-,
COVER PICTURES
Fron t: On 16th February, the Prime Minister unveiled a replica Sevastopol cannon in Huntingdon to replace a
gun that had been placed there in memory of men of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment (later the East
Surreys) killed at the battle. The original cannon had been melted down for munitions in World War 11.
The Regimental Secretary represented the Regiment at this ceremony and three Drummers of the 2nd
Battalion were on parade. One wore an 1855 uniform of the 31st and carried a Russian drum captured at the
battle by the 50th Foot, later the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. The photograph of the three
Drummers with the Prime Minister appeared on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph and in other papers
the following day.
Back: On 1st February, the 2nd Battalion exercised the Regiment' s Freedom of the City of Canterbury " Home
of The Queen's Regiment". The picture shows the Lord Mayor, Councillor Jim Nock inspecting the battalion's
Corps of Drums. A full account of this memorable day is on pages 9-12.
CROWN COPYR IGHT
This Journal contains official information . lt should be treated with discretion
by the recipient. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the policy and views , official or otherwi se . of The Queen 's
Regiment or the Minstry of Defen ce . Advertisements are in clud ed in good faith
and no responsibility for the quality of goods or service s can be accepted by the
publishers or printers .
The Journal of
THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT
No 69 June 1991
BATTLE HONOURS Unconquered I Serve BATTLE HONOURS
ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOURS ON THE QUEEN 'S COLOURS
-, Tangier 1662-80 , Namur 1695, Gibraltar Mon s, Marne 1914-18, Ai sne 1914, Ypres
1914-15- 17-18, Hill 60, Festubert 1915,
1704-5, Blenheim , Ramilles, Malplaquet, Somme 1916, 1918, Albert 1916, 191 8,
Dettingen , Louisburg , Guadeloupe 1759, Vi my 1917 , Cambra i 1917-18, Hindenburg
Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, St Lucia Line, Italy 1917-18, Macedonia 1915-18,
1778, Seringapatam , Maida , Vimiera Gall ipo li 1915, Gaza, Jerusalem, Palestine
Corunna , Douro, Talavera, Albuhera , Al- 1917- 18, Defence of Kut al Amara, Me so-
maraz, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Af- potamia 1915-18, NW Frontier India 1915,
ghanistan 1839, Punniar, M oodkee , So- 1916- 17 , Dunkirk 1940, Normandy Land-
braon , lnkerman, Sevastapol, Lu cknow, ing , North West Europe 1940, 1944-45 ,
Taku Forts, New Zealand, South Africa Abyssinia 1941 , Omars, Alam el Halfa, El
1879, Nile 1884-85, Burma 1885 -87, Alamein , Longstop Hill 1943, North Africa
Chitral , Reli ef of Ladysmith, Relief of 1940- 43 , Si cily 1943, Sangro, Salern o,
Kimberley, South Africa 1 89~ - 1 902 , Anzio, Cassino, Italy 1943-45, Malaya
1941 -42 , Malta 1940-42 , Hong Kong ,
Korea 1950-51
Defence of Kohima , Burma 1943-45
ALLIED COLONELS-IN-CHIEF
HER ROYAL HIGHNE SS PRINCESS JULIANA of the Netherlands
HER MAJESTY QUEEN MARGRETHE 11 of Denmark
COLONEL OF THE REGIMENT
Major General M F REYNOLD S, CB
DEPUTY COLONELS OF THE REGIMENT
Brigadi er R W ACWORTH , CBE Brigadier M R I CONSTANTIN E CBE
Co lonel R H GRAHAM , MBE Co lone l D A BEVERIDGE, MBE
HONORARY COLONELS OF TERRITORIAL ARMY BATTALIONS
Colonel The Rt Hon ROBIN LEIGH -PEMBERTON Colonel R R StJ BARKSHIRE , CBE , TD, JP, Dl
(5th (Volunteer) Battalion) (6thnth (Volunteer) Battalion )
Co lonel Sir Greville SPRATT, GBE , TD , DL, DLitt
(8th (Volunteer) Battalion The Queen ' s Fusiliers (City of London))
HONORARY REGIMENTAL APPOINTMENTS
Honorary Regimental Chaplain The Venerable P MALLETT, CB
Honorary Regim ental Solicitor l ieutenant Colonel U H B ALE XANDER , MBE, Dl, DCL
Honorary Regimental Historian Major C J D HASWELL
CIVIC HONOURS
The ' Privilege' of the City of London (1666; permanently 1672) The Freedom of Arundel (1954), Ashford (1985; ad opti on
1961), Barnet (1955), Belfast (1961 ), Brighton (1944) , Canterbury (1948), Chichester (1951 ),
Crowborough (1989), Eastbourne (1951), Folkestone (1961 ; adoption 1960), Guildford (1944 ), Hove (1958), Kingston-
upon-Thames (1944) , Lewes (1953), Maidstone (1944), Ramsgate (1959), Reigate and Banstead (1963), Tonbridge and
Mailing (1985; adoption 1944), Worthing (1959)
ALLIANCES
The Canadian Armed Forces The New Zealand Army
2nd Battalion (Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and
The Queen ' s Own Alberta Light Horse (RCAC) West Coast) The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
The South Alberta Light Horse IRCAC) 5th Battalion (Wellin_gton West Coast and Taranaki) , The
The Queen 's Own Rifles of Canada Royal New Zea land Infantry Regiment
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
1st Battalion the Royal New Brunswick Regiment The Pakistan Army
12th, 14th, 15th and 17th Battalions, The Punjab Regiment
(Carleton & York)
The Essex and Kent Scottish
The Australian Military Forces Hong Kong
The Royal H ong Kong Regiment (The Vo lunteers)
The Royal New South Wales Regiment
The University of New South Wa les Regiment AFFILIATIONS
The Royal Western Australia Regiment
HMS Nelson, HMS Chatham, The Royal Anglian Regiment
HMS Leeds Castle and HMS Kent The King's Own Scottish Borderers
The Royal Marines (A 'Bond of Friendship ') No. 3 IF) Squadron Royal Air Force
The Royal Regiment of Fu siliers The Royal Danish Life Guards (an 'Unofficial Alliance ')
The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers
AFFILIATED UNITS OF THE CADET FORCES
CCF School Contingents
Alleyn ' s Schoo l; Ardingly College; Brighton College; Caterham School; Chichester High School; Collyer's VI Form
College (Horsham); Cranbrook School ; Cranleigh School ; Dulwich Co ll ege; Eastbourne Co llege; Epsom College;
Haberdasher's Aske's School (Eistree); Hampton Grammar School; Highg ate School ; Hurstpierpoint Co ll ege; Judd
School (Tonbridge); King's School (Canterbury); Kingston Grammar School ; Lancing College ; Mill Hill School; Reeds
School ; Reigate Grammar School; Royal Grammar School (Gui ldford) ; Sir Roger Manwood 's School (Sandwich) ; St
Edmund 's School (Canterbury); St John ' s School (Leatherhead) ; St Lawrence College (Ramsgate); Skinners School
"(Tunbridge Wel ls); Sutton Va lence School ; Tonbridge School; Whitgift School; Wilsons Grammar Schoo l.
ACF Units/Sub- Units Cadet Companies Nos 25 and 26
Greater London :
Cadet Companies Nos 19~ 19~20~211 , 213, 2 1 ~ 217
NE London Sector Cadet Companies No. 72
Middlesex and Cadet Detchments Nos 133, 134, 136, 138, 141 , 143, 149, 151 , 153, 155, 156, 158
NW London Sector Cadet Battalions 1st (Caterham) and 2nd (Farnham) Th e Queen ' s Own Regiment (Surrey
SE London Sector ACF)
SW London Sector Cadet Battalions 1st (Canterbu ry) , 2nd (Sandgate) , 3rd (Tunbridge Wells) and 4th
Surrey: (Maidstone) The Queen's Regiment (Kent ACF)
Cadet Platoons Nos 2 (Seaford) , 3 (Hastings), 4 (Lewes) , 5 (Haywards heath), 6 (Crawley),
Kent: 7 (Chichester), 8 (Crowborough), 9 (Worthing), 10, (Eastbourne), 11
(Horsham) , 13 (Shoreham) , 14 (Bex hill), 16 (Hurstpierpoint), 17 (Bog nor),
Sussex: 18 (Litt lehampton), 19 (H a il sham) , 20 (Lewes OGS) , 22 (Steyning)
2
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS
Howe Barracks Canterbury, Kent CT1 1JY (Telephone 0227 7634341
Regimental Secretary Col J W Fran cis (ext 42951
Deputy Regimental Secretary Lt Col J J White (ext 42501
Finance, Chattels, QUEENS Assn Benevolence and R SUSSEX Liaison Maj A Martin, MBE (ext 4251 1
Chairman Welfare and Benevolence Committee Museum , Archives and
QUEEN 'S SURREYS Assn Affairs Lt Col L M Wilson , MBE (4253 1
QUEEN'S OWN BUFFS Assn Affairs Maj A P O'Gorman (ext 4252 1
RHO Adm in Asst RCO, Regtl Assn and MX Assn Liaison Maj W D Marshal! (ext 42541
Regimental Careers Officer
QC Regimental Information Team Maj I R Jones (ext 4255 )
QC Regimental Free Fall Team 'The Flying Dragons ' Capt G T Fran ce (0622 671241 ext 292)
Lt J M Griggs (0763 249300 ext 4302 )
REGULAR BATTALIONS TA BATTALIONS
1st Battalion 5th (V) Battalion
Clifton Barracks, M ind en, BFPO 29 Leros TA Centre , Sturry Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1HR
(Telephone 010.49.571 .800 .3 121 (Telephone 0227 462769)
CO: Lt Col A C Mieville
CO: Lt Col C L Argent
2nd Battalion
Howe Barracks, Ca nterbury, Kent CT1 1JY 6th/7th (V) Battalion
Norfolk TA Cent re, Den ne Road , Horsham , Sussex
(Telephone 02 27 763434)
(Telephone 0403 66111)
CO: Lt Col DJ Wake, MBE
CO: Lt Co l PAD Storie-Pugh , MBE TD
3rd Battlion
Sa lama nca Barracks, Episkopi , BFPO 53 8th (V) Battalion The Queen 's Fusiliers (City of London)
TA Centre, St John's Hill, Clapham Junction, London SW1 1 1TT
(Telep hone 010 35 75261
CO: Lt Col A A A Beattie (Teleph one 071-924 31221
CO: Lt Col P D McLell and
REGIMENTAL REPRESENTATIVES
Depot The Queen's Division Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Bassingbo urn Barra cks, Royst on, Herts, SGB 5LX RMA Sandhurst, Camberley, Surrey GU15 4PQ
(Telephone 0763 42 27 1) (Te lepho ne 0276 63344)
th Maj MS Ouinn
Capt M J Williams
11. Denmark Junior Infantry Battalion (Shorncliffe)
11
rl. HQ BALTAP , Naval Party 1004, BFPO Ships Si r John Moo re Barracks, Shorncliffe, Kent CT20 3 HE
(Telephone 010 .45.86.615111 ext 2316) (Te lephone 0303 495411
M aj GC Brown Maj PR P Howe
3
Editor : c0 ntents
lt Col J J White,
Reg1mental Headquaners, Editorial page
Howe Barracks, Dates to Remember 5
Canterbury , Kent Mainly About People 6
The Exercise of the Freedom of the City of Canterbury
CTl lJU 1st Battalion 6
Regimental Badge 2nd Battalion 9
3rd Battalion 12
Collar Badge 5th (Volunteer) Battalion 19
6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion 25
Bunon 8th (Volunteer) Batta lion The Queen's Fusi liers 29
Depot The Queen's Division 33
Junior Infantry Batta lion (Shorncliffe) 37
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 40
Regimental Bands 41
Regimental Information Team
The Flying Dragons 42
Cadet News
Regimental Headquarters 43
Officers' Club 47
Marriages, Deaths and Obituaries 47
Regimental Associations
Alliances and Affiliations 49
Letters 51
Articles 52
52
61
66
69
72
Paper DEADLINES
Kindly donated by Material for publication must reach the Editor by the following dates ;
Maj J l A Fowler , TO
June edition - 15 April
Printers : Dece mber edition - 15 Oct ober
Geerings of Ashford Ltd These are the latest dates and copy will be welcome earlier.
Cobbs Wood House 4
Chan Road
Ashford Kent
EDITORIAL
tRavoievTRtgihhdeiemelgyie"mmdHneetao'nssmjctoaFrerilrbeoeSeefvdedTerohvenmieltsceeQcowoufinvheteeheCrreneea'sCdnbitRtyeiynerMbgotuifahmrjCiyseJanoCnetcat"dek.tihrtTbHieohudainrsrsyawsolbepfaylelnt,cthdhtoeaeutchrJu2eolnHandurornapBnoaaaCrrtlaativadrhiyleciaoRsonLneubogne1nicmeFhtneheenebottrhinaruelarfeoHreytriuxswr4etnoa0rrc0sfi.raisfonoTimn,lhlgoaeMwnoddeinfadodythtebhienys-
ers.
tmbhaeeAttmnlPeoor.tirmhTyeheoer fMncthoienotriaessbmeteleoor nfooytcfhcwaeaasr3sei1opsanltit,ct(eadHneucdpnaeictnditnnebgodydnootfhnnreoshmthRireeeSg)ferimRvoaneestgntitocmaoplevoSenl.ret,,TclrhwaeitasteasrrreytthhpaeelanEcdueanMdsvteraSsinluiJnreograehrynolsine,Frwr1ag6hnuocFniesde,biertreoudcgatierenytdhthbeineyr
with three Drummers from the 2nd Battalion.
iPmrAeeslnsitdosernwetp,howorhtebodewloisansagclutoonmcSmhteisoDsnuioninnsetLadonnisnd. JoTunhleyosn1e974inM2cailnurtcdohetdhgeivMeQnruCefoeornlib'nslinRBdoeyamaulemRmoebngetimr-Esedonmft.oounrdfsorMbeCa, rthreegir-
Among several sporting achievements, the 1st Battalions success in winn ing the Army
Novices Boxing Championships is paramount. Our warmest congratulations go to their team on
this notable victory.
tsOMhebeiTrdivtwdRui nolaeegrsgiheeiDmisxgeeRphanruleeyttgywiirnmCehcesool upnl odhet neac(eDdvt eleCdloaOpft)eamt hrsae.esnTemdRdhbteeheogefnriismr,osetstohonifesmt r.t hMeBiseaooBjtRfhGriwegweghniHiloml SumbegierhnaJtgTlaosralheornafvahtelWamyrviwmielllyohiwsuoshegeaalhldt-vbd,etyhea,essraeetorcifmvfoeecrendmotuoleyOrfrsbhdeCiiitseuowdadliolrelniaaeeontslhtdhoiwenftrhasTtshehoiiesarf
Journal.
The Appea l to our Freedom cities, boroughs and towns for the refurbishment of drums in the
four Corps of Drums of the Regiment has met with a most generous response. We are extremely
grateful for the money already donated or pledged which together almost reaches the target of
£8 ,800 .
ly We are delighted at the appointment as Deputy Colonel of Col David Beveridge who is current-
Commander of Victory College at RMA Sandhurst. A pen picture and photograph are included
elsewhere.
This Journal also contains several interesting articles including one by Co l John Shipster, our
former Regimental Secretary, of his recent visit to J apan. Another topical report is of
Queensmen who served in the Gulf War, by Maj James Myles.
cCfIrhrnoeeiaehfutAmsasairrsnneebiatgmdnwerneyeebmdo"nebugerriaronerimntectrtgadb1eoouel9cmitc7orprhsmue3nraeidstetosti,onnfssbrgdityentthahhgceat5reeaier0oreRree%nd1ae,9lsiegs5.wrfsie9rmTmshoqhtemeuuhoenrecifesthsCtawhtsosoisehhnllpodeogmseneutihactesxlhudnetl elryroaaaeirtfntlg'hissdotusoehmnuleymafapeorRaoplenlrb'seoleattgrrahtetifstemrgareioneilneemmisofinapofenetcor'nschhlnaEttaissoernosgivfgbnheiwloina'iltsirugvhtoihyertertaeffIsR'oonnsfurrfaemarbtigwvorneaiirmtvaldarlier'tyeleildncrnrRMeiegtswgegP,ioioigimostfmnihnmtweehonesnnietntinothsms"t.Oa,cciollnhoiaptfnyanrtiitnisstholcigitaennuwietletsul.oLsyseirfAnottnttohoeolr-l
the Colonel of the Regiment, to their local M Ps.
3R0eFgJiniumanleelyn,,tapaglneadainsoeuatrresthmixeefmoDribbveeisraiotrhnraaetlgtiDhmeeepnaotnstnaautraelBwaRsaesrgiminmglyebnointuavrlinteG. drAa. lnDl doseRcrovemiunnegioiafnnydwouilpl cabasent .mhYeeolmdu bowenirllsSbuoenf cdteharey-
tain of meeting many friends and having a really enjoyable day.
CAPT S R BURNETT
lt is with deepest regret that we report the death of Capt Simon Burnett in a motor
accident in Germany on 18 May 1991 .
5
MAIN DATES TO REMEMBER-JUNE TO DECEMBER 1991
(Further details will be sent to those involved or may be obtained from Regim ental Headqu arters)
June 'Glorious First of June' (1794) September
1 5 QUEENS (V) Annual Camp
1-15 QUEENS SURREYS Regtl Assn Reunion 3-21 6{7 QUEENS (V) Annual Camp
2 7-11 2 QUEENS Training in Canada
6 Regtl Golf Meeting 7-22 8 OF (V) Annual Camp
7 3 QUEENS on HM The Queen's 8 Sevastopol Day (1855)
Birthday Parade, Cyprus.
