Page 232 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

“NOT A DRUM WAS HEARD, NOT A FUNERAL NOTE... SLOWLY AND SADLY WE LAID HIM DOWN...”
The one thing that has been dominating our lives is the upcoming move out of Davies Street. At this stage it has not yet been decided where we will relocate to. We do not propose to articulate the whys and wherefores of the move suf ce to say that the 56 Davies Street site was presented by His Grace the 1st Duke of Westminster KG, Colonel, ADC and Lord Lieutenant of London and opened by Her Grace the Duchess of Westminster on the 6th December 1890 and was initially the HQ of the St George’s Ri e Volunteers. Since then it has been continually occupied by Ri emen for the past 127 years, even if the cap badges differed slightly on occasions.
As always our rst remembrance event of the year in January was Evensong in St Paul’s after which we laid a regimental wreath at the Sir John Moore memorial. For anyone who has never been to Evensong in St Paul’s they should make the effort as it is quite a memorable experience. The 2018 Evensong service is planned for 5pm on Tuesday 16 January 2018. The 2017 Evensong service had even more poignancy as in the autumn of 2016 the Ri es Collection had acquired “The Burial of Sir John Moore” by George Jones, RA. This oil painting was commissioned by Colonel Paul Anderson who had been Moore’s ADC at Corunna and before. Anderson commissioned the picture some time after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the composition was drawn from Anderson’s personal recollections and vividly depicts the famous words of Charles Wolfe (1791-1823). “Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note.....Slowly and sadly we laid him down......”
First World War Victoria Cross commemorations again featured large in our antecedent regimental activity in the boroughs of Merton (2Lt George Cates VC late RB), Tower Hamlets (Sjt William Burman VC late RB) Lambeth (Capt Arthur Lascelles VC late DLI) and En eld (LCpl John Christie VC late KRRC). The presence of a Ri es bugler and a contingent from 7 RIFLES added gravitas to each occasion and was much appreciated by the borough authorities and family members were they had been located through extensive research by local historians or Regimental Associations.
In early July we again held a “Salamanca Supper” for adult instructors of The Ri es badged Army Cadet Force detachments in Greater London. These annual get-togethers with the ACF Det leaders are proving bene cial for both sides and they enable us better to target cadet support and contacts throughout the year.
Building on last year’s successful Ri es Transition Workshop, another workshop was held at Davies Street for Ri emen transiting from a military career into civilian life. We were again very grateful for the support of retired Ri emen, from a wide variety of jobs and professions, who were very keen to give the participants the bene t of their own experience on their move from combats to suits.
The annual Ri es Of cers’ Club Sounding Retreat and Regimental Dinner was again held at Guildhall, City of London on the 20th of July. All told 189 of cers sat down for dinner in the now familiar surroundings of the Old Library. The Colonel-in-Chief, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh honoured us with his presence on this his penultimate military engagement before retirement from solo of cial engagements.
The RGJ Regimental Association (RGJRA) 2017
The annual reunion in Winchester this year although not as large and varied as in 2016, the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the RGJ, was never the less a well attended event mainly due to the added nuance of The Ri es exercising the Freedom of the City of Winchester and a RGJ contingent participating in the parade. One hundred members of the RGJRA took part in the parade and march past outside the Town Hall under command of our new President of the Association Maj Gen Jamie Gordon and the ever watchful eye WO1 Jake Cheetham and organised by Capt John Fritz-Domeney who managed the unbelievable feat of getting everyone dressed the same and turn up on time. Many of the participants had taken part in previous Winchester Freedom parades during their time as recruits or instructors at the Ri e Depot in years past.
During the year Maj Gen Jamie Balfour handed over the presidency of the RGJ Regimental Associ- ation to Maj Gen Jamie Gordon. Jamie Balfour has headed the RGJRA since Feb 2007, when the RGJ ceased to be part of the Order of Battle of the British Army, and has set it on a sound footing for the future. After 5 years Brig Hugh Willing has handed the baton of Chairman of the RGJRA to Col Carron Snagge. Our thanks go to both Gen Jamie and Brig Hugh for all they did for the RGJRA during their respective tenures.
All our branches are thriving with a whole host of different activities throughout the year. Pleasing
The Ri es London Of ce
230 REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
THE RIFLES