Page 181 - Bugle Autumn 2014

The Devonshire & Dorset Regiment Officers’ Club
RGBW Officers Lunch
Saturday 12th July 2014
93 Officers of the RGBW Officers Association, guests and partners sat down the annual lunch in the Wardrobe on Saturday 13th July. This was a
table lighter than the previous year but, nevertheless, a magnificent turn out of friends who braved monsoon conditions to arrive let alone enjoy the occasion, which was very convivial – just as well because there was no more room in the ‘beer tent’ for pre-prandial drinks!
Those attending were [87]: Maj & Mrs HU Bailey, Mrs E Barlow, Maj & Mrs
RJ Bewell, Maj & Mrs JS Biggs, Mr CA Boawell, Maj & Mrs SE Bowkett, Mr MRT Bryer-Ash, Maj R Butt & Mrs H Shayle, Maj SG Cook, Maj Gen & Mrs DT Crabtree, Capt & Mrs JM Curtis, Col TMA Daly, Brig & Mrs PE O’R-B Davidson-Houston, Mrs RF Diacon, Maj PT Dunn & Mrs RK Eade, Maj & Mrs
JJ Edmonds, Maj RDO Foster, Maj & Mrs MW Gibson, Maj PH Hall & Mrs M Tatem, Dr & Mrs CG Hallward, Brig & Mrs KJ Hathaway, Col & BR Hobbs, Mrs S Kenway, Col & Mrs PJ King, Capt IJ Knight, Mrs A Lake, Mr & Mrs GA Law, Mr & Mrs PG Lawrie, Lt Col ATD Lerwill, Brig WA Mackereth, Lt Col & Mrs MJ Martin, Mr & Mrs DEH Moriarty, Maj DC Mortimer, Maj & Mrs PJ Mullings, Capt DJ Newton, Gen Sir Kevin and Lady O’Donoghue, Lt Col & Mrs TD O’Hare, Mrs RA Parkes & Mrs P Wilson, Mrs J Paxton, Lt Col & Mrs AF Ravenhill, Maj & Mrs CG Rendle, Mrs DIM Robbins,
Lt Col & Mrs JL Silvester, Capt & Mrs CP Smallbone, Capt & Mrs IG Spence, Capt & Mrs JI Tozer, Col & Mrs MRWC Vernon-Powell, Maj & Mrs RNJ Walker, Maj Gen N Welch, Maj & Mrs RMC Wilson, Capt & Mrs WHC Wilson.
The date for 2015 is confirmed as Saturday 4th July.
All members are asked to put this date in the diary noting that it is a week earlier and will be part of the Regimental Association Salisbury Reunion weekend with a Drumhead Service in the Wardrobe garden on the Sunday.
ATDL
Members getting stuck into the buffet during the Dorchester Sandwich Lunch
The Club holds five official functions each year, split between the West County, London and Warminster. The Rifles provide the venue for four of these for which members are most grateful. This helps to keep them in touch with their new regiment. Small groups of members also hold a variety of unofficial functions at various venues throughout the year.
The Warminster lunch in June tends to be the best-supported – mostly because of the concentration of members in the area. Lt Col Tony Thornburn and his wife Kathy have organised it in the Infantry Mess for a number of years and make special arrangements for good weather so that pre-lunch drinks can be enjoyed outside. This year was no exception!
The spring and autumn sandwich lunches in Dorchester and Exeter respectively are arranged to coincide with meetings of the Regimental Trustees. Held in 6 RIFLES messes which serve as ideal venues, these informal functions are always well supported and allow attendance by members who live close to one or other location. The presence of wives and partners lends a civilising influence
on proceedings and means that the menfolk cannot imbibe too freely of the complimentary drinks.
The West County Dinner in Exeter
is held on the evening before the Regimental Reunion and gives members the opportunity to attend both while only having to make one journey. This year we were very fortunate to have two musicians from the Salamanca Band
to provide music throughout the meal
– a rare privilege indeed which took members back to the glory years when every regiment had its own band. The London Dinner, held in Davies Street, also acts as the opportunity to hold the Club’s AGM, the length of which tends to vary depending on whether the bar
is open. It was particularly pleasing to see a number of relatively new faces present this year and members sat down for an excellent meal served most efficiently by Rifleman Pope and his staff. General Bryan Dutton presided and read the Loyal Greetings sent to HM The Queen, as well as the reply from The Palace. Capt Colin Parr attended
as our guest. Colin has been Curator of the Keep Museum for the last four years and it was an excellent opportunity to welcome him into the Club ahead of his imminent retirement. The evening has developed into a most enjoyable event, with a really good cross-section of ages present and the atmosphere would be hard to better. Long may it remain so!
Some of those present at the West County Dinner in Exeter
THE RIFLES
OFFICERS’ CLUBS 179