The blue and royal the blue and royal 1992

The Blue & Royal

1992

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FOREWORD

THE BLUE AND ROYAL VOL. No. 23

b Lieutenant Coloynel P B Rogers

1992 This year‘s magazine has been delayed in order to provide a record ofthc last few months of The Blues and Royals as an indce pendent Regiment. On 19 October 1992 The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals will parade together for the first time at Windsor as The Household Cavalry Regiment. each capbadgc providing two armoured reconnaissance Squadrons and half of Headquarters Squadron. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment remains unchanged.

It has to be said that each Regiment approaches Union from a very different start point. The two Regiments of Life Guards amalgamated in [922 so it was reasonable to expect that they. along with the other pre—war amalgamated Regiments. would be early victitns of any further reductions in the size of the Army.

Our situation was entirely different. Being amongst the most recent to have amalgamated for the first time we looked less vulnerable. However the decision was made by the Army Board to reduce the size of the Household Cavalry and both Regiments have been eqttally effected. The idea of a Union is untested and the difficulty of sustaining the Mounted Regiment from a smaller manpower base at Windsor has yet to be tackled. Nevertheless we still retain our own capbadge and a degree of individuality which will be lost by all those Regiments amalgamating over the next two years. in addition. if The Blues and Royals must join with sotneonc. there is no doubt in my mind that we will feel more at ease with our sister Regiment than with one which has no com mon experience of Knightsbridge and Pirbright. and a distinct territorial recruiting area of its own.

In order to reduce the Regiment to two Sabre Squadrons we must cut our total cap badge strength by about 120 all ranks by the middle of 1993. This is being achieved by redundancies. transfers and normal termination of service. i am confident that virtually no one will have to leave the Army altogether except for those made compulsorily redundant who will receive one year‘s notice and relatively generous financial compensation.

Colonel-in-Chief: Her Majesty The Queen

Colonel and Gold Stick: General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick, GCB. Dso. MBE. MC

Lieutenant Co/onel Commanding Househo/d Cavalry and Silver Stick: Colonel J D Smith-Bingham

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel P B Rogers

Tangier (1662—1680), Dettingen, Warburg, Beaumont, Willems,

l1

Fuentes d'Onor, Peninsular, Waterloo, Balaklava, Sevastopol, Egypt (1882), Tel el Kebir, Relief of Kimberley. Paardeberg,

Relief of Ladysmith South Africa (1899—1902).

BATTLE HONOURS

Le Cateau, Marne (1914), Messines (1914), Ypres (1914), Gheluvelt, Ypres (1915), Frezenberg. Loos, Arras (1917), Ypres (1917), Somme (1918), Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Cambrai (1918), Sambre, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders (1914— 1918).

Souleuvre, Brussels, Nederrijn, Rhine, NW Europe (1944—1945),

E]

Iraq (1941), Palmyra, Syria (1941), Knightsbridge, El Alamein,

Advance on Tripoli, North Africa (1941—1943), Sicily (1943), Italy (1943—44), The Falkland islands (1982)

CONTENTS Foreword .........

Diary of Events .

A Squadron Notes Colour Section .....

B Squadron Notes Football Sailing ......

C Squadron Notes Polo ..........................

Exercise Caledonian Curse H0 Squadron Notes .....................

On My Way to Play Tennis .. ..

Technical Ouartermaster‘s Notes The Cambrian Patrol 1991 LAD Notes .. . ..

Belize Tour ..

AATP '91 Northern Ireland with the Commandos .....

Blues and Royals at Sea ..

Welsh 1000 ........................

Penninsular Campaign Note Recruiting Team Notes .............

Exercise Brittania Way ........

The Ouartermaster‘s Department .

Colour Section . ..

Regimental Photograhs Mounted Squadron Notes Band Notes ...

Rugby ........... . .

Prince of Wales Cup Final .

Guards‘ Depot Notes .......................... , Exercise Mountain Fling

23

Heathrow Airport Sevens Competition Our Man in Hohne .....................................

Impressions of a Royal Canadian Dragon Exercise Dragon Hammer ........................

Warrant Officers and C'soH Mess Notes ,,,,,,, 2 HCR Battlefield Tour ...............

Support Troop Concentration Household Cavalry Museum Notes ..

An Arctic Expedition ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The Blues and Royals Association Report Go Karting .........

Colour Section ..

Household Cavalry Association Midlands Obituaries ......

Nominal Roll .. ,, Letters Page ...................................................

The Commanding Officer

The opinion expressed in the articles of this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy. or views. official or otherwise of the Regiment or Ministry of Defence.

The magazine contains official information. It should be treated with discretion by the recipient.

Lt Lockhart, Desert Orchid and Lt Col G T R Birdwood

© Crown Copyright

The Windsor Regiment is to have a no“ role as part of the UK Division assigned to NATO‘s Rapid Reaction Corps. it will be the only regular armoured reconnaissance Regiment in the United Kingdom. and with four Sabre Squadrons it will be large and strong. I have said many times that I do not think the day to day life of members of the Regiment at Windsor will change with thC arrival of the Life Guards. 1 do however think that the new role will be extremely busy and challenging and \xill give the Regi— ment arguably one of the most interesting and fulfilling jobs in the entire Army.

It does not seem so long ago that l marched with the Regiment to Lothian Barracks in Dctmold on a \\ ct March day in 1969 to take part in the parade to mark the formation of The Blues and Royals. On Union this October 1 will hand over command of the Regiment to Lt Col Falkner of The Life Guards. There is not room here for me to mention the many famous Regimental characters and friends that l have known m er the intervening twenty three years. I \\ould however like to take this opportunity to single out

two officers for special mention. The first is Lt Col G T R Bird— wood. an exact contemporary of mine who will have handed over command of the Mounted Regitnent in September. I would like to pay tribute to the enormous amount of trouble he has taken to improve the quality of life of those serving at Knightsbridgc and the resultant success he has had in retaining young soldiers and increasing two»way postings between Windsor and London. This is likely to be very much the pattern for the future. The second person I would like to mention is Major (Retdt Eric Payne. who has been unpaid Secretary of the Regimental Association since I984. It is only as Commanding Officer that one realizes w hat a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to deal with the administration of some 3.000 serving and ex—rnembers of the Regiment. and I would like to pay tribute to the diligence and patience he has shown in looking after their interests and in working with me to allocate financial help from Regimental funds to those in need.

The Blues and Royals Association will continue unchanged after Union with our own dinner and magazine However since we will not always provide the Commanding Officer at Windsor. the appointment of Chairman of the Association is to be held by a retired officer appointed by the Colonel of the Regiment. I have therefore handed over as Chairman to Lt General Sir Richard Vickers who many will remember as the first Commanding Officer of The Blues and Royals. and who has been a strong supporter of the Regiment ever since.

In my foreword to last year‘s magazine I expressed my pride and admiration for the standard of work and conduct of all ranks.

This last year has only confirmed what a strong and talented Regi— ment this is. Not only have all the main military tasks been carried out in a most creditable manner, but the uncertainties of the Gulf War and the move to Union have done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm. style and humour that every visitor to the Regiment has made a point of mentioning. During my time in command I have encouraged the Regiment to work hard and play hard. It is therefore with pleasure that I note that in the last few months we have exchanged otir Scorpion and Fox fleet for Scimitars. con» vetted the crews to the 30mm main armament. and carried out a conspicuously successful live firing. We have also won the Cavalry Cttp and the London District Cup for Rugby. and have had a Regimental Barbecue for 300 all ranks on the beach in Pem— brokeshire. Spectemur Agendo — By our deeds may we bejudged!

I would like to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of all ranks to our Colonel. General Sir Desmond Fit/.patrick for all that he has done to safeguard the future of the Regiment as far as is possible in such uncertain times. and on my own behalf for his wise counsel on many occasions.

Finally I would like to thank all those who have served at Windsor this time for the loyal support they have given me at all times during my tour in command. and to record the respect and affection in which I will hold their memory for the rest of my life.

From left: Commanding O

Diary of Events The Gulf war dominated the early part of 1991. While 5 Airborne Brigade tried hard to be included in the Gulf order of battle. the Regiment was hard pressed to maintain a barrack guard as half of B Squadron basked in the Belizean sun under Lt Scott and C Squadron donned light blue berets as the UNFICYP Scout Car Squadron under Maj White~Spunner. The Cambridge Military Hospital all but closed down as they deployed the Medics to Saudi Arabia as pan of the War Medical Plan. This led to the expression “MIBI” (Medics In Before Infantry) being muttered in the darker

A history of the Blues and Royals is now being prepared by a former officer of the regiment who is a long—established professional

author - J N P Watson (RHG. 1948-69. RHG/D. 1969.) His account will open with an outline of the career of both regiments between 166] and 1945: but will be principally devoted to the post-war period. The manuscript which is to professionally illustrated. in both colour and black & white. is due for publication. by Leo Cooper & Co. along with a post-war history of the Life Guards. shortly before the Presentation of Standards next year.

The author would welcome any interesting or amusing photographs or cartoons which may be in the possession of Members of the Association.

His address is: Pannett‘s. Shipley. Horsham. Sussex. RH13 XPP

Secretary of the Regimental Association, Major (Retd) E Payne

comers of Aldershot. Not surprisingly the planned Brigade FTX in Jordan during April was cancelled. The Band danced to a dif ferent tune. to become part of the casualty reception chain in the UK. The Adjutants changed over at the end of December with Captain Mountain gaining his local Majority to command A Sqn and Capt Clee having the smile wiped from his face as he moved down the corridor. from where he has been employed as Ops Officer.

January. C Squadron fled the fold to Cyprus. despite protesta» tions that they were entering SCUD range. There was little sym~ pathy for them as they crated up their Ambre Solaire with their SA 80 rifles. The air war started on the 16/17 Jan and the next day we started our vigil at Heathrow Airport which was to last until the beginning of March. Duritig the course of the conflict the remains of the Regiment was to mount over 200 patrols. with crews working 3 (lays on and 1 day off.

February. There was more of the same dtiring February. The Heathrow commitment continued without remit. A Sqttadron reroled frotn Fox to Scorpion using C Squadron's empty vehicles. just in case the Brigade was deployed. Despite turnout and counter rttmour the land war was started on the 24 Feb without tts.

The good news was that 5 Airborne Brigade was ‘Ring Fenced' by the MOD as part of their Strategic Reserve Plan. the result was that while the rest of the army was being cannibalised for spares. our vehicles and equipment remained intact for the duration.

March. The planned Brigade CPX for this month was updated to a full blown FTX on Salisbury Plain. The exercise started with the Commanding Officer. his 0 group and a select band of lttcky signallers carrying out a 40 km night insertion on foot. They did however. have the distinction of overtaking 2 Para en route, The exercise was an experience. with the Para Bus and 2/2 Gurka Rillcs covering over 95 kms on foot and digging 2 defensive posii

tions in a week. Most of our crews congratulated themselves on their good sense not to have joined the infantry. The final sting in the tail was the personal assassination of the Commanding Officer and Squadron Leaders by the Brigadier. who then rounded them together with their kit and marched them 25 kms back to Tid— worth. Elastoplast and surgical spirit suddenly became premium items in RHQ and the SHQs. Meanwhile our chefs celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of their corps on the 22 April.

The Regiment returned from leave to find every available square foot taken up by horseflesh as the Mounted Regiment and Kings Troop moved in for about 2 weeks. It made for a rather nostalgic scene which almost moved a few to poetry. the most significant impact for the majority though was clearing up the seemingly infi— nite quantity of straw that blew about Combermere. A few lucky individuals got to take part in the visit. as the Regiment provided 2 half Squadrons ofstrect liners. Our hard worked Belizean “Jungle Bunnies" retumed. only to find they had no one to sell their sun cream to. C Squadron had already left for Cyprus.

May. A and B Sqns spent most of this month building up and conducting their firing down at Castlemanin during 13/17 May. The Castlemartin smoker proved to be most memorable with robust perfomiances from Tpr Roper and LCpl Ashdown. The Firing itself was a tremendous success and we were visited by Brigadier Dclves. Comd 5 AB Bde. who was able to try his hand on the open range. The fact that the RGO. Captain Ward—Thomas. resigned from the army on the last day was apparently pure coincidence. he claimed he was merely quitting while he was ahead. lune. On 3 June we said goodbye to The GOC London District Maj Gen Sir Simon Cooper on his farewell visit to the Regiment.

The Regiment ran its first .INCO Cadre since returning to the UK. Capt Scott and Lt Gamett were ably assisted by the RQMC(T) W02 Sackett and his team. The top student was Tpr (now LCpl) Hooker who was promoted by the Commanding Officer on the final parade. A and B Squadron were fully involved with Trade Training. while C Squadron started to pack up their freight in Cyprus in preparation for their move back in July.

July. Options for Change finally emerged from the dust and chaos of the Gulf.

The new GOC London District. Maj Gen Robert Corbett visited us for the first titnc on the 25th. The Officers Mess had their Summer Ball which was a great success. largely due to the Her-

culean efforts of SQMC Dunkley and his staff. the Chefs and dozens of helpers who beavered away in the background. The Regiment started its summer leave just as C Squadron finally returned from their thoroughly sticcessful UNFICYP tour.

August. This month was largely spent with one part or another of the Regiment on leave. C Squadron returned from their leave to renew their acquaintance with CVR and get the trade training for the year under their belts.

September. 8 Sept saw the Regiment's second families day since retuming from BAOR. Amted with many valuable lessons from our 1990 event the Regiment pttlled together to produce a thoroughly effective and enjoyable day. despite only having returned from leave the week before. The Chefs astounded its all by feeding no less than two thousand for lunch. The Master Chef claimed to have 1 fish and 2 loaves of bread left over. The Corn» manding Officer presented LCpl Gaddes and LCpl Telling with Commendations from the Commander British Forces Belize for coming to the aid of a young car crash victim while there in Feb, B Squadron‘s anticipated exercise with the Royal Marines in Denmark was cancelled. In its place came a 1/3 squadron amphibious exercise which involved being embarked for Scotland and back again: perhaps the Grand Old Duke of York was an Admiral. C Squadron disappeared to Stanford to try and get ferrets out of their system once and for all while A Squadron manned the barrack duties.

October. A Squadron. land locked since their visit to Australia in 1990. departed for a 2 week exercise to Spain. Due to financial constraints the Spaniards were unable to send a Squadron to Windsor. B and C Squadrons sent their Assault Troops to Salisi bury Plain for an extremely windy and intensive week of training where they had the opportunity to fire LAW 80 and 51mm mortar as well as honing their explosive skills. The Colonel of the Regiment visited us over the 16/17 and was greatly impressed by the hand held satelite navigation system A Sqn had been trialing in Spain. The end of the month saw the Regiment enter the Carnbrian March Competition. The team was led by Lt Eyre and CoH NorTis. Their arduous training programme was rewarded by an extremely creditable Silver Award. beating most of the infantry battalions that entered. Tpr Shaw distinguished himself by losing his bergen at one of the River Crossings. and completing the 70 odd km march in a pair of slightly too small tennis shoes bought front a local farmer.

November. This month w as dominated by firing. B Sqn fired in support of 5 AB Bde at Otterbum then went down to Lulworth with C Sqn to fire their out of area serials. while C Sqn recruit fired. C Sqn went on to complete their firing but were dogged by poor ranges. bad weather and the need to wear Quinn Masks. The 76mm. which had entered service on SALADIN. was now deemed a toxicity hazard. Crews were only allowed to fire weari ing a small respirator connected to the NBC filtration and no GPMG was permitted. The Regiment‘s second JNCO Cadre of the year began at the end of the month with SCM Kilvington and Capt Coxhead RCD adding their own unique flavour to the course. The last major event of the month was the Regimental Cross Country. it was won by CoH Norris closely followed by LCpl Shields. Major Kersting proved that 50 is nifty by beating over half the Regiment home.

December. The build up to Christmas started with the pensionv ers lunch on 3 Dec. The Junior Ranks Draw was a great success with members of the WOs and CsoH mess waiting on. It followed a slightly more formal format than previous years and developed into a tremendous evening due to the hard work of the Junior Ranks Club Committee. The Brigade Warrior Trophy sports week began with the march and shoot. Each Squadron entered a team with HQ Sqn romping in to be the first Regimental team

home. beating several teams from the Para Bits and all of 3 QUEENS. The Cadre Course concluded with Tpr (now LCpl) Shaw earning his chevrons as top student. The Rugby team distinguished themselves by beating the Welsh Guards for the second time this season to win the Prince of Wales Cup. Major WhiteSpunncr handed over C Sqn to Major Tabor. The WOs and CsoH Mess compensated for having missed their sumtrter ball by putting together a most extravagant Xmas Draw. Never before has Cotnbermere seen such a vast acreage of warm tentage. The Soldiers Christmas Lunch proved to be a lively affair with Tpr Roper managing to do some rather interesting tricks with surgical gloves. and Tpr Renton giving his traditional speech. The Comman ding Officer was presented with a customised polo shirt by the Junior Ranks. The Regiment started Christmas leave on the 20 Dec. totally shattered.

January 1992. It was B Squadron‘s turn to travel to far off shores as they embarked on Exercise Lion Sun 13. This was a month long infantry exercise in Cyprus and proved to be a great success. The remainder of the Regiment started the year with the usual mass of small exercises supporting. what seemed like. and after Options will in fact be the whole of UKLF. February. A Squadron vanished to the wilds of Scotland for an extremely arduous 10 day escape and evasion exercise. The remainder of the Regiment had a relatively quiet month. B Squadron returned from Cyprus moaning that it had been one of the most miserable winters out there for years.

March. Troop training occurred for the middle two weeks of the month. This was the last time that the Regiment was to deploy with 3 Squadrons. The exercise was a tremendous success. the climax was a 3 day FTX consisting of an advance. 3 Squadrons up. from a line running through Taunton to Bovington bounded by the English and Bristol Channels. Troop tests were won by Lt Hamilton~Russell‘s troop frorn B Squadron. who dominated the competition. At the end of the month the decision was tnade to reduce the Regiment to 2 Squadrons after the Easter leave break.

April. After much deliberation on the part of UKLF and DRAC. it was decided that we would re-equip with Scimitar in May. The Sabre Squadrons submerged themselves in a flurry of activity to prepare their vehicles for backloading. The Adjutant‘s hair line receded further as the new intermediate orbat for the Regiment took shape. covering the various vacancies that emerged until The Life Guards join us in October. Capt Jowitt and Lt Barclay disappeared for a 6 week cruise/amphibious land» ing exercise with the Royal Marines that took the troop to Sardinia and back.

May. The Brigade FTX planned for this month took place with a scaled down cotnmitrnent for the Regiment. C Squadron caught the selectors~ eye with Major Mountain commanding the brigade umpire setup. The preparation for annual firing in June was cortiplicated by the fact that many of the Scimitar we had taken over had unserviceable sights: however. as usual. the fitter sections worked like trojans to bring the vehicles up to satisfactory stair dard.

June. Firing preparation reached fever pitch as the Squadrons became more familiar with 30mm gunnery techniques. The Regiment deployed to Castlemartin during Ascot Week which caused some consternation in the Officers‘ Mess. The start of the camp was tragically marred by the death of LSgt Weston in Pembroke during the first weekend. The firing period was. however. a tremendous success and much of the credit must lie with the sound organisation by Capt Scott and SCpl Carpenter. The Tucker Trophy was won by 3 Troop C Squadron led by Lt Bar— clay. On 24 June the Adjutant Capt Clee. handed over to Capt Lane Fox. who will be the Adjutant of the new' Household Cavalry Regiment.

A Squadron Notes A Squadron looked forward to 1991 knowing there was little chance that we would be able to complete c\crything that we wanted to. The added complications of Operation Granby served to cloud the waters of what appeared to be an already murky pond.

The Squadron's visit to Australia in 1990 was definitely to be the holiday before the work started in earnest.

January started amid rumours of an extra tracked Rcccc Squadron being sent to the Gulf. No decisions were taken by the MOD so it was decided by SAB Bde to prepare for the w orst, To that end it was decided to convert A Squadron from a CVRiW) (Fox) Squadron to a CVR(T) (Scorpion) Squadron. This took the best part of three weeks intensive training interspersed with normal vehicle maintenance and weapon training and a lot of NBC Training. By the end of January it became clear that no more troops would be required and so we could again continue our normal routine. The crash courses. in CVRIT) driving and maintenance organised by CoH (now SCplI Greenaway and CoH Gear. in 76mm gunnery organised by CoH Willacy and LCoH Brocki hurst were however to stand us in good stead.

February started off quietly but with the outbreak of hostilities we became an almost regular feature at Heathrow. with the occa— sional visit to Gatw‘ick. From the outbreak of hostilities to the coriclusion of the land war we had patrols at Heathrow with \ehiclcs completing nearly 300 deployments. The police were exceptionally kind to us and the facilities they offered us. although cramped w ere bearable (hearing about how much they got in over-time was not). The eight-hour patrols became tedious especially to the end of our deployment although the Squadron managed to help the civilian ground staff feel more secure. An interesting byline was that one day the staff in Tenninal Two refused to work until we were present. what would the police ha\c done without us'.’ The long hours were often made more interesting by ’photo calls‘. notably when Lt Daniel had to escort Jenny Seagroy e to her plane.

Policing the police, LCpl Martin, Tpr Williams, Tpr Palframan and LCoH Townsend

j

Wet feet for Fox and crew The lack of confidence shown by the general public was however evident in the passenger numbers in all temtinals. often there were more security personnel than there were trayellers. Many friend» ships blossomed however. and l belieye that sortie members of the Squadron are still helping some of the stew ardess's feel secure.

March saw the Squadron deploying on Exercise Fast Buzzard. the 5 AB Bde exercise. The exercise drew together all the ele7 ments of the Brigade and proved to be a test of physical stamina and flexibility. The Squadron Leader. CoH (now SCpl) Maher and Tpr (now LCpl) Ashdown joined the rest of the Brigade in a little ‘tah‘. it is not only hares that go triad in March. Some 12 hours later sore feet were the order of the day. we all felt that we were a long way away from our Sultans. the b' 7est question was did we qualify for our red berets? A lot of the exercise was spent in Observation posts and hides with the odd advance to contact. The SQMC. SCpl Taylor (now W02) was tested 'in Jerry can" replens which usually involved long walks for the troops. LCpl Hemming found carrying three jerrycans hard work especially as the Squadron Leader was only carrying his birthday cake and a bottle of champagne. kindly organised by Admin troop, The death of the Squadron Leader for the final phase tested SHQ as both the Squadron 21C. and Squadron LO Captain WingfieldiDigby and Lt Andrews. caused many plans to be changed. The remainder of March was spent repairing the exercise damage to both \ehicles and our feet. Two Troop were exceptionally busy replacing their side bins which they seemed determined to rip off.

In \1ay thc gunnery training continued until firing camp which was an unqualified success. No crew failed any oftheir mandatory range tests. in fact every crew passed first time. reshoots were something for other squadrons to have to do. The hard work of our gunnery instructions paid off. however it was not all down to fhem. Undoubtedly the praise must be with the gunners. who. despite the appalling new sights. produced some excellent results.

Gunnery Camp was also hard work for the LAD. led by Staff Sergeant Brown. who struggled to keep us on the road. The lack of spares and ageing equipment made the task they faced a real uphill struggle, Two Troop won the Squadron Gunnery Trophy. the final battlerun decided the competition. CoH Tapsell‘s gun— nery experience managed to defeat fourth troop under Lt Daniel and CoH (now SCpl) Greenaway. Major Wood. the previous Squadron Leader presented the Squadron Trophy.

June and July were dominated by the preparation and the deployment of the Squadron on Troop Training. Unseasonably

wet weather dominated this exercise. The initial week was spent on troop level and Squadron level training. It was back to the basics and it proved to be very worthwhile. even lighting a cooker seemed troublesome. in fact Tpr Drewe managed to bum himself. luckily not too badly. The vehicles struggled though. and it seemed that yet again the LAD had to earn their keep. Sgt Davey's enthusiasm proved to be critical in keeping the section going. The hard work in the initial week was justified in the troop tests. Four troop under Lt Daniel and LCoH (now CoH) Shatliff won the Regimental Troop Competitions with Support Troop under Lt Eyre and LCoH (now CoH) Voyce coming second. The remainder of the exercise was spent on a Regimental Test type exercise. A Squadron were the enemy for B Squadron. Fox (wheels) against Scorpion (tracked). needless to say we had to rely on our stealth and our stay behind raiding parties in the form of Support Troop.

We might not have won the day. but we did cause alamt and cort— fusion.

August and September were dominated by courses and leave.

November and December were taken up with yet more courses and not surprisingly Christmas. The Squadron departed for New Years leave looking forward to 1992 and Exercise Mountain Fling in February. That is to say most people were.

Preparations for Exercise Mountain Fling continued in January with last minute flight problems. The Squadron deployed to Salis— bury Plain in late January for Exercise Globe Trot. unfortunately this exercise coincided with a cold snap. Temperatures dropped to minus 9°C. The only consolation was that it was good training for Scotland. We managed to survive this chilly weather and the only cases of frostbite were suffered by the Infantry The hard work of the drivers ensured. that despite the vehicles not having been out on an exercise since July. no breakdowns occurred. The cold weather made the ground very hard but not too hard to prevent Lt Eyre and LCoH Atkinson finding a bog west of Imber.

February was spent in Scotland on the Spey. Exercise Mountain Fling being a dismounted escape and evasion exercise. This exer» cise is covered in a separate article. it was a hard and testing exer-

3" HQ Squadron on a command task, Tpr Campbell doing all the work

C Squadron 1991 March and Shoot Team (L to R Tpr Burton, Lt Breitmeyer, Tpr Dandy)

An oil well burns behind Captain Bull in the Gulf

1 Major Lukas, RQMC Harding and

Captain Woodward

Two troop

We have been exceptionally busy during his year managing to get no fewer than 230 course vacancies filled. on both internal and external courses. This has meant nearly all soldiers have got well ahead on the career ladder.

October was centred around our Spanish exercise which took place in Northern Spain where we stayed with the Spanish Cavalry Regiment RCLAC ALAMANSA No 5. We deployed on a RAF Hercules to a small military airfield in Northern Spain. We then drove to Leon, the home of our hosts. The cold weather was a shock and we certainly didn‘t expect the rain. We spent 5 of the twelve days on exercise learning to cope with the Spanish way of life and the rations. CoH Gear and LCoH Miles unfortunately could not cope with either and took to their beds with severe stom— ach upsets. The exercise was a mixture of camping and military training. It was good to see another army and their modus operandi. Despite the inclement weather a good time was had by all and we returned in one piece (see article Britannia Way).

cise and the ‘War Stories‘ seem to be legion.

During the course of the year the Squadron has said farewell to

Capt J Wingfield Digby, Lt W Bagnell. Lt Erskine. Lt E Andrewes. SCpls Taylor and Harris CsoH Tapsell. Wright.

Maher, Greenaway, Atkinson. Voyce. LCsoH Elston. Plater.

Hodges. Fermor. Findell. Kershaw, Matthew. Polley and Norris.

We have also welcomed Capt A Coxhead (RCD). Lt R Bull, Cts A Dick. A Orr—Ewing. W02 Rogers. CoH Rendell. LCsoH Hastings, Shatliff, Terry. Townsend. Dixon and Miles.

This article will be the last concerning A Squadron who along with B Squadron merged in August 1992. this is a result of the defence cuts. In the twenty three year history of the squadron. I am sure that all the past and present members of squadron have many happy and sad memories of their time within our ranks.

During the course of the last year I can report that the squadron has lived up to the standards set and that the pride of being able to say that ‘l was in A Squadron‘ will live on.

CO‘s marching party on Ex Fast Buzzard (L to R Front to rear) LCpls Welch and Ashdown, Capt Clee, LCpI Carr, CO, Capt Reid, SCpl Maher, CoH Harris, Capt Wilson and RCM Hunter

LCoH Freeman. The fishnet look}

B Squadron Notes

l LCpl Spencer gets the d ecision in the Inter Squadron Boxing Competition

The Commanding Officer addresses the Regiment during Troop Training 1992

Since last reporting. the Squadron has settled well into life at Combermere Barracks. .

The last year started with l and 2 Troops away from the Squadron in Belize. A lot of postcards were sent with far too many "Wish you were here" endings. The tour was led by Captain Scott and ran from September I990 until February 199l. During this period the two Troops engaged in jungle warfare courses. a string of arduous patrols. a gunnery camp and some adventure training.

They returned to a cold wet Windsor with suntans that were quickly washed off on Salisbury Plain and some very amusing stories. Notably. LCoH Freeman whose “Jaques Cousteau Crusade". in search of marine biology was rewarded with a sharp sting from a rather unatnused and exceedingly dangerous stingray.

He is now. we are glad to report. fit and well. however marine biology only goes as far as the bathroom these days.

Meanwhile. back at Combermere Barracks. 3 and 4 Troops were holding the fort under the Command of Major Browne who then handed over to Major Lukas returning after a two year post: ing to the MOD. The Squadron spent much time in the terminals at Heathrow over Christmas and the New Year period.

