December 1984

47

435, all trained sol diers and from many and various
units, not least two Master Sergeants from the US
National Guard.

So much for the problems, now for the exercise
itself. The battalion deployed to BAOR by road and
air over the weekend 14- 16 September. The fortun -
ate ones travelled by air from Gatwick !yes, a loca l
airport!) and after landing at RAF Gutersloh had a
tedious time being shunted !literally) via the Corps
Reinforcement Group at Sennelager eventually
deploying to the fi eld in the early hours of Sunday 16
September. Being a weekend and admittedly in fairly
poor weather condit ions the Chinooks and Pumas
earma rked for the fly-in were replaced by those well
known low flying white sit-up-and-beg Army
coaches. lt was then off the coaches and out with
the digging tools for a backbreaking 24 hours digging
in on some very inhospitable terrain in the Sieben-
gerg area on the south flank of the Sibbesse va lley.

The road party arri ved on Monday after a very
ponderous move, which· started for most on Friday
evening , feeling very much ready for a holiday. That
was not to be the case since the Battalion had been
surviving on two Land - Rovers brought over on the
advance party to do all the vital tasks required in the
early stages of a defensive layout .

The defensive network of our parent formation,
11th Armoured Brigade was duly tied up by Man-

Top : 5 QUEENS lVI Bisley Team 1984 .
Lower : Gen Akehurst presents the Silver M edal for
Young Soldiers to Pte Hulland of HQ Company at

Bisley .

day evening and we were then ready for anything . ( fT5 THE ·'
We needed to be since the first flood of visitors
arrived around that time and there was no visible let which was spent generally (very generally) in Pader·
up until after ENDEX . To mention but a few visitors , born. All returned safely on Friday afternoon a few
and in no particular order, we were pleased to see DMs the lighter but a few ' Pils' the heavier to be
Col John Holman , who spoke to nearly every man in prepared for a move in the early hours of Saturday
the battalion, the German and British Foreign 29th.
Ministers, the Corps, Divisional and Brigade
Commanders (of our BAOR formations), Com- The move back by both air and sea went without a
mander UK Field Army and our UK Brigade Com- major hitch, although the movers did not gain many
mander and countless pressmen and radio and TV points for the late night entertainment at the
reporters . it was all worth the trouble since we Sennelager Air Mounting Centre where we were
gained some excellent publicity and showed all who obliged to spend four hours in a compound which
needed to know that we could do our job . The closely resembled the set from Tenko.
defensive phase ended on Thursday 20 September,
after some good actions where a large number of the All in all it was an excellent camp both from the
battalion were able to get to grips, though not tactical aspect and from the point of view of reten-
literally, with the enemy from 1st Panzer Division. tion and recruiting. We hope that all those who came
to Lionheart and felt that it matched their
We were then tasked to exfiltrate the Battalion on expectations will stay with us and that the good
foot some 40 krns over some quite steep country publicity gained by the battalion will encourage
occupied by the enemy. This proved to be an excel- recruiting . We now look forward to an entirely
lent phase for us and an apt test for the state of different and more traditional TA camp next year to
fitness of the battalion. that we got all but two be spent at Stanford train ing area during the first two
soldiers back to the new brigade concentration area weeks of July . Hopefully we shall not be suffering
well within the 36 hours time limit speaks for itself . withdrawal symptoms fr om Lionheart.
One problem encountered was with the new boots
which, although they are admirable for defensive tTop : Th e CO talking to QC A Company and members
operations, are not as good as the old DMS boot for of 2 Platoon on the rest day in Granary Yard .
foot-slogging.
lower : Lt lacy enjoying some military 171 reading .
After only a few hours to lick our wounds we were watched by Sgt Dormer.
warned for a vehicle move to another concentration
area and a bridge demolition guarding operation. Th e
night vehicle move, incorporating some 80 vehicles
caused some problems, not least for the Adjutant
and MTO, but we were all ensconced in our new
urban concentration area south of Hannover by the
early hours of Sunday 23 September.

Sunday night saw orders and another move in the
early hours of Monday morning to our new flank pro-
tection / bridge guarding role on the Mitterland Canal
bridges east of Hannover. The weather by now had
turned damp, it having been very reasonable for the
first week, and there was a slight air of anti-climax
about this phase since we expected to see little
enemy activity . However, as it turned out, there were
some interesting engagements with Dutch Leopard
lis and YPRs . The battlegroup had also grown to six
sub units, including a squadron of Chieftains from 3
RTR and a mechanised company from 2 RGJ , not to
mention the two extra Milan platoons from 1 QLR
and 1 DEAR which in addition to our own Milan
platoon had been deployed with us from the outset.
A formidable force by any measure .

Wednesday 26 September dawned bright and
clear with only another small deluge of visitors to
cloud the sky when ENDEX came . This was duly
passed to all stations on the battlegroup net and as is
normal for that particular message was acknow-
ledged without a .hitch.

We then withdrew to Athlone Barracks, Senne-
lager where our recovery was superbly sponsored
by the Scots DG . After a night's well earned sleep
the battalion took off for a 24 hour penod of R & R

49

Gen Howlett, GOC South East District presenting the
BEM to CSM Jones of B Company 5 QUEENS (VI .

SOLDIERING ON - TO THE SIXTIES

by Maj A A Marchant

The newly formed Home Service Force (HSF) has
been specially tailored for people leaving either
Regular or Reserve service who still wish to serve,
but because of age or commitment pressure, cannot
join the mainstream TA.

The HSF has a valuable, clearly defined role
which , as its name suggests, is for home service
only, in defence of key locations . The analogies with
the War-Time Home Guard (and the popular TV
series) have already been drawn by the national press
and, indeed, there are similarities . Both were raised
to fill a pressing need in the nation's defences and
both had a role tailored to the amount of training
time available . The major difference is that the HSF
will only accept experienced , trained personnel and
is fully equipped for its role (no armbands, broom-
sticks, or pikes) .

·' Because the main base of the HSF will be experi-

ence, training can be limited in line with its role.
Members will be required to attend a minimum of six
days and a maximum of ten days per year, plus a drill
night per month . For this training members will be
paid on the TA scale and there is a reduced annual
bounty. To obtain recruits of the calibre envisaged,
the age limits for the Force have been set at a realistic
level with an upper enlistment age of 50 (55 for
RARO) and service can continue until 60. There are,
of course, medical qualifications and these have
been set to reflect the age of the applicant and the
unit' s role .

The idea of the HSF (hosted by existing TA units)
has been tried experimentally in the Midlands over
the last two years with such success that it is now
being expanded nationwide . From January 1985
platoons will be established in Kent, Sussex and
Surrey based on existing TA locations. Recruiting for
these units has been extremely well supported and
anyone interested should contact OC E(HSF)
Company at 5 QUEENS (V).

50 avoided the full impact of that hospitality , thereby
lending weight to my conviction that certain extra-
IMPRESSIONS OF LIONHEART 1984 ordinary qualities are a pre-requisite of leadership -
but therein lies another story .
by Capt W D Milne
THE RAMSGATE FREEDOM MARCH
The term ' Lionheart' is synonymous with bravery
and is defined in the two volume 'shorter' Oxford by Capt P S F McCardle
English Di ctionary as meaning 'a heart like that of a
lion, eg courageous'. Only later in the definition is On 21 July 1984 the battalion was asked to exer-
Richard I known as Coeur de Lion mentioned , which cise the Regiment's Freedom of Ramsgate as part of
is perhaps just as well for his myth of popularity does the town's celebrations to mark 100 years as a
not stand up to critical historical analysis. Surely it borough.
cannot have been the intention to name a major exer-
cise after a king who effectively bankrupted the As on other occasions I ca rried the Queen's Colour
country in his life time and left the way open for a with Capt Chris Leonard taking the Regimental
period of weak and ineffectual government at his Colour . The Escort to the Colours was comma nd ed
death? Hence I shall treat the title as meaning by W02 Fairfax (' The Big Fella ').
courageous and say no more on the subject.
Naturally the parade required intensive rehearsal
The exercise for headquarter company began and drill practice much of which was aimed at the
conventionally enough with all personnel assembling weekend prior to the Ramsgate parade, when the
at Leros Drill Hall on Friday night. After enduring battalion provided the Colour Party and Guard for a
'mobilisation', we proceeded to the surreal world of a Drum -hea d service at the Depot.
hangar at Heathrow airport where all was efficiency
down to the last flushing port-a- loo . Having been The Ramsgate parade started bright and early at
assailed by a gentleman in a mecca no podium con- our Broadstairs Drill Hall where we assembled and
cerning, inter alia, the perils of safety matches in the dressed to shouts of ' mind my best boots' etc, and
luggage we boarded our trusty Hercules and took off formed up at the West Cliff.
into the wild grey yonder. (For more stirring stories
see any copy of the Boys' Own Paper circa 1920.) As the Guard fell in headed by The Queen 's
Regiment TA Band and our Corps of Drums , we of
On the flight much time was spent munching the Colour Party comp leted building ourselves with
through tins of assorted delights carefully chosen by sashes, swords , gloves, bayonet tips etc, and finally
HM Government to entertain as much as to feed and the cased Colours themselves.
the air was heavy w ith the scent of congea led
coleslaw pressed chicken breasts and other things . The sun had climbed to a sizzling height by now
When we arrived in Germany the great rear doors of and we all began to feel distinctly overdressed .
the Hercules opened to reveal a steady unrelenting Amidst all this somewhat nervous preparation, there
drizzle and everyone's heart skipped a beat at the sat an elderly lady resident quietly snoozing away on
thought that the exercise was going to be even more a park bench some two metres from the now
like the ' real thing ' than had been anticipated. uncased Colours. She had a sudden awakening
when the CO, Lt Col David Shephard, ordered
From the airport we proceeded by a circuitous ' March on the Colours' and I responded with the
route on both train and bus, a system obviously usual 120 decibel ' Sir'.
designed to fool any enemy, to Paderborn for a few
hours mu ch needed rest in a crowded vehicle We marched on the Colours, managing as we
garage. After this brief interlude of quasi-normality, went to avoid trampling the CO under the invincible
the helicopters, in the form of large white buses, ammo-boots of the ' Big Fella ', and then carried out a
arrived in the steely greyness of the German dawn perfect Right-Form (to the amazement of the civilian
and whisked us speedily to our chosen exercise onlookers , as eve n a perfect Right-Form looks far
location. from perfect to the uninitiated!)

Once in position, Ex Lion heart began in earnest and In due course the band struck up and we marched
we all slipped rapidly in to the frenetic no-time of a off the Colours with heads held high, only slightly
large exercise. Things went well. ' Good va lu e' was disconcerted by the man on the public address
the favoured buzz word and nearly every situation system referring to our 'flags'. The march through
with the possibility of going wrong was described as the town was made even more interesting for
'your problem '. In addition to a good performance on onlookers because of sweat dripping from every
the battle field we also managed the major coup of soldier and the hours of ' bulling ' coming to a sticky
obtaining the la st remaining twenty-four hour ration end as the sun melted the polish off the gleaming
packs in Germany . A definite logisti ca l victory not boots! As we app roa ched the saluting base half way
detracted from in any way by the fa ct that all packs up the High Street, the band played ' Soldiers of the
contained defective apple puddings . Queen ' and the enti re parade grew perceptibly six
inches taller. The sa lute was taken by the Colonel of
My final indelible impression of Ex Lionheart is of the Regiment accompanied by the Major of Rams-
the Panze rgrenadierba tallion 212, who after a very
instructive visit displayed conspicuou s hospitality to
the sma ll woup who attended. Higher co mmand

51

gate, and the parade passed by in good order and on 1. The TA Band and Corps of Drums of 5 QUEENS lVI
up the hill to halt in Ellington Park . on the Freedom of Ramsgate parade .

After marching off the Colours and falling out , the 2. The CO, Lt Col David Shephard marching at the
CO and officers were driven to the Ramsgate head of the two guards on the same parade .
Mayoral Parlour for a gin or three with the Colonel of
the Regiment and the civic dignitaries. A much 3. Ex Lionheart - General Akehurst in discussion
needed re-hydration! During this time the Colonel of
the Regiment presented our MTO , Maj Derek with the eo.
Mirams with his Territorial Decoration .
4. A group from the Recce Platoon on Ex Lionheart .
Now that we have all had some good practi ce at
5. Lt Sean McMahon on the same exercise .
ceremonial parades we are all looking forward to
6. Capt Mark McGhie and members of the March
doing another one, aren' t we Sgt Major ? Sgt Team on Ex Mountain Express in Wales .

Major ? . . . Hello . .. is there anybody there ?

52

CSgt Davey checking measurements before the
Freedom of Ramsgate Parade.

Sgt Spoor, Drum Major 5 QUEENS (V).

BY APPOINTMENT ofSavile Row

TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN BY APPOINTMENT
LIVERY & MILITARY TAILORS
Officially Appointed "3~,~~f,~~~~~l~~q~,~~RS

Tailors, ana Outfitters to

The Queen's Regiment

In our additiona l role as C ivilian Tailors and Ou tfitters
we offer an extensive range of ready to wear clothing,
shirts and accessories for formal and casua l occasions.

\\'e are now Stockists of the famous
' BARBOUR' FIELD COAT RANGE

No. 1 SA VILE ROW, LONDON W.1 Tel: 01434 2001
1, HIGH STREET, CAMBERLEY, SURREY Tel: 0276 63659

53

SSVC
by Maj T J Oyler

Shortly after returning from post City tour leave 5 QUEENS (V). 2 QUEENS and the RUC on 'Joint Ops'
last January and having had time to reflect upon
nearly four months in the Regular Army and with a Ballykinler which all troops who have not done the
full operational tour in the 2 QUEENS TAOR as a NITAT packages have to undertake . This in theory
sobering jolt to one's preconceived ideas, the GOC qualified me for setting foot on the streets of
Northern Ireland asked me what I thought of my Northern Ireland, and from then until we left the
Short Service Volunteer Commission so far . I replied Province for good , 12 months later, I was into the
that I had learned rather a lot about myself . Further rifle company routine 3 Y:z month cycle of guards and
comment would have been superfluous for I had duties, training , operational tours in the TAOR and
sheared off from the daily civilian round interspersed then leave . Occasionally, treats such as Brigade
with occasional military activities at a pretty sharp Reserve deployments were thrown in for good
tangent and it was too late to turn back . I had made measure, usually at the expense of training which
my own bed and it was now up to me to lie on it. one had planned for several weeks in advance.
nevertheless, the novelty of it all never quite wore
I had kept a diary, on a daily basis, of my off . The depth of insight into the workings of an
experiences with 2 QUEENS . However, the entries Infantry battalion, especially on the G1 and G4 sides,
represent such a troubled departure from my previ- which tend to remain something of a closed book to
ously acquired standards, shaped as they were by TA officers was opened up, and whilst one may have
civilian life and coloured by emotion rather than cold been at a disadvantage in not having grown up with
analysis, that they have no place in an account such the system one did automatically pick up how things
as this. Therefore it would be inappropriate to were run
catalogue here the memories (nearly all exceptionally
pleasant) and the events (by no means all as hope- On the family side the SSVC was certainly a
less as the media would have us believe about success. They had flown over a week after I had
Northern Ireland) . In any case this information is set joined the Battalion . My daughter began nursery
out far more eloquently elsewhere in this Journal. school almost as soon as she arrived and it was
fascinating to hear her develop an Irish accent from
Instead, it is worth explaining the purpose of the her teacher, complimented occasionally by the
Short Service Volunteer Commission (SSVC) for Kentish burr from some of the other children . The
Territorial Army officers and examine whether the Wives' Club Coffee Mornings and a plethora of
aims have been met by my attachment. The SSVC is groups, societies and clubs provided ample compen-
aimed at giving those Territorial Officers, who can sation in place of the Wl , Mothers' Union and the like
take a year or two off from their civilian employment, back home . So family life was settled and happy, in
with the depth of military experience that can only spite of the background tension imposed by the
come from regular soldiering. The main beneficiaries security situation . This was a blessing because
should be the officer himself and his TA unit. Benefit professionally as a soldier there were times when the
can also be derived by the receiving Regular unit but going was very hard indeed . There were severe
this is not the main purpose. As it happened , 2 shocks to the system, especially in the early part of
QUEENS, like the remainder of the Army, was the SSVC. As the result one had to learn very quickly
experiencing the effects of the so called ' black hole' and as it turned out one was never happier than
and any reduction of the manning shortfall was to be when one was leading soldiers in the field or on the
welcomed . As a result I had the pleasure and the street. I was extremely fortunate that this occurred
privilege to be accepted into the battalion as a regi- on many occasions and it was from this rather then
mental officer. Thus I was able to concentrate on the wrestling with the intricacies of the AFB 397 that I
duties and responsibilities of an established Com- believe the TA will derive most benefit.
pany Second-in-Command / Operations Officer post
without any of the additional tasks which might To sum up a fascinating year which will be totally
reasonably have been placed upon be because of the unforgettable . A time of extreme happiness in family
training nature of the SSVC and the relatively short life ; indeed bound closer by the experience .
time which I would be with the Battalion . Professionally a great deal learnt about the details of
soldiering. Perhaps, in a sentence, a year of personal
Despite some rather quirky regulations governing achievement and I hope that my comrades in 2
accompanied SSVC officers, the family was to come QUEENS enjoyed the insight into the Territorial
with me and so it was that I set out from home and Army as mu ch as I enjoyed Regular service .
made my way to Liverpool in late August 1983. The
daylight sailing was uneventful and as the ship drew
into Belfast Lough I saw once again the North Down
coast and hills which had been my home for three
years in the past. Arriving in Londondery later that
same evening , I was welcomed by the officers in
station . Unsure of quite what to expect I was pitched
into an intensive keep-yourself-alive course at

54

The 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion

Editorial Colonel of the Regiment despite what he claims!)
and Pte Deep rose found it all very easy this was just
The Battalion has been concentrating throughout as well , as the former had to look after the CO's
the last six months on training for role. Our aim is to Land - Rover .
ensure that we can ca rry out the tasks expected of us
when ca lled out in time of war and that we will oper- Throughout Camp field firing at section and
ate effectively in Exercise Brave Defender in Septem- platoon level took place. On the final Friday the field
ber 1985. 6/7 OUEENS(V) have a home defence role firing reached its conclusion at company level with
and although in the past this has been felt to be not the help and support of our own mortars, the guns of
the most exciting of jobs it has been given a greater Cambridge UOTC and the USAF . Encouragement
priority in both the Regular and Territorial Army in was given during this phase of the training by some
the last few years. Visitors to Annual ca mp , Study very loud voices, some Irish ones in the form of Lt
Weekends and Company and Battalion exercises will Mat O' Hanlon and his soldiers from 2 R Irish , Capt
have found us practising skills such as the defence of Neil Wright and the RSM . At least one Company
a KP, VCPs, night ambushes, battle drills and the Commander took fright at all this coaching as Maj
cordon and search. Phil Roberts (B Coy) carried an SLR for once rather
than a Boer War walking stick.
For the Battalion to perform well , each member
must know and ca rry out his or her task more profi- The Battalion FTX was run to practise our role. D
cie ntly. A Territorial wants to be as good as his or her Company seemed to be less tired during the exercise
job as time, resources and capabilities allow. Time is than other companies. Perhaps this was because Pte
the one item at a premium as most volunteers Webb had understood the new voice procedure and
average only 30 training days a year. Thus Camp under the guidance of Cpl Porter and Pte Todd
assumes a great importance in the training year as it became an experienced and careful Land-Rover
allows 15 days of concentrated training . Two weeks driver for the Company Commander . In fact, Maj
for the Commanding Officer and his team of trainers Anthony Leonard actually lost weight during Camp
to ram home the important lessons and improve and, for this reason and many others, D Company
skills. were rewarded for their efforts by the Commanding
officer awarding them the prize for ' Best Overall
Annual Camp Company at Camp'.

