Page 211 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

REGIMENTAL
RIFLES Of ce Bodmin & Cornwall
Cornwall, the Foreign Legion outstation of the Ri es, continues to ourish, and, now that the major road works on the A30 have nally been completed, England can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she is no longer cut off from civili- sation.
As many of you may know, we are due to lose our MoD funding for the maintenance of the Keep in 2020. This may sound like a date far into the future, but, if no realistic contingency plans are prepared now, the years will quietly slip by until we are rudely awakened by the spectre of bankruptcy. At present, the Regimental Museum turns over a modest pro t, but this would be totally inadequate to maintain the Keep, an 1859 building which, like all old properties, is a constant devourer of funds. Cometh the hour cometh the man, and we have been extraordinarily lucky to have found a Museum chairman who fully understands the urgency of our situation. Major Charles Edward-Collins was a 21st Lancer, but, as a born and bred Cornishman, he is determined to ght our battle and ensure that the Museum of the County Regiment survives as a viable commercial enterprise. This is a rude culture shock for many, but one that leaves no alternative to extinction. Charles Edward-Collins, a personable but deter- mined of cer in the best cavalry traditions, took the bull by the horns by rst appointing a professional Director. After a stringent selection process, Mary Godwin was appointed on the 5th October 2015. Mary had successfully rescued the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum from the doldrums turning it into one of the premier attractions of Cornwall, and had more recently been employed by the Arts Council with the remit of allocating public funding. She therefore knows all the guiles of the trade, and, as a gamekeeper turned poacher, is uniquely quali ed to extract money from the most stone hearted of sources. She has recruited two trusted staff of cers: Verity Anthony as the ‘Visitor Experience and Collections Manager’. She has a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies and previously worked at the Roman Baths in Bath; and Sophie Hodge as the ‘Marketing and Development Project Manager’. She has a rst-class degree in English from University of Plymouth, and previously worked at Caerhayes Castle. There are some 23 volunteers each with their clearly de ned duties. Thus, the Museum now, for the rst time, has a properly established hierarchy. A study is currently taking place to consider radical changes to the Keep once the MoD have been absolved from its ownership. These include the possibility of glassing in the area between the guard house to provide a covered atrium, and the provision
of at least two ats which would bring in a regular commercial rent. All this, however, lies in the future.
On the subject of the Museum Chairman, we were deeply saddened by the death of Lady Mary Holborow. Lady Mary had held the appointment of Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall from 1994 to 2011, and, as such, was involved in a bewildering variety of organisations within the County. One might have therefore thought that she would have considered the chairmanship of the Regimental Museum to have been little more than a sinecure, allowing her name to appear on our writing paper and attending a couple of meetings a year. This however was not Lady Mary’s style. As in every one of her duties, she was very much ‘hands on’. She briefed herself on all the intricacies of the military museum world; she abhorred waf e at committee meetings, ensuring that members kept to the point and that decisions were made. If this gives the impression that Lady Mary was hard-hearted it could not be further from the truth. She let her considerable ability sit lightly on her shoulders whilst remaining, warm and affec- tionate to us all. Like so many in Cornwall she will be sadly missed.
Major Trevor Stipling, who held the appointment of Assistant Regimental Secretary for Cornwall retired on 6th October 2015 after many years in the post. Trevor must have initially found the job daunting, for a regiment is a jealously guarded tribal affair in which ties are very close. We are not, I hope, in any way resentful to outsiders but, as every married person well knows, joining a new close knit family is not always easy.
Trevor, who came to us from the REME, whole heartedly identi ed with the Light Infantry and Ri es, giving his all to the running of the Bodmin Of ce, and ensuring that the Regiment was always kept alive in Cornwall. It is typical of his dedication that, with the appointment now lapsed, he continues to come into Bodmin on a voluntary basis to wrestle with the many problems involved in the running the Regimental Cottage Homes, the Ri es Golf, the Regimental Rally, Remembrance Day commemo- rations, the Royal Cornwall Show tent and KAPE events, whilst continuing to maintain links with the mayors and town clerks around the County, the Reserve Forces units in Cornwall and the Cornwall ACF.
At present, Trevor has the help of our two admin- istration of cers – Rhonda Seymour and Debbie Fisher, but they are to be made redundant in March 2018. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Trelawny will eventually assume the appointment of Assistant Secretary based, not in Bodmin, but in Exeter. We
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