With the New Year festivities over and visits to Heathrow con— tinuing. the squadron prepared for the Brigade FTX Exercise Fast Buzzard on Salisbury Plain. The exercise started in fairly unorthoe dox style. namely that the Squadron Leader. CoH Harris 23 and LCpl Dewing were robbed of the Squadron Leaders Land Rover and were made to walk the best part of 35km across Salisbury Plain to marry up with the Squadron. This was completed and Tpr Roper the Squadron medic was then despatched to deal with some very sore feet. The Squadron worked well on the exercise. This was aided by the constant threat ofdisembarking from the wagons and gaining experience similar to the Squadron Leader. CoH Har~ ris 23 and LCpl Dewing. In the end it was just the Squadron Leader who was invited for another “TAB".

With Exercise Fast Buzzard over. the Squadron then saw the return of the valiant Belize Troops who were sent on leave. which was rather foreshortened due to our imminent departure to North» ern Iraq to help the Kurds. Unfortunately these were unfulfilled expectations and so the Squadron rolled straight into Gunnery Training for Castlemartin and Regimental Annual Firing. All

troops fired well at Castlemartin and luckily the weather was kind to us. Unfortunately nobody managed to take £l0.00 off the Com— manding Officer for extinguishing the “Pea" bulb 0n the night mover. However Tpr Harrison (13) still had a good try at the target. and was awarded the most improved gunner over the firing period for a very good performance throughout the 2 weeks. An equally good performance was seen at the Regimental Revue held at Castlemartin, here the Squadron performed an hysterical version of the Bundeswehr technique. Tpr Roper aided by Lt Wood» ward and SSgt Saunders (our lG for the camp) put on a display of “Life" in the range tower according to “Mr Bean“ which had the audience in stitches of laughter.

Next on the agenda was Regimental Training Exercise Royal Return. We started off with Troop Training and worked up via a Squadron exercise to a full scale Regimental exercise (Less C Squadron). The training was tremendous fun and a lot was learnt.

SCpl Miller. Sgt Slott (ACC) and the Squadron Admin Packet put on a wonderful dinnernight in the field and the Squadron had a great day in “Keyhole Wood". where all the families came down to see us. mosquitoes and all. The weather was quite kind. with the exception of one serious thunderstorm where CoH Harris (23) and LCoH Elliott nearly took on board enough electricity to light up London and a Sultan for a month. This happened whilst trying to bring down the 8 metre mast in an electrical storm (they were of course thinking of the 21C who was on the end of the headset quaking) when a bolt of lightning landed [0 yards from them.

“Power Gen eat your heart out". was the cry.

Troop tests were held during the Regimental Training and l Troop under Lt McBride. came a very close second. This Troop then went on to provide fire support on Exercise Final Harvest for a very wet Warminster Platoon Commanders Course, The Squadron then went on well earned Block Leave for the summer period and returned refreshed to start internal courses.

Support Troop under Lt Jodrell despatched themselves to Aldershot for two weeks on an Assault Pioneers Course. both the course staff and Support Troop returned intact even though they were given a whole heap of explosives to ‘play with‘. An article on the Assault Troop Concentration appears elsewhere in this magazine.

Mr Jock Neil unveils the plaque and opens the Templar Club

\» C

Annual Firing 1991 — The morning safety brief

Lord Fermoy and his party

LCoH Ditchburn marches before shoofing

Christmas lunch 1991 — CoH Billington entertains the troops

The Regiment at this stage was preparing for the Annual Families Day on Sunday 8th September 1991. We started with the Regiment marching to church: as normal. much mirth was hoped for in the form of the officers drill. however. the spectators were rather let down as the B Squadron Officers (fresh from an intensive drill course taught by the new SCM. W02 Kilvington) came on with a bit of cut and dash. We had a number of the traditional stands at the open day. namely ‘The Slippery Pole‘ under CoH Matthew. ‘Bicycle Jousting' and flown especially from Italy.

‘Mario's Ice Cream Parlour' run by none other than LCoH “Mario" Smith (39). Thankfully LCoH Smith and the Admin

Departments creations did not melt before they reached the hungry mouths of the open day throng. The Squadron also put on a driving display in which the Adjutant was well and truly set up and Mrs Pitt came out with ajob in 4 Troop after a superb show of Commanding a Scorpion.

B Squadron were due at this time to go to Denmark on an FTX. however. this was cancelled and in the end a composite half

Squadron were sent aboard RFA Sir Galahad under Captain Woodward for Commander Amphibious Warfares' Autumn Amphibious Training Period. This exercise proved to be of great interest and gave all those who didn‘t experience an LSL in rough weather on Exercise Dragon Hammer the opportunity to tiy it first hand in the Irish Sea. LCoH Darby was somewhat unlucky to break his ankle on this exercise. however. it was not broken through any particular fine act of war but during a very slow game of ‘Poop Deck' Volleyball. He was from then on a great help to the 21C as a guru on Naval matters. based on his reading every Douglas Reeman and Homblower book, whilst in the ship‘s MRS. From AATP 91 the Squadron was then put to work on the run into the Periodic REME Examination (PRE) period and it was all

hands to the vehicle park. with the exception that is of Captain Woodward and the SH0 Troop who departed on Exercise Skye Trail One. This was an adventure training trip to the Isle of Skye.

Luckily for them they took their waterproofs. as over 6 inches of rain fell and the wind never dropped down below force 6 and was in the main force 8—10. Such was the extent of the wind that CoH Harris (23) was made to hang onto a rock for dear life for fifteen

minutes in case he got blown off the cliff. The expedition was also meant to bring back huge amounts of salmon and sea fish from days fishing. however. all the day produced was one 3002 pollock caught by a very jubilant Tpr Randall. They returned very wet and full of fresh air in time for the tail end of the PRE's.

Lt Hamilton-Russell at work in Cyprus As if twice on the ranges was not enough for B Squadron. we deployed 2 troops, SHQ and the fitter section out on Otterbum in early November to act as fire support for the Parachute Regiment.

The weather as one would expect in Otterbum was suitably awful Unfortunately for Major Lukas. the Brigadier was rather keen on his walking. so the Squadron Leader’s boots certainly earned

their spot on his I 157 check list. On the same exercise. CoH Flynn who was commanding a spartan full of Troop Leaders. was so depressed at the Welsh result in World Cup Rugby. that he decided to throw his vehicle into a rather large puddle. This would have been fine and indeed honourable way for Wales only Rugby supporter to depart this world and end that of the Regiment‘s newest leaders. except it caused considerable alarm and despondancy with the Tiffy (SSgt Valentine) and his crew who had to pull him out in the pouring rain. while the world cup Rugby final was going on. Also involved in this accident was SQMC Maher whose devotion to duty went way beyond all bounds as he tabbed out to the stricken vehicle (some Skin) armed with everyone's

packed lunches only to find all and sundry mounted on the vehi» cles ready for a swift return to camp.

Otterburn concluded unexpectedly early and the squadron returned to Barracks in preparation for the Christmas break and exercise Lion Sun in the New Year.

Lion Sun was a chance for the Squadron to go to Cyprus for a month in order to train in Infantry tactics and to do some Advert— turous Training. Pre»conceived ideas of a a holiday in the stin were quickly dispelled as the Squadron arrived in Blood Hound catnp. The training was split up into three phases involving basic infantry work. an exercise and finally sortie live firing.

The basic infantry training consisted of a period of combat survival. low level platoon tactics and some skiing in the Troodos Mountains under the instruction of LCoH “KIammcr” Darby. The weather played a major part in all this training as the sun never shone for a whole month with temperatures going well below zero. This did not seem to affect the wax on CoH Matthew's skis however. as he was seen proving gravity does work by fairly shooting down the mountain at breakneck speed.

The period of training complete. the Squadron moved onto an exercise which was counter revolutionary based. After a rather large amount of geographical embarrasment by the troop leaders. the enemy under Command of the very “Guerrilla" like Tiffy were duly destroyed.

Finally. there was a period of R & R where the squadron undertook a variety of activities. some went skiing. some riding in Happy Valley and Lt Jodrell took a trip to Egypt.

On return from Cyprus the squadron prepared for Regimental Training on Salisbury Plain. We said goodbye to Captain Villers the return of Captain Woodward. We also said goodbye to Major Lukas who left for Regimental Headquarters and welcomed Major Swayne from HQ Squadron as the new leader.

Regimental training went very well and culminated in the squadron coming first. second and third in the troop tests. two troop were the overall winners. After the troop test period the Regimental exercise started with a massive road move followed by an advance covering most of the South West of England. This was great fun and had some amusing moments particularly when OC commanded by Lt McBride found itself number six in line of official mourners in a funeral courtege. whilst moving to a step up position.

Other interesting moments involved the new Squadron Leader.

Major Swayne leading an Infantry attack (throat mike in place) on Copehill Down. He has been much more sympathetic to the plight of platoon commanders and their voice procedure ever since.

The squadron finished its reporting period by sadly. as a result of options, dissolving and forming a new D Squadron.

However. B Squadron can be proud of an exceptional year both on the training and sporting front. We won every Inter squadron competition bar the football which we lost in the final. Praise for this must go to SCM Kilvington whose drive on fitness knew no bounds. It was with great sadness that we bade him farewell at the end of May.

Football

Sailing

by Captain M R Brown

by Lieutenant D J Hince

Finding a settled team with Regimental commitments dispensing footballers across the world from Cyprus to Belize really doesn‘t lend itself to any kind of serious competition, however. we did partake of all the available competitions and two thirds of our league matches.

We played in the London District (West) League. finishing a creditable fifth out of nine teams after playing only two thirds of our matches due to commitments. Hopefully this year will see us higher up the table, having been able to play a full programme of matches.

The first round of the Army Cup saw us draw against the per— manent staff of the Junior Infantry Battalion at Shomcliffe. The match was very closely fought throughout the first half. with neither team able to supply the finishing touch to many promising moves. Ten minutes into the second half saw LCpl Humphries volley us into the lead from fifteen yards and everyone thought that would be sufficient, however an ill timed backpass allowed our opponents in to equalise and take the match into extra time.

Having taken little notice of the previous backpass, our defenders fell again into the safety first trap and a further backpass lead to a fine winning goal against us.

This year we are drawn away to 47 Field Regiment at Hayling Island in Hampshire and we are hoping for better things.

During the first two weeks in September the Regiment chartered Gladeye, the Household Division yacht for eleven days with an eight man crew. Only three out of the eight were beginners so seasickness should not have been a problem, but try telling that to Lt Daniel. Ct Lowe and Sgt Loughrey. Thankfully SSgt Cheetham came to the rescue and dispensed out handfuls of pills and after a few days everybody found their “legs" and merrily tucked into the food (unfortunately for Tpr Bescoby l).

Having set sail to Cherbourg we arrived at Swanage. not due to navigational error as some might have hinted, but due to dense fog. Cherbourg, when we eventually got there. provided the venue for Ct Lowes 21st birthday party so the strict training regime was broken for an hour or so I! The next port of call was Guernsey and the glorious sunshine. It was here. at low tide. that Tpr Darby plunged into the freezing water to retrieve his belongings which had mysteriously ended up over the side. The Morlaix and Tregiére legs of the trip provided the most challenging sailing, with strong winds. high rolling waves and an all encompassing briefing from the skipper ofthe day Mr Daniel - “It's bloody dark and rocky so keep a good look out for the light houses. don’t hit them and we‘re bound to be O.K. !"

Unfortunately the trip back suffered from lack of wind so we powered back to Beaulieu using the spare time to master the art of the sextant. Despite all our efforts the closest readings plotted us somewhere between St. Malo and Paris. thank goodness for satel— lite navigation.

A tremendous amount was learnt, experience gained, and fun was had by all. Hopefully next season we will be able to take more charters and get a greater number of people qualified in the art of sailing.

?.s Major (Retd) Alan Dobson presents the winners medals during the 1991 Inter Squadron Football Competition The Cavalry Cup took us to the Tidworth Stadium to face a much fancied 17/21 Lancers side. After going down 1 — 0 to a thunderous shot from all of 25 yards inside the opening ten min— utes. things looked rather bleak. however. the team had other ideas

and. in front of the opposition‘s entire Regiment. slowly worked their way back into the game. A good move down the right saw LCoH Findell control the cross ball well, turn and fire the ball past the advancing goalkeeper. Midway through the second half. with both sides slowing SSgt (now W02) Lyons RAPC headed home the deciding goal for a well deserved victory. The draw then paired us with the Mounted Regiment with the match to be played at Windsor. Having beaten them twice already in the season we felt sure we could make it three. It was not to be and we were outplayed in most positions. Two down at half time. we fought back to two all before being caught with all the players up field close to the end on two occasions. the game ending 4 » 2. Our goals were scored by LSgt Dean ACC and W02 Lyons RAPC. The Inter Squadron Football Competition was run on ti league basis over a whole day. with the two top teams playing in the afternoon final. C Squadron were the winners. defeating B Squadron iii a thrilling final. Maj (Rctd) Alan Dobson presented the medals and gave an impromptu address on the demise of wingers. Needless to say. only 1 I second 100m runners who play football need apply to join the Regiment this year.

' 'r- 3th,.

Surgeon Major Stone, Major Swayne and Ct Dick about to cast off

The Household Division Regatta for 1991 took place at Seaview over 25/26 June [991. The Regiment fielded. or should I say floated. two teams consisting of Lt's Hince and Jodrell and Ct lngs-Chambers in the A team and Maj Swayne. Surgeon Major Stone and Ct Dick in B team. The weather was fairly kind. although the conditions were choppy with just enough wind to prevent the use of spinnakers throughout the competition.

For the first race the B team requested the assistance of a sea dog in order to help them clarify firstly. what was in each sail bag. and secondly what the race boards on the clubhouse actually meant. B team won the first race. To cut a potentially long story short. with much trimming of the mizzen for'tops'l and luffing abaft the capstan the B team came joint second overall. I must also report that the Welsh Guards team won the competition and the Regimental A team ended up eating their lifejackets.

Ward. Sharpe and Stables to Kenya to help Friends of Conserva-

C Squadron Notes C Squadron ended 1990 with some intensive driver training in preparation for otrr emergency tour of Cyprus with the United Nations. This not only involved learning the tricks of the trade with the ever faithful Ferret Scout Car (FSC). bill also trying to give everyone their civilian driving license. courtesy of BSM. which nearly proved 100% successful. Full respect was given to the FSC after one of the vehicles rolled over with LCpl Caile and Tpr Ball inside.

The New Year festivities had barely cleared before the Squadron found itself in their riew role as international peace keepers in Cyprus. This tour was the first time that most of its had worn the blue beret and consequently we had to learn a whole range of completely new skills.

UNFICYP involved splitting the squadron into troop packages. with their own LAD support. and then assigning each troop to one of four sectors. each sector being controlled by a different courttry. The Danes controlled Sector I. the British Sector 2. the Cana~ dians Sector 3 and the Austrians Sector 4. The fifth troop was kept in Nicosia to patrol the city. with SHQ acting as reserve as well as taking over the patrol programme when one of the troops went on leave.

Each month an exercise would be called by UNFICYP HQ which involved soldiers from all sectors coming together to form the Force Reserve. This certainly proved very interesting meeting different units and seeing how they worked. UN crowd control would vary front a polite “please" and "thank you" to traditional football supporters technique. and all these exercises would end up with a hot washup (debriefi. SHQ was able to deal with any language difficulties. with the squadron leader speaking French to the Canadians from Quebec and Turkish to the residents in the North. SCM Manning handled the Austrians with his fluent Ger man while CoH Simpson kept the residents in the South happy with his Greek. The Danes spoke very good English and seemed to be the only contingent who understood the English “sense of humour".

The UN seemed to have a fetish for competitions. with the Squadron taking every opportunity to compete on the interna» tional scene. The Squadron was represented by LCsoH Crocker and Smith. LCpl Lickfold and Tprs Habgood and Turner in the

skiing competition. where sadly the Austrians proved too strong.

On the tennis front the Squadron came second. with Cts Barclay and Kent winning the doubles event. Competitions also extended onto the military side. with the military skills competition being the tnost prestigious. This was a competition combining good peace keeping activities such as a speed march. ranges. AFV recognition. map reading. grenade throwing accuracy and finally a race over the assault course! The Squadron entered two teams of eager volunteers consisting of Cts Breitmcycr and York. CsoH Burbidgc and Carney. LCoH Farmer. LCpls Thomas. Nixon and Clerehugli. and Tprs Evans and Vallcly. The Canadians ended tip sweeping the board. bttt the Squadron did extremely well. considering its small size. to come 7th and llth out of seventeen teams.

The Squadron fared better in the shooting competition coming second overall. with Ct York winning the best individual pistol shot.

The Squadron was privileged to be visited by the band who provided excellent support for the British medal parade. The Squadron had more people on parade than any other trnit. providing both a mounted and dismounted guard. and the UN Special Representative. together with the UN Force Commander. pre— sented the medals.

On the adventure training from full use was made of the proxe imity of Egypt and Israel and. as the weather heated up. a boat was bought for water skiing and rubber ring rides at high speed. The tour ended in July. and it was with much credit to the professionalism of everyone involved that the Squadron was able to return with a full nominal roll.

Having emptied out the last bit of sand from our shoes. and to get back to grips with our CVRtT) a Squadron exercise was planned for Salisbury Plain in August. With a large number of new soldiers having only experienced Cyprus. there was a steep learning curve experienced by all and a further exercise was held in the Kielder Forest for ten days in September. On our return all efforts were thrown into preparing for Gunnery Camp and all credit must be given to l Troop who. under the strict guidatice of CoH Cowton. won the Tucker Trophy for the third time in a row!

After Gunnery Camp the Squadron was able to send Cts Kent and Barclay. together with CoH Burbidge. LSgt Preston and Tprs

tion build a bridge in Tsavo game reserve.

For the rest of the Squadron however. the pace of life did not flag. A series of courses were run to start preparing for the change to the new regiment including D & M and 30mm conversion courses. Support Troop went on an Assault Troopers course at Long Valley for a busy fortnight. Unfortunately for them. they had been nominated to represent the Squadron in the 5 AB Bde March and Shoot and while on the course were prevented from running in the dark. Despite the lack of preparation. they all come plcted the run. Tpr Gladish giving a realistic impression of a man under a voodoo spell during the last mile. Sadly the final result was rendered meaningless by having to shoot at dusk. More successful was the football team which convincingly won the Regimental Football, During this period a number of significant per sonnel changes took place Major White—Spunner left for Starimore with Major Tabor taking over. Captain Daly went on an RSO course. being replaced by Captain Jowitt. Lts York and Boyd left for the Guards Depot and Ct Brcitmeycr went to North em Ireland as a platoon commander with 8 UDR. SCpl Carpenter took over the Gunnery Wing and was replaced as SQMC by SCpl Cowton. Cts Wilson Fitzgerald and Moore came to the Squadron and took over 3 and Support Troops respectively.

Most of the Squadron was kept busy on a series of RAAT tasks and other small exercises. Amongst these was Exercise Team Spirit. the Troop leaders final exercise. a steep learning curve for

At this time Major Tabor returned from all his courses and took over the Squadron with only a few weeks planning time before Regimental training in March. One beneficial side effect of all the small exercises was that all the vehicles had been well run prior to Regimental training which greatly eased the LAD's workload.

For the first four days. the troops were left to their own programmes. To great disappointment. a planned Squadron exercise on Salisbury Plain was cancelled as the Squadron washed down in preparation. due to the jitters of local politicians. a decision made all the more galling by the Regiment‘s successful foray to the south west the week after. However. hot planning by SHQ produced a varied and testing exercise prior to troop tests on which CoH Evans obtained the best results of the Squadron with l Troop.

During May the Squadron was reorganised and re-equipped with Scimitar for the new role as Divisional Medium Reconnaissance. Almost immediately the Squadron had the dubious pleasure of being sent on the 5 AB Bde FTX Exercise Pegasus Fury.

This proved to be a hot and frustrating exercise. but at least the medic. Tpr Ball. was thoroughly tested as the Samaritan was used to clear the large numbers of real casualties after each parachute drop. Meanwhile. 4 Troop under Lt Barclay and Capt Jowitt with Tprs Dandy and Harrington and LSgt Weston and LCpl Abbott from the LAD went on Exercise Dragon Hammer in support of 45 Cdo in Sardinia. June was taken up with the preparation for firing camp. Sterling efforts by the LAD and AQMS Morris ensured that the vehicles were ready for firing. whilst the Squadron‘s gunnery instructors under CoH Dickens prepared the crews. The result was a very successful annual firing. culminating in lst. 2nd and 3rd places in the Tucker Trophy being awarded to 3. 2 and l Troops respectively an ample reward for CoH Dickens in 3 Troop.

Sadly. firing camp was marred by the tragic death of LSgt Weston. to whose family the Squadron extends deepest sympathy.

At the time of writing. the Squadron remains as busy as ever with demonstrations. courses and preparation for PRE's. There are personnel changes on an almost daily basis, especially on the formation of the platoon going to Northem Ireland under Lt Bar» clay and CoH Rendell. The Squadron looks forward to exercising its new role as a Medium Reconnaissance squadron in 3 UK Div.

The Squadron Leader gains some ‘turret time’

A very brief pause in patrolling somewhere in Cyprus for C Squadron

them. but also for some others such as LCoH Kibble who cornmanded a Scorpion on his introduction to the vehicle and mediutn reconnaissance after a tour at the Guards Depot. Shortly after» wards. SHQ and Support Troop went on the Spring Amphibious Training Period on the LSL Sir Percival on a stormy trip tip to Loch Ewe on the North West of Scotland. Fortunately. the weather calmed for the exercise itself. enabling LSgt Lindsell to fish off the side of the mexeflote. The loch and its surrounding hills bore an eerie resemblance to the Falklands. even down to the bogs as Ct Moore discovered to his (and the taxpayer's) cost when he drove a TA Foden wrecker off the road and into a ditch dtrring somc impromptu cross country driver training. As the troops left. the only feasible recovery solution was to order a tracked 100 ton cranc from lnvcrness,

A rare moment off for a Barbecue

Polo

Ex CALEDONIAN CURSE

by Captain J Woodward

by SCpl T Masson

The 1991 Polo Season yet again held great prospects. including as it did, all the old seasoned players (less Lt Barclay and CI Kent who were in Cyprus) and also some new Officers in the form of Lt Jodrell and Ct Pitman.

Captain Broughton and Captain Woodward still maintained their 8 goal team at Guards and were joined by Lt Col C R Watt

and Major A W Ballard (Commanding Officer 1 WG and 3 Coy Commander 1 WG respectively). It was the first time in some

years that the Guards Polo Club had seen a full blooded Household Division team competing against the Gladiator professionals on the civilian circuit of the polo tournaments. The team was again very kindly sponsored by ‘Hackett‘s of London‘ and gave a good account of themselves winning the Claude Pen Cup and only losing 4 games all season. each time to the eventual winners of the respective tournament.

On the 4th October 1991 l was asked to take a party of 15 men from HQ Sqn to carry out adventurous training in the highlands of Scotland for a period of ten days.

We stayed at the “The Guards House Folda.“ The Guards House is situated in a valley over looking the peak of Mount Blair and is located in the small community of Folda Glenisla.

We split into two groups with the first grouping carrying out 2 days trekking for a distance of 45 kilometres. The terrain varied from roads to steep hillsides. With the changing countryside and quite large variations in climatic conditions the trekking at most of the stages became quite arduous. While the first group were spending their days on a windswept hillside the 2nd group carried out sea fishing and pony trekking.

The sea fishing was a great success with everyone catching a large cod. which made a very tasty meal. The pony trekking was a different story. I must report that most of the group are to horse riding what Bernard Manning is to hang gliding.

The second group that went pony trekking had a nice surprise.

They bumped into Prince Charles who was out stalking, and had a good ten minute chat to him about deer stalking and the Regiment.

The group also carried out a number of cultural visits to various points of interest including Loch Ness and the Royal Marine memorial. (And of course all the local distilleries). We ended our time with a shooting competition at the local hotel. 1 am sorry to say that the majority of the clay pigeons got away unharmed. The Guards House is an excellent facility which we hope to use again in the future. It goes without saying that without the help of the house warden, Sgt Donald SG. we could not have carried out most of our adventure training tasks.

HQ Squadron Notes HQ Squadron has had an interesting time since the last Squadron Notes in the magazine. The 5AB Bde FTX Exercise Fast Buzzard caused much consternation. since all Squadron leaders were obliged to march up to 30km in order to attend the brigadiers orders and then march back again. All Squadron leaders that is except Captain Villers who somehow managed to extract himself from the proceedings. The FTX was followed by a two week block of Easter leave which the Squadron split in order to cover various duties and then allow people to get away completely.

May saw the arrival of new Squadron leader Major Swayne. and the departure to Cyprus albeit temporarily of the SQMC. SCpl Mardon. who went with the band to play the triangle. The weight training seemed to do the SQMC the world of good and he came back much more brown than when he left.

As a lead into the regimental training at the end of June the Squadron managed to fire its APWT and include LCpl’s Johnson.

Pilchowski. and lllingworth and Tprs Edwards and Carr on the 1991 Cadre Course.

Regimental training consisted of the nonnal week on Troop training followed by Troop tests and a Regimental exercise. HQ Sqn operated out of Rollestone Camp for the first week and con: centrated on individual training. fitness and sport.

A competition to bring a trailer back to camp began simply enough but with no wheel nuts and no wheels the job became a bit more complicated. Major Livingstone seemed almost to enjoy the discomfort of those working on his stand. but LCpl Nash. Tpr Dalrympie and others got there in the end. The cricket match between the Quartermasters XV and Squadron Leaders XI got off to a rocky start with the leader out for a duck to the dreaded com« bination of LCpl Coombes' bowling and the EME catching. but eventually true style came through. the main run makers being SCpl Dunkley and CoH Vickers.

The year wore on with HQ Squadron continuing to support the Regiment and receiving rarely a thankyou (always the brides— maid . . . . ).

Leave in July/August was followed by a Regimental open day on 8 September. a marvellous day with stands. displays and chances to see SCpl Mardon waffling (making Waffles). SCpl Marsdon the RSWO took a group of 17 soldiers up to the Guards house in Folda during the first 15 days of October. An article on this trip appears elsewhere.

The Squadron achieved third place during the Regimental athletics day with LCpl Johnson and LCoH Mackenzie in particular playing starring roles. while the very next day the Squadron again

Winners of the 1991 Captains and Suballerns Trophy. Ct Pitman, Capt Woodward, Lt Barclay and Capt (now Major) Cowan Unfortunately due to the rules of the Inter Regimental polo tournament Lt Barclay and CI Kent were not able to play however the Regimental team consisting of Captain Broughton. Captain Cowen. Captain Woodward and Lt Lockhart reached the semi finals where they met the Welsh Guards. who were 4 goals higher on handicap. The game was very fast. but unfortunately the experience of Lt Col Watt and Major Ballard showed and they went on to win. (It should be noted, however. that if the toumament was not run under open rules we would have won on handicap.) The Welsh Guards deservedly won the whole toumament.

Hopes were high for the Captains and Subalterns game. After a very hard weekend of two qualifying games. the team of Ct Pitman, Lt Barclay. Capt Woodward and Capt Cowen beat the 17/21 Lancers in a very aggressive final. The Cup came back to Combermerc for the first time in eight years.

The final tournament of the season was the Major Generals Cup. Unfortunately we could not make the two teams so Ct Pitman was loaned to the Life Guards who were short of a player.

Some great polo was on show. none more so than in the semi finals where Ct Pitman's loyalties were tested as the Blues and Royals matched up against the Life Guards. The game was fast, exciting. and very verbal and unfortunately the team lost by half a goal in the last twenty seconds.

Hopes for the 1992 Season were again high. Due to strength in numbers of players the Regiment fielded two teams in every military tournament during 1992 but were beaten in the dying seconds in the final of each. It is hoped the future Lifeguards contribution will enable success to blossom once more.

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The intrepid pony trekkers. LCpl McCabe, Tpr McKay, LCoH Peat and CoH Broughton

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HQ Squadron March and Shoot Team: RQMC (T) Sackett, LCoH Peat, Capt Wilson, Tpr Oxley, LCpl Hamming, Capt Clee, Tpr McKay, LCpl Hooker, LCpl Pink, LCpl Jones, LSgt Hargreaves and LCpl Illingworth

came third. this time in the Regimental Rugby Competition. The Squadron Party in early November celebrated a generally very successful and happy year for the Squadron.

The Remembrance Day Parade and Service were well attended in November, and for three members of the Squadron. the then Troopers McCabe and Brakes and LCpl Mackay. the drill proved a useful wann—up for the Cadre course in late November. early December.