The first people other than the trainers to focus on B Company may dispute this as LCpl Waiters'
Camp is the Quartermaster and his staff. Major Ted section won the Section Competition and Cpl Lyons'
Parker had instructions written, ammunition ready , section (last year's winners) came second. The
route cards circulated and most important of all Master of the Worshipful Company of Builders'
plenty of glorious food ready to be consumed weeks Merchants ca me to watch the competition and pre-
before we left for Sennybridge on 22 June. sent the prizes . lt is this Livery Company's silver plate
that is the Inter-Section trophy.
Sennybridge as far as we are concerned could be
ca lled Sunnybridge. We experienced hot and sunny Other Training
weather for the full 15 days of camp. In fact we have
not had a wet training day since Lt Col Peter Hubert In ea rly September a Study Weekend was held at
became our Commanding Officer at the end of Jan- Shorncliffe . The main aim was to look at our role and
uary. Although not quite God he does appear to be a th ere were a number of excellent demonstrations . Lt
sun deity or just lucky! Tony Guthrie and his platoon from A Company pre-
pared a fine KP Defen ce and Lt ' Bigqles' Robertson
Memories of Camp rapidly become part of the
Battalion mythology (like sun gods!) Fitness was 1. Camp - Pte Holman tries to contact uncle!
certainly a feature. Everybody took their Tickle Test
with hardly anyone failing and a few days later the 2. The 'lads' from Haywards Heath get fit at Camp on
ICFT was successfu lly completed by nearly the the Assault Course .
whole Battalion. Our SQMS, W02 Colin Smith,
relieved of his catering duties because we had con- 3. The Mortars contemplate action during the field
tract cate rers, ran his Ti ckle Test like a greyhound. lt
is now rumoured that his 21C, SSgt Norton, is firing at Camp . '
receiving training for next year's Tickle Test from 4. LCpl Waiter 's section re ce ives first pri ze in the
Steve Ovett and our UPM, Capt Stephen Clark. The Section Competition from the Master. Worshipful
latter has asked that is shou ld be recorded that he Company of Builders' Merchants.
passed first time this year.
5. The Section Competition - the First Aid test.
Camp was our first experience of using the new
voice procedure and BATCO . Confidence grew 6. Yet more fitness training at Camp!
within the Signals Platoon as Capt John Ross, SSgt 7. Camp : on our way to the field firing!
Thornton and Sgt Williams trained and tested each
member. Pte Holman (no relation to the Deputy pictures I, 2, 3 and 7 by Mid-Sussex Times

and soldiers from HQ Company demonstrated the 55
many skills required at a VCP .
Battalion exercise which tested much that had been
After this weekend companies had two days of learnt over the previous months .
training in early October to practise skills before
Exercise Guard Post I (27-28 October 1984) took Officer Training and the recruitment of officers is a
place on the Cinque Ports Training Area . This was a high priority in the Battalion, particularly as we are
very involved in raising the new Battalion in London
and a company in Brighton. We are very keen to

56 include a number of young shots like Ptes Barry,
McKane and Perry . lt was due to the improvement of
recruit ex-regular officers and for that matter the youngsters that there was fierce competition to
soldiers . They will all receive a warm welcome. For see who would represent the Battalion at Bisley . The
the potential TA officer who has not served before team won the Mullens Trophy (ETR competition)
there is a series of selection procedures that reaches and the Daily Telegraph Cup (ETA / converted gallery
its climax at the TA Commissions Board (TAC B). 2Lt aggregate) at TASAM. Furthermore , the following
Gordon Fotheringham before departing for the regu- were in the TARA top 50, CSgt Bicker (12th), LCpl
lar army wrote the following account of his TACB. Hoffman (25th) and Capt John Day (35th).

TACB - a different experience! Orienteering: The orienteering team won the 1
Brigade Championship . The team comprised Lt Nigel
The SEDIST TACB was held at the Artificer Horwell, W02 (QMS) Webb , Cpl Diaper and Cpl
Selection Centre, Havannah Barracks in Bordon. All Hoffman .
the candidates were assembled by 1800 hours on the
Friday . Twelve of the candidates , including myself, Other events : CSgt Thorn ton and the Signals
were from the SEDIST Potential Officers Course. Platoon provided the communications back-up for
the second Foster's Quadrathlon which includes long
The weekend began at 1900 hrs with the President distance swimming , walking, cycling and a
of the TACB 's Opening Address , in which we were marathon .
told what to expect of the next couple of days. After
the address we were issued with numbered aprons to At our shooting weekend in October we played
wear and photographed so that we cou ld be hosts to a party of officers and senior non-
identified . This was followed by a written project commissioned officers from the German Army Office
lasting an hour and a half . in Cologne. lt was led by Lt Col (Oberstleutnant)
Ulrich Feldmann . During their stay the Germans
The next day began with an introductory talk from visited Bassingbourn , the 'sights' of London and
our Group leaders (the candidates having been split fired the APWT . They gave a number of our soldiers
up into groups of five or six) . After this we sat in a the chance to shoot for the 'Ge rman Army Shooting
group and were given current affai.s topics to dis- Badge' . Capt John Day and Cpl Hoffman obtained
cuss among ourselves. the ' Gold Shooting Badge' award and nine others
obtained silver and bronze awards.
When the Group Discussion had finished we were
taken out and briefed on the outdoor tasks. The aim The RSM and Lt Col Ulrich Feldmann find the German
was to get the group plus a burden across an shooting results amusing!
obstacle without touching the parts coloured red. At
first the group was given a number of these Conclusion
obstacles to tackle without a leader being nomin- We now look forward to the New Year and a
ated. The morning ended with the candidates
individually running through an obstacle course, further training period. Before that we have a
trying to complete as many obstacles as possible in ' survival' exercise known elsewhere as Christmas.
the time given. Gosh, you had to be fit! Alas , in 6/7 Queens (V) it is an excuse for party after
party !
After lunch we were back on the group obstacles .
This time each candidate was nominated in turn to
act as leader and to take command of the task in
hand .

During Saturday evening each candidate gave a
ten minute lecturette to the rest of the group on a
subject of his choice . During the lecturettes
candidates were ca lled away for interviews with
members of the Selection Board .

The last day's activities consisted of the Final
Exercise . A nominated leader and 21C of each group
had to take their group plus a burden, a wooden
cannon, over an assault course racing against the
other groups. During the race the leaders were often
suddenly changed by a member of the Selection
Board .

After the Final Exercise the President of the Board
said a few final words of encouragement before we
were allowed to disperse and go home to await the
result of the TACB .

Achievements

Shooting : The Battalion Shooting Team has had
another successful year . lt started in May with the A
and B teams being placed first and third at
SEDSAM . The B team did particularly well as they

57

Depot The Queen's Division

Pte lan Nunn Depot The Queen's Division Passing Out Parade 9
August 1984 - Drum Major R J Baker with the
lt is with great regret that we announce the Inspecting Officer, Lt Gen Sir Geoffrey Howlett KBE
death of Pte lan Nunn who died on 27 MC (formerly an officer in the Queen's Own Royal
September 1984 as a result of a motor
accident. We send our deepest sympathies to West Kent Regiment).
his parents.
Jackson, Alien and Etherton were amongst others
As a result of the Reorganisation of Individual from the Regiment who represented the Depot. lt
Training Organisations (RITO) the Depot will see was a similar story for the cricket team, who won the
some major changes in the coming year. Adult Eastern Distri ct Cup, but were knocked out in the
training remains largely unchanged and we will quarter finals of the Army Cup . In the newly
continue to train recruits based upon a two Company established Infantry Cricket Cup, we came a cropper
organisation. Affected most is junior training which against 2 R Anglian having had them 26-5 and there-
is to split into a Phase 1 (basic) course lasting for 19 fore they did not deserve to win! Regimental repre-
weeks and a Phase 2 (continuation) course for 12 sentation in the team was provided by Major Russell ,
weeks. The Depot will be concerned solely with the RQMS Bernier, Cpl Alien and latterly Sgt Brown
Phase 2 course, which means that one of our Junior from the 3rd Battalion .
Companies will move to the newly formed Infantry
Junior Battalion at Shorncliffe, and the other Junior Pte Gallett is presented with the Grand Reunion
Company will be responsible for undertaking Phase 2 Raffle Prize by Maj N F Russell , Senior Regimental
training. The gap created by the departing company
to Shorncliffe will be filled by an RPC training Representatiave at Depot The Queen's Division.
company from Northampton .

For those concerned about the future of musical
training, current planning is that all junior schools of
music are to be centralised and will move to
Bovington probably in January 1986. Drummers will
continue to be trained at Bassingbourn , probably as
part of an extended Phase 2 ex-junior course.

As for the time frame of this reorganisation , Phase
1 training starts at Shorncliffe in September 1985 and
the Depot will start to accept Phase 2 training in
January 1986.

Whereas in the past, TA training has been carried
out by the Depot on an 'ad hoc' basis, it is expected
that this arrangement is to be formalised and the
Depot is to be established to train 100 TA recruits on
18 two-week courses during the year .

Returning to the present, or more accurately the
past, apart from the fortnightly exodus of adult
platoons, we have seen two large intakes of junior
soldiers graduate. On the first full Junior Soldiers
Parade held at the Depot on 22 June, in which five
platoons, the Junior Corps of Drums and Junior
School of Music participated, Major-General
Gerrard-Wright took the salute and saw the two D
Company platoons pass out. Six weeks later, the
three platoons of C Company passed out on 9
August , the Salute being taken by Lieutenant Gen-
eral Howlett.

September and the onset of Exercise Lionheart
prodded the Depot into operational action, with
companies practising their own roles, particularly as
a warm-up for Exercise Brave Defender which takes
place in 1985.

On the sporting front, the Depot athletics team
won the Eastern District meeting , but narrowly
missed a pla ce in the Army finals . Cpls Griggs,

58 Sullivan and Broadway and from the 3rd Battalion,
W02 (OM ) Baker, Sgts Brown and Turner, Cpls
Regimentally, we have enjoyed some major events Deal , Peverill , Dennis, Kinnear , Baird , Hunter,
at the Depot . Albuhera Day was celebrated ful ly by Reddick, Atkins and Hanmore . About to depart are
staff, recru its and Junior Soldiers , with a barbecue Majors Russell (to the 3rd Battalion) and Partridge
lunch followed by the usual potted sports . In the (to the 2nd Battalion) and W02 Cooper, also to the
evening the Senior Ranks invited not only Regimen- 2nd Battalion . Amongst those who have already left
tal officers from the Depot, but also those on the are W01 Bream to 5 UDR ; to the 1st Battalion , Sgt
staff at HQ Eastern District and the MOD . lt was a Johnston , Cpls Smith , Alien and Palmer, and to 3
good gathering and a highly successful evening . The QUEENS Cpl Thomas. W02 Broad has gone recruit-
main attra ction of the year was the Annual Grand ing to Canterbury and CSgt Furlotte departs shortly
Reunion held on 15 July, when some 2000 Associ- for the great outside.
ation members and their families had the chance to
re- live old memories . The Drumhead Service A clearing patrol iri State Bla ck .
signalled the start of proceedings and this was
followed by lunch and the afternoon's activities
which included displays by the KAPE teams , gym-
nastics by the Junior Sold iers and for the first time
an inter-association Falling Plate Competition won
by The Queens Royal Surrey Reg imental Associ-
ation. Beating Retreat ended the day w ith perform-
ances by the Albuhera Band , JSM and 5 QUEENS
Band .

More recently t he Past and Present Dinner was
held on 6 October. The popu larity of this event can
be gauged by the attendance figure of 210 . lt w as
particularly pleasing to see a large contingent from
the 3rd Battalion who had travelled from BAOR for
the evening and who ensured that the dawn was
greeted in su itable style !

Arrivals to the Depot Staff have included from the
1st Battalion , Cpls Grainger, Thomas and Sharratt ;
from the 2nd Battalion , Sgt Munday, Cpls Wh ite,

TAKETHE LONGSHIPS DIRECT
TO ENGLAND
Why drive half-way across Europe when cafeteria, comfortable ba rs,dancing and a
DFDSSeaways sail direct between Germany cinema- ifs cruise style luxury
and England.And we offer 25% discount off For further details contact:
the normal fa re to service personnel and
their families.This applies 10 months of the UK GERMI\NY
year, on or off duty,single or return!
The Longships are luxurious passenger/ LDaFtDhaSmSeHaowuasyes JPcnsnszeennsltlrnalesnse 4
16 M1nones D-2000 Hamburg 50

car liners thatsa il between Hamburg or ..........__ London EC3N lAD WGermany
Cuxhaven * and Harwich. Excellent on- --
- ~-?~-TeiOl-4813211 Tel0411 3890371
board facilities include air conditioned
~DFDS
cabins,top class restaurant ~SEAWAYS

·summer on!~

/JLB 59

by Lt D J Greenfield FIELD TRAINING AT IJLB

During the past six months all the three platoons by Jldr Howell
of Salamanca Company have passed out, which has
resulted in 23 Oueensmen joining their respective I am a potential Queensman and have been at IJLB
battalions. We now have another 41 at various for the past four months . Here are my first experi-
stages of their training. ences of life in the field.

In sport, the following represented the IJ LB : Our first exercise was basic introduction to the life
Cross country - J Sgt Beasty ; rugby - J Ldr under canvas. How to erect a poncho which proved
Corn hill ; cricket - Jldr Corn ill; hockey - JLdr surprisingly comfortable and dry. lt rained hard and
Jones (captain) , Riley, Warwick , Timmins. continually that night!

JLdr (now Pte) Jones is playing for the PS team Next we painted ourselves with camouflage paint
until he joins his battalion . JLdr Wirtz went to the produced by Max Factor. Also, we attached grass
Pyrenees with Ex Blue Paddle - a canoeing expedi- and branches of trees to our webbing to make
tion in June 1984. He has since passed his basic ourselves more like the countryside.
canoe ing course and has recently been recom-
mended for a white water ca noeing course . Meals. The first meals we had were compo. How I
had missed my mum's cooking . I never thought the
At Bisley, in May, JCpl Roberts represented the day would come when I would eat, drink and wash
IJLB shooting team. The team won the Junior out of the same mess tin. Container meals have now
SEDSAAM for major units for the third time in replaced compo which are reasonable.
succession.
Getting wet on exercise has become a formality . If
There have been a few changes in PS at IJ LB. Sgt it's not raining it's not training we were told by our
Archer (1st Bn) has gone to Australia on Ex Long staff. Now I can see why . I have been out in the field
Look and will be back in January 1985. many times from IJLB , now, and it has always been
wet, cold and miserable. I think the CQMS orders the
We welcome Capt John Doran RPC , formerly of rain when he orders the rations.
The Queen 's Regiment, as the new Company 21C.
Teamwork . This has been the single most impor-
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ARMY tant factor I have learnt since joining the Army . Hav-
ing to depend upon each other.
by Jldr Cook
If the rest of my time at IJLB proves as interesting
I have reached the fifth week of my training here at and informative as it has up to now, Salamanca
IJ LB and have the following observations and Company will have produced another successful
impressions to make. Queensman ready to join his Battalion .

The Army has proved to me th<;. self confidence, EX LION HEART- SEA TRANSIT CENTRE (STC)
style and above all pride, three qualities la cking in
youngsters of my own age in civvy street, must be by Pte Heaven
extracted from a new recruit . Teamwork is very impor-
tant so that you must get used to working together I was one of 40 Junior Leaders who passed out of
and not as individuals . I have found that these IJLB in August and then went to work at the STC at
qualities are now slowly being instilled in me . I have Dover for a month during Ex Lionheart.
even noticed a change in my own bearing , drill , turn-
out and confidence . The STC at Dover took four days to set up which
involved hard conti nuous work . lt consisted of a
There is an awfu l lot of trust you have to place circuit layout on the square at Connaught Barracks .
with the instructor ; the Corporal is very important. POL points, HQ, Ops Rooms and marquees for brief-
Ear bashings have been plentiful, but so far have ing and dining facilities were positioned . Once this
actually had a positive effect on me and helped me to had been set up, a dry run through was practised to
improve . ensure the centre would cope and work. lt did and
proved simple , fast and efficient.
I believe that a new recruit joining the Army must
do so with open eyes as these w ill be widened in due Dover was the largest of many STC 's in the UK ,
course. I was very apprehensive at first but have receiving over half the troops and vehicles moving to
learnt a great deal and will continue to do so until BAOR from ULKF for Ex Lionheart.
August 1985.
RECRUITING FOR
I must prove to myself that I am worthy of the
uniform I wear . I sti ll have a lot to learn and it is my THE REGIMENT
intention to successfully comp lete the training at
IJ LB so I can join a battalion of The Queen 's IS YOUR BUSINESS
Regiment.

