Page 160 - Chronicle Vol 17

and, to reinforce a bond with HMS Somerset at a naval dinner, Dick chartered a light aircraft and flew his first solo flight across the South of England, arriving in style. Simon Bedford and Tom Grand declined the offer of a lift and used public transport, arriving late!
Attending Staff College in 2000, Dick noted that Tom Hamilton-Baillie, his DS, occasionally wore an Ox & Bucks Light Infantry Sam Browne belt, contrary to RGJ dress regulations. Dick teased him to such a point that Tom eventually gave him the belt and a rather faded side hat as a present on completion of the course.
After a staff job, Dick returned to 1RGJ, first as a Company Commander and ultimately as Second in Command. Justin Maciejewski remembers the success- ful short notice deployment to Kosovo, and particularly, Dick’s meticulous plan- ning, which got the Battalion from Weeton with all its equipment within 18 hours of receiving the signal. Bill Wright, who was a company commander, described Dick’s performance as “if Carlsberg did military operations”.
Dick served subsequently in several senior staff appointments, away from regi- mental service. It was during this part of his career where he was able to consist- ently draw upon his considerable experience and sharp intellect to help shape Army Policy and Doctrine to great effect. Dick served in Germany, the Czech Republic, Baghdad and Brussels before leaving the Army in October 2023.
By then he had accepted the offer from RHQ to take on the role of Assistant Secretary for Officer Recruiting and had completed his takeover just two days before his tragic death. It had been crystal clear that he was set to become an enormous success in this role, where his highly engaging personality would have been complemented by his perspicacity, his thoroughness and his attention to detail, together with his passion for identifying and supporting the next genera- tion of RIFLES officers.
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