Also in early December saw the March and Shoot. the SAB Bde Competition for which each sub-unit in each regiment was obliged to submit a team. The HQ Squadron team, led by the

‘On my way to play tennis’

by Lieutenant (Late L/Captain) R J A Bull After spending a very pleasant 10 days in the Loire over Easter I still had 4 days left of well-eamed Easter leave. It was a beautiful day and one that suggested an aftemoon’s tennis. Taking advantage of Windsor‘s proximity to London I came down to collect my tennis racquet. There was the usual high level of manning over leave, one Orderly Officer, at Guard and the Adjutant. The Adjutant enquired when I was promoted to Lieutenant. It seemed an innocent enough question to which I replied “Friday”. “Excellent" was the riposte, followed by “How’s your social life for the next four months?" Alarm bells started ringing very heavily at this point, but despite my most valiant attempts to escape and evade the inevitable I was nominated as the Regiment's representative to the United Nations Iraq Kuwait Observer Mission.

In the heady days of victory whilst I was basking in French sun— shine the UN Security council decided that it would establish an observation mission on the Iraq/Kuwait border. It was to consist

Adjutant and trained by the RQ(T), now RCM Sackett. came 26th

out of bounds after 22.00 hours. Being unarmed observers we felt exposed initially as we drove around since everyone else was armed to the teeth.

Although the city seemed in a terrible mess it was in fact largely superficial damage, which took the guest workers rela— tively little time to clear‘up. The delay was mainly due to the fact . . “ppm ‘3 ,

of 300 Officers, 20 each from Britain, France, USA, China and

MT troop with an astounding 450 years service between them.

LCoH Elston, W02 Gimblett, Tpr Renton, LCoH Lawson, LCoH

Beresford and CoH Kirkpatrick

-

USSR (as it still was) — with the remaining 200 coming from some 27 other countries.

The first example of the flexibility that was to be our watch word was that. of the original 20 who turned up at Aldershot on 14 April, 9 of us were subaltems. The UN had requested Captains and Majors but the Army had translated this as Lieutenants, Captains and Majors. As a result we were all promoted local captains immediately. It must be one of the swiftest cases of promotion in Army history; Cornet on Thursday. Lieutenant on Friday and Cap— tain on Monday. If promotion had continued at the same rate I would have been a General by the end of April.

I spent my birthday being promoted Captain and flying to Al Jubayl in Saudi Arabia. The Captain part of it I liked, but the 4 months in Arabia I wasn’t so sure about. After 2 days our party was then flown up to Kuwait on 17 April. We arrived at 3pm to find it nearly as dark as dusk. The infamous smog cloud from oil

Surgeon Major Stone and Captain Wilson fires was there to greet us, leaving as covered in hundreds of small

The RCM and the Chief Clerk battle it out

overall out of 54 and came first in the Regiment.

In the Regimental Cross»Country Competition and the football Toumament. the Squadron managed two consecutive thirds.

The Christmas celebrations behind us. 1992 did seem a less pleasant prospect than it had been before the holiday. A number of voluntary redundancies were about to occur and the whole fabric of the Squadron was therefore shortly to change. Those leaving were to include SCM Armishaw, CoH Firth. LCoH Morris. CoH Ashby and LCoH Fugatt. As this is being written. a few of those redundancies are completing their prolonged farewell after leave and are leaving the barracks for the last time. We wish them well.

The Squadron Leader. Major] S P Swayne has also left. this time only for the safety of ‘B' Squadron. but awkwardly just before troop training in 1992. He is replaced by Major S Cowan from his 8036.? job in hunting country. The SCM has been replaced. temporarily by W02 Taylor. but now more permanently

by W02 Gimblett. SQMC Mardon has moved to Cyprus as SQMC to the Sovereign base police and we also wish he and his wife. Tina. very well in the Mediterranean.

The other major changes have been in the OM and QM(T) departments. where firstly the OM and QM(T) have done a straight swop. and secondly in the RCM"s office, with W01 Hunter leaving with much wistfulness and W01 Sackett taking over with a glint in his eye.

black dots.

We were the first National contingent to the UN to arrive in the— atre. The only other blue berets in Kuwait were the Chief Military Observer — a slightly overweight Austrian 2 star General — whom some of you will remember from Cyprus and a skeleton HQ Staff.

We were therefore accommodated in St George lines with 2 Royal Anglian Battlegroup who had been flown in from Germany to replace 3RRF, the last fighting troops to leave.

Kuwait was in what appeared to be a terrible state in mid April.

There were mined tanks, trucks and vehicles of all descriptions everywhere — most lying in the positions in which they had been abandoned, usually in the middle of the road! To add to the blaz— ing wells were the shells of burnt out Government buildings and the Royal Family’s Palaces. All the shops had been broken into and looted, the contents of which littered the pavements: all the animals in the zoo had been shot and all the rides in the amusement park had been vandalised. To add to this there was a large degree of civil unrest — particularly amongst the Palestinian popu— lation. The Kuwait Liberation Army were out and about exacting revenge upon the Palestinian community in particular and foreign— ers (except Caucasians) in general. Many Palestinians armed themselves for protection and for a while there was a threat of civil war. Kuwait police roadblocks were out every 2 or 3km to stamp out any dissent. British troops were only allowed down— town if one of them was armed and nearly all of Kuwait City was

Captain Bull either buying or selling cigarettes that most of them had left Kuwait and took their time to return.

The Kuwaitis were either too idle or too incapable of doing this work themselves.

Where I met real destruction was on the Mutla Ridge about 15km north of Kuwait City on the main highway to Basra in Iraq.

It is virtually the only natural feature in Kuwait rising above the surrounding desert, with only one road crossing it. This is where the Allied Forces caught the retreating Iraqi Army as it scrambled out of Kuwait. It became a massive killing ground where the Americans had what they described as their “Turkey Shoot”. The vehicles at the front and back of the column were destroyed first thereby trapping the rest in the middle. They were then systemati— cally eliminated. Tens of thousands of Iraqis must have died or been injured here, many of whom would have lived had they abandoned their stolen booty, instead of which they were inciner— ated with it. The place has been aptly renamed Death Valley — it is probably only 1km long but I could never have imagined such destruction as I saw there. After 10 days, along with a Captain from 3RTR. I was deployed to the North sector of the Demili— tarised Zone (DMZ). The 200km long border between Iraq and Kuwait is divided into 3 sectorsz- North, Central and South. North sector covered the populated area of the border and the Khor Abdulah Waterway. There were 2 main towns — Safwan. site of the refugee camps. and Um Qasr. Iraq‘s only port. In between were many small farmsteads on both sides of the border. Whilst North sector occupied abandoned buildings as OP‘s. Central and Southern OP's were tents in the desert proper - not much fun when the temperature reached 50°C plus in the summer.

At the end of April when I went up to the border for the first time the deployed strength of North sector was under 20 Officers commanded by an Irish Lieutenant Colonel. We were being deployed to replace the 3rd US Armoured Brigade. who had over 5,000 men.

In those early days we struck up very close relationships with the US forces upon whom we relied very heavily for things like water resupply since the UN logistic tail could not cope. For eight

days North sector HQ Staff had to wash with bottled drinking water since we received no resupply. Our rations for two months were US MRE‘s (meals ready to eat).

After all this, life settled into a fairly steady routine. OP‘s were manned from 0600 — 2200 hours after which they went into a sleeping radio stag. I worked in North sector HQ on the incident investigation team. My immediate boss was a Russian Air Force Major who spoke fluent Arabic which made life much easier.

My daily routine usually consisted of a morning recce over the Khor Abdulah waterway. Chilean pilots flew the helicopters which was always an adventure in itself. The rest of the day was spent doing radio stags, investigating incursions and recovering vehicles which became stuck in the sand. The most important task, however, as the summer wore on, was keeping cool.

The only advantage of the oppressive heat was that it affected the arabs as much as us, resulting in a major reduction in the number of incidents. The main activity through the summer was the

Kuwait expulsions of what they termed criminals These were in fact merely people of the wrong nationality — mainly Palestinians, but also Jordanians. They were brought up from Kuwait in buses

without air conditioning in temperature of 50°C. At the border the

Kuwaitis would drag them out, stand them in the sun, whilst they

tore their baggage apart in their search for documents with Kuwait stamps on them. They took birth certificates, marriage licenses and education certificates leaving them with no papers at all.

As the summer wore on the number of incidents grew fewer and fewer and work became very routine. While there was very little job satisfaction one actually gained a lot of experience from ones team mates. All the teams were multi—national. On my team — apart from myself and the Russian. there was a Pole, a Chinaman, an Austrian, a Thai. a Singaporean and a Turk at various times. I therefore learnt a great deal about the way other nationalities think and act in different situations. I have now a large number of places to go on holiday all around the world. As one officer put it - its sometimes not difficult to see how we managed to acquire an empire.

My tour with the UN turned out to be a very worthwhile six months (we extended from four). I learnt a lot about the lntemational community but the most important thing that I leamt was never trust an arab. They are as fickle and shifting as the sands of the desert. I am very glad that I went but I would not go back. Do I have any regrets? Only one — I never got my game of tennis.

Technical Quartermaster’s Department Notes The department has completed another year in support of the regi— ment. We hope we have been successful in keeping the regiment fit to fight by supplying all the correct ‘gidgets and widgets‘ at the correct time, be it on Salisbury Plain, Castlemartin. Belize or Cyprus.

Within the department there have been several non—technical extra curricular activities carried out by two senior members dur» ing last year. RQMC (T) Sackett decided that as red berets are in

fashion this year. he would join the elite team. So during the sum» mer he spent a number of days viewing the english countryside from a great height. I personally think it was a fresh approach to solving the mystery of the “Salisbury Triangle“ which is a subject that is discussed in great depth when the topic of “WRITE OFF" appears after the regiment returns from the Plain. SCpl Partis the URS SNCO got bored with part numbers just before Christmas last year, so he decided a six week change of scene at the Guards Depot. where the use of numbers has a different meaning. would renew his enthusiasm for the job. I am still wondering. I think he is too?

Two other staff members were our representatives whilst accompanying B and C Squadrons to Belize and Cyprus respec~ tively. LCoH Henden liked working with C Squadron so much that he joined them on a permanent basis on the other side of the counter. we wish you the best of luck. LCoH Mackenzie gave up trying to spell by numbers on the Brother WPC, and is now count» ing socks and things at QM clothing store. The rest of the troop stalwarts in the form of CoH Firth, LCsoH Plater and Morris, LCpl’s Carrington and Nash, have worked tirelessly throughout the year to provide a service to the regiment from their individual sections.

Much has taken place within the department since the above notes were written, in both personnel and equipment.

The two Regimental Quartermasters have changed offices, Capt Brown keeping the QM(T) seat warm until the arrival of the Life guard QM(E) from BAOR in early October 92. RQMC Sackett

has assumed the appointment of RCM and has been replaced by RQMC Partis, both CoH Firth and LCoH Morris have taken redundancy and leave us in August this year, we wish both them and their families the very best of good fortune in civilian life and

RQMC (T) Sackett, now the RCM, picks his defensive position

warn the rest of you that they will be on the loose by the time you read these notes.

LCoH Hendon has retumed to the department, the reason has

not yet been published, however, his experience is welcomed over this busy period.

We have orchestrated a major vehicle handover/takeover since April with all the Ferrets, Fox and Scorpion armoured vehicles being backloaded and out of service with the army, in their place we have taken on Scimitar and Striker to compliment the other tracked CVR vehicles. we already possess plus one extra squadrons Equipment Table. a busy time with much more to over— come prior to October.

Finally we welcome LCpl Sully and Tpr Spares who have joined us very recently and are now beginning to learn the art of being technical storemen. We now look ahead to the future with a certain amount of apprehension as to what we will all be doing in twelve months time.

The Cambrian Patrol 1991

by Cornet J P Eyre Training started in Windsor with a 10 to 20 mile run almost every morning in the Park, followed by a lesson and some form of tactical training in the afternoon. Skills taught were; Vehicle recogni— tion by W02 Taylor and LCpl Johnson, Battle procedure, field— craft, and patrolling by CoH Norris, First Aid from the medical centre, Signals, mines and minefield crossing, helicopter LP

marking and signalling.

From Windsor we went to the depot for four days of intensive shooting at all ranges in various positions. HDCC. kindly gave essential lessons on infantry CPS and Close Target Reeces and provided much useful information from past competitors in the

event.

On 7 October we drove to Cwm Gwdi camp in the Brecon Bea— cons and spent six days in the hills covering some l40kms with full kit. From Wales we drove to Okehampton in Dartmoor and rehearsed all our patrolling drills for any likely event. The Naval pilots working with the Marines gave us good instruction on helicopter drills. 59 Independent Engineer Commandos gave us excel— lent practical instruction on abseiling with and without full kit at Meldon Quarry where we negotiated some huge faces.

Returning to Windsor on the 22 October we spent the final week sorting equipment and zeroing weapons and dying to get on with the event.

We reported to Bde HQ on Sennybridge Training area on 28 October, where orders, rations and ammunition were issued before last light. The orders, once issued to the team, revealed a

35km patrol in north enemy territory to a possible HQ location in the area of the Elan reservoirs. After a CTR on a farm and an OP on the dams we were to return south with the information gath— ered.

After a midnight drop off at the FLOT by SCpl Clarke we headed north and soon came our first obstacle. a single rope crossing of the river Irfon which relied more on strength than skill. It was a lengthy task, with one trooper taking an unscheduled dip.

Once completed, we kept a good pace up and reached our next task just after dawn. Having met a friendly agent the team quickly secured the area around some photographs and an arms cache of foreign weapons and the CoH and I went forward and attempted to identify them. Three photographed vehicles were easily identified but only half the collection of weapons were recognised. The rest must have been produced by some Croatian Mercenary.

From there we continued on our bearing to a hide location which we reached that afternoon. A long but simple BATCO mes— sage gave us our OP arcs and once this was set up we settled down into a comfortable routine. The OP reported a number of vehicles throughout the night and in the early hours the Close Range Tar— get Recce was put on the farm. Returning by first light, the patrol

once together again ate a good breakfast and tried to dry out after a very wet night.

Before mid day we set out to return south to a safe house another 35km away. We were able to move hard and fast in order to reach another part of the river Irfon before dusk. On the way we heard another patrol had been ambushed and suffered casualties.

Meeting another agent we arrived at the scene and having secured it applied first aid and called for helicopter evacuation for the wounded, marking out a LS nearby. After about 15mins the task was complete and we carried on for the river which we reached as light faded.

Preparing our flotation equipment in cover we crossed in fire teams, one covering the other...... it was cold, deep and fast!

Securing the far bank revealed we were one man down, Tpr Shaw having lost hold of his kit and chased it down stream to no avail. With the team all dressed and now warming up, Shaw had but his rifle and a pair of shorts. He was deluged with our spare kit to lighten our loads. With no boots he could not go on, and there— fore losing a team member would stop us being eligible for any award. Desperate charm was applied to the occupants of a nearby Welsh farm household who seeing our plight sold us a pair of trainers.

With all being well we carried on entering Sennybridge from the eastern boundary and after a punishing march arrived at the safe house. Once everyone sorted their kit out most of the team kipped while the patrol report was completed. Having started out eighth we found ourselves the third team in, due both to the CoH’s excellent map reading and the teams fitness and spirit.

At 0400 on the 3lst we headed off and marched to D range where a quick briefing was given and we loaded up for a live fir» ing ambush. We were led into the ambush location, the occupation went well. with Charlie fireteam on the left and the CoH’s on the

right. Despite lying half in a stream the left fireteam engaged and dropped all exposed targets with first or second shots, the accuracy despite the conditions was excellent, especially by Tpr Dea» con.

LCoH Hill called down a DP to cover our extraction, and with explosions echoing in the valley we ran to a waiting Puma which took us back to Sennybridge camp and the debrief team. Finishing seven hours ahead of schedule meant we could safely sleep while other teams returned.

Presentations took place that afternoon and we happily received a silver award. The Welsh Guards recce platoon won a very wor» thy gold. The event was a good. challenging, arduous, and well organised exercise and was very worth while for all ranks. if not for their feet!

Off we go into the wild, bleak yonder

Belize Tour Sept 1990 — April 1991

LAD Notes

by Captain W J M Scott The Windsor LAD continues to try and keep the peace and keep the pieces moving come what may. We always ask the man on duty at the gate for hot news about what is going on. What equipment will the new Regiment have and when? Has anyone had an accident in the CO‘s staff car‘.7 Everyone in REME seems to have been here before. especially Comd Maint. Col Lucas. who assures us that things were different when he was here with the Blues. or were they just the same? The last EME (Capt ‘Mac‘ Mackenzie) is still to be seen rowing on the river when the QMG doesn‘t need a cup of tea. (He is the Assis-

tant Military Assistant to the QMG). The present EME (Capt Wilson) is occasionally seen with his ‘phone and bergen. asking if anyone has seen a hill worth running up. The previous ASM (Mr Wales) says he is doing the job as a civilian that previously 2 majors did. The present ASM (WOl Sayers) actually asked to come back here and is trying to work out how he can get his motorbike, mountain bike, computer. fax. camcorder and golf clubs all in the back of his Rover for the next exercise. The old AQMS (W02 Clare) has followed the path he had his eye on somewhere in Wales and the new one (W02 Morris) is still trying to reach his desk.

Il——--—

notable sportsmen are SSgt Brown for rugby. SSgt Whittaker for squash and a long list of footballers: Sgt Worrell. SSgt Valentine, Sgt Hay. LCpl Hargreaves (who‘s wedding present from the Army is a six month holiday in NI.) The Fitter sections have. of cotirsc been here. there and everywhere with the Sabre Squadrons and their stories appear else— where. HQ LAD has not been out so often. However the last time we got our feet dirty it was decided that the HQ LAD Samson should be the subject of some mechanical training The engine was changed first. having procured a ‘new engine‘ from an old vehicle. (the ASM told the EME not to ask too many questions about the ‘new engine‘). Anyway. just to keep the fitters hands in. they trapped sortie pipes so it all had to come out again. Finally the ‘SAM‘ got out on a road run. only to be dragged back in need— ing a new gearbox. This was duly procured and fitted. Off went the Sam to do a job. The radio message was nearly more than the EME could cope with, “The SAM has caught fire and the police are diverting traffic". As usual the situation was a little exagger— ated and the HQ Samson lives on. HQ Fitters were grateful for all this entertainment since 0 hotel. the Officers Mess Bedford. was surprisingly trouble free for once.

The LAD were sad to see Capt Reid depart to civilian life after crash testing the ASM‘s pride andjoy. He also provided the LAD with the greatest of fitting tests. He persuaded LSgt Walker to do an engine change on the dreaded Fiat Uno rust bucket. After a week or two‘s work the beast rattled away. Mr Barclay is looking

In September 90 B 3qu dcspatched two troops to Belize to act as the Force Armoured Rcccc Troop as part of the lst Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiments‘ Battlegroup. It was the first time that the Regiment had operated in Belize and consequently the task and country were largely unknown.

Arrival in Belize was something of a shock. We arrived at the end of the hurricane season and although we were assured that there had been no recent gale. it was not obvious. The general dilapidated condition of the houses and the poverty came as quite an eye opener to most of the troop. We began to wonderjust what the remainder of the tour would be like. Fortunately the Royal Hussars rescued us from Airport Camp, (not to be confused with Disneyworld. which is ofcourse in Florida!) and whisked us away to ourjungle retreat; Holdfast Camp. Our home turned out to be a pleasant camp surrounded by open farmland. and thankfully largely bug free. by Belizian standards.

The handover was swift and painless allowing the advance party a first weekend on the Cays. These are idyllic islandsjust off the coast and were soon to become popular places for weekend breaks. Despite an irate machete wielding watchman who objected to a little night sailing. it was clear that respite from the jungle was only a £12 flight away.

The first months were hectic. C’soH Maxwell and Harris fine tuned vehicles whilst SCpl Hastings charmed his way around

night) that caused some members to become better acquainted with the wildlife than others. Meanwhile the first patrol was dis» patched for 9 days. This was fairly eventful, highlighted by the sinking of the Bedford, the Patrol support vehicle in a swamp.

Recovery was an interesting affair with hearty encouragement being given by the wildlife until well after dark. This unfortunate escapade. I am told, had absolutely nothing to do with a ‘huge man eating spider‘ which joined LCpl Jones 17 and LCpl Beau— mont in the cabin. History does not relate the reason that caused the vehicle to swerve wildly and be parked so unfortunately !

Although the timetable was tight with 20 patrols, 2 exercise periods and S gunnery periods. the opportunity for adventure training was too good to miss. A 120 mile canoeing expedition was organised on which Tprs McGough. Vickers, Harrison, Gillespie, Brown. Telling and LCpl Gaddes were ably instructed by CoH Harris and LCoH Freeman. Despite LCoH Freeman being evacuated after a fight with a spiky fish the whole event was a tremendous success and everyone was very appreciative of Mr Hamilton-Russell’s hard work in organising the expedition. (Only after they all received cards reminding them that some apprecia— tion would be in order).

Respite from the tests of Belize was sought all over the Northem/Central American continent. Trips ranged from LCoH Hastings and LCoH Smith hiring an enormous mobile home to tour the

for volunteers to MOT his horsebox, nay chance.

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4“. ~

SSgt Brown, AQMS Claire and ASM Sayer visit the ranges It has become a rare occasion indeed when someone is posted from the Windsor LAD. Generally people seem to come here as a stepping stone to civilian life. We have had some real coups such as Sgt Bankier going to the Hebrides and Sgt Lyons to look after Cfn “Damage” Stock in Soest. They are now replaced by Sgt’s Smith. (the Gulf Hero). and Edwards. SSgt Lunnon nearly forgot his slippers when he left and is now replaced by SSgt Stewart who has brought his own.

The REME are celebrating 50 years of existence in 1992. Part of this is REME mounting the Queen‘s Guard! We have sent Cfn Connolly. our Thermal Bonding Technician. to do the job. His answer will probably be to weld up the gates.

Quite apart from trying to “Keep fit kit in the hands of troops.” the LAD has been heavily committed to Unit driver training.

Rugby, Football and March and Shoots. Capt Wilson took a LAD team to the Welsh 1000 - a mountain marathon. A separate article appears elsewhere. The LAD supersportsmen, such as Cfn Evans and Cfn Bexton find themselves needing to be on several teams at the same time, and only occasionally visit the shop floor. Other

Force Headquarters ensuring that our stay would be as comfort» able as possible. Mr Hamilton-Russell was inundated with pass» ports. visas and holiday brochures as he struggled manfully to book the troop two weeks leave on an individual basis. Not an easy task if you do not speak Spanish or have a degree in telephone engineering. Meanwhile the remainder of the party investigated the local area and discovered the delights of the local Town — San Ignacio - only to find that unless your interest was in farm— ing. the delights were limited. (It was almost a relief to get out onto patrol).

LCpl Calder

The troop was invited to partake in a jungle warfare course with The Gloucesters. This introduction to the creepy. slithery inhabitants of the jungle was largely enjoyed. It was however noted that occasionally A-Framc constructed beds failed in the night and deposited their occupants into the domain of the beasts. It remains uncertain however whether it was Mr Hamilton-Russell. LCoH Hastings and others poor design and construction or LCoH Dear‘s Wildly slashing machete (aimed at anything that moved in the

USA to LCpl Hill in quest of Harley—Davidson motorbikes and huge mountains in California. The majority of the troop spent some time in Mexico with a number going back again and again.

LCpl Gaddes, Tprs Telling. Bestwick and McGough leading the way. One weeks adventure training on St Georges Cay at the Adventure Training Centre was also all part of the package with a multitude of watersports on offer.

Overall the Troop acquitted itself with distinction and enjoyed a splendid tour. Particular praise goes to LCpl Gaddes and Tpr Telling for winning GOC Commendations for efforts to save a young Belizian girl after a local traffic accident. Sgt Page and his REME Team also deserve a special mention for keeping the Troop on the road despite having to live with spares shortages caused by Operation Granby. To be able to hand over all the vehicles at the end. in working order. was close to a miracle. All good things do. however. come to an end and although we were pleased to return to Windsor there was a tinge of regret to leave. A worth— while tour with a marvellous opportunity to enjoy some old fashioned soldiering.

Autumn Amphibious Training Period

NI with the Commandos

by Lieutenant M J Hamilton-Russell

by Lieutenant A Holman

A.A.T.P. is an unusual event held by the Marines to practice their Amphibious assaults using other arms to assist with reality. A number of ships of various shapes and sizes are used for this exer— cise ranging from Sir Galahad, which is classed as an LSL (Land— ing Ship Logistics), and is run by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. who are nonetheless very professional, to HMS Fearless, which is a huge assault ship capable of carrying a regiment of Scorpions.

The ‘B’ Squadron contingent, 2 and 4 Troops along with SHQ, Admin and LAD set off to Marchwood to climb aboard Sir Gala— had, having been briefed by CoH Maxwell (who had been on board the same ship only one year previously, with his troop in the

A truly amazing sight was that of getting on and off HMS Fearless. She would open her bow door and flood the vehicle deck, this would then allow the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) each capable of canying 4 CVR (T), (Fearless had 4 LCU’s) to simply drive in and out at really an amazing turn around speed.

The final phase of the exercise was attacking Brandon beach in the Solent, in a demonstration for Ministry of Defence personnel making decisions on what the Royal Navy should lose or keep in the cuts. This was a great success with the Blues and Royals natu~ rally stealing the show.

Mediterranean) on the various terms we were likely to hear from

the Navy bods. At the end of ten days however, there were still quite a number of us who were confused between bulkheads, heads and foe’eads.

Designed to fight in extremely shallow waters indeed, Sir Galahad and Sir Gerant were both capable of beach landings if it was required of them. They are both flat bottomed which meant that even the slightest ripple felt similar to a tidal wave. The force 9 gale we encountered just before reaching the Irish Sea certainly sorted out the men from the army! The high seas played havoc with our physical training on the flight deck, LCpl McKinnon (REME) was the first to encounter an unsettled stomach, running (faster than he had done all season) to the side and having a quick

call to the deep. I might add he was not the only one, others included, Capt Woodward, LCpl Telling and Tprs Anderson and Anderton. Once moored between the coast lines of the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Arran we received kinder weather however no warmer, we certainly on more than one occasion felt the bitter

night’s chill. We then set into the routine of attacking a beach, going back to the ship and attacking the same beach all over again.

Having succeeded in capturing the beach head we were somewhat limited as we were not allowed any further than the beach itself.

This would have indeed caused a lot of boredom, however jumping out of SeaKing Helicopters seemed a suitable remedy. There was one particularly memorable occasion to us all, when on one night attack we were only 100m away from attacking the wrong beach, it was finally decided that LCoH Evans should receive the

blame for this, if only because he looked the most guilty. However by the end we knew exactly where to go, what to do and when. It was indeed very slick and now reminds me of the English storming onto Scottish soil with victory in their eyes at Murrayfield 1991. (Or the Australians at Twickenham in the same year ! Ed.)

A Mexeflote loaded Half a Knot,

Half a Knot, Half a Knot onwards Into the depths of the unknown Sailed the sixty two.

Forward the Blues and Royals “Go beat the Scots" he said, Into the depths of the unknown Sailed the sixty two.

Was there a man sick?

Many that a soldier knew l Skye to the right of them, Arran to the left of them Open seas in front of them, (Someone had blundered)

A pose while waiting to go ashore

Stomachs rolled and chundered.

Forward the Blues and Royals Into waters immense But then Honi soit qui mal y pense !

With apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson.

It came as rather a shock when the Colonel told me I was off to Ireland with the Marines. Having lived such a sheltered existence I had only come into contact with one Marine before. He was called ‘Mike‘ and was attached to the Argylls when we were based in Germany. As I watched him systematically eat, drink and destroy his way through Calgary after BATUS, I was somewhat in awe of the ‘Green Machine’.

I threw caution to the wind however, and encouraged by Lt Sebastian Miller’s insistence that he had earned the Regiment a fearsome reputation on exercise ‘Dragon Hammer’ last year (apparently flight testing a Scorpion by driving it off a 30 ft cliff was considered good form), I set off to join 45 Commando in Arbroath.

For those of you who don’t know where Arbroath is, don’t fret I had not expected it to be in the centre of a civilised world and alas I was not disappointed. As far as I could work out only two things come from Arbroath; ‘Smokies’ — a rather nasty form of smoked herring, and ‘Casuals’ who are the local yobs. There was always plenty of amusement to be had between the Casuals, who were only teenagers, and the Marines from RM Condor, up the road. However, it was not such a one—sided contest as it would first appear. The Casuals would never make an appearance until the pubs were shut (by which time most Marines were perilously drunk) and then they would pounce on one or two as they came out of the bar. There would be a short fight ending with a battered and bleeding Marine. Of course by the time he had got all his friends out in support, the ‘bullies’ had disappeared. Perfect guerilla tactics - and a good introduction to Northern Ireland. I was given a troop from Support Company which was a composite of their Anti—Tank and Mortar Troops. Needless to say there was no love lost between the two, but my arrival on the scene gave then something else to talk about. Their Commanding Officer requested that I wear my red beret which made me the subject of abject hatred. Being a ‘hat‘ (ie. the only person in the whole unit who had not passed the Commando Course) and a Para to boot made me the worst awful embarrassment to my troop. They could not believe their bad luck on the First Parade after summer leave.

