Page 40 - Cormorant 2023

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Land dinner night
Lt Col Rebecca Sharp
EACH DOMAIN GETS THE opportunity to host a dinner night during ACSC. For the land domain this was not as straightforward as
it sounds because every cap badge and regiment has its own traditions, its own battle honours and its own way of doing things. Rather than trying to represent every cap badge, the committee opted for a few highlights which gave a flavour of the pomp, ceremony and historical traditions of the British Army.
The evening started with a display from the Pipes and Drums of the Irish Guards. Guests watched from the balcony of the atrium, marvelling at the timing and skill shown by the musicians. The acoustics filled the space with sound. When they got to the tables each place setting
had a printed coaster to commemorate the evening and chocolates produced by The Chocolate Soldier, a veteran- owned company. The tables themselves were named after famous generals, whose names often appear in Army establishments, with the table guide giving a brief synopsis of each general’s career highlights.
Throughout dinner, course members from the land domain found themselves explaining the intricacies of their cap badge’s specific traditions to their neighbours, from the requirement to eat a raw leek on St David’s Day through
to who is exempt from standing for the
loyal toast. There were so many little nuances it would have been impossible to include them all. Unfortunately
plans to host the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith were foiled at the
last minute. A meeting with the Chief of the General Staff trumps dinner
with ACSC! However, Colonel Sarah Pringle-Smith stepped into the breach at the last minute to speak on the topic of International Women’s Day, which coincided with the land dinner. Dr Rob Johnson, Director of the Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge, then gave us a perspective