9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2007 - Page 0005
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2007 |
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) Foreword by the Colonel of the Regiment confidently predict this journal will once again reach new heights of quality and presentation under the able steward- ship of The Regimental Editor and Captain Joe Hardy. It is a much more vibrant and visually appealing publication than the sober and restrained black and white journal of my early days in the Regiment 7 and so much better for it. And it is much more than a light hearted tour of the Regiment’s year. Military histo- rians place great store on regimental journals and histories because, unlike official records, they tend to bring in a human face to military campaigns and actions. The human element is about people, individually and in groups who together form a heart and soul ofa military unit. The Regimental Journal is all about people. It is said ofwar, that mind is to matter as three is to one. The cru- cial importance of capable equipment is not challenged in this short statement. It merely makes the point that, in the end, it is people that win battles. People are our greatest asset. Their skills, experience, fortitude and mental robustness are vital to a suc- cessful military outcome. We, as a Regiment, are well blessed in this respect but we must neverbecome complacent. The capabil- ity and reputation we enjoy has been hard won over a long peri- od of time and we must work hard to sustain this. It is entirely right that our Journal is all about people. They win battles! Lord Pym died in March ofthis year. He joined the 9th Lancers in North Africa, was a troop leader at the battle of El Alamein, and was Adjutant during the advance north through Italy. He was awarded the MC and was twice mentioned in despatches. In his political career he achieved two of the highest offices of State as Defence and Foreign Secretary. His further prospects were said to have destroyed through his adherence to his paternalis- tic, old noblesse oblige style of conservatism 7 or in other words: caring for those for whom he was responsible. His obituary in the Daily Telegraph concluded “That he never achieved the highest office may have been a reflection of the times rather than the man.” This distinguished and honourable man would I am sure have attributed much of his success to what he learned from his formative wartime experiences serving with the 9th Queens Royal Lancers. This journal will be published as the Regiment deploys for its third tour in Iraq. Some are already on operations in Afghanistan attached to the Queens Royal Lancers. We pray that the sound preparation, Regimental ethos and the fine exam- ple of generations of their forebears will enable them to acquit themselves successfully and safely in the dangerous and testing conditions of today’s operational arenas. |
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