Page 55 - Bugle Autumn 2014

2 RIFLES Officers’ mess
Our final year in Ballykinler – and what a year it has been. In spite of a hectic year
of MST (not to mention the unit move again!) the 2 RIFLES Officers’ Mess has still managed to maintain
course), as one would expect, all courtesy of Kenji Ara, our SME. Since then we
have been to Mexico, the subalterns have conducted an extensive tour of Scotland, in
a tumbler, and we have stayed much closer to home with Dundrum Bay oysters and Guinness.
The Mess has “lost” a number of erstwhile warrior monks to marriage; no fewer than five officers have fallen,
including both recce platoon commanders, Tom Parry and Luke Whitfield-Jones, our ops officer Mark Shawyer and two company commanders, Jeremy Osborne and Mark
of the other 2 RIFLES articles that the Mess has now moved from Ballykinler to Lisburn. We were very sorry to say farewell to the Mess in Ballykinler, which has been an excellent home for the last eight years, but are very excited to have moved into the very grand Lisburn Garrison Officers’ Mess. The move itself was emotional, as one might imagine after eight years in one place, but with thanks to Kenji Ara (property) and Fynn Vergos (silver) in particular, the move has been a success. Every man did his bit and we are now open for business in Lisburn, and very much looking forward to being able to get to know the place properly when we return in February 2015 – homecoming party to follow, no doubt.
Maj J Osborne
a full social calendar.
It started with an
excellent Summer Ball
last year, where the
Mess met for a barn
dance, complete with
straw bar, line dancing
as much cider as you
could drink and a banjo
vodka luge – pure class at 2 RIFLES! Since then, when in camp, Tuesday theme nights have taken off, notably our Japanese night, which was kick-started with sake and
The Mess has “lost” a number of erstwhile warrior monks to marriage; no fewer than five officers have fallen
sushi, and ended, diabolically with Karaoke Shercliff, congratulations to them all. (apart from the angelic voice of Lucy GJ of Finally, you will know if you have read an
Warrant Officers’ and Sejeants’ mess
This has been a very busy year for the Mess and trying to fit functions and events into the programme around mission specific training for Op TORAL was never going
to be easy. The main function before Christmas was a games night against the Officers Mess, which
the WO & Sjts Mess
WO1 Watson into the mess but due to MST timelines we have been unable to dine him in... yet.
MST quickly arrived and with A Coy deployed in Bastion as the RSOI Coy life in the Mess slowed down and focus quickly
Joey Jordan. Following the results of the Corporal to Serjeant board there is a flood of new Serjeants and the infamous yard awaits them all...
Thanks go to WO2 Roge Webb and WO2 Joey Jordan for their stints as PMC and
for handing the mess over in good order to myself. In a busy year we have struggled
to fit functions in however we look forward to returning from ops and catching up with Mess life and embracing our new home in Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn.
WO2 A Rennie, PMC
WO2 Roge Webb & Santa, aka CSjt Shaun Heslam
won in a whitewash.
Notable performances
on the night came from
CSjt Oliver and Sgt
Mays in the bicycle
jousting, which left
them both victorious despite blood injuries and cries of Health & Safety and Risk Assessments from the QM. Sjt Waldron explained that the latest PPE did its job and that was the end of it. There have been some quality examples of the famous yard downing and some epic fails too. WO2
Al Babb finally was captured on his last function in the mess and set the record for the slowest time ever.
The Christmas function this year was staged in the PSNI sports club outside Belfast and was a cracking evening. CSjt Shaun Heslam finally got his wish and dressed as Santa and loved his job of having mess guests sit on his knee telling him they have been naughty or nice.
The Warrant Officers and LE lunches provide some great competition; however how long will it be before all the bottles of 2 RIFLES port have been drunk or given away as prizes?
The new year brought the dining out
of the RSM which was combined with a 22 year dine out for a number of Mess members. A good night was had by all and continued well into the early hours of the morning. We welcomed our new RSM
there is a flood of new Serjeants and the infamous yard awaits them all...
moved onto the Unit move from Ballykinler to Lisburn. Have we mentioned the move? The move went well and soon our boxes filled the function room in Lisburn.
No sooner as we were moved, the Battalion deployed on the Op TORAL final exercise and a small party lead by the PMC and CSjt “Handy Andy” Dave Lloyd and SSgt “Grand Designs” Bashford put their DIY skills to the
test by getting the Mess up to required standards for a Rifles Mess.
There has been a long list of departures this year, some on postings and some on completion
of their service
including a
number who
have completed
their 22 year
service. Some
of the mess
members
who have left
this year are
WO1(RSM)
Simpson, WO2 Al
Green, WO2 Maz Marriott, Sjt Tom
Rowley and WO2
THE RIFLES
SECOND BATTALION 53