9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2013 - Page 0051
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12ri—r ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 49 The Officers’ Mess In an operational year, it is important to keep the spirit of the Mess alive wherever possible, and we have done our best. Having finally managed to decon- flict with the raft of UK pre-deployment exercises, the Summer Ball was held in June. A Midsummer Night’s ball had everything one could hope for: a champagne reception, amateur dramatics, and dazed and con- fused butterflies. After an exceptional dinner in the smoke-filled and rabbit-adorned ‘forest’ and an awe- inspiring firework display over the lake, the rest of the evening’s frivolities were split between the whirling, twirling, dervish-like antics on the dance floor (mu- sic supplied, as ever, by the indomitable “Beaver”), the casual, hanging-grape-filled opulence of “Tita- nia’s Bowyer” and the dark hedonism of the UV-lit “Puck’s Den” in the cellar. A resounding success. No butterflies were harmed in the making of this ball (although some of them seemed to be asleep for a long time). 1"- Lin-rum 2M»: Nema- sup; ,r . Strum.- it an my.“ I M am” In .. lone-e M cur Miriam . L "W" In ," pa: in -_ ”M, " m w m 44mm»? ~h- _ in War. K; With much of the Mess deploying to Afghanistan, there were high hopes of establishing an Officers’ Mess Forward, a new ‘Bredebeck in the Sands’. Sadly the odds were stacked against us — in a time when most of Bastion was collapsing around us, there was little appetite for affording the 9/12L Officers’ Mess their own tent. Fortunately whilst we kept the spirit of the Mess alive on campaign, back home the Mess maintained a busy schedule. With only minimal numbers living in the Mess over the tour, it was a chance for those living-out to involve themselves far more heavily, with Capt Whitehead fully availing himself of the bar. With husbands deployed, those left behind went out of their way to involve wives and children in the Mess, with afternoon tea and Sunday lunches becoming popular fixtures. |
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