Page 5 - The Chapka 2016
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 3
  Colonel of the Regiment’s Foreword
You will find in this journal a second annual record of the life of our new regiment. No one can be anything but impressed by the depth and variety of what has been achieved; by battlegroup, squadron, troop, team and individual successes, at regimental duty and in many other areas of the Army across the globe. Of course it’s not until you actually see it for yourself, first hand, which I am fortunate to be able to do, that you are able to get under the skin of the regiment, and understand the levels of am- bition, success and genuine unity that exist across all ranks. I wrote this time last year that the regiment was making a name for itself. I am clear that we are now properly front and centre of the map and I would like to acknowledge and thank the re- markable leadership, influence and dedication of our first com- manding officer, Marcus Mudd, for making this so. We all wish his successor, Henry Searby, very good fortune in his tenure as commanding officer.
It has also been a year of major milestones. First, our Colonel in Chief, Her Majesty The Queen, bestowed a great honour on the regiment at Windsor Castle in April when she presented us with our new Guidon. It was an unforgettable day for those of us privileged to form the regiment’s contingent and you will see an account of the day elsewhere in this journal. The new Guidon represents the regiment’s heart and, now consecrated, symbolises the sacred bond between us, our Sovereign and our country. The regiment is now complete. This year represents another very significant milestone as we celebrate the 70th an- niversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Colonelcy in Chief. To mark this year, Her Majesty has graciously granted us the dis- tinction ‘Queen Elizabeths’ Own’ which, as you will have seen from the cover of this journal, is now an addition to regiment’s full title and is written in brackets after our name. The use of the possessive apostrophe, in its pluralised form, acknowledges both The Queen’s and The Queen Mother’s combined Colonel- cies in Chief of our antecedent regiments for well over 100 years. It is an exceptional symbol of The Royal Lancers’ unity today and into the future. By way of gratitude to our Colonel in Chief for 70 years of dedication to the regiment, we are also making
plans to present her with some young trees which will be planted next Autumn to create a Lancer covert at Sandringham.
More than anything else a regiment is about its people and I have already made the point that we have every reason to be proud of ours. To illustrate further with just a few examples: the results our soldiers are achieving on their trade courses are significantly above the Royal Armoured Corps average; we dominate over others in the field and punch above our weight in many sporting arenas; over half the Royal Armoured Corps’ quota promoting to Warrant Officer Class One this year are Royal Lancers; and we have officers and NCOs serving in positions of real influence the length and breadth of the Army, not least General Sir James Everard who has recently become the first 4* General from all of our antecedent regiments since 1959. You will see many other examples of our people achieving outstanding things in the pag- es which follow.
I remain hugely grateful to the Regimental Association Commit- tee which continues to provide support and advice on essential elements of the regimental family, cradle to grave. In the last 12 months there has been real progress in a number of important areas: establishing a single Royal Lancer Museum Trust; and energising the Old Comrades’ Association through the three functions of Benevolence, Remembrance and maintaining the fellowship among Old Comrades and the important connections between Old Comrades and the serving regiment. Mons Day will be celebrated in Catterick during the weekend of the 24th and 25th June, at which our new Guidon will be trooped, and it would be wonderful to see a good size contingent of Veteran Lancers and their families present.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of Home Head- quarters which continues to support us all while under the con- stant threat of moving from Grantham and the requirement to find further manpower efficiencies. I think of them as my troop and am grateful to them for holding all this together.
AGH


























































































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