee of the Month
December
Jessie Alejandra Correa Calva – (Housekeeping Supervisor). In my free time I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family. I love traveling and learning about different cultures and traditions. I like studying and learning new things to grow personally and professionally.
Paula Munevar – (Food and Beverage – Junior Assistant Manager). I love to travel and am originally from Colombia.
January
Giuseppe Votadoro – (Dining Room Porter). I like to swim. My family and I produce olive oil in Sicily. I love to travel.
Natalia Antoniak – (Banqueting Supervisor). I am originally from Poland and drive there every year. I am an award-winning baker having come second, with a delicious banoffee cheesecake, in the Club’s baking competition!
February
Ervin Nur Dogus – (Events and Administrative Operations Assistant). I cannot eat chocolate (not an allergy, I just don’t like the taste!). I went to a ballet school and got a chance to perform in Swan Lake. I used to build robots and even qualified for the world championship.
Zuzanna Broadowska – (Food and Beverage Assistant). I study business. I love to travel and exploring new places. I love to sing.
Jessie Alejandra Correa Calva Paula Munevar
Giuseppe Votadoro
Ervin Nur Dogus
Natalia Antoniak
Zuzanna Broadowska
127 News
The Club App
I hope you all received the email about the Club App. Previously, we have had the wrapper app that takes you to the website, but we have upgraded to a “proper” app that means you can use face or finger recognition to log in.
Aside this, the app will look and work just like the website does allowing you to see My Calendar, make bookings, see all Club correspondence, update your details, search for members, set up a Direct Debit and much much more.
The app can be downloaded in any app store by typing Cavalry and Guards Club or, if you are reading this electronically, you can click on the QR codes.
Field Marshals
On Tuesday, 17 February at Windsor Castle, His Majesty King Charles III presented the Field Marshal’s baton to two Club members and former Chiefs of the Defence Staff, General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux and General The Lord Houghton of Richmond, on their appointment as honorary Field Marshals.
Britain’s Regular Cavalry at War 1660 –1920
by Patrick Mileham
Well known for his book Yeomanry Regiments, Club member Patrick Mileham’s Ancestral Voices Britain’s Regular Cavalry at War 1660-1920 will be published on 30 June.
In 2019, Patrick was invited by the Royal Armoured Corps staff and regiments to write an engaging history of Britain’s regular cavalry. He takes their story from early roots in Cromwell’s army to the eve of the Second World War. His style is lively and humorous, sympathetic and understanding.
‘This stirring story’, in 448 pages with illustrations, is available with a prepublication offer for Club members: £35 including postage.
Please scan the QR code or call 01226 734222
In Memoriam
Captain Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley on 29 January 2026. Welsh Guards. A member since 2 March 2003.
Major Esmond Micklem on 14 January 2026. 14th/20th King’s Hussars. A member since 14 September 2016.
The Reverend Richard Stevens in January 2026. 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards. A member since 5 April 1988.
Captain Michael Kelton on 25 December 2025. 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards). A member since 26 January 1954.
Bouquets and Brickbats
Bouquets
It was a great success in every aspect and Natalie and her team did a marvellous job in managing the lunch and keeping us all well fed and watered. Could you please pass on our compliments to the Chef. Susie, you have been very helpful throughout the process and I must thank you for that. The attention to detail with the names and table plan is so important, it makes all the difference. TW
Everyone (including two Admirals, one General, one Air Marshal and two Lords!) much enjoyed the evening, and were extremely complimentary about the Club; the team looked after us royally. The beef was, once again, melt in the mouth. Delicious! JCR
The OHs were absolutely thrilled with the occasion: the elegance of the rooms, the presentation and the wonderful team. Susie. you do this exceptionally well, and it is always a joy to work with you on these occasions. RM
I cannot say thanky ou enough – Annette and team were wonderful and it could not have been better. PB
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the effort in organising the chess evening last Thursday. It was very well received by all in attendance and was set up magnificently. JP
Just wanted to say thanks for squeezing us on the Club table for lunch today. I know it was a busy service so we really appreciated it. I also wanted to say what a game changer the new website is (not that new anymore!). So nice that it’s so easy to use and has so much useful information and useful functions. EA
My partner and I were in London at a memorial service for a friend last Monday. We decided at the last minute to see if we could get a table for lunch at the Club. We found that there were no other diners at all so we had the Dining room all to ourselves! The staff at the porters lodge and at the dining room were quite outstandingly welcoming, professional helpful and polite. We had a marvellous (but expensive!) lunch, cooked dished up and served absolutely faultlessly. But the biggest source of pleasure was the pride of belonging to a Club with such splendid staff. They should be congratulated.As it is some time since I have visited the Club I was very impressed by the improvements and presentation of the public rooms. I do not want to sound too pompous but in spite of the Club being deserted the whole atmosphere was that of a really happy and well ordered organisation. MM
