Page 49 - QDG Year of 2022 CREST

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
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ably assisted by LCpl Francis, Tpr Jones and Tpr x who have supported some important community hosting events in the Mess with great skill and a certain degree of patience.
As October loomed the weather may have cooled down, but the social calendar did not. First came a successful and enjoyable curry evening hosting members of the WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess. After an excellent dinner, the famous manhole covers were lifted and one of the most hotly contested rounds of the “Robertson Barracks Rabbit Warren Rumble” in living history was played – what happens underground, stays underground.
To introduce our new Brigade Commander and to foster greater famil- iarity with the staff officers at 1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team, the Mess gladly hosted Brigadier Neil Budd and members of his team as well CO and XO Royal Yeomanry for a successful and delicious dinner followed by some of the traditional Mess favourites – shouting boo at the French and a game of Freda. Shortly after this dinner night came a visit by officers from the Savoia Regiment. Serving a similar wheeled light recon-
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naissance role in the Italian Army, the officers and soldiers found they had a lot of similarities – not least in their long, historic relationship with the French! We were most impressed by the Savoia regi- ments after dinner toast which had us all shouting, hollering and
wanting to be at the French at the charge.
As 2022 was drawing to
a close the annual Trustees
visit was a further excuse
to wine and dine ourselves
(and guests) and cement
the relationship we have
with our trustees, an asset
to the regiment that many
others don’t have. A long day
of touring camp, meeting
soldiers and regimental presentations preceded a
thoroughly enjoyable dinner night that according to the kind thank you letters took some of our guests back 40 years to their time in the Mess.
2022 was seen out in style – first with a cocktail party held for local dignitaries. They were stoked to be invited to the mess, and nothing could extinguish their
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burning enthusiasm for the local area. The atmosphere heated up throughout the night and everybody left with a warm glow about themselves.
As the bells of Christmas leave began to ring, the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess made their annual visit to the Officers’ Mess. An exchange of inoffensive carols led to much merriment and after ensuring they finished all of the champagne, the seniors kindly led the officers down to their mess for a further shindig thus marking the end of another successful year in
the Officers’ Mess.
All that remains to say is
a big thank you to Jade the Manageress, Sgt Powell, Jo the hardest working cleaner in
NATO and all of those staff, both military and civilian who work so tirelessly to keep the Mess running smoothly and in fine fettle, particularly given how busy the end of the year was for us all, we couldn’t cope without you! Here’s to continued success in 2023!
GB
An exchange of inoffensive carols led
to much merriment