Page 93 - Cavalry Regiment

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Regimental Chaplain’s Notes
My assignment as Regimental Chaplain to The Light Dragoons began on 1st June 2019 having ‘swapped’ posi- tions with the outgoing chaplain Rev Richard Miekle CF as he moved onto 2YORKS.
What a half year it has been with new names, new faces, new barracks to get amongst; it all takes time to settle in and become known and accepted. Happily, the Regiment is a tan- gibly friendly, warm and amicable unit. Many of the subal- terns I remember as Officer Cadets from my time at RMAS as a chaplain there, and being from County Durham, with my heart in the North East, I share a kindred spirit with fellow Northerners as we speak the same language, so all is well.
Getting around the Squadrons and elements of the Regiment is a daily routine for any pastoral gain, both to the Regiment and the Chaplain, and I have happily enjoyed visits to Warcop for Range Training days, the PNCO Cadre at Otterburn, Exercise GALLOPING DRAGOON in Scotland, plus the RAC Boxing
Finals in Bovington where I cheekily enjoyed my first driving lesson in a Spartan. Yet three hugely significant and poignant events have taken me to the very heart of the Regiment; the 75th Anniversary of the Mont Pincon battle in Normandy, and the memorial service held in that memorable place during the summer will remain with me for a very long – not least the learning and singing of our newly ‘adopted’ hymn, Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer. Secondly, and very tragically, the loss of Corporal Richard Blain LD (A Sqn) with his funeral in Thirsk and memorial Service in Wrexham in October, followed less than a month later by the Regiment’s Remembrance Memorial weekend where we commemorated the 10th Anniversary of Op HERRICK, and the men who lost their lives in that campaign.
As we prepare for the challenges and surprises of 2020, I am delighted to remain and be the Regiment’s Chaplain and min- ister to such a thriving and energetic unit.
Fr Paul McCourt CF
29