Another night to remember but with a sore head today! CM
Last Saturday evening fifty members of the Naylor family dined in the Waterloo Room at the Club. It was a most enjoyable evening and probably went on longer than it should have because nobody seemed to wish to leave. Much of the enjoyment was thanks to the way in which Katsu (I hope I have his name right) and his team managed dinner, the hall porter’s greeting of people on arrival and generally because of the manner in which the Club looked after us. I was very proud of the way in which your staff looked after everybody and am therefore writing to ask you to tell those concerned how much their efforts were appreciated. I have been a member of the original Guards Club part of 127 Piccadilly since, I think, 1958 and my expectations of the standards achieved by you and your people have never disappointed. A very big thank you. MN
The bothers Cherry thoroughly enjoyed the Cherries Jubilee at dinner last night! CC
The service was impeccable – the guests’ glasses were kept refreshed and the canapes were delicious and widely-complimented. It was absolutely perfect. LB
Thank you so much for your help. I really do appreciate it. PE
The food, wines and service were all excellent. Really good value. DS
We had a marvellous Lunch (in lieu of Sandown) at the Club today. A most amusing (if select) gathering, delicious food and excellent service. MS
OHP Can I say on behalf of myself and my wife and sister what a fantastic evening you arranged. The atmosphere was all enveloping when you were listening to Opera in the setting, looking around at the pictures and all the history of the building. We all talked to the strangers around us who we found out to be colourful characters. At the end of the evening we were considered friends who if we bump into in the Club will be greeted as friends. AE
*If charity starts at home, and 127 Picadilly is our home from home, then let us be charitable! GHH
* Many thanks for laying out this development so clearly. I am sure you and the Committee have taken good advice. It makes good sense and I am pleased that the CC responded so quickly and positively. AJ
* congratulations on this achievement and your forwardlooking approach. WW
Saturday night was more than I could ever have asked for –the evening ran like clockwork, the tables looked wonderful, the staff were just brilliant – smiley, attentive and perfect in every way. The messages have come flooding in as to how amazing it all was. PS
We can’t stress how much of a pleasure it was organising this through you both, and how well your team did. There were no glasses left empty, nor guests left underfed, and the food was delicious. As well as this, the team on the bar both upstairs and downstairs in Jeffrey’s were cheerful, helpful and charming all evening long. DF
I could see that every room was bursting at the seams –400 covers served, I believe? Good grief – bravo to the club and everyone that made that happen – there was a great atmosphere in the bar at the end of the evening, for sure!
JTS
I have received numerous plaudits from my guests who rate the evening as one of the best experiences of their lives. NC
a huge thank you to you and all the wonderful team (especially Peter running the front of house) for looking after me so well over the years. The club has truly been a home from home and I have been proud to follow my father and an uncle as a club member. JB
Brickbats
...However, on the down-side and for future reference, could I mention that the ‘hot’ food was barely lukewarm which was disappointing. MBC
I must confess that the three of us were very disappointed to hear that you had ‘run out’ of crepe Suzette – would you recommend that in the future members pre-book for this popular item? HF
A Cause For Celebration
It is a fact of history that all past occasions are date-linked and significant events are generally marked with anniversary celebrations. Indeed, the word ‘jubilee’ originated in the Old Testament (Leviticus 25) and commands a ‘jubilee year’ every 50th year, initiated by a trumpet blast on the Day of Atonement, and to then be marked by debt forgiveness, land return and ultimately a ‘year of restoration’. In the Catholic tradition, Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 introduced the concept of the ‘Holy Years’ when a pilgrimage to Rome was appropriate, initially every 100 years –and more latterly every 25 years. And then, of course, we have the Royal Jubilees, and all of us will remember with gratitude the late Queen’s 70th Platinum Jubilee, taking place such a short time before her death in 2022.
Dates in Clubland also denote significant anniversaries and here at the Cavalry and Guards Club we have several such noteworthy dates: 1810 – the foundation of the Guards Club; 1890 – the foundation of the Cavalry Club; 1976 – the merger of the two Clubs; and 1987 – the acquisition by the membership of 127 Piccadilly – having previously leased the premises. It is likely that 2026 will also become a memorable date with the foundation of the Cavalry and Guards Charity (more about which you will read elsewhere). But 2026 is already significant for the Club as it marks the Golden Jubilee of the Cavalry and Guards Club –and therefore, it seems appropriate to record the history of that merger and formation here.