60 To say it rained would be an understatement ; but
' Nature is beautiful even in her tears', as Jerome K
THE REGIMENTAL REPRESENTATIVE J erome put it. One has in any case come to expect it
whenever the TA is deployed.
IN DENMARK
After a very successful FTX, remarkable for the
by Maj A C Dawson good humour and co-operation of the local farmers,
the British soldier was invited to lose himself in
In my article in the last issue of the Journal I men- Copenhagen for a day . Everyone enjoyed them-
tioned t hat the Commander of Allied Forces Baltic selves, especially those Danes who were selling
Approaches, Lt Gen 0 K Lind, was to take over the plastic Viking helmets. As for the Vikings - the
post of Chief of Defence Denmark . I mentioned stunning looks of Danish women make one wonder
General Lind' s new appointment because there are why they ever got in the longboats . it was a
many members of the Regiment , pa rticularl y from 5 delightful co nclu sion to an interesting trip.
QUEENS , who will remember this gallant former
resistance leader with affection. Although not OFFICERS' CLUB
personally connected with our Regiment, the
General has always given his full support to our The Commandant General Royal M arines
Regimental activities in Denmark on those occasions was among the 221 members and their
where they have clashed with NATO duties. guests who attended the Reg imenta l
Cocktail Party in the Habe rda shers' Hall on
On 15 June I attended the farewell parade for 12 October .
Colonel Christensen, Commander of The Queen's
Life Regiment. The complete Regiment was on The next event wi ll be the Dinn er Club,
parade except for the Regimental free fall team which will meet in the Duke of Yorks
which dropped in to mark the conclusion of the Headquarters, Chelsea , on 15 March 1985.
event. During the social activity that followed I was Members are reminded to warn in to
able to present Colonel Christensen with our Regimenta l Headquarters by 15 February .
Regimental gift, an ice bucket, together with a letter
from the Colonel of the Regiment . Col Christensen
has now handed over to Colonel J9>1'gensen, who has
just returned from a busy two years in Warsaw .

it has otheiWise been very quiet from a Regimenta l
viewpoint . However, I expect an increase in activity as
Christmas !no pun intended) and the New Year
approach . But that report will have to wait until the
next issue.

IN DENMARK WITH THE UKMF

by Capt N P L Keyes

Not eve ryone was on Exe rcise Lion heart this yea r.
In fact about 10,500 British soldiers went to Denmark
for Exercise Bold Gannet as part of the United King-
dom Mobile Force.

One of the attractions of being in the UKMF !as 1
QUEENS will discover in 1987) is that one makes
frequent visits to this friendly country ; either for high
level NATO confe rences at places like Karup or
Copenhagen !classified as Temporary Duty Free
Visits Overseas) , or for large exe rcises like Bold
Gannet.

Thus in September, the Reg iment's representa -
tives in Denmark rose from its normal one !currently
Maj Andrew Dawson) at HO Baltic Approaches , to
four - Majors Peter Broadbent and Robin Sinclair-
Lee, both now TA watchkeepers, 'slagged on' with
me at the foiWard and rear headquarters of 1 Infantry
Brigad e.

I found that all Danish Senior Officers were we ll
aware that their Queen was our Colonel -in-Chief. Her
Majesty herself graciously visited the Infantry in their
defensive positions on 18th September and cha rmed
all she met. !See photograph .)

REGIMENTAL SECRETARY'S NOTES 61

Regimental Headquarters picture by Kentish Gazette
VISIT BY BRIG GEN J NEIL GORDON DSO CD
Lt Col John White is now firmly in the chair having
taken over from Guy Weymouth, and we wish him Brigadier General J Neil Gordon DSO CD, accom-
luck in this, his first edition of the Journal, as Editor. panied by his charming wife , Jean, and their young
We hope that John and Jill enjoy their new life with grandson, visited The Regimental Headquarters on
us. I am also glad to report that we have been able to Thursday 5 July 1984.
welcome back Mrs Margaret Vandervilt who was
with the Headquarters from August 1979 to Septem- Brigadier General Gordon was the Honorary
ber 1982 and had to leave us when her husband was Colonel Designate of The Queen's Own Rifles of
posted to Marham. Canada.

We have had a busy six months . The new Regi- He is pictured together with his wife and the
mental Poster has now been produced and distri- Regimental Secretary turning the page of the Book
buted; fortunately for us it has received enthusiastic of Remembrance of his Regiment in the Warriors
praise. The Albuhera and Quebec Bands will be Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral. The ceremony and a
equipped with helmets in time for the Massed Bands short Service of Remembrance takes place daily at 11
of the Queen's Division on Horse Guards next year. o'clock.
Regimental covers for the Beating of Retreat and
Band Programmes are nearing completion. There are After visiting the Regimental Museum and signing
two other major projects currently being carried out, the Visitors Book a lun cheon party was given in his
the production of a Regimental Pictorial History honour at the Regimental Secretary's house.
aimed at the young soldier and the general popula -
tion who visit our Museums, and the formation of a Thatcher MBE served in 20th Batta lion The London
Regimental Freefall Parachute Team , providing we Regiment (The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regi-
can attract the necessary outside financial backing. ment) during the Second World War.

Queen 's Regiment Cricket Club We have had to underwrite the travel costs of
bringing the Albuhera Band home from Gibraltar and
lt has been decided to form a Regimental Cricket the replacement band . I hope as many of the Regi-
Club with a view to: fostering interest in cricket ment, past and present, will be there on our night to
within the Regiment and provide a higher standard of support this very important and prestigious Regi-
cricket for Regimental players ; to play matches menta I occasion.
against schools and clubs in our recruiting area; to TA Enhancement
strengthen our traditional Regimental county links
with Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Middlesex. We wrote The title of our new TA battalion has now been
to five schools, two have replied agreeing to a agreed. lt is to be 8th (Volunteer) Battalion The
fixture, one refused due to an already overcrowded Queen's Fusiliers (City of London) , abbreviated
fixture list and we await the replies from the other 'BQF'. lt will start forming in 1986 to become fully
two. We plan to play the first matches next year. operational not later than April 1990. Our current TA
Membership of the club will be by invitation of the Battalions can now overbear by 10% for the new
Committee. All ranks who are serving or who have battalion.
served with a Regular or TA battalion, including
attached personnel, are eligible to join .

Anyone wishing to receive an invitation to join the
club should write to: Maj I R Jones , Honorary
Secretary, The Queen's Regiment Cricket Club, RHO
The Queen's Regiment, Howe Barracks, Canterbury,
Kent CT1 1JU. Those already nominated by battalion
cricket officers are not required to reply separately.

Horse Guards 1985

I mentioned that the Massed Bands of the Queen's
Division will be playing on Horse Guards next year.
Our night is to be Tuesday, 11th June 1985 when
both the Albuhera and Quebec Bands will be playing
together with the Corps of Drums of the Second and
Third Battalions of the Regiment. Unfortunately
neither of our Allied Colonels-in-Chief can be present
on our night, but the Prime Minister has agreed to
take the Salute, as a Freeman of the City of London .
A further Regimental connection in that Mr Dennis

62 Dress

Home Service Force (HSF) Officers at ERE are reminded that blue Reg imental
Shoulder Boards with metal badges of rank and titles
Two HSF companies, with a total manpower each should always be worn with jerseys (except in the
of 125, are due to form up on 1 January 1985 in our field when embroidered slides are used) . Shoulder
Regimental area, and under command of 5 QUEENS Boards , badges of rank , titles and embroidered slides
(V) and 6/7 QUEENS (V) respectively . The 5 may all be purchased in Regimental Headquarters.
QUEENS HSF company will be E Company with
Headquarters Company at Canterbury and platoons Visitors to RHO
at Broadstairs , Tonbridge , Guildford and Ha stings.
The 6/7 QUEENS HSF company will again be E Since the last issue of the Journal the following
Company with Headquarters Company at Horsham have signed the Visitors' Book in RHO:
plus one platoon , and the other platoons at
Farnham, Crawley and Brighton . lt is planned that Col Fred Branscombe (Queen's York Rangers),
the nucleus of the command element will be at each Capt Mark Rayner, Lt Col David Shephard , Maj Joe
location by 1 January 1985. Bass, Maj Stephen Thorpe, Maj lan Jones, Maj
David Carter , Lt Guy Wood , Maj Gen Ferg us Ling,
These companies are not in competition with the Brig Dick Hume, Lt Col Leslie Fleming, 2Lt Julian
TA . They are to be recruited from those who have Perry , Col and Mrs Charles Dalton (Queen's Own
completed at least two years satisfactory service in Rifles). Maj Robin Stratford-Tuke, Maj and Mrs Peter
the Regular forces , TA or Adult Instructors of the Hill , Mr and Mrs Chye Kooi Loong (of Kampar) , Col
Cadet Forces . So if you wish to continue serving Tony Sewell, Lt Col Basil Hobbs, Maj and Mrs Peter
your country and are unable to devote the time Goddon, Mrs J Butt, Mrs Bob McGhie, Col and Mrs
required of the modern Territorial Army here is your Stuart Anderson, Maj Paul Gray, Brig Michael Lee,
chance. You can apply through RHO or preferably Maj James Jackson, Maj Mike Cooper , Maj Piers
direct to either of the two Battalions concerned. Storie-Pugh, Maj and Mrs Geoffrey Keene, Maj and
Mrs John Salmon , Brig Gen and Mrs Neil Gordon
Regimental Museum (Queen's Own Rifles) , Mrs Daphne Hill , Lt Andre
Ramsey , Lt Colin Garton , Maj Guy Weymouth (on
lt is still our desire that the Queen 's Regiment retiring) , Lt Col John White (on joining RHO). Maj
Museum should be located in the prestigious Gen Rowley Mans, 2Lt Anthony Bolton, Lt Jason
location of Dover Castle . This exercise has been a Burrows, 2Lt Adrian Jones, 2Lt Simon Wilson, 2Lt
long and tortuous one, now complicated by the Rov Scott , Lt Mark Haywood-Smith, Capt David
transfer of the responsibility for Dover Castle from Wall , W01 T S Da vis, Col Sli ck Waring , Maj Nigel
DOE to the English Heritage, headed by Lord Ru ssell, Col Jaap Smit (Nethe rlands MA) , W02
Montagu of Beaulieu . The Colonel of the Regiment , Brian Brazier, Maj Peter Bishop, Col Crispin
together with myself and Les Wilson , had a working Champion , Lt Charles McLeod , Capt Neil Bleasdale
lunch with Mr Peter Rumble , the Chief Executive (5 RNZIR) , Capt Timothy Hurl ey, Maj Max Malony,
English Heritage, where our case was forcibly stated Maj Philip Pearce , Miss Pauline Smith, Mrs Jocelyn
and our financial position made clear. Mr Rumble Rowson , Lt Col Peter Packham.
co nfirmed that Dover Castle had been selected as
one of three prime sights for enhancement next year, RCO's REPORT
and agreed that the Museum of the County
Regiment would be a very suitab le additional feature by Maj I R Jones
to this ancient military fortification . I hope in our next
issue to give you more news once we re ceive the The Regimental Information Team has had yet
written reply from Mr Rumble giving his reaction to another hecti c season visiting schoo ls, ACF
our stated position. deta chments, shows and training camps. In order to
make sure his team was fit for the rigours of such a
Freedom Marches programme Capt Tony Hill decided the Team wou ld
ca rry out a sponsored run in aid of the Army Bene-
The Second Battalion with their Corps of Drums vo lent Fund and Men ca p . The course was through
and the Quebec Band will Exercise the Freedom of the heart of our recruiting area, starting and finishing
the following Boroughs : at Maid stone. The distance should have been 276
miles but Cpl English deci ded to run another ten
Tuesday 21 May - Lewes miles! In all £1661 was raised , a tremendou s effort.
Wednesday 22 May - Ashford
Thursday 23 May - Tonbridge and Mailing This summer saw a joint 1 and 2 QUEENS KAPE
Friday 24 May - Hove tour , commanded by Capt Hill , co ncen trating in the
Saturday 25 May - Ea stbourne Sussex and NE Kent areas. Compared to previous
Saturday 25 May - Ha stings (C Company 5
QUEENS (V))

lt is intended that the Freedom Marches will form a
regular annual feature for one of our Reg ular
battalions when they are stationed in England .

63

teams it was a small affair, comprising the Albuhera The Colonel of the Regiment, on behalf of the Army
Band, under W01 Hill, a Weapons Team from 1 Benevolent Fund , receives from Pte Southen and
QUEENS and an Akido team from 2 QUEENS. After other members of the Regimental Information Team ,
the team launch at the Brighton Pavilion, when Cpl a cheque for half the (£)1661 they raised for charity on
Leander demonstrated some intriguing throws on
the then Miss Brighton, a very full and successful their relay run .
programme was embarked upon. As an interested picture by Kentish Express
bystander remarked of the team 'they were bright
eyed , well disciplined and smart young men who emphasise the importance of the ACF to the Regi-
could converse well' and of the band 'excellent and ment and this was brought out once more at the
their spirited, humorous and musically educational Annual Cadet Officers' and Adult Instructors' Week-
performances were extremely well received'. A first end recently held at St Martin' s Plain .
class impression of the Army in general and the Regi-
ment in particular was created. Here , under the watchful eyes of the Deputy
Colonel, an ex-cadet, Capt John Noble from Brecon
Soldier Recruiting lectured and put the Regimental Information Team
through the 'attack and fight through' - an
Soldier recruiting has been reasonable. There has educational experience to all!
been a constant trickle coming forward throughout
the area but whilst, for once, we are not in as bad a Officer Recruiting
situation as some other Regiments , there is no room Judging by the number of applicants for com-
for complacency . One aspect that has improved is
the number of Army Cadet Force Cadets enlisting missions in the Regiment and their apparent ability, it
into the Regiment - currently at th e Depot 30% of would seem that , at last, the Reg iment has become
the adults and 70 % of the Junior Soldiers were in the established as the County Regi ment of the South
ACF ; at the IJLB th e figure is 32%. These figures East . lt is satisfyi ng to note a growing number

64 Letters

Miss Sharon Rose (ex-Miss Brighton) with Sgt Welch From Maj Guy Weymouth
at the official launch of the 1984 KAPE Tour at Duke's Lodge
Stade Street
Brighton Pavilion. 30 June. Hythe

coming forward who have a family connection with Kent
the Regiment . However, there is still no reason for
contentment, especially with a high wastage rate for 2 August 1984
one reason or another of those who have passed
RCB . To the Editor

At this stage, which is just over the half way point Dear John,
of the financial year, seven have been accepted into
the Regiment subject to successful completion of As you know , when I retired as an RO from Regi-
their Sandhurst course . For the next year, 1985-86, mental Headquarters, the Colonel of the Regiment
there are only three vacancies still to be filled ; ten very kindly gave Pat and me a splendid farewell
with Army cadetsh ips and bursaries have already luncheon in 1 DEAR 's Officers' Mess at Howe Bar-
been accepted . racks and a large number of my friends and their
wives were good enough to attend: General Rowley
This year there has been an increase in the number Mans even came all the way from Brockenhurst, and
of potential officer visits to the battalions, even with John and Corrie Shipster from Woodbridge.
two being stationed in Northern Ireland . These visits
are useful to the Regiment as it allows a greater This was a great honour and very much appre-
insight into the character of the applicant . lt also ciated by us both . After lunch I was presented with a
gives the boy the opportunity to see the type of life really super artist's easel , a very swish golf bag and a
he is about to commit himself to for a period of time. generous cheque.
Two School CCF contingents visited 3 QUEENS dur-
ing the summer and an ACF visit was cancelled at I have no idea who subscribed towards these most
the last minute through lack of cadet support. welcome gifts but suspect that many good people in
the Regiment were associated with these charming
This present upsurge of interest in the Reg iment gestures.
and Army may well not last as the nation's financial
situation changes . lt is in the Regiment's interest that May I, therefore , through the medium of the
everyone , be they in a battalion, ERE or reti red , look journal , convey my sincere thanks to all who contri-
for suitable potential officers. I can count on one buted so generously and indeed, to all your readers
hand those people who have sent names of boys to for the many kindnesses shown to me during nearly
the Regimental Secretary or me at Regimental 18 very happy years in office.
Headquarters.
Yours ever,

Guy

PS - My colleagues at RHO also gave me a beau-
tifully framed and inscribed print, the original of
which, I suspect, being painted at the turn of the
century: it features a county cricket match being
played between Kent and Sussex on, I believe, the
old ground at Brighton. My grateful thanks to them
too.

Maj Guy Weymouth and the Regimental Secretary at
the Farewell Lunch for the former. 1 August.

The letter below was sent to Lt Col Les Wilson in 65
RHO by Mrs Dorothy Crawford , the daughter of
CSgt, later Capt George Johnson who served in 2 CANTERBURY CRICKET WEEK 1984
Buffs from 1881 to 1902, winning a DCM in South
Africa . He then re-enlisted and was commissioned at The attendance in the tent was the best ever in
the start of the Great War. His medals are now in The recent years particularly on the Saturday when we
Buffs' Museum. had the Queen 's Own Buffs Drinks Party and on the
Thursday which was Ladies Day.
The silver inkstand referred to was presented to
CSgt Johnson on his retirement from the Army in The Queen 's Regiment Band !TA) played for us on
1902 by the WO's and Sgts' Mess of Depot The Saturday and the Albuhera Band played on the Mon-
Buffs. lt was donated to The Queen's Regiment this day. Both bands gave excellent performances and
year by Mrs Crawford and has now been entrusted to did much to reinforce our connections with Kent and
the safe-keeping of the WOs' and Sgts ' Mess of 2 the County Ground.
QUEENS . The Chief Clerk of the battalion visited
Exeter in November with a small memento (a pewter On the Monday the Colonel of the Regiment gave
statuette of 'The Man of Kent') for Mrs Crawford. a lunch party in the tent and throughout the week it
was pleasing to see an increase in the number of
Dear Colonel Wilson, serving Queen 's officers who managed to visit . We
hope this trend will continue in 1985.
You will know I am sure that the inkstand has
arrived safely in Londonderry, and I have had a most The weather was not very helpful in the first half of
appreciative letter from RSM Taylor. the week and the cricket rather suffered but the last
three days made it all worthwhile with a Kent victory
However I was surprised last week to receive a visit over Surrey.
from a member of RSM Taylor's Staff who presen-
ted me with a memento from the Warrant Officers' We try hard to have the best tent on the ground
and Sgts' Mess. and for your diaries the dates next year will be 10-16
August 1985. All serving Queen's Regiment officers,
I really am overwhelmed with their kindness as I both Regular and TA are automatically members so
was only too happy and I am sure my father would please come and support this Regimental Tent .
have been too - that the inkstand , after weathering
so many years was back with the Regt . ALBUHERA DAY IN OMAN

I do not expect you have seen this gift - it is a Extracts from a letter from Maj RA Jennings,
perfect model of a 1st World War soldier as I remem- dated 8 June 1984
ber them and it has been made with the utmost
detail. 'A total of 25 past and present members of the
Regiment and their guests sat down to a dinner in
Old style peaked army hat, haversack, rifle , Muscat on 17 May to celebrate Albuhera Day in true
bayonet, cartridge belt, water bottle, Sgt's stripes on stvle: they included Col R Lea, Lt Cols AB Cowing, H
the arms, even a moustache on the face and puttees Gatehouse, B R Ray and J A Williams , Majors C
on the legs and of course the Dragon crest . Blackwell and J M H Johnson, Capts M George, L H
Hart, J Palmer and W Rippon, W02 Sammy Supple,
The wooden base is inscribed on a silver plate and myself . Also there were some 'peripherals' who
'Presented to Mrs Dorothy Crawford in gratitude by have served w ith Queen's battalions such as Jake
the WOs and Sgts 2 QUEENS. McLoughlin , who commanded the LAAD Battery in
Belize in 1977 and is now Chief Instructor at the Oman
I am really proud to own this - it has pride of Parachute School ; Maj Fred Moody, who was
place in my tiny sitting room and has already been armourer Staff Sgt with 1 QUEENS in Munster and
admired by friends who are mostly younger than Bahrein, and is now S02 (Wpns) in HQ EME, Oman ;
myself and have no idea of a 1st World War soldier' s Mr P Jones, an old friend of 1 Middlesex in Palace
appearance . Barracks.