8-17 Albuhera Band in Falkland Islands 8 QUEENS (QUEENS OWN BUFFS) Regtl
15 Official Birthday of HM The Queen Assn Reunion
30
Regtl Grand Reunion 9 Salerno Day (1943)
13 Qu ebec Day (1759)
July October QUEENS SURREYS Officers ' Luncheon
Regtl Assn Meetings, London
1-7 2 QUEENS Sevastopol Coy return from 4
Falkland Islands 11 WOs' and Sgts' Past and Present Dinner
12 Regtl Cocktail Party
2 July- 3 QUEENS B Coy Gp in the Falkland 25
10 Nov Islands.
22 July - 3 QUEENS Adventure Training in November
5 Aug Kenya.
1 QUEENS SURREYS Regtl Assn Reunion
30-3 Aug Freedom Parades in Surrey, Kent and 7 Regtl Assns to Field of Remembrance
9 MX Regtl Assn Service at Field of
Sussex
Remembrance
August
9 Lord Mayor's Procession
2-8 Regtl Cricket Tent 10 Remembrance Day
4 QUEENS (QUEENS OWN BUFFS) Regtl
December
Assn reunion
16-22 Sep1 QUEENS training in Canada 15 MX Officers' Luncheon
20 British Battalion Day
31 25th Anniversary of Vesting Day (1966)
MAINLY ABOUT PEOPLE
Brig R W Acworth OBE retired from the Army in Sgt D G Harper, 6/7 QUEENS (V) , won the
February 1991 and has been appointed Registrar of SJ;DI$T (TA) Individual Cross Country
St Paul's Cathedral. Championship at Pirbright on 13 January.
Brig J C Holman CBE has been appointed Cpl N Phillips, 1 QUEENS, and Cpl J Dunn,
· Chairman of Army Cricket. Depot, represented the Army at Boxing versus the
Royal Navy on 31 January 1991 .
Brig R M M Low OBE was appointed Chief of
Staff HQ Northern Ireland and promoted to Onsm Ferguson 3 QUEENS received an 'A ' grad-
Brigadier in April 91 . ing on the RMA 3 course.
Maj A J Meldrum TD has been promoted to Lt Pte Beckinsale 1 QUEENS and Pte Mahoney,
Col. both 1 QUEENS, won the Welter-weight and
Heavy-weight competitions respectively in the
Lt J R Griggs, Lt T Mayor and L Cpl White, all 2 Army Novices Individual Boxing Championships.
QUEENS , represented the Infantry at Rugby
Football against the RAC at Bovington on 13 March L Cpl Duncan 6{7 QUEENS (V) was runner-up in
91 . the WRAC competition at the SEDIST (TA) Cross
Country Championships.
Lt R Thornton and C Sgt G Harmer, both 6/7
QUEENS (V) , were awarded the MBE and BEM
respectively in the New Year's Honours.
CSgt Smith 3 QUEENS received an 'A ' grading SMI M Johns, 3 QUEENS (ACF). was awarded
on the NBC Instructors course. the Lord Lieutenant of Kent's Meritorious Service
Certificate.
Sgt Arthey, LCpl Rundle and Onsm Odey, all 3
QUEENS have received Commendations from the 1 QUEENS, won both the BAOR Grade 3 Novices
Commander British Forces Cyprus. Boxing Competition and the BAOR v UKLF Cup.
6
1 QUEENS won the Infantry Biathlon
Competition and competed for the first time in the
Army and National Biathlon finals.
3 QUEENS . The following received Commen-
dations from the GOC Northern Ireland :
Lt Mal Ion Sgt Nurse
tl W02 Cavaglieri Sgt Drake
W02 Presser Cpl Beech ing
CSgt M claughlan Cpl Garrigan
CSgt Nicklin
and the following received the LS and GC medal:
W02 Churcher D/Maj Meachen Cpl Brown
W02 Adams
Sgt Drake Cpl Arnold Cpl Ray
Cpl Hockley LCpl Wadforth
6/7 QUEENS (V) Orienteering Team won the
South East District TA Championships for the sixth
successive year. Sgt Harper was individual cham-
,f pion and Maj A P Guthrie was first to comp lete the
' B' course.
6/7 QUEENS (V), B (Somme) Company team Or Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, with Brig
won the 1990 SEDIST TA Sub Units Minor Sports John Holman after taking the Becket Memorial Service in
Championships. 18 teams competed at squash, 5 a the chapel in the keep of Dover Castle on 8 December
side football, basketball, volleyball and tug of war. before his retirement .
STOP PRESS
e THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT
y
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
I, MEDAL
e
lt was announced on Albuhera Day 1991 that the
1- following had been selected for the award of The
Queen's Regiment Meritorious Service Medal:
/,
d Lt I R Wright } 1 QUEENS
e LCpl R B Gallett
n ex Cpl R Bril l Formerly 1 QUEENS
s Cpl R S Phillips 2 QUEENS
Maj J F Burke Formerly 3 QUEENS
j W01 (BM ) B Cunningham 5 QUEENS (V)
e Capt J Day TD 6n QUEENS (V)
s
7
COLONEL D A BEVERIDGE MBE
DEPUTY COLONEL OF THE REGIMENT
Born in 1944 Col David Beveridge spent his forma- attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and
tive years in West Sussex, attending Christ's Hospital was commissioned in 1964 into his county Infantry
School at Horsham until he was 18 years old. He then regiment, the Royal Sussex . After one year , spent as a
platoon commander in Malta and on an emergency
tour in Aden, Co l Beveridge attended Nottingham
University where he read French and German, gradu-
ating with an honours degree in 1968. By this time the
Royal Sussex Regiment has become part of The
Queen 's Regiment and he subsequently served with 3
QUEENS in Germany, Northern Ireland and England
until1972 .
A two year tour as a Staff Captain in MOD was fol-
lowed by two years as a company comman der at
Depot the Queen 's Division , after which Col Beveridge
attended the Canadian Command and Staff College in
Toronto . On graduating in 1977 Col Beveridge was
posted to Germany as DAA&Q MG HQ Task Force
Bravo (DCOS HQ 22 Armd Bde in today's terminolo-
gy) following which he served for two years as a com-
pany co mmander in 3 QUEENS in England and
Germany . He then joined the Directing Staff at the
Staff College Camberley, where he taught for two
years before assuming com mand of 3 QUEENS in
Germany at the end of 1983.
Col Beveridge took his battalion to West Belfast for
an emergency tour in early 1984, but for the majority of
his time in command 3 QUEENS was a mechanized
infan try battalion in 7 Armd Bde , moving back to
England in early 1986. On relinquishing command Col
Beveridge was posted to Wilton , where he assumed
the post of Chief of Staff of the Tactical Doctrine and
Arms Directorate in September 1986. In October 1990
Col Beveridge was posted to RMAS as Commander
Victory College.
Col Beveridge is married with two children , one dog
and two boats. He is an enthusiastic sailor and an
equally keen , although much less skilful, golfer.
THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT GRAND REUNION
Depot The Queen's Division, Bassingbourn,
Sunday 30 June 1991
Come along to join other serving and retired members of the Regiment and our found-
ing regiments. The Drumhead Service is at 12 noon , the Flying Dragons, other displays
and competitions follow in the afternoon and the Beating Retreat by the Albuhera Band
and 2nd Battalion Corps of Drums is at 4 PM . Further details are obtainable from Major
Bill Marshal I on Canterbury (0227) 763434 extension 4254.
8
THE EXERCISE OF THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF CANTERBURY
by Maj C J D Haswell, Honorary Regimental Historian.
lt was indeed a sp lendid , a memorable and his-
toric occasion- the Glorious First of February 1991
-w hen the Second Battalion of The Queen's
Regiment exercised the regimental privilege of the
Freedom of the City of Canterbury.
lt all began at 1100 hours when the battalion,
represented by four Guards and the Colour Party,
commanded by Lt Col DJ Wake MBE and totalling
250 all ranks, marched down Canterbury High
Street, thickly lined by the citizens and ex-Buffs
and Royal West Kents, halted and turned to face
the Beaney Institute, better known as the Public
Library and The Buffs Museum, where the Saluting
Base had been erected. The Parade Adjutant was
Capt James Cameron, the Queen's Colour was car-
ried by 2 Lt Louis Scott and the Regimental Colour
by 2 Lt Gavin Saunders escorted by the RSM , W01
Mike Gauntlett, W02 Alan Lewis and C Sgts Paul
Griggs and Joe De Zille. The Guards, numbers 1 to
4, were commanded by Majs Mike Hurman, David
Gouda, Roy Crosbie-Wood and Bob Wilby, in that
order. They were accompanied by the Albuhera
Band and Drums led by the Bandmaster, WO 1 lan
Peaple and the Drum Major, Sgt Malcolm
Hanmore. The Bandsmen and Drummers, in what
used to be known as 'full regimentals ', were, as
usual, a stirring sight which aroused much admira-
tion , and, incidentally, the drill of the four Guards
was immaculate.
The Colonel of the Regiment presenting a statuette of a
QUEENS drummer to the Lord Mayor of Canterbury.
!Picture by Ben May.}
The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of
Canterbury, Councillor J C B Nock and Maj Gen
Mike Reynolds CB, Colonel of the Regiment who
had 2 Lt Chris Farmer acting as his ADC, mounted
the dais to receive the General Salute and then
inspected the parade. They were preceded by two
Stick Orderlies , Sgts John Porter and Colin
Sudden, and immediately behind them marched
CSgt David Stroud bearing the ceremonial sword
of the City of Canterbury. The privilege of bearing a
sword in front of the Mayor of Canterbury was
granted originally by King James I and no doubt
many readers of the Journal will recall the picture
and description of it that appeared in the June
1990 edition. The style and title of Lord Mayor was
granted by the Queen in July 1988.
The Lord Mayor, accompanied by the CO and the Colonel Having returned to the Saluting Base after the
of the Regiment, passing the Colours on the inspection . Inspection , the Lord Mayor presented the Secon d
Battalion with the arms of Canterbury City on a
!Kentish Gazette picture.} shield, and the Regiment respo nded with a
statuette of a Queensman.
9
After the Inspection and presentation s the
Parade moved off round the City out of sight, for a
time, of the spectators beside the Saluting Base . A
little while later the battalion came back down the
High Street and Marched Past with Colours flying ,
Drums beating and Bayonets fixed , and there is no
doubt that the 'personality' who attracted most
attention was C Sgt Chuck Cullinane, the Assault
Pioneer Sergeant, resplendent behind his beard
and apron, and carrying his ceremonial axe bur-
nished until it shone like sterling silver.
The city dignitaries and invited spectators, who
included the Lord Lieutenant of the County, the Rt
Hon Robin Leigh-Pemberton, and his wife, then
walked through the narrow streets to the
Cathedral. The Civic Service was taken by the
Dean, the Very Reverend John Simpson, assisted
by the Honorary Regimental Chaplain, the
Venerable Peter Mallett, and the Battalion Padre,
the Reverend Brian Elliott. The service began with
the placing the Colours each side of the altar at the
east end of the nave.
The Dean's address (included later) was a model The 2nd Battalion Corps of Drums and the Albuhera Band
of its kind, and bearing in mind that the land battle marching through Christ Church Gate into the Precincts
of the Gu lf War had not begun - and did not begin of Canterbury Cathedral. (Picture by Pte Crookshank,
until 24 February - it cannot have been easy to 2 QUEENS.)
decide what to say and how to say it. His theme
was 'peace' and he defined it and described it, The Albuhera Band accompanied several of the
pointing out that it is a state which can only be hymns, and after the Service everyone walked
achieved where there is also righteousness and round to the Westgate hall for the Civic Luncheon
truth, and if it can be secured by no other means it of soup, roast turkey, fruit cocktail and ice cream ,
has to be fought for. Therefore there is such a and cheese, biscuits and coffee.
thing as a just war in order to secure righteous-
ness. lt was a most excellent address, short, entire-
ly to the point, in beautifully phrased English and
in no sense 'talking down' to the congregation that
filled the nave of this great cathedral.
The Lord Mayor proposed the toasts to The
Queen and The Queen's Regiment and Maj Gen
Mike Reynolds replied with a happy blend of
humour and gratitude.
From the invited guest's point of view, and apart
from the excellence of the parade, the Cathedral
Service and the civic lunch, four factors, in ascend-
ing order of importance, made the day so memo-
rable.
First, the weather. lt was a pleasantly mild day,
despite a gloomy forecast, and the sun shone as
the parade marched into position in front of the
Saluting Base. There was no rain. A week later the
whole thing would probably have been cancelled
because of snow.
The 2nd Battalion exercising the Regiment's Freedom of Secondly, being now past the three score years
the City of Canterbury, 'Home of The Queen's Regiment'. and ten , I can recall regimental occasions when the
(Kentish Gazette picture.( officers and privileged guests enjoyed excellent
hospitality after the parade, and the soldiers - who
had provided the spectacle - were considered to be
perfectly all right because they had their ground-
10
sheets and haversack rations. A great thing about
the First of February was that nearly everyone on
parade took part in everything ,_J)articularly the
Servi ce 1n the Cathedral and the CIVIC luncheon .
The third factor was the timing . This was perfect.
At no time was there any feeling of hassle or haste
as all the c ivic dignitaries , guests and soldiers
moved from the parade to the Cathedral and then
to the civic luncheon .
Finally, the organization was superb, and that is
no exaggeration. Bearing in mind what might have
happened in Gibraltar if the three IRA terrorists had
not been taken out, and with the memory of what
did happen to the Royal Marines in Deal , most
people were well aware that Exercising the
Privilege by the Second Battalion of The Queen's
Regiment presented terrorists with a spectacular
opportunity. Therefore it is only right that much
gratitude should be expressed for the way in which
Chief Inspector Archie Houston of the Kent Police
kept everything under control and ensured that
there was no unpleasantness. The police presence
was reassuringly there but never obtrusive.
Mr Bob Goodwin, the Lord Mayor's Secretary,
on behalf of the City of Canterbury, and Lt Col
John White representing Regimental Headquarters
combined to make what was undoubtedly a major
security problem appear in the guise of smooth
and simple organisation . During the planning
stage they were greatly assisted by the CO of the
Second Battalion , Lt Col Wake , and the Cathedral
authorities.
d For obvious security reasons Mr Goodwin pro-
:s vided guests with special car park tickets into a
<, reserved and guarded area by the Westgate Hall.
They were also given tickets to admit them to the
Cathedral and individual invitations to the civic lun-
ne cheon, and these were checked . When guests
3d
Jn arrived at the Saluting Base their names were on . The Dean of Canterbury Icentre! returns the Colours after
chairs, in the Cathedral chairs were similarly the Service in the Cathedral. The Regimental Honorary
"Tl , marked and names were on the tables in the Chaplain !The Ven Peter Mallett CBI and the 2 QUEENS
Westgate Hall. Padre IRevd Brian Elliottl are left and right of the Dean ,
1e respectively. !Picture by Ben May.
en
of The First of February was an outstandingly suc-
cessful and heart-warming day due entirely to the
3rt thought, care and hard work devoted to it by every-
ea! one involved in the organization . The success of
id- such an undertaking is directly proportional to the
10- amount of work involved in bringing it about.
it was followed , on Saturday 2 February, by a
ly, 'Welcome to Canterbury' cocktail party given by Lt
as Col Wake and the Officers of the Second Battalion
he in the Officers' Mess at Howe Barracks. The wel-
he come, the kindness and the generosity of the hosts
ed was fully in accord with the traditions of the
Regiment, but for me the evening was made by the
Jrs sentry on the gate who hoped that my wife and I
he would have a really good party. I reflected that sen -
'nt tries weren't like that in my day, but this one was
clearly a member of a regimental family rather
ho The Civic Reception for 400 in the Westgate Hall follow- than a regiment, and it seemed likely that the Army
be ing the Parade and Regimental Service in the Cathedral. was rather more human than it used to be.
1d- !Picture by Ben May.)
11
THE SERMON Christian is wholeness- the wholeness of individu -
by the Very Revd John Simpson MA, als who have become reconciled to God and to
Dean of Canterbury themselves, and to their fellow men and women ·
the wholeness of communities and societies which
When this service of 'Welcome Hom e' from base their life on compassion and justice and liber-
Germany to the 2nd Battalion of The Queen 's ty. lt is that state which can be achieved only
Regiment was first requested, some nine months where there is also righteousness and truth. and
ago, it seemed quite unthinkable that nine months freedom to be one with God and one with one's
hence Great Britain would be at war. Even two fellow men and women . This is peace as the
months ago, when with your Colonel and the
Christian understands it.
Chaplain we drew up the actual form of service, But we are bound to recognise that because of
war, though a possibility, was something we felt the world's chaos through man's sin, peace comes
Saddam Hussein would not be mad enough to only as God's gift, and the achievement of peace
allow his country to slide into. And yet, here we are can only be a hope for an age yet to come .
at war. You here have come home to England, but Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and yet there
many of your comrades have gone to the Gulf, is a sense in which Jesus came 'not to bring peace
even some of this Regiment are already in the Gulf. but a sword' . These are his own words . Th ere is a
But you all, for a time, are at home. What then am I false peace, and with that Jesus Christ wou ld have
to say to you this morning?
nothing to do. Jesus Christ would never compro-
I want to say certain things about 'Peace', and I mise, nor does he permit his fol lowers to compro-
say them as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus mise with falsehood, with error, with oppression,
Christ, the Prince of Peace. Ask a handful of people with injustice, with- let us use the word- with sin.
in the street, 'What is Peace? What do you mean So, in a world where these things abound, hi s
by Pea ce?' and you will get a whole variety of coming inevitably means division and struggle and
answers. To one, peace is the absence of war; to suffering; and the achieving of peace, in any true
another, peace is the removal of global threats, sense, is itself a conflict, a struggle. Peace, if it is to
whether they are nuclear, chemica l, biological; to be achieved, cannot avoid conflict with what is evil,
another, peace is the status quo; to another, peace so that ultimately the peace which is secured is a
is the shedding of all responsibility; and so the peace which rests firmly on righteousness. All of
answers go on. Peace is tranquillity, peace is secu- which is saying that peace, if it can be secured by
rity, peace is neutrality; peace is saying 'yes' to no other means has to be fought for. There is such
everyone. But to the Christian peace is something a thing as a 'just war' in order to secure righteous-
vastly different. ness .
Peace to the Christian is no narrow, confined Christian peace is a peace which rests on righ -
state - rest, tranquillity, the opposite of strife and teousness and this the true followers of Christ are
war. To the Christian peace is something far, far committed to attaining, and their strength ,
larger and greater and deeper and more all enabling them to engage in this quest, is their pos-
embracing than this. Peace contains the notions of session of Christ's own peace, that knowledge of
well-being, of safety, of soundness. Peace to the
being right with God. Amen .
