9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2002 - Page 0073
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 71 Old Comrades Association he year 2002 will be remembered with great sadness by all past and present members of the Regiment when we had to say our final farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother our Colonel in Chief. Everyone who saw her on her numerous visits to the Regiment was immediately struck by her kindness and the way she put everyone at ease when talking to her. Her Majesty will be sorely missed and many of you will have a very personal memory of her. The year started with the 150 year commemoration of the sink- ing of the troop ship Birkenhead. A short dedication was held at the Birkenhead Memorial in the Court Yard of the Royal Hospital Chelsea followed by a church service in the hospital’s magnificent chapel and a lunch with the In-Pensioners in their dining room. Anyone who has seen the splendid surroundings of the dining hall will have seen that every Battle Honour won by a Regiment of the British Army is recorded on the panelled walls of this hall. While this ceremony was going on in London another one was held in South Africa staged by the citizens of Gans Bai. The Reverend Tom Hiney, who was our Chaplain in Omagh in 1977 and 1978 very kindly represented the Regiment at the re-enact- ment ceremony staged by the local school on the preceding Saturday On the actual anniversary day Mr Edward Nelson for the Old Comrades and Captain Edward Inglefield for the Serving Regiment laid a wreath at the Danger Point Memorial. In March we all met for the Museum Day in Derby. The Chairman Colonel David Maitland-Titterton made a presenta- tion of the refilrbishment of the Museum. The curator has writ- ten more about this elsewhere in the Delhi Spearman. That evening Mr Pete Jordan and his wife organised our annual Derby Reunion in The Spot which was very well attended. Many old friendships were renewed and the bar was very nearly drunk dry! In April Mr and Mrs Draper organised the Wessex Reunion in Weymouth. This is as always a popular event for those who have settled near Bovington. The event is always on Grand National Day and each year the Drapers arrange a sweepstake before everyone settles down in front of the Television to watch the race itself. We are very grateful to Mr and Mrs Jordan and Mr and Mrs Draper for their hard work by making both these events so very enjoyable and popular. The Colonel of the Regiment had the honour ofbeing one of the Pallbearers at the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother our Colonel in Chief. The Lying in State was a most impressive and memorable occasion and the Regiment was also able to provide a marching party to escort the cortege. On the 21st April the Regimental Secretary attended the 75th Anniversary of St George’s Church in Ypres. This Church and the Menin Gate in this small Belgiuni town are a poignant reminder of the tremendous sacrifices made by British Soldiers in the Great War. We held our annual dinner in the Duke of York’s HQ the night before Cavalry Memorial Sunday. The turn out for this was very good. Considering that most of our sister cavalry Regiments amalgamated fairly recently and so have a much larger OCA con- tingent than we have our numbers at the parade match any of the others, which says much about the loyalty of our members. Members of the Old Comrades Association had he honour ofpar- ticipating in Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations in June. Messrs Brown, Davitt and Boggis volunteered for the task and carried the OCA Banner on the Parade. It is of particular inter- est that Mr Brown was a member of the 12th Royal Lancer con- tingent that flew from Malaya to London in 1953 to take part in her Majesty’s Coronation. Mr Brown still has his certificate signed by Lord Stirling the Lord Chamberlain. Because the Regiment deployed to Canada for most of the Summer and Autumn Mons Moy could not take place in 2002. Instead we held a race meeting in Leicester in early July at which we sponsored one race - The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) Stakes. Captain Joe Hardy made all the arrangements not only for the lunch but also for the private boxes for the OCA. Both the Lord Mayor of Leicester Councillor Maggie Bodell- Stagg and the Mayor of Oadby & Wigston Councillor Tony Simms were our guests at this meeting. Colonel Gilks presented the prize to the best turned-out horse and Mrs Pye presented the prizes to the winners of our race. Later in August the Colonel of the Regiment and the Regimental Secretary visited 9/12L on the Suffield Training Area in Canada. Two out of three Squadrons provided the enemy for the exercis- ing Battlegroups which rotate through the training area through- out the year. Elsewhere in the journal there is a more detailed description of their duties. It only remains to say that all mem- bers of the regiment seemed to enjoy their tour of duty thorough- ly and everyone made the most of the superb military training facilities and the very extensive adventurous training facilities available to users of this superb training area. There is no com- parison with the very basic facilities thaat were available to the British Army on the Soltau Luneburg Training Area in Germany. The Service in Canterbury Cathedral was not very well attended and we may have to consider whether we can continue with it. There are two very fine memorials to the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers in the Cathedral and it would be a great pity ifwe had to abandon this event altogether. We gathered again in London for the Annual Poppy planting cer- emony in Westminster. Her Majesty The Queen honoured us with her presence. This used to be an occasion which the Queen Mother never missed. Afterwards we met in the Union Jack Club for a light luncheon. Finally, we held our traditional Christmas luncheon in the Duke of York’s HQ at the beginning of December. This is a very pop- ular occasion and many of you had a very enjoyable time. 2003 was an eventful year we look back in sadness at the loss of our Colonel in Chiefbut at the same time we look to the future with confidence in the knowledge that the Regiment continues to be a credit to its long and distinguished history. Finally, it is with great sadness that I have to report the death of the following Old Comrades: Lieutenant Colonel JA Cook MrJ Cummins Major AG Chater Mr F] Gavey Major RM Lindsay Mr R Gildea Major HF Robertson Mr T Lewis PJF Colvin Esq CL Pyman Esq Mr N Melville Mr GPJ Ovington Mr C] Barker Mr L Porter Mr C Bennett MrJ Riley Mr A] Clapp Mr R Stent Mr TJE Clark Mr K Rumbold |
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