Rumours abound that our author, Peter DeCosemo, joined the army by accident. He’d seen an advertisement for a job that would teach you to ride a horse whilst actually paying you money. Bingo, Peter joined Her Majesty’s Household Cavalry. The role of a Cavalryman is a warrior first and a ceremonial soldier only second, however Peter’s talents as a naturally gifted horseman were soon apparent and he served for three years training ‘remount’ horses and teaching new recruits.
things. Where the gift comes from is impossible to determine, maybe something to do with inherited genetics and being in the right place at the right time combined with an ability to understand what goes on in a horse’s head. I’ve overheard it said “Oh Peter just gets all the good horses” and known that the huge chestnut he was riding was actually a reject from another establishment who had given up with it. The horse in question had reared up so high in the yard it had got its front legs stuck in the gutter round the roof of the stable. In Peter’s hands in the dressage arena he lived up to his name of Floater.
Being trained to ride a horse and being a ‘horseman’ are two quite different
This horse ‘insight’ is very difficult to explain, but when I was given a sneak
would be able to look after himself, his rifle and maybe a comrade in battle.
preview of the first chapter of Peter’s book, it all became a lot became clearer. Think for a minute, are you really going to be able to ‘lead’ a 1500lb horse on a piece of rope or is it more likely that the horse is in charge and allowing you to? The book has universal appeal and is dedicated to the memory of the men and horses who died in Hyde Park and in Regent’s Park in 1982. Books can be bought at: www.ledthegrey.com
A Regular Soldier’s First Weeks in the Household Cavalry at Windsor and Knightsbridge - 1954 by Laurie Young formerly The Life Guards
I
reported to the Army Recruiting Office at Embassy Hall, Croydon, where I was sworn in by a Capt in the Royal Sussex Regiment. I was issued with a travel warrant and told to report to the guardroom at the Household Cavalry Barracks, Knightsbridge SW7. Incidentally I had volunteered for The Blues. I arrived on the pavement outside Knightsbridge Barracks dressed in a blazer and grey flannels, suede shoes, a raincoat over my arm and an attaché case in my hand. As I gazed up the stairs leading to the guardroom a gentleman dressed in pants, puttees and spurs with a SD jacket and cross belt, boots like black glass and a red and blue cap on his head enquired “if I was coming, come in or else bugger off”. The first words ever spoken to me by a NCO of the Household Cavalry. I was directed across the yard at The Life Guards and up the on staircase to a room at the top which was a holding room for recruits. You see in those far off days all regulars were sent to Knightsbridge and after a couple of days after an interview with the Colonel were then sent down to Windsor, generally in batches of four or five. That’s where I met up with Dick Smith from near Littlehampton and Bar-
122 ■ Features
ry Carrington from Derbyshire. Two days later myself, Dick, Barry and Lionel Mosley were marched in one at a time to be interviewed by Col Jackie Ward, MVO, MC, The Life Guards, Lt Col Commanding and Silver Stick. Col Ward noted I wished to join The Blues. He asked me if I had any relations currently serving in The Blues or any that had in the past, “No Sir” I replied. He told me that he had accepted all the men in the previous batch of four for The Blues and that I was now a Life Guard. That turned out to be the quickest, the only and best transfer I ever made for the next fifteen years. Later that same day we intrepid four set off for Combermere Barracks, Windsor and the start of six bloody hard weeks on the square. On our arrival at the guardroom at Combermere we made the acquaintance of the late CoH Jock Lippe, RHG and his sidekick Cpl Nettleton, RHG. That was an eye opener I can tell you, and after a lecture from CoH Lippe on what he expected, we were taken to the office of the Household Cavalry Training Cadre (HCTC) which was situated in a very old house in the middle of the barracks.
The resident Service Regiment at Combermere at this time were The Blues under the command of the late Lt Col David Smiley, MVO, OBE, MC. HCTC was commanded by Maj N E Hearson LG, the 2IC was the late Capt J N P Watson, RHG and the Corporal Major was SCM Jackie Cosgrove RHG, who also didn’t take prisoners. We had arrived just before a Bank Holiday so we were issued with bedding and a set of denims and spent the next few days on cookhouse fatigues. Bank holiday done we were now forming into Allenby Squad under CoH ‘Acker’ Hill RHG. Next came a visit to the Mr Teezy Wheezy of Combermere Cpl ‘Nippy’ Daniels for The Haircut. One could see how he got his nickname for within the hour nineteen of us reformed on the road outside shorn well above the ears, sore necks from Niffy’s blunt razor and smelling sweetly of his talc sprinkled on the neck. Next to the stores for our kit. Our Squad officer was 2 Lt Gage, LG and the Squad Corporal was a potential officer L/Cpl McAlpine LG now Lord McAlpine. He was waiting to go to Mons for the officer commissioning course. Now for the next six weeks it was left