Again my thanks to you for setting all this in Music was provided by a Band and Drums under
motion . the direction of Maj Peter Mallis and Drum Major
Sammy Supple.
Yours very sincerely,
Dorothy Crawford Next year w e shall be able to celebrate Albuhera
Day on the 16th as it falls on a Thursday (Friday being
UNIFORM FOR SALE a day off in the Arab world) .'

Officer's Mess Kit (No 10 Dress)

Suit 6ft individual, medium build . Available
Janu alV / February 1985.

- Enquiries Offton 266.

66 THE REGIMENTAL GOLFING SOCIETY

THE REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION Col John Davidson was captain of the Society
throughout the 1984 season, but the task of Sec retary
by M aj R W ait e changed on 1 Aug ust f rom M aj Guy W eymouth to Lt
Col John White . Much enjoyable golf was played w it h
The Gran d Reu nion 1984 reasonable results, as can be seen f ro m the sum mary
of the year's activities below.
The weather this year was once again kind to us,
albeit the wind blew a bit, but then all true Infantry- Argyll and Sutherland Bowl Competition at Rye
men are used to that. The Depot staff arrangements and Littlestone Golf Clubs , 17-18 May
were again first class, even surpassing last year's, if
that were possible. CSM Cooper's signs were much Our team consisted of Col J ohn Davidson
in evidence, which lent a really proficient touch to (captain) , Cols Ken Dodson and Stuart Anderson and
the proceedings, even to the bus stop sign . An M aj Charles Wi lmot. Af ter an excellent start in the firs t
innovation this year was the Old Com rades' Knock round we we re beaten by the R Irish by 11 to 10.
Out Clay Shoot - shot with air rifles. Those
stalwarts of The Queen 's Own Buffs from Ramsgate Match es
won the new cup ; purposely purchased for this,
what is intended to be, an annual event. The v RMAS at the Army Golf Club , Aldershot, 20
Drumhead SeNice was conducted by The Venerable June
Peter Mallett CB , lately Chaplain Genera l to the
Forces, who started his Army life with The Queen's Col Toby Sewell (capta in) and seven members beat
Royal Regiment in Malaya all those yea rs ago.
Although some of the Old Associations we re thin on RMAS convincing ly this year by 6 Y, t o 1 y,.
the ground , the attendance overall was excellent -
about the same as last year . lt would be lovely to see v Kent County Constabulary at Littlestone Golf
some of past ' Ruperts'; I know the old soldiers love Club , 13 July
to see their old officers and talk over old times, even
perhaps , to take the mickey! So stir your stumps, Col Ken Dodson was the capta in for th is matc h
gentlemen, and let's see you in greater numbers in which we halved 4 to 4.
1985.
v Royal Marines at Canterbury Golf Club , 24
Th e W arra nt Offic ers' and Sergeants' Past a nd August

Prese nt Dinner Our team capta in fo r t his match was aga in Col Ke n
Dodson but unfortunately we lost 8-3 pa rtl y due to ou r
The ' Great Big Regiment' was much in evidence Chief Clerk at RH O, M r Waiters, playin g for his old
this year for this ever increasingly popular event in corps!
the Association's calendar. A tota l of 210 sat down
to dinner, which was twice as many as last yea r. Our v Queen 's Own Buffs at Epsom , 7 September
Chairman , Colonel J C Holman OB E, Deputy Colonel Although our society captain, Col J ohn Davidson
of The Regiment, was most impressed with the
whole event and said as much in his after dinner led our team, we we re beaten by 6 to 2. However, t he
speech . The arrangements made on ou r beha lf were excellent arrangements made by Maj George Simp-
really first class. I cannot emphasise too strong ly the son more than made up for th is disappointment.
debt we owe to W02 D T INing-James and his team
for the thought and effort which went into making The Annual Meeting, 8 August
this such a successful and happy weekend .
As usual, this was held at Canterbury Golf Cl ub.
I sat next to John Kershaw, an In- Pensioner from Despite all th ree regu lar batta lions still be in g overseas,
the Royal Hospital, Chelsea , and he kept saying to there was again a good attendance and 24 members
me what a wonderful spirit these 'youngsters ' competed . M rs J ohn Holma n presented t he prizes at
showed (mind you, he was 70 years of age!) . But the the conclusion of the meeting. T hese incl uded the
spirit was there and the comradeship too, which Scratch Cup to Col John Davidson , the Batta lion Cup
came to the fore when the old founder Regiments' to 5 QUEENS (V) and the President's Putter to Col
marches were played , culminating in ' Soldiers of the John Shipster and Maj Guy Weymouth. Next year's
Queen' which made more noise than the four older Annua l Meeting will be on Thursday 25 Ap ri l 1985 at
marches put together - the ' Great Big Regiment' Canterbury Golf Club . A ll members are asked to note
indeed . The guest of honour this year was our the date and attend if possible.
Regimental Secretary, Colonel J W Francis .
UKLF 72 Hol e Golf Champion ship
RW
An outstanding achievement by one of our Society
REMEMB ER members , Lcp l Manners (1 QUEENS) was his success
in winning the UK LF 72 Hole Golf Championship . The
MASSED BA N D S DI S PLAY following extract of a short account of the champion-
ship is reproduced by kind permission of ' So ldier'
11 J U NE 1985 magazine .

67

'There's a new name on the United Kingdom Land Golfing Society Meeting 8 August 1984. A group at
Forces 72-hole golf championship salver - that of the 19th hole.
Lan ce Corporal Bruce Manners of 1st Battalion The picture by Maj A Martin
Queen 's Regiment .
Cpl Manners (1st Bnl . 1984 winner of the Army 72
M anners held off a late challenge from Major lan Hole Championship.
Pearce , Army Catering Corps , to win by three strokes picture by Soldier Magazine
with rounds of 77, 77, 74 and 80 - not a great score by
some standards but his 308 on little Aston's par 72
and SSS of 73. liberally strewn with bunkers , was very
good indeed.

The course was its usual imma cu late self, with
holding greens, and the number of entrants, 36. was
lower than expected . The sta ndard of golf was fairly
good and, with one round left, nine shots covered the
top six with Manners five ahead of his nearest ri va l,
Pearce at that point being six behind.

Manners reached the turn of the final round with 37
- seven ahead of Pearce. Maybe the thought of win-
ning sta rted to tell and pressure increased as Manners
drapped six shots over the next six holes and was only
two clear at the 16th , when Pearce knew two birdies
wou ld give him the chan ce of tying .

Yet little Aston showed its 'teeth' as Pearce's
second to the 17th ended in a lake , he made a six and
though he birdied the last. the chance was gone.

Having diced with trees , Manners made par at the
17th and then made a safe par after hitting the ball
uphill 280 ya rd s, reducing his second shot to a wedge
placed safely to the heart of the green .'

68 and every old Queensman or his loved ones who will
need help in time of distress will be able to receive
Regimental Golfing Society fixtures. 1985 speedy and generous financial assistance. Currently
the demands of the funds are moderate because of
The programme arranged for 1985 is as follows: the youth of our Regiment and because our former
Regiments are taking good care of their elderly and
25April - Annual Meeting (Canterbury). infirm from their own benevolent funds . This is why
we must husband our financial reserves and increase
17 May - Queen 's Division Inter- Reg imental them for the years ahead when requests for help are
Match (Canterbury). bound to multiply.

13-14 June - Argyll & Sutherland Bowl (Muirfields Assistance to former members and their depen-
and Gullane). dants continues. For this edition of the Journal ,
however, I want to dwell more on the help we are
19 June (pm only) - Matc h v RMA Sandhurst giving to serving soldiers and their loved ones. Here
(Aldershot). are some examp les of assistance given to regular
Battalions over the past six months:
12 July (pm only) - Match v Kent County
Constabulary (Chestfield). In several instances, soldiers have been hospital-
ised in Northern Ireland following injuries received an
23 August - Match v Royal Marines (Canterbury). anti-terrorist operations. Where the mother and
father or wife are on the mainland, assistance has
6 September - Matc h v Queen 's Own Buffs been given to fly them to the bedside of the injured
(Epsom). soldier.

Subscriptions Soldiers medically discharged have been assisted
to buy furniture and financed to attend training
Members who pay in cash or by cheque are courses to assist them to start a fresh career.
reminded that the annual subscription of £1 .00 is due
at RHO by 1 January 1985. (Cheques payable to 'The The son of a serving soldier would not have been
Queen's Regt GS ' .) able to go overseas with his parents without the aid
of specialised and expensive medical equipment
BENEVOLENCE AND FINANCE which DHSS would not provide. The Regimental
Association arranged the purchase of the
by Maj Alan Martin equipment.

During the drive to increase the number of A soldier was severely injured on a training
subscribers to The Day's Pay Sc heme in reg ular bat- exercise in BAOR. Whilst he was an in patient at
talions, Paymasters pointed out with good reason Woolwich and Stoke Mandeville visits by relatives
that the best time to 'catch' the recruit or junior were financed and an ambulance was hired on
leader was during his early training at Bassingbourn several occasions to take him home for the weekend .
or Shorncliffe . Half hearted attempts had been made
in the past to do just that but for one reason and A young soldier, severe ly injured in a traffic
another youngsters were continuing to join bat- accident, is making a slow, but steady, recovery . The
talions uncommitted to a day's pay to the regimental Regimental Association has assisted the parents with
benevolent fund . the purchase of some therapeutic equipment which
it is hoped wi ll speed the restoration of full mental
All that is now past, we hope for good . All recruits faculties.
at Bassingbourn have a day at Canterbury to visit the
Regimenta l Museum, to have The Day's Pay Scheme In all of these cases , the Army Benevolent Fund
explained and to sign the forms . Likewise , in con- has been ready to assist with generous support
junction with the OC Salamanca Company IJLB , where the financial assistance required has been
who just happens to be a Queensman, the Financial beyond the means of the Association. A grant of
Secretary takes a day at Shorncliffe to talk about the £6,000 has been approved by the Association Com-
scheme and to oversee the filling in of the forms. mittee by way of a donation for 1985 to the Army
Having said all of that, no procedure is perfect, and if Benevolent Fund .
Battalion Paymasters come up with glaring examples
of hordes of ex juniors or recruits remaining uncom- For those entering the last year of service on a
mitted, RHO would like to be the first to hear details. pension earning engagement, the facility is provided
by the Army Benevolent Fund to borrow up to
Thanks to the (almost) wholehearted support of £1,500 on an interest free basis to purchase essential
the Day' s Pay Scheme in Battalions, our investments household contents on moving from quarters into
in the Benevolent Fund are on the move and in Sep- private accommodation. Full details are available
tember of this year passed the quarter of a million from RHO.
pound mark . In this regard , our thanks are due to the
Investment Sub Committee, under the chairmanship A final word. Our Benevolent Fund and associated
of Major Edward Clowes, MBE (forme rly Queen's Day's Pay Scheme exists to help all Oueensmen and
Royal Regiment) , which takes so much time and their c lose relatives / dependants in distress. The
trouble over the regular review of the portfolio. There Fund is not in the business of making loans for ca rs
is, however, no room for comp lacency on this score. or house purchase because there just aren' t enough
The avowed aim of the Regimental Association is to funds to allow the advance of money for these
build up our funds for the years ahead so that each

THE ASS O CIATI O N OF SERVICE NEWS PAPERS ADVERTISEMENT PAGES.
PO B OX 4, FA RN BO ROU G H. HAMPS HI RE GU14 7LR . TEL 0252 615891

The new

National Savings

YEARLY PLAN

WHAT IT OFFERS

• You can build up a large sum for retirement or a major purchase.
• You can save with no fuss or bother by monthly standing order.
• You need only save for one year- or carry on ifyou want to.
• You will be offered a competitive and guaranteed return.
• You will earn all of your interest free of tax.

Ifyou have between £20-£100 a month to save fill in the coupon and we will

<it)send youfull details and an application form. Or phone 0272 290871. 1

lr--------------------------1

I To: National Savings,Yearly Plan Section, FREEPOST, I
1 Durham DH99 lBT.

II -NJmc II
I NATIONAL ~ddre<>s I

I SAVINGS Po>rcode I
'------~------------------------- (!>I_J _
___J

Pnnt ed in Grea t Br 1tain SUPPLEMENT No. 1- PAGE THREE

T HE ASSOCIATION OF SER V ICE NEWSPAPERS ADV ERTISEMENT PAGES,
PO BOX 4, FARNBOROUGH . HAMPSHIRE, GU14 7LR . TEL 0252 515891

~ f--F_A_M_O_U_S__D-.R_I_N_K_S__I N__Y-.-O_U_R_M_E_S_S-lrl

y

~

For all bar
supplies
contact your
nearest NAAFI.

SUPPLEMENT No 1-PAGE FOUR Pr1nted 1n Great Brit ain

expensive projects to more than a handful of people, 69
so we don' t do it at all. On the subject of house
purchase, Unit Pay Offices will be pleased to advise that their contribution to the benevolent fund dries
on the Assisted House Purchase Scheme. up with the closedown of their army pay account.
One kind officer was demanding a standing order
Turning to more general financial matters, officers form and deed of covenant within days of his
retiring from active service should know that they retirement to continue his subscription. Others can
should reduce their standing order to the Officers be accommodated with ease by application to the
Club from £7 to £5. They can, if they wish, take out Financial Secretary if they are so inclined.
life membership of the club for a one-off payment of
£15.75 but will need to take out a separate standing Finally, one or two officers have not stopped the
order of £3 per year for the Journal if they still wish to Banker's Standing Order to the Benevolent Fund
receive copies as a life member of the Club . which was superceded when they agreed to have the
day's pay deducted through their army pay account.
Another point retired officers should appreciate is Nice though it is to receive the two donations, one
will suffice, and those concerned should stop the
Standing Order.

News from our Affiliated Associations

The Queen's Royal
Surrey Regimental
Association of the
Queen's Regiment

ANNUAL ASSOCIATION SERVICE was then the scene of one of the major battles of the
3rd JUNE 1984 Malayan Campaign, when the advance of the very
much stronger Japanese Army was held up for four
The Service took place as usual in Guildford days. Mr Chye was so impressed by these events and
Cathedral, combined with Matins, and was con- the gallantry of the British Battalion that 42 years
ducted by the Dean, The Very Rev A C Bridge later he has completed a very full and detailed history
!formerly of The Buffs) a very respected friend of the of the Battalion, and came over to England in June
Regiment . Tony Bridge preached a splendid and to present manuscript copies to the Queens Surreys
inspiring sermon , and prayers were said by the Ven and to the Leicesters.
Peter Mallett, formerly Chaplain-General and Padre
to 1 Queens in Malaya . After meeting Mr Chye at Guildford , on the next
day, 4th June, Mr Chye was received at RHO and a
A larger than usual congregation attended, and buffet lunch was held at the Fordwich Arms , Sturry.
amongst those present were Brigadier H C Millman , After lunch Mr Chye formally presented his manu-
Colonel of The Regiment, and Major-Generals M script to the President, who made a return presenta-
Forrester, FA H Ling and R S N Mans . The Associa- tion to Mr Chye, who has also been made an honor-
tion was also glad to welcome Mr Chye Kooi Loong ary member of the Association . Some 20 members of
- see below. the 2nd Surreys, and The British Battalion attended
the lunch led by RSM D Boorer and CSgt W Turner .
THE BRITISH BATTALION Besides the President and Hon Secretary, The
VISIT OF MR CHYE KOOI LOONG Regimental Secretary, Col J W Francis, Major and
Mrs P G E Hill and representatives of the Surrey &
. Mr Chye was a school boy of 12 in December 1941 Kent Press also attended .
hv1ng at Kampar in Malaya when the very recently
amalgamated 2nd East Surreys and 1st Leicesters , Subsequent to his visit to the Association Mr Chye
The British Battalion, were moved to Kampar . This went on to Leicester and to Stirling where he was
also received by the Argyll and Sutherland High-
landers, whose 2nd Battalion fought with great dis-
tinction in Malaya and were lost too at Singapore .

70 THE QUEENS ROYAL SURREY REGIMENT

DEDICATION OF HEADSTONE FOR GOLF SOCIETY

SGT J HARVEY VC Following the Society's Spring Meeting on 3rd
May, Maj-Gen G A White was elected President of
1/22nd London Regiment (The Queens) the Society at the AGM. Michael Power, who served
with the Regiment for National Service, continues as
Pte Jack Harvey won the .VC for most conspic- Captain .
uous bravery and disregard of personal danger on
2nd September 1918. When his Company was held The annual match v Royal Marines GS took place
up he destroyed a machine-gun post and at the North Hants Golf Club, Fleet on 11th July and
subsequently rushed an enemy dug-our forcing 37 of was halved. The following played for the Society: M
the enemy to surrender. He was decorated by HM J Power, Maj-Gen G A White , Majors W J F Sutton ,
King George V on 8th March 1919. He died in August F C Shephard, B Crutchfield, Cols J G W Davidson ,
1940 . J W Sewell and Capt J A Clark .