When they further discovered that I was in The Household Cav» alry and drove tanks it was almost too much for them. Cries of ‘He’ll be a lot of use. No tanks over there Sir, Ho Ho Ho. What

about a horse. Arf Arf’ were bandied about. But I soon found they had a healthy respect for my deep and profound knowledge of Anti—Tank weapons and their capabilities. (All hastily read up one night from the pamphlet). After the initial shock had passed we soon settled down to work and I began to be accepted if not as a brother, then as some sort of curious freak — which at least made my troop popular.

Time flew by and we soon found ourselves at Lydd working out routines and drills. We also learnt that the Company was destined for Crossmaglen (XMG) down in South Armagh. ‘Bandit Country‘ the papers called it, amply backed up by the NI reports that I now began to take an interest in.

Soon all the pub talk was over and we were out in the Province.

‘Wahey, this is the business' as we swooped at 50ft into Bessbrook in a Chinook. Crossmaglen was the grim reality. We took over from the Cheshires which really was very grim indeed. It was not an inspiring sight and as soon as they had gone. the place was gutted, sterilised, cleaned and polished before we settled down

and started the job. It was rather an awkward time for me as I tried in vain to point out the differences between line infantry and the Household Cavalry. ‘But you‘re still a Pongo ..... Sir'.

The pace at first was frantic. The last time the Marines had been in Crossmaglen there had been a certain number of misunder— standings‘ between them and the locals. The net result being that Marines were not particularly welcome in this part of the Emerald Isle. Increased activity on our behalf kept PIRA down and gave us a chance to perfect our drills. At the time all media attention was drawn to the Gulf War and there was even speculation as to a Cease Fire in NI. The routine we worked involved spending three weeks in one of the Golf Towers — Op’s overlooking the border - which really was a fairly desperate existence, and three weeks back in XMG split between patrols, guard, and fatigue. The routine of Crossmaglen, though pretty tedious, at least offered a bit of variety, whereas three weeks in the Golf Towers could be very trying. The accommodation at the Towers was underground and had all the basic requirements — though both water and electricity were notoriously unreliable. We once went a week without water and were forced to patrol around various farms filling jerry cans en route.

We were also totally dependant on helicopters - for mail, food, repairs and the extraction of rubbish. Understandably they were loath to fly to us being so close to the border, and that coupled with the restricted flying hours and frequent diversions made them very rare visitors. Patrols would drop in from time to time with some mail or to warm up for a while, and some stayed for two or three days.

Patrolling was a chance to ‘get amongst 'em’, but in the new age of enlightenment we were all on our best behaviour. Everyone liked to get out and about but it was tempting to switch off, partic— ularly as the tour went on. During the day it was easier to stay alert, especially if you knew you were being watched, but at night, soaking wet after a day spent struggling through hedges and wading through streams, it was hard to maintain a sense of purpose.

On New Year’s Eve we got our first major incident. Two broth— ers had left a pub in the afternoon and driven at four Marines who were manning a VCP. They knocked one over and carried another on the bonnet for 40 yards before he fell off. The team commander and one other opened fire killing the driver and seriously wounding his brother. Now the party was over. From then on we had at least one major incident every week, including two helicopters shot down, a mortaring of Crossmaglen SF base and the largest fire fight recorded since the troubles began (over 2500 rounds returned). The latter incident prompted one of my LCpls to enquire when we next stopped South Armagh’s top sniper, ‘Who teaches you to shoot Francis? Stevie Wonder?‘ Life with the Marines made a refreshing change from Regimental duty. Of course they have their differences. but they are in no way insurmountable, and a little give and take on both sides can create an excellent working relationship. Their professionalism and pride are second to none and with their amazing adaptability they make excellent soldiers. My only criticism would be that because they see so little of the Army (and especially armour) they tend to be unaware of the assets they could call on. But at least they are always willing to listen. In fact the hardest part of my attachment was learning the language (You ‘go ashore’ when you leave camp and eat your ‘Scran’ in the ‘Galley‘.) which threw me rather when I arrived - but I got my own back by explaining our rank structure!

45 Commando have spent three months in Kurdistan providing relief for the kurds on Operation Safe Haven.

Blues and Royals at Sea

Welsh 1000

by Lieutenant The Lord Fermoy

by Captain M Wilson

The ships Company HMS Scylla kindly invited two parties from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment to join them at sea in October and November. A small party would fly out and tneet the ship at Dubai, sailing with her to Cyprus where they would be relieved by a larger group who would remain onhoard until Portsmouth.

HMS Scylla a Leander class frigate. had arrived in the Gulf just as hostilities against Iraq ceased. However. when the first liaison party (Lt The Lord Femtoy RHG/D. SCpl Haywood RHG/D. SCpl English RHG/D. LCoH Kellett RHG/D and LCpl Clarke LG) arrived she was on her way home after five months in the region.

Initially things did ttot go well. There are. we know now. two centres of population named Lyneham in the South of England.

One is a rather busy RAF base tltat specialises in sending soldiers up in the sky: the other is a sleepy little hamlet in North Glouces— tershire and they are separated by a mere 80 miles. No prizes for guessing where MT Troop went! LCpl Clarke. our Token Life Guard. was tasked to enter the public bar of ‘The Butchered Lamb‘ and ask where we were. The result — sudden silence. hoots of mirth and the minibus trundling for two hours across Rural England on nothing wider than a farrrt track.

This however. was eclipsed by a cettain Staff Corporal who arrived separately at RAF Lyneham with one passport — his mothers! The temptation to don a dress and ‘bluff it‘ was high but for— tunately reason prevailed.

The flight to Dubai was memorable for two reasons » firstly 14 hours in a Hercules has to be done once so you can really appreci~ ate Air Uganda: secondly a highly recommended Karaoke Bar on the strip at Akatouri (the name of the latter can be obtained from SCpl ‘The Green. Green Grass of Home' English).

From our arrival on board we began a working tour of all the ships departments. Visits to the Engines and Storerooms. ‘stags~ in the Operations Room in the heart of the ship and 'watches‘ on the bridge were all part of the daily routine. The Galley resounded

with the chop, chop of onions being diced, bread being made and meat being prepared courtesy of the Household Cavalry. Our Gunnery Drills came into good use with GPMG firing at flares — behind the gun LCoH Kellett - too slow.

On the sports side we all took part in rigorous sessions of daily RT on the flight deck and there was a charitable 100 mile run around the ship’s deck that we joined in with. Swimming was achieved by the novel method of stopping the engines and jump— ing off the decks into the sea: occasionally surrounded by dolphins.

Excursions ashore included a day on a private beach belonging to the Sultan of Oman: and three days in Muscat where SCpl Hay~ wood and Lt The Lord Fermoy managed to find the time to go scuba diving in crystal clear waters. surrounded by a multitude of fish. LCpl Clarke achieved his lifetime ambition of owning a Fez. Disembarking at Hergada at the bottom of the Red Sea we visited the Valley of The Kings. including the magnificent Temple of Luxor. before sailing up to Port Said. There we spent two packed days in Cairo viewing the breathtaking Pyramids and Sphinx both by day and with the ‘son et lumiere‘ show by night. The city included the Tutankamun Exhibition but left time for individual pursuits — LCpl Clarke managed to find his sister—in—law while Lord Fermoy found a casino.

Too soon we were disembarking in Cyprus and the second liai— son team were coming aboard for the return to England via Rhodes. Rome and Gibraltar. We flew back to Brize Norton where surprisingly MT weren’t — we made our own way back to Knightsbridge!

We all made some very good friends and learnt a great deal from the thorough professionalism of the Royal Navy. All of us enjoyed our visit enormously and thank the Captain. Officers and Ship Company of HMS Scylla for their excellent hospitality. whilst we were on board. We look forward to them visiting The Household Cavalry at Knightsbridge this Spring.

The Welsh IOOO is a mountain marathon organised by the Army in conjunction with civilian Fell Running Clubs. It is advertised in DCl‘s and EME‘s tlippant comment “that looks interesting" was picked up by an enthusiastic AQMS. It sounded as though places were hard to get attd it was months away so an entry form was sent off and EME tried to put it out ofhis mind.

What luck! We got a team entry and suddenly it was very close indeed. Now we needed a team - volunteers all — and some hills to practice on.

The event itself commences very early on a Saturday morning in June on the North coast of Wales. (Abergwygregyn if you can believe the spelling). It finished some 35km later (as the crow flies but in this case no sensible crow would). on the summit of Snow— den. On the way the route took in four peaks each over 1,000m.

The original event started as a section competition amongst the Welsh Infantry Battalions - marching in full kit over fourteen peaks over 3.000ft. Thank goodness for the metrification of maps.

There were over 60 teams of five entered. with a mass start.

Each individual is responsible for navigating the route ensuring that he or she punches their card at each checkpoint. The visibility plays a big part in this. We were certainly lucky with the weather. it was clear and sunny all day. This made for easy navigation and relatively fast times.

The winner loped in. in 4hrs 22mins. The Blues and Royals were a creditable 39th out of 65 as a team with all members finishing. Individual times were: Capt Wilson 5hrs 55mins Cfn Bexton 6hrs 51mins Cfn Evans 7hrs 55mins W02 Clare 8hrs 10mins LCpl Pink 8hrs 10mins

Capt Wilson cover

r way

On such a hot day the main problem was dehydration. The restaurant on the top of Snowden was a most welcome sight after so many hours exercise. There was an immense feeling of satis— faction and accomplishment in completing such a challenging event. It tends to attract people back again and again, although many others will be quite content with only one bout of such insanity. All ages. sexes, shapes and sizes entered from all the services and volunteer forces. The civilian fell runners beat the best military runners in. a salutary lesson even if they were not wearing boots combat high and carrying lO—lSlb bergans.

If only the EME could forget how much his knees hurt he might

have another go. ANY VOLUNTEERS?

Extract from the Record of Peninsular

Campaign 1811-1816

The party vi tthe site off-the Sphinx. SCpl English, SCpl Haywood, LCpl Clark, Lt the Lord Fermoy and LCoH Kellett

I thought you might be entertained by this description of how the Life Guards returned hospitality from The Royals.

“The officers accompanying the remount were Captain Tomkins and Lt Ross (Life Guards) Never was there a more curious man than Captain Tomkins.

Upon the arrival of Tomkins. Hulton (Royals) immediatly asked him to dinner which the lifeguardsmen accepted and provided a very decent knife and fork.

A few days afterwards he in return invited Hulton, Forster and Dundas.

Four o’clock came which was the dinner hour when on service.

Good Hulton having put on his blue silk waistcoat with gold buttons, so spruce with his flying jacket open, repaired with his aide de camp to Tomkins quarters.

After waiting some time. Hulton put his hands on his hips and exclaimed “I vow to God good Captain I am vastly hungry".

Tomkins made apologies that the dinner was not ready but said that his manservant was out and that he had prepared the dinner the day previous. Hulton smelt a rat and whispered to Forster (his ADC) to run to his landlady and tell her to put the heat to the fire

and stuff it well as he would soon be back.

Presently Tomkins began making preparations for the festive board.

He placed upon the table. without any cloth. a cold shoulder of mutton and a loaf of stale bread. To this four people sat down.

Then came on a cold rice pudding for which Tomkins took credit to himself as he said he had succeeded in making it without any eggs. “I vow to god I don't doubt you“. cries Hulton in the agony of despair.

A small portion of acid wine was metered out to each guest after which they took up their sticks and walked.

A Royal Dragoon about the time of the Peninsular

Campaign

Recruiting Team Notes

A Squadron — Exercise BRITANNIA WAY

by Major (Retd) B Lane

by Captain A L Coxhead

By the time you are reading this article the Recruiting Team will be back on the road for possibly the last time in its present format and should. according to the great D.A.R. Computer. be featuring as a Static Display at the Royal Toumament Earls Coun. What have we done since the last set of notes?

The Recruiting Team left Barracks on 31 March 1991 and by 151 April was encamped in near arctic conditions on Boumemouth Pier having arrived there after appearing at the Amty sponsored Banger Racing at Wimbledon Stadium. At that event the Foxes of the Royal Yeomanry were despatched at great speed around the track gaining all the kudos whilst we who had been there before kept ourselves and our vehicles nice and clean for the next task.

It was while at Bournemouth that the ACC Display Team lost their tentage/marquee cover in some extremely heavy weather and the question of equal opportunities for women in the army was put to an instant test. as the Females in their Team became merely ‘flying pickets' in the storm. Fortunately the stalwarts of our own troop namely Gilligan. Horsefield and Whiting assisted by anyone

in sight were able to help the ACC in their hour of need.

During the tour this year. which extended from Plymouth to Newcastle. many friends were made around the country. So much so that the ‘Beaver‘ Leader saw fit to write to H.M. to express his appreciation for the efforts of SCpl Sandercock and his merry band. He was quickly reminded of the fact that this does not enti— tle the trailer to carry a ‘By Appointment‘ logo. We were well pleased to be able to visit the Sandford 1st School in Sandford Dorset which had adopted SCpl Jarams Troop of The Life Guards while they were serving in the Gulf. A suitable presentation on behalf of the Household Cavalry was made to the school as was about 3 years worth of goodies which we managed to ‘acquire‘ from various sources.

Although recruiting is extremely hard work it is also very rewarding and certainly all members of the Regiment who have served in it this year. namely CoH Davies. LCoH Smith. LCpl Jor~ dan. LCpl Trinick. Tpr Davies. Tpr Bell. Tpr Gilligan. Tpr Whiting. Tpr Horsefield and Tpr Turner have made enormous contribution to the present well being of the Household Cavalry.

We often met up with members of our Associations who we are always pleased to see and of course we occasionally catch sight of the rarest thing North of Slough - our Band and the Musical Ride on nice little earners. At the Rotherham Tattoo they managed to spirit away a 105mm Gun from the RA Display Team which did little to improve inter Arm relations.

A cheque for £1,489.00p raised by the Recruiting Team on tour and RCM Hunter during the Berlin Marathon is handed over to Mr Tony Castleton

Towards the end of the season a Team Bar-B-Que was organ» ised which was well appreciated by everyone and was certainly considered to be a bit of “Oar Right" by Tpr Horsefield until he got the bill to replace a pair at £30.00.

LCoH Smith who has now departed for the relative safety of the Falkland Islands, was the Team 21C for most of the season and we wish him well on his Penguin Patrols (watch out for their left

hooks).

Thousands of miles were driven accident free during the season and reflected great credit to the skills and mechanical aptitude of the Drivers. The subject of driving always highlights some incident or other and it is likely that Tpr Payne (The Life Guards Mounted Duty Squadron) will never again be known as anything other than Zebedee as he has an uncontrollable compulsion at every Roundabout to drive around and around and around.

Our charity this year was Guide Dogs for the Blind so having correctly attired our large black labrador collecting box with chevrons. stable belt collar, Regimental buttons and assisted by RCM Hunter who kindly gave his sponsorship from the Berlin Marathon we were able to handover £1.500.00 which in Dog Terms is a complete one and a half. A suitable name preserving its Household Cavalry origins will be given to the dog.

Finally. as the Recruiting Officer. may 1 say to all that the message remains the same. We still require good. high standard. well motivated recruits. if you know of one let me know. we will do the rest. ‘ We are due out on the road in April 1992 and our moves are as follows: 11 — 30 April Wales 1 - 21 May SW District 22 ~ 25 May E District 26 May - 15 June NE District 16 June - 31 June Scotland 5 July — 30 July Royal Tournament 31 July - 31 August T.B.C. 1 - 30 September Southem Command 4 October Bournemouth l 1 October Oxford. Final display of year November Sydney N.S.W. (Don‘t you wish you had volunteered for the team?)

Please come along and see us. we will be able to tell you exactly where we will be in each District.

Exercise Britannia Way was a minor unit overseas training period for A Squadron RHG/D in Spain from 2-13 October 1991. The aim of the exercise was to familiarise A Squadron RHG/D and No 2 squadron Alamansa No 5 with the training. equipment and modus operandi of each others forces. The plan was simple. A Squadron would be air lifted by an RAF C130 Hercules to Spain on 2 October 1991. Once dcbussed No 2 Squadron Almansa No 5 would embus aboard the same aircraft for the return journey to England. The Spanish Air Force was tasked to provide the C130 Hercules on 13 October 1991 for the return movement of both forces. Unfortunately due to financial restraints imposed on the Spanish Armed Forces. the plan changed dramatically so that in the end only A Squadron RHG/D under the command of Major E B S Mountain would deploy to Spain. There would be no recipro— cal Spanish deployment to Windsor.

On 2 October 1991 A Squadron paraded at 0130 hrs with the Commanding Officer on hand to wish the squadron well. After a final confirmation of ID Cards. discs and passports. the baggage party followed shortly by the main body departed for RAF South Cemey. On arrival at South Cemey the squadron discovered itself submerged in the fabulous world of the RAF. Our first mission was to come to terms with the “Monster" otherwise known as an Air Mounting Centre. Passengers. freight and dangerous air cargo manifests were processed followed by the routine passengers briefings. SQMC Harris was commended by the Air Movements Section on his meticulous packing and manifesting of the squadrons cargo. Then came the waiting. most of which Maj Mountain blamed on Capt Coxhead‘s (sqn 21C) time appreciation.

Eventually we were on our way to RAF Lyneham and a C130 Hercules aircraft.

The C130 arrived shortly after noon at Valladolid air field in Spain. A Squadron was met by Lt Col Sir William Mahon Bt. the Military Attache in Spain. whose efforts had made this exchange possible. Accompanying the Military Attache was a Spanish Offie cer fondly remembered by all as “Lt Cerismeh". As the squadron loaded on to the Spanish transport it quickly became apparent that there was insufficient transport to move all of our baggage and freight. Two hours later after a hasty appreciation of the situation a remedy had been concocted and we were on the road again. By five o‘clock we had reached Leon and Alamansa No 5. The Span— ish Commanding Officer Colonel Juan Jose Rodriguez Panero welcomed us to his regiment and to the city of Leon after which we retired to our respective messes for a relaxing drink. meal and much needed sleep.

The next few days were spent becoming acquainted with the Officers. NCO‘s and men at Alamansa N0 5. Our host Coronel De

caballetia Mariano Lopez Ruiz. “The Little Colonel" spared no effort to organise activities on our behalf. These included a barrack tour of Almansa No 5. The barracks laden in history and tradition scented quite spartan compared to Combermere Barracks in Windsor.

The Squadron visited the Army Stud Fartn located within the barracks. It is interesting to note that the Army Stud Farms are the centre for all horse breeding within the country. Equipment displays included the CETME 7.62mm personnel weapon. MG42 coaxial mounted GPMG. 20mm cannon mounted on the VEK. a 6 wheeled recce vehicle. the 105mm of the M47-Al MBT (operational) and the standard M113 APC. More cultural activities included a walking tour of Leon. a city who's remarkable architecture spans countless centuries. and a visit to the Vapanguero caves. The caves were extraordinary and many members of the squadron recognised the main chamber where much of the film. “Joumey to the Centre of the Earth" was produced.

On a more ceremonial note most would agree that the highlight of our first few days in Spain was undoubtedly our honoured participation in the Fallen Comrades Parade conducted every Friday.

The parade referred to as the "Salute to the Fallen” commemorates the thousands of soldiers who perished during the Spanish Civil War. To add a flavour of our own ceremony and traditions our Trumpeter. Musn Stretton and right marker. Tpr Dewe both wore state kit while the rest of the squadron paraded in No 2 dress.

Without a doubt the Spanish were suitably impressed by the squadrons drill and turnout for parade. During the parade Major Mountain was given the honour to place a wreath on the memorial to the fallen. Fortunately for him he was exempted from doing the goose step.

During the 5 day Exercise in the field the squadron undertook weapon training. AFV training including live firing. The squadron also conducted a demonstration of a squadron attack mounted in M1 13‘s for the Spanish Brigade Comander. it would be unjust to say that the spanish equipment was in bad order. The M1 13 fleet lacked maintenance including driver maintenance. The American radio installations did not operate in many cases due to user ignorance. The Canadian exchange officer familiar with the sets actu» ally demonstrated the proper opening up drills to some spanish users. Most vehicles had no l/C between driver and commander.

The six wheel VEK is their pride and joy. an Italian turret on a Spanish hull. the 20mm cannon proved extremely accurate but the vehicle is not fitted with a radio and as a result is rendered useless to recce. The M47 fleet was remarkably well maintained but unfortunately it was not very accurate as no bore sighting facilities existed. Overall the exercise proved to be an eye opener for the squadron which made us better appreciate our own equipment and combat service support infrastructure.

The field exercise ended tip on a high note for most. No one will forget the messes in the field. Both the Jnr ranks and Officers/NCO‘s were involved in at least one unforgettable party. Our exercise in the field ended with a 10km march back to Alamansa 5 where we were greeted by Lieutenant Colonel Rogers who had come to see what the squadron had been getting up to.

After a free day on retum from the field we knew it was time to go home. Tpr‘s Horsfield and Goldsmith were starting to enjoy the food and CoH Atkinson was running out ofjokes. After many official presentations. the squadron returned to Windsor.

LCpl Hastings, ‘There is no l/C'

The Quartermasters Department

by Captain M R Brown The department is now fully versed into ways of soldiering back in Windsor and, as this article takes shape. warm empty coffee cups litter the department. left by the departing Defence Auditors as they head for the M3 motorway and the safety of a sane office in Basingstoke. These same cups will be replenished in two days time to welcome the Ordnance Ancilliary Team. as they also pro» ceed to rifle into account after account looking for that elusive issue voucher.

Having two major inspections in quick succession has its draw— backs but the benefits outnumber them two to one. as any account holder will agree.

With C Squadron on their extended sabbatical with the United Nations in Cyprus, annual firing was reduced to five days at Castlemartin in May. Gunnery experts among our readership will no doubt read something into that. The department deployed in force. seeing to accommodation and messes as well as meeting the ammunition at Carmanhen railway station. The firing proceeded without fuss, whilst behind the scenes a giant screen TV was wan— gled from SSVC to enhance the viewing of the European Cup Final. This was followed by an all ranks buffet supper and mini

revue.

Salisbury Plain was again the venue for Regimental Training and the B Echelon took over a whole weekend ahead of the main parties arrival. to ensure the Bustard Hotel was ready to receive guests. It was once again found to be unsuitable and the Quarter— master placed it out of bounds immediately the weekend was over.

Our tasks were many and various over the two weeks. from host— ing a chicken ‘dispatching‘ stand on Troop Tests to producing a full blown barbecue supper for 400 guests . pigs on spits and all at a fund raising auction. run by Lucinda Green the event rider. to aid a Rumanian Orphanage. The Master Chef and the crew of Zero Hotel did a first class job in the yard of a cowshed to achieve a truly outstanding barbecue which would not have been out of place on the East Terrace at Windsor Castle.

The department has suffered a major change in personnel in the past year, with everyone apart from the Quartermaster and LCpl Moody moving on, hopefully to better things. We wish them all the very best of good fortune in their new employment.

The RQMC for the past three years, Rick Buckle. has moved on after some 23 years service with the Regiment, to take up the appointment of RQMC at Colchester Garrison on the Long Service List. He took great pains to point out that anyone passing near to ‘Colly‘ should call in for tea. Others deserting the ship include, CoH Eyre to Bournemouth as a recruiter. LCoH Jones to HCMR, LCpl Roberts to civilian life. LCoH Mitchell to the officers mess and Tpr Renton to MT. They have been replaced by W02 Mick Harding as RQMC. CoH Ashby back from recruiting. LCoH But— ton The Life Guards. who is obviously here in a John The Baptist role. LCoH Scruton from HCMR. LCoH Mackenzie from Tech.

Tpr Deccico from C Sqn and Tpr Stokes from the Chief Clerk‘s back pocket.

During January 92 the resident Quartermaster decided he should join the evacuation and moved over to become the Techni— cal Quartermaster and is now employed in finding the new vehicle fleet for the regiment prior to the union. The department this year has supported the regiment throughout all its training venues up to the present date. and in addition is preparing for the union with the Lifeguards in October which as most readers will realise presents innumerable problems in all aspects.

Staff changes have continued during the year. RQMC Harding has gone off to be RCM Bovington Garrison, the first Blue and Royal to achieve this appointment. CoH Now SCpl Ashby is holding the fort as stand in RQMC. LCoH Scruton is destined for civilian life. and has been replaced by LCoH Lawson from MT Troop.

In conclusion the department including “TYSON" will endeav— our to support the regiment in all aspects during the forthcoming

LCsoH Burns and Roberts sit in front of LCpl Vosper, LCpl Telling and Tpr Anderton.

The Catch

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Which is the better looking? Fifi Latouche or Tpr Turner

Firing in Belize. Tpr Winter and CoH Harris 97

The GM and his team (from | to r) LCpl Moody, LCoH Button, LCoH McKenzie,

LCoH Scruton, Tpr Stokes, LCoH (now CoH) Kent, The GM, RQMC Harding, CoH

(now SCpl) Ashby and Tpr Deccico

A scene during AATP

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The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and lst Dragoons)

Combermere Barracks, Windsor November 1991

Mounted Squadron Photographs

Mounted Squadron Notes For anyone who labours under the misapprehension that life in the Mounted Squadron is a rest cure. our programme for the past year will give the lie to it. Whilst our armoured bretheren have been observing. reporting. advancing and withdrawing. the Mounted Squadron has been guarding, escorting. drilling. and assisting to invest and open.

Early in 199] we had the opportunity for a spell in the country.

This came when President Walesa of Poland paid a State visit at Windsor. The Squadron was very well looked after at Combermere by the Regiment who bore the invasion of men and horses with stoic fortitude, This period did give the opportunity for past luminaries of mounted duty to renew friendships with the black horse. It was soon apparent that in their break from mounted duty SQMC‘s Dunkley and Mardon have forgotten the difference between walk and extended canter! One afternoon whilst we were at Windsor. Captain Lane Fox feeling expansive (after a good lunch) challenged the assembled officers to a bareback puissance.

His reward for this trouble, was that he was first to test the shock absorbing qualities of the new fibresand surface of the outdoor menage. The event proved a popular spectacle for members of the squadron with LCoH Stokes and CoH Hunter giving generous odds on the outcome. Modesty prevents mention of the winner. however. the Commanding Officer did have some well chosen words about officers risking the soundness of their charges before a major ceremonial occasion!

By now the ceremonial season was upon us with a vengeance and on return to London we started rehearsing for the Major Gen— erals inspection. Being the only parade we carry out on grass. there is always a discemable current of apprehension present in the air. This wasn‘t eased by a torrential downpour causing the cancellation of the Lieutenant Colonel Commandings‘ Rehearsal.

In spite of this. all was alright on the day barring the moment when the Major General’s charger tried to perform surgery on the Squadron Leader‘s knee cap with his off hind.

After the Queen‘s Birthday Parade the pace slackened slightly and our older horses were sent away to grass. Some leave was set in motion and the remaining members of the Squadron under the guidance of CoH McGarry disappeared to Earls Court to turnout the band and assorted other performers for the duration of the Royal Tournament. During the summer we managed to get some of our men away adventure training in South Pembrokeshire. This was based on Penally Camp and participants undertook a selection of canoeing. rock climbing and walking. The training (organised

by CoH Clavering) was a great success. however the most hair raising stories seemed to emerge from events in the bars of Tenby rather than the training.

Autumn started with Summer Camp which was faintly confus»

The Commanding Officer on Port Stanley

mummy;

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ing! Having handed over the Queen's Life Guard to the Kings Troop RHA we set off lock. stock and barrel to the plains of Nor» folk. Our preparation prior to departure in London paid off hand» somely in the mounted competitions. with the squadron sweeping the board. On the cross country course. Lt Hawes and CoH Clavering tied for 1st place with Lt Lockhart and CoH McGarry. this was not the most diplomatic move as the Squadron Leader and SCM were forced into 3rd place. Troopers Watkins and Nicholls won thejunior ranks handy hunter competition. Lt Lockhart won the Officers and SNCO‘s show jumping. beating Captain Onslow into second place. CoH Ford was the highest placed SNCO in that event. Throughout the camp there were the usual equine thrills and spills. Lord Fermoy narrowly beat the Squadron Leader for the honour of being the first

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Lt Davies presents prizes to Lt Lockhart and CoH McGarry after the Handy Hunter Competition

LCoH Stokes on Kerry

officer to dismount in an involuntary fashion.

On return from Bodney Camp. the State Opening of Parliament loomed up very quickly. so it was back to troop drills with a vengeance. The ‘Horse and Hound‘ included a feature article on our Regimental Drills in a November issue. Luckily the pho» tographs were taken in near darkness and didn‘t show Lt Hawes doing his best to destroy his division on the Commanding Offi— cer‘s charger. Port Stanley.

Throughout the year we have hosted many visits. the highlight being a visit by Her Majesty. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

During her programme she inspected the Squadron‘s stables before feedaway. The most short notice visit came at 0930 hrs one March morning. The Chief of the General Staff‘s office rang to say that he and his opposite number from the US Army. General Vuono. had a problem because their program had gone "nonflying". The adjutant. Captain Onslow. fought back an urge to say congratulations. then tentatively asked how he could help to be told that the whole party (24 in all) would lunch at Hyde Park Barracks and then visit for 2 hours in the afternoon. To complete this Warminster like problem. the Commanding Officer was away!