1st BATTALION
FINAL DAYS IN TIDWORTH
Time and events have passed with such bewil- to pack in some final sessions of training and a
dering speed since we arrived in Minden that our KAPE tour, whilst welcoming a steady stream of
final days in Tidworth not only seem a lifetime senior officers paying us their farewell visits. Maj
away but were also, in retrospect, a period of ca lm Ashton kept the Army and the Regiment firmly in
and serenity!! Notwithstanding the pace of life, the the public eye with the KAPE tour in late October.
battalion has settled in very well to the new post- The KAPE team based itself at Crowborough
ing and we are all looking forward greatly to our Training Camp from which it sallied forth to con-
time in Germany. Much of the credit for the speed duct a very successful series of visits to schools
and ease with which we have settled in must go to and demonstrations.
the 2nd Battalion who gave us an excellent han-
dover and could not have been more helpful. Our Whilst the KAPE tour busied itself in the South
thanks to them all. East, we held our last Potential NCO cadre before
embarking for Germany. The ca dre co mpleted a
During our last weeks in Tidworth we managed three week drill and duties phase in Tidworth
12
1st Battalion
before those destined for the rifle companies head-
ed for Stanford to complete the tactics phase . On 1
November we welcomed the Director of Infantry,
Maj Gen Hodges, who visited firing on the ranges
and the NCO cadre. His visit is remembered for the
gauntlet thrown down by a certain private soldier
who chose the visit to announce that night naviga-
tion was a skill he found came naturally. The
General bet him a bottle of champagne on the spot
that he could not complete a ten mile night naviga-
tion course in 6 hours. Whether he was unim-
pressed with the incentive of a bottle of Moet or
the course was too much for him is not known , but
what is fact is that the RSM, who had set the route
and was there to see fair play, prematurely put an
end to our champion's challenge when it was clear
that he did not have the instincts of a homing
pigeon!
On 13 November Maj Bourne arrived to take
over Quebec Company. His timing was impeccable
as he managed to attend our farewell to Tidworth
cocktail party on the 14th before leaving on the
15th to become a stand-in rifle company comman -
der with 2 QUEENS! He was joined in Minden a
few days later by our Pre-Advance party consisting
of Lt Mears and the Families Office team which set-
to, taking over some 180 quarters in six different
patches dotted around the town. All went smooth-
ly, although few who saw it will forget the look on
LCpl Dean's face as he simultaneously realised that
his new quarter was fully furnished whilst a jugger-
naut's worth of his own furniture pulled up out-
side!
Back in Tidworth on 19 November we had a
farewell visit from Maj Gen Pollard, GOC South
West District. On the same day members of the
local German press from Minden arrived with the
battalion to start what proved to be a highly suc-
cessful visit. The journalists saw many aspects of
the battalion's daily life and were particularly inter- GOC 4 Armd Div presents the long Service and Good
ested in our 432 armoured personnel carrier train- Conduct medal to CSgt R W Blackman.
ing, as armoured vehicles are an emotive issue in MINDEN
the 'Green' Germany of the 1990s. We, too, benefit-
led from their stay and the journalists had to field a
steady stream of questions about life, both high With Christmas over, the move to Germany
and low, in Minden. At the end of the month gathered pace. Capt Abbott left with the advance
Commander UKMF, Brig Deverell, paid us his last party to start on 3 January, whilst Lt Clinch headed
visit, and in early December we were delighted to further south to the land of Julie Andrews and
see Brig Acworth who visited us in his dual capaci- edelweiss with our first Exercise Snow Queen
ty of Deputy Colonel (A) of the Regiment and course. Suffice to say here that the exercise has, as
ever, been a great success and a very welcome
Acting GOC South East District. relief for our soldiers from the heavy guards and
3 duties commitment in Minden . Again our thanks to
On 13 December we were particularly pleased to the 2nd Battalion for all the help they gave us in
f welcome the Colonel of the Regiment on his getting the exercise under way. Snow Queen has
farewell visit. He toured all the companies and not however been our only foray onto the slopes
s departments and delivered a most valuable talk to as we launched our biathlon team under Capt
the officers on his experience of mechanised oper- Strachan in the latter part of last year. Following
n ations, giving them an excellent insight into this lengthy training in Norway and Germany, the team
form of warfare and our next role. We then began entered the 4th Armoured Divisional
e the traditional gallop across the stepping stones of Championships and then went on to compete in
a social events on the lead into Christmas, terminat- the Army and National Championships.
h ing with an almost audible sigh of relief from sev- Considering this was their first season the team
eral hundred livers after the soldiers' Christmas put up a very creditable performance against vastly
lunch on 17 December.
13
Maj Gen J J G Mackenzie, GOC 4 Armd Div, chatting to below gives a good impression of a driver's view
members of the Mortar Platoon . of W arrio r.
more experienced teams and we have high hopes We have also managed to send soldiers away to
for the future. Capt Strachan 's article gives the Sennelager to attend free-fa ll parachuting cou rses.
blow by blow account of the team's fortunes. To date 12 so ldi ers have hurled themselves from
perfectly se rvi ceab le airc raft and amazing ly all
Whilst our skiers graced the slopes, the rest of have grealty enjoyed the expe ri ence. LCpl lzard's
the battalion moved somewhat less gracefully article gives hi s impression of the course. To speed
from Tidworth to Minden , with us finally taking our settling in, we went through a brisk orientation
over Clifton Barracks on 16 January. We were into life in Germany covering topics from secu rity
immediately plunged into the Op Granby training to pay, and from pubs to which days you ca n hang
machine supplying range teams to help train battle out your washing . We held a very successfu l wel-
casualty replacements and losing members of our come to Minden cocktail party on 1 February which
LAD, whom we hardly had time to m eet, to rein- marked the end of our settling in period.
force the REME in the Gulf. Although brought on
us far quicker than we had expected, March saw On the sporting front it has not taken the battal -
the battalion converting to the Warrior Infantry ion long to make its mark. Our Novice Box ing team
Fighting Vehicle. This rapid telescoping of the con- beat 1 Ll in Berlin on 25 January in the semi-finals
version programme was introduced in case of the BAOR Novices' Bo x ing Competition and
Warrior battalions were needed to replace those then went on to beat 2 R ANGLIAN by 5 bouts to 4
already in the Gulf. In the event the decision was in a superb evening of pluck, determination and
taken not to and we have benefited by early co n- skill to secure the trophy for the BAOR
version to this most exciting vehicle. We are of Championships, which was presented by Maj Gen
course the first battalion in the Regiment to co n- MacKenzie GOC 4th Armoured Division . This suc-
vert to Warrior and we now can't wait for the issue cess put us into the Army Finals against 94 Lo c
programme to catch up w ith us! Pte Brook 's article Regt RA . The Finals were fought at Larkhill on 5
April and saw the team triumph to become Army
Novice Champions. Capt Abbott's article on the
team's fortunes covers this splendid success.
Another notable event since our arrival has been
the introduction of new computers to all the main
offices. This has not only greatly increased the effi-
ciency of our daily work but has somewhat
puzzingly brought about a surge of interest in golf.
The Families Officer, Lt Mears, is our acknowl -
edged computer expert and he is to be seen flitting
from office to office sorting out problems and giv-
ing patient advice to those whose computer litera-
cy is firmly in the cloth book stage.
Despite the best efforts of some simply appalling
weather on 8 February we celebrated Sobraon day
in the traditional fashion with Sgt Loosley collect-
ing the Regimental Colour from the Officers' Mess.
A week later we said a sad farewell to the Battalion
21C Maj Russell . However, all was not lost as he
was immediately replaced by another Maj Russell
which enabled some of the older members of the
battalion to claim that they had now collected the
full set of Russells : NF, JDK and AW!
As these notes close we are on our first mecha-
nised exercise on Soltau and we deploy to
Sennelager straight after for our first period of field
firing . Plus va change!
BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Following the Kirkes Inter Company Competition
in September 1990 . 18 boxers were selected to
form the 1990/91 battalion bo x ing team, whose
ultimate aim was to win the Inter Unit Novices
Grade Three Championship.
14
Cpl Phillip s, th e t ea m co ach , mapped o ut his
strategy o n how he w o uld ensure that th e basic
bo xing skill s and superb lev el of fitn ess required
wa s achi eved by th e squ ad. Th ey had already
shown the courage and determination required to
enter the ring and 'slug ' it out with an opponent.
Ring ex peri e nce was obtained from a variety of
civilian competitions; overall the team had 30
bouts, resulting in 25 wins and 5 losses. This gave
the squad a good platform to build on.
In November the battalion organi sed a charity
bo xing dinner on behalf of the Andover Lions
Club, though not billed as an Inter Unit competi-
tion , our opponents were 1 R IRISH and the result
was 4-3 to 1 QUEENS. The event was a sell -out
and raised over £4000 for local charities.
After a short break over Christmas the team
reformed in Tidworth to learn that their first oppo-
nents in the Novice Grade 3 Championships would
be 1 Ll in Berlin on 26 January. With the over-
indulgen ce in Christmas dinners, a unit move and
a disrupted training programme to contend with,
the team fought superbly to win 6- 3 and win a
place in the BAOR Final s against 2 R ANGLIAN , in
Minden on 26 February. This gave the squad five
weeks in which to prepare for what was to be a Maj Gen Tony Pollard, GOC South West District, present-
very hard contest against a well established boxing ong the Army Novices Boxing trophy to Cpl Phillips, the
battalion, and past winners of the competition.
1 QUEENS coach.
The match did not fail to live up to expectations
with the team going 2-0 down after the first two
bouts. Our bantamweight, LCpl Jones, fought 1 of boxing . With our next three bo x ers , LCpl
tooth and nail after receiving a cut eye due to a Oldfield, Pte Beckinsale and Quirey all winning ; the
clash of heads, but lost on points. Pte Wilds, who score board was now showing 4-2 in our favour.
had his opponent on the canvas in the opening Cpl Else was unfortunate to meet a very accom-
seconds was unable to capitalise on this and lost plished boxer and the referee stopped the contest.
on points. LCpl Campbell , at lightweight, managed The match was eventually clinched by Pte Esprit ,
to stop the rot and produced an excellent display with a powerful left hook to his opponent's jaw,
which left the battalion with a 5-3 lead . Our last
boxer, Pte Mahoney, found himself against a very
skilful boxer and lost on points. However, enough
had been done to secure a meeting in the final
against the UKLF Winners, 94 Lac Regt RA.
This year it was the turn of the UKLF winners to
host the event and the team left Minden for the
long road/sea journey to the UK in a confident
mood.
Army Novices Boxing Champions 1991. The RSM W01 The first bout ended in disaster with our ban-
Farrow, the CO Lt Col Amedee Mieville and (right( , Capt tamweight, LCpl Jones, returning to the dressing
Abbott with the winning team from 1 QUEENS. room on a stretcher, after being knocked uncon-
scious. Our nex1 boxer, Pte Wilds , put up his best
performance of the season and despite being well
down on points after the first round, 'dug in' for
the remaining two rounds and was awarded a well
deserved majority points decision. At lightweight
was LCpl Campbell who seemed to have the mea-
sure of his opponent. However after a very hard
fought contest the majority decision went in favour
of Gnr Miller. Both LCpl Oldfield at lightwelter and
Pte Beckinsale at welter won their respective bouts.
Th1s put the score to 3-2 in our favour at th e inter-
val. After the break Pte Ouirey ensured we contin -
ued the winning run as he produced an excellent
performance , winning on points . Pte Sturgess
15
1st Battalion
made a good start in his contest with LBdr
Jackson. However mid-way through the second
round Jackson proved to be the stronger bo xer
and the referee stopped the contest. With the score
at 4-3 Pte Esprit, the light-heavyweight entered the
ring hopeful of a quick victory, but his opponent,
Sgt Jones had other ideas. Without doubt this was
one of the hardest fought bouts of the night. When
the result was announced some 150 Queen ' s
Regiment soldiers who had travelled from the vari-
ous units in the UK to support us lifted the roof, the
score was 5-3 making the battalion the Novice
Army Grade 3 Champions of 1991. Pte Mahoney
was determined to make the winning margin even
greater, and produced a very skilful display of box-
ing, beating his opponent on points making the
final score 6--3 to 1 QUEENS.
There have been many other notable boxing Brig Charles Millman presents the Regimental Boxing
achievements worthy of mention, not least the Trophy to Cpl Phillips 1 QUEENS.
selection of Cpl Phi Ilips for the Army Squad for the
Inter Service Match against the RN in Portsmouth
on 31 January.
In March LCpl Roffey (who did an excellent job in The trophy is awarded annually to the battalion
assisting Cpl Phillips to coach the team) went to achieving the best results in the three major Army
Berlin for the BAOR Championships. Due to a lack boxing competitions. lt was won by 1 QUEENS in
of competition he found himself having to box a 1988/89, 2 QUEENS in 1989/90 and by 1 QUEENS
weight heavier than his class, but he still managed again in 1990/91 .
to beat Pte Topping of 1 Ll convincingly .
The picture shows Brig Millman presenting the
At the time of going to press six of our boxers trowel to Cpl Norman Phillips, the 1 QUEENS box-
are participating in the Novices Individual Boxing ing coach after his team had won the
Championships in Aldershot: Championships against 94 Locating Regiment RA
at Larkhill in April.
LCpl Roffey Feather
LCpl Campbell- Lightweight WARRIOR DRIVING
LCpl Oldfield - Lightwelter
Pte Beckinsale - Welter by Pte Brooks, Tangier Company
Pte Quirey Lightmiddle In February I was warned that I and seven other
members of the battalion had been selected to be
Pte Mahoney - Heavyweight the first drivers from the rifle companies to be
trained to drive and command the Warrior. We left
Our congratulations to all members of the squad Minden on 24 February and travelled to Hohne
for an excellent performance throughout the sea - where the training was to take place under the
son . instruction of the Driving Wing of the Scots
Guards .
REGIMENTAL 'NOVICES TROWEL' TROPHY Although I had heard quite a lot about the new
vehicle, nothing could have prepared me for the
Brig Charles Millman was present at Larkhill excitement that was to follow. The first thing that
when 1 QUEENS Boxing Team won the Army hits you is the size of Warrior it's a big beast and
Grade 3 Novices Championship. The success of makes the 432 look like a toy. The instruction last-
Regimental boxing owes much to him for it was by ed two weeks and there was a lot packed into it.
his support and encouragement of this sport that We started with two days in the classroom with
the Regiment has maintained an Army-wide repu - familiarization training to learn all about the com -
tation at boxing. On relinquishing his tenure as ponent parts and the engine. After a test we were
Colonel of the Regiment he presented a silver then taken on a three day cross-country driving
builder' s trowel as a Regimental boxing trophy. phase which for me could have lasted three years.
The trowel represents novices in the trade and Brig In a word , the vehicle is 'mega' ! We took it to its
Millman's intention was to encourage battalion limits at speed cross-country and it took everything
boxing teams with a view to the Regiment regain- in its stride . We went up 60 ° slopes and waded
ing the Army Championship through deep water. The dashboard is like a
Ferrari 's and the driver's seat, which costs thou-
16
1st Battalion
Pte Lewis (left) and Cpl Smith (right) learn how to load joined the 2 QUEENS' team in Minden where we
smoke dischargers on the Warrior. conducted dry training . This included numerous
runs to pay respects to Kaiser Wilhelm I, who
sands of pounds on its own , ensures a bump free stands at the top of a snaking road overlooking the
ride whatever the going. A good reason to volun- Minden Gap. We also engaged in combination
teer to become a driver! The most spectacu lar fea- training, involving roller-skiing and range practice,
ture is, perhaps, the vehicle's ability to do neutral and two hour endurance runs and skills with the
turns at the flick of a switch. The 432 is like driving
a piece of history in comparison . The only draw- .22 Anschutz rifles .
back we encounte red was the clear panel in the
sect ion 's compartment where you cou ld see the In late November the team embarked on a ten
fuel sloshing around, with the result that you felt week training exercise in Norway, run annually by
pretty sick when going cross-country . the Briti sh Mountain Training Centre in Sjusjoen to
improve techniques and ski race skil ls. After our
After the cross-co untry driving we had to take first ra ces we joined the 2 QUEENS team in nearby
another practical test before completing the five Nordseter for the rest of December. Christmas and
day road-driving phase. Again, the vehicle's speed New Year went by in a blur of training as we
is breathtaking but you have to be careful to worked hard to improve our fitness and skills and
remember its size com pared to the 432 . At the end by the end of our time in Norway we were regular-
of the road -d riving phase we had a final assess- ly completing 40 km cou rses ; we felt that we were
ment test which marked the end of the most excit- ready to unleash ourselves on an unsuspecting
ing but highest pressure course I have attended. I,
for one, can't wait for the battalion to be issued world .
with Warrior.
A seve n man team consisting of myself, Lt
Parsons, Cpls Stubbs , Watter s, Minnis , LCpl
Sampson and Pte Taylor travelled to Zwiesel in
Bavaria to enter the first stage of our bid for sport-
ing stardom -the Infantry Championships. In the
Novice events we gained 3rd place in the IOkm and
4th in the 15km, with LCpl Sampson picking up a
large piece of metalwork for best individual in the
latter race .
However, with our move to Galtur in Austria for
the 4th Armoured Division Championships, the
sporting temperature did the splits with the com-
BIATHLON
by Capt NA Strachan
The move to Germany doesn't just focus the Biathlon teams from both 1st and 2nd Battalions.
mind on 'mech', there are many other goodies on
offer which are much easier to organise and fun in
BAOR than UK. Some of the best of the sporting
opportunities available to the fit soldier are Nordic
and Biathlon skiing.
The CO decided that we would enter a Novice
team for the 1990/91 season alongside the very
successful 2nd Battalion team. The first step for
our team took place ba ck in October when we
17
1st Battalion
petition hotting up as the Ce ntigrade fell. Despite COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
~he st1ffnessof the competition we did well to qual - by Lt P R C Mears
Ify for the th1rd and final round of competitions; the In January the Commanding Officer informed
me that he was buying some new Amstrad IBM
Army and British National Championships to be comp uters for the battalion to replace the ageing
Amstrad PCW co mputers. The new equipment
held back at Zwiesel. arrived on 4 February, followed by W0 2 Aujla (3 R
ANGLIAN) who arrived two days later from the UK
At the Army Championships four events counted to help set them up and prepare for a three day
introductory cou rse that he had agreed to run for
towards the military combination: 4 x IOkm ,th1e5k4m~ the battalion.
military patrol race and the best event of all,
The aim of the course was to introduce the com-
7.5 b1athlon . A good result in this last event would puters and the new software to those people from
the companies and departments who would be
give a higher overall result in the combi nation. using them . On the first day it was interesting to
see the apprehension on the faces of some of the
However, it was not to be. Pte Tayl or fell and students and to listen to the comments. We had 'I
think these are a load of rubbish ... .', 'I will never
snapped his rifle in two, LCpl Sampson managed a understand how to work this .. ..... .... thing ', etc..
very good time after a last minute ski chang e. I However by the second day it was a different
story, we had converted even the hardest disbe-
broke neither skis nor any records and Cpl Watters lievers. LCpl Faith of Albuhera Company, who on
the f1rst day had been so anti computers, amazed
was disqualified for taking a wrong track. Despite us all when he came out with statements such as
'this computer is great', ' I am really impressed with
all, we still managed 20th out of 23 teams and we this' and ' have you got any games'?
felt satisfied to have done so well as the only Needless to say the course finished (some stu-
dents with sore hea ds from the Sobraon day cele-
Novice team in the Championships. brations the previous evening) with the computers
being signed over in true military fashion on AF
Looking back on our first season, we have, with - 1033's, then taken to the respect ive offices to be
out doubt, the foundation of a good team and I am set up and become ' operational'.
sure the battalion will make its mark on the
biathlon well before our time in Germany is up. lt is now some six weeks since the new comput-
ers arrived and so far there have been very few
EXERCISE SNOW QUEEN teeth1ng problems; although the phone lines, to
by Lt JAE Clinch W02 Aujla in Colchester, have been busy when we
have the odd problem on a programme.