In his investigations into the whereabouts of the The Autumn Meeting of the Society took place on
VCs of the Regiment, Lt Col Wilson discovered that 11th October.
Sgt Harvey's medals were held by Mr N C McCrery, a
very reputable medal collector, who is a policeman in The Society would like to confirm that any past or
Nottingham . At the same time Mr McCrery had present member of the 1st Battalion is eligible to play
found that Sgt Harvey's grave in Redstone Ceme- in its meetings and will be most welcome .
tery, Redhill was unmarked. The Association has
now rectified this with a Commonwealth War Graves OFFICERS' CLUB DINNER
pattern headstone, and this headstone was
dedicated on 2nd September this year , 66 years after The Officers of the Association dined at Simpsons
Sgt Harvey won his VC . in the Strand on 5th October 1984. Some 64
members were present, including The Colonel of the
The Dedication Servic:;e was conducted by The Regiment and Maj-Gens F J C Piggott, R S N Mans
Rev Douglas Walker RAChD , Chaplain to 5 QUEENS. and M F Reynolds . The President proposed the
Wreaths were laid by the President of the Associa- Toast of 'The Queens Regiment', to which Brig
tion , the Regimental Secretary of The Queens Regi- Millman replied . The senior member present was Lt
ment, the Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, and the Col A F F Young OBE, TO, DL, who commanded
Mayor of Southwark, as well as by members of Sgt 2/ 5th Queens for the first three years of the 1939-34
Harvey's family . Capt P J Gardner VC , MC late RTR , War.
of the VC and GC Association honoured the
occasion by his presence.

Subsequent to the Dedication Service, refresh-
ments were taken at the Red hill Branch of the Royal
British Legion .

The event received publicity in both the National
Press and on television .

The Queen's Own Buffs
Regimental Association

(The Queen's Regt)

Planned Events 1985 The Maidstone Remembrance Service and
27 April - Association AGM and Inter Branch
Reunion
Darts March .
On 1 July 1984 we once again formed up in the Old
16 May - The Queen' s Own Royal West Kent Regi- Barracks - sad ly fewer every year - and marched
ment Officers' Club Annual Reception and Cocktail proudly to the ceremony in Brenchley Gardens, the
Party . Band of the Queen 's Regiment TA leading. After the
normal short and very moving service, wreaths were
7 July - Maidstone Queen' s Own Buffs Remem- laid by the President, Capt Mike Smith , and the
brance Service and Reunion . Mayor of Maidstone.

4 Augu st - Canterbury Queen's Own Buffs As usual we marched from Brenchley Gardens,
Remembrance Service and Reunion . past the Mayor at the Town Hall and down to All
Saints for our service .

The lesson was read by Lt Col Jim Shephard, our

chairman, and the address was given by the Reverend 71
George Bedford - padre to 1 RKW in Malaya. We
were delighted to see Maj Gen and Mrs Talbot attend- gation to be seated by 1230 pm and the service to start
ing the service and also that Col and Mrs H B H Waring at 1245 pm. Please put it in your diaries now.
supported us throughout the day.
The Buffs Museum
Maidstone Branch deserves our thanks for a well
run day and particularly Ken Parker and his family who The response to our Museum Appeal has been
were working behind the scenes almost non stop . The magnificent particularly from ex members of the Regi-
ACF Detachment with the ACF Queen 's Colour added ment. At the time of writing , the present total for
a lot to the Parade and were very much appreciated money raised has reached £18,519, although not quite
and of course without our old friends the Band of the our target of £20,000 is still a sizeable sum which when
Queen' s Regiment TA we should have felt very bereft. invested will give the museum a regular income for the
future . lt is thought that one or two donations are still
We need more support to ensure that this valued yet to come and it would be excellent if we met our
event can be continued. The writing is on the wall target.
unless attendance can be improved .
Amongst our latest acquisitions for the Museum are
The Canterbury Remembrance Service and the medals of Major A C J Van Ammel who served so
gallantly with the 5th Bn The Buffs being awarded the
Reunion DSO as well as the MC and Bar.

The 16 September was a most successful day and , Maj R W M Webster has donated several items of
almost to the end , the rain held off. Despite the uniform which include a scarlet tunic and a frock coat
passing of time and some of us not being as young as as well as numerous books and pictures.
we were, it was a proud and smart parade that
marched down to the Cathedral. There is a constant trickle of B:Jffs militaria which is
sent to the Museum and all of it most welcome , so
The Cathedral was well filled and as usual we were please, if you have any items, we would be most
delighted that the Mayor and Mayoress of Canterbury grateful for them .
came to share our service with us . We were also
particu larly pleased that Brig H C Millman OBE - The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Colonel of The Queen 's Regiment - came to support
us on this rather special day. As usual many old Museum
comrades had travelled long distances to be with us
and it was very heartening to see that the attendance At last the Museum in St Faith' s Street is open
was still good . lt would have been even better if we again and since it has been refurbished the results are
had achieved a higher attendance from former most impressive. Maj Bertie Blake and Mr Ken Hobbs
officers . We are very grateful to the several who with their many helpers have done a magnificent job .
came, among whom were: Maj Gen and Mrs Tal bot, If you are near Maidstone it is certainly worth a visit on
Brig and Mrs R F Parry, Col and Mrs Waring , Lt Col any day except Sunday.
and Mrs Macdonald , Lt Col J N Shepard , Lt Col and
Mrs White, Major and Mrs Cox and Major and Mrs On 14 September a party was held to mark the
Worts . reopening and to launch an Appeal on behalf of the
Museum. Invitations were sent to various dignitaries
lt was a very moving service and we are most grateful and influential people within the county , the Trustees
to the Very Reverend The Dean of St AI bans for giving and Committee of Management acted as hosts but
the address. The lesson was read by our President the amount of space available prevented invitations
Capt M J Smith and after the service wreaths were being sent to other members of the Regiment . The
laid at the Warriors' Chapel by the President and the Museum was opened on 15 September for a special
Colonel of the Regiment as well as several others. viewing by former members of the Regiment and
open to the public on 17 September 1984.
The Parade then marched past the President,
Mayor and Colonel of the Regiment in the Precincts We are lucky that HRH Prince Michael of Kent has
and returned via Burgate to fall out. honoured us by accepting to be the president of our
museum Appeal and Robin Leigh-Pemberton Esq HM
Thanks to Lt Col D HA Shephard , we once again Lord Lieutenant for the County of Kent has accepted
were allowed to use Leros TA Centre for our reunion . to be the Vice President. Lieutenant General Sir
Major Joe Bass managed, despite the departure of the Geoffrey Howlett KBE MC has kindly agreed to be
5th Bn on Exercise Lionheart, to make us very Chairman of the Appeal committee.
welcome . Between them the Canterbury Branch and
Maj Tony Aylin organised a first rate reunion . This The aim of the appeal is to raise a capital sum in
year there w ere even compliments about the food and order that a regular income can be assured now and in
perhaps our only crib was that the weather let us the future against the time when there are no longer
down during Beating Retreat . Even so. Bandmaster any old members of the Regiment who can help to
Clark and the Band and Drums put up a fine show . maintain this living record of their Regiment.

W e are most grateful for all the support they gave Donations however large or small should be sent to
us during the day. The Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regiment,
Museum Appeal Secretary, Maidstone Museum , St
Next year the Cathedral have agreed to the service Faith' s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH .
being held on Sunday 4 August 1985, the congre-
Cheques made payable to 'The Queen' s Own
Museum Appeal' .

72

The Royal Sussex Regiment
Association

(Representing the Queen's Regt in Sussex)

THE ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT MUSEUM brisk pony, various allowances, a sympathetic
Quartermaster and sunshine from Poperinghe to
New Location Peronne' .

The Royal Sussex Regiment Museum was officially Chichester District Museum
reopened in its new home within the Sussex Com-
bined Services Museum at the Redoubt Fortress, At the Chichester District Museum the two stands
Royal Parade, Eastbourne, on 6th July by the Lord of recently restored Colours of the Regiment remain
Lieutenant of East Sussex, the Most Honourable the fixed to the ceiling and a collection of 4th, 5th and
Marquess of Abergavenny , KG, OBE, who unveiled a 4/ 5th Battalion's drums are being added to this
brass plate recording the event. After the ceremony display .
the guests were entertained by the Mayor and
Borough Council at a buffet in the Wish Tower Record Office
Restaurant , followed by a band concert at the
Redoubt . The evening ended with the band playing At the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester the
the ' 1812' overture accompanied by a magnificent Regimental collection of papers is frequently used by
display of fireworks. The Ragimental Museum researchers and for education. Diaries, photographs
trustees are most grateful to the Eastbourne Borough and notes of service with the former Regiment are
Council for its part in housing and setting up the most welcome . The first volume of the catalogue of
museum display. our papers will be published by the West Sussex
County Council early in 1985.
The Museum is open daily from Easter until the end
of October and during the winter months by appoint- GOODWOOD
ment with the Curator Mr Michael Moss (telephone
0323 33952) . There is an entrance charge but this is Glorious Goodwood was, as usual, blessed with
waived for members of the Royal Sussex Regimental glorious weather when large crowds were present.
Association and of the Queen 's Regimental The Royal Sussex Lunch Club was very well patron-
Association and their families on production of the ised at all five meetings and of course particularly at
appropriate membership card. A cafe has been the main July meeting when we were very pleased to
opened at The Redoubt and named 'The Orange Lily' welcome some members who had not used the club
in our honour . for sometime, in particular Brigadier and Mrs Peter
Johnson, and a number of officers from the Queens
Accessions and other Regiments .

On three occasions during the year the Ogilby Trust The Royal Sussex Stakes, for which the Regiment
has made generous grants to help with the purchase presents a challenge cup, was run on Tuesday 2
of badges and photographs for the museum and, October when a large field went to the post. The race
before the move to Eastbourne, kindly made a was won by Mr 0 Fisher's My Tootsie , ridden by Miss
detailed valuation of the collection . In return the Lydia Pearce and trained at Newmarket by M Ryan . In
trustees have recently purchased from the Ogilby the absence of Colonel J Buckeridge, abroad on duty,
Trust an ' Albert' Shako which had previously been on the Royal Sussex Challenge Cup was presented in the
loan to the Museum . This purchase was made paddock by Colonel G J Langridge . After the presen-
possible by a generous donation from Colonel G J tation Mr and Mrs Fisher and their jockey came down
Langridge , TO, whose great-grandfather's firm of to the club to celebrate their success.
London hatters had made the shako in about 1845.
TREES FOR THE FUTURE
Many gifts have been made to the museum since
our last report . These are too numerous to report in A scheme has been laun ched by the West Sussex
detail but we would like to thank Lt Col P E Barton, County Council to encourage people to take part in
MBE for providing an authentic 'Stirling ' for the the planting of trees for the future . This was discussed
soldier at the entrance to the museum and a bed for in March at the Executive Committee of the Regimen-
the prisoner in the ce ll . We would also like to thank tal Association when it was decided to participate in
Mrs Cassels for presenting the copy of ' Undertones of the scheme with a view to planting a copse to com-
War' by Edmund Blund en with hand written notes by memorate the Regiment. As a result of this the
the author and an inscription to his friend the late Council intends to plant three small co pses of mixed
Major J S Cassels, MC, which reads 'To James trees adjacent to the cri cket ground at Arund el Castle
Cassels : his old friend wishes all that the happy with a plaque com memorating the Regiment in the
warrior shou ld have ; no raids, no box barrages, no copse nearest the entrance to the ground. Th e Regi-
sudden storms of paper warfare ; but good billets, a menta l Association has agreed to subscribe £300 to

the cost and would be grateful for donations from 73
anyone interested in the scheme which should be sent
to HQ, The Royal Sussex Regimental Association , plus a former Sussex player and a current minor
Roussillon Barracks, Chichester . counties player. The result was an imbalance between
the two teams which unfortunately resulted in an
A tree planting ceremony is being planned by the uninteresting game from the spectators point of view.
West Sussex County Council in December to which
Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk and representatives of Having won the toss Adrian Ford, the captain of the
the Regiment will be invited. Duchess of Norfolk' s XI, elected to bat. lan Waring
and Robin Stephenson both bowled accurately and at
THE ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT INVITATION XI lunch the Duchess's XI was restricted to 72 for 2 - a
very commendable performance by the Regiment.
v LAVINIA, DUCHESS OF NORFOLK'S XI However, after lunch runs came more freely, with R
Gartrell (Australia) playing a fine attacking innings of
played at Arundel Castle on Sunday 3 June 1984 99. lan Waring bowled two long spells and finished
with impressive figures of 4 for 84 in 24 overs.
After the disappointment of an abandoned match in
1983 it was wonderful this year to have the sun shining The Regiment had to score at the rate of four runs
all day . lt was therefore a shame that only a small an over in order to win and the batsmen had every
number of former members of the Regiment turned intention of doing so. However, the accuracy and
up to give support and to picnic in such beautiful sheer pace of D Willis (Australia) and D Callaghan
surroundings . (South Africa) proved too much. Having lost four
wickets for 32 runs there was no choice but to try and
The Regimental side was very much a family affair save the game. Peter Pyemont (47 not out) and his son
and included three Pyemonts, two Stephensons and David (28 not out) both played determined defensive
two Nicholsons (one acting as 12th man). The only innings and were still together when stumps were
person not having service or family connections was drawn with the score standing at 114 for 4.
lan Waring, a quick bowler on the MCC Young Cric-
keters Staff at Lords, who has subsequently been Although it was not a good game from the specta-
given a contract with Sussex CCC. On the other hand tors point of view it was fiercely contested on the field.
the Duchess of Norfolk's XI included two South The players all thoroughly enjoyed playing and are
Africans and two Australians , currently playing first again indebted to Lavinia , Duchess of Norfolk and the
class or first grade cricket in their respective countries, staff of the Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Club for
allowing us to do so.

Regimental Association of
The Middlesex Regiment (DCO)

(Affiliated with The Queen's Regt)

CHURCH PARADE - ROYAL HOSPITAL At the annual dinner of the United Kingdom
CHELSEA Branch of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The
Volunteers) Association, the President of the
A contingent from the Regimental Association Middlesex Regimental Association, Lt Col T W
attended the Royal Hospital Church Parade on 21st Chattey OBE, presented a Drum Major's Sash (wom
October. The party was led by Lt Col T W Chattey by the late Drum Maj C Holdford BEM , who was a
OBE, President of the Regimental Association and 40 former Prisoner of War) as a memento of the
members attended. The Regimental Standard was affiliation of the two regiments .
carried by Mr R Pile. Prior to the service the old
comrades formed up and were inspected by the REGIMENTAL GOLFING SOCIETY
Governor of the Royal Hospital , General Sir Robet
Ford , GCB CBE. Our annual meeting was held at the North Hants
Golf Club, Fleet, Hants. on Tuesday 18 September.
At the conclusion of the service a buffet lunch was 19 members competed.
provided in the Ives Room of the In Pensioners Club
where the old comrades were joined by our In FIELD OF REMEMBRANCE, WESTMINSTER
Pensioners.
The annual ceremony at the Field of Remem-
THE ROYAL HONG KONG REGIMENT brance took place on Saturday 10th November at
(THE VOLUNTEERS) 10.45 am . Owing to the continued closure of the
Middlesex Guildhall an abbreviated form of service
Hong Kong Liberation Day was held on Monday was held. The Service was conducted by the Rev W
27 August and W02 G France, The Queen's E B J ones, former Padre to the 1st Battalion and Lt
Regiment, laid a Middlesex badged wreath on behalf
of the Regimental Association .

74 Postal and Courier Depot Royal Engineers
Col T W Chattey read the Exhortation. The Regi- Middlesex Regimental Association
mental Standard was carried by Mr A A J Moody, 12 Company WRAC
escorted by In Pensioners C Painter and G Fulton . B (Middlesex) Company 6th/7th (V) Bn The
Crosses were planted on the Regimental Plot by Queen's Regiment
members of the regiment on behalf of former Branches of the Regimental Association.
battalions.
The Church collection was on behalf of the Royal
B (Middlesex) Company 6th/7th (V) Bn The British Legion Earl Haig's Poppy Appeal.
Queen' s Regiment were present and also planted a
cross. REGIMENTAL HISTORY

REGIMENTAL REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE The following important items have been added to
The annual regimental remembrance day service the Museum Collection :

was held at lnglis Barracks, Mill Hill, on Sunday 11th (a) The Seringapatem Silver Medal (purchased
November and commenced at 10.15 am . The service from Spink & Son);
was attended by the Postal and Courier Depot, Royal
Engineers, 12 Company Women's Royal Army Corps (b) A colour reproduction of Peter Greenham's
and a contingent from B (Middlesex) Company, portrait of Lieut-General Sir Brian Horrocks
6th/7th (V) Bn The Queen' s Regiment . By the kind wearing his regalia of the Parliamentary office
permission of the Commandant the service was held of Black Rod.
in the Gymnasium and the congregation numbered
over 500. The service was conducted by The (c) A numbered reproduction copy of the picture
Reverend P G Whiting , CBE, QHC, CF. Deputy by Andy C Neilson, who is an officer in the
Chaplain General, assisted by Deaconess P H Royal Hong Kong Regiment, titled 'The
Masterman . Brig BA M Pielow JP, Chairman of the Lasting Honour' . representing the defence
Regimental Association read the Lesson . The Regi- together of the Stanley Peninsula in Hong
mental Standard was carried by Mr R Pile . Kong by the Middlesex Regiment and the
Hong Kong Defence Corps in 1941.
Following the sounding of ' Last Post' and
' Reveille' wreaths were laid on the Regimental War (d) Letter from Lieut John Nicholson, 77th
Memorial by : Regiment, from Bulgaria, 23 August 1854, to
his brother Octavius (purchased by the Army
Museums Ogilby Trust on behalf of the Regi-
mental Museum, the cost being shared
equally).

HMS LEEDS CASTLE
by lt Cdr T Morton RN

Our last report left us taking Easter leave and Prior to going on summer leave we spent a lovely
looking forward to a visit to Bergen in Norway, weekend in lnvergordon to attend the Highland
which we completed successfully. During our three Games . Our tug of war team was soundly beaten by
day visit we were well entertained and took the the subsequent competition winners who turned out
opportunity to take our sea riders on an expedition up to be the Scottish champions. Honour was satisfied.
the fjords .
Finally the ship docked in Rosyth to take the first
May and June were spent on Fishery Patrol duties few weeks of September as summer leave.
around the UK with only one interruption whilst
defect rectification was ca rried out on the port During the summer we have had four successful
gearbox. prosecutions of fishing vessels whose skippers have
co ntravened EEC Fisheries Regulations . This has
A visit was arranged in early July for us to done wonders for morale .
strengthen our ties with Hastings, our affiliated
town . The ship's compa ny had three enjoyable days We are now firmly in dry dock in Rosyth under-
here where they were able to participate in the going a routine docking to prepare us for more work
carn ival week festivities . Unfortuntely we were on fisheries patrol.
committed to anchoring off the pier.
(Lt Cdr T Morton RN handed over command to Lt
We then spent the next few weeks operating in the Cdr J Madgwi ck RN on 6 November 1984 - Editor .)
North Sea on patrol participating with air and surface
forces in a major offshore exercise.