The fat was pulled from the fire and the visit was a great success.

At the time of writing, the ceremonial programme is subject to change. with a State Visit and the Major Generals having been cancelled and the State Opening of Parliament having been inserted instead.

The 1992 Ceremonial season started with the State Opening of Parliament. With the parade fresh in our minds from autumn. it was very much starting from where we left off in 1991. The Com— manding Officer took the role as Field Officer and set in train a substantial programme of Officers kit rides in the riding school.

His presence in the early mornings ensured that the subaltem‘s capacity for making excuses was severely tested!

After the Opening of Parliament. the season was in full swing.

Captain Poole commanded a Captain's escort to convey Her Majesty to Horse Guards [0 present new colours to the Grenadier Guards. For the Squadron. the main event. the Queen‘s Birthday Parade. was yet to come. This took place on a very warm 13 June. the Mounted Regiment provided the Sovereigns Escort. with the Standard being carried by SCM Pitt. Lt Howes and Lord Fermoy commanded the first and second divisions of the Escort respec— tively. The parade was judged to have been of very high standard mainly due to the hard work put in by all ranks of the Squadron.

The day of the Trooping was positively mild compared with the following Monday. Again Combermere Barracks was invaded by the Members of the Mounted Regiment prior to the Garter Ser— vice. Her Majesty mindful of the conditions and after consultation with the Silver Stick. gave dispensation to the Household Cavalry. allowing us to march off by half troops for a soft drink. This was very welcome for all ranks and particularly the Squadron Leader.

During the parade he had for company an American tourist who was running a book on the first man to faint! (For the record

nobody did).

These notes have now covered nearly 18 months and the Squadron is busy building up men and horses for summer camp. A list of changes in the manning in the Squadron would surely have the editor reaching for his black pen. however. special mention must be made ofSCM Pitt who has handed over to SCM Dunkley.

He has worked tirelessly for the squadron and during his tour has earned the nickname “The Grim Reaper"! I suspect it is mostly in affection. although some would challenge that! We wish him and his wife all the best for the future.

Band Notes We all knew instinctively what it was. Although none of us had ever heard the sound of an IRA bomb. there was no doubt that this little baby was one. We were playing a piece of music at the time. an Instant Concen — “count how many snippets oftunes we play in the space of three minutes" - whence came that unforgettable sound. The whole building shook. and all the colour drained instantly from all of our faces.

Straight away we knew what to do. We kept on playing. Well. that's what the band did in ‘The Glen Miller Story‘ when a flying bomb interrupted their concert. A strange coincidence really » our previous piece of music had been a Glen Miller medley. ln retrospect there wasn‘t much alternative. Nothing was actually falling down on us. and we knew that the Concert Hall was thoroughly secure and surrounded by police. We certainly didn‘t want to set off Corporal Jones ‘Don‘t Panic!‘ type of reaction and have the public rushing about in all directions. So we stayed put. carried on with the concert. and waited for someone to come in and tell us what to do.

This was the second time we had been directly targeted by the IRA within a few months. In June 3 271b bomb had failed to explode outside the Beck Theatre in Hayes. West London. Rather humiliating really — people were beginning to ask questions about the quality of our music! This second bomb at St Albans was much smaller. just 6le of Semtex. but it was enough to com» pletely disintegrate the two would—be IRA bombers. much to our secret satisfaction of course.

Mind you. we didn‘t know this at the time. and it seemed to take an age before anyone appeared to let us know what was going on. Then at long last a policeman in plain clothes came on to the stage. stopped the concert. and explained to us all what had hap— pened. He then asked the audience to leave quietly and calmly by a particular exit. To our utter amazement » and we shall never for» get it — instead of attempting to leave. the audience simply sat where they were and applauded us. or at some length. We acknowledged the applause in the time honoured manner. vacated the stage. leaving our instruments and equipment where they were. and boarded our coach which fortunately was parked just outside. Again to our astonishment. we found that many of the same audience had now gathered outside to line the route as we were driven away under police escort to a place of safety. It was

almost embarrassing. and it served to make us fully aware that all the time we have the support of such a courageous and dedicated public. we. as Military Band musicians. have a clear duty to con— tinue to perform to that public. no matter what the risks may be.

In July we said ‘goodbye' to Major Roger Tomlinson. who had been Director of Music of The Band of The Blues and Royals for six years.

We all wish him the very best with his new appointment as principal Director of Music. British Amiy. at the Royal Military School of Music. Kneller Hall. in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. the highest rank that one can achieve in military music. and cer~ tainly the pinnacle of a career.

We welcome Major Bob Garrity. who started his Military career as a junior musician with the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry at Shrewsbury in 1960. He attended the 1964/65 pupils course at the Royal Military School of Music. Kneller Hall: winning the Professors Prize for the best all round pupil. and the Cousins Memorial parchment.

Major Garrity returned to Kneller hall as a Student bandsmaster in 1971 and travelled worldwide with them until 1979. when he was appointed Bandmaster of the Junior School of Music. The Prince of Wales Division. responsible for the recruitment and training of musicians destined for the nine bands of this division.

During the period of this appointment he also held the position of director of Music of the Abergavenny Operatic society.

In 1982 he was commissioned into the Green Howards in the rank of Captain and was appointed Director of Music of the Kings Division at York. holding overall responsibility for recruitment and training of both junior and adult members of the eight bands in this division. During this time he was resident conductor of the Rowntrees and Mackintosh Brass Band.

He took up his first appointment with the Royal Artillery in 1986 as Director of Music of the Royal Artillery Alanbrooke Band in Dortmund. Germany. and was appointed in January 1988 as Senior Director of Music. Royal Artillery at Woolwich.

In July of this year. after successfully passing the Household Cavalry Equitation Course. he was appointed Director of Music to The Blues and Royals. We wish him a happy and successful time with us.

Rugby Notes

by Captain J Davies Pre—season training began in August with several players already registered with local sides and expectations high. SCM Kilvington persuaded out of retirement by Lt Davies as coach.

Sadly. RQMC Rick Buckle has finally left the fold to take up an appointment at Colchester after some 15 years (or was it 50 years?) of running the team single handedly. His humour and style hopefully still intact after all those years of abuse by the team.

Not letting him get clean away. the Regiment 10-a»side competition took place in October and he was invited to award the prizes. A successful day was enjoyed by some 100 players of all ages and ability. with B Squadron winning the A League and C Squadron the B League.

The ”third half“ took place in the Templer Club where a start of season function was held and Rick Buckle presented with a bronze rugby player holding a ball. a trick that Rick never mas— tered. Anyway. some say it was an excellent night and some still can‘t remember.

The season then began in earnest with the first round of the Army Cup against a SEME Bordon side and a win by 11 points to 9. Next round against the oldest of enemies and one we had never beaten before. the Welsh Guards. In a bruising encounter Rob Nixon saved the day with a length of the pitch try in the last seconds of the match and we won.

Press coverage came our way now with an article in the Rugby World Magazine tipping us as a “team to watch". having disposed of two previous winners in the Army Cup. Sadly. we went out of the competition in the quarter final to 2 Queens at Canterbury by 12 to 9 in extra time. We all felt that we had played below our best and defeat brought us down to earth with a bump. reminding us that overconfidence is a dangerous thing and that more dedication was needed if we were to win anything this year.

A shocked and unhappy team travelled back to Windsor that night but perhaps a stiffer resolve grew out of defeat. for training now took on greater tempo as everyone worked harder to prepare for the final of the Prince of Wales Cup to be played against the Welsh Guards who were intent on revenge for their Army Cup

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defeat. A separate report on the final of the Prince of Wales cup will follow later.

LCpl Trinnick and Cfn Evans have been selected for Army teams in the last season and both are to be congratulated for their achievements.

May I use the last few lines to congratulate the whole squad on their sterling efforts this season. It is not the first choice players who make a successful side. but the squad members who train so hard alongside and push to get into the team themselves. that pro— duces such high standards.

The Cavalry Cup 1992 We started our assault on the Cavalry Cup by disposing of last years finalists. the RAC Centre Bovington. 19 - 0. and then on our way to the final the 16/15 Lancers and RAC Catterick in close fought matches. So. for the first time in our history. we made the Cavalry Cup final. We played the final on Wednesday 29th April at Bovington against a much fancied 5 Innes DG side. With the Regiment in attendance. and the Regimental Band playing Aida. we marched onto the pitch in a determined mood. Despite cross— ing their try line 3 times in the first half the only score registered was a penalty by Cfn Evans at half—time. The second half saw LCpl Trinnick join the pitch to replace injured LCoH Byme. The 5 Innes DG pack were still being pushed backwards all over the pitch.

The winning try. when it came. was a flashing move which saw at least two of the backs overlapping and LCpl Nixon crashing over in the left hand comer of the pitch to make history: we had achieved the double in the same season.

The final score was 7 — 0.

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The Combined Rugby Team prior to the Wos and CsoH and Officers and other ranks Rugby game. The Cavalry Cup takes pride of place at the front

Prince of Wales Cup Final — 8 January 1992

Guards Depot Notes

by Captain J Davies

by Captain G A Fox

With the resolve born of defeat at the hands of 2 Queens in the Army Cup we now approached the final of the Prince of Wales Cup against the Welsh Guards with quiet confidence. Having seen off the Household Cavalry Regiment and the 1st Bn Grenadier Guards. both by some 40 points. we knew the Welsh Guards were training hard and would pull out all the stops to beat us. Such was the dedication of the players that they agreed to come back from leave a day early and train on Sunday to prepare for the game.

Playing at the neutral ground of Cavalry Barracks Hounslow. and marched onto the pitch by the band of the Life Guards we received the kick off and straight away put so much pressure on the Welsh defence that for the first 30 minutes we were camped on their 22 metre line. A heel against the head by LCoH Byme and quick thinking by Cfn Evans sent the ball down the right side of the serum to LCoH Young and Lt Hince who carved open the Welsh defence by creating a brilliant try in the corner by Lt Ings

Chambers.

hurt his knee and went off, our secret weapon came on to a great cheer from the crowd. LCoH “Widger Smith", our pack leader who had unselfishly pronounced the pack good enough to win without him, joined the fray and immediately slowed the Welsh attacks to a halt with his strength and experience.

Keeping the ball close to the pack and using the back row of SSgt O’Reilly. LCpl Trinnick and Ct Wilson Fitzgerald we worked our way up again and again until we were able to launch our imaginative threequarter line of Tpr Brown, LCoH Young and the Full Back, Lt Hince. The Welsh Guards had no real answer to the variety of our play and only tremendous tackling from their back row stopped us.

From a scrum on the Welsh five yard line Cfn Evans broke right and neatly sidestepping the flanker and No. 8 drove hard for the line. Stopping long enough to hoist two Welsh forwards onto his back the smallest man in the team carried them over the line for his second try.

4 nil More forward pressure on the Welsh defence saw a succession of attacks by the Eagles backs but stout defence kept us out until a maul on their line was cleared badly and SCM Kilvington spoiled a back pass from the Welsh scrum half leaving Cfn Evans the opportunity to pounce on the ball under the posts for an easy conversion.

10 nil A short spell of complacency brought the Welsh up to our own 22 line and a well worked miss move in the centre gave them a well deserved but unconverted try at half time.

10-4 4.

Turning round in a near gale saw the Welsh able to put severe pressure on our defence but with a two man overlap. their centre dropped a pass near our line and that man LCpl Rob Nixon picked up the ball and ran the length of the pitch (again) to score. The roars of encouragement from just about the whole Regiment on the touchline were fantastic and no—one would have caught him.

Just don't ask him to talk you through it!

14-4 For the next period the Welsh threw everything at us and although it was end to end stuff, we were under serious pressure and our defence stretched to the limit. When Tiffy Dave Brown

Cfn Evans swoops on the ball

18-4 With the last attack of the game the Welsh pack fed their tal— ented fly-halfwho had seen so little of the ball and he now set up a splendid try on the left for their winger which with the conversion left the score at the whistle 18-10 to the Blues and Royals.

This was the first time since 1961 that the Regiment had won the Prince of Wales cup and the first time ever we had defeated the Welsh Guards in the final.

On a historical note in the last final in 1961 RCM Lawrie Evans scored the winning try and 31 years later Cfn Evans did the same.

Despite recruit capping which started to bite midway through last year. The Household Cavalry Training Squadron is in tine fonn. thriving and doing well. At the time of writing there are some 3 Officers and 30 non commissioned Officers and Troopers, Musi-

cians, both adult recruits andjunior soldiers. These numbers. however, constantly fluctuate.

We were not able to shine in the sporting world as much as in the previous year. This was mainly due to having less adults in training. However, it is well worth mentioning that LCoH Barnard came second in all events on our athletics day in May and went on to the Army Unit Championships in June.

The Cadre Course from the Regiment with Captain W J M Scott and SCM Kilvington was given a briefing on the Guards Depot and its role in December last year. Afterwards they were kindly invited into the Sergeants” Mess for a tour and talk by the Sergeant Major WOl S D Marcham, Grenadier Guards. This was followed by tea and biscuits prior to the real reason for the visit. going over the assault course and firing on the ranges. It was very good to see them and hopefully they will have left knowing more about the Common Military Syllabus training and the delights of the Sergeants’ Mess.

Sadly we have not had any senior officers take any pass out parades due to the small numbers of Household Cavalry recruits in training. This has not stopped the amount of time the band has played at other pass outs and they are a very good advertisement for us and we look forward each time to seeing them.

We were visited in March last year by the Lieutenant Colonel commanding the Household Cavalry and Silver Stick in Waiting.

Colonel J D Smith—Bingham, The Blues and Royals, along with the Regimental Adjutant, Major C S K Anderson, The Life Guards. They were able to see all aspects of training and spend some time talking to the non commissioned officers in the Sergeants’ Mess at lunchtime.

What is perhaps not well known by too many people is that the Guards Depot has a well stocked and well maintained Museum. A large section displaying many Household Cavalry items. For vari— ous reasons, but due mainly to the condition of the building it has now closed down and all its contents returned to other museums.

Staff Captain G A Fox Lt J D S Boyd Lt D C York CoH Voyce LCoH Bowtell LCoH Barnard LCoH Clayton LCoH Murphy LCoH Polley LCoH Woolfenden LCpl Fardell LCpl Stafford Tpr Mooney

Lt York, Capt Fox and Lt Boyd

1992 Prince of Wales Cup Winners

JTpr Headley LG and JTpr Foleher RHG/D All the items of interest to Household Cavalrymen are now in the museum at Windsor, and other items of Full Dress have been returned to the Mounted Regiment in London.

Major B W Lane and his careers recruiting team have visited the Depot and spoken to all recruits on life in the Regiments. In February, Captain A C Ogden and RCM S R Caner from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment came along one evening and briefed everyone on daily life of the Mounted Dutyman. This was followed by a buffet supper and allowed the recruits to mix with the staff socially. The recruits really enjoy these informal chats and briefings and they are extremely good in retaining recruits in training and ultimately for the Regiments.

We have bade farewell to Lt S St M Miller. who has moved to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and welcome Lt D C York and Lt D S Boyd, both from the Regiment. CoH Renton from Pirbright Company and LCoH Hellewell, who was Windsor Company Clerk since it was formed, have now returned to the Regiment along with LCoH Kibble from Caterham Company. We welcome CoH Voyce and LCoH Clayton in their places.

The Blues and Royals serving at the Guards Depot are:

Recruits Musn Carnell JTpr Brownlow

JTpr Trencher JTpr Gray JTpr Newlands JTpr Roskell Tpr Spokes JTpr Clark JTpr Dixon JTpr Johnson JTpr Randall JTpr Hayes JTpr Harvey JTpr Thomas JTpr Blackburn JTpr Donlon JTpr Eastwood JTpr Evans JTpr Hodgson JTpr Nelder

Exercise MOUNTAIN FLING

The final two days of the exercise were spent looking around the local area. A trip to the Glenfiddich Distillery was popular as was the aircraft viewings. laid on by the Canadian, Dutch and British Airforces. Fort William. Elgin and Losiemouth were all visited by various members of the squadron.

The flight back was a three hour low level bonanza, the new pilot who was under instruction proved to be really quite adept at the controls.

by Major E B S Mountain Exercise Mountain Fling started as a pipe dream in the mind of a young Troop Leader, who was determined to take his troop to see a beautiful part of Scotland. The pipe dream took eleven years to become reality and what had been a troop became a squadron.

The detailed planning for Exercise Mountain Fling, involving A Squadron complete. started in October 1991. The first require» ment was to get land clearance for the exercise area. The exercise area was to be the lower reaches of Strathspey in Morayshire. The approval of the Forestry Commision. Rothes Estates and Delfur Farms proved to be the easiest part and we were cleared to use a total of 22.000 acres. never before used by Military. HQ Scotland were more than helpful and the paperwork was swiftly processed.

The two remaining problems were accommodation and transport.

The accommodation was solved by the RAF who agreed to pro» vide all administrative care for the squadron at RAF Lossiemouth.

The transport problem was also in the hands of the RAF and this proved to be the most difficult to solve. In simple terms the exercise was planned and authorised at Regimental level only and so there would be no help front any higher headquarters. Having said that. we were assisted by 5 AB Bde but the higher echelons of the RAF proved unhelpful. The initial request for a Hercules was rejected as it appeared that our request was for a taxi service and not for a ‘Tactical' aircraft. The second request for a Tactical air landing operation was approved but it did not mean that low level flying would be the order of the day. The plans were finally com» pleted in late January 1992. some four months after it started and there seemed to be no reason to stop us.

Training for the exercise started as soon as the squadron returned from Christmas leave. weekly bergen runs and increased

fitness training were our first priority. By the end of January the Squadron was running about six miles with about 20 pounds in their packs in about 40 minutes. The classroom work started the week before the exercise. this included subjects such as. dog eva» sion. agent contact. survival techniques, herbal medicine and food gathering and preparation. Many other subjects were covered and the experience of CoH Willacy and CoH Shatliff was fully tapped.

The lesson about food gathering proved to cause a certain amount of alami. Fried pheasant and an omelette of maggots and worms cause a few raised eyebrows. Many members of the squadron vis— ited the various survival shops in the area and the fad for huge and impractical knives resurfaced.

The classroom work over. the real work was ready to be started.

The first hurdle to cross was the flight north on a Hercules, one hour and 20 minutes of low level flying to Lossiemouth. where the advance party was waiting. Only four members of the squadron (81 strong) were sick and they were all ill on landing. Once the airplane had discharged the squadron it departed. it was only on the ground for eight minutes. The squadron deployed immediately to a base camp a few hills away (some 18km).

The next two days were spent in country training which included lessons on snaring given by a local keeper (the rabbits caught were prepared and eaten later). There were also lessons on preparing large animals. in this case sheep. All members of the squadron tried their hand at gutting and skinning. The final prepa— rations completed. the exercise brief was given. In brief the squadron was divided into six patrols (based on Troops) with one patrol (l Troop) being the enemy. The exercise was to last nine days with a defensive phase (six days) with patrol evading and an offensive phase (3 days) when the patrol would pursue the enemy.

In conclusion the exercise was a great success and despite the fact many members of the squadron are now convinced that they made the right decision joining the Household Cavalry. it has opened their eyes. Many lessons on survival and working together have been acquired and a beautiful part of Scotland has been visited.

LCsoH Johnson and Brockhurst, Tpr Swain, CoH Atkinson and Ct Orr-Ewing.

Once the patrols were dispatched everyone had to re—adjust their time clocks as all movement was during darkness. It is not easy to piece together all the events of the six days of phase 1. All patrols made their contacts, and collected their food, rabbit and vegetables being the staple diet. The patrols got to their agent having covered about 16km each night by various means. Assault and Four Troop tried to use a bus with no success. Four Troop used a tractor on one occasion and the LAD had to use a Forestry Com— mission landrover to solve a navigation problem. The locals helped them whenever they were asked and the villages shops and ‘Take-aways’ did a good trade. Members from 2, 3, 4 and Assault troop were caught. During the offensive phase the enemy proved to be elusive and it was not until the last morning that they were caught. The exercise was blessed by brilliant weather and it was only on the last day that snow came, the unseasonable weather was almost summer like.

CoH Gear and Tpr Toon in the background

Heathrow Airport Sevens Competition Back Row: LCoH Young, Ct J E A Ings-Chambers. LCoH Evans, Tpr Trinick. CoH Flynn.

Front Row: Cfn Bexton, LCpl Byme, LCoH Dobie. LCpl Halfhide, O/Cdt L E Chauveau.

.m'é» in” _

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A Squadron escapers and evaders waiting at a bus stop

The Blues and Royals submitted a rather late entry to the Heathrow Airport Seven—a— side rugby competition and came through the contest as the winners. The final match was against RAF Northolt and the score of 36-0 was conclusive.

The man of the match was Lt Ings-Chambers who scored a hat-trick, but as every good wing knows he is only as good as the scrum.

results than a well oiled Battlegroup attack. A negative aspect of the post has been that a lack of contact with soldiers. A regimental officer can find himself starved of the comradely spirit one finds on the tank park or in the squadron office and it is only on exercise. when the watchkeepers arrive or when one mixes with the

Our man in Hohne

by Major J S P Swayne RHG/D

signallers that one discovers the careless bonhomie that has been

My recollection of the interview with the Silver Stick which pro pelled me into the job of 503 G3 at 22 Armd Bde is sketchy at best. I had received a letter while on JDSC requesting my appear» ance at Horseguards and I duly kept my appointment. What. I was asked. did I see myself doing now I had finished at Warminster? It is here that my memory fails me but I suddenly found myself back on Horseguards Parade aware that I was due to be an 503 G2. sometime in the near future. with 22 Armoured Brigade in Hohne.

I reported for duty in December 1988, nervous. willing and anxious to please. The way I was best positioned to please. explained the Brigade Commander. was to forget being SO3 G2 and instead assume the post of 303 G3. The present incumbents presence was eagerly anticipated in Cyprus and the post could not be gapped. I was told. I felt it would be churlish to demur consid~ ering the circumstances and therefore accepted with some circum— scribed enthusiasm. I handed over with a Coldstream Guardsmen called Peter Hingston. accompanied by sounds of revelry throughout the Headquarters as both the COS and $03 GZ also prepared to leave. the former to Gibralter and the latter to Hong Kong. I almost began to believe that corridor cricket was a regular part of Headquarters life as the time for the outgoing staff to leave grew closer.

Christmas came and went. which is of course traditional. and suddenly the COS. Jim Baxter. and I were alone. The inevitable round of CPXs began in January. with north German weather. as cold as a Paymasters heart. to encourage us further. Life in the back of the OPS 436 proved uncomfortable and chaotic: briefings followed by short notice moves and lack of sleep accompanied by a steep learning curve.

During the early months of 1989 my horizons widened consid— erably as I discovered the intricacies of working to tight schedules. briefing BG HQs on forthcoming operations and trying to keep warm in a vehicle. quite amazingly. colder than a Chal— lenger. My admiration for the Signallers operating the Headquar— ters vehicles became far greater, as I watched them deal with the idiosyncrasies of the staff and dutifully erect and pull down the HQ complex with grim resignation. all the while doing a 12 hourly shift watch system.

During this time I lived in the Officers Mess 1 SG. I very much enjoyed my time living with a footguards Battalion. typically generous and engaging as they are. I also looked forward to my first drink of the evening. after some fairly long days in the office endeavouring to discover my new responsibilities and deal with them. I would hear the Piper playing outside the Officers Mess and calling us for dinner. and I would also go as far to say I was summoned by a Bells. (Not with water. as the Adjutant kindly advised me. There is, after all, a code.)

As 1989 drew to a close. with a flurry of visits. study days and minor crises. the Headquarters prepared itself for Brigadier Huw Pike‘s final exercise. Exercise Stag Rhino, This was to be a com» paratively simple FTX followed by Exercise White Rhino. a CFX. which would involve only command level participants in an effort to minimise damage. The whole Headquarters became involved in a virtually endless round of reconnaissances. presentations to the German press and landowners and the never to be avoided staff work. The new 503 G3 Tim Jalland. a Grenadier from Munster. had by now arrived and we both eagerly awaited the chance to. “do our thing". in the most realistic circumstances available.

QOH. l RTR. 2 R ANGLIAN and of course our artillery lRHA

all found the exercise great fun. throwing themselves from Werl to Padcrborn and from there to Munster and back again with enthusiasm and style as they tackled every task set them. Rumour has it that the QOH even won a battle honour at Buren. although this remains unconfirmed at Divisional level. During the middle weekend of the exercise while the troops redeployed. the staff were all invited to the Officers Mess 1 GREN GDS by the G2 for a light supper and a glass of something. Although not keen initially to stop for a relaxed night off. it proved quite difficult to gel the Brigadier back into his Landrover at the end of the evening. l SG were in Northeni Ireland as the Tyrone Roulement Battalion and were therefore unable to take part in the exercise. The exercise over. Brigadier Huw left shortly afterwards. to be replaced by Brigadier Rodney Walker. direct from an appointment to the Staff College.

One aspect of the job as G3 that I have consistently found ironic is that many senior officers one meets in the course of duty offer their condolences and volunteer anecdotal advice as to how the strain of the job can be alleviated. Others. on the other hand. smiled indulgently as I lurched about the HQ, traces and Aide Memoirs clamped under my arms. yelling at the watchkeepers on duty. “Tell him to wait out“. The proverb is I think. ‘do unto oth— ers what was once done unto you‘.

Another aspect of the post which is fascinating is the efficacy a buffet lunch or even lunch in the field can have on a senior offi— cers visit. A good lunch including wine. smoked salmon sandwiches and canape’s has been reputed to have produced better

strangely absent.

As 1989 drew to a close a most remarkable event occurred. that of the fall of the Berlin Wall. As time passed and it became obvious that Germany would reunite several knock on effects also became evident. such as GDP and all emergency deployment plans becoming invalid as our enemy of a thousand Op Overlays and threat assessments suddenly began to assume a different

guise. In the truest sense of the term the goalposts have been moved; apparently as far as Poland. The focus had suddenly shifted and although planning and training continued the picture was definitely blurred. 1990 wore on and two regiments went to BATUS, while the remainder either carried out annual firing or low level training. CPXs continued to run and the Headquarters found itself visiting the Brigade and Battlegroup Trainer more than once. Old habits die hard. unfortunately.

Having been in the Brigade for nearly two years I was lucky enough to find myself invited to almost all the regimental dances of those regiments in the Garrison and to several Divisional and German functions. This time I was summoned by balls. It was marvellous to see the ingenuity and effort that each regiment put into their Summer dances. Various themes. some wonderful set— tings such as Schloss Bredebeck and marvellous company con— spired to produce a Summer “season“ I shall never forget.

The end of 1990 had a sting in its tail few of us really expected.

Our neighbours 7 Armd Bde were selected to carry the flag in the Gulf and our own Brigade was chosen to co»organise the training and firing of all units prior to deployment. The reinforcement and

replacement of equipment shortages meant a number of long evenings dedicated to seeing that the “Desert Rats" wanted for nothing prior to leaving. As it transpired they did want something else before leaving, and as it happened to be my replacement I found myself extended in post until April 1991. Although the Gulf had assured precedence in terms of importance to almost everything else. the arrival of the Options for Change Paper detailing all proposed cuts and amalgamation was eagerly awaited. Since the last White Paper. which cut The Army to its present size was some time ago. a certain nervousness pervaded everywhere. Regiments and Battalions within the Brigade developed a curiously corporate resigned attitude. knowing something dreadful was to occur and hoping it wasn’t going to be them. Additional reinforcements for the Gulf were called for. this time in the shape of HQ 1 Armoured Division and 4 Armoured Brigade. 22 Armoured Brigade were again invited to run the administrative support for the Bergen Hohne firing package. finding accommodation. food and ammuni— tion for 14/2OH. IRS and 3RRF with assorted Engineer and Artillery units all taking part. HQ RAC co—ordinated the whole event. much as for the first Gulf Group and managed to reinforce

the concept of training with a smile. The inclusion of a squadron of Life Guards into the ORBAT. although at a late stage. went some way to satisfying my wish for some Household Cavalry representation in the desert.

That has been my time as an 503 G3 in a Brigade Headquarters in Germany. My pleasure is to be able to say that I had not done the job I would never have learnt as much as I have about the Army in general. never have met and got to know the regiments for which I have been indirectly responsible and never have spent such an enjoyable time in Germany, which I adore. It has also been fascinating during my time in post. to have seen events occur which have changed the face of Europe. particularly in such a short period of time.

Impressions of a Royal Canadian Dragoon

by Captain A L Coxhead It is difficult to believe that exactly one year ago today. I had the privilege to meet The Blues and Royals on Salisbury Plain and assumed the position of ‘A‘ Squadron Second in Command.

Since that first day I have been involved in numerous activities both within and outside the Regiment. For those of you who only know me as the Tall Canadian Officer wearing a funny jacket and red T shirt who sounds like John Wayne here is a synopsis of what I have been up to during the past year.

