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1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Regimental Comrades Association
Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier AS Richmond OBE – President Mr C T Gibbons – Chairman
Welcome everyone to another bumper journal. Much has been happening throughout the year and I’m pleased to report that the Regimental Comrades Association has again been very busy.
As usual The Branches have been active. Dinners and drinks are becoming very popular with many new members attending. I’m pleased to report that we have another new Branch located in the valleys and my thanks goes out to Dave ‘Para” Evans for taking the lead with this. That brings us up to ten in total. Their inaugural drinks in November were well attended and It was encouraging to see many new faces. I will let the Branch Secretary’s brief you over the next page on what has been happening in their areas.
New Branches are still required however in West Wales and we are now looking at North Yorkshire bordering with Scotland. You will be surprised on how many ex members live in these areas.
A number of RCA members this year attended the RAC Sunday Service at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. We are keen to bolster up our numbers for 2024 so if you
would like to attend, please let myself or HHQ’s know. We would like to re-estab- lish our links with RHC especially as John Morris (Ex Queen’s Bay) is our resident pensioner. John attended the Field of Remembrance with us this
some small packages to each individual so they will have a present to open on Christmas Day.
To date having had a very successful seven years in the chair I shall be standing down in March 2025. We have gone through quite a few changes which has brought the RCA into the 21st Century. If anyone would like to put their name forward for the Chairman- ship, please send your application to the CoR via HHQ’s. It has been an honor and privilege to lead the RCA and a dedicated team
on the committee.
Thank you all again for
your continued support in keeping the Regimental Comrades Association
firmly on the map but more importantly maintaining a link in looking after our veterans wherever they may be.
CTG
year at Westminster Abbey where he met the Queen for the first time.
We had a change in membership to encourage more people to join. It is now free and all you need to do is visit out website at www.qdg. org.uk/rcamembership to complete an electronic form. It is important to capture as many ex members as possible to strengthen our data base.
The Regiment this year
are on deployment to Poland
and thanks to Mark Ashley-Miller and a dedicated team of deliverers the Christmas hampers will be going out to the families of those deployed. The soldiers will not miss out as Mark and Guy Deacon will drive across to deliver
Dinners and drinks are becoming very popular with many new members attending
Herefordshire and Forest of Dean Branch
Another Year has passed with the Herefordshire group putting on another "St David’s in the Shire" black tie dinner, the numbers continue to grow for this event and the Regiment being kind enough to allow us Quarter Guard which certainly gives more pageantry to the occasion, not one to sit on my laurels I shall be asking for the Regimental mascot as well, some logistical challenges to get it into the lift and up to the bar but where there's a will etc.
Our new branch flag had its first official outing up in Brecon, we held our own on a parade of 20 or so flags and Standards of the RBL in commemoration of Soldiers that had lost their lives from the Indian Army in WW2.
With other bits and bobs including delivering Hampers to family
members of A sqn serving on opera- tions of the serving Regiment, we've had a great year, always welcoming new members and suggestions for events from existing members and I
look forward to catching up with more
of you in the near future.
RC