Forthcoming Marriages 75

(Extracts from The Times and the Daily Telegraph) Marriages

Capt J P Noble and Miss A E Hill Mr Paul Dummett and Miss Sarah Doyle

The engagement is announced between John Col and Mrs Michael Doyle's daughter, Sarah,
Noble, The Queen's Regiment, eldest son of Mr and married Mr Paul Dummett at New College Chapel ,
Mrs W P Noble , of Dormansland , Surrey, and Oxford , on 1 September 1984. The following
Alison , only daughter of Squadron Leader and Mrs J members of the Regiment were present with their
G Hill of Naunton, Gloucestershire. wives: Cols John Davidson , Toby Sewell , John
Francis, Alan Jones, Nigel Knocker, Lt Col Hugh
Mr RC S Acheson and Miss DE Howlett Lohan , and Majs Richard Murphy, Patrick Gwilliam,
Ralph Ewart and Mike Hare.
The engagement is announced between Richard
Acheson of Godmanstone, Dorset, twin son of the At the wedding of Miss Sarah Doyle, 1 September.
late Colonel and Mrs S Acheson , and Diana , The Regimental Secretary, Mrs Penny Francis. Maj
daughter of Lieutenant General Sir Geoffrey and
Lady Howlett, of Wellesley House, Aldershot and Ralph Ewart and Maj and Mrs Richard Murphy.
Beaminster .
Mr lan Goldsmith and Miss Meryl Harrington
Mr F Greaney and Miss E F Coleman
Maj and Mrs P G Harrintgon' s daughter, Meryl
The engagement is announced between Frank,
second son of Mr and Mrs Dennis Greaney, of 27 married Mr !an Goldsmith at St Nicholas Church
Abbeyfield, Dublin, and Elizabeth (Buzziel , only
daughter of the late Brigadier Roy Coleman and Mrs Romersham , on 4 August 1984. '
R F Coleman, of Shawford House, Beckington, near
Bath , Somerset. Capt N P L Keyes and Miss SA Mejor

Mr J A Coleman and Miss S E McKenzie Capt N P L Keyes married Sally, younger daughter
of Wg Cdr and Mrs John Mejor on 4 August 1984.
The engagement is announced between James
Anthony, eldest son of the late Brigadier Roy
Coleman and of Mrs Roy Coleman, of Shawford
House, Somerset, and Susan Elizabeth, eldest
daughter of Mr and Mrs Gerard McKenzie, of
Firstwood Mount, Cheshire.

Mr I D Raynes and Miss J L Biggs

The engagement is announced between Lieut lan
David Raynes , The Queen's Regiment, eldest son of
Mr and Mrs P G Raynes, of Farnham, Surrey, and
Jan Louise, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs A F Biggs,
of Burbage, Leicestershire .

Mr R L Rosner and Miss V H Talbot

The engagement is announced between Robert,
elder son of Mr and Mrs L Rosner, of Vancouver, and
Victoria, younger daughter of Major General and Mrs
D E B Talbot, of Barham, Kent .

Mr C G A Mcleod and Miss Caroline Thomas

The engagement is announced between 2Lt C G A
McLeod, The Queen' s Regiment and Miss Caroline
Thoma s of Gravesend, Kent .

Wedding Presents Maj N C G Cann and Miss C A Marson

Appreciative letters have been received from Maj The marriage took place at Christchurch ,
A J Wilkin , Maj N C G Cann and Capt N P L Keyes Blackfriars, between Major Nicholas Charles Gould
for the engraved silver salvers presented to them by Cann, The Queen's Regiment, only son of Mrs Eileen
members of the Officers' Club as wedding presents. Cann of Kent Avenue , London W13, and the late
Rev M onty Cann, and Miss Claire Anne Marson, on ly
daughter of Colonel and Mrs Anthony Marson, of
Penhempen, Dolfor Powys .

76 LEANDER - HORN ER - On 4 August 1984, Cpl
M F Leander to Miss Sharon Anne Horner .
PHILLIP - LEVY - On 25 May 1984 Pte T A
Phillip to Miss Wendy Annette Levy. BERESFORD - BURN - On 10 August 1984, Pte
R I Beresford to Miss Sharon Burn .
BERR Y - ALDRIDGE - On 2 June 1984, LCpl C
A J Berry to Miss Joanne Aldridge. LAVENDER - COLLINS - On 11 August 1984,
LCpl A M Lavender to Miss Sandra Jane Collins .
THOMPSON - WILLIAMS - On 9 June 1984,
LCpl T R Thompson to Miss Suzanne Williams. MAROUARDT - BOYD - On 11 August 1984,
Pte C D Marquardt to Miss Sandra Boyd .
BERRYSTONE - NEWISS - On 9 June 1984,
Pte M C Berrystone to Miss Lynne Newiss . YOUNG - WHITE - On 11 Aug 1984, Pte G T W
Young to Miss Hazel Mary White .
VENNELL - CONSTANCE - On 9 June 1984,
Pte T C Vennell to Miss Sarah Vera Constance . COOK - OAR - On 17 August 1984, Pte R C
Cook to Miss Melinda Jane Orr.
ABSOLOM - MOORE - On 23 June, Pte J R
Absolom to Miss Lorna Elizabeth Moore . PEARCE - LONGUEHAYE - On 17 August
1984, Pte D Pearce to Miss Deborah Ann
WEST - LUCKHURST - On 23 June 1984, LCpl Long huehay.
P J West to Miss Paula Dawn Luckhurst.
WILKINS - MESSER - On 18August 1984, LCpl
LAWLOR - O' DONOGHUE - On 30 June 1984, M Wilkins to Miss Tarnia Dawn Messer.
Pte T Lawlor to Miss Susan Ellen O' Donoghue .
STOEY - GRAZIER - On 18 August 1984, Pte S
PELLING - THOMAS - On 30 June 1984, Pte K Storey to Miss Diane Grazier.
Pelling to Miss Wendy Lesley Thomas .
SMITH - BANKS - On 25 August 1984, Cpl R
ROSE - BUSH - On 30 June 1984, Pte I Rose to Smith to Miss Karen Felicity Banks.
Miss Carole Louise Bush .
CROFT - OLPHERT - On 1 September 1984, Pte
WARD - CLEMENT$ - On 30 June 1984, Pte G M Croft to Miss Catherine Louise Olphert .
Ward to Miss Susan May Clements.
MACKLEY - BOLES - On 1 September 1984,
WESTMORELAND - SCOTT - On 30 June Pte M J Mackley to Miss Violet Margaret Boles .
1984, LCpl A Westmoreland to Miss Jennifer
Elizabeth Scott. PIERCE - DRUDY - On 7 September 1984, Pte
S Pierce to Miss Deborah Drudy.
GEALL - SPICKER - On 6 July 1984, Pte K Geall
to Miss Marina Spi cker. BOWDEN - EDWARDS - On 8 September
1984, Pte A G Bowden to Miss Susan Barbara
POLLY - SPENCE - On 9 July 1984, Pte R Polly Edward s.
to Miss Rosalind Spence .
DAVIES - THOMPSETT - On 8 September
TAYLOR - ANDREW - On 11 July 1984, Pte A 1984, LCpl P Davies to Miss Sharron Denise
Taylor to Miss Elizabeth Avril Andrew . Thompsett.

FOWLER - DUNK - On 14 July 1984, Pte J C BUSHELL - BARTLETT - On 15 September
Fowles to Miss Moira May Dunk . 1984, Pte R Bushell to Miss Karen Patricia Bartlett.

MEAKIN - EVANS - On 14 July 1984, Pte M BRIERLEY - BESSANT - On 22 September
Meakin to Miss Jean Evans . 1984, Pte V N Brierley to Miss Collette Jaqueline
Bessant .
MESSINGHAM - SMYTHERS - On 14 July
1984, Pte J Messingham to Miss Karen Lesley COWLEY - HUMPHREY - On 22 September
Smythers . 1984, LCpl P Cowley to Miss Marie Lynn Humphrey.

HORS CROFT - TOLHURST - On 14 July 1984, ROGERS - MATHEWS - On 29 September
Pte K J Horscroft to Miss Lesley Jane Tolhurst. 1984, Pte A P Rogers to Miss Jane Edna Mathews .

WILLIAMS - MURRAY - On 14July 1984, LCpl BAILEY - HO MANS - On 6 October 1984, Pte S
W illiams to Miss Jaqueline Murray. Bailey to Miss Suzanne Homans.

WALKER - SHIPLEY - On 21 July 1984, Cpl DJ BUDDEN - PROCTOR - on 6 October 1984, Pte
Walker to Miss Jaqueline Ann Shipley. L M Budden to Miss Jackie Proctor.

TILLEY - SCHMELING - On 7 July 1984, Pte P NICHOL - EGGLEDEN - On 6 October 1984, Pte
Tilley to Miss Stephanie Charlotte Schmeling . D Nichol to Miss Susan Elizabeth Eggleden.

BOO KER - SPRINGARD - On 7 July 1984, LCpl LAI - THOMSON - on 12 October 1984, Pte N
Booker to Miss Valerie Gvvynh Springard . ·Lai to Miss Gwendoline Caroline Thomson.

McA ULE Y - HIND - On 27 July, Cpl R A COLEMAN - BUSHELL - On 13 October 1984,
McAu ley to Miss Carol Ann Hind. Pte P E Coleman to Miss Gillian Zyvita Ann Bushell.

TURNER - BRIDGES - On 28 July 1984, Pte DC
D Turner to Miss Michelle Bridges.

KEN DALL - COOK - On 4 Augu st 1984, Pte A
Kendall to Miss Angela Jayne Cook.

Deaths 77

Stevens. On 15 June 1984, Maj (Retd) S V Waiter and Alice Dickson, once of Framlingham,
Stevens, formerly RWK. brother of Charles and uncle of Michael.

Dickson. On 9 August 1984, peacefully at home, Nunn. On 27 September 1984, Pte I G Nunn,
after a short illness, Col John James Dickson, MC Queen 's Div Depot as a result of a motor accident.
ex-Royal Sussex regiment, younger son of the late
Budgen . On 31 October 1984, W01 (RSM) J
Budgen, 1 QUEENS , at home .

~-------------------------OBITUARY---------------------------,

W01 (RSM) J BUDGEN In April 1973 he was promoted to CSgt and
posted to Farnham as a PSI with 6/7 QUEENS
His many friends both in and out of the where he remained until returning to Bulford in
Regiment will have been saddened by the sudden May 1975. The Battalion leh Bulford in September
death of W01 (RSM) Jeff Budgen on 30 October 1975 and moved to Werl , West Germany by which
1984 whilst serving as Regimental Sergeant Major time Jeff had been promoted to W02 and had
of the 1st Battalion in Omagh, Northern Ireland. assumed the appointment of Signal Platoon War-
His tragically early death not only came so close to rant Officer . He remained in that post for just over
the end of the 26 month operational tour, but more a year which included yet another roulement tour
poignantly, so close to the end of his successful in Londonderry from July to November 1976.
tour as RSM . The timing of his death was an even
more bitter blow when subsequent confirmation lt was then that he changed appointment and
was received , that he was to be commissioned into became the Company Sergeant Major of C Com-
the Regiment at the end of his present appoint- pany and during his three years in this post he
ment. again carried out another Northern Ireland tour,
this time in West Belfast, from June to October
Jeff Budgen was born in Farncombe, Surrey, on 1978.
30 June 1946. On leaving school he spent a short
time as a foundry worker before en listing into the I remember well the friendly rivalry during that
Army as a Junior Tradesman at Rhyl on 3 January period between myself, then CSM , of B Company
1963. and CSM C Company down the road . He was a
first class Warrant Officer and always afforded the
Aher serving 16 months as a Junior Soldier he strongest competition both on and off duty.
was posted as an adult to The Queen 's Royal Sur-
rey Regiment in Munster, West Germany in May I remember with particu lar affection the Jubilee
1964. He remained with the Battalion throughout Parade at Sennelager in 1977 when I had the
that tour until 1967 by which time he had reached honour, together with Jeff Budgen and CSM
the rank of Cpl. lt was during that tour in 1966 'Lofty' Jamieson to escort the Colours on that
when he met his wife llse and on 25 November the auspicious occasion with Lt Nick Carter and 2Lt
following year was married in his home town of Henry Eagan as the ensigns . I am sure that we will
Farncombe, Surrey. Jeff continued to serve with all remember that two week period spent in his
the Battalion on return from BAOR to Hobbs company .
Barracks , Lingfield which included a nine-month
tour in Bahrain in 1968. lt was shortly after lt was on the return from Werl to Canterbury
returning from Bahrain in late 1968 that he was that Jeff was promoted to the appointment of
promoted to Sgt and posted to the Depot at RQMS of the 1st Battalion and all those who
Bassingbourn as a Training Sgt with an adult served in the Quartermaster's Department during
recruit company . There are many Sgts Mess that time will know the efficient manner in which
members in our Regiment today who will he carried out that appointment, he was particu-
remember those days clearly when they were larly commended on his outstanding performance
recruits . as RQMS during the Battalion 's tour of Belize.

Sgt Budgen rejoined the 1st Battalion in Berlin in lt was of little surprise that in May 1981 he was
1971 as a Rifle Platoon Sgt in B Company. I recall promoted to W01 and appointed as Regimental
that period very clearly as I was his CQMS at the Sergeant Major of 35 Cadet Training Team at
time. Woolwich , a tremendous achievement consider-
ing he was only 34 years of age. After a successful
The Battalion moved from Berlin to Bulford in 15 month tour with the Training Team he returned
1972 and Jeff remained with 1 QUEENS until April to the 1st Battalion in Canterbury.
1973 during which time he served in Northern
Ireland from October 1972 until February 1973, a I remember clearly when Jeff was appointed
tour that many will remember him from. Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion in
August 1982 and recall him telling me how proud
he was at having achieved this post in what he

78

Obituary conrinued - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .

always regarded as his own Battalion and what- hours, he promoted and enhanced a tremendous
ever the future may hold he felt that it was the pin- fishing club within the Battalion. His enthusiasm,
nacle of his career . sense of humour and amazing rapport with sol-
diers enabled him to have the respect and com-
As many who read this will know, the role of radeship of all the club members no matter what
RSM in our modern Army requires a multitude of their rank , which is a further indication of his
abilities coupled with extreme experience. As well personality and character. I know he will be sadly
as being a firm disciplinarian, he needs to be a missed by them all.
leader of men, a politician and above all a com-
passionate human being .
Jeff Budgen possessed all these qualities and If I could highlight a few of his many qual ities
having known him for over 20 years , it would be
yet often reproached himself when things were not his open and honest approach to soldiering and in
going well, typical of a man with the unflinching particular the love of his Regiment. He was in-
determination to do well. He was always a strong deed an outstanding soldier in every sense and a
advocate of the large Regiment and whilst he never Regimental -pillar in his traditions and beliefs .
concealed the pride of his ' Lamb and Star' heri-
tage, he was always a staunch supporter of The We all bestow our deepest sympathy to Jeff's
Queen 's Regiment . He played the most deter- widow llse, his children, Martin, David and lngrid
mined part of the education of NCOs and soldiers and indeed to the whole of his family.
where their knowledge and awareness of their
Regimental history and traditions were concerned . The Regiment has lost an outstanding man and
all those of us who were privileged to know him
Besides his family and career his first love was and serve so close with him have suffered the loss
fishing . Apart from his own personal interest in the of a very dear friend .

sport which took up almost all of his off duty Y DE

THE ATTACK ON THE SAMBRE CANAL
(4 November 1918- one week before the Armistice)

by former 17582 Pte W E Grover,
8th Platoon, lewis Gun Section
2nd Battalion The Royal Sussex Regiment

The flickering beams of the dying embers, Across the open ground we' re streaming ,
The glowing tips of cigarettes, The awful truth before our eyes
The beating rain on helmet steel , and ground sheets The reaper' s busy with his scythe
We reach the lock, but cannot cross ,
glistening ; The bridging boards were all too short.
We await the morn . Again we try! the boards renewed , now replaced by
For some will never see another. 'The Victims' ?
'Who can tell' . Come the dawn , we attack the a gallant few
Who gave their lives and went through hell that we
Sambre Canal.
might cross
In silent groups we stand and ponder The Sambre Canal.
Can our luck hold out much longer?
Is our name on shot or shell? Now we' re across ; the strong point captured,
Shall we live to tell the tale , how we survived ? The crisis over, resistance ceases, the reaper

For me the attack is number five . sheath 's his scythe.
' Is it true', this eerie eilence, 'Are we still alive?'
At battle stations we' re asssembling The day is drawing to its close and all objective
The first grey streaks of dawn appearing ,
For 'Zero' hour is fast approaching carried .
The ra in and mist is fast clearing . We rest and clean the ' Lewis Gun', but, had we
In true perspective we see and dread
The awesome task which lies ahead, known,
For we know well what lies behind the tree-lined We wouldn't have troubled ,
For a bullet meant for one of us
banks of Was embedded in the barrel
The Sambre Ca nal.
We have survived ; the war is over ,
The ba rrage ope ns, screaming shells, ma chine-guns And we a tale can tell
c ha t t erin g , How death the reaper, reaped his harvest
At the crossing of the

Sambre Canal.

AN OFFICER BUT NOT QUAITE 79
A GENTLEMAN? ten weeks before her arrival for Wives Club
Treasurer, IC needlepoint and Tuesdays in the Thrift
by Probitus Shop. The wretched Ffoulkes-Witherington, on the
other hand, bags up the families of his junior ranks
There was a time, not so many lunar phases ago, just by looking at them and his wife is three hundred
when one could gain access to the sacred portals of miles away looking after the family estates and the
the Officers Mess by one of three ways. The first, nags.
and by faraway the most popular, was via the equally
sacred portals of Sandhurst, a well-tried system 'Whisky and water, only. after dinner, old boy.
which survives to this day. The second, a more Doncherno! ' (with acknowledgments to the artist.
lengthy, but equa lly com petitive approach, was by a
Quartermaster Commission, what one might call the Chas C Stadden).
' many are called but few are chosen' route. The final
way of gaining admission, though admittedly not by Accept your advantage with diffidence for there
the front door, was as a member of that exclusive are further hurdles to come . Forget that Ffoulkes-
and august body known as the Officers Mess Staff. Witherington has a reputation as the Mess bore
What one might ca ll the ' left right left, pick yer which gives you a starter of ten. At meal times in the
bleedin' feet up' route. Mess remove yourself by at least 12 chairs from his
presence but accept with good grace the inevitability
There will be those of our more senior readers who of sitting next to him one day.
will be at pains to point out a fourth route, by com-
missioning 'in the field'. Picture, if you ca n, the He will have been planning this moment by stealth
cemented acres of the Bogside and the frantic scan and with cunning and is determined to extract the
through the IR for as much as one blade of grass to last drop of patronage and condescension from the
earn a qualification of the epithet 'field'. Stretch your situation. Be not dismayed by the sudden evacuation
imagination further to one Private T . Atkins sitting in of young subalterns from the dining table seeking
a dazed heap having been the recipient of a well relief from the monotonous monologue which is
aimed brick from one of the local free-thinkers seek- bound to ensue. Sit ca lmly and pray that unstoned
ing creative expression of Irish sentiment. Com- plums will not be served for sweet. Listen patiently
manding Officer happens to be passing, slaps sa1d T. whilst he attacks the Silver Member for the
Atkins heartily on back and says 'Well done, Atkins, unpolished state of the silver, the Food Member for
you took that rather well. See you in the Officers the origins and decayed state of the mustard. and
Mess for tea . . .' the House Member for the state of the waiter's
livery. Your turn will come as surely as night follows
As I said, there was a time when there were three day. and the only sensible precaution you need take
ways of getting into the Officers Mess . is to ensu re that at the •Ah, Smith, doncherno' and

I am happy to report that attitudes have been
changing, yellow sauce has been redesignated as
custard and by and large a chap can ring his tailor to
order a British Warm on promotion to Colour Ser-
geant.