Michele and I arrived at Gatwick scareport on July 1st 1991. by noon on July 4. I was standing on Salisbury Plain catching my first glimpse of your Regiment. I must admit that l was extremely impressed by what I saw. and relieved to find out that we operated so similarly. The rank structure threw me for a bit of a loop. how» ever I was comfortable in my knowledge that the rest of the British Army did not understand it either. Within a couple of days I found myself glued to ‘OC‘ on both a Squadron and a Regimen» Ial exercise and as a result was beginning to feel quite comfortable with my new role in A Squadron.

On return to Windsor the transition from Canadian to British life was relatively simple. It took some time to become used to

there completely unknown to me. This first became evident much to the joy of those within earshot when I mentioned that a cenain pair of pants were giving me difficulty and that I would require some suspenders to solve the problem. After a year. I think I‘ve mastered the language. though I still feel that "Skoff‘ is an unpleasant description for any meal.

After an enjoyable leave period in Scotland. it was back to work

miniature appliances like washers. dryers and refrigerators and right hand drive vehicles. but we have overcome all that now and are even used to the rain. Admittedly the first few weeks in the UK were certainly the most difficult. Back in Canada. I had _ "T

r. .i "at ‘“

Panzer Swayne flies his desk

wrongly assumed that we would be speaking the same language.

Little did I know. that there was an entire English vocabulary otrt

:

Lt Bagnell. Major Mountain, Capt Coxhead and Lt Orr-Ewing

in order to gear up for Exercise Britannia Way. This two week exercise in Spain during October was a huge success and was enjoyed by all. It is amazing what another Army can achieve with rusty weapons and crusty buns.

October ended with the Assault troop concentration. As the nor» mal troop leader was away. I stepped in for a taste of the training.

This extremely good week of training unfortunately ended with a back injury for me. I will always have fond memories of doing the “Funky Chicken" on Salisbury Plain.

November saw me on a Battle field tour of Normandy and the Ardennes followed by preparations and the commencement of a Junior NCO cadre course of which I was the co-ordinating officer.

This very rewarding experience took us up to Christmas leave and essentially into January.

January 1992 in keeping with the tradition I had set for myself was just as hectic as the previous six months. I completed the month having been on Exercise Globe Trot on Salisbury Plain and a Unit Emplanement Officers course at RAF Brize Norton. After a few days rest I deployed with the Squadron to Scotland in Febru— ary on Exercise Mountain Fling. Little did I know that I would be spending most of my time chasing 4 troop and assault troop

around on coaches. and keeping the others out of the Fish and Chip shops and the bakery. Sometimes I thought they were trying to escape and evade me personally.

March slowed down to a more reasonable pace as I tried to get reacquainted with Michele, wrote some Canadian examinations and attended Regimental exercises prior to departing on a 6 week combined Arms Tactics course in April. This course had career implications for me and I must admit that I was very pleased to be sent on it. Most certainly I learned a great deal which will be of use both to me here and back home in Canada.

June saw ‘A‘ Squadron become the Maintenance Team and a drastic decrease in size. Including Annual firing at Castlemartin. the maintenance team has been very busy preparing for handover in October to The Life Guards.

Professionally this year with the Regiment has been extremely rewarding. Though our Regiments operate very similarly I have learned many new and valuable lessons with you. Hopefully some of my experience will also have had some effect on you. Certainly people will be referring to “recce by death" and using “their old black cadillac‘s" long after I‘ve returned to Canada.

Its been a great year and Michele and I look forward to the next.

deck and so on; all of which were great fun provided the weather remained calm.

Cartegena. a disgusting town on the SE coast of Spain, was the first port visit. To avoid the chaos that ensued with the occupants of four ships docking at once heading out to the once main street. the Troop headed off further afield and spent a pleasant couple of days at La Mania. Sadly duties took their toll with members of the Troop having to return to the Ship at odd hours. However. this didn’t prevent the CoH and LCoH Crocker befriending Canadian Dry during the night. the REME contingent starting at breakfast in the mode in which they were to continue and Tpr Giles becoming unindated with addresses.

Exercise DRAGON HAMMER

with the capabilities of CVR(T). Working with foreign nationals was an eye opener. the cross training days at the end of the exercise. essentially with the French Foreign Legion and the Ameri-

cans, were fascinating if not extremely dangerous at times. No one envied Capt Jowitts position of Range Safety Officer especially when an Italian Artillery shell from another range landed 100de away; and therefore all in all leaving members of the Troop with a much broader Military outlook which can only be a good thing.

The CoH and LCoH Crocker gained several medals having held out on the "cutting edge" front line positions on numerous occa— sions; as for which the Troop will be indebted to them for life (not forgetting to mention the odd brewing up of umpire vehicles and a fruitless M48 chase). LCoH Brown became well tuned to the whole of “The Pony Express" whilst Tpr Driver was commended for his gallant action versus an Infantry position resulting in the enemy running for their lives and leaving their position open to the pillaging units of Brown 44.

On the last night the Troop stood around at five on the beach and witnessed weird frolicking rituals in the sea by Tprs Harrington. Stables, Clerehugh and Walbrook. and not forgetting those Valliant stability tests carried out by Troop Leader the Hooley ended late into the night with LCoH Crocker certain that the tide would rise to engulf all whilst asleep and thereby taking the precaution of posting Tpr Freeman as a sentry lower down the beach closer to the sea.

by Captain W R B Jowitt As the ‘Spartan‘ trundled past. down the large concrete standing towards the sea. it suddenly dawned upon the Troop that there was nobody aboard! With remarkable alacity the Tp Ldr managed to dive headfirst into the drivers compartment and stop its progress only a few feet from the waters edge. how he knew where the brakes were will remain one of life‘s great mysteries!

Thus began Exercise Dragon Hammer ‘92: a very much reduced version of the previous years exercise but one that still promised 4Tp C Sqn five weeks away from England's green and pleasant pastures ander 45 Commando‘s auspices. The schedule was drawn up around a six day multinational amphibious insertion exercise on Sardinia in mid May. and involved a port call in S E Spain. on the way down. and one in S W France on the return journey.

Fortunately, without incurring the calamity of sinking a Spar— tan. all six vehicles (four Scorpions and a Samson) entered the rear end of HMS Fearless aboard two LCU‘s (Landing Craft Utilities) with no further hitches. It was a suprisingly clear day and all were in high spirits; CoH Carney having touched the beach whilst loading claimed he had now done his beach assault!

The humping of personal kit that followed up the narrow steep ladders. and along the restricted corridors to the confined accom— modation provided on board. kindled the belief that a Commando course ‘pass‘ (ie the attainment of the Marine Dagger and prized Green Beret) was deserved. This said. though. it was never forgotten that being a Blue and Royal anyway. as we all know it is the highest honour with the Household Cavalry LCoH &CoH badges of rank being as they are meant that SNCO‘s were accomodated in the Petty Officers Mess. an honour reserved for Colour/Staff Sergeants and above! Though this didn't mean a more comfortable set up. it awarded the two cans of beer per night restriction inflicted on junior Messes a point very quickly heeded!

On day one it dawned upon the Troop what increadible fitness enthusiasts the Marines are; some doing up to three “'Phiz" (bootneck jargon) sessions per day. believe it or not! However. it was quickly pointed out that riding down the Mall can also be extremely tiring all those admirers! (especially with the likes of LCoH Brown pan of the Troop!) As it tumed out PT became one

of the high points during the day and all thoroughly enjoyed the aerobics bouts. In fact. Tprs Walbrook and Freeman became remarkably deft at it and by the end were taking the Troop through private sessions. with the “odd" inputs from the likes of Tpr Brown and that magnanimous REME support man LSgt Weston who also became a great asset to the Troop in most other fields.

He is greatly missed.

Evenings followed mornings. as they tend to do in that part of the world. and time passed by. Days usually consisted of a couple of hours of seasickness ....... No seriously. other than one or two rough patches the weather was very kind. meaning that the wag— ons would be worked on for a couple of hours in the mornings. followed by a lecture to a Marine Troop. or listening to a lecture given. The afternoons tended to be free for anything that cropped up. deck hockey (a lethal version of the field hockey that we all love and know so well. if one isn‘t sent off...... who might that have been?). clay pigeon shooting (Tpr Stables reckoned that blanks were being used) aerobics.volley ball. the piling out of a Sea King via a rope (or without one in Tpr Brights case) onto the

Sea Dogs!

From Spain to Sardinia. the imminent exercise was on the forefront of everyones minds. and the bigger picture was beginning to form from Capt Jowitts attendance at endless briefings. having carried out a practise exit at 3am. One day a KL43 (a secure net) acquainted with and the Tp Ldr giving his orders; things began to hot up. However. the exercise proved to be a farce being both completely unrealistic (facing the Troop who were the only friendly “armoured" assets. were 14 MI Abrahams. l3 Bradleys.

30 M5AI’s four Leopards, Cobra Helicopters etc) and incredibly restrictive (the workmen) area turned out to be about 4km by

3km which is a joke for a Multi National exercise). Even so a tremendous amount was still gained. the Troop demonstrated its potential extremely well and the Marines were highly impressed

Abseiling onto the deck of Sir Bedivere

it C Squadron hiding behind Capt Jowitt

Sardinian advance to contact

The following day the Troop boarded an R.F.A ship the Sir Bedivere. still with six vehicles and all personnel. now with plenty of work to do on the wagons with handover on the return to Windsor. There was plenty to do on the return journey though there was a brief respite whilst docked at Bayonne for a few days. This was a very refreshing stop being extremely beautiful and having plenty of beaches. Sadly the night life was limited due to the time of year and week. as well as the high prices. However a pack of school girls seemed to adopt Tpr Bright as their mascot whilst on the beach. so all was not in vain.

Having had a final Troop “do" on the way down from Dundee. the Troop finally landed in Marchwood early June and were glad to be on Terra Firrna again. and retunt to their wives. families and girlfriends. On reflection the Exercise was extremely worthwhile providing experience at sea. working with and seeing the work of other Nations. representing The Regiment well in both the field and ashore: and the visiting of Spain and France with friends made and sun absorbed.

The Warrant Officers and

June commenced with D Squadron Mess members and wives dining out and saying farewell to their old SCM. W02 Kilvington.

7 June took off with the Families Treasure Hunt and Lunch, The day started with children being handed over to Mrs Lawson while Mums and Dads entered the Treasure Hunt. which was won over» all by LCoH and Mrs Freeman. The RCM presented SSgt Valentine with a bottle ofChampagne for his sportsmanship and enthusiasm during the river crossing. deciding to take an early morning swim fully clothed. This was followed by a traditional lunch expertly served and organised by the PEC and his committee. The day finished off with the children being entertained on carousels. bar-flies and bouncy castles while the adults had a well earned drink.

Corporals of Horse Mess Notes The notes start on the 18 January 1991 when the Mess said farewell to the members of C Sqn as they left for their UN tour of Cyprus. The first main function after this was a Burns Supper

Night held in association with the Bucks and Berks Scots Guards Association. This was the first Burns supper to be held in the Mess since our return to Windsor and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. A WOs lunch on the 6th February bid farewell to W01 Harkness on completion of 22 years and W02 Guest on posting to MFO Sinai. Valentines Day was not forgotten, the Mess held a Cabaret Night on which CoH Steve Vickers won a holiday to Tenenfe. much to the amusement of the rest of the members.

The ladies of the members would not let the Mess forget Mother’s Day on the 10 March and to keep our better halves happy and to save the men ajob of cooking on Sunday. we held a Families Lunch. On the 23 March some 120 people from the Mess attended a function in the Mirage Night Club in Windsor. which consisted of a Dinner and Cabaret provided by the Drifters. This proved to be an excellent evening‘s entertainment and was enjoyed by all.

W01 (ASM) P Wales was dined out on the 27 April during which the Mess bade farewell to CoH Seager on his retirement following 22 years service. As a break from tradition the ladies joined members for the Dinner which made for an enjoyable evening.

On the 2 May the RCM departed for Cyprus to visit C Sqn. on his return he reponed that the Sqn were in good spirits and well settled into the new Mess which had been given a touch of Household Cavalry flair. The 25 May saw the first Bar B Q of the season with entertainment from a comedy duo. which was a great success. On the 18 June the Mess dined out W02 (RQMC) Rick Buckle who had held the appointment in excess of three years and was now moving to his post on the long service list.

Following troop training the Regiment received a visit from the Earl of Arran Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Armed Forces who took the opportunity to visit the Mess and

speak to many of the members. A disco and buffet was held on the 20 July and on the 25 July the Major General paid his initial visit to the Regiment during which he briefed the Mess on Options for Change.

For reasons which will be explained further on in these notes. the Summer Ball had to be delayed until further on in the year.

During August there was well earned Block Leave but the Mess held a disco and buffet for those remaining in the station. A Families Day was held on 18 September during which the Mess opened for all members past and present and to which a great many exmembers of the Regiment returned to meet old comrades.

0n the 4 October. the Bucks and Berks Branch of the Scots Guard Association held their Annual Dinner in the Mess an event we were pleased to host. On 17 October. the Colonel of the Regiment visited the Regiment and joined the Mess for drinks. The Mess held an A La Cane Dinner on 19 October, a comedy duo providing the entertainment. as always a popular event. The Annual Dinner of the Second Household Cavalry Regiment was hosted by the Mess on the 29 October.

On the 18 November the Regimental Corporal’s Major of both The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals together with the Senior Warrant Officers met in the Mess to discuss the Union in September 1992. On the 14 December we held the event of the year. Due to Regimental commitments the Mess was unable to hold their Summer Ball. however as much of the planning had already been done. it was decided albeit at the last minute to combine the Summer Ball and Christmas Draw. Many eyebrows were raised as it was stated that the Ball was to be held in a marquee on the Square. A11 fears were groundless for on the night it was the most spectacular event anyone could remember. Recognition must

LCsoH Fermor and Elliott and wives at the WOs and CsoH Mess Winter Ball 1991

1992, the Mess hosted another Bum‘s Night Supper for the Bucks and Berks Branch of the Scots Guard Association this year. the amount of Mess Members attending increased on past years. mainly (I think) to witness the savage attack on the Haggis. which we are informed is quite normal. Despite bemused looks through— out the evening all those attending had an enjoyable and memo— rable time.

A Warrant Officer‘s Lunch was held on 31 January 1992. to mark the retirement of LCoH Gardiner after completing 22 years service. We all wish him good fortune in the years to come. An A La Carte cabaret evening was held on the 29 February 1992 where the entertainment was provided by a comedy trio. always a well attended meeting.

vm‘mu it

be given to RQMC (T) Sackett. W02 Gimblett and the Ball Com—

mittee for an excellent evening.

Following a well earned Christmas leave. the Mess held its New Years Dinner on 9 January 1992. where the Commanding Officer gave his state of the nation speech. tinged with sadness. as Options for Change became fully recognised. On the 24 January

CoH Pitt and SSgt valentine during D Squadrons river trip On 4 March 1992 the Warrant Officers got together to Lunch Out the Chief Clerk W02 (ORQMC) Reeve who moved on with promotion to PB17. it was amusing to see how many new friends were gained when the whereabouts of his new posting was made public. We all wish him well for the future.

A most enjoyable evening was had by all those who attended the Tudor Banquet on 28 March 1992. when the Mess stepped back in time. Participation was the order of the day. with much banging on the tables. singing and dancing. It made us all long for days gone by.

On a sadder note the Mess dined out W01 (RCM) Hunter on 8 May 1992. who is soon to retire from the Army after 22 years ser» vice. A character throughout his Artny Career. we wish him and his wife Margaret all the best in Civilian Life.

On 11 May 1992 saw W01 N P Sackett welcomed to the Mess as the new Regimental Corporal Major: he is looking forward to the trying times ahead. with the change of role of the Regiment and the Union. _ The 15 May saw the traditional Rugby match against the Ollie cers and Junior ranks. This proved to be a well fought game played hard and fair on both sidcs. the Mess however. finally gained victory.

“r*’).

WOs and CsoH Mess on parade in Egypt May 1991

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SSgt O’Fteilly and W02 Jirat, the Masterchet support the future Chief Clerk during the 1992 Summer Ball A Ladies Night on the 13 June with the innovation of the round tables. good food. wine and entertainment by a Covent Garden Quartet all combined proving to be an excellent evening. The 16 June saw the Regiment depart for Castlemartin. Although a very busy and hectic Gun Camp. the Mess still found time to say farewell and have a drink with the old Adjutant. Capt Clee during which the RCM presented him with a copy of the Captive Eagle.

The RCM and all Mess Members thank and wish Capt Clee every success in his future employment.

The main function to date. since the arrival of the new RCM was the lunch on Friday 3 July. this was attended by a variety of dignitaries and characters from within the Household Division and SAB Bde. not forgetting the many friends who attended. to say farewell to W01 Atkinson. W02 (RQMC) Harding and W02 Kilvington. The lunch proved to be a great success which went on into the evening. The sign of approval was shown when it was noticed that the GSM had had more than one glass of port.

During the course ofthe year. the Mess has received the follow» ing visitors: The Rt Hon the Earl of Arran. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Armed Forces.

Major General R J S Corbett 1G. Maj Gen Comd HDiv and GOC Londist.

General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick - Colonel ofthe Regiment.

The following senior members have departed during the year and we wish them every success in their new posts.

W02 Armishaw on Discharge. CoH Atkinson HCAV MR. CoH Birch RAC Trg cht. CoH Broughton MFO Sinai. W02 Buckle HQ Colcheslcr Garrison. CoH Conaughton on Discharge.

CoH Davies C Sqn RY. SCpl Dunkley HCAV MR. CoH Femley HQ Bcrlin. CoH Hodges RAC Trg Regl. CoH Mead on Dis— charge. SCpl Miller HQ RAC RAC Centre. W02 Reeve MOD PBl7. CoH Simpson RAC Sigs School. CoH Voyce Guards Depot. CoH Wynne on Discharge. W01 Httrkness on Discharge.

W02 Guest MFO Sinai. CoH Seager on Discharge. W02 Harding RAC Gnry School Lulworth. W02 Kilvington BGT South.

2HCR Battlefield Tour

‘Joe’s Bridge’ to Arnhem

Support Troop and Support Troop Concentration

by Major J S P Swayne RHG/D The Battlefield Tour of 2 HCR‘s part in Operation Market Garden began in February ‘91 as a germ of an idea. lnfuriated with the lack of credit that the Regiment had received for what I thought to be a daring and significant pan of the 30 Corps advance. I decided it would be instructive to show a wider audience what had really taken place.

On 29 February 1992. a party assembled on the square in Wind— sor ready to leave for Holland. The group consisted of 7 Veterans of 2 HCR and 26 sewing soldiers of all ranks. luckily including one Lifeguard Originally 5 vehicles of Second World War vin— tage were to have been there to see us off. but only two made it through the fog. a White Scout car and a Dingo. Needless to say an ex-driver immediately threw the authentically dressed “imposter” out of the seat and roared around the square. The tone of the trip had definitely been set.

An uneventful crossing via Calais eventually brought us to Eindhoven. We had acquired an extra member of the group on the way in the shape of Captain Czarski. an ex—Polish Paratrooper. but some more of him later. Once settled into our hotel in Eindhoven we met our final guests for the tour. Jonkheer W.E. Groeninx van Zoelen MC. Sir Rupert BuchananJardine MC and Dr Karel Mar—

gry. a Dutch Historian. A scene setting briefing followed. with the aid of some 1944 mapping. to get people orientated for the follow» ing day.

With the sounds of the pre~lent Dutch Carnival still ringing in our cars we made our way into Belgium the next morning. in order to follow the route taken by Jack Brook MM and Sir Rupert Buchanan-Jardine up towards Valkanswaard. Their recce. then.

had proved 'the route of 30 Corps‘ advance. six days ahead of the scheduled Operation start time. When 31G were eventually allowed to move. the Germans had covered the route. The grim cost of this pause was all too evident in the cemetery half way up the route. Having taken severe losses advancing to Valkanswaard.

3lG then handed over the advance to 2 HCR who only ceased to lead once more from then on. which was during the fighting in Nijmegan.

We followed the route taken by General David Tabor. then in B Squadron 2 HCR. as he moved through Aalst. confounding a tank ambush on the way. and eventually passed through Eindhoven.

We also heard from various sources about the bombing in Eind~ hoven and about a case or two of ‘42 Chablis that was floating about at the time We visited the bridge at Son. where. after the first ground force link up with airborne forces. bridging material was called forward by 2 HCR. to repair the gap. caused by blowing the bridge. We followed the dash of Lt Kavanagh. at least two hours ahead of the armoured support. as he ran onto meet the 82(US)AB Div at Grave.

At this point. we broke off the route in order to visit the erst— while D Squadron Officers Mess at Leur where a good lunch. less poisoned soup. was enjoyed by all. While we were there. we also had the opportunity to hear from Air Commodore van Zinnicq Bergmann KCVO DFC. a wartime typhoon pilot. invited by Groeninx van Zoelen to mesmerise us with his tales of Close Air Support and his management of the Dutch Royal Family‘s shooting grounds. We moved from Leur to the Rhine where Groeninx van Zoelen regaled us with his tale of sinking some Swastika adomed barges as they cruised past his piece of river bank.

Doctor Margry looks on as Mr Czarski tells his story at Driel. scene of the Polish/2 HCFl link up in September 1944 We sadly bade farewell to Sir Rupert and Groeninx van Zoelen after the “splice the mainbrace" tale. since they had to return to Rotterdam. The main party made its way into Nijmegan. stopping at the Jonkerbosch Cemetery. where the Commanding Officer laid a wreath in memory of the six Household Cavalrymen buried there.

The second night of the tour was spent in Nijmegan.

The following morning the party left. greatly refreshed. to resume the route from Grave Bridge. which had seen the link up between Lt Kavanagh and the single platoon of the 82(US)AB Div which captured it. and onto the bridge at Nijmegan. Doctor Margry spoke to us at Nijmegan. describing both the fighting in the city and the attempts to cross the bridge. We proceeded from Nijmegan up the route to where Lts Young and Wrottesley traced a circuitous path to the extreme West and finally joined with the Polish Airborne Brigade at Driel.

The entire coach. including two Dutch experts on the battle were then treated to the eye witness account of the then Lt Cza» skis‘ story of the first link up of ground forces with the Airborne Forces at Arnhem. Mr Czarskis‘ original letter is reprinted elsewhere to indicate how fortunate we were to have him on the trip.

The day concluded with a trip to the Airborne Museum in Amhem. the Hartenstein Hotel. where the picture of the situation in Arnhem at the time was well and truly established in our minds.

The following day we drove to DZ ‘X‘ and L2 X. where l and 4 Para Bde‘s put down and followed the route taken by Col John Waddy as he made his way into the eventual Osterbeek perimeter.

The author had to narrate this part of the trip. having heard Col Waddy give his talk two years before. The group visited the Cemetery at Osterbeek. toured the perimeter and eventually vise ited the Cemetery Church extraction point. Our final visit was to

the John Frost Bridge. where two hours were allowed fora general

"\ . EN... «

Q

The party pause for a pho tograph at the bridge at Grave

tour of the area.

This completed. the group headed home. wiser for the experi» ence. enriched by the chance to meet the personalities and educated as to the distances Medium Reconnaissance should really operate over. The authors thanks are extended to all the veterans and experts who made thc trip so worthwhile.

Having worked with SAB Bde for so long. it has now become apparent that support troops are no longer a niche for less experi« enced or less capable soldiers. Within the Brigade they provide a very important role, ferrying support elements and troops around the battle field. Looking to the future in January 1993 and the fulfilment of the vision to become a Divisional asset. a medium reconnaissance Regiment has the need for a fully developed support troop. providing a mobile assault pioneer asset integrated within the squadrons.

In recent exercises they have proved this. carrying out basic infantry and engineer tasks. All members of the troops have done an assault pioneer cadre. kindly organised by 9 Squadron RE. Fol— lowing this the first annual firing of the support troops took place on Salisbury Plain from the 14 - 18 October 1991. This was to test the troop on the troop weapons. many of which had never been fired before. or at least not for a long time. as in the GPMG air role (MATS A). The ranges were arranged in a round robin including demolitions. NBC Survey. mine laying and route denial with a lane to clear. Also valuable work with MATS A. LAW and 51mm. A march and shoot competition was also included with a first aid test at the half way point. as well as there being a live fir— ing exercise, it also provided valuable time to carry out low level troop training and continuation training on the weapons in the field. A high standard was achieved by all on the various ranges: however. problems were encountered with the mountings of the GPMG‘s. and this problem is now being addressed by the LAD. We were most grateful to the Grenadier Guards who helped us prior to Salisbury with training on the LAW and 51mm and then on the ranges. The concentration provided a valuable piece of training concluding in proper “hands on work“.

It was fun to get the troops on exercise. doing their own thing and practising the various skills we would be asked to perform.

Also a degree of relaxation was possible in the evenings. or extra training. weapons cleaning and the odd troop Bar-B»Q and pow— wow. All in all it proved a fun and valuable piece of training and has prepared the troops for their extra tasks.

On the sports field. the troops have been well represented, playing Regimental Rugby. Squash. and Squadron Rugby. Football and Boxing.

Household Cavalry Museum

An Arctic Expedition

by Captain J A C Swayne

Staff: Major (Retd) A W Kersting formerly RHG/D (1954 — 1986) Mr A E Woodbridge formerly 300573 RHG (1944 — 1948) There was a falling off in the number of visitors over the year 1991. this was due mainly to the reduction in the number of over— seas visitors to the United Kingdom. due to worries about the Gulf crisis earlier in the year.

The London marathon run by the curator to raise funds for the museum was a great success. The very generous contributions tnade by both Regiments and members of both Regimental associations exceeded £5.000.

The following new additions were received during the current

year Uniforms and equipment of Lt Col L H Hardy MC donated by his granddaughter. Susan Stephenson. and handed in to the Museum by Lt Col A D Meakin.

Toy models of the complete bands of the Household Cavalry given by Mr Kimber.

First World War prismatic compass given by Mr Tiquir. Model drum horse. The Blues and Royals given by Mr Skilton.

Officers Mess Dress Royal Horse Guards given by Lt M R Sorby. lst Royal Dragoon Officer's helmet (1818 — 34) purchased by the Committee.

William ‘Bill’ Humphrey No 5790 William Humphrey was born on 12 February 1894 and is. it is believed. the oldest Royal Dragoon. He enlisted in 1910 aged 16 years and after his basic training visited the following places. in some cases under fire. before leaving the army in 1923: Sierra Leone. Cape Town. Matabeleland. Natal. Pietmaritzburg and Johannesburg in Africa. Zeebrugge. Bruges. Antwerp. Ypres.

Somme and Mamers. He was wounded in a mounted assault on German MG‘s in 1917 and this was his last action. He was awarded The Mons Star. The General Service Medal and The Victory Medal.

Regimental Nicknames Royal Horseguards (The Blues) The Royal Horse Guards is the only cavalry regiment now in exis tence that formed part of the Parlimentary Amiy during the reign of Charles I. In the Autumn of 1660. after the restoration. its disbandment was ordered but not carried out. and King Charles “Gave orders for raising a regiment of horse of eight troops. of which the Earl of Oxforde was to be Collonel. and also of a troop of horse guards". This was done under a Royal warrant of 26th of January. 1661. In 1690 the regiment was called “The Oxford Blues“ to distinguish it from the Earl of Portland‘s (Dutch) “Horse

Guards“. During the campaign in Flanders (1742—1745) it was known as “The Blue Guards." and is now popularly called “The

Bluesvi'

lst Royal Dragoons (The Royals)

The Royals originated in a troop of Cuirassiers formed in 1661. on the marriage of Charles II with the Infanta Catherine of Portugal, and which was sent to garrison Tangier. whence they got the name of “Tangier Cuirassiers", or “Tangier Horses". In 1684 it was styled “The Royal Regiment of Dragoons". and each troop was furnished with a crimson Standard with badges embroidered upon them of (l) The King. (2) The Black Prince. (3) Henry V. (4) Henry VI. (5) Henry Vll (Queen Mary I). (6) Queen Elizabeth.

Towards the close of the 17th Century it was known as the “English Horse". At the battle of Dettingen it captured the white Standard of the French Mousquetaires Noirs. Its gallantry at the battle of Waterloo. where it formed part of the Union Brigade. is a matter of history. Nicknames: "The Birdcatchers". for the capture of a French Eagle at the battle of Waterloo. and “The Royals".

E3 E) I KO > L»

§

.

Captain Swayne has just returned from a tour from Canada in Ontario with the Royal Canadian Dragoons the allied Regiment to The Blues and Royals. During the period 10 November to the 5

December 1991 he undertook the Arctic Warfare/Survival course at Pond Inlet. North West Territories. 900 miles within the Arctic

Circle.

As the British Battle Captain (BBC) to the Reconnaissance

Squadron the Royal Canadian Dragoons l was lucky enough to participate in an expedition to the Eskimo settlement of Pond Inlet. on the northern tip of Baffin Island. 900 miles east of Magnetic north. Pond Inlet is a settlement of approximately 800 Inuit cskimos who‘s way of living has changed little in the 100 years since the village was established. The men are still hunters and fishermen who fiercely maintain the traditions and skills handed down by their ancestors. their prey being primarily Caribou. Seal and Arctic Char. though Whales and Polar Bears are also hunted.

