Page 115 - Light Dragoons 2022 CREST

Chairman: Secretary: Committee:
Captain C R Renwick Mr C Brooks
Maj C W L Dunn Capt N Lees LD WO2 M Ford LD
Mr J M Hunter
Mr W Stobbart BEM Mr M Hoyle (Sahagun only)
It is uplifting to be able to provide a contribution to this year’s Regimental Journal which can legitimately reflect on a number of enjoyable Association events over the course of the last 12 months.
For the north-east branch these include the Durham Smoker, the September Assaye dinner, Remembrance Sunday and of course Sahagun. In advance of commenting on these individual events, I must register the gratitude of the Association for the support thatithasreceivedfromtheTrusteesinpro- viding both encouragement and a financial stimulus to underwriting the costs of some of these events to encourage attendance.
For many years now the Durham Smoker has been a flagship event in the south of the region, organised by Trevor McDermott and Tommy Deverell and held this year at the Durham Prison Officers’ Club on Friday 13th August – an auspicious date for the first post Covid Association event. It was no surprise that in excess of 70 Association members should attend and this event continues to thrive providing a focus for former regimental members in the Durham area.
In September the committee were delighted tohosttheAssayedinneratanewvenue, the County Hotel, which is strategically located directly opposite the entrance to the Central Station in Newcastle. We were equally delighted to have the presence of both Brigadier Angus Watson, attend- ing his inaugural event in the north-east as Colonel of the Regiment, and the new
Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Harris. With a fraction under 100 guests in attendance including the then RSM, WO1 Louis Iddon, and the RSM designate, WO1 Anthony Richardson, former south- ern based officers David Chubb and Francis Chubb, with notable contingents on the Peter Tibbs and Dan Maskell tables, this was a particularly enjoyable evening at a revitalising venue. These events are always enhanced by the presence of the serving regiment so alongside a strong contingent from the Sergeants and Corporals mess, it was gratifying to see a couple of young officers,2ndLtErskineandLtRiall(yes, Tom’s son!) enjoying the chance to connect with old soldiers – something every young officer should experience! It also offered an excellent opportunity for those attend- ing to be brought up-to-date about activi- ties in their respective spheres of influence from both the Colonel of the Regiment and
Gedge holds court
the Commanding Officer. The costs for this event were underwritten by the trustees to the extent that the individual ticket price for each guest amounted to £10. The pri- mary reason for this initiative was simply to encourage attendance, the greater the turnout for occasions such as this, the more rewarding and enjoyable it is and I very much hope that if you are a Regimental Association member who has not attended this dinner in the past, for the cost of a £10 ticket you will join us next year.
As is traditional, a contingent marched in Newcastle to Eldon Square on Remembrance Sunday. It is also the case that many Association members across the region represent the regiment at local ser- vices, whether those are in city, town cen- tres or local villages. If, however, you have not been in the habit of attending such services and would be inclined to join the
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
North East Branch
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