. Whilst the battalion was still busy pa cking up at
T1dworth, I and the other members of our Exercise We have been able to convert and transfer most
Snow Queen staff reluctantly headed off to Bavaria of the data from the old computers onto the new
to set up the hut. This was achieved in a few days ones, thus avoiding the need to retype a lot of
with tremendous support from 2 QUEENS and we data . In the next few weeks we are due to receive a
were ready to receive the first batch of skiiers. new package to be used by Cpl Griffiths, the G
Clerk, that is designed for recording all course
Each course consisted of approximately eight details and gradings/results.
days downhill skiing and four days Nordic skiing
with the occasional trip to local sites such as Mad lt would be fair to say that the computers, along
Ludwig's bijou castlette. During the courses every- with the laser printer held in BHQ, have now pro-
one was kept very busy. This continued in the VIded the battalion with the capability of producing
evenings with the soldiers being glued to gluhwein quick and good quality results. I would only ask
or Sky TV, or visiting local bars, including one that 1f any of our users have cracked ' Leisure Suit
where the farmers made their dogs yodel. Larry', please give me a few tips!!!
The Feldhorn supplied excellent downhill skiing
and the snow only began to wear out in mid-
March . The Nordic groups skied at Oberjoch and
travelled far and wide. Once the snow started to
diminish we hired mountain bikes and went on
trips to Munich, Garmisch and that least jovial of
places, Dachau concentration camp.
This first season has provided us with a good
foundation of talented sk1ers and some potential
instructors for the seasons to come. As for the
staff, although I know it is hard for those in Minden
to believe me, they have all worked extremely hard
to keep the exercise running at full pitch both
adminstratively and on the slopes and they have
all done the battalion proud . The majority of our
soldiers have achieved their Bron ze Downhill
Qualification and I hope that next year they will
return to achieve their Silver.
18
2nd BATTALION
Six months ago few could have correctly predict-
ed the course of events in the Gulf over the inter-
vening period . At that stage we had little idea of
how events might affect us but were fully prepared
to help in any way necessary and were ready to
expect surprises. In the event, the surprise was that
our return to Canterbury and the Falklands tour
went ahead exactly as planned , though there were
some uncertain moments along the way.
I-
n After a number of last minute changes, only four
e Queensmen from the battalion deployed to the
Gulf. Capt Duncan Strutt returned at the end of
J March with HQ 7 Armoured Brigade and is taking
e
'I some well-earned leave before joining the staff at
HO 22 Armoured Brigade at Hohne . Cpl Ernie
Fuller has rejoined his family in Minden and is
staying there with the 1st Battalion. We are delight-
l,_t ed that he did not have to put his NBC Warning
and Reporting skills to practical use, though, as he
n recounts elsewhere, there were a few false alarms. 2 QUEENS armoured vehicles mustered for the CO's
d Cpl Lindus, who became part of the 1st Armoured inspection .
Division's Field Records Office is due home shortly.
s Lastly, Maj Tim Hurley who left under a cloak of to effect our handover. Despite several conflicts of
secrecy at 24 hours notice, returned in the nick of interest, we achieved both objectives thanks to a
h time to take command of the Sevastopol Company great deal of hard work throughout the battalion
Group in the Falklands. The question of whether and the support of our Brigade HQ whose sound
1- and when he would get back in time had passed judgement of what we could or could not achieve
into the realms of farce when he actually turned up was not always matched elsewhere. Our largest
s with just a weekend to shake the sand out of his Granby task was to provide security guards for
F
e
bergen and find his long johns. most of the barracks in the garrison. At one stage,
t- this included not just Minden but Church House at
Lubbecke and the British Military Hospital , Rinteln :
N MINDEN
0 each 40 minutes drive in opposite directions. As
e the terrorist threat had not diminished this meant
With the Divisional exercise cancelled, our two having to find about 50 men for duties daily or a
tasks in Minden were to support Op GRANBY and guard about every third day for those available.
;t These tasks were met with uncomplaining good
humour and a noticeable improvement in security
N
>f
a at some locations.
::; A second major commitment was to find perma -
e nent range teams to prepare a host of individual
reinforcements for the Gulf. Some of our qualified
NCOs virtually took up residence at Sennelager
g and probably found the training sausage-machine
more peaceful than life in Minden . lt was a plea-
)- sure to see the normal range restrictions lifted and
the ranges used to their capacity from dawn to
g dusk, seven days a week. Many of those being
:k
it
trained were from the logistic services and had
never thrown a grenade or fired an anti -tank rock-
et. Much credit reflects on the range teams that the
training was successfully completed without
mishap. In the only incident to occur, Cpl Phillips
showed great presence of mind when a nervous
soldier removed the pin from a grenade and then
dropped it. The soldier concerned did suffer a few
bruises but these were from Cpl Phillips landing on
The Adjutant and Assistant Adjutant brief the Mayor of top of him to shield him from any blast, having
hustled him out of the throwing bay.
Guildford and her consort.
19
2nd Battalion
LCpl Andy Powell presents a cheque for £50 to SPARKS the cheque on behalf of SPARKS is Gerald Ellison, Kent
(Sport Aiding Research into Crippling Diseases) on behalf and England cricketer (in white anorak( and watching are
of his team of four cyclists who pedalled 430 miles in four
days from Minden to Canterbury in November. Receiving Cllr Tom Burke, Sheriff of Canterbury, Mrs Anne Munn of
SPARKS and Mrs Burke.
Meanwhile, handover preparations co ntinued that we left with an exceptional reputation in both
apace, starting with the vehicles so that work on the military and sporting fields . In early November,
them could be completed before the weather we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of
closed in. During the autumn we lost all manner of Guildford, Mrs Mary Lloyd-Jones and her consort,
equipment to the Gulf to the extent that at one Cllr John Adie . They showed the keenest interest in
stage we had just one working Landrover in everything that they saw, from the NCOs' Cadre to
Minden . But, to the soldiers' disappointm ent, there the creche and considerable stamina over the 2'/,
was never any call for our Mark 1 APCs and all days they were with us. Before leaving they took
eighty-odd had to be cleaned, polished and paint- their places in a battalion photograph with a differ-
ed for handover. The complete fleet looked most ence, taken to demonstrate the variety of our
impressive marshalled on the square for the CO's endeavours, military, sporting and adventurous. lt
inspection and there was relief all round as the was generally agreed that the biathletes took the
vehicles trundled back to their garages to await the poseurs' prize in their catsuits and how CSgt
1st Battalion's arrival. As scope for training was Cullinane acquired a 50 foot sailing yacht in
restricted by our other tasks, our efforts were con- Minden remains a mystery. We were greatly
centrated on courses and cadres for the Falklands touched and proud to receive from Mrs Lloyd-
tour and on a Potential NCOs' Cadre run by Capt Jones, on behalf of her council, a parchment scroll:
Laidlaw. After four weeks of intensive work in and
around Minden, the cadre moved to Haltern for a "The Mayor and Councillors of the Borough of
final test exercise before passing off in front of the Guildford, ever mindful of the close links which
Brigade Commander. He awarded prizes to LCpl the Borough has had with the Queen's Regiment
Keep as best student and LCpl Rimmer as most and its predecessors ...... send warmest greet-
improved student and tapes to the eleven best ings to the Commanding Officer and All Ranks of
the 2nd Battalion, the Queen 's Regiment, sta-
passes. tioned in Minden on the occasion of the
'Farewell to Minden ' ce lebrations.
Our departure from Minden brought the usual The Borough of Guildford recognise with great
round of visits, from the Corps and Divisional pride the effecti ve security role played by the
Commanders and Brigadier Infantry. lt was clear Regiment during their stay in Germany and the
that all our visitors much appreciated the work that
the battalion had done in 4'/, years in Germany and
20
2nd Battalion
tradition of devoted and distinguished service CANTERBURY
which the Regiment has given to Monarch and
Country." The three way move of battal io ns got under way
The highlight of the visit was the battalion 's in mid-November, with families office staff arriving
Farewell to Minden ceremony. Thi s took the form in their new locations to set the quarters handover
of a reception and co ncert, held in Minden's main programmes in motion . The advan ce parties
co ncert hall thanks to th e city co unci l. The entra nce moved a month later, to take Christmas in the i r
lobby was quickly transformed by the Colours and new stations and to start work in the New Year. A
a display of silver as we hosted around 150 local fortnight lat er the battalions moved , with com-
military and German dignitaries, our principal mand changing fittingly on Corunna Day. Special
guests being the Burgomeister and the Brigade mention must be made of the efforts of the
Commander . The concert was given by the Famil ies Office Staff who got everyone safely out
Albuhera Band and the Corps of Drums under the of Minden , under Lt Baynham , and in to
direction of W02(BSM) Cooper, in the absence of Canterbury, under W02 Cooper. The latter was
the Bandmaster. To emphasise the Anglo-German hugely relieved when he was able to return to his
nature of the event, the Leteln Choir which had normal employment with the Band. The OM's staff,
already worked with the band at several co ncerts under Maj Crosbie-Wood , Capt M cCaig, RQMS
joined the programme. But the show was stolen, McCreadie and TOMS Fallows also did wonders in
especially for the large number of Germans 1n the handing over the barracks and stores with hardly a
audience, by the Drums D1splay and a rousmg per- bill to our nam e.
formance of traditional local songs. The Quebec
Band can be assured of an enthusiastic welcome There was scarcely time to draw breath in
from the Mindeners in 1992 and they will have Canterbury or to unpack boxes before the prepara-
quite a reputation to live up to. tions began in earnest for the Freedom Parade. lt is
as well that we had made the time in Minden for
Visits apart, our last few weeks in Germany were regular drill parades as we had only four days for
fairly low key but a few occasions stand out. On a rehearsals in Canterbury . February arrived, fine
wet November morning, Sgt Lyden , Cpl Croft and and dry, and all our preparations were put to the
Ptes Flint, Dixon , Jones and Gibbs set out for test. The one thing that the rehearsals had not
Canterbury on bicycles to raise money for been able to reproduce was the warm welcome
tt SPARKS, a charity devoted to providing facilities that we received from the people of Canterbury.
e for handicapped children . Four days and 380 wet, Even as we left Howe Barracks onlookers thronged
If tiring miles later the party arrived to a warm wel- on to the pavements, whilst there was a very con-
h come and handed over a cheque for £750. After the siderable crowd in the city centre. The battalion
r, ceremony, the Sheriff, Mr Burke, ensured that the marched to the Beaney Institute for the inspection
,f cyclists were properly refreshed for their home by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Jim Nock, and speeches
journey. The cyclists visit also coincided with a and presentations by the Lord Mayor and the
t, short but successful KAPE tour led by Maj Hurman, Colonel of the Regiment. We then exercised our
n ending with a hands-on 'Look at Life' day in Howe Freedom Privilege and marched to the Cathedral.
Barracks for local teenagers. The drill and bearing of all on parade was first
0 class and even passed the close scrutiny of the
Back in Minden, we had an unexpected visit many members of the Regimental Association at
f, from a Soviet inspection team, tangible proof of
k the changing face of Europe. Our visitors, a Lt Col
and a Maj of Soviet Naval Infantry spoke excellent
English and looked thoroughly professional field
r soldiers, a far cry from the Soviet conscripts in
Germany. Unfortunately, the rules of the visit did
lt not permit the Soviets to come into barracks but
e they enjoyed a general discussion of military life
lt outside the gates and carried out a close inspection
n of the Mercedes showroom.
y
I- For those parents in the battalion with young
children, one of the saddest moments of leaving
I:
•f Germany was saying farewell to Lancaster School.
h With the school situated within Clifton Barracks,
lt about half the pupils coming from the battalion
and Mrs Helen Wake on the staff it was very much
1- 'our' school. Mr David Dawson, the headmaster,
kindly laid on a special farewell assembly for all
lf
l- the 2 QUEENS parents at which the children per-
formed a remarkable variety of charming sketches
e
lt depicting military life with special reference to the The Parade formed up for inspection outside the Royal
battalion . Museum. (Kentish Gazette picture .(
e
e
21
2nd Battalion
The Prime Minister, with Maj Nick Beswick, before he left and a small administrative team including our doc-
Howe Barracks, Canterbury, by helicopter following the tor, Capt Edwards. The remainder of the battalion
enthronement of the new Archbishop on 19 April. has formed as HQ Company, organised as normal
and Corunna Company under Maj Hurman, com :
the Beaney. One was heard to say of the CO prising the remainder of the support platoons and
'Exce ll ent word of command ...... must be an ex- other individuals not needed in the Falklands.
RSM'. After the Cathedral Service, which included Before embarking on a short but intensive training
an eloquent sermon by the Dean (reproduced else- period, the battalion witnessed the ceremony of
where in the Journal), the battalion and many handover of RSMs on the square, after which Lt
wives were entertained to an excellent lunch by the Mike Gauntlett was delivered to the Officers' Mess
Lord Mayor in Westgate Hall. We are very gratefu l to start his new life as Families Officer and RSM
to the local businesses who provided the lunch Kelling set about making his mark on the battalion .
and to the Lord Mayor and all the citizens of The Falklands training was necessarily confined to
individual and specialist skills and, for everyone, a
Canterbury who gave us such a warm and gener- period of acclimatisation to carrying heavy loads
ous we lcome home. long distances over rough ground. Some, who had
been cursing the 432 for four years in Minden
Over the following weekend, we attempted to began to see some merits in mechanised soldier:
repay some of that hospitality with a cocktail party ing. Winter arrived with a vengeance, helping to
and a curry lunch. The Mess was ready just in time make the Recce Platoon, in their bizarre turquoise
and although it is fairly small provided an ideal set- arctic boots, seem less out of place. Training in the
ting for our we lcoming functions. The Cocktai l snow provided an appropriate backdrop for TVS's
Party was a very considerable affair attended by feature about the battalion . The CO's televised
many senior members of the Regiment and local offer of assistance to those struggling in the worst
dignitaries. Tragica lly, it proved to be Brig Hugh weather for severa l years resulted in many
Tarver's last visit to the batta lion. We were all requests for help being met by the battalion . These
deeply shocked by his sudden death and offer our included support for the police and fire service,
warmest sympathy to his fami ly. He always had a delivering meals on wheels and, most popular
particular ly close association with the 2nd amongst the drivers, collecting the nurses for the
Battalion and wi ll be greatly missed. night shift.
Immediately after the Freedom weekend the bat- Meanwhile, Corunna Company was being
talion reformed for the Falklands tour. The stretched to make ends meet in taking on a variety
Falklands contingent comprised the Sevastopol of tasks related to the Gulf War. Fortunately for the
Company Group of nearly 200 under Maj Hurley company the stunning ly swift victory resulted in
and the South Georgia Garrison, of Maj Wilby and the most onerous guard duties being cancel led.
the Reconnaissance Platoon under Capt Holmes However, the Albuhera Band, one of very few not
committed to medica l support tasks, was cal led
upon at a week's notice to take up duties at
Sandhurst. There they have enhanced their consid-
erable reputation from Germany, taking on a
demanding two month programme and culminat-
ing in the Sovereign's Parade and Presentation of
Co lours by Her Majesty The Queen .
An event of great Regimental significance took
place at Huntingdon on 16 February; the unveiling
of the rep lica of the Sevastopol Gun. The replica
was provided by local businesses to take the place
of the gun melted down for munitions in the sec-
ond World War and the ceremony was carried out
by the Prime Minister who is the MP for
Huntingdon. The battalion was represented by
three drummers: Cpl Andree, LCpl Sturge and Pte
Shade in period uniform, carrying the Sevastopol
Drum. The drum was taken from the trenches at
Sevastopol in 1855 by Lt Browne of the 97th . He
was subsequently the last CO of the 97th and the
first CO of the 2nd Batta lion, The Queen's Own .
On 18 February, Cpl Gable of the Provost Staff
had a lucky escape in the IRA bomb explosion of
Victoria Station. A lthough he was blown to the
ground by the blast, he immediately set about
clearing the immediate area of the explosion and
rendered first aid to the most seriously injured. His
22
2nd Battalion
result whil st LCpl Ferber and Pte Rush had the
added distinction of be ing selected for the National
Development Squad . We hope that, with their
introduction to the sport this winter, 1 QUEENS
will maintain the Regiment's reputat io n in this
demanding military sport, especially as Pte Rush
has remained with them in Minden .
After our previous years ' successes, most of our
boxers were no longer eligible to compete as
Grade 3 Novices and we had to form a new squad
from scratch. Following some uncertainty as to
whether there would be a co mpetition at all, it was
decided that we would box 9 Parachute Field
Squadron RE for the South East Distri ct champi-
onship. Although we lost by 6 bouts to 3, the com-
petition was far closer than the result suggested.
The Queensmen had the edge in fitness but the
Sappers' greater experience was the deciding fac-
tor. Ptes Lawrance, Palfrey and Stewart won their
bouts convincingly and Pte Stewart shows particu-
lar promise as heavyweight. Our other boxers
showed great pluck as all their fights went the full
distance . Cpl Phillips , LCpl Shubert and Pte
Richmond put up exceptionally spirited perfor-
mances and ca n only have lost by narrow margins.
We are delighted at 1 QUEENS' successes in the
ring this year but intend to build on our experi-
ences to wrest the Millman Trowel from them in
1992 .