The village boasts a school. a medical centre. a community hall and one Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. For a nation that has over twenty different words for snow. enjoys two hours of twilight for six months of the year and have never seen trees they are remarkably jovial. They are incurable pranksters. imaginative storytellers but are sadly quite often alcoholics. The murder rate in the North West Territories is the highest in the world per capita.

Tensions rise during the dark winter months. and life becomes fairly busy for the village Mountie. especially after each episode of Miami Vice. for reasons best known to themselves, The lttuit now live in Prefab houses. travel is by Skidoo. and igloos are only used on httnting trips.

Most of the inert aspire to become Northem Rangers — skilled trackers. hunters and teachers of arctic survival techniques. The Canadian Government rewards them with a wartime .303 Lee Enfield. a sweatshirt. a baseball cap and the authority to teach what ever soldiers that cross their ice-flow. In exchange we gave them ammunition.

Our trip started in Trenton. Ontario where the squadron filled 3 Hercules with sleds. ski»doos. men. rations and ammunition prior to the seven hour flight directly North.

We arrived in the total darkness of mid afternoon with the tem-

..

i \ists COMPUTER

Bill Humphrey with The RCM, Mr Hunter

Captain Swayne on the ice in the Arctic Circle with the midnight sun behind him

perature a brisk -30C to be met by the fur clad Northern Rangers who took us to their community hall which became our centre of operations and doss house.

Training consisted of 4 tasks which the quartered squadron rotated through. Firstly a four day long range patrol on ski-d00s and foot to track down and kill live enemy caribou. Secondly a three day hunting trip which consisted of a trek. establishing a camp site followed by 2 days fishing for Arctic Char (a delicious relative of the Salmon) and seal hunting. Seals may have up to 14 different breathing holes within a square mile of ice. Finding the holes proved most problematic. the rest was a simple matter of patience. If the opportunity presented itself again however. I would prefer the heart grilled with maybe some mushrooms and parsley.

The three days survival exercise was where the Northern Rangers most impressed us with their resourcefulness. As temperatures dropped to -7()C (with wind chill) they would consistently be drinking hot tea in an igloo within 30 minutes of arrival in loca~ tion. Again most people would have declined the fresh rations if given the choice.

The four day winter warfare exercise consisted of the construc~ tion of various snowholes. igloos and snow banks. routine in defence and alive firing exercise with 7.62mm MGs and 5.56mm personal weapons. Movement is slow and cumbersome and must be planned in advance in order to avoid sweating. which will only freeze again and literally make life rather difficult.

The main points noticed from our time on the Tundra were that the Canadian Army Arctic equipment was quite satisfactory but skins are better. Navigation would have been impossible - especially in squalls if it were not for the Northern Rangers who could navigate by the shape of the wind blown snow. and due to this detailed prior planning operations are possible in one of the most inhospitable places on earth.

Rcdeployment was quite mundane after our time on the ice. though it was one of the most testing of exercises any of us had taken part in. it was also one of the most memorable. and though the arctic tnust be treated with enormous respect if one is to survive there. we thought it the most peaceful place iii the world.

ALLIOTTS Chartered Accountants 28 January 1992

£7,339 50

Excess of Income over Expenditure for the Year

Total Expenditure

Association Photograph Less: Sales Visit to BAOR ‘At Home’ Day Less: Recovered

51h Floor, 9 Kingsway,

Hon Secretary £10,759.37

E L PAYNE

H DE PlNNA WElL Hon Treasurer 222,571.92

£24,005 79

5,482.15 Christmas Cards Less: Sales

London WC2B 6XF.

£1 10,987.78

{118,327.28

Excess of Income over Expenditure

Balance at 1 January 1991

General Fund

6,779.04 (863.36) (938.70)

6,420.85 Printing Postage Miscellaneous expenses Annual report and magazine Cost of magazine

Auditors‘ remuneration

Less: Sales

1,175.00

5,819 74 (2,807.00) Less: Sale of Tickets

Annual Dinner Cost of dinner

1,651 36 3,311 74

4,835.86 1,601 62 Subscriptions and donations

AUDITORS‘ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BLUES AND ROYALS ASSOCIATION We have audited, in accordance with Auditing Standards, the attached balance sheet and income and expenditure account and report that in our opinion these accounts give a true and fair view of the state of the Association' s affairs at 31 December 1991 and of the surplus of income over expenditure for the y ear ended on that date.

10.759.37

7,339 50

110,987.78

211832728

31,730.11

Net Current Assets

7,868.47 1,855.55

33,331.29

31,345.29

2,176.64

Less: Current Liabilities Current bank account Sundry creditors

2,033.00

33,906.75

32,261.03 1,645.72

Current Assets Cash at bank: Current account Deposit account Sundry debtors

2

277.489.00

Market value

investments (at cost)

100,228.41

£1 10,987.78

1,067.62

1,067.62

25,458.23

25,107.02 91.68

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1991

258,882.00

24,390.61

86,597.17

Grants, assistance, etc.

A Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cavalry Memorial in Hyde Park at 1050 hours on Sunday 8 November.

Expenditure

The normal Service of Remembrance will be held in the Garrison Church. Windsor. on Sunday 8 November. A limited number of tickets will be available from the Honorary Secretary.

Deposit account interest

REMEMBRANCE 1992 The Field of Remembrance will be opened at 1 130 hours on Thursday 5 November. Members are asked to assemble at the Regimental Plot in St Margaret‘s Churchyard at 1120 hours. Dress: Lounge Suits. no medals.

Dividends on investments

MESS DINNER AT WINDSOR We were delighted to receive an invitation from the RCM and members of the WOs and CsoH Mess of the Regiment in Windsor to attend a Dinner Night on Saturday 30 November.

42 members of the Association attended and were provided with an excellent meal and we were most grateful to the RCM and all members of the Mess for their marvellous hospitality.

At the end of the dinner our Treasurer and Hon Legal Advisor.

Capt H de Pinna Weil who was the guest of honour replied to the toast of the Association.

OPEN DAY The Regiment will be holding an Open Day at Combermerc Barracks Windsor on Sunday 27th September. This will be the last function before the merger with the Life Guards and will commence with a Church Parade after which the Association will march to Barracks with the Regiment. Details have been sent to Association members who have expressed an interest by returning the proforma sent to all members. Any other members who would like to attend should contact the Association office in Windsor.

16,361.81 15,526.22 1,443.26

OPEN DAY The Regiment held an Open Day at Windsor on Sunday 8 September to which Association members and their families were invited. We attended Church Parade and afterwards a party from the Association marched back to Barracks with the Regiment. A very good lunch was provided by the Regiment and the entertainment and display by the Band was much appreciated by the members.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1992

13,765 87

COMBINED CAVALRY PARADE There was again a very large turnout and it was very gratify— ing to see so many comrades on parade well supported by members of the service Regiment. Members were entertained in the WOs and NCOs Mess in Hyde Park Barracks after the parade and we would like to thank the members for their hospitality

Subscriptions and donations

A very large number of Association members and members of the Regiment attended the parade. Once again we were the largest contingent.

Income

arrangements.

COMBINED CAVALRY PARADE SERVICE

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 1991

ANNUAL DINNER 1991 This was again held in Hyde Park Barracks Knightsbridge on Saturday 11 May. 325 members with official guests attended.

We would like to thank the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment for allowing us to use the facilities in the barracks. the RCM and members of the WOs and NCOs Mess for making the Mess available to us. and all the members of the Mounted Regiment who worked so hard on our behalf. We are indebted to SCM Pitt BEM for the excellent layout in the gymnasium and for making all the

ANNUAL DINNER 1992 As this was the last dinner whilst The Blues and Royals are together as a complete Regiment it ws held at Combermere Barracks Windsor on 2 May. This was a great success 7 360 members and official guests attending. We would like to thank the Commanding Officer for allowing us to hold the Dinner at Windsor and all members of the regiment who did so much for us. We are grateful to SCM Taylor for making all the arrangements including the layout in the Dining Rootn and gymnaA sium. 78 Association members were accommodated in the Bar racks on the night of the Dinner and we would like to thank the Quartermaster and the Master Chef for making these arrangements so that members travelling long distances were able to enjoy the evening.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Our Annual Report for 1991 would not be complete without a special mention of Major C W J Lewis MBE who died on 1 June. ‘Spud‘ as he was affectionately known to everyone became Secretary of the Royal Dragoons Old Comrades Association on his retiretnent in 1961. In 1969 he became joint Honorary Secretary of The Blues and The Royals Association and he spent considerable time and effort to ensure that the amalga— mation of The Blues and The Royals Associations would be carried through smoothly. It is due in no small way to his efforts that the Association has become successful and prosperous. He became the sole Honorary Secretary in 1975 and continued the appointment until 1980 when he was 74. He was elected an honorary member of the Association committee on which he served until his death.

His experience and advice to the Secretary and the Commit» tee will be sadly missed. An obituary is published elsewhere in the journal but we would like to record our appreciation for everything he did for the Association and to extend our sympathy to his wife Edie and family in their sad loss.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1992 The Annual General Meeting for 1992 was held in the WO‘s and CsoH Mess at Windsor on 2 May 1992.

The accounts for the year ending 3| December 1991 were approved. Mr J Edwards. Mr K Taylor and Mr M Shillabccr were elected as members of the Association Committee in place of Mr C E Mogg. Mr A Beynon and Mr G A Phillips.

Because of the forthcoming merger of the Regiment with the Life Guards. an amendment to the Rules and Constitution was agreed under which the Chairman of the Association would be a senior retired officer who would be appointed by the President.

THE BLUES AND ROYALS ASSOCIATION

THE BLUES AND ROYALS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT 1991

Go-Karting

by Captain M Wilson The Regiment was approached by a Go~Karting Liaison Company to take part in a Soldiers Kart~Team Challenge Trophy. Ten Military Teams were being invited: £400 to enter and £1000 for the winners. This was passed on to EME and the challenge was taken up. The Sabre Squadrons all being busy, the team was a motley crew mostly from HQ Squadron including: EME. Adjt. Paymaster, Ops Officer. ASM. Tprs Hammond. Wilson. McKay. Nelson and Richards.

The opposition came from 17 Trg Regt. Grenadier. Coldstream and Scots Guards and Recruiting and Liaison Staff. The challenge was to be the first team to complete 400 laps. at around 20 seconds per lap. The lead had been held by the Recruiting and Liaison Staff team most of the way. but Tpr Hammond took the lead and won for the Blues and Royals on the last 20 second lap.

We came away amazed at our success and already thinking about the next soldiers challenge. The ASM and EME decided to plan to win the next event with a numerically and physically small select team and careful management. They would be supported by a gentlemans B team.

For the second karting challenge in May, there were only two teams in contention from the beginning; The Blues and Royals A Team and the Coldstream Guards. A snapped track rod lost around 10 precious laps but they were clawed back and we took the Champagne and £900 prize money again. The B team finish— ing a creditable fourth.

Watch out for a Go—Karting challenge event just for the Regiment. The adrenalin quickly gets you hooked and wanting to be a

professional racing driver.

(.sz é; _--..

--

‘

-.>~_3‘f~ “

e top of the Long Walk, 22 July, 1992

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES The Ministry of Defence has advised that for security reasons. the names. addresses and telephone numbers of regional representatives are not to be published in regimental journals‘ These details are held by the Secretary. and any member who wishes to use the services of a regional representative should contact the Secretary to find out if there is one in his area. These representatives are not authorised to make money grants which must be referred to the Committee for approval.

Any member who is willing to act as a representative in his area should forward his name and address to the Honorary Secretary.

The Blues and Royals Regimental Barbecue — Broadhaven Beach, June 1992

Household Cavalry Association — Midlands

Contact for further information: Len Pritchard (0782) 208615 Association Chairman Graham Howard (0782) 660929 Association Hon Secretary The Annual Dinner. Stoke—on-Trent From Left to Right: Lt Col D Daly - Guest Speaker Mrs Withington Mr H Withington - Treasurer Mrs D Daly Mrs P Thellusson Mr G Haywood - Secretary Mrs Pritchard Mr P Thelluson — Vice President Mrs Haywood Mr L Pritchard » Chaimtan Mr B Lewis - Vice Chairman

A Squadron Tabbing in Spain The Midlands Based Household Cavalry Association ~ referred to as the North Staffordshire Branch. but by no means for North Staffordshire only members - is thriving and looking for ever more comrades from the Life Guards and Blues and Royals to join its ranks.

c.

The Support Weapons Fl ange

D Squadron officers say farewell to FSC (until Cyprus 1993)

D Squadron Scimitars prior to the 00’s Range Inspection

home in the Derbyshire Peak District — a unique occasion much enjoyed by many members and their wives.

Brainchild of one time Life Guard Len Pritchard. the Association was founded in 1987. when contact was made locally with a small number of ex-Household Cavalry NCO‘s keen to maintain links with their past service and to engender new friendships through regular meetings in the area, The fourth Wednesday of each month was selected to be the regular meeting date and that has remained so up to the present date.

The Gulf Crisis encouraged a number of members to raise funds for the Life Guards who were then destined to be part of the British force in the desert. Fund raising events were staged throughout the potteries and neighbouring Peak Park villages and the sum of £2.400 was raised. In the event. the war came to an end somewhat abruptly and a rethink was needed as how best to dis pose a share to two locally based Regiments - The Staffordshires and 16/5th Royal Lancers. both of whom had lost soldiers in the campaign. Donations were made to the families of those who had lost their lives.

After about a year it was noticed when attending various old comrade get—togethers in the neighbourhood that all other Associ— ations sported Standards. but not the HCA. Fortunately a member offered to pay for a new Standard. which was instantly put into production and subsequently dedicated in August 1988 in St Pauls Church. Fenton in Stoke on Trent. in the presence of Major Gen~ era] Sir Desmond Langley. who was to become an encouraging influence on the newly created Association Major Hugo Waterhouse (ex—Life Guards). who was also present at the ceremony. was appointed the Association‘s first President.

As this short report goes to press. the Association has just cele~ brated its annual Dinner and Dance. which was acclaimed a great success. Not only did local members of the North Staffordshire Branch attend. but many visitors were welcomed from the Fellow Association in the North East of England and others travelled up from Knightsbridge and Windsor to be present. Lt Col Denis Daly. long time Blue and later Blue and Royal. and at present Captain of lnvalids at the Royal Hospital. Chelsea. gave the address giving members an insight into new plans for the two Regiments over the next few years.

Activities throughout the year vary from attending formal func— tions such as the Cavalry Memorial Parade in Hyde Park. Regimental Open Days and Association Dinners to less formal trips about the country and fund raising events — often for the Riding for the Disabled and other such worthy causes. For the past 3 years the President of the Association and his recently deceased wife.

Lady Caroline Waterhouse. played host to members at their lovely

As has already been stated. the Association grows in strength. but is always looking for new members who may be living in the North Midlands area and who would like to get together with old comrades to chat over their past years of service and perhaps fomi new friendships for the years ahead. A telephone call to the Asso— ciation‘s Chairman. Len Pritchard will receive advice on member ship and further information about the Association.

Obituary

Obituary violinist and a saxaphone player. During the war in 1041 the RECCE Corps formed a temporary band. and Ted took the oppor7 tunity to gain promotion by transferring. On its disbandment in

1046 he found himself in the 5th Royal lniskilling Dragoon

Major Edward William Jeanes (late The Blues and Royals)

by Major J S P Swayne

Major C W J Lewis MBE - by Lt Col H I’ I) Massey

Ted Jeanes. who died in Albany. Westent Australia. in October 1001 was the Director of Music of the Royal Horse Guards and The Blues and Royals from 1062 to 1073.

E W (Ted) Jeanes was born in 1016 and enlisted itt the Somer~

Major Christopher William John Lew is MBE enlisted in The Roy als Dragoons at Newport. Monmouthshire oit 1 Vlareh 1024. at tlte age of 18’. He \‘\ as promoted unpaid Lance-Corporal in B Squadron in March 1025. Corporal in December 1027 (Cairo! and Sergeant in Jutte 1030 (India). He w as SQMS A Squadron in June 1033 when he won the Regitnetttal Tent Pegging Championship. attd SSM in April 1035. In May 1040. when The Royals were itt Palestine and \\ ith just 16 years service. he vy as promoted RS M. in which rank he saw the Regiment mechanised and in action iii the Western Desert.

By any standards this was e\treinely good going and Spud. as he was affectionately known to all. did itot stop there. He \ytts commissioned Lteutenant and Quartermaster in September 10—12 aitd fought with tlte Regintettt througlt the Italian and North-West Europe Campaigns. He continued with the Regiment for the rest of the war. bemg promoted Captain in September 1045 IDenmarki and Major tn July 10521Fay'id). He reftised the offer of promotion to Lieutenant Colonel Stall Quartermaster because it would lime

meant leay mg the Regitnent.

He retired on 25 January 1061 on his 55th birthday. after 36 years in the Royals. ()n his retirement lte became Station Staff Officer iii Germany. but when all Cavalry Regiments \\ ere form, iitg their own Home Headquarters. The Royals duly formed theirs. attd he became the first retired officer to fill the appomtntent of ()l'ficer iit Charge. From there he administered the Regimental Association. was Recruiting ()ffieer tor the Regiment and. as titaity readers will recall. kept the Regiment tip to strength.

Most people would have been content with that as a record of Regitnental Sen ice. but as iit Spud's ease lie was only starting.

because in 1060 the amalgamation between The Royal Horse Guards aitd The Royal Dragoons occurred. Like many. he quickly mastered ltis initial feelings and showed real leadership by w orkittg tirelessly iit setting up the new Regimental Association coinbined from both Regiments. with him as the Secretary. Much of the strength and success of the present Regimental Association of The Blues and Royals. and indeed of the Regiment itself stem back to the foundations laid attd eyample set by Spud as Secretary immediately alter the .»\malgamation. Simultaneously he (01111117 tied as the Household Cavalry Recruiting ()fficcr front Windsor for several years.

This obitttary may be incomplete iit many ways but it would be the more so were his skills as trainer and manager ofthe Regimeni tal Football team not menttoned. He w as training the teatn as early as 1037 and. alter the war. produced winning teams in all the big competitions.

In addition to his work for the Regiment. he was (.‘hairman of the Combined Cavalry Association for 24 years being responsible for organising the Cavalry Memorial Parade in Hyde Park eaclt year for all old comrades of all Cavalry Regiments. Quite scpa’ rately. he \\ as President of the London Amateur Bosing Assoeitr tioii attd a keen judge. As if that were not enough. Spud \\ as also the Chairman ol the Army Referees for many years.

It \\ as an impressive tribute to Spud that so tttatty of his friends tttrncd otit to attend not only his funeral bill also ltis Memorial Service held at the Garrison Church in Windsor. On behalf of all of tts who had the pro ilegc of knowing Spud we offer ottr heart, felt sympathy and good wishes to his \\ idow. liadie. and her hair tI\.

set Light Infantry on Boys Service in 1030 playing Flute and Pica colo in the Regimental band. Like most anny musicians he served iit several regiments dtiriitg a 42 year army career. and Ted in more than most. He enlisted into the 2nd Bn. Sontersct Light Infantry as a bandboy. aged 15. aitd became very proficient as a

Notification Rank Tpr FQMS Cpl Major W01 Tpr Lieut Bdsnt Major Tpr LCoH Major Major SSgt Captain LCpl CoH Captain Cpl W02

Guards. but was immediately called forward for the bandmaster course at the Royal Military School of Music. Kneller Hall. After three years he was appointed W01 lBandmaster) of the 1st Bn. King‘s Royal Rifle Corps (60th Rifles), the regiment becoming the 2nd Royal Green Jackets in 1058. His musical expertise was soon apparent and the band achieved an excellent standard of performance. After one broadcast on the BBC. in the early 50's. several Directors of Music of the Guards wrote in to congratulate him in the high standard of the bands performance. In September 1061 whilst on an engagement in Glasgow. he was advised that he was to become commissioned and appointed to the top post in the Mile itary music hierarchy.

He retired in 1073 and his daughters arranged a surprise party at Kneller Hall where many of his former bandsmen from the 60th and The Blues and Royals attended. He described it as the best party he had ever attended.

Ted and Joyce went to live in South Africa for a while when Ted went back to his first love. the violin which he taught. Fol. lowing the unrest there. they left South Africa and eventually set‘ teled in Albany. South West Australia. thus joining their daughters who had emigrated. Ted enjoyed pottering in his garden and swimming. but arthritis in his hands had ended his violin playing.

Ted will probably be best remembered for his fine musicianship and sense of humour. He entered into the spirit of things and once turned up at the Christmas Officers vs Sergeants and Warrant Officers football match dressed as a NAAFI girl. The following year he was a pregnant (3) NAAFI girl.

In 1060 the 1st 60th band was inspected by the Director of Music. The Royal Military School of Music. Kneller Hall. The verdict on the bands perfomtance was “Outstanding". That word sums tip Ted‘s career and life. We extend our deepest sympathy to Joyce and her daughters.

has been received of the deaths of the following members since the last journal was published: Number Atlt/l‘cxx Name 305080 05 Tenterden Drive. St Stephens. Canterbury W FJ Cribbett. Blues 380668 Erskine Hospital. Nr Bishopston. Renfrew shire JG Pickett. Royals 304035 1 13 Little Common Road. Bexhill. SLtsse\ J D McLoughlin. Blues n/k Blorenge House, Ashamstead. Reading K A Evers. Royals 160 Fttrtherwiek Road. Canvey Island. Essex 304556 F Cracknell. Blues Flat 10. Windmill Court. Claughton Driy e. Seotforth 305785 D Williams. Blues n/k Hurst Hill. Langpoit. Somerset R W Pride. Royals 400762 40 Springfield Road. Whitton. Middlesex A J G Bridger, Royals n/k 52 Homestall Road. East Dulw ieh. London C W J Lewis MBE. Royals 241 2502.1 26 Ittgrams Road. Bcrwick Hills. Middlesborough J E Hughes. Blues & Royals 22205 1 l4 26 St Leonards Avenue. Windsor. Berkshire J D Rea. Blues n/k' Rossway. Berkbamstcad A G N Hadden-Patoit. Royals n/k 120 Albany Highway, Albany. W Australia E W Jeanes LRAM ARCM. n/k 7 School Close. Old Woking Road. Guildford. Surrey A C Hards. Royals n/k' lb‘ Winterslow Road. Trow'bridge. Wiltshire F Whennell. Blues 304800 35 Abinger Road. Portslade. Brighton .1 S Bow'ley. Blues 305520 4 The Paddocks. Chippenham. Wiltshire W G Tretltowan. Blues 6 Burghley House. Somerset Road. London. SW10 n/k H de Pinna Weil. Royals Kenbrook, 100 Forty Avenue. Weinblcy, Middlese\ 300074 H A P Norris. Royals 304 185 42 Hospital Field Road, Arbt'oatb. Angus. Scotland H J Wootton

DtI/t' [)ietl 18.02.80 13.01.01 26.01.01 01.01.01 04.03.01 15.0101 03.04.01 26.04.01 01.06.01 01.07.01 25.08.01 06.00.01 00.00.01 12.10.01 13.10.01 03.01.02 17.03.02 20.04.02 00.06.02 13.06.02

Obituary

Obituary

Back in Palestine for the winter of 194l-42 IHCR convened to armoured cars, which meant a reduction from four sabre squadrons to three. Consequently. having a surplus of officers and men. the regiment was ordered to take over a squadron‘s worth of dummy tanks from the 60th Rifles. to operate as a deception force in the Western Desert. This was codenamed the 101st Royal Tank Regiment. but the little band of some 120 Household Cavalrymen. being commanded by the tall. angular and dashing Captain Murray-Smith. was never known as anything else in l HCR but as “Smithforce”.

Faulty staff work at divisional headquarters. resulting in the receipt by "Smithforce" ofa wrong grid reference. at one moment in April. 1942. saw the dummy tanks alongside the Royals. who were operating 40 or 50 miles ahead of the divisional minetields.

A corrected map reference (yet another false one) had them facing an Italian Tank regiment. Fortunately. however. the Axis forces were then in error. too. The German Stukas sent to air strike “Smithforce” struck the Italians instead. (The episode was

Lieutenant Colonel G A Murray-Smith (late The Royal Horse Guards)

by Maj J N P Watson. (formerly The Royal Horse Guards).

Col Tony Murray~Smith died in January. 1991. at the age of 77.

He was an exemplary (and. indeed. legendary) Blue. who during his 14 years as a regular. never served outside the Household Cav— alry. Whenever he received (often apparently tantalising) offers to do so he replied “my intention in joining the army was to be with the regiment and that's where I‘m staying". Born in 1913. the son of a Life Guards officer (who was killed on the Western front a year later) Tony joined the Royal Horse Guards. via Eton and Sandburst. in 1933 when the Blues and The Life Guards were alternating every couple of years between London and Windsor.

Almost immediately he won a reputation for quick thinking. keen all—round sportsmanship. a wonderful dry sense of humour (compounded by his engaging stammer) and round-the-clock vitality (his troop always prided him in being “the first up and last to

bed").

The amalgamation of The Life Guards and Blues into the lst Household Cavalry Regiment. in 1939. and their departure. with their horses. for Palestine in the Cavalry Division. in 1940. found Tony as a troop leader in Major Henry Abel Smith‘s squadron.

And when the regiment (now motorised infantry) formed "Hab« force". to intercept the pro—German Iraqi govemment‘s attempt to besiege Habbaniya. and again during the Allies' occupation. first of Syria then of Iran. he was second-in—command to Major Eion Men'y.

described. laconically. by Tony. over the radio as “the f—tltinest hour of “Smithforce").

Anyhow his independent command continued. with many adventures in the same role. to take part in the Battles of Knightsbridge and the Bloody Nose. not rejoining 1 HCR until the regiment arrived in Egypt in September. Captured enemy documents revealed “Smithforce” to have been even more successful in its task than those who devised it had ever imagined it could be. Tony fought on with l HCR first as Lord Amherst‘s second-incommand in A squadron through El Alamein and the desert beyond: then. as '.A' squadron leader. in Italy and north-west Europe. where he was mentioned in despatches for his outstanding gallantry and leadership. After the war he commanded the first post war composite mounted squadron, and subsequently ~ when this was split into two squadrons < the first post-war Blues Mounted Squadron.

As everyone who knew Tony well was aware his greatest joy in life was foxhunting. And. having Gumley. his home and estate in Leicestershire. to look after it was not surprising that. following his stint in London. he chose to exchange the Blues for the Leicestershire Yeomanry - in connection with which I have the following note from a brother-officer. Captain Robert Matterson: "As a 7th Hussar I had the privilege of being adjutant of the Leicestershire Yeomanry during Tony Murray-Smith‘s supremely successful Colonelcy. In spite of his onerous duties as Master of the Quom. he nearly always turned out for evening drills and gave time for a drink with the yeoman afterwards. At camp he installed a tremendous sense of fun. combined with military efficiency. into everything. He was someone we all held in the greatest respect and affection".

Tony went on from the Quom to be Master. with equal aplomb. of the Femie. He was a consummate horsemaster. was President of the Hunter Improvement Society. generally had a racehorse or two in training and proved to be one of the shrewdest judges at foxhounds shows. He was. too. a skilful helmsman. and as a skipper. in 1959. of the Household Brigade‘s sloop. Gladeye. he became a record»holding member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Tony was also a conscientious magistrate and County Deputy Lieutenant and was at one time chairman of the Leicestershire Agricultural Society. Perhaps. above all. he will be remembered as the most sterling of Blues.

\

is Major Sir Marc B runel Noble, Bt. 68E (Late The Royal Dragoons)

by Lt Col D J S Wilkins (formerly The Blues and Royals).

Marc Noble was born in 1927 and was educated at Eton. From there he joined the Army and was commissioned into the King‘s Dragoon Guards in 1947. transferring to the Royal Dragoons in 1958. He retired from the Army in 1966 and thereafter devoted his time to the Scouting movement becoming the Commonwealth Commissioner. an appointment he still held at the time of his death. He was High Sheriff of Kent in 1985.

To all of these superficially different strands of his life Marc brought to bear his unique blend of a very real sense of service and outstanding loyalty allied to a delightfully old- world courtesy and charm. Always he and Jane. his wife. were a centre of excep» tional hospitality to friends and visitors alike. Those of us privileged to know him learned that he was a meticulous planner and organiser: he would never let you down and he possessed the gift of being entirely unflappable in any crisis. whether military or social. He was a born raconteur and he had the rare ability to get other people to talk about themselves: this and a nice sense of humour made him marvellous company.

Much of his Army service was spent abroad. in North Africa.

Aden. Malaysia and of course in BAOR. He also served at Carlisle and later with the KCLY (Sharpshooters) in Kent. in

which county he settled on retirement.

Perhaps increasing professionalism in the Army disillusioned him. not that Marc was an amateur. far from it. but the pressures of the BAOR rat-race of the 1960's were not for him and be deter-

mined to seek another sphere in which to use his talents. Soon after leaving the Army. Marc resolved to devote the greater pan of his time to the Scouts and it was here perhaps that he really found his metier. He had a great affinity with his soldiers and found it easy to communicate with young people from all around the world and from all walks of life. His contribution to Scouting was characterised by his modesty: always eschewing the limelight. he worked tirelessly to help the Overseas Branches achieve their independence and would not allow himself to be counted on for the top job in Scouting. His services to the movement were recognised by his appointment as C B E in the l99l New Year Honours List.

