Page 7 - The Light Dragoon 2024

Reflecting on the events of 2023, there have been two moments which are among the most memorable of my time in uniform. First, it was an enormous honour and privilege to be among the approximately 4000 troops in the garden of Buckingham Palace at the conclusion of the Procession following the Coronation. The energy and spirit with which all ranks present gave three cheers for Their Majesties The King and Queen were extraordinary, with the noise echoing off the Palace and around the Garden. It was a proper ‘hairs on the back of the neck’ moment.
About a month later and in much warmer and drier weather, Carrie and I joined the CO,theRSMandotherLightDragoons for the wedding of His Royal Highness Crown Prince of Hussein to Princess Rajwa in Amman, as guests of the Colonel in Chief and Queen Rania. As is frequently the case for Light Dragoons, we were not shy, and thanks to the sterling efforts of the RSM and the QM’s Department, we were suitably dressed for the occasion. Many present, including the Colonel in Chief, acknowledged loudly the impact of our presence, although the CDS was rather less enamoured by a collection of Light Dragoon officers and soldiers upstaging his rather less striking Royal Navy ‘whites’. A trip to Petra followed the wedding; in every possible way it was a remarkable trip, and a superb way of marking the relationship between the Regiment and the Colonel in Chief and Crown Prince.
Another very significant moment for the regimental family, albeit marked with considerably less fanfare, was the death in December of Sergeant Laurie Burn, the last surviving D Day veteran of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars. I commend to all Allan Mallinson’s excellent obituary of Laurie, published in The Times,
and reproduced elsewhere in these pages. It tells a story of an ordinary man doing extraor- dinary things, and with a sense of self-deprecation that is rare now. Laurie’s death marks the passing of a remarkable gener- ation in the Regiment, and
the stories of that time are no longer in regimental living memory. We will mark the sacrifice and commitment of these men, and give thanks for them
all, in ceremonies at Hermanville- sur-Mer and Mont Pincon in 2024.
For the Regiment,
the situation on
NATO’s Eastern
Flank has continued
to be the focus of activity, resulting in
the deployment of
many Light Dragoons overseas, and others will
write on these matters.
I was fortunate to spend
a day with the Regiment in
September, to witness some of the training being conducted, and to meet many officers and soldiers. I saw a thoroughly professional, focussed and determined organisation, extremely well led at all levels and very well prepared for the challenges
ahead. And importantly I saw strong relationships between officers and soldiers built on great respect for each other, a constant striving for excellence and lots of humour. These relationships are the hallmark of a first-class regiment, and all members of the regimental family can be very proud of what is achieved, and the
reputation that exists.
Despite the challenges in the World, and some not always helpful commentary in both mainstream and social media, there is so much that is good about serving in the Army, and in the Royal Armoured Corps and the Light Dragoons in particular. As these pages testify, 2023 has been an excellent year for our Regiment, and I feel confident that 2024 will be no different. To all Light Dragoons, wherever in the World you may be, Carrie and I send you our best
wishes.
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Foreword by the Colonel of the Regiment
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