Page 54 - 1RHA 2023

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
The Henry VC Warrant Officers’
& Sergeants’ Mess
WO2 (BSM) Kelly, A Bty, The Chestnut Troop, 1 RHA PMC
Since the last edition of the Regimental journal, the Henry VC Warrant Officers & Sergeants Mess has experienced a passage of change; the late HM Majesty Queen Elizabeth, a
monarch to whom all Mess Members have attested and toasted to over the years, has been succeeded by His Majesty King Charles the Third. Less histrionically, our Commanding Officer, Lt Col R Taylor RHA has been succeeded by Lt Col J Luck RHA and in true 1 RHA tradition, the Commanding Officers were dined in and out of the Mess in style. In addition to the change of Command, the Regimental Sergeant Major, WO1 (now Capt) Matthews handed over the Pace Stick of Regimental Sergeant Major and by con- sequence, Presiding Member of the Mess to WO1 (RSM) Clapp.
The Regiment has also seen a change to two Battery Sergeant Majors (BSMs). In March 2023, the Chestnut Troop (CHTP) BSM, WO2 Rushmore took on a new role as the Unit Welfare WO within 1 RHA. Also, B Battery BSM, WO2 Sweeney was success- fully selected to Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1), who is currently the Regimental Operations Warrant Officer within 1 RHA. This resulted in the Regiment welcoming WO2 (BSM) Kelly, now BSM CHTP, and WO2 (BSM) Webber now BSM B Bty.
On 26th April 23, WO2 (BSM) Kelly invited members from the UK and Sweden BAE Systems to the WOs’ & Sgts’ mess to deliver a presentation to 1 RHA on the Archer Mobile Howitzer, which was fantastically delivered and generated a lot of questions.
The WOs’ & Sgts’ mess also had the pleasure to host the Regi- ment on numerous serials to support the Regimental Leadership week that took place between 26th – 30th June 23. This allowed the Regiment to have a facility big enough to gather as a Unit and host guest speakers to deliver inspirational and leadership presentations to all the Officers and Soldiers within 1 RHA.
On 15th July 23, this was the time for all serving mess members to step away from work and to enjoy the annual Summer Mess Do with their partners and friends. The theme for this year’s event was Retro Summer Disco. The event was superbly planned and delivered by the Regimental Accountant, Sgt Stickland.
The most recent activity in the WOs’ & Sgts’ mess seen the RSM hosting all in station Officers and Seniors for a Long Service
& Good Conduct (LS&GC) Champagne breakfast on the 30th August 23. This enabled a mixture of 9 Officers and Soldiers to be recognised for their exemplary service to the military and the Regiment. The Regiment was also lucky enough to host The Royal Artillery Regimental Colonel, Colonel C Harmer, who presented the following service personnel their LS&GC medals or clasps. Maj Chalmers, Capt Burnett, SSgt Robson, SSgt Hughes, SSgt Kemp, SSgt Camara, Sgt Raffermati, Sgt O’Connor, Sgt Adamson, and Cpl Williams.
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