In this active life he still found time to take on. in 1985. the office of High Sheriff of Kent. a role which he performed with style and panache. great dignity and enormous enthusiasm. Mean. while he made a particular point of keeping in close touch with his friends from the past. He was a regular attender at Regimental Dinners and other annual reunions. and at the Sharpshooters~ Fri— day lunches.

Marc was a great family man with a strong sense of family history. typified by his close involvement in the restoration of his famous forbear's steamship. the 5.5. “Great Britain". which he would whimsically refer to as the family yacht.

To all his friends. Marc's untimely death came as a sad shock.

We shall all miss him greatly. To Jane and to Anna. David and Charles we extend our deepest sympathy in their loss.

Obituary

Obituary

Major A G N Hadden-Paton DL (late The Royal Dragoons)

by General Sir Richard Worsley octi OBI-L

LSgt Weston

By Captain M C Wilson REME Henry de Pinna Weil (Late The Royal Dragoons)

by Captain (Retd) P B Browne (Formerly The Royal Dragoons) Henry de Pinna Weil joined the Blues as a solicitor with no military background. in early 1942 and went immediately to North Africa. Despite being the oldest subaltern in the regiment at the age of 33 and this is a position from which he could easily have obtained a cushy billet in the rear. he preferred to eat and sleep as pan of the troop. Clearly this cannot have been easy for a man well used to the reasonable comforts of life in his mid 30‘s.

He joined A Squadron commanding '3‘ troop for the breakout at Alamein. It was then that he was wounded. hit in the arm by shrapnel. The injury was made the more unfortunate as he had been a concert pianist before the war and he was never able to play to the same standard again.

In September 1943. the Royals crossed the Straits of Messina into Italy with the 8th Army, The Royals were to spearhead the advance through the East Coast of Italy. and it was just North of Foggia when Henry‘s armoured car hit a land mine. Fortunately no—one was badly hurt but he lost the glass from his watch and the perspex from his goggles!

After the war he returned to being a solicitor as a partner and at one time senior partner in Alexander Rubins and Weil. From this position he gave his professional services entirely free first to the Royals Regimental Association and Regimental Aid Society and after the amalgamation. to the Combined Regimental Association.

During the amalgamation he was the Principal involved in the drawing up of all the legal documents. As Chaimtan of the Royal Dragoons Regimental Association he was able to handle the Roy als Committee with patience and intelligence, thus when they began the meeting firmly against the idea ofjoining the Blues he could counteract the cries against the intruders entering the fainily. His noted quality of getting on with all ranks ensured that everyone accepted he was working in their best interests. even if they disagreed with his opinions, His efforts were therefore vital in ensuring the success of the amalgamation.

He continued as Honourary Treasurer and Legal Advisor to the Committee until his death. giving 45 years of continuous free advice and work to the Regiment,

LSgt Weston joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1982. After Basic Military Training he completed trade training as a Gun Fitter. He then went on to serve with 2 Ed Regt Royal Anillery. Queens Own Highlanders Light Aid Detachment and then 4 Amid Wksp. all these units being based in Germany.

During his time with 4 Annd Wksp he spent 5 months detached to the British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada. He also served with the Workshop throughout their deployment to the Arabian Gulf on Operation Granby. He spent 5 months in the Gulf and received the Gulf Medal. When hostilities ended, he was posted to the REME attached to the Blues and Royals in Windsor.

LSgt Weston was a popular man. full of character and fun. He enjoyed working. being a soldier. mountaineering. rock climbing, and wheeling and dealing, He made many friends wherever he

went.

LSgt Weston or Basil Fawlty as he was affectionately known. will be remembered as the soldier who had a child like sense of mischief and a heart of gold. He died as a result of a head injury incurred whilst out in Pembroke on a night off from firing camp in June 1992.

Mr .I S Clark (Late The Royal Dragoons)

by Major (Retd) E Payne (Formerly The Royal Dragoons) He enlisted into The Border Regiment on 3 October 1941 and was transferred to the Royal Amtoured Corps on 27 November 1942.

He served in l5th/191h Hussars and 5th Royal Tank Regiment before being posted to The Royal Dragoons on 10 November 1952 as a Sergeant.

He was promoted SQMS on lSeptember 1956 and W02 (SSM) on 24 July 1959. He was promoted W01 and appointed Regimental Sergeant Major of The Royal Dragoons on 2 September 1964 and served in that appointment until 3 June 1968, He was dis charged on completion of his service on 5 December 1968, After his discharge he took an active part in the affairs of the Association and served on the Committee almost continually until his death in Combermcre Barracks. Windsor. on 25th Novetnbcr 1990.

He will be long remembered for his marvellous settsc of humour and is sadly missed by all his old friends iii the Regitnent and Association

Adrian Haddon-Paton died on 6 September aged 72. A country gentleman through and through. he played many roles during his life. Educated at Rugby and Oxford. Adrian joined the Royal Dragoons in 1941 while they were in the desert.

He served throughout the war with the Regiment he loved and in 1945 he was grattted his Regular Commission and promoted to Major.

He had two periods in his military career which be cherished.

Firstly as Officer Commanding the troops on the island of Futten.

Denmark. and secondly as an instructor at Sandhurst from 1947 — 1950. It was ltcrc that he showed his ability to pass on his wide war-time experience. teaching his high standards. but at the same time having the fun of encouraging young Officers in the spons and activities which he so enjoyed himself, It was with great sadness that he left the Army in 1951 to manage the family estate at Rossway Park which at that time consisted of a home farm, several let farms and 200 acres of woodland.

Forestry was his great love and the result can be seen at Rossway.

The Beech trees are superb. probably the best in the country and all the plantations show signs of his handywork. He was rewarded for all his hardwork in 1972 when he won the Royal Forestry Society‘s first prize for the best-managed small woodland estate in the whole ofthe East of England.

It was as a result of his Chaimianship for 30 years. that Holland 8: Holland became one of the very top ranking finns in the gunmakers‘ world. Adrian‘s fantastic administration and tireless organisation led hint onto many committees both locally and nationally until he was forced to give up after tragically suffering two strokes in 19th and 1981, In recent years the cruel effects of these strokes meant that he was restricted tnore and more within the Rossway boundaries. Even then. however. he could be seen on most days driving or walking with his dog to one of the woods he loved and where he was still able to do some work. to help maintain them so beautifully.

Anyone who was tempted to think of Adrian as a typical soldier/ countryman would speedily feel after a few hours spent in his company. that behind his steady eyes lay a mind enriched by knowledge of many other things. beside soldiering or the country, He had a keen grasp of finance. a knowledge of history. of local politics and adtninistration. but above all a marvellous sense of humour.

It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to such a wonderful tnetnher of the Royal Dragoons and extend our sympathies to his widow. Mary-Rose. his sons and their families,

Nominal Roll as at 29 June 1992 HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON RHO Lt Col P 8 Rogers Maj Lukas Capt CB8 Clee Capt W Scott Capt CM Daly Capt N LanerFox Lt MJ Goodman WOt (RCM) Sackett NP W02 (OROMC) Tomktns TN W02 Taylor AD

LCOH Gibbons SF LCoH Lowen GL LCoH Peat AO LCpl Elliott CJ LCpI Hemming NG LCpI Hooker LP LCpI Henderson N LCpl Mackay SH LCpl MeKecnnte P LCpl Jones NWG Tor Jackson NC Tpr Oxley K Tpr Campbell MP

MT Troop W02 Ktlvtngton .J CoH Kirkpatrick l LCoH Berestord D LCoH Ditchburn MJ

LCpl Nash .lMW Tpr Spares SJ Tpr jmes CC

LCoH Elston PB

Fa’""‘es"PR'

Tpr Brakes SR Tpr Renton RW

L‘ DJ Dawes SCDI Hastmgs AP

..

Tpr McCabe KR MRS Windsor Ma, CM Stone

QM

LCoH Lambert KR

Maj JA Ltvtngstone

LCpl Hamilton PA

W02 Harding MA SHO Maj SH Cowen W02 Gtmblett K CoH Gear D LCoH Marriott RM LCpI Ashdown CR Tpr Darby 41 CG Tpr Dodds GP Tpr McGlll Gt) Tpr Egan C Tpr Greenwood MS RHQ Troop CoH Flanagan TJF LCoH Halthtde Pd

Orderley Room CoH Woods OH LCoH Coulson AP LCoH Kntbbs PM LCpl Pilchowskt D Tpr McKay MA

223 ISSQ‘bé 8

Officers Mess

LCoH Mackenzte .1

Cheers Mess

LCoH Lawson B LCpI Moody SCC Tpr Button AA

SCpI Rose A.) LCpI Manta W Tpr Codd |

RAPC Maj AJ Snowball W02 Lyons .J W02 Cooper DJ Sgt Wells PA LSgt Fairbatrn MR LCpl Pearson .18

GM”)

W05 & CSoH Mess

Svghgsniojwn

CoH Bradley co

LCoH Plater lM

LCOH HOWS B

LCoH MOUlS 5

LCD‘ COllII’lS FIG

LCoH Hendon V LCpl Carnngton DC

Tpr ElllSS KL Tor Richards JA

APTC SSgt O'Reilly SJ

Training Wing SCpl Carpenter TM Guardroom CoH Vickers SA

ACC W02 Jirat PJ Sgt Trollope JG

LSgt Stott RW LSgt Whitehead S LSgt Furmidge A LSgt Dean DN LCpl Green AJ LCpl Thorne RD LCpl Chappel A LCpl Beecrott L Pte Ayre WDE Pte Barton DP Pte Billson RF Pte Jordan 8

Tpr Rath JEK Tpr Tutton SJ Tpr Brown WP 3 Troop Ct DE Hughes CoH Dickens J LCoH Panter AD LCoH Crocker PS Tpr Stables MJ Tpr Brown 88 LP Tpr Clerehugh A Tpr Freeman WC Tpr Walbrook CAS Tpr Driver P Tpr Giles SM Support Troop Ct WMA Moore CoH Harris AM LCoH Homer DS LCoH Pycroft AG LCpl Plimmer DF Tpr Evans CP Tpr Coupland SJ Tpr Dandy J

LAD

Tpr Harrington BDM

Capt MC Wilson W01 Sayers Q1 W02 Morris IC SSgt Stewart RB Sgt Edwards SJ Sgt Ogden ST Sgt Hay AJ Sgt Smith RD Sgt Smith R LSgt Armstrong AJ LSgt Baldwm JN LCpl Wilcock G LCpl Higgins PA LCpl Hosie JE LCpl Pink I LCpi Hargreaves DA LCpl Franklin KR Cln Connolly PJ Cln French KP Ctn Meighan D Ctn Wilson RC

Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr

RAMC SSgt Cheetham PCP LSgt Richards JP Recruiting Team SCpI Sanderoock JM

Lingard J Stainsbury PI Hayes KW McWhirter SL Gladish DM

GW Troop CoH Kershaw ED LCoH Kibble LJ

LCoH Sykes JA LCpl Lochrane JL LCpl Nixon RE LCpl Caile D Tpr Burton WA Tpr Maskell AL Tpr Jones WP Tpr Williams 094 CD Tpr Bamford WF Admin SCpl Cowton KM LCoH Ibbotson T LCpl Hemming MA Tpr Henderson SJ LCoH Hagan JC LCpl Habgood AJ LCpl Illingworth JP Tpr Wilson PA

LAD C SQUADRON The Blues and Royals

8H0 Mai PJ Tabor Capt WRB Jowitt W02 Manning RP CoH Harris 23 SK LCoH Robertson KW Tpr Elliott CM Tpr Shaw JP Tpr Turner TJ Tpr Moloney PJ Tpr Weall GJ Tpr Henderson LJ Tpr Harvey JP Tpr Ball M 1 Troop

Lt GW Wilson-Fitzgerald CoH Evans JA LCoH Hiscock PS LCoH Spandley JP

Tpr Wild SA Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr

Hammond CR Sharpe RD Dawes S Green MW

SSgt England N Sgt Worrell R LSgt Lindsell P LSgt Preston SA LCpl Calder M LCpl Rubens AG Cfn Roberts JS Cfn Wright WJ

D SOUADRON

8H0 Maj JSP Swayne Capt AJP Woodward W02 Rogers LD CoH Norris MJW LCoH Elliott LJ LCoH Musgrave RA LCpl Shileds J LCpl Jordan MD Tpr Wheatley WJ Tpr Reason JJ Tpr Channing CAJ Tpr Mol'lat JA Tpr Curley W Tpr Andenon A 1 Troop

2 Troop Ct TE Pitman LCoH Smith 75 N LCoH Mc Carley A LCoH Young PC LCpl Hooper MA Tpr Brown 44 MP Tpr Smith DA Tpr Ward JC Tpr Simkins AD

Ct AL Orr-Ewmg CoH Pitt CMJ LCoH Dear AM LCoH Cox DW LCoH Trinick CJ Tpr Tate RMM Tpr Viokers R Tpr Bestwick MP Tpr Taylor JWN Tpr Whiting CE

Tpr Gillespie P Tpr Sandy R 2 Troop Ct A D Dick CoH Flynn MJ LCoH Gray DP LCoH Darby l LCpl Glasgow KF Tpr Stickland CG Tpr Hingley P Tpr Bright EM Tpr Goldsmith P Tpr Sydenham NJ Tpr Darby 13 AV Tpr Palframen MK 3 Troop Lt JE Ings-Chambers LCoH Miles DM LCoH Smith 39 MR LCoH McGuire P LCpl Wood PM Tpr Light A Tpr Whelan LF Tpr Clark M Tpr Haresrgn R H Tpr Bentley RM Tpr Robson DMR Tpr Horsetield 01 A Support Troop Lt HFMO Jodrell LCoH Freeman MA LCoH Smith 73 T LCoH Roberts MJ Tpr Phillips AI Tpr Newman JLD Tpr Harris MJ Tpr Watson AP Tpr Bromley JA Tpr LeWis CJK Tpr Mooney JM Trp Naylor JL GW Troop LT MJ Hamilton‘Russell CoH Willacy FS LCoH Dixon D LCpl Telling DJ Tpr Bescoby GD Tpr Shorey WJ Tpr Swain DA Tpr Pirie IA Tpr James D Tpr Hutton MJ Tpr Sweetman Cl Tpr Sawyer SJ Admin SCpl Maher VP LCoH Terry SM LCpl Beulah M LCpl Pass J LCpl Spencer ND Tpr Hanivood PA Tpr Howell lM Tpr Randall MR Tpr Wall NJE Tpr Williamson A Tpr Harrison CP Tpr Horne PJ Tpr Horsefield RM Tpr Galbraith SA Tpr Faiers PM LAD SSgt Valentine GF Sgt Page SD LSgt Walker G LCpl Ellison GB LCpl Mackinnon G LCpl Straiton G Cin Evans AJ Cin Cairns GM Cln Porteous AN

Lt The Lord Fermoy Tpr Gardner AC Orderly Room CoH Williams G LCoH Kellett N LCpl McCrossan SL SHG CoH Mitchell MD Tpr Lord ST Tpr Tabbron MA Forge FLCpI Edwards ML LCpl Francis LMR FLCpI Newman SJ Farr Adcock DRJ Farr Welsh GS Farr Cox-Rusbridge SAF Officers Mess CoH Tuxiord P LCoH Graham MA Saddlers Shop LCoH Goodwin M LCpl Twyman P

MT Troop Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr Tpr

Bone RC Costain M Downing TJ Frampton DA Stubbings AM Walding JJ Warburton AD

WO's & NCO‘s Mess SCpI Lawson PJ LCoH Whiting BJ LCpl Smith KJ Tpr Bunit‘t MC Provost Staff LCpl Short ADW Medical Centre LCpl Hamilton PA Tpr Franklin DP Riding Staff Capt D McGregor

W02 Pendry TA BEM LCoH Flynn NA LCoH Wood G Training Wing/Admin Staff Lt CA Lockhai‘t LCoH Mitchell PJ Tpr Amos RD Tpr Cullen K Tailors Shop SCpI English WA LCoH Jones N LCpl Slingsby PA Armourers Shop Tpr Prentice SJL Quanermasters Department LCoH Cross AD LCoH Jones T LCoH Wheeler-Smith ID LCpl Bridgewood JE LCpl Hughes AB

THE BLUES AND ROYALS MOUNTED SOUADRON

5H0 Mai J Shaw Capt JB Poole W02 Dunkley GM

SQMC Bowden TJ

THE HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY MOUNTED REGIMENT HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON RHQ Lt Col GTR Birdwood

LCoH May CS LCpl Moore RA LCpl Scovell A Tpr Adams CA Tpr Baker CP Tpr McGregor IA Tpr McThune PJ

Tpr Welsh AM 1 Troop Capt CHE Garnett CoH Ford H CoH Harris PD LCoH Hastings GK LCoH Welsh SR LCpl Brown P LCpl Bye CE LCpl Byrne JJ LCpl Ireton JK LCpl Mowbray MJ Tpr Anderson LJ Tpr Biggs JJ Tpr Binns A Tpr Brigden MJ Tpr Drury N Tpr Griffiths NL Tpr Hartshorn DE Tpr Haywood S Tpr James SA Tpr McCormack SJ Tpr Mclnnes T Tpr Payne Pl Tpr Peat Pl Tpr Spencer CAJ Tpr Swilt GP Tpr Thomas CGJ Tpr Thorne NP Tpr Turner TDF 2 Troop Lt S St M Miller CoH Allen KB LCoH Fermor DA LCoH Mills SJ LCpl Boggan J LCpl Dawes AG LCpl Jones GE LCpl Moore GP LCpl Picklord SR Tpr Ball SKG Tpr Cain TR Tpr Cook D Tpr Cunnitte TD Tpr Day J Tpr Dunderdale J Tpr Goth KV Tpr Havelock JN Tpr Mason AS Tpr Martin AJ Tpr Morrison K Tpr Staftenon RK Tpr Temple S Tpr Todd WE Tpr Varley NJ Tpr Watson M Tpr Whiting DP Tpr Ward MA Tpr Wood M Tpr Yates JC 3 Troop Lt DPJ Hawes Lt AM Holman CoH Clavering M CoH Pilchowski GW LCoH Ovenon TL LCoH Stokes L LCoH Thomas PJ LCpl Allison PT LCpl Foster WE LCpl McMullen SD LCpl Pearse T LCpl Venables PD LCpl Winter WM Tpr Bell GA Tpr Brooks MJ Tpr Bushell WGL Tpr De Vere Walker CD Tpr Deick WGL Tpr French SG Tpr Hackman RC Tpr Hockings CGC Tpr Hough PT Tpr Marsh CJ Tpr Nicholls SRA Tpr Park GJ Tpr Pugh JS Tpr Selway AC Tpr Smart RA Tpr Smith DB Tpr Walker NK

Tpr Watkins MJ Tpr Williams CA

HO WDist Mai GH Tweedie 15 Bde York Mai WT Browne

RIDING SCHOOL lnverness Ride CoH Atkinson L Tpr Petford DD Tpr Presbury L Tpr Ramsden CD Tpr Watson IC Aberdeen Ride LCoH Beaumont MN Tpr Bush DJ Tpr Farrar M Tpr Grigsby R Tpr Hopewell DL Others Capt G V Woyka r Mu5ical Ride Oflicer W02 Pitt OJ BEM - RQMC s Cse Scpl Hart N — Redundancy CoH Hunter — RMA Sandhurst CoH McGarry P — Redundancy CoH Preece DCP ~ Clarence House LCpl Measures 8 ~ Hong Kong Tpr Blake DA — Recrurting Team Tpr Ford MFL ~ Waiting Ride Tpr Grant RA — Wairiing Ride Tpr Massey SD — Waiting Ride Tpr McGough PD — Waiting Ride Terheaton AJ 7 Detention

OFFICERS AT ERE HQ H Cav Col J D SmithBingham HQ 7 Armd Ede Brig T J Sulivan CBE HQ Londist Col J G HamiltonrRussell Lt Col IMDL Weston OBE Lt Col JS Oliwer MOD Mai BWB WhiterSpunner Mai AA Wood HQ DRAC Mai DTL Hardy Berlin Capt L Villers RV Capt DA O'Halloran Capt CJ Sayer Guards Depot Capt GA Fox Lt JDS Boyal Li C York Canada Lt Tpi Daniel Lt JAC Swayne

2 Regt AAC Capt GMD McCullough RMCS Shrivenham Lt WEI-I Bagriell UDR Lt GR Breitmeyer Newcastle University Ct AC Lowe

Signals School W02 BlaCkburn S SCpl Simpson PW 2 Armd Del Sqn SCpl Morgan DW

Oxford University Ct CWG Rodway

Bovington Support Unit CoH Douglas Mr CoH Wright P LCpl Johnson RM

1 Gren Gds Lt MJ Manning

7 CDT Trg Team CoH Hollingwor‘th KP

RHG/D ERE LIST RAC Gunnery School W01 Streetori PF SCpl Elliott C CoH Fisher FC LCoH Kitchen R LCoH Mitchell PJ HO Household Cavalry WO1 Bourne NW CoH Freeman KR CoH Barber PE CoH Hyett SP CoH Seget MP LCoH Sturgeon EJ D Sqn RY W02 Wenden H LCoH Farmer AP RAC Sales Team SCpl Baker KH CoH Lock MJ

RAC Trg Regt CoH Birch GW CoH Hodges CJ CoH Matthew G C Sqn RV LCoH Shaw GS CoH Dawes PG

MOD SCpI Hammond BJ LCoH GaIVin PW W02 Reeve AD 4 Regt AAC LCoH Smith PR 5 CTT LCoH Dobie RJ UN Support Team SCpl Maroon TA RMAS Tpr Toon CJN

D & M School SCpl Buxton P RY SCpl Towse J LCpl Hardwidge N JLR RAC LCoH Jones E RAVC NORIRELAND LCpl Preston A 7 Armd Bde LCoH Trow P Sinai CoH Broughton A Tpr Farrell MJ

LG

JLR Regt Lt JMS Wilkinson

Tpr Chapman MS Tpr Robinson M Tpr Thorburn K

BF Cyprus Ct EHD Andrewes

Berlin CoH Fernley C

PM Coll Coy Lt TJ Quinn

PMC Arbonield

5 AB Bde Lt J Eyre

LCoH Polley NF LCoH Bowtel‘ AD LCoH Barnard LCpl Clayton PJ LCpl Shaw G LCpl Stallord Tpr Anderson M Tpr Vallely FJ

LCoH Smith PR CoH Morrall B ACIO Bournemouth CoH Eyre R

HQ UKLF Lt Col DM Reed-Felstead Mai MR Coreth Capt RJ Onslow

RAC Centre W02 Guest J SCpI Miller DG

301 05 Staff College Lt Col AJ Miller~Bakewell Lt Col W R Rollo

Guards Depot CoH Voyce D LCoH Wootenden ALE LCoH Murphy SP

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THE ARMED FORCES ART SOCIETY

Letters Page REGULAR FORCES EMPLOYMENT ASSOCIATION Leaving the forces? If so. FREA are ready to help you with your resettlement in the UK and. in particular. to help you find suitable employment. If you have served with good character in the noncommissioned ranks for a minimum of three years. or less if you are being discharged on medical grounds. the Association‘s ser» vices are available to you at no cost.

We are pan of the Forces Resettlement Service and. with over a hundred years of experience behind us. operate through forty Branches throughout the UK where our Employment Officers are in close contact with employers.

If you need our help. fill in the card which will be with your discharge documents, or make earlier contact with the Branch in your area of interest. Branch addresses and telephone numbers can be found from Unit/Ship Resettlement Officers: Regimental.

Corps and Service Associations; Jobcentres and local telephone directories. Or. write to us at Head Office. 25 Bloomsbury Square.

London. WC14 ZLN.

FOUNDATIONERS AT WELLINGTON COLLEGE When Wellington College was founded in memory of the great Duke. a main purpose was to provide an education for the sons of deceased Army Officers. Over the years the original Charter has been liberalised. and the Foundation can now also help the sons (13-18) and daughters (16-18) of Commissioned Officers in all branches of the services who have died whilst still sewing and of ex officers provided they are in receipt of retired pay at the time of their death. This help takes the form of an education at Wellington on reduced fees. the size of which depends on the means of the surviving parent.

It has become apparent that a number of people who could have benefited from the Foundation in the education of their children were not aware of its existence, I am therefore sending this letter to inform you that we are only too pleased to elect Foundationers who fall into our charitable ambit. lnevitably, as the number of conflicts in which Britain is involved declines. and as our Armed Forces shrink, so the demands on our Foundation shrink too; but we do not want everyone to know that we can help. It is not neces— sary for Foundationers to be registered with Wellington before they apply for election; in other words. a late change in circumstances will not debar someone seeking election to the Founda-

The Amied Forces Art Society exists to help people in the Ser— vices who draw and paint. make sculpture or engrave glass by holding an exhibition in London each year at the National Army Museum in Chelsea at which about 400 works go on show.

Many of the exhibitors are professional artists who have served in the Forces thus ensuring a high standard of work. This also provides a great opportunity for the less experienced to see their work in a major exhibition and to benefit from professional advice. The Prince of Wales. a distinguished watercolourist. is the Society‘s Patron.

The dates for this year‘s exhibition are: Private View: Wednesday 20 November 3pm to 9pm. Open to Public: Thursday 21 November 11am to 5pm. Tuesday 27 November to Sunday 24 November 2pm to 5pm. Further Details can be obtained by sending a SAE to: The Assistant Secretary Captain Bill Blake.

D Block. Duke of Yorks HQ. London SW3 43E, Dear Major Swayne Just received your letter ofAugust 12th. I feel I ought to apologies for poor communication within the Polish Mafia.

The first contacts with your units were in the village of Driel and I remember the two seater Scout Car. 1 think it was known as “Dingo". who made the first contact with the Airborne Forces in the Arnhem area. I remember having a chat with the officer and the sergeant of the Scout Car. Both seemed well informed of our position.

The Car stayed quite some time with us and towards the evening. was parked outside Driel church facing Elst Road. Your officer was trying to climb the tower to have a look and the sergeant stayed in the car. I decided to have a chat with them and walked towards the parked vehicle. As I was about 4 yds away. a shell was fired and went over the car. not doing any damage to it, but unfortunately. decapitated the sergeant. His body slumped on the steering wheel and must have activated some hooter or signalling equipment. It produced a loud noise which for some inex— plicable reason I seem to remember.

I went to the church to tell your officer that he lost his sergeant.

My men extracted the sergeant. and we buried him near the local church. Rather a sad story. However one thing is worth remem— bering: Your Regiment and its little toy cars. were the first link we had with the XXX Corps and although little Dingo Scout Cars are not much of a reinforcement. at the time they boosted our morale.

Yours sincerely J L Czarski.

Where can you go for free and impartial financial advice?

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We offer a comprehensive and personal service covering Inheritance Tax, TaX Mitigation, Pensions, Investments,

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All enquiries about the Foundation. including potential admis— sions. should be addressed to the Bursar. Colonel David Cook.

Wellington College. Crowthome. Berkshire. R01 1 7PU. Dear Sir As founder member and chairman of the TRUCIAL OMAN SCOUTS ALL RANKS ASSOCIATION I would very much be obliged if you could advertise our existence through any journals or newsletters that you may publish and distribute to your mem— bers.

The TRUClAL OMAN SCOUTS and LEVlES existed in the Persian Gulf States from 1955 until 1971. Although seconded British army members were small. most branches were represented at some time.

Having traced about 125 exAT.O.S. we had a successful initial reunion last October. Now the search continues for others. We will accept for membership anyone who served as a Trucial Oman Levy or Scout or was attached personnel.

Hope you can help.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON 26 NOVEMBER 1992 '?.... If you enter for the Anny Photographic Competition you could be attending a lunch at London‘s Imperial War Museum to collect a share of the £4,000 worth of prizes on offer.

Prizes this year include a superb Nikon camera and 50mm lens to the Army Photographer of the Year: £500 in cash (£200 to the runner up) for the best amateur portfolio; numerous other cash awards ranging from £50 to £350: plus £250 worth of NAAFI store vouchers gust the job for Christmas fare): together with silver trophies and framed scrolls of honour.

And you don‘t need to be an expert photographer the majority of competitors are amateurs.

The competition is open to members of the regular army (including UDR) and Territorial Army. MoD (A) civilian person— nel and army families.

It may he that you already have a potential award winning entry. if not there‘s plenty of time photographs can be taken between 1 Oct 91 and the closing date for receipt of entries at HQ UKLF on 30 Sep 92.

Entry forms/details are available from your local P Info office.

71211]: to wary Law for impartialfinancial advice Towry Lavv & Co. Ltd., High Street, Windsor SL4 1LX. A FIMBRA member.

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ywm LCpl Nixon about to be ‘skinned' during the Cavalry Cup Final

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