Page 68 - Bugle Issue 20 Autumn 2022

LONDON
Farewell to Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Jan-Dirk von Merveldt
Friends and colleagues gathered together in Winchester in May to say a sad farewell to Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Jan-Dirk von Merveldt, after 55 years of service both in uniform and latterly in the Civil Service.
On commissioning in 1967, he joined D Company, 2 RGJ in Munster – conveniently within the von Merveldt Family area of Germany. Jan-Dirk went on to have a wide and varied career. His appointment as
ADC to then Maj Gen Dwin Bramall, GOC 1 Armoured Division in Verden must surely be
the most memorable and indeed long-lasting assignment. After Germany, Jan-Dirk went with the General to Hong Kong where he remained the ‘honorary’ ADC to the Field Marshal thereafter. Daily telephone calls from the Field Marshal and frequent visits to his home by Jan-Dirk continued right up until the Field Marshal’s death in late 2019.
When he retired from active service Jan-Dirk took up the appointment as the Regional Secretary for London, within RHQ RIFLES. His office was in Davies Street, where he was most at home in the heart of Mayfair. Sadly this came to an end when Davies Street was sold and the RIFLES RHQ London Office moved to Irverna Gardens, Kensington.
On numerous occasions Jan-Dirk’s authoritarian side came to the fore in his forthright dealings with people. He will be remembered by many very senior and young officers alike, who were all gripped for not wearing the correct dress. He was a stickler for being correctly dressed, always in the appropriate attire for whatever the occasion and had well-polished shiny shoes without exception.
He retired from RHQ to Herefordshire, will be sadly missed and we wish him and his wife, Greta, all the very best.
LONDON
The Royal Green Jackets Officers Club held their annual dinner at the Cavalry and Guards Club, London, on 28th April 2022. 140 guests attended. Maj Gen Jamie Gordon (President) was in the chair, and Brig Hugh Willing (Chairman RGJ Officers Club) spoke.
RETIREMENT
Lt Col J-D von Merveldt retired on the 13th May 2022 after 15 1⁄2 years’ service as the Rifles Regional Secretary for London.
Copenger Symes presenting Jan-Dirk with a leaving gift from RHQ
ADVERTORIAL
THINKING ABOUT KIT INSURANCE – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are in the market for
a new kit insurance policy,
or thinking of changing to another provider, what do you need to think about?
1. Take cover!
Make sure you are properly covered. Specialist service issued kit can be expensive and
you aren’t intending to keep it neatly in a cupboard, so the cover needs to be sufficient so you can use it without fearing the worst
if something happens. Many kit insurance policies also cover your personal possessions and Licence to Occupy, so it is important to make sure your policy cover level will cover all these elements.
2. Does your policy travel like you do?
You don’t want a policy that restricts where you are covered. Worldwide policies mean you are confident the cover will extend to whatever part of the world you find yourself in next.
68 RIFLES The Bugle
3. You take your personal possessions with you so it would be handy if they were covered. Your mobile phone lives in your hand, and other personal tech such as your laptop,
iPad, smart watch needs covering. Some kit insurance policies cover you for personal possessions items like these, but also
check the cover level. If you have the latest smartphone, no use having cover for a few hundred pounds when it cost you over a grand!
4. Credit rating help – avoid a credit check
You may find it helpful, for different reasons, to be able to buy a policy that doesn’t require a credit check.
5. Pay monthly without getting hammered for it
Policies that allow you to pay monthly without charging you extra could fit better with your spending preferences and avoid you having to find a lump sum each year. Some monthly
policies include an element of credit charge so take care not to pay extra when you don’t need to
6. Easier to switch if you are paying monthly
If you are currently with a kit insurance provider and want to switch to another provider it can be easier if you move from paying monthly with one provider to another where you can pay monthly, rather than waiting to get a refund from an annual policy.
7. You generally get what you pay for
Yes you can take out the very cheapest premium you can find, but does that give you the reassurance of a policy that has the benefits outlined above?
Remember, lowest cost is not necessarily the best option. Low cost is likely not to provide the cover you need. You want to be confident that if you need to make a claim, you know you took out adequate cover rather than wishing you had!
You want to be confident that if you need to make a claim, you know you took out adequate cover rather than wishing you had!