Page 63 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

plans from the Officers` mess and guiding and nour- ishing the talent within JNCOs.
We will forever be SECOND TO NONE.
Warrant Officer Class 2 J Messenger
After returning from an arduous Ex WESSEX STORM, the mess retired for some well-deserved rest and recu- peration. The summer leave passed in the blink of an eye and we were back at it with SCOTS DG 50 on the horizon. The parade went off without a hitch then the seniors were back in the mess for a game’s night.
SCOTS DG Games Night 3 Sept 21
(50th Anniversary)
The 3rd of Sept 2021 saw the WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess once again open its doors and welcome in the mess members for a fun filled evening as part of the SCOTS DG 50 celebrations. All association member and veter- ans affiliated with SCOTS DG were invited to join us for a fantastic evening full of food, music, pool, darts, and ping pong.
As the first event hosted by us since the start of COVID19, many of those who attended were over- joyed to feel part of a mess again and, social distancing rules dependant, were happy to finally have “a good old chinwag” and catch up with friends they had not seen in a long time.
The night was broken up into three rounds of games, with teams created by the squadron sergeants major. All former members were invited to join the teams of their old squadrons. Thanks go to Sgts Randles, Crate and McCrindle for their hard work and effort in set- ting up the games for all involved.
The traditional games of pool and darts were avail- able, albeit with added rules and twists to keep the evening moving along. The ping pong arena saw the most action, with many competitors feeling the need to practice and warm up prior to their matches: cue endless stretching and bat waving while trying to lim- ber up and hit a shot. Surprisingly, there were a lot of incredibly talented players, with the RSM, WO1 Brown, and RQ, WO2 McCall, taking the 1st position in the event for HQ Sqn. I attribute this to the very demanding Cyprus tour they had all been on together. Headquarters Squadron emerged victorious overall.
Smiling faces, laughter on the tables, clinking of glasses and an occasional crude joke were all part of a much- needed party to get us back feeling like a family again.
Staff Sergeant S Wright
It wasn’t long before the mess was spilt in half once more, with B, C and an element of HQ squadron deploying out on EX EX KHANJAR OMAN. This provided B squadron seniors with the opportunity gain early integration with their peers and a taste of how both Units employ assets in advance of the OP NEWCOMBE MST. On return the warrant officers rolled straight into Balaklava.
2021 saw the return of Balaklava night, the classic cel- ebration of the Officers’ Mess getting squared away by the Warrant Officers! Due to the event not going ahead in 2020, roughly half the WO’s team were attending for the first time, although this did not stop them get- ting stuck into the games in true WOs’ & Sgts’ Mess fashion, some of us relying on aggression to make up for a slight lack in sporting prowess. An absolutely fantastic evening, readers who have attended before may remember some games (the details of which are probably not for publication!). As usual the chefs pro- vided excellent food and the pipes and drums provided entertainment which was, as always, second to none. The famous post-dinner hockey match ended with both the officers and the WOs claiming victory, as expected. This was despite the WOs team unleashing our secret weapon: WO2 Degei, possibly the reason for the number of officer casualties nearly equalling the actual battle of Balaklava! As usual, it was an absolute pleasure to receive the hospitality of the Officers’ Mess, I personally suspect it’s to keep us sweet, so we bail the officers out again if there is ever a repeat of Balaklava!
Warrant Officer Class 2 A Chalmers
As the year comes to an end the only thing left on the cards was the Christmas function and prize draw as a mess the decision was made to combine the two. The RQ, WO2 McCall, outdid himself with tremendous prizes, although, sadly, we all couldn’t all be winners.
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