Page 128 - The Light Dragoon 2024

Major M Trigg
Died 7 July 2023 Served 1971 – 1975
Michael joined the Regiment from Mons Officer Cadet School, along with Philip Davies, in 1971. His time in the RAC Centre
Regiment gave him plenty of opportunity to indulge his love of sailing and reveal his skills as a comic. After a passage across the Channel with Mike Wilkins, they made their way to a bar, where the following exchange in his perfect Franglais took place. Michael: “Cinq bières s’il vous plait.” Waiter; “Oui Monsieur. Kronenbourg or Watneys?” Michael; “We haven’t sailed across the bloody Manche to boire Watneys! Cinq Kronenbourgs, idiot! Tres vite!”
When the Regiment moved back to opera- tional soldiering in Hohne, Michael was a Troop Leader in C Squadron, along with Willie Shuttleworth, Philip Davies and Peter Scrope. He recalled that his times on exercise with his soldiers and in the Mess were the happiest of his life. This was a serious period of tension in Europe which we only fully realised with hindsight, recalling that the polo weekends and dances still went ahead as they had always done. However an Exercise in 1976 named Grosser Baer nearly started WW III as, unusually, we advanced from the Belgian border towards the Inner German Border and the Soviets thought we were not going to stop! After Troop Leading, Michael became the “go to” officer for running courses. He referred to himself as the JSLJO, and even had a sign on his office door with JSLJO on it under his name. On enquiry he said it stood for Junior S****y Little Jobs Officer. The art of training and running courses allied to many military skills practised here stood him in great stead in later life.
Michael took to all this soldiering with gusto but his musical talents ensured that the mess piano, liberated from a Brigadier’s residence, was well used. Michael had a highbrow or developed taste in
music, not often associated with the cavalry officers but we spent memorable evenings croaking out old Tom Lehrer songs in various keys whilst Michael tinkled away. If times were quiet on the Tank Park, he would head for the Band Room and play music with Alan Johnson the Trumpet Major. He had a terrific memory and could recall large tracts of the Goon Show and do the voices as well. We always emailed each other as Neddie and Dennis Bloodnok, the latter of whom was a fine mentor for a cavalry officer! Michael had a rather fastidious, even flamboyant sense of dress and this, coupled with his musical abilities kept him in great demand, especially
amongst the ladies. After leaving the Army he kept his military eye in by watchkeeping as a Reservist and his return visits to the Regiment were always occasions for fun.
In the 1980s he turned to the City but was quite surprised that banking required more than wearing red trousers and a puffa jacket. He soon decided that his talents were in training and personal devel- opment. For many years, by playing to his own strengths, he ran a consultancy which helped hundreds of people with their development and presentation skills. He worked on during periods of remission from his long struggle with cancer, which was borne largely alone but with great fortitude and good humour. He is sorely missed by those with whom he served and by the large circle of friends who came to pay tribute to him at his memorial service.
WAS/JS
Captain D B E Pike
Died 13 July 2023 Served 1954 - 1962
David Brian Elwes Pike (often known as Pikey) served with the Regiment in Wolfenbüttel, Neumünster and
Aden. He was born on March 16th, 1936. Like many 13th/18th Officers he attended Wellington College in Berkshire. He became a Sergeant in the CCF there and also enjoyed Amateur Dramatics. His most notable role was as Miss Prism in ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’.
After Neumünster B Squadron was expanded to 6 Troops plus SHQ and deployed to Aden and Oman in 1957. David saw active service as Troop Leader of 6th Troop based at Dhala (Ad Dali) in what was then the Western Aden Protectorate (now part of Yemen). B Squadron’s opera- tions extended over a vast area which extended from Bir Suqayyah in the West to Bayt Al Falaj in Oman a distance by road of 2,493 km and also included overland journeys to Sharjah in what is now the UAE. The standard Type 19 wireless set installed in Ferret scout cars had a limited range, so communications were provided by the Royal Signals. Even that was erratic so, according to one source, David had occasionally to use a public phone box to communicate with SHQ based in Aden. It is not surprising that Major Paddy Jolley, the Squadron Leader, covered over 56,000 miles by air in order to supervise his far flung troops and raise their morale.
On his return to the UK in 1958 David became a Gunnery Instructor at Lulworth until his retirement from the Army in 1962 when he joined the then very small stock- broking firm of JA Brewin. David was very successful at looking after private clients
and became a partner in the firm in 1967. Through a series of mergers JA Brewin became Brewin Scrutton and then Brewin Dolphin in 1974. 1974/75 was a perilous time to be a partner in a stockbroking firm because in those days when a firm went into liquidation the partners were liable to lose everything. By January 6, 1975, the FT 30-Share Index (the precursor of the FTSE 100) had hit 146, a 73pc slide from its 1972 bull market peak of 543.6. Because turnover died away to virtually nothing Brewin Dolphin had to shed most of its staff and David had to make his brother Gavin redundant. January 1975 proved to be the low point, gradually business recovered and Brewin Dolphin survived. Together with his colleague Gerald Knox (Lord Ranfurly), David was a major force in growing the business through a further series of mergers with other stockbroking firms. Eventually David became Chairman until his retirement in 2007.
On the day of the ‘9/11’ New York World Trade Center attacks David had a lucky escape. He was invited to have breakfast in ‘The Windows on the World’ restaurant at the top of one of the Twin Towers. He decided to go to the Frick Museum instead.
David was an avid collector of Victorian pictures and became a firm friend of the dealer Rupert Maas (who often appears on the Antiques Roadshow). He was also a major investor in wine and whisky.
David’s generosity extended to many great causes including the Watts Gallery in Surrey, the Foundling Museum in London, the Holbourne Museum in Bath, the National Theatre in London, and the Donmar theatre. He also he gave money for a garden at Garsington Opera in Buckinghamshire.
David never lost touch with his friends from the Regiment whom he used to meet frequently at the Cavalry and Guards Club.
SC
Mr R J Gimson
Died 16 July 2023 Served 1942 – 1947
Ronald James Gimson was born 20 October 1923 in Walthamstow, East London.
In 1942 he was called up, and undertook his basic training at Warley Barracks, Essex (later to become the headquarters of Ford UK). At the end of basic training he was assigned to the 13/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) and spent spells at Catterick, Barnard Castle and then
Fort William and Fort George.
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