Page 89 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 87
The 27th Edition of Waterloo Ride
Most people reading this would know that
Waterloo Ride is a weekend held bienni-
ally where the Dutch, Belgian, German
and British Cavalry come together to
commemorate the Battle of Waterloo.
This year was a slight twist. Just as the
Ancient Greeks at the Dionysia paraded
soldiers from conquered nations, we
were joined by two officers from the
French Army. The outcome of the battle
209 years ago, however, as began in
their Gala Dinner speech an assured
conviction: “It’s not often, the French are
considered the enemy when sitting in a
room full of German officers”.
Waterloo Ride this year was attended
by Captain Zaki Al-Khamiri, and Lieuten-
ants Will Asquith, Louise Gamman and
Freya Logan. The weekend is incredibly
surreal as we first we all are hosted by
the Dutch Ambassador to NATO before
being guided through battlefield by Lt
Kol Corstiaan, a man with prodigious
knowledge. The day ends with a spec-
tacular Gala Dinner, hosted by Le Club
Royal des Officiers du Régiment des
Guides. This is very merry event where
we, adorned Mess Dress, eat delicious
food and drink delightful wine. Time is a
fickle villain as the warnings of the early
start were drowned out and dismissed by
entertainment on a major scale.
Nonetheless, with a few sleepy eyes,
the highlight of the weekend had come
upon us: to mount our horses and ride
around the very battlefield in which
our antecedent regiment had charged
countless times to defeat the resurgent
Emperor Napoleon. Events such as this
are rare: there are few occasions where
Cavalry regiments are able to ride along-
side their now NATO partners. The event
has been running since 1968, a year which
saw a disjointed Europe littered with
protests and anti-war sentiment. None-
Human representative of a graph display of morale over the weekend
A German explaining to a Brit and French
man why Waterloo was decisive – the irony
theless, Cavalry Regiments managed to
gather together and find commonality. I
hope this tradition will last and the QDG
continue to find importance in sending
soldiers to it.
WA
Abbey Road
Heels down The likeness is uncanny
Lt Will Asquith shows how he bearly
knows whats going on most of the time