Put another way, the jolly old Sacred Cows are no
longer prime beef and, sacrilege upon sacrilege, the
fruity tones of Wellington and Marlborough are
interspersed with the more phlegmatic idiom of
Sidcup Comprehensive.

Which brings me by a logical progression to
Ffoulkes-Witherington, who will tell anyone with the
patience to listen that the rot all started when the
Warrant Officers and Sergeants were first invited in
for Christmas drinks. Happily, in any well-ordered
Mess the Ffoulkes- Withering tons are in a severe
minority of one, but to those of you contemplating
the fourth route to the Officers Mess I say beware
because the chap, who stands one hundred metres
right of right, makes Oliver Cromwell look like a
Social Democrat.

Be confident but not brash in your approach to
Ffoulkes-Witherington because you are holding all
the high cards and the only hand he could play suc-
cessfully is a misere ouverte . For starters you have
the Commanding Officer in your corner ; he knows
you will do PRI without a winge , Families Officer
without a twitch, and will certainly take the Shooting
Team to Bisley. Your wife will have been earmarked

80 Ffoulkes-Witherington at his table for the Summer
Ball. You allow him to get away with pinching your
the prodding in the ribs, the spoonful of Heinz wife' s bottom during the Foxtrot. lt has dawned on
tomato is either at rest in the soup plate or past the you quite suddenly that Ffoulkes-Witherington
lips travelling down the epiglottis . The human played no small part in the success of your appren-
reaction of spilling your soup down his sleeve will ticeship , and where now the phrase 'a proper officer'
serve only to give him an unfair advantage . as you sip your Dom Perignon and ponder the
chances of a picture in Tatler?
There will then follow a detailed account of Mess
custo ms, habits and 'form' accompanied by an LETTER FROM THE FALKLAND ISLANDS
implied suggestion that you will be bound to put from LCpl Burbridge
your foot in it on more than one occasion. Allow him
to warm to his subject without interjection, but I arrived on the Falkland Islands on Monday 21st
observe carefully those rare and surreptitious May 1984 on the RFA Sir Geraint, a LSL ship . The
moments when he pauses for bre th. Having timed weather for the first six to seven days was really
the frequency of these to the nth degree, use the superb but then it changed and was so rough, it just
next to summon the waiter and ask for a bottle of wasn't true .
Merlot di Pramaggiore 78 and two glasses. To pull
this off with aplomb you will need to have had a prior My job on the island is receptionist on board one of
word with the Mess Sergeant, for a substitute bottle the floating hotels , known as Coastels, which can
of Bulls Blood or La Rioja will not have the desired sleep about 900 personnel .
effect upon Ffoulkes-Witherington.
The situation is still very operational, but everybody
You hope that your wine gambit will have taken works as if in a normal garrison anywhere in the world.
the wind out of his sails sufficiently for you to have a In about 18 months time the Coastel is going to be
moment of peace with your coffee and The Times . moved nearer the airport, so basically it will be
Not for you the Mirror or Sun at this stage of your something like Belize and Airport Camp.
apprenticeship. In any event, in the continuing
conflict with Ffoulkes-Witherington you will need to Falkland Islands ' Memorial to those lost during the
prove and maintain your mastery of the large Tele- liberation'.
graph crossword. If this proves too much of an intel- picture by LCpl Burbridge
lectual strain (and it most certainly will be for your
protagonist) then fill in yesterday's crossword today As yet I have been nowhere of interest, but they do
by memorising the solution and keeping the date well lay on trips around the island , on either a Hercules or
covered from prying eyes. one of Bristow's helicopters, so I will be trying to
arrange to go on one of those .
Alas and alack, your Ffoulkes-Witherington will
not be discouraged by this mental agility. Pausing
only to light a large and expensive cigar whose
fragrance will linger on your clothes until you send
them to the cleaners, he will renew the onslaught
with a 'Not a bad career so far, Smith, eh, what,
doncherno!' You refrain from pointing out to him at
this point that 12 years ago he was a Captain and you
a Corporal and where did it all go wrong for him .
Point out to him instead in no uncertain terms that if
he had received as many promotions as you sin ce
then two more ranks would be required in the
promotion structure beyond Field Marshal.

Your Guard must never drop; others, some more
senior, will make you feel as welcome as the flowers
in May. Ffoulkes-Witherington will, however,
continue to regard you as an infection he would
rather not contract . Time will pass and he will be
surprised to discover that you do not open your front
door in your singlet. He will be astonished on Guest
Nights to see you working your way through the
bewildering array of cutlery without guidance. He
will gaze open-mouthed as _you adopt the instant
tradition of moving your glass through a 180° angle
in its passage from table to lips .

In a weak moment you will probably have him in
for a bite of supper ensuring only that you invite
trusted and proven friends as company.

Suddenly, the antagonism and antipathy is passed
without either realising its disappearance . Miracle of
miracles, you and your lady are invited to join

There are quite a few opportunities for activities like 81
fishing , sailing , mountaineering and walking . In the
case of walking you have to take one of the maps that each man surrounded by Russians and fighting to
the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal team produces, hold on until the British again attacked. Captain
which shows you where there are still minefields. The Lumley, dealing with three Russian gunners all at
Royal Engineers are now completing the NAAFI com- once , shot two of them with his revolver but the third
plex near the Coastel that I am on . felled him with a stone.

The locals are very happy to have the forces on the Staggering to his feet once more, he drew his
island , and in front of the Treasury they have built a sword and was laying about him with this weapon
memorial to the troops that fought and died for their when he 'received a ball in his mouth which wounded
country . him severely', according to his citation .

I went up to Wireless Ridge on 10th June, and I've The British Troops did not attack again and Lumley
got to admit it gives one a big shiver up and down with the handful of his men, all wounded, crawled
one's spine , especially to see the bits of Argentinian painfully out of the Redan . They had a long way to
equipment left littered about, sleeping bags, water crawl across the no-man's-land to the British trenches
bottles and webbing for instance. All the trenches are and the Russian marksmen concentrated their fire on
now filled with water and frozen solid . this remnant. Lumley, choking with the blood which
poured from his wounded throat, was the only one to
MAJOR CH LUMLEY VC reach the British trenches.
by Maj H C L Tennent
Major C H Lumley was decorated with the Victoria
Charles Lumley joined the 97th of Foot lone of our Cross by Her Majesty Queen Victoria at the First
Forbear Regiments) as an ensign in 1844. His first and Investiture of the Decoration held in Hyde Park on 26
only campaign was the Crimea . He was a captain June 1857.
when he led his men to the unsuccessful assault on
the Redan at Sebastapol. When the main body of He never really recovered from his dreadful wound .
British Troops was forced to retire, he and a small At times the after affects caused partial paralysis,
party of the 97th were left behind in the fortification , which led in turn to fits of great depression as he
feared he might have to sell his commission and leave
The tomb of Maj Charles Lumley VC before and after the army.
restoration .
He transferred to the 23rd Foot I Royal Welch
Fusiliers) in March 1858 and was sent with a
detachment to Brecon in July 1858. On Sunday, 17th
October 1858 he was too unwell to go to church and
his wife went alone. She returned to find her husband
in a dying condition, he had shot himself in the head .
He was buried at Brecon on 20th October 1858.

The tomb where Major Lum/ey was buried at
Brecon had fallen into .disrepair . The situation has
now been rectified and the cost born equally between
The Queen's Own Buffs and the Royal Welch Fusi-
liers. The two photographs although from different
angles show before and after restoration.

ARMY FESTIVAL OF CYCLING

14-22 July 1984

by Capt A N Armitage-Smith

This event, sponsored by the Army Cycling Club
and organised by Maj IRetdl Beasley at Princess
Marina College, Arborfield , took place on local
Berkshire roads. The 2 QUEENS team of four riders ,
comprised Cpls Rogers and Clark and Ptes Alien and
Hollick . This was the only Infantry team participating
although there were one or two Infantrymen riding
for their civilian clubs as individuals .

it was encouraging to note that both Alien and
Hollick as novices, achieved excellent results
amongst adult competition which included a strong
Royal Engineer team , a seasoned Royal Navy team
and a good RCT entry. Alien had not raced over 10
miles before and Hollick had had only one experience
of cycling up to 50 miles in a previous event. All the
individuals had bought their own bikes and the team ,
complete with special roof rack fittings , moved from
event to event in Cpl Clark' s own car .

82 THE PRINCE PHILIP APPEAL
FOR COMMONWEALTH VETERANS
The team from 2 QUEENS in the Army Festival of The Appeal is being sponsored by The British Com -
Cycling. monwealth Ex-Services Leagu e, wh ich, since its for-
mation in 1921 by Field Marshal The Earl Haig with
picture by Capt A N Armitage-Smith nine member organisations, has maintained its aim of
The winning Army rider, Cpl Rogers (2 QUEENS} ensuring that ' no ex-serviceman of the Crown, ex-ser-
servicewoman, widow or dependant would ever be
receiving the trophy from Mr Ernest Kembrey . without help if in need .'
picture by Capt A N Armitage-Smith The Leagu e's membership has now increased to 53,
sp read throughout the countries of the Common -
During the week, weather conditions were fine wealth and old Empire. lt has given aid both to ex-
and some good times were achieved. On 18 July in serv ice organisat ions and to individuals in need from
the 25 mile time trial under RTTC Regulations, the the millions of servicemen from Commonwealth
winning Army rider was Cpl Rogers 2 QUEENS. On countries who joined with Great Britain and fought
22 July in the 30 miles Army Junior and Inter Corps beside her in Europe, Africa , and the Middle and Far
Championship Event, the winning Army rider was East.
Cpl Rogers, 2 QUEENS, "and " the Inter Service Whilst the League sti ll has many veterans from the
runner-up was Cpl Rogers , 2 QUEENS . First World War in its care, the number of Common-
wealth ex-servicemen from the Second World War,
With morale high and prize medals won, the team widows and dependants now reaching thei r 60s, 70s
has every reason to be optimistic in continuing to and 80s and no longer able to fend for themselves is
assert their influence in a sport which is sadly und er- increasing dramatically. Many countries of the Com-
represented by the Infantry. Cpl Rogers and his team monwealth today have insu fficient resources to
now have their sights set on a 100 mile event. They provide for the needs of th ese veterans and mu st rely
have won their spurs . Let's now give them the sup- exclusively on the support stemming from the
port they need to do even better. League's Hea dquarters .
The League is no longer able to meet this support
from within its own resources which have provided
the money for both administration and benevo lence.
For the first time in its history, the League is compelled
to seek outs ide finan cia l support in order to honour its
commitments .
At this stage on ly assistance in gaining publicity for
the Appeal and offe rs of personal help are sought and
wou ld be greatly appreciated. If any further informa-
tion about the Appeal is required , please do not hesi-
tate to contact the Appea l Director, Brig R C Mi ddle-
ton OBE at 48 Pall Mall , London SW1 Y 5JG
(telephone 01-930 9206).

HAVE YOU

JOINED THE

DAY'S PAY

SCHEME?

83

THE SIDNEY CONNECTION
by Gregory Blaxland

Famed for his virtue, and for his diverse accom- Four Regiments
plishments as poet and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney died
of wounds on 17 October 1586, near the end of his The pedigrees of these reg iments have been com-
32nd year . His body was buried in St Paul' s Cathe- piled by a marvel of research on behalf of the Nether-
dral, to the roar of a salute fired by the musketeers of lands Army and are contained in a book produced in
London's Trained Bands. Pictu res of the funeral 1981, of which a copy has been presented to the
procession form our soundest guide to the uniforms Buffs' archives . The first of the English regiments
of that period, but sadly Sidney's commemorative taken into Dutch service was Sir Francis Vere' s in
tablet in St Paul's was destroyed by the great fire of 1593. Its fifth Colonel, appointed in 1640, was Lord
1666. With the approach of the 400th anniversary of Craven. His reg iment was disbanded on 5 March
his death , funds are being raised to replace it. 1665, when the Du tc h discharged all who refused to
Contributions may be made to: Sir Philip Sidney take the oath of alliegiance, and he himself appears to
Memorial Fund , The Chapter House, St Paul 's have departed at an ea rlier date , for the only
Churchyard, London EC4 BAD . reference to him in all the co rrespondence quoted by
H R Knight in his Historical Records of The Buffs is
Recent research provides the stro ngest reason of the fact that he had no company . He became
why the appeal should have the support of all Buffs, Colonel of the Coldstream Guards in 1670.
and indeed of all inheritors of their traditions, for it
emerges that a direct line of descent from Philip The second English reg iment started as Sir Horatio
Sidney can be traced to the Colonels of The Buffs. lt Vere's, and its lifespan was from 1599 to 5 March,
stems from the treaty that Queen Elizabeth made 1665. Its fourth and last Colonel, appointed in 1647,
with the Dutch in August 1585. Flushing was one of was William Killegrew , and he can not have been in
the towns handed over to her as security for sending Holland when the bombshell of the oath was
troops to the Netherlands , and she made Sidney its exploded , for he had been made Colonel of the Lord
Governor . The livery companies of London played High Admiral's Regiment the previous autumn.
their part in the provision of soldiers , and they
Th e third regiment came into the service of the
clothed them in red coats . Dutch in 1605, with Sir John Ogle Colonel, and
Charles M organ his Li eutenant-Colo nel. What rela-
Rather than sit snug on garrison duty, Sidney tion the latter was to Sir Thomas has yet to be found
sallied forth on offensive operations, with his brother out, but certainly he displayed the same fighting
spi rit in defence of a town that also came under
Robert his cornet of horse, and scored notable English tenure for a period and of which both
successes at Breda and Arnhem . In September 1586 M organs served as Governor, Bergen -op-Zoom. Sir
he joined other daredevil leaders , under Lord Charles Morgan (as he became) held the Colonelcy
Leicester's command , in an atta ck on a strong ly of his reg iment fron 1622 to 1642. These were years
escorted convoy taking st:Jpplies to the Spaniards' of continual action , and few men can ever have seen
besieged garrison at Warresfelt. He had his thigh
shattered by a musket ball while leading a caval ry more than he .
cha rge. His co ncern for a wounded soldier beside
him touched the heart of the nation . He died in the He was succeeded in 1642 by John Cromwell, a
cousin of Oliver' s, and he in 1663 by Thomas
arms of his wife a month later. Dolman , with William Cromwell, son of John , his
Li eute nant-Colonel. W e learn from Knight's history
His brother, Robert, succeeded him as Governor that this Cromwell had received gracious permission
of Flushing . During 30 years in this post he to exc hange that 'eterna lly execrated' name for
distinguished himself in offensives launched by him Williams , given by Charles at The Hague just before
and the Governor of Brille , the famous Sir Francis sailing to claim his kingdom. He refused to take the
Vere. In 1616 England 's tenure of Flu shing was oath, but not so his Colonel. Dolman' s regiment was
ended . King James created Sidney Earl of Leicester converted into a Dutch one , having absorbed all the
and recommended to the Dutch that they shou ld English officers (rather less than half) who put their
appoint his eldest son , Robert junior, Colonel of the country of domicile before their fatherland. In June
regiment based on Flushing. This was accepted, and 1667 Dolman' s men invaded Sheppey while t he
Sidney's became the fourth English regiment serving Dutch ships sa iled up the Medway. The M organ line-
the Protestant cause in the pay of the Dutch but
under the cross of St George. There were also th ree age had sunk to treason .
Scottish regiments , identified by the cross of St
Andrew. They together formed a British fighting The Sidneys' hold on the regiment linked with
force during the campaigning seasons , and when the Flushing was temporarily broken in 1623, when
wa r was won in 1648 they remained to garrison the Robert junior, the third in succession , handed on the
towns they had done so much to liberate. For the Colonelcy to Sir Edward Harvvood. The next Robert
English, it was a first expe rience of the life of a Sidney, third son of Robert junior, became M ajor of
the regiment in 1646, at the age of 20, Lieutenant-
regular soldier. Colonel in 1649, and Colonel in 1654, in succession

84
to a member of the Vere family , the Earl of Oxford .
Sidney was the regiment's sixth Colonel since it
came on the payroll of the Dutch in 1616, its eighth
since its raising by Sir Philip in 1585.

