Page 7 - Light Dragoons 2023 CREST

As the Colonel in Chief observes in his piece, 2022 has been a momen- tous year for many reasons, and this has been the case for the Regiment too. The Commanding Officer and others write about Operation INTERFLEX and the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a task which has committed many members of the Regiment for most of the second half of the year. Throughout this period, there has been very significant scrutiny, from the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence downwards, and at every turn the Regiment has delivered. The result is that The Light Dragoons continues to enjoy a strong reputation at senior levels in Defence and the Army for being a profes- sionally excellent Light Cavalry Regiment, with soldiers with both style and sub- stance, and is therefore frequently the one to which others look to take the lead. I pay tribute to the leadership demonstrated at every level in the chain of command of the Regiment, which consistently maintains that high standard of performance.
2022 also marked the 30th Anniversary of the 1992 amalgamation, and those of us who attended the Regimental weekend in Catterick in July will have seen excellence and high standards on display throughout. The parade, the lunch and garden party, static displays of equipment and the All Ranks function all combined to produce a great celebration. Major Alex Thirlaway and his team deserve huge credit for put- ting on a wonderful and memorable event which celebrated all that the Regiment has achieved since it came into being.
The last year has also seen some notable changes and departures. The most sig- nificant has been in Home Headquarters, where Captain Mick Reed has taken over as Regimental Secretary; the Regimental family wishes him very well for a success- ful tenure. He replaces Mel Tazey who has given admirable service to the 15th/19th Hussars and The Light Dragoons over
nearly fifty years. At the weekend in Catterick, we made a suitable fuss of both him and Gabi, embarrassing them both slightly. We wish him health and happi- ness in retirement, as well as a better golf handicap. A full Valete is contained later in these pages.
Sadly, the Regimental family has said fare- well to many of its number, and I remain very grateful to all of you who take the trouble to attend funerals and memorial services to give thanks for the lives of our people and acknowledge their contribution to the Regiment. And on a personal note, I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who sent messages and letters on the death of my father in August. They were a great comfort.
Looking forward to 2023, and with the constraints of the pandemic becom- ing a distant memory, I hope that the
Regimental Association will find many opportunities to gather, whether at the formal branch reunions or at the more informal ‘smokers’ and other events. By the time you are reading this, I am hope- ful that we will have launched an applica- tion – Virtual Light Dragoon – which will provide a mechanism for all members of the Association to connect more easily, to arrange events and to link people to a wide range of services for veterans, includ- ing our own Light Dragoons Peer Support Group and ‘Leafyard’. It will, of course, not replicate the outstanding service pro- vided by Home Headquarters but it will be a complement to it.
2023 promises to be another excellent year for our Regiment. Carrie and I send best wishes to all Light Dragoons, wherever in the World you may be, and we look for- ward to seeing you.
AW
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Foreword by the Colonel of the Regiment
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