Page 53 - Cavalry Regiment

6 EAGLE AND CARBINE
shock. And, the probability of other ‘surprises’ has not changed, and we should be ready for some sort of extended and deeper, negative sequence.
Strategic shocks are said to jolt convention and exist- ing trends to such an extent that they force institutions to rethink their strategies, their investments and the way they operate. Strategic shocks are fundamentally different from the hurly-burly of routine life in that their impact is wide-ranging and they stretch con- ventional wisdom and practices. Strategic shock can change the trajectory of world affairs and can divert whole countries from their chosen course. All of us are swept up in this.
Large sections of the world’s population are impacted by COVID-19 and perhaps the severity of the pan- demic is yet to become apparent. Certainly, even its current form, the pandemic is proving to be rather more disruptive and potentially longer lasting than many had assumed. And this presents our Regiment with two distinct challenges.
The first is to navigate our ways individually and col- lectively through the current complexities. We should draw strength from our family and families while look- ing outward to see how we can support others less for- tunate or adrift. The Serving Regiment is bound to play a part in the national response and we wish them well in their tasks - whatever these might be.
The second challenge is the need to plan strategi- cally and operationally for ‘Beyond the Battle’. Many things will have changed beyond this pandemic and we need to reflect on their potential impact on our- selves and those that we care for. Attitudes to poli- tics, communities, home-life, work, leisure, communi- cations - and the rest - will evolve significantly over the coming months. This will I think demand of us a major rethink in respect of how we operate. What will be the new normal?
While only a relatively short time past, the political confusion of BREXIT is now behind us and we have much work to do to stabilise and sustain our trad- ing place and influence in the world. An Integrated Review for Defence is already in train and this is bound to stimulate some difficult discussions and decisions. By any standards, the immediate future looks a little gritty but...we are all obliged to look its challenges in the eye and play our part in finding solutions.
In amongst all this turmoil though, I cannot ignore the remarkable accomplishments of all the parts of our Regiment this last year: the Serving Regiment, the Association, Home Headquarters, The Museum, the
Trust and of course all our families. The Commanding Officer will reflect on the operational readiness and capability of the Serving Regiment and I can focus instead - perhaps with a slightly sentimental eye - on our historic anchors and our links into British society. An Army should always represent and be representa- tive of the society it serves, and this has never been more important than it is now.
In April last year, we installed a wonderful regimen- tal monument in the National Memorial Arboretum and in the same weekend in Chester marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Nunshigum. Later in the year, two of our retired officers celebrated their 100th birthdays: Capt Alwynne Farquharson (1 May) and Lt Col Aidan Sprot (17 June). And of course, each of us will remember 2019 for our own milestones and events of friends and family.
When we gathered in Edinburgh in December to lay up our Old Standard in the Canongate Kirk many of us reflected that this unique emblem had been at our head since 1994 and we talked of all the things that had happened across the last 25 years. During the day, we were proud and privileged to watch the Regiment - with grey horses and Jackal fighting vehicles - parade from the Castle, past the City Chambers to salute our Deputy Colonel in Chief and the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. It was a tremendous opportunity to come together in the lee of Edinburgh’s Great Castle: our philosophic and physical home.
The Great Hall in Edinburgh Castle is, as most will know, dominated by the giant portrait by Richard Andsell of Sergeant Ewart capturing our eagle at Waterloo. Across Crown Square there is Scotland’s National War Memorial where our war dead are faith- fully remembered in the regimental volumes. The imperial eagle itself is in our Museum close by our Archives and the Headquarters Staff who serve us. And then down through the Castle Precincts with their views down to The Royal Scots Greys memorial on Princes Street and to Ewart’s Grave on the Esplanade. Down the Royal Mile through the heart of Scotland’s capital - a city to which we have been granted the free- dom - to the Canongate Kirk for the service.
The Officers’ dinner that evening was set in the Palace of Holyrood House and this too was rich in the sym- bology of our vows to the Monarch and all that is pre- cious in our nation. Wow! What a journey. In just a mile, the day seemed to capture the essence of more than 340 years and the untold risks, complexities, chal- lenges, opportunities and joys of all that time. When it is past, I hope the pandemic will feel like a short interval in this much grander play.