Drum Major M P Hanmore with the Lord Mayor of The Rugby team enjoyed some good matches in
Canterbury's Vision Sword which he carried at the Minden despite the difficulties of arranging a pro-
Enthronement of the Archbishop. !Note the Regimental gramme against the daily-changing requirements
badge on the scabbard) of Op GRANBY. Of particular note was the match
against the Mid-District Welsh Rugby Union XV,
organised at short notice when plans to form a
Divisional team fell through . Although we were
outclassed by the Welsh , who were the District
prompt actions were in the best traditions of the
Regiment and undoubtedly played an important
part in the care of the casualties.
SPORT AND ADVENTURE TRAINING Infantry Biathlon Champions - the 2 QUEEN'S Team.
The move, Op GRAN BY duties and the Falklands
have decimated our winter sports programme and
we have been largely restricted to friendly match-
es. The Biathletes competed most successfully in
their last BAOR Nordic Skiing season . Under Capt
Holmes, they set off for Norway for pre-competi-
tion training in November, together with a novice
squad from 1 QUEENS. Capt Holmes also ran the
Infantry training camp during his period in
Norway. This year the team achieved its greatest
successes in the Infantry Championship winning
the overall event hands down and four trophies.
Pte Rush was the 'man of the match' and swept the
board with prizes as best novice. In the Divisional
Championship, the team encountered the usual
stiff competition from the Royal Engineers and
were overall runners-up having come second in
three out of the four races. In the Army/National
Championship they improved on previous perfor-
mances to end in overall ninth place. Given the
standard of the competition this was an excellent
23
2nd Battalion W01 IRSM) ME Gauntlet on commissioning!
Cup winners, our players put up stiff resistance
and learnt a great deal from competing at such a
high level. The footballers and hockey players also
made the most of the season 's limited opportuni-
ties and the hockey team, under the Paymaster,
has come on very well.
The winter has been a quiet period for adventure
training and, sadly, the expedition to Kenya fell
through as an indirect consequence of the Gulf. 2Lt
Scott's expedition to Sardinia did go ahead and
provided a welcome change from duties in Minden
in November. CSgt Cullinane conducted a more
than usually adventurous week ' s sa iling in the
Balti c, contend ing with storms and mountainous
seas.
PERSONALITIES
The move to Canterbury brought many new We say farewell to W02 TOMS Threadwell and
faces into the battalion whilst we left some 35 Babs on posting to the Gibraltar Regiment. Also
Oueensmen with the 1st Battalion as well as all our we say farewell to W02 Newman on posting to the
REME and ACC contingents. We greatly appreciate UDR, we wish them both the best for the future .
all the support that they gave us in M inden. Capt
Goulding REME , Padre Golden and our WRVS Finally, well done to WOI and Vicky Peaple on
Manageress, Amelia Deacon, have stayed w1th 1 the good news of her becoming the first lady to fall
QUEENS whilst Maj Dun can M cRae RAMC and pregnant in Canterbury.
Janice left Minden for Hong Kong. Lt Paul Tyson
has joined 5 UDR on attachment. Returning to the FORTHCOMING EVENTS
battalion have been Capts Simon Johns and
Richard Harknett and, as already recounted, Mike Sevastopol Company deployed to the Falklands
and Barbara Gauntlett have moved messes. at the beginning of March with the South Georgia
Garrison leaving a few days ea rli er. Howe Barracks
WOI (RSM) Gauntlett was commissioned on 4 now seem very empty especia lly as Corunna
February after just under two years as Regimental Company have been away again, this time acting
Sergeant Major. Our thanks go to him and his wife as ' enemy and civil ian population' for Northern
Barbara for their hard work and service to the bat- Ire land training . Most of the battalion will have a
talion and Mess . His sense of humour will be taste of the Falklands, as Corunna Company will be
missed and we wish him and Barbara all the best joining Sevastopol Company to enable them to
for the future and in his new job as Families carry out company training in May, whilst the band
Officer. Our next top soldier is WOI (RSM) Kelling will be ce lebrating Lib eration Day w1th them 1n
from the 1st Battalion . Already he has proved he June. Corunna Company will be exercising with 5
has a sense of humour when he took over the doc- QUEENS (V) in June and will be undertaking three
tor's duties on sick parade. The waiting room emp- Freedom Parades in July whilst the Falklands
tied rapidly as he individually diagnosed their ill - Group take their well -earned leave. Block leave and
ness or lack of! The real doctor has been other commitments mean that the battal1on will
impressed by the small numbers attending sick not reform, on a three rifle company organisation,
parade! We are sure he will fit into the 2nd until the beginning of September to start in earnest
Battalion well. to become part of 5 Airborne Brigade.
Our congratulations on their promotion to W02
go to W02 Jeffries, W02 Hone, W02 Cullinane, W02
Fallows, and on promotion to the Me ss , Sgt
Farrant.
24
3rd BATIALION
In line with the rest of the Armed Forces the last
six months have been dominated by Operation
Granby. We did however manage to maintain a
reasonable level of normality until the war started
in mid-January. The usual wealth of activities took
place with the highlight of the period being our
battalion exercise in November.
I We have said farewell to many people on their
departure to new postings or civilian life. Of partic-
ular note are Lt Col A W Barratt, Maj (OM) J F
Burke, W01 (RSM) J A R Edwards, W02 D D
Davidson and CSgt Smith. CSgt Smith was the last
Die-Hard in the battalion. We wish all those who
have left and their families the best of luck and
happiness in the future.
We particularly welcome Lt Col A A A Beattie,
who has recently taken over command, and our
new RSM W01 (RSM) Shrubsall who joined us last
October from the 2nd Battalion.
OPERATION GRANBY Lt Col Andrew Barratt (left( discusses the march and
shoot scores with Lt Col Anthony Beattie and Maj lan
Stationed at the half way house from Western Raynes (right(.
Europe to the Middle East, it was inevitable that
the battalion was tasked in support of the war
effort. Our responsibilities fell in three distinct
areas: Increased security in Episkopi; the manning
of the Medical Low Care Transit Facility at RAF
Akrotiri; and provision of manpower for the cross
loading of stores at RAF Akrotiri .
As soon as the decision was taken to involve
troops in the Middle East, RAF Akrotiri became an
essential part of the plans and the transit base for
RAF Aircraft. Fatigue parties cross-loaded stores,
particularly ammunition, from aircraft to aircraft
and carried out innumerable other tasks. As this
phase ended, and after a lull over Christmas, we
got down to the more serious tasks of providing a
vital link in the anticipated casualty evacuation
chain. The Quebec Band forsook their instruments,
put on the medical guises, and set up a hangar as a
casualty evacuation facility. The facility, fortunately
never fully activated, was capable of handling 300
casualties each day. With the band acting as
medics and a company as stretcher bearers, our
main task was the offloading of casualties from
Hercules Transport aircraft, the processing of them
through the facility and then the loading of the
same casualties onto medical roled civilian aircraft.
Training for this was extensive and there was no
doubt that, had the plan been fully activated, casu-
alties would have received a cheerful VIP treatment
during their short stay at RAF Akrotiri.
OnsmDavidsonandOnsmRoutledgetrainingformedical While this resource-consuming work was going
evacuation from the Gulf. on, the security state moved to Amber and the bat-
talion worked successfully around the clock to
secure Episkopi. A resemblance of normality has
25
Jrd Battalion
returned but will shortly be upset by the training of .,.,
a company group for its Falklands commitment
this summer.
EXERCISE FLAMING DRAGON
Once a year the battalion is relieved of all its
Internal Security duties and deploys into the coun·
tryside for a hard ten day exercise. This year the
dates were 20 - 30 November. Many of the
younger soldiers had never taken part in such a
large exercise and after two years in Northern
Ireland, ten days in the field carrying all their
equipment, ammunition and rations totalling well
over 1001bs was daunting.
The exercise was divided into five consecutive C Company assault on Melanda Beach.
phases running into each other and each designed
to test different individual and collective skills. As a
dismounted battalion, it was rare during the ten
days to move other than by foot except for the
Milan, Mortars and Recce platoons. However with
the help of an RCL from 406 Maritime Troop, 84
Sqn RAF and the Royal Navy's Attacker Class
Ships, manoeuvre was possible.
Physical strength and endurance combined with land behind Episkopi moved into Happy Valley,
command and control of large groups of soldiers
are an Infantryman's bread and butter. After some through the Tunnel, across (or should I say around)
initial training at company level, the first battalion the Golf Course and out to sea in Gemini assault
operation was launched. At dead of night the bat· craft and RCLs. Shortly after dawn, and supported
talion left its few vehicles and, manpacking all its by the Royal Navy, a beach-head was established
equipment including Mortars and radios, it silently at Curium Beach and the whole battalion climbed
departed from its concentration area in the hinter- the cliffs and moved towards Sotira Village . 84 Sqn
RAF then lifted us into a battalion hide. Recce and
fighting patrols probed into Paramali Old Village to
locate and identify the strength and position of the
enemy there. Once established , the battalion
slipped out of its hide and at dawn the following
morning the first major battle took place. Paramali
Village was occupied by a large dug-in enemy
force and after three hours of fighting the enemy
was forced to withdraw having suffered severe
casu a!ties.
But their escape was not entirely successful as
the battalion swiftly redeployed using helicopters
and set up blocking positions. With the help of
tracker dogs and a demanding patrol programme,
the enemy were slowly reduced in number
although about 50% escaped successfully.
By this time and having little or no sleep, the bat·
talion went to ground again and for two days con-
centrated on patrol skills, operating again from
hides. In the main, all soldiers took part in recce ,
fighting and ambush patrols while maintaining the
defence and security of their own hide positions.
Without using live ammunition it is difficult to
establish a winner. Suffice it to say that the
patrolling phase provided many contacts between
patrols and excellent training .
A recce section comes ashore. By night, and this time with vehicles, the battal-
ion moved to the mountains. The areas around
Episkopi are physically hard and the mountains are
worse. During the night the companies moved on
foot for over ten miles having been dropped off
26
3rd Battalion
SPORT
Service in Cyprus offers a cornucopia of sporting
activities . Our gladiators have been spoilt for
choi ce and the same faces will sometimes appear
rushing madly about at different events within a
few hours of each other. Even the least sporty have
been tempted to give up "Egyptian PT" for a more
active life and some have even succeeded.
King of the gladiators and the inspiration to
many others must be W02 (QMSI) Bryan who
seems to take part in everything and has represent-
ed the Army in Cyprus at squash , swimming ,
triathlon and badminton . Lt Jon Craig has been
another of our prominent eclectic sportsmen; kick-
ing the large round ball; kicking and throwing the
oval ball , striking the leather red ball with willow
and smashing the yellow or white ball with cat gut
(or is it nylon these days?)
Rugby has begun to flourish again within the
battalion spurred on by CSgt Nicklin and 2Lt Stuart
Barker, a one time Sussex junior player. Although
success on the pitch has been somewhat thin the
apres match beer and raucous chorus has more
than made up for it. But just watch next season!
Climbing the cliffs. Our orienteering team have steadily improved
near Polis. By dawn they were established in a throughout the season and are now lying third
deserted village which was then prepared for despite Sgt Cummins being unable to complete a
defence under constant harassing fire from the course in under 120 minutes. Our Quebec cross
enemy forces. Just after dawn the following day country championship was won in fine style by
the silence erupted as the village was fought for. Onsm Loftus of Fire Sp Company 44 seconds
The enemy had concentrated a large force for this ahead of Onsm Davidson whose father W02
attack but after several hours they were eventually Davidson was 16th and the best veteran . Cyprus is
ejected. full of fine runners and our battalion team was
unable to achieve much in the Island-wide events.
Our basketball team again achieved little but we
have managed to supply W02 Songhurst, Cpl
Walker and LCpl Green to play for the Army
(Cyprus) team.
Mission accomplished, the battalion moved back
to the Episkopi training area for the almost tradi-
tional final phase of an exercise -a battalion attack
on a strongly defended enemy position. This oper-
ation cannot be attempted without detailed recce .
The experts, the Recce Platoon , were inserted into
the area at dead of night from the sea by the Royal
Navy. Preliminary operations were also carried out
by fighting patrols to destroy the enemy
Observation Posts and forward positions which
co uld hamper the main attack.
The enemy were at Melands with their backs to
the sea. On the final morning with all preparation
complete and under cover of darkness the battal-
ion closed in . With C Company using the RCL of
416 Maritime Troop, A Company moving in on
foot, the mortars and support weapons laid onto
the enemy objective, and helicopters carrying out
troop drops, the battle commenced. The outcome-
the 3rd Battalion won.
Sadly this opportunity comes once a year. But LCpl Morris, Padre Bolt, Onsm Snowball and LCpl Clarke
we are planning company exercises to Egypt and take a break on the battalion execise .
Portugal to maintain our co llective training exper-
tise.
27
3rd Battalion FOOTBALL
by Maj (QM) J F Burke
3 QUEENS Inter-Company Orienteering Champions
After an excellent 1989/90 season the battalion
soccer team were looking forward to the Cyprus
League commencing in October 1990. We started
the season with an Int er-Compa ny Quebec
Competition to sort out the hopefu ls, which proved
useful. Th e Quebec competitio n was won by C
Company, who were to provide the nucleu s of the
battalion team, ably led by 'Fit Sgt' Jim Murphy.
We started training as a squad in September
with Paphos FC - who showed us all a f ew tricks.
The leagu e col)"lmenced and we drew the
favourites for our first game, RAF Akrotir i ' A ',
which we narrowly lo st 3 - 1 having mis sed so
many chances. This proved to be the case for most
of the season - lost chances and personnel on
co urses - which reflects our mid table Leagu e posi-
tion .
The Major Units Cup Competition proved to be a
different game for us, some of our players obvi-
ously saving themselves for the big occasion. In
this two leg competition, we drew 9 Sig Regt in the
second round - one of the Islands fancied sides. In
a cracking first leg we ran out winners 3 - 1 and in
a scrappy second leg won 1 - 0. So we were
Competitive swimming has begun to flourish
and HQ Company won the Episkopi Garrison Cup
and then gained 2nd place in the all Island minor
units championships. This season we are looking
to form a water polo team, we hope as successful
as those who play on horseback. The battalion
polo team recently beat ' D' Squadron Royal
Hussars. Other sports available range from archery
to parachuting, hang gliding to windsurfing and
many members of the battalion have found new
sports to enthral them.
To list all of those who have excelled in their
respective sports would take up too much space -
so, listed below, are some of the members of the
battalion who have gained selection for Army
(Cyprus) teams:
Basketball : W02 Songhurst, Cpl Walker,
LCpl Green
Squash: W02(QMSI) Bryan, W02 Murphy
Swimming : W02(QMSI) Bryan, LCpl Croucher, \
Qnsm Billing, Qnsm Danskin I
Hockey: Capt Berry, Qnsm Foddering Sgt Drake Ior Robin Hood?).
Tennis: Maj Castle, SSgt Green (RAPC)
Triathlon: W02(QMSI) Bryan
Volleyball : Sgt Howard, LCpl Arnold
Badminton: W02(QMSI) Bryan
Athletics : LCpl Brown, LCpl Crowley
Football : Cpl Rudman , LCpl Cornhill , LCpl Webb
Golf: W01(RSM) Shrubsall , Cpl Walker
Rugby: LCpl Piner
Finally, having "sussed" the opposition in our
first year we are looking forward to continued suc-
cess next year.
28
Jrd Battalion
through to the semi-final - after one match! Here On ce the heat of th e summer was over, the bat-
we met Civvies FC, who 1n the f1rst leg we drew 1 - talion held monthly competitions, which were well
1. However we won the second leg 4 - 0 which put supported, especially by 'New Blood'. Noticeably
us into the final. Here we were to meet 12 our Bandmaster W01 Jerry Young did very well.
SU/Episkopi Garrison who were top of the league. The WOs' and Sergeant's Mess now has a thriving
Undaunted, we looked forward to the match. On 16 golfing fraternity, led ably by the RSM (who keeps
March, Happy Valley was well populated with sol- getting his handicap chopped for sub par rounds! ).
diers and families to support the battalion team. Th e CO and several Officers have also started play-
Even the band and drums played to lift the team . ing, which causes some healthy banter on and off
After a very exciting first half, the score was 0 - 0, the course.
but second half saw 3 QUEENS sco re an excel lent
goal by Sgt Porter ACC to take the lead. However, The OM continues to wear a mask and W02
this was short lived and 12SU equa li sed and then Murphy and CSgt Toms still treasure their prize for
scored another, eventua lly running out worthy the most golf played in a competition . Cpl Andy
winners. Walker (8). and Onsm Dawson (10) are our lowest
handicaps, but the Bandmaster is hard on their
We have now built a decent squad for next sea- heels!
son (3 year men permitting) and thanks must go to
CSgt Toms (Coach) and Sgt Mclaughlan (Physio Thi s season culminated in the Cybarco four ball
and Bag Man ) for all their hard work during the better ball competition, played on the 9/ 10 March .
season. The OM and the Bandmaster, both off 13, won the
net competition with a score of 126, but their wives
GOLF took the vouchers for leather jackets!
by Maj (OM) J F Burke
Battalion golfers arrived in Cyprus in March and Not to be outdone, our ladies have had their
April 1990 to see Episkopi GC 'Brown s' which were moments, notably Simone Barratt. In a major com -
certain ly different. Approximately 20 members of petition she recorded a hole in one, which cost her
the battalion joined the club and commenced eight bottles of champagne and a new three iron
'learning' to play golf in Cyprus. (The 19th hole for her husband.
was certainly well used to vent our frustrations).
All in all an exce ll ent year for the battalion
golfers, who, now under the leadership of the
RSM , should go from strength to strength .
5TH (VOLUNTEER) BATTALION
The Battalion was saddened by the death on 1st
Febr uary of Major Mike Rumsey , OC C Company,
after a long illness which he bore with the
co urage and good humour that characterised
him in everything he did. His loss will be keenly
felt and he will long be remembered by all of us
who knew him.
The last six months have been as busy as ever
with a full programme of training , visits, social
even ts and new appointments. Lt Col Chris Argent
ha s returned from his brief tour as a Staff Officer to
assume command of the battalion from Lt Col
Phillip Pearce.
Others returning to the unit are Capt Peter 5 QUEENS (V) Battle Group HQ in action with the CO, Lt
McCardle from RARO as 21C HO Company, Lt Col Chris Argent deep in thought at the back (right) .
