Page 70 - QDG Year of 2020

68 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Heritage Trust
Before
Before
As everyone has found, 2020 was marginally challenging. The Museum shut, revenues dried up and at one
After
we believe that it will increase our profile and aid our recruitment. We are currently working on another major exhibition, Op Granby, being spearheaded by the
Colonel of the Regiment, which will hopefully be complete in time for the anniversary.
We have continued to add to our collection. This has included acquiring a collection of cross belts from the Georgian and early Victorian era, two mounted drum horse tails (!) and two portraits from Indian Mutiny days. The portraits were not in the best of shape but they are being restored and will look splendid.
Given the inscription scraped above the head of the second painting, we believe that both pictures probably belonged to the Regiment and could have been part of the collection
stolen during WW2.
But not everything is from times past. We have had made a new QE2 helmet – the first ever made for the Regiment since amalgamation. (It does beg the question why it took so long.)
We have adopted the KDG custom of the scroll under the helmet which is unique and looks really smart. The finished product will shortly be dispatched to the RSM!
We have also commissioned some helmet plates for the new Regimental Trumpeters. It is well known that when Franz Josef was appointed Colonel in Chief, he gave us our cap badge. He also gave us a silver trumpet and, according to folklore, a unique Trumpeter’s helmet which instead of the star and numeral 1 had his crest. It was believed that up until the Second World War, the Regimental Trumpeter always wore the helmet. To establish the truth of this was difficult as there was no sign of the helmet in recent times. A few years ago, we were approached by an American collector who said that he had a helmet which he believed belonged to the Regiment
stage, everything was looking ‘dodgy.’
distinctly
The Museum shut, revenues dried up and at one stage, everything was looking distinctly ‘dodgy.’
Our new Museum Curator
stepped nimbly up to take on
the challenge and I am glad to
say that, as a result of Rachel’s
hard work, the Museum is
in fine financial shape and preparing to reopen sometime
this year. The rejuvenation plan
for our exhibits is coming along
well. Gareth Jones, known
to many from his days at the
BBC, has nearly completed
filming the new exhibit “The
Living Regiment” and I would
like to thank all those who
gave up their time to be inter-
viewed. The aim of this exhibit
is to show how the Regiment differenti- ates itself from the rest of the Army and to spotlight our dashing lads and ladies. Apart from providing a historical snapshot of the Regiment for future generations,