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The Officers’ Mess
The Royal Citadel Officers’ Mess plays a core role in regimental life; it is the home for many junior officers, the clubhouse for the mess members and the front of house for the Regiment to welcome distinguished visitors. One interesting highlight was a visit from the United States and Dutch Ambassadors to the UK in September 2020, who after arriving by helicopter onto the HLS, were given a whistle stop tour of our historic monument to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the departure of the Mayflower from our shores; only a stone’s throw away from the Citadel walls and can be viewed from the battlements.
The story goes that on 16 Sept 1620, twenty- three English families boarded The Mayflower ship in Plymouth and set sail across the Atlantic to the New World, finally landing in the colony of Plimoth in Massachusetts, USA on 21 December 1620.
(left to right) the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, the Commanding Officer, Brig Fraser MBE RM and the United States Ambassador to the UK, Robert Wood Johnson
Now 400 years later, to mark this shared history, the United States and Dutch Ambassadors visited Plymouth to officially launch the Mayflower Auton- omous Ship project; the world’s first full-sized, fully autonomous unmanned ship that is set to cross the Atlantic later this year to commemorate the Mayflower’s voyage and gather marine research along the way.
Another highlight was the visit from Commander Field Army, Lieutenant General I Jones CB in December 2020. As a champion for change, this was a great opportunity for the Regiment to showcase the radical transformation activity that has been underway in the past two years. With vast experience spanning four decades, including commanding B Squadron of 22 SAS, his perspective on how to achieve innovation was extremely well received. His visit culminated with a fire side chat with some junior officers, and advised that if we really want to drive change, then we must not fear failure; instead, we must embrace it...
Commander Field Army receiving a capability brief from Bombardier Wilkinson, 148 Bty
Two junior Officers take a moment to reflect on the mess battlements
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