David Festing from SSVC w ith the 3rd Battalion to
assume command of the Milan Platoon and 2Lt
Michael Sanderson from RARO into 11 Plato on at
Maidstone. We welcome Lt Ri chard Cserjen from
RARO and 1 WFR as 21C D (Kohima) Company and
Lt Paul M oo re ha s replaced Lt David Festing on
SSVC in the 3rd Batta lion .
29
5th (Volunteer) Battalion
In E (HSF) Company Maj Alan Marc hant has
announced his retirement after very many years in
the battalion, but not before he persuaded most of
the company to re-e ngage. He is replaced as OC by
Maj Chris Parham.
We have been pleased to welcome Brig Holman
many times to our TA Centres, on the ranges and
at our cadres. Col Linnett (TA Col East SEDIST) and
MP for Canterbury, Julian Brazier, have both visit-
ed recruit training, and by the time of going to
press Col Panton would have visited in April.
A (ANZIO) COMPANY C Sgt Rutter gives a helping hand during 5 QUEENS IV)
assault course training.
The main thrust within A Company over the last
year has been on recruiting and retention which Battalion monopoly in B Company and we look for-
seems to become more important each year, as ward to welcoming the new permanent staff in the
pressure from employers and the TA demands very near future.
increase.
C (CINOUE PORTS) COMPANY
Over the last training year the company has had
over 90 soldiers attend courses/cadres in addition The events of the last six months have been
to Annual Camp, ca reer courses being to the fore over-shadowed by the sad death of Maj Mike
over this period. We have been fortunate to have Rumsey. The pain he endured over his long illness
three soldiers attend the Tall Ships Race May 90, was felt just as much by every soldier in the com-
sport has also featured prominently in the year pany. An immensely popular officer with all ranks
with orienteering, Fleet & Crookham Half he will be greatly missed .
Marathon, golf, plus the winners of the Battalion
SAA competition. The new OC is Maj John Redfern who is busy
trying to get his feet under the table . Lt Barry Lane
Unofficially we shall be saying goodbye to W02 has assumed command of the Eastbourne Platoon
Peter Roast who has been the Company Sergeant and Pt e Killick was awarded Best Recruit on his
Major for over seven years. Congratulations to Lt course at the Depot.
Graham Bigwood on his commissioning. We also
say goodbye to W02 Scully our SPSI and welcome D (KOHIMA) COMPANY
W02 McCormack in his place.
Recent months have seen major changes in the
Within the next few months we have severa l command structure of Kohima Company. Lt Stuart
people in the company who will be awarded their Butler-Gal lie, having cracked under the pressure of
TEMs and Sgt Dunipa ce RAMC will be on his third being double - hatted as company 2 1C and 10
bar. This coming training year has started very well Platoon Commander has assumed command of
with over forty recruits at varying stages of training. the Recce Platoon. W02 Derek Whitethread after
three years of va lued service as CSM has become
B (ALAMEIN) COMPANY CSM of the new Training Company where he has
been joined by Sgt Bob Howard. We wish them all
The company sent six players to the SEDIST TA well in their new appointments.
sports day with instructions to return with the
Volleyball Trophy again -which they did -followed
most recently by LCpl Potter' s successful comp le-
tion of the last London Marathon .
Training continues apace with va ried weekend
activities and a number of successful courses
including SCBC at Brecon by LCpl s Lawren ce and
Dalzell, SAA by LCpl Grimsey and PJNCO at DQD
by Pt es March, Potter, Scott, Ditton, Shoebridge
and Skinner with a reasonable success rate by
most.
Th e Officers' and Sergeants' Mess enjoyed an
inaugural dinner on Good Friday and took the
opportunity to dine out W02 Hills who leaves in
April and CSgt Martin who leaves immediately
after camp. Both have been valuable members of
the company and their departure breaks the 2nd
30
5th (Volunteer) Battalion
A 5 QUEENS (VI Milan Detachment ready for action . E (LEROS) COMPANY (HSF)
W e are sti ll keen to recruit new members with
previous exper ience in any branch of the Armed
Forces including MOD police. Training continues in
our four platoon locations twice per month on Drill
Nights.
We ran a very successful nine day training cadre
involving 20 students and four DS . Our new OC,
Maj Christopher Parham, also attended in order to
get to know people prior to taking over on 1 April
from Maj Alan Marchant who has done so much
behind the scenes to set up our compa ny and con-
tribute to its working spirit.
Members also visited the Channel Tunnel
Exhibition Centre by co urtesy of ex Royal Marine
Capt David Clapson who incidentally is an ex HSF
Private from the HAC.
The company also distinguished itself by win-
ning the Best Platoon Cup at the 1990 HSF
Concentration at Shorn cliffe which was richly
deserved .
After 28 months of service Sgt Colin Goatham
has returned to 3 QUEENS and well deserved pro -
motion. He will be sorely missed but we under-
stand he plans to return as QPSI to properly pre-
pare himself for the job of SPSI.
Lt Richard Cserjen, who served with 1 WFR from CMS REORGANISATION
1981-86, has joined Kohima Company as 21C. No The introduction of the Common Military
sooner did he join us than he was promoted to Syllabus (TA) has caused some organisational
ca ptain , proof positive that the TA does not dis - changes within the battalion . Previously, recruits
criminate against former Regulars who repent. 2Lt were trained under company control that brought
Richard Sanderson, having obtained permission them to a standard suitable to attend a Re c ruit
from the Metropolitan Police to return to the TA, Course at Depot The Queen 's Division .
will join 11 Platoon after his June wedding. CMS(TA) split the recruiting syllabus into five
parts following se lection. Each part has to be com-
CSgt Rod Stockford, who began his service with pleted consecutively with the Depot Course falling
the Company, has been appointed CSM and Sgt between Parts three and four. When recruits have
Andy Church has left 12 PI to become CQMS . completed all parts, including the Depot co urse,
they are considered to be Trained Soldiers.
HQ (ALBUHERA) COMPANY In order to implement CMS(TA) as effectively as
possible the battalion has formed a Training
The last six months have been as interesting and Company under the command of OC RRTT, Maj
varied as ever with a multiplicity of activities being Martin Mortimer. Although recruits remain the
carried out by the various elements of HQ responsibility of their parent company they are
Company. The company participated in running trained by Training Company at Recruit Training
the successful Spring Cadre from 22 Febru ary to 10 Weekends run central ly at Leros TA Centre. The
March and recently took part in the annual Battle new company has a skeleton staff and uses the
Group Trainer at Bovington . RRTT NCOs from the companies; administrative
support is provided by the companies on a rota .
Several changes of personnel have taken place
during the period with Capt Derek Murphy taking All recruits are placed on a database maintained
over from Paul Moore as RSO and Lt Stuart Butler- at Battalion Headquarters that monitors their
Gallie succeeding Maj John Redfern as Recce progress and ensures that all parts are completed
Platoon commander. The two persons replaced in the right order. Th e database ca n also establish
have gone on to other things- John Redfern as OC those re cruits who fail to attend regularly, how
C Company and Paul Moore to complete a SSVC. many recruits there are at each stage, and which
All efforts are now concentrated on preparation for companies are recruiting well and which are not.
Annual Camp , in the shape of " Exe rcise Urban Currently, the battalion has 153 recruits in the sys-
Jungle " whi ch will take place between 1 and 16 tem and by the time these notes are being read
June at Knook Camp in Wiltshire . should be well over the 200 mark.
31
5th (Volunteer) Battalion
BATTLE GROUP TRAINER Line drawing of the Harman Trophy presented by 4 RWK
Trustees to 5 QUEENS (VI. This silver statuette is of LCpl
The annual March pilgrimage to Bovington Harman VC at the Battle of Kohima, 1944.
occurred on time once again this year. Smarting
over a number of metaphori ca l 'wrist slaps' from
last year's BGT Report, Battalion Headquarters
were determined to have a 'good war'.
Despite a number of new appointments within
BG HQ the final team fielded by the selectors (CO)
was a fine blend of dynamic, enthusiastic and well
qualified young officers and expe rien ced, unflap-
pable older hands. On the recomm endation of last
year' s report the Battalion 21C was placed in the
role of CO's Chief of Staff; this allowed Col Chris
Argent to plan in peace leaving all the constant
flow of information to be filtered by the 21C.
To cut a long day short, the battle went as well
as can be expected when fighting a computer. OC
B Company was told that one of his platoons had
lost three sections and six fire teams in one
engagement - recruiting is up but not that far. And
what has now become standard practice (from
what we gather when talking to other units) the
'ignore' key was pressed when the enemy crossed
the obstacle belt.
Despite these little set-backs, it was with some
confidence that BG HQ crowded round the Bird
Table to receive a debrief and look at their handi-
work. Ironica lly, the first comment was that th e
Battalion 21C should have been on the Bde Net, not
playing COS (as recommended last year).
PRESENTATION OF NEW STATUETTE When walking ba ck, LCpl Harma n recei ved a
BY ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT burst of ma chine -g un fire in hi s side and died
shortly after reac hing our lin es.
ASSOCIATION
The citation of LCpl John Harman VC who LCpl Harman's heroic action and supreme devo-
served in 4 RWK reads: tion to duty were a wonderful inspiration to all , and
were largely responsible for the decisive way in
' In Burma at Kohima on 8 April, 1944, LCpl which all atta cks were driven off by his com pany.
Harman was commanding a section of a forward
platoon . Under cover of darkness the enemy LCpl Harman won his Victoria Cross at the
established a machine-gun post within 50 yards Defence of Kohima , which is a unique Battle
of his position which became a serious menace Honour only awarded to 4RWK. lt was only by a
to the remainder of his company. Owing to the whisker that LCpl Harman was not awarded a Bar
nature of the ground, LCpl Harman was unable to his VC on the following day, suc h was his va lou r
to bring the fire of his section onto the enemy during the battle.
machine-gun post. Without hesitation he went
forward himself and using a four-second The generosity of the 4th Royal West Kent
grenade which he held onto for at least two sec - Association was much appreciated when they had
onds after releasing the lever in order to get all their silver melted down and made into a stat-
immediate effect, threw it into the post and fol- uette of LCpl Harman which was presented on long
lowed up immediately. He annihilated the post loan to this battalion at a ceremony on 6 April 1991
and returned to his section with the mach ine- - the day of the Annual Reunion and the ann iver-
gun. sa ry of th e Defence of Kohima.
Early the following morning he recovered a posi- At the ceremony, Col D F Eastern MC , LCpl
tion on the forward slope 150 yards from the Harman's Company Commander during the battle,
enemy in order to strengthen a platoon which described LCpl Harman as he knew him and said
had been heavily attacked during the night. On that the statuette was an exact replica , even down
occupying his position he discovered a party of to the webbing that he wore . Th e Commanding
enemy digging in under cover of machine-gun Officer, Lt Col Chris Argent said " The statuette was
fire and snipers. Ordering his Bren-Gun to give not only a physical link betwee n the Royal W est
him covering fire, he fi xed hi s bayonet and alone Kents and 5 QUEENS (V) but also symbo lised the
charged the post shooting four and bayoneting comm itm en t , both past and present, of volunteer
one, thereby wiping out the post. so ldiers".
32
6th/7th (VOLUNTEER) BATTALION
December through to March is usually a qui et er
time of the year due to the combined effects of
Christmas and the climate. This time around they
have been even quieter due to the additional
impact of the New Management Strategy; our trip
to the Battle Group Trainer being the major casual-
ty.
The key qua lity that we look for in our officers
and so ldiers is commitment. Commitment leads to
worthwhi le collective training and reduces the
debilitating effects of turnover. In return, our peo-
ple demand motivation through incentives which
counter the many compet in g demands on their
time and energy. Our task becomes progressive ly
more difficult with t he constraints on MTDs,
ammunition, petrol and our age in g and inadequate
green f leet. Th e new combat helmet, new webbing
and SA80 are slipping into the distance.
Leaders hip wi ll be at a premium over the coming
months. If the "sma ll but better" theme of Options
for Change becomes reality, then the "better" part
of the dea l must include the resources which wi ll
help create the commitme nt and motivation w hi ch
underpin an effective Territoria l Army.
Given these, we wil l continue to do our utmost
to promote and represent a Regiment which has
already done its duty in terms of ama lg amation .
HONOURS AND AWARDS 2Lt Andrew Smith, 6/7 QUEENS lVI, winner of the Needle
Makers' Sword.
We were delighted that two of our number were
honoured by Her M ajesty in the New Years ' In late November, His Grace the Duke of
Honours Li st. Lt Robbie Thornton, RSO, received a Ri chmond and Gordon , Lord Lieutenant for West
richly deserved MBE whilst CSgt (N RPS ) Geoff Sussex, presented LSGC medals to CSgts Tom
Harmer received an equal ly appropri ate BEM . Reddi ck and Colin Scott and GSMs (Northern
Ireland) to six so ldiers who had undertaken short
service engagements. Sgt Da vid Le Febvre
received the second clasp to his TEM and TEMs
we re presented to Lt Adrian Smith, ex-W02 John
William s, W02(CSM) Pat Devaney, Sgt Peter Gill
and Cpls Bob Hill and Waiter Scott. Lt Sham Singh
finally took delivery of the Commandant's Cane of
Honour for being best student on his TA
Commissioning Course.
2Lt Andrew Smith became the proud recipient of
the Needle Makers' Sword afte r being judged the
Best Young Officer over the past 12 months. He
received his sword from the Master of the Needle
Makers' Company at a special luncheon in London
on 3 April.
PERSONALITIES
Lt Sham Singh receives the Cane of Honour from His As w ith any dynamic organisation , change is
Grace The Duke of Norfolk. inevitable and 6(1 QUEENS (V) is no exception. Maj
Piers Storie -Pugh has been given temporary
respite from regimental duties prior to his taking
over command on Albuhera Day . Maj Col in Hurd
33
6th/7th (Volunteer} Battalion
has taken over as battalion second in command , CSgt Hamilton sets up shop at the Fort.
whilst M aj Geoff Sparks has slipped into his chair
at HQ (Alame in ) Company on promotion. Capt Also returned to 1 QUEENS is W02 (SPSI) Bob
Frank Robertson returned from the HSF to be hi s Alien who not on ly took our good wishes but our
second in command . TA Chief Clerk (SSgt J enny Kirk WRAC) as well! In
his place we welcome W02 (SPSI) Bob Easton
Capt Nigel Wright has also gained his promotion from 1 QUEENS.
o n becoming second in comma nd of A (Salerno)
Company . Lt Cathy Down s, WRAC , has taken on REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOR
the Defence Pl atoo n and , as these notes are writ-
ten , is preparing to be th e first TA WRAC officer Sadly, we have said farewel l to W01 (RSM)
from this battalion to undertake the TA Pl atoon Barry Camille who goes to 3 QUEENS in Cyprus on
Commanders' Battle Course. commissioning . Mr Camille 's qui et authoritative
style has been mu ch appreciated in the battalion
Lt Colin M cKewan and 2Lt Charles Lovelace have where he had mad e significant co ntributions to the
t aken on t he HSF plat oons at Br ighton and shooting and orienteering teams. The WOs' and
Farn ham respectively. Sgts' Mess has certainly benefited from his trustee-
ship, as has the Cpls ' Mess. Before leaving , Mr
Congratulations go t o Lt Pau l Sweatman on Camille presented the battalion with an eng raved
gaining his com mission after m any years of o ut- tankard to be award ed annually to the SNCO who
standing service as CSM HO (Alamein) Company. in the Comm anding Officer's opinion has made the
He has tak e n over the Re cru it Rece pti on and greatest contribution to battalion life. Th e first
Tra ining Team. His place as CSM has been fill ed by recipient was Sgt John Croft of D (Tangier)
W02 Graham Morrison from B (Somm e) Company Company. We wish Mr Camille and Letty all the
where W02 (CSM) Phil Booker and CSgt (CQMS) best for the future.
Steve Bell have stepped up.
In Mr Cam ille's place we warmly welcome to Th e
We welcome Capt Nick Clapham from 6 R Queen 's Regiment family W01 (RSM ) Bill Biln er
ANGLIAN (V) who has taken over as OC Training from 2 R ANGLIAN . A warm welcome also goes to
Wing from Maj John Ross. The latter has finally his wife Trish and th ei r two children .
su cc umbed to his desire to be near " light blue "
again and will be GLO to 27 Squadron at RAF
Marham.
Further welcomes to Lt Nick Davies on commis-
sioning after previous service with the RAF and to
CSgt Steve Fisher from 3 QUEENS on appointment
as PSI B (So m me) Company. Other cha nges on the
PSI front are that CSgt Tom Reddick has been post-
ed to C (Quebec) Company and CSgt Steve Dane to
the RRTT. CSgt Co l in Stott has returned to 1
QUEENS .
TRAINING
SgtChandlerREME,6/70UEENS{Vl,adjuststhebiggun As has already been ex plained , the last few
at Newhaven Fort. months has been relatively quiet . However,
January saw assorted officers, SNCOs and JNCOs
taking part in a major defence TEWT in th e
Medway Valley ne a r Ma i dston e. lt also saw B
(Somme) Company tram ping across the South
Downs.
34
6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion
to guarantee the return to work on Monday morn-
ing. Much to the disgust of the rifle companies, HO
(Alamein) Company took the trophy on the back of
their superior knowledge of regimental history!
CROSS COUNTRY
Sgt David Harper won the individual 1st place at
the South East Distri ct Cross Country
Champion ship in January with a time of 57 min-
utes. Cpl Andrea Duncan came 2nd in the WRAC
South East District c hampionship whilst A
(Salerno) Company took a very creditable 6th place
overall.
W01 (RSMI Camille, W01 (RSMI Bilner and the CO ORIENTEERING
discuss the handover/takeover of the RSMs.
Orienteering is another A (Salerno) Company
Company level training resulted in C (Quebec) speciality. Th eir team won the South East Di strict
Company running Exercise Cut and Run -a n Championships in March with Sgt David Harper
escape and evasion exe rcise - across the Ashdown winning the individual award and Pte Michael
Forest. Masterm inded by Capt M artin Tayl or, the M cSharry coming 1st in the under 21 competition.
exe rci se involved co lleagu es from his so li citors' Sgt Harper came 1st on the A course whilst Maj
practice, some on horseback, as searchers, parti - Tony Guthrie came 1st on the B course. The team
sans, etc. The Sussex Poli ce sc rambled their heli- have therefore successfully qualified for the UKLF
copter and the soldiers had the delight of selecting Championships to be held on 27 April 1991 .
and killing their own trout before su pper at one
stand. Capt Taylor was last seen command ing the SPORT
operation from hi s Peugeot runabout!
