Page 109 - Light Dragoons 2023 CREST

Captain W. A. Kennard, Northumberland Hussars. Whilst this may sound like it falls outside of our collecting remit it turns out that Captain, later Major, Willoughby Arthur Kennard DSO was a Regular Officer in the 13th Hussars. He served as a 2Lt in the Regiment during the Boer War, and was Adjutant of the Northumberland Hussars at the outbreak of the Great War and his signature is on a number of the mobilisation orders. He served with the Northumberland Hussars until midway through 1915, during which time he was awarded the DSO and was mentioned in despatches three times. He died in November 1918 at the age of 37, a victim of the ‘flu epidemic. Due to the rarity of such an item the purchase was made jointly by both regimental museums.
This year also saw some of our museum objects go outside of the museum on display. The High Sheriff of Northumberland’s Jubilee Games took place at Mowden Hall on Sunday 10 July and featured Army Bands, vintage cars, a climbing wall and fairground rides. The volunteers from the Charge! Gallery were there with a variety of interesting items from our collection. It was a glorious sunny day and there was a great deal of interest from the public.
A few weeks later we provided objects for a history display stand at the Garden Party element of the Regimental Association Visit to Catterick Garrison. Objects were selected to represent the 13th/18th Hussars, the 15th/19th Hussars and The Light Dragoons and included WWII med- als and uniform, objects associated with the D-Day landings, jungle boots from Malaya and items for the UN peacekeep- ing mission in Bosnia. Sadly the weather wasn’t quite as glorious as at Mowden Hall but nevertheless there was a lot of interest shown in the display.
In the background our day to day work car- ried on as usual with our gallery explain- ers continuing to engage with members of the public and school groups, historical enquiries originating from a wide vari- ety of sources were answered and in the autumn we launched a new project looking at updating the study area of the gallery and by doing so bringing some of the ‘hid- den’ archives and stories to the public’s attention. Hopefully, this will be realised in the summer of 2023.
Finally I would like to pay tribute to the late Major Lew Godfrey. I first got to know
From Petty Coats to the Front Line
Lew not long after I started my job, he was a frequent visitor to and a great supporter of the museum, he knew so much about the regiment and its antecedents and I learnt a great deal from him, not least when I helped him with the research for his book on the 19th Hussars. He will be missed.
Thanks must go as always to Alisdair Wilson, our Curatorial Advisor, the wider TWAM team including Front of House and Conservation, and to our dedicated team of volunteers.
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
The year started off with the annual Cavalry Memorial Parade at Hyde Park in May, With Posh Blackledge carry- ing the association banner leading a huge Light Dragoon contingent which was great to see. The night before the Southern Committee hosted a curry supper in the Chelsea in pensioners club which was a resounding success in conjunction with the Scots DG, my eternal thanks to Geordie Collins who helped organise things..
Sadly, HRH the Queen passed away on the 8th of September and I was honoured as a member of The Queens Bodyguard of the Yeoman of the Guard to stand in vigil at the Queens Catafalque during
the lying-in state week, and to be posted in Windsor castle on her committal. A very sad day, but a proud one to repre- sent the Regiment. (We are listed on the nominal role by former Regiment)
I now look forward to doing the Kings Coronation on the 7th of May 2023.
The Thursday before Remembrance Sunday saw the committee gather at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster abbey along the Colonel of the Regiment, and saw HRH Queen Consort Camilla inspecting the Regimental plots.
Remembrance Day then came on the Sunday, with 13 members of
the Association marching through Whitehall and past the Cenotaph led by Paul Mills, with me being the wreath layer. This is a very high-profile event, and I would welcome any ex Regimental members to make the effort and put their names in through home HQ to attend.
In conclusion it has been a relatively quiet year in the south, which has suf- fered through Covid restrictions like the rest of the UK the previous winter and let us hope good times are ahead for all of us.
God Save the King
Southern Commitee
BLM
107