Page 26 - Demo

26BARRACKS VISIT In October some members of the Association were privileged to visit Hyde Park Barracks by kind invitation of Lt. Col. Matthew Woodward, Commanding Officer, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. It was a very generous visit arranged by the adjutant, Capt. James BruceCrampton, where we saw all the workings within the Barracks. We were met by our hosting officer Capt. Henry Tregear and shown the forge where the farriers were busy keeping the Regiment on the road shoeing the horses. We watched the King%u2019s Life Guard Inspection when each of the guard is inspected having to pass 61 points of dress before they set off for Horse Guards. We were then shown the Full Dress Store and explored all the uniforms and accoutrements of the Officers. The prized possession of the Regiment are the silver drums (below) carried by the drum horses, one of which was solid silver melted down from silver cutlery seized from the White House during the War of Independence. US Ambassador Woody Johnson offered $40 million for the drum which was politely turned down! We then met the stars of the show, the drum horses, in their stables before we were given a brief by the Master Saddler. The Regiment makes and repairs all their saddles in the Barracks. Finally, we watched the Kings Life Guard dismount before we left. We remain very grateful to Lt. Col. Woodward for his very generous invitation to visit the Barracks, a memorable day for us all.These visits are always a great success, but numbers are necessarily restricted, so we hope to be able to organise another one before too long.Ian ShackletonThe farriers are kept busy