Th e B (Somme) Company families day held at
Equally as imaginative, was the use of Brighton was a huge success with a reasonable
Newhaven Fort for military and adventurous train- attendance and the inter-platoon football competi-
ing by members of HO (Alamein) Company and D tion was ultimately won by Headquarters Pl atoo n.
(Tangier) Company. Abseiling , a dry COB, GPMG The day was enjoyed by all except Sgt Steve
SF and signals were all part of the menu. In return , Driver, 6 Platoon, who suffered from a heavy tackle
the REME t ea m under Sgt Nigel Chandler beg an from the OC, Maj Tony Dalby, which left him off
renovating a 12 inch gun whilst CSgt (NRPS) Colin work for two weeks and ve ry much in the bad
Friend took on a Second World War Searchlight. books of Mrs Driver. That's what happens when
Assorted ca binets presented by RHO and an you play football in build ing boots!
ancient forge were duly resited under the direction
of the Fort's cu rator. Th e company also took part in the South East
District Inter-Unit Sports Competition and for the
Shooting and varied bounty testing filled some first time took part in all disciplines including vol-
of the gaps and the period closed with a battalion leyball, basketball, football , tug-of-war and squash.
FTX and night navigation phase on Salisbury Plain
over the weekend of, appropriately, 6{7 April. Will
we ever see blank and pyrotechnics in such quanti-
ty again?
The look forward is to FIBUA work-up training at
Longmoor followed by Copehill Down in early
May.
BUILDERS' MERCHANTS' COMPETITION
6{7 QUEENS (V) values its close association with MajHuwEdwards, OCC!Ouebec)Companyandhisteam
on a TEWT.
various livery companies. The Builders' Merchants
have developed a particularly close association
with the battalion and companies compete annual-
ly for their silver salver. The competition took pla ce
in December in the most appalling winter weather.
High winds and heavy snow did not deter the
teams although the competition had to be cut short
35
6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion
SHOOTING
A (Sa lerno) Company won the non-centra l NBC
Match (Monmouthshire Trophy) run by TARA and
also won the Inter Battalion .22 shootin g competi -
tion. 6[7 QUEENS (V) must clearly be too good for
the competition as Bisley has been cance lled!
Instead , the Shooting Team is conce ntrat in g on
sniper training and GPMG SF .
Maj Tony Dalby, OC B ISomme) Company receives ARMY CATERING CORPS
coaching from W02 ICSM) Bennett.
This year marks the Golden Jubilee of the Army
Despite fierce co mpetition from the largest f ie ld of Catering Corps and to m a rk this occasion , the
entran ts ever, the co mpany, with able assistance Commanding Officer presented ce rtifi cates to the
and support from the battalion , achieved first Catering Pl atoon, whi ch is most ably led by W0 2
place, taking the trophy from 233 Sqn RCT (V) who (Maste r Chef) Terry Pugh , a lecturer at Crawley
had won it on the previous nine occasions. A great College of Technology.
effort which will prove more than difficult to follow
wh en w e defend it du ri ng 1991 . We eat very well in 6[7 QUEENS and in the last
three month s the Catering Team has cove red sev-
Congratulations to our squash team for winning eral co mpany dinners, Offi cers' and Sgts ' M ess
the squash outright. function s as well as providing food in the fi eld .
E (DUNKIRK) (HSF) COMPANY The Catering Platoon 6/7 QUEENS IV) with their Golden
Anniversary Certificates.
The company, with platoons at Farnham ,
Brighton , Crawley and Sutton seeks rec ruits . Ex
Regular and TA Sold ie rs are wanted at all loca -
tions. Training one evening per month and four
weekends a year.
Over the past months the company has taken
part in training at Sutton and at the 2 Infantry
Brigade HSF concentration at Hythe/Shorncliffe.
Platoon training has assisted host co mpanies.
Lt Col JAB Salmon presented the co mpany with
a mounted copy of the 4th Battali on Royal Sussex
Regiment War Diary covering their participation
with the BEF in France and Belgium in 1940.
36
8th (VOLUNTEER) BATTALION
THE QUEEN'S FUSILIERS (CITY OF LONDON)
October inevitably had a sense of anticlimax TheMayorofBromleyopensthenewDriiiHallatStMary
about it following our first and very successful
BAOR Camp . However the moment the kit was Cray, 6 November 1990.
checked and put away attention turned towards
the start of the 'marching season' and the opening our TA Quartermaster, Maj Peter Bateman, is much
of our new platoon Drill Hall at St Mary Cray. valued . As Peter is currently in the Gulf looking at
Following the social events in the run up to possible additions to the museum's collection, we
Christmas, thoughts in the New Year focused very will probably see a new set of exhibits on our next
firmly on the various inspections and on bounty visit. The next few months seem certain to hold a
testing as the end of the training year became number of challenges. 'Options for Change' will
more visible. Thoughts have also been with the obviously feature in many thoughts as the year
forces in the Gulf and in particular with 3 RRF who progresses; are we to see a repeat of 1967? April
were of such real assistance to us in Germany last ushers in the added delight of the New
year . With the Gulf in mind, C Company are to be Management Strategy and all the administrative
commended for their cake collecting, which result- detail it will bring to the desks of the Training
ed in over 1500 being despatched to troops Major and PSAOs.
deployed in the desert. Kathy Perkins has worked as a civilian clerk at
Edgware for more years than any of us care to
Recent weeks have seen efforts concentrated on remember and we were sorry to see her finally
FIBUA training and the annual Courage Trophy retire on 25 January . She takes with her our very
competition. Planning has already started on what best wishes for a happy retirement and our thanks
will be a three -way annual camp with a platoon for her considerable efforts on our behalf.
going to BAOR, a company group destined for
Cyprus and the remainder of the battalion holding
a cadre camp at Fremington in Devon . Needless to
say a certain amount of jostling for position has
been detected even at this early stagel The last
Training Night in March saw the third visit of the
battalion to the National Army Museum. This
opportunity, arranged through the good offices of
I
STMARYCRAY
The new portakabins and refurbished drill hall
The CO, Lt Col Peter Mclelland, presents a ct:rtificate to which form the base for 9 Platoon at St Mary Cray
Mrs Kathy Perkins on her retirement. near Orp1ngton were officially opened by the
Mayor of Bromley on the evening of 6 November
1990. The Guard was commanded by Lt Miles East
and we were pleased to welcome Col Patrick
37
Queen's Fusiliers
Shervington and the Regim ental Secretary as w ell
as numerous oth er guests. After formally o pening
the centre , the Mayor and De pu t y Li e ut enant
watched the platoon training and spent some time
talking to families and friends. This extension into
the outskirts of London offers a new and potential-
ly fruitful recruiting area . The original crest of th e
Royal West Kents above the main door is perh aps
not out of place for a platoon of the battalion!
TRAINING
After various rehearsals the previous weekend Lts Burgess and Nickels ponder the next move during a
under the watchful eye of the RSM, the battalion 8 OF(V) FIBUA training at Copehill Down.
provided two guards for the Lord Mayors Show on
Saturday 10 November. After a somewhat damp
and threatening start, the weather produced th e
customary dry day much to the relief of marchers
and spectators alike. Other battalion personalities
were occupied as marshals and the second in com -
mand could see nothing at all sinister in having
Rupert Bear in his charge on Rupert's 70th birth-
day. The following day being Remembrance
Sunday, companies attended their usual local
parades and the battalion provided the Territorial
Army Contingent at the Cenotaph under the com-
mand of Capt Mike Asplin.
C Company were visited by the KAPE team of 2
RRF in November. The Warrior that accompanied
them proving to be the ideal vehicle for executing
U-turns on Balham High Road during the rush
hour! After the usual Christmas lull, training
resumed in the New Year with the cross wires cen-
tred on a Grade 1 Board in January and on FIBUA.
The latter culminated in a valuable weekend at
Copehill Down on 23/ 24 February with engineer
support and a live enemy. The rifle companies
spent the Saturday practising the various drills and
the Sunday gave them ample opportunity to put
the theory into practice and our new doctor, Capt
Joanna Good the chance to practice her skills on a
succession of casualties. The final round of bounty
tests occupied the minds of many as the magic
deadline of 31 March approached . Despite ample
warning there is always the frantic scramble by the
few. Spring is the period for Army Cadet Force
inspections . Those involved return highly
impressed by the evident enthusiasm and hard
work displayed by the cadets and their instructors.
lt is a relationship we are glad to foster. The tail-
end of the training year seems to coincide with the
Courage Trophy Competition. After a weekend
spent rehearsing over the actual ground, on which
2Lt Miles Griffin amazed all present with a demon-
stration of his amphibious capabilities on the
assault course, teams were back at Pirbright for the
real thing on 23/24 March .
As the better weather approaches thoughts turn
'Don't let it get away!' CSM Vial with a firm hand on towards the shooting season, the forthcoming bat-
some link.
talion SAAM and a return visit to the Battle Group
38
Queen's Fusiliers
Ptes Perez, Jones and Rumney of 8 OFlVI, ready to go up on 16 March. lt was also the occasion to say
in the world during FIBUA training. farewell to the outgoing Adjutant, Capt David
Cook. David leaves us to join the staff at the School
Train er at Bovingt o n with a slightly revised format of Infantry at Warminster and is apparently waiting
in the offin g. The Nijmegen team fro m C Company with enthusiasm for the first TA Platoon
under the lead ership of 2Lt Andrew Se lous ha ve Commanders Course to arrive! We wish David and
the prospect of some serious training miles under Tracy the best of fortune in the move to Wiltshire.
the boots in preparation for their participation at After a long quiet period on the marriage front,
the international four day marches in July. watchers have reported a sudden flurry of activity.
Capt Stephen Plowman took the plunge in
OFFICERS' MESS Janu ary, a direct result of our fund raising for the
St Thomas' Hospital Baby Fund! Our incoming
Adjutant, Capt Jerry Gardner made a brief appear-
ance for the handover/takeover and then disap-
peared for a fortnight to follow suit and it is strong-
ly rum oured that 2Lt Mil es Mayne has 20 April
firmly in mind.
Other changes have seen Maj Kwame Carter giv-
ing up the reins at B Company and Lt Jenny
Hastings who leaves us to take up an appointment
with the Military Poli ce . Capt Alistair Nelson has
taken over as 21C A Company following his two
year SSVC with 1 QUEENS. Capt Mike Asplin has
taken over as Ops Officer and 2Lt Miles Mayne
moves to command the outstation at St Mary Cray.
We were delighted to welcome Capt Joanna Good
as our new and badly need ed Medical Officer and
Capt Mo Shannon who joins us to fill the vacancy
of Paym aster. Capt Francis Tu sa has finally decided
to hang up his boots obviously favouring the more
lu crative role of defence analyst with ITN . The
Battl e Group Trainer got to him in the end!
However it will mean a less smoke filled environ-
ment for those manning the CP.
Sunday 28 October saw the officers and their C Company take part in the lord Mayor' s Show .
ladies gathering for a Curry Lunch hosted by A
Company at Flodden Road . The event was well
attended and set the standard for subsequent simi-
lar occasions. A Ladies Night was held at St John's
Hill on 1 December to which we were delighted to
welcome the Honorary Colonel and Lady Spratt.
Although the numbers attending made the seating
plan a tight fit, a good time was had by all judging
by the number of party poppers expended! The
horse racing which followed produced some very
questionable results despite the efforts of Capt
Mike Rowney as a suitably attired Clerk of the
Course. The Christmas Season was celebrated in
style by the companies in their own locations and
it is most encouraging to see the growing social
links between them and their livery co mpanies.
Indeed the links are not just social, C Company
were the proud recipients of a new minibus gener-
ously donated by the Worshipful Company of
Cordwainers. While practisin g for the Courage
Trophy we were pleased to welcome several of our
Surrey Trustees to Pirbright for lunch and a chance
for a quick shoot. lt gave us a chance to renew old
acquaintances and them the opportunity of meet-
ing the majority of the battalion hierarchy.
We were pleased to welcome the new Chief of
Staff, Maj Robert Bruce and the S02 MS(TA). Maj
Paul Whittle at a Guest Night held at St John 's Hill
39
Queen's Fusiliers
WOs' AND SERGEANTS' MESS
The WRAC Detachment of s QFIV) ready for the Lord The period since the last Journal has been high -
Mayor's Procession. lighted by a successful Christmas Draw which was
held at Edgware on 15 December 1990. The com-
mittee headed by W02 Vial produced an exce ll ent
evening which the Commanding Officer and his
wife attended as guests of honour. A Reg im ental
Dinn er was held at St J ohn's Hill on 19 J anuary
where the opportunity was taken to welcome W02
Anthony from 2 QUEENS and CSgt Bla ck from
2RRF. Unfortunately we also had to say farewel l to
CSgt (QPSI) Hughes and CSgt (ORS) Eaton who is
leaving the Army. On 23 February the fir st of the
Adjutant's farewell drinks took place in Copehill
Down . Only selected m ess m embers took part and
a good night was had by all. Spec ial thanks go to
Sgt Stanbrook for an excellent selection of win es.
Finally welcome to W02 (ORQMS) Burto n who is
currently co nverting from Viking to Queensm an
whilst taking up the po st of Chief Clerk.
DEPOT THE QUEEN'S DIVISION
by Maj M S Ouinn, Regimental Representative
The winter has been a busy and somewhat
uncertain training period at the Depot. The Queen 's
Division recruit intake figures for the second half of
the 90/91 SCAMF (Standing Committee for Adult
Manpower Forecast) year were reduced signifi-
cantly in October 1990. As a result, in November
1990, A Company was disbanded and B and C
Companies eventually reduced to three training
platoons each. However, no sooner had the
change been implemented than SCAMF figures for
1991 /92 were announced increasing the Division 's
recruit intake ceiling. There are no immediate plans
to reform A Company but the number of training
platoons in B and C Companies will be increased
to meet demand . During the period October 1990
to March 1991 a total of 56 Queensmen completed
training at the Depot and joined battalions.
Anzio Platoon , commanded by Lt Rupert Elliott,
passed out on 4 August with Sgt Sharratt (1
QUEENS) Platoon Sergeant and Cpl Elford (3
QUEENS) Section Commander. The platoon pri ze
winners included three Qu ee nsmen: Pte Boag (1
QUEENS) Best Recruit , Pte Daly (1 QUEENS)
Physical Training and Pte O' Dwyer (2 QUEENS )
Best Battle Shot.
A trial involving the grouping of recruits into dis-
trict Regimental Sections began on 13 April when
Normandy and Korea Platoons began training .
Queen 's Regiment Sections are now formed in
Sgt Sharratt 11 QUEENS), Infantry and Depot Hockey
Player.
40
Queen's Fusiliers
each platoon and it is intended that a degree of liai - Pte Boag !Best Runner) Pte Daly !Best at PT) and Pte
son should be established with a UK (mainland) O'Dwyer !Best Battle Shot) at the Anzio Platoon Passing
based regular battalion , in this case 2 QUEENS . Out Parade on 4 August.
During March , Cpls Osborne (2 QUEENS). Martin two years and we wish him well with the RAF in
and Searle (3 QUEENS) deployed for a month with Germany. We have recently welcomed new
Minden Platoon to Fort Lewi s, USA, as part of th e 1 arrivals: Capt Charles Mcleod MBE as Adjt, Lt
RRF contingent for Ex Trumpet Dan ce. The platoon Smith, W02 Songhurst CSM D Coy and Drum
were able to make use of the exc ellent range facili - Major Reader.
ties and exerci se areas as part of their recruit train -
ing programmes. Adventurous training was con-
ducted in the snow of the Cascade Mountams and
the trip concluded with a R & R visit to Van couver.
On the sporting front the Depot Hockey Team
retained the Infantry Cup this year with a decisive
4- nil win against 1 CHESHIRE . Sgt Sharratt (1
QUEENS) and Ptes Pudwell (2 QUEENS) and
Watson (1 QUEENS) are regular team members
and Sgt Sharratt has again played on a regular
basis for the Infantry Hockey team this season. The
Depot Soccer Team won the Eastern District Minor
Units Cup and numbered four Queensmen in the
winning team- Cpls Elford , Martin , Searle (3
QUEENS) and Osborne (2 QUEENS). Capt
Bromfield was a member of the Depot Golf Team
which won the Eastern District Team Champion-
ship in April.
Finally we have said farewell to Maj Bob Bartlett,
Regimental Representative at the Depot for the last
I
,.I
JUNIOR INFANTRY BATTALION (SHORNCLIFFE)
by Maj P R P Howe, Regimental Representative
Brig John Holman and the Regimental Secretary with The last six months has seen only one small
Junior RSM Gaul after the Passing Out Parade, December intake Pass Out. However, we were again glad to
1990. see a Queensman, Junior RSM Gaul , now in 3
QUEENS, take this honour. lt was also fitting that
Brig John Holman took the Passing Out Parade
and the Regimental Secretary was present to wel-
come him into the Regiment. We have been busy
training up our two large intakes who will Pass Out
in the Summer, hopefully 44 of them Queensmen .
As you will have gathered from my last two arti-
cles, we have been able to give sport, here at
JIB(S). some more impetus over the last year. The
last six months we have continued and expanded
this success. The Cross Country team had another
exceptional season winning the Junior Army Inter
Relay Championships in November 1990 and the
Junior Army Cross Country Championsh ips in
February 1991 . We had some talented Rugby play-
ers and with careful coaching reached the Final of
the Army Junior Rugby only to lose 6-0 to
41
Chepstow. Our Judo team won the SE Distri ct ships. Hopefully the positive attitude to boxing in
Junior Judo Competition, but unfortunately the this unit will continue to feed boxers through to
Army Championships were cancelled due to Op our battalions.
Granby.
We were most fortunate to get all Junior Leaders
This year we decided to put plenty of effort into away skiing this year. Fourteen platoons were able
the Junior Army Boxing which paid handsome div- to use the RRF 's hut in Bavaria which was a great
idends as we became Champions, defeating the success. We hope that all ex Junior Leaders joining
Guards and Junior Para 5-4 in the Finals. their battalions will be able to ski and drive . Life
Furthermore, we gained four Army Junior Bo xi ng can't be too bad .
