Page 63 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

On the back of an enduring six-day Ex SLIM’S STAND, followed by a quick change into planters for Ex NORMANDY
SCHOLAR, Blenheim Company’s next task was to hold our Dinner Night and
OCdt Shane
change from the regular dining experience and was a good show for the families.
Company Prayers. It was an event
that many Of cer Cadets and staff
alike had been looking forward to
and it was a good reward for our
performance over the rst eight
weeks of intermediate term. We
would nally get to see our fellow
cadets’ parents and partners in
the esh. In some cases, it was an insight into exactly why some people are the way they are – it was a real eye-opener.
The guests arrived and were greeted by their loved ones, unlike the last time they met – tonight was work. Visitors were escorted to the Napo- leon, Prince Imperial statue where our practised small talk was unleashed on the unsuspecting yet entertained staff from the Academy. At the statue of Napoleon, our Company Commander, Maj Cackett, addressed the visitors and cadets. He commented on how the term had gone so far and the purpose of the subsequent dinner. The backdrop of the sun setting over
the polo eld was a good vista to start the evening; however, the drink in Swords bar was a better setting to begin the dinner.
Smooth dark red tiles lined the
walls of New College dining hall;
the dimly lit room exuded an aura
of elegance as all the cadets
looked very smart in their Sandhurst Blues and were sitting with their families and guests dressed in black tie and the ever ill-de ned “female equiv- alent”. Various guests from the Academy were interspersed with cadets and families where they added splashes of regimental coloured mess dress to the tables. The dining room was all set for dinner and lined up in a smart and sol- dierly fashion; the table service was a welcome
on hog roast terrine, herb crusted rack of lamb and fruity summer puddings; it is possible to see why a few blue tunics may have been a bit tight afterwards. The formalities were conducted (toasts all around) and speeches were given. The Band of Royal Irish Regiment serenaded the post-dinner drinks with the usual Sandhurst “classic hits”; Scipio and
The Of cer of the Day, as well as the regimen- tal marches of the various staff’s regiments. To match the music was some very sharp drill from the band; it was a good impression of the cer- emonious nature of the military for many of the parents and a closer look at the marching bands we could all hear behind us on the previous term’s Commissioning Parade.
We ended the evening in Swords bar where we had a chance to relax and mingle with some other guests. We discussed the training, the Academy, the fun parts and the low points. We even told our families and guests about the different train-
ing staff in hushed whispers. One thing that seemed to dominate the conversation was the looming Regi- mental Selection Boards. For many this was the last time to see family before we underwent the regimental selection process; by the time of the next encounter, we would know our destinies.
The next morning we attended the Company Prayers at the Royal Memorial Chapel near our old stomping ground of Old College. A cadet-led service showed another side to the Sandhurst lifestyle, one that is not often seen from the out- side; singing. OCdt Fasasi, an overseas cadet from Nigeria, sang two beautiful passages from the Quran (2:63; 49:13) about acceptance and OCdt Knight spoke about commitment, honour,
Blenheim Company Dinner Night and Prayers
To match the music was some very sharp drill from the band...
We dined
We even told our families and guests about the different training staff in hushed whispers.
SANDHURST 61