Page 107 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 105
17th/21st Lancers (Death or Glory Boys) Old Comrades
The group paraded 35 members this year at the Cenotaph. The majority of members of the party checked into the Travel Lodge Royal Scot King’s Cross on Saturday, and after an afternoon-evening of socialising it was off to bed ready for an early breakfast and an early start. The Sunday was bright but cold as we made our way to King’s Cross station in order to grab a free taxi laid on so generously by the Black cabbies association of London. We were dropped off at Trafalgar Square and made our way to the ‘RV’ at Saint Martins in the Field. We then made our way to Horse Guards Parade to form up. The parade went
off faultlessly and we again finished up at Horse Guards Parade for the dismiss after a very moving service and, yet again, a very memorable march past. After the parade we again made our way to the ‘RV’ at Chando`s pub just off Trafalgar Square and spent a very satisfying afternoon chewing the fat and refighting many battles, old and new. We go from strength to strength each year and welcome some new faces for what has turned out to be a very memorable and satisfying weekend.
RC
17/21L ‘Death or Glory Boys’
Museums and Historical
The Royal Lancers Museum Trust
The Royal Lancers Museum Trust (RMLT) is now over a year old. It has neither building, curator or a collection, but despite the lack of these traditional elements of a museum it is thriving. This short set of notes will hopefully give you all confidence that your past is in good hands as I highlight a few major areas of progress.
Governance is probably the least exciting aspect, but it is essen- tial that it is got right from the outset. As well as a functioning and tested set of trustees, we have had a highly successful strategy day at the National Army Museum as the trustees, together with several others, have charted the future course of the museum. We meet again in February and our plans will be firmer then. One thing is clear - we are determined to create an organisation that is not reliant on Ministry of Defence funding. As well as to all the other trustees, I should pay particular thanks to Colonel Alick Finlayson who was a lynch-pin in the establishment of the RLMT and who is now replaced by Colonel Martin Todd.
Despite the lack of a collection, the RLMT is now firmly es- tablished as the approving authority for any acquisitions being made for either 9/12L or QRL Museum Trusts which need fund- ing from the Regimental Trustees. The process works well, is speedy and we were delighted that we managed to acquire a col-
lection of medals and memorabilia from Sergeant (later Lieu- tenant Colonel) Hickey, late 9L, 17L, 17/21L, 16/5L! While talking about the collection, I should also mention that we have just initiated (with external funding) a process to bring both pre- existing collections onto a single database – my thanks to Angela Tarnowski and Mick Holtby for making this happen.
Finally, I am delighted that there has been a considerable influx of new blood into the museum community. Aside from their im- portance to the sustainability of the museum world, they bring skills from their civilian careers that will help us considerably in the future.
Next year I hope to be able to report that we will have an agreed strategy and a single RLMT collection with two sites for dis- play (Derby and Thoresby). We should also have a considerably enhanced digitization programme running which is funded, ul- timately, by dodgy bankers via the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) fund. We may even know what the Ministry of Defence’s plans are in the way of support to museums. I am certain (and now I am tempting fate) that we will not be much closer to having resolved where our future home will be – nor am I that fussed by that!
RAC