Individual Champions at the Individual Champion-
ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY SANDHURST
by Capt M J Williams Regimental Representative
Yet another term draws to a close, with five Academy at present (CSgts lrvine, Felstead and
Suba lterns being commissioned into the Regiment McCauley) hopefully to be joined by more follow-
at the Sovereign 's Parade on 12 April 1991 . This ing the forthcoming Ass istant Instructors Cadre . 1
was a marvellous occasion with Her Majesty The am moving to Old College and Dettingen Company
Queen presenting the Academy with new Colours. for a Summer of TA Courses.
Maj Gen Reynolds and Lt Col White represented
the Regiment. 2Lts Tim Richardson and Alex Long The Regiment maintains a high profile at the
(1 QUEENS). Edward Scates (2 QUEENS) , and Academy and this was enhanced by the presence
Gerard Leahy and Simon Lloyd-Davis (3 QUEENS) of the Albuhera Band , under W01 Peaple, who
left the Academy on a very memorable day and produced sterling work during the latter half of the
will attend PCBC at Warminster before joining their term and especially at the Sovereign's Parade. The
respective battalions. high quality of their performance both on the
square and at Dinner Nights was subject of much
There are currently four Officer Cadets 'i n the comment and praise; they are to be congratulated
pipeline' and these will be joined by three more in on this.
the coming term . Three CSgts remain at the
The Albuhera Band at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
42
NEWS FROM DENMARK
by Maj G C Brown, Regimental Representative
A lthough it hardly seems any time at all , I_have The start of another day in Exercise Branch , HO BALTAP
realised with a somewhat guilty tw1nge that 1t IS a - 'Skaal'! Maj Graham Brown on the right.
year since I la st provid ed some news from
Denmark. From the NATO point of view mu ch ha s Copenhagen , although I am still not sure why we
happened in th e past y ear. The unifi cation of went on a recruiting drive at one stage to a club
Germany and the disappearance of the Warsaw run by the Student Federation i n downtown
Pact as a military threat has had a considerable Copenhagen !
impact on the situation in the Baltic Approaches.
From being part of the front l1ne th1s reg1on has lt was a great pity that the planned appearance
now become almost a rear area and, in keeping of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe in December to
with the rest of NATO, there is mu ch consideration take the Sovereigns' Parade at Sandhurst had to be
of future role and structure. lt is a busy time and , in cance ll ed at the last minute due to a snap General
my job as an exercise planner, the word flexibility El ection being ca ll ed in Denmark. As a result, the
has taken on a who le new meaning , with changes Regiment missed the opportunity to underline the
occurring on an almost dai ly basis. Danish Connection and I lost the chance to accom-
pany her for the occasion. I hope for some other
Th e changes in the military and political situation opportunity in my remaining year here, but it may
have fortunately not made any difference to my be wishful thinking .
role as the Regim enta l Representative in Denmark.
Our 'Unofficial Alliance ' with the Royal Danish Life
Guards cont inu es to be as strong as ever, and I am
currently negotiating with the Life Guards to hope-
fully bring about an exchange of officers between
our Reg im ents. Th e idea is that we should each
exchange a young officer for approximately a
month, based on Canterbury and Copenhagen as
ou r respective 'Homes' . M o re news on this I hope
by the next edition of the Journal.
La st summer I attended the Life Guards Summer
Ball in Copenhagen and was honoured not on ly to
be placed on the same table as Her M ajesty Queen
M argrethe, but also to be able to spend some time
talking to her during the eveni ng. She is a keen
skier and provided some good advice on where to
go in Norway this winter. Just before Christmas I
was aga in invited to the annual dinner of the Major
Korps of th e Roya l Life Guards, and passed a very
enjoyab le evening and night with them in
REGIMENTAL BANDS
THE ALBUHERA BAND cert in the Doppelaula, a large concert hall in the
by W01 (8/M) I R Peaple centre of Minden . As Bandmaster, I was extremely
disappointed not to be involved in this particular
When the previous Journal articles were submit- engagement, but it coincided with the annual com-
ted , few cou ld have foreseen the tumultuous missioning examinations in Twi ckenham for which
eve nts that were abo ut to cha ng e the li ves of so I was grateful at being al lowed to attend. This
m any members of Her Majesty's Forces. All of us meant that the entire venture had to be co-ordinat-
in the Albuhera Band were looking forward to our ed, produced and conducted by W02 Tony Cooper,
final term in BAOR before moving to Canterbury the Band Sgt Maj. To his credit, the concert was an
and, in conjunction with all members of the 2nd unqualified success and all members of the band
Batta lion , plans were underway to mark our depar- rising to the occasion and the reports and reactions
ture in an appropriate manner. that ensued proved that it had indeed marked a fit-
ting end to our close association with the local
Th e highlight for us was to be the farewe ll con- community.
43
And so to Canterbury. We had barely finished THE QUEBEC BAND
unpacking our boxes when we were instructed by by W01 (8/M) J R Young
the Band President to repack once again and move
en masse to Camberley as we had been se lected at The Quebec Band ' s busy schedule here in
short notice to assume the role of Resident Band Cyprus continues unabated (despite the lull in nor-
for the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. We mal working routine) due to hostilities in the Gulf.
had no time to prepare, no time to think and cer- The Christmas period proved to be hectic but
tainly no time to panic! Within 48 hours of our enjoyab le including two highly successfu l carol
arrival at RMAS we found ourselves on the steps concerts at Episkopi and RAF Akrotiri. Th e band
of Old College in full Ceremonial Uniform perform- teamed up with the Apollo Singers led by Cpl
ing for the Sovereign's Banner Parade in the pres- David Roper, normally a cook in the Air Vice
Marshal's kitchen .
ence of the Duke of Wellington.
After the Christmas stand-down period it was
For those of you unaware of how musical sup- time for the pantomime season . We provided
port for Sandhurst operates, it began in 1985 with musicians for pantomimes at both Episkopi and
the disbandment of the RMAS Staff Band. Since Ayios Nikolaos which , although badly disrupted by
then, bands of the British Army have been selected the Gulf War, were able to limp through with
on a rota basis to serve for three months in the role depleted, but enthusiastic casts.
of Resident Band . In the case of Staff Bands, one
per term is permanently stationed there to work After our highly successful concert at St. John' s
exclusively at the behest of the Academy authori- School, Episkopi, it is now ' all hands on deck' in
ties. When Regimental bands are sent there it is preparation for the Queen 's Birthday Parade to be
customary for two bands to combine. The work- held on 7 June in Happy Valley, with a small mat-
load throughout the period is intense, cu lminating ter of Beating Retreat in order to celebrate
in every case with the Sovereign's Parade on the Albuhera week, first in May. As yet there are no
last day of term. Fate determined that we were to other major events planned for the band with the
undertake the largest and most import Sovereign's exception of a week in Crete to help celebrate their
Parade for many years. lt was to be conducted in 50th Anniversary Celebrations and another trip in
the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and HRH October, this time to Egypt, for the El Alamein cele-
The Duke of Edinburgh, new Colours were to be brations. But as ever in the band world it is a case
presented to the Academy and the occasion also of " Watch this Space" .
marked Academy's 250th Anniversary.
In order to increase our performing strength to Op Granby Duties
the generally accepted figure of forty musicians,
we were assisted by members of the St George's by CSgt G C Cook
Band RRF who joined us for the rehearsals imme-
diately prior to the day itself. Preparations went On 11 January the band were called back off
well and despite the usual British fears about the leave to take part in a training day at RAF Akrotiri .
weather, we awoke on the morning of 12 April to a The band were shown their task should hostilities
day of bright sunshine and clear blue skies. The start in the Gulf. Many more training days and
parade was just under 2 hours in duration and I am exercises were carried out before and after being
pleased to report that everything went according to mobilized on 15 January. The band made up a
plan. I cannot imagine that we will ever again per- large part of four Airfield Medica l Reception Teams
form before such a discerning and distinguished whose task was to unload casualties arriving in
audience and the bouquets and plaudits we have Hercules from the Gulf and transport them to
subsequently received lead us to feel quietly satis- either the hospital or the Low Care Transit Facility.
fied with our overall tour of duty. I personally am The teams would also have to load casualties on to
extremely proud of every one of the musicians in VC10s and Boeing 7J7s for the final stage of their
the band, not just for what they did at Sandhurst, journey back to the UK.
but for the totally professional manner in which
they did it. In addition, the band was responsible for the ini-
tial layout of equipment and medical supplies with-
We have recently said farewell to a number of in the Low Care Transit Facility. One of the biggest
people including Cpl John Brigden who has recent- problems during our deployment at Akrotiri was to
ly embarked on the three year Bandmaster course learn RAF slang. Such phrases as "the kite on the
at Kneller Hall, and Sgt Graham West and his fami - pan has gone tits up" really threw us for the first
ly who, wishing to remain in Germany, has trans- few days but as always the band quickly adjusted.
ferred to the band of the 9/12 Lancers. We wish
them every success in their new surroundings. We Thankfully, in the end, the band only moved two
extend a warm welcome to Sgt Derek Pierce and casua lties, ie the Tornado crew who ejected shortly
his wife who have joined us from 9/ 12 Lan cers in after take off. Both suffering from back injuries had
Wimbish. You may also be interested to know that to be moved very carefully. Needless to say, as
with their musical performances, the band gave
our long awaited recording with the Minden based 100% .
Leteln Choir is now available from the band office.
44
The Kohima (Volunteer) Band with Lt Col Chris Argent, W01 (B/M) B Cunningham and Maj Peter Swanson in the
front row.
THE KOHIMA (VOLUNTEER) BAND the finance we urgently need for general replace-
by W01 (8/M) 8 Cunningham ments and refurbishments. I would also like to
thank all those whose generous donations have
it's hard to imagine any situation where being a already taken us over halfway to our target figure .
On the more positive side of success I can safely
victim could be described as something good, yet
the phrase I have heard being used to describe the say that the band is increasing constantly in both
situation of the band over the last six months is quantity and quality. We are also being engaged to
that we are "victims of our own success" . Perhaps play at quite prestigious venues and, having done
I should explain that, although success always so, are usually asked back. A case in point was the
breeds success, it can as in the case of the Kohima cabaret we performed before an audience of 900
Band also bring with it a few problems. Recruiting, people, all of whom had paid £100 to attend a New
attendance at rehearsals and engagements, the Year' s Eve dinner dance in the Grosvenor House
number of engagements and the percentage of Hotel , Park Lane, London . The organisers and the
those which are high profile events have all audience were so impressed that they immediately
increased. This seemingly endless upward curve is booked us again for this year. During March and
good for the morale of the musicians and image of April many of you may have seen us on television
the Reg1ment but brings with it the inevitable pres- when we performed at Wembley Stadium for the
sure of financially sustaining such growth. If you England v Ireland International, the Rumbelows
don't believe me, just ask the Conservative Party! Cup Final and the Rugby League Cup Final. As a
The cost of repairing and replacing instruments, direct result of these we have been asked if we can
uniforms and music is colossal and of course more take on another three dates in May to play during
people performing more regularly means more the Football League play-offs. By the end of the
use of equipment which shortens its life ex pectan- year we will justly be able to say that we have
cy, hence higher costs. This vicious circle also played at Wembley more times this year than Gary
effects our allocation of man training days because
more engagements require more rehearsals and Lineker .
each day eats away at an ever decreasing budget. I The dedication of our members continues to
must at this point pay tribute to Lt Col Argent, who
s1nce h1s arnval. last January has tirelessly pleaded amaze me, especially those who travel from places
our case to vanous agenc1es 1n order to generate such as Andover , Guildford and Brighton, often
hav1ng to make the return JOUrney 1n the early
hours of the mornmg They certamly wouldn 't do 1t
45
..........................._
The launch ofThe Queen's Regimental Band Association on 16 March 1991.
if the end result was not immensely enjoyable and ship is £5 per annum and applications for member-
rewarding, so if you are a musician and live within ship can be obtained from ;
reasonable travelling distance, do come and join
us, then you too can be a "victim of success" . CSgt Witten
THE QUEEN'S REGIMENTAL BAND Secretary QRBA
ASSOCIATION Leros TA Centre
Sturry Road
by W01 (B/M) B Cunningham
Canterbury, CT1 1HE
lt was three years ago since I had the idea of
forming a Queen's Regimental Band Association
and there were many times during that period that
I thought it would never get off the ground .
However, all the waiting came to an end on the 16
March when the association was officially
launched at the Leros TA Centre, Canterbury,
where we held our first reunion. This took the form
of a Buffet/Dance and was attended by about 100
members. lt was a most memorable occasion and
one that we are all looking forward to repeating
next year and fully expect to double the number
attending so please keep those addresses coming
In.
We are grateful to the Colonel of the Regiment,
Maj Gen M F Reynolds CB, for kindly consenting to
be our Patron and also to Maj Don Pryce who is
currently serving as our President.
The association aims to provide a way of keep- The Queen's Regimental Band Association President, Maj
ing past and present musicians in touch via our Don Pryce being welcomed by the Chairman, W01 IB/Ml
address files and the annual reunion which will B Cunningham.
take place next year on the 14 March 1992 at the
same venue . Membership is open to anyone who
is serving in one of our regular or TA bands or has
at some time since 1966 been a musician with a
Queen's Regimental Band . The cost of member-
46
REGIMENTAL INFORMATION TEAM
When the OC took over the burdens of com - Cumberland Sword Winner:
manding the RIT on 1 April our strength was an Sgt A Si m mons 72 Queens Cadet Company
awesome 42! Since then he has managed to whit-
tle it down to a more manageable 24 and they still Runner up:
ca rry out twice as many tasks. Obviously there are CSgt L Prangell 72 Queens Cadet Company
too many people to say goodbye to by name, but
all those who have left ove r the la st year, thank Best Female:
you for all your efforts. LCpl E Ra sih No 16 Detachment Sussex ACF
What remains of the team managed to tear itself Kirke's Cane Winner:
away from in stru cting cadets for a while , and spent LCpl R Covacic Yorktown Detachment Surrey ACF
a very enjoyable week in Wales carrying out
adventurous training. Ably assisted by two mem- Runner up:
bers of the South East District Youth Team, CSgt LCpl C Crouch er 72 Queens Cadet Company
'Frankie' Brown of 3 QUEENS and Sgt Joe Dormer
of 1 QUEENS), 18 members of the team ca rried out Best Female:
canoeing, rock climbing and hill walking in a pack- LCpl T Pa sk 4 Queens Kent ACF
age very well put together by the RIT's own adven-
ture training expert LCpl Dave Crawford . The CCF March and Shoot Competition which is
a new event instigated by the late Brig Hugh
The Kirke's Cane and Cumberland Sword Tarver, is still in full swing and we will be able to
Competition for QUEENS ACF was fiercely fought announce a winning team soon. There have been
for on a wet, bleak Saturday in March and congrat- some very good times on the march side of the
ulations are to go to all of those who took part and competition but it is still beatable, and it seems it's
especially the prize winners listed below: going to be a close run thing!
Our winter programme of assistance to the ACF
has now come to an end, and we look forward to a
busy summ er of publicity events and summer
camps with them.
THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT FREE FALL TEAM
"THE FLYING DRAGONS"
by W02 B F Reader
TRAINING IN CALIFORNIA The team members were Cpl Best and Pte
The time for pre-display training dawned once Murphy of 1 QUEENS, Lt Jon Griggs, W02 Reader
again and the Flying Dragons prepared for their and LCpl Brierly of 2 QUEENS and LCpl Fahy, Pte
annual training camp which was to be held at the Thetford and Pte Allum of 3 QUEENS .
Perris Valley Parachute Centre from 16 March to 18
April . The centre is situated some one and a half
hours drive south east of Los Angeles, California .
The aim of the exercise was to improve the
parachuting skills of all team members in display
techniques . Canopy Relative Work (Parachute
stacks and formations), Relative Work (the flying of
the body in freefall to manoeuvre into different
pre-planned and rehearsed formations) and to
carry out photography suitable for PR use.
For some of the newer members of the team A 10 way star formation with the Canadian Forces
these aspects of parachuting were completely new. parachute team, the Sky Hawks.
Towards the latter end of th e training camp the
Flying Dragons competition Canopy Relative work
team carried out concentrated training in prepara-
tion for the Regional and National Para chute
Championships.
47
Dvr Large of 263 Sqn RCT also came as team
coach. Barry was part of the British squad at the
World Championships two years ago and his skills
and coaching techniques proved to be invaluable
throughout the relative work training.
This year was the team's third visit to the centre
so that older hands knew what to expect, or so
they thought! Sport parachuting requires high or
no cloud cover and low winds in order to get maxi-
mum jumps in. This combined with a very rea so n-
able discount from the parachute cen tre and full
use of its facilities makes the training package hard
to beat. The team arrived late on a Thursday
evening and spent Friday carrying out administra-
tion tasks . The nearby March Air Force Base once
again provided the team with full use of their
leisure and gymnasium facilities, base exchange
and full medical cover.
Accommodation at the parachute centre consists
of 16 man bunkhouses and a camping area. The
team opted for the campsite. When we arrived in
Perris, California was in the throes of a drought,
with water rationing enforced. Shortly after our
tents were pitched the weather changed dramati-
cally. The first two weeks saw the worst storms
and heaviest rainfall the locals had seen for some
50 years. The state reservoirs were 13 inches low
on our arrival and after the downpour they were an
inch above the minimum levels. On two occasions
the tented area was flooded out completely.
Welcome to sunny California I
We were assured by our hosts that the bad
weather was soon to end and by the end of the
second week we had excellent jumping conditions.
The training continued and the team split into two
groups. Cpl Best with the less experienced group
of four and Dvr Large with the experienced group,
the video camera was jumped by W02 Reader and
LCpl Brierly and was alternated between the two
groups, in order to ensure maximum benefit for
both groups during debriefs.
The training camp was a great success and all
members of the team learned a great deal. Most
team members completed over 100 descents, with
Cpl Best leading the field and living up to his repu -
tation as the team " jumphog ". The high standard
W02 Brad Reader, Team Leader of the Regimental Free
Fall Team, the Flying Dragons.
required by Flying Dragon display jumpers was
met by all and the team are ready for the impend-
ing display season. The team arrived back in
England on 19 April and on 20 April took part in the
Midlands Regional Parachute Championships and
by the next afternoon had secured the gold medal.
The discipline was not exactly what we had trained
for and two of the teams taking part in the compe-
tition were part of the British squad that represent-
ed the country at the work championships at
Chang Mai in Thailand, so the result was unexpect-
ed. The British National Championships in canopy
The Flying Dragons performing 8 way relative work over relative work take place on 22 June and the team
California. is taking part in all events.
48
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