One Survivor who said no; one pensioner ; and one from a Dutch
According to the Dutch Military Research Staff's cava lry regiment, namely Lt-Col Thomas Howard.

book , Sidney's regiment became The Holland Regi- Dress in those days, even the colour of the coat,
ment on the day of oath enforcement, 5 March 1665. was as chosen by the Colonel , and it is reasonable to
This is of course inconsistent with our own verson , presume that that which eventually gave its wearers
which is presented in a separate document prepared the title of The Buffs was similar in hue to that worn
by Dutch researchers, but it does indicate that, as by Sidney's regiment in the Netherlands, which is
seen at The Hague at the time, both Sidney's and unlikely to have been much different from that
Dolman's regiments preserved their continuity, on chosen by his great-uncle , Sir Philip, in 1585. lt was
different sides , while the other two were disbanded . as its eighth Colonel that the third Robert Sidney
A huge question mark has always hovered over the brought this regiment home to England , and like all
events between March 5 and the ambiguous com- other regiments born abroad - eve n in Ireland , as in
mission of May 31 that appointed Sidney ' Colonel of the case of the 35th - it took its precedence from
our Holland Regiment of foot raised or to be ra ised the date of its first coming on the English estab-
for Our service' (as if His Majesty was unsure lishment . Val Bou cher was its last and 47th Colonel,
whether it was already in existence) . not its 40th as is generally supposed . The Buffs'
claim to antiquity would have ca rried stronger
In his despatch of January 31, Envoy Downing co nviction if concentration had been made on the
reported that the Dutch hoped that Sidney would single, unbroken line of succession.
take the oath ; ' but he has undeceived them, letting
them all know that he will swear none, let them do May Day 1572 retains its releva nce as the starting
what they please'. No one else is credited with such date of the great involvement in the liberation of the
words of defiance, and they must greatly have Netherlands, and indeed Sir John Fortescue picked it
strengthened resistance to what even some of the as the birthday of the British Army itself. The fame of
Dutch deputies themselves regarded as an out- Thomas M organ deserves for ever to glow as brightly
rageous demand. The refusers put their careers and as Philip Sidney's . He set it alight at Flu shing in 1572
all their property at risk, if nothing else, and it is a and so impressed its citizens that they invited him to
mark of Sidney's leadership that 30 refused the oath, be their Governor. Instead, he had to go to war in
and a further three escaped having their decision Ireland , and it was to the defence of Bergen-op-
recorded, out of 59 officers on the strength of the Zoom that he devoted his valour when he retu rned to
four regiments. They ca rried at least 1,500 soldiers the Netherlands . Appropriately, a Captain Morgan
with them, so it was reported. was among those who refused to take the oath , and
the name of Morgan gave its lustre to the Buffs' roll
King Charles proved himself unworthy of such of office rs throughout their last 50 years as such. Yet
loyalty, and Downing was exasperated by the com- the Sidneys provided the flame t hat alone kept burn-
plete absence of response to his urging first for the ing bright, even when the Dutch tried their hardest to
recall of all seven of the British regiments and latterly snuff it out.
for the transport to take the loyalists home . One
thing that is known for certa in is that the return of
Sidney caused the King great embarrassment
because he was so obviously the father of the most
favoured of the acknowledged royal bastards, the
Duke of Monmouth . This cou ld account for all the
anguish that had to be endured by the brave ones
who did return , with generous aid from Downing .

lt seems quite likely, as is suggested by the Dutch
version of continuity, that Sidney gathered the
loyalists under his wing and brought them back
together, probably from Flushing , which was free
from the bitter hostility to England felt in the state of
Holland . English records throw no light on the
method of return, and all that Knight established was
the origin of the 22 officers who were taken on the
strength of the Holland Regiment . Eight (including
Sidney) were from his own regiment ; one from
Craven's; five from Killegrew's; four from Dolman's;
two from Scottish regiments , among a mere handful

85

BERMUDA
by W01 (RSM) M R Rowney

Situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about
32° N, roughly level with Morocco, and 650 miles
away from the nearest land on the east coast of the

US , Bermuda is a delightful spot. The climate ,
although wonderful by comparison to other parts of
thr world , is not quite as perfect as the tourist pam-
phlets have one believe with high humidity in
summer and howling winds in winter . The weather is
unpredictable but temperatures in summer seldom
exceed 90° and in winter seldom drop below 50°.
Hurricanes occasionally strike the island but several

years may pass without one.

Bermuda is the most northerly group of coral
islands in the world , and consists of eight main
islands joined in the shape of a fish hook by
causeways and bridges. The total area is approxi-
mately 21 square miles and the group is about 22
miles long varying from 1 Y, miles to Y, mile wide .
There are numerous other small islands, bays and
inlets making it a boatman's paradise. There are no
rivers or streams, so fresh water must be caught on
roofs and stored in tanks below each house. Water
catchments and distillation plants assist the larger
organisations and well water may be used for

flushing or showering.

Vegetation grows abundantly in sub-tropical

climate . Bananas grow quite well but coconut palms,
although they grow, do not bear fruit because it is
neither hot nor wet enough . Hibiscus, Oleander and
other tropical flowers are prolific and add much

colour to the local scenery .

Admiral Sir George Somers was the first settler in Top : The Bermuda Regiment Guard of Honour and
Bermuda. He was commanding a fleet of merchant Royal Salute on the arrival of HRH Princess Margaret

ships bound for Virginia , when his flagship , the ' Sea in October.
Venture' , was wrecked. The island was immediately
proclaimed a British colony and remains so to this Lower : HRH signs the Visitors Book watched by W01
day. Early attempts to grow tobacco were unsuc- {RSMI M R Rowney, The Queens Regiment.
cessful but with fish and meat abundant the inhabi-
Today Bermuda is a thriving modern community
tants have never starved. with a high standard of living, and a very high cost of
living. There are many big hotels, restaurants , and
The first Parliament, the oldest in the Common- other facilities for the tourist . lt is however, very
wealth , met in 1620. Bermudians became merchants ex pensive by UK and European standards .
and traders and despite lean times were generally
successful. There are still many places in Bermuda of The sportsman will find that he can indulge in
great historical interest . The last century saw the almost any sport which the geography of the island
growth of the Admiralty Dockyard which became the permits. Rugby, hockey, football and cricket are all
largest in the world outside England. There were also played and the standard of the latter two is extremely
strong military connections based on the two gar- high . The island boasts nine golf courses , all of
rison towns . The garrison was finally withdrawn in which are in beautiful settings and five of which are
championship courses, but it is an extremely expen-
1957 . sive sport. The cheapest golf is at Port Royal, a
public course. A round costs £12.24 plus £12 .24 for a
During the period 1701 -1977 th e following former caddy cart . The most expensive is Mid Ocean .
Regiments of The Queen s Regiment served in

Bermuda .

1864-66 2nd Battalion Queens Royal (2nd Foot).
1875-77 57th Middlesex Regiment.
1912- 14 2nd Battalion The Queens Royal Reg i-
ment (West Surrey).
1919-21 Wing 2nd Battalion The Royal Sussex
Reg iment 35th I 107th.

86 other ranks joined the Caribbean Regt and served in
Italy and Egypt.
The main sports for which Bermuda is famous are
those concerning the sea . The Newport-Bermuda For local defence the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle
Yacht Race is perhaps the most well known yachting Corps was formed in 1895, and in 1914-1 8 was one of
event but all types of sailing take place, and Bermuda the first Colonial volunteer contingents to serve on
frequently acts as host for international competi- French soil , serving with distinction with the Lincoln-
tions . Conditions for scuba diving in the clear warm shire Regiment. In 1929 the BVRC was amalgamated
water are amongst the finest in the world and with the Lincolnshire Regiment . Through later amal-
several world record catches have been caught in gamations they are now affiliated with the Royal
Bermuda . Bermuda also is an excellent place for Anglian Regiment. During the Second World War
powerboating or water-skiing, and with its numerous two contingents served with the Lincolnshire
small islands, bays and inlets it is perfect for family Regiment through the campaigns in North West
and picnic outings by boat or on foot . Europe and Burma. They were demobilized in 1946.

1892 saw the formation of the Bermuda Militia In 1951 both units were reformed under central
Artillery and in 1914-18 two contingents totalling 250 command of HO Local Forces. The Bermuda Regi-
all ranks served in France and Belgium . During the ment as it now is, was the result of the amalgamation
2nd World War the unit was embodied, and manned of the Bermuda Militia Artillery and the Bermuda
batteries at St David 's and Warwick Camp, until Rifles on 1st September 1965.
demobilisation in 1946. In 1944-5 officers and 100
On 24th November 1965 HRH Princess Margaret
FRIARS SCHOOL presented the Regiment with its Colours .

Great Chart, This year in October HRH Princess Margaret
Ashford, Kent, TN23 3DJ came to Bermuda to take over as Colonel of the
Telephone Ashford (Kent) 0233 20493 Regiment.

Pre-Preparatory 4Y. - 7 years (Day) and There is provision for the loan of one Staff Officer
Preparatory 7-14 (Boarding and Day, Major (Royal Anglian) and three W02s (PSis) from
including weekly boarding). Boys only. the Royal Anglian. Assisted by a small permanent
staff, they are largely responsible for the training and
Friars School is situated on 103/.i acres . It is administration of the Regiment . A full time OM is
within easy reach of Heathrow , Gat wick, the responsible for all stores, equipment and accom-
Channel Ports and Char ing Cross. Classes are modation .
small. There is a close -knit community with a
friendly atmosphere. Every consideration is The Regiment varies in strength from between 650
given to the boarding needs of the boys. and 700 all ranks of whom 75% are coloured. Its
Sy llabus determined by Common Entrance members are required to do a minimum of 15 days
requirem en t s. Training Exercise and 40 two hour drill periods
annually. In practice most do far more. Although a
Soccer, rugby , hockey, cricket and atheletics number of personnel (including all officers and
are major games. Numerous extra-curricular SNCOs) are volunteers, the majority are conscripted
acti vites. by a ballot system and serve for a period of three
years. Other than members of the permanent staff
Special reduction in fees for Service personnel. no one has previous military experience.
Sc holarships available up to SO OJo of fees to
boys und er 9 on February 23rd, 1985, the date Although equipped and organised basically along
of the exa m. the lines of an infantry battalion the Regiment buys
its stores and equipment on the open market . Civilian
Apply, quoting ref. QR to th e Headmaster, type radios are used and the Uzi (Israeli) has been
Mr. J. M . Stevens, BA, Cert.Ed. found cheaper and more effective than the Sterling
SMG . The Ruger rifle is the main weapon. The boat
troop which has previously used Geminis is now find -
ing fibreglass more satisfactory. Two 25 pounders
are kept for ceremonial occasions and used for
saluting purposes about five or six times a year.

The main role of the Regiment is to provide a back-
up to the police in an internal security situation, and
training is carried out in such activities as crowd
control, road blocks, control points and guarding of
vulnerable points etc . Because of limited space it is
the policy to send two companies abroad for training
each year, alternating between North Carolina USA
and Jamaica.

The Regiment is noted for its high sta ndard of
ceremonia l parades and does about five or six each
year. lt also has a good band with a full time Director
of Music or Bandmaster .

87

THE BIRTH OF THE MECHANISED INFANTRY
by 2lt Rowlands

Mounted infantry, many believe, was born on the Edwardus : ' I shall scribe in my pocket book fortis
battlefield of Waterloo when frustrated men of the aid my memory regarding these words of command
Gordon highlanders unable to keep up with the now needed.'
dashing charges of the Scots Greys, climbed into the
stirrups in between the Greys and rode into battle. Rowlandibus : 'A nd what shall they be?'
The first recorded mounted attack many assumed to Edwardus : 'These words must be daring yet
be the beginning of mounted infantry. In a confused simple so that the men may be inspired and not think
fashion the idea of mounted infantry muddled is way on 'em. I believe these should suffice: ' Enemy to our
through history to the modern day, but mounted front ; follow me chaps' and 'Tally ho !'
infantry was not without its philosophers and great Rowlandibus : They will do famously, let us quickly
thinkers. mount and move to the place of forming up; thou
knowest the order of the march?'
lt is no surprise now to hear the names of That conversation ushered in a new chapter of
Wellington, Kitchener , Rowlandibus and Edwardus warfare, and even now men can be heard to say on
mentioned in hushed excited tones around the world hearing those famous names : 'Oh how blessedly
in military academies. As mechanised infantry enters lucky we are to be mounted men like those swash-
a new and exciting phase let us turn to these men of buckling days of old'.
extravagant vision to see how they shaped the role of
mounted infantry . FOREST GRANGE
SCHOOL
Wellington was deeply influenced by the latter two
co lourful characters as now quite recently *HORSH AM , WEST SUSSEX. Telephone: Faygate 219
discovered. Edwardus a Company Sergeant Major An I. A.P.S. Preparatory Schoo l for 150 boys and girls
and Rowlandibus an Ensign, both from England 's
famous Orange Army had long toyed with the notion * aged 8 to 13.
of a mounted infantry man since the hard won battle Small classes prepared for Conm1on Entrance and
of Soltau in 1784, an obscure but nevertheless
important affray rarely recorded in history books . * Public School Scholarships.
Happy family atmosphere allied to the necessary
The two men when faced with a dilemma after the
first harrowing week of the battle ; the following con- * discipline.
versation was recorded on the history making day Set in beautiful 300 acre esta te wi th excellent recrea-
20th October 1784: tional facilities.

Rowlandibus: 'Ah Sergeant Major, how goes it * Entrance by interview and test.
with you?'
* Special Term> for Service Fa milies.
Edwardus : ' I am troubled sire, tis this bad land ,
Soltau.' Free prospectus from the Schoo l Secretary.

Rowlandibus : 'Aye tis a sodden land but rest here
by this log , this basher hath a comfortable seat hath
it not?'

Edwardus: ' Aye sire.'

Rowlandibus : ' I hath summoned you here so that I
may impart to you my orders . You must make haste
with all speed of arms to the place of the great ditch,
for there you and the men may seek replenishment .'

Edwardus: ' But sire, the men are fatigu ed.'

Rowlandibu s: 'Tis true noble Edwardu s, we must
procure some means of transport for these weary
men ; fie the cava lry art blessed with sturdy mounts ;
footing is unbek nown to them .'

Edwardus: ' lt maketh me as ill as that famed bird
from Afrik , sick as a parrot, sire.'

Rowlandibu s: ' I hath a notion to use the caval ri es
mounts to solve ou r problems , what say you Ser-
geant Major?'

Edwardus: 'We shall have those nags, si re.'

Rowlandibus : ' Aye but how sha ll we control 'em? '

Silver st atuette of the Man of Kent, made from old
Buffs silver, for the Officers ' Mess 5 QUEENS IV) .
Chas C Stadden designed the statuette after the

famous painting by Lady Butler.

Join a Queen's
Battalion of the

TA

See back cover
for details

King King Edward Vll 's Hospital for Officers , affectionately known as
EdwaKI VII'S Sis ter Agnes's, provides the best medical and surgi cal faci lities at
the lowest possible cos t to offi cers of all three services (in cl uding
women officers) serving or retired , who have held a permanent or
temporary co mmi ssio n in the Armed Forces . Th is fa ci lity also

extends to offi ce rs' wives , widows and dependent children of not
less than 4 years of age.

rorom;;;Uft~nitftl The hos pital has both private rooms and small wards, and well-
equipped X- Ray and Physiotherapy Departments. Medical
SISTER AGNES'S c hec k-ups can be arrang ed at a moderate price.

Serving officers are entitled to tree nursing and maintenance
in the shared rooms. Former officers and their dependants
are charaed £315 per week tor a private room. The c harge tor
other pat1ents is £715 . If, however, a patient ca n pay a sum nearer
to the actual cost of his/ her maintenance (now over £720 per
week) this is much appreciated as it helps others. Consultant's fees
are a matter for personal arrang ement between patient and
Consu ltant. There is a generously ad min istered Benevolent Fund
for those in strai tened circ umstances .

Subject to age BUPA gives friends of the Hospital a

15% reduction on their BUPACARE subscriptions, and PPP
and Western Provident a 25% reduction on their Family
Masterplan and Supercover policies respectively, it payment
is made by direct debit .

The hosp 1tal is cu rrently handlmg over 2200 In-patien ts and 700
out-pa ti ents a yea r. lt IS not part o f th e NH S and 1s therefore reliant
on voluntary a1d via subscriptions , donations and legacies tor
wh1ch there is an increasing need as the demand tor beds
1ncreases.

Beaumont House, If you would like to rece1ve Jnlormat1on or become a subscnber
Beaumont St reet, London W.1. please wnte to the Appeals Secretary, ( ), 6 Bu ckmgham
Place, London SW 1E 6HR , or phone Ot -828 4454 . Applications tor
Patron: Her Majesty the Queen admiSSion shou ld be made to the Matron on 01 -486 4411

~L__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~--------------------------~

For readers who are NOT ordinary members of The Queen 's Regiment Officers' Club

Subscription Form

THE JOURNAL OF THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT

(A half-yearly publication - June and December. Price £1 .50 per issue or£3 per annum - post free within the UK)

To The Editor,
The Journal of The Queen's Regiment ,

Howe Barracks,
Canterbury, Kent CT1 1JU

Date .

Please supply to me each half year ....... .. .. ..... ..... ...... ... ... .. .... ...... ........................... copyI copies of THE
JOURNAL OF THE QUEEN ' S REGIMENT. commencing with the next number, for which I enclose :

* (a) £

or

* (b) a Banker's Order

PLEAS E W RITE IN BLOCK CAPITALS

Initials and Name ................... .. ........................................ ........ .................. ............. ... ........ ... ..... .
Rank ............ ........... ............................. ............... .
Address

*delete as applicable

BANKER'S ORDER

No. (for offi ce use) ...... .. .................... ............... ..... .. .. .. .. .. .

To Mess rs. ... ... .... .. ...... ... ...... ... ... .. ............... ... .................... ... .. ... ... ...... .................. .. ... (your Bank)

....................................... ... .. .................... .... ..... .. .................. ...... ........ (Bank' s address)

Pl ease pay now and thereafter on 1st Janu ary annually to THE QUEEN ' S REGIMENT JOURNAL ACCOUNT (No.
0579240) w ith LLOYDS BANK LTD. 49 HIGH STREET, CANTERBURY , KENT , the sum of THREE POUNDS

sterling , being my annual subscription to Th e Journal of The Qu een 's Regiment .

Sign ature Name m blocks, please
(Please send this form to the Editor and not direct to your Bank)

Get the best of
Both Worlds

When you leave the Army
join the TA - all the fun of
soldiering - little of the routine .
We need your experience .
TA Centres at :

5 QUEENS (V) 6/7 QUEENS (V)

BHO CANTERBURY BHO HORSHAM

HO COY CANTERBURY ' HO COY HORSHAM'

A COY GUILDFORD ' A COY FARNHAM '
HOUNSLOW CAMBERLEY

B COY BROADSTAIRS. B COY EDGWARE
DOVER HORNSEY
FOLKESTONE
C COY CRAWLEY '
C COY HASTINGS' HAYWARDS HEATH
EASTBOURNE
SEAFORD D COY SUTTON
CAMBERWELL
D COY TONBRIDGE' KINGSTON
MAIDSTONE
SEVENOAKS

Home Serv1ce Force Platoons w1th lower
tra1n1ng obligat1ons and h1gher age lim1ts are also
recru1ted at the locat 1ons marked w1th an
astensk .

Come along an y dnll n1ght and see for yourself.

Deta ils of serv1ce, full addresses of TA Centres
and da y of dnll n1ght , can be obtamed by
nng1ng the Orderly rooms at Canterbury
61397 I 462769 or Horsham 66111 .

join the T. A.

THE EX SOLDIERS ' HOBBY