The 1970’s were a very different landscape in London Clubland from that which we see today. While a good number of clubs had seen a boost in membership during the Second World War, the pervading climate of privations and rationing had resulted in subscription levels being held for a period of years. Moreover, the clubs themselves had seen very little investment over the previous decades and buildings were generally not ‘fit for purpose’ – Victorian kitchens, antiquated lifts, decaying infrastructure and, in most parts an aged and ageing workforce. This sense of decay was not helped by a change in society, the flower power of the 60’s, a lack of deference and a desire to see society’s boundaries broken down. The old gentlemen’s clubs of London struggled. In many cases this resulted in closures and, in some fortunate cases, in ‘mergers’. The East India Club probably wins the award in this latter category having merged over time with the Sports Club, Public Schools Club and the Devonshire Club.
Merged clubs could produce some strange bedfellows, but a quick glance at the Cavalry and Guards would suggest otherwise. Surely drawing together two clubs for elite branches of the British Army would seem to be a simple and obvious choice? You would be mistaken for thinking it straightforward – for it was anything but so!
This is not the place to review the full history of the Guards Club but suffice to say that it had led a peripatetic and turbulent life since its foundation, finishing up in the 1940’s in 14-16 Charles Street. Saddled in the 1960’s with a problematic lease, a ‘not unusual for the period’ problem of declining membership, the Guards Club began to look around for a merger (having initially merged with the Guards Boat Club in 1946). Unfortunately, in 1968, the Chairman was to write to a member that, ‘I have approached the Cavalry Club, but the Chairman (CC) has written to say that they are not interested in amalgamating with us.’ Other options such as merger with the National Liberal Club or Lansdowne Club were quickly dismissed.
And so it was on 1 January 2026 that the ‘merged’ Club celebrated its 50th birthday.
However, at the same time and for similar reasons, the Cavalry Club were reviewing their options. In 1968, a sub-Committee had been set up under the chairmanship of General Jackie d’Avigdor-Goldsmid (who was to become the first Chairman of the Cavalry and Guards Club), which had concluded that the membership of the Club needed to increase by a 1000. Consequently, and despite having rebuffed the Guards Club Chairman’s approach, only a year later in 1969, they made an offer to the Guards Club that 800 of their members should join the Cavalry Club. Put to the members at a Guards Club AGM (and despite there being a majority of postal votes ‘in favour’) this proposal was defeated – by 12 votes! The Guards Club would struggle on!
The Cavalry Club meanwhile looked at other options; in turn passing a resolution that all serving officers of the Royal Armoured Corps be eligible to join the club and in January 1971 offering membership to all Green Jacket officers – past and present. Also, in 1971 the club undertook the first of many trips to Sandhurst to canvass recruits there.
However, by 1975 the situation had deteriorated further for each club and, consequently, in June of that year both clubs discussed the possibility of a merger at their Annual General Meetings. The decision to merge was ratified at separate EGMs that October and the agreed date for the amalgamation was to be 1st January 1976. (The Guards Club finally closed its doors at 11pm on Wednesday, 29th October 1975 and for the period until the end of that year became ‘honorary members of the amalgamated Club)
And so it was on 1 January 2026 that the ‘merged’ Club celebrated its 50th birthday. No one could say that the passage of those years has been smooth (the negotiations for the purchase of the freehold in 1987 being an obvious example), and no one could say that there have not been both membership and operational challenges, but I think all of those involved in those decisions a half a century ago would be proud of the Club that exists today and happy to see it still flourishing in 127 Piccadilly. Here’s to the next 50!
David Cowdery Club Archivist
Forthcoming events
6–10 May
Tent at the Badminton Horse Trials
Wednesday, 6 May Lunch for 60+ Year Members
Thursday, 7 May
Cigar and Port Dinner
Tuesday, 12 May
Art Exhibition Lunch to Queen Elizabeth II – Her Life in Style at the King’s Gallery
Wednesday, 13 May
Club Talk: The Spy and the Devil
16–20 June
Royal Ascot
Wednesday, 24 June
Club Talk: The Rise and Fall of the British Army
Thursday, 25 June
Connect 127: Business Breakfast with Neil Johnson
Wednesday, 15 July
Celebrating 50 Years of the Cavalry and Guards Club: Drinks reception in the Field Marshals’ Room, the Garden Room and the Terrace 6-8pm.
If you would like to stay on for supper, we are doing dinner for £50 per person. Free seating.
Members Only
Please note
While we hope there will be no changes, some might occur. Please contact the Membership Secretary for more details membership@cavgdsclub.co.uk
Badminton Horse Trials
Art Exhibition – the King’s Gallery