speaker was Lt Col G V de la F Woyka, who gave us an informative speech. We were pleased to have Mr George Kelsall from the Chelsea Hospital and his partner on the top table. As a ‘local boy’, George was pleased to visit the area of his youth. Clal and Frieda Card, Brian Allen and the Secretary spent six hours on a Sunday morning running a car boot sale to dispose of the remaining items from our auction. The total raised from both events was £900, which was equally divided between Riding for the Disabled and the Donna Louise Trust. On 11th November a few members attended a Remembrance Service at the National Memorial Arboretum. On Remembrance Sunday we paraded at Newcastle under Lyme, and joined a moving service taken by the Revd. Ann Taylor. Later we held our usual service at Tunstall cemetery at the graveside of Life Guard Len Durber. Our last get together of the year was our Christmas dinner on 8th December. An excellent turnout and we were glad to see our colleague Terry Lockett again. At the event we presented our sponsorship cheque to members of the Endon Riding School for Riding for the Disabled. We have enjoyed another full year, there’s never a dull moment. In between our regular events we have been very busy tending the Blues and Royals plot at the National Memorial Arboretum. Several ex members on the various asso-
Mr C Card presenting a cheque to Mrs D Machin of Riding for the Disabled, at the Christmas Dinner, December 2004.
ciation Bulletin Boards have raised enough cash for us to purchase a petrol strimmer which makes our job much easier. Our thanks to them. Thanks must go to our green fingered members, Clal and Frieda Card and Brian Allen for their continued hard work to keep the site as we would wish, we have had a lot of compliments from visitors and NMA staff. We have welcomed Mr. J. Johnson and Mr. T Collett to our membership this year, but we are sorry to see our first President, Major C.H Waterhouse leave the area, but he will still receive minutes of our meetings as he does enjoy keeping in touch with us.
first Chairman and Founder of the Association. He will be sadly missed and the sympathy of all members goes to his widow, Cynthia. His funeral was attended by members of the Association who formed a guard of honour. The situation in Iraq seems to have no end and our thoughts are with our serving colleagues working under very difficult circumstances to bring peace to a troubled area. We know that their training and the traditions we hold dear will see them through, our prayers are with them. Our good wishes to all our colleagues, wherever in the world they serve, in the knowledge they stand out as Household Cavalry men!
Sadly we have to report the death of Mr. Leonard Pritchard formerly The Life Guards, on 27th December, who was the
Dorset Association www.householdcavalryassociationdorset.org President Chairman Secretary and Treasurer ost years start quietly, and 2004 was no exception until the ‘Dorset Squadron’ newsletter dropped through member’s letterboxes to announce, amongst other things, that Saint Valentine was to visit The Savoy Hotel, Bournemouth and invited members and their guests to participate in a weekend of fun, fine food, and wine. Guests that arrived on Friday enjoyed an excellent dinner and cabaret, so much so, that there were no participants for the ‘between the piers swim’ the next morning. Valentines Day saw the number of guests swell to 114, and the added attraction of Geedon Cartouche deputising for St Valentine. He decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons, and
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The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Normanton Raymond D Peck, formerly The Life Guards John Triggs BEM, formerly The Blues and Royals
placed a velvet bag containing red foil covered chocolate hearts at every ladies place. Charlie Greenwood was heard to comment that they tasted better than the roses last year and there were not any thorns to get in your teeth. The banquet was superb and it was with difficulty that everybody managed to move into the Imperial Ballroom to fill the dance floor, although there was a short break when the Committee entertained those present with a raffle. It was warming to see how far some members had travelled, and how everybody enjoyed themselves.
abled. It had been decided to spend the £1900 raised in 2003 by the Association to purchase a medium size wooden building as a clubhouse to replace the on site caravan, whose steps restricted access to the less able bodied. After a lot of financial discussion and even more hard work, the flat packs were delivered and transformed into a smart new building with the Household Cavalry Association – Dorset plaque sited prominently by the door. Credit must be given to our charity representative Wally Pitt and to Dud Feltham for their effort.
During the Spring there was quite a bit of activity involving members and our selected charity, Driving for the Dis-
We were well represented on Cavalry Sunday at the 80th Anniversary of the unveiling of the Cavalry Memorial and
News from the Associations
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