The Grenadier Gazette 2014 THE REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS Issue No 37 Price £5.50 31060 Gazette 2014_SR v8_Grenadier Gazette 2011_v26 13/03/2014 09:20 Page 1 GrTHEenadier Gazette 2014 THE REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS CONTENTS PAGE CYCLING AT MY AGE – REGIMENTAL NEWS Regimental Headquarters . 4 RIDICULOUS! Sergeants’ (Past and Present) Club . 6 by Colonel Regimental Band . 7 E H Houstoun OBE 14th Company . 10 1st Battalion . 12 Page 22 Nijmegen Company . 18 FEATURES Horse Guards News . 20 INFANTRY CC Wellington to Waterloo . 21 TOUR TO INDIA State Ceremonial Duty at the Palace of Holyroodhouse . 25 AND NEPAL 2013 Infantry Cricket Club Tour to India and Nepal 2013 27 by Lt Frederick Moynan Back to the Future: A Section Commander’s Experience of Guards Training Company . 31 Page 27 Qatar Short Term Training Team . 32 The Row2Recovery Project . 33 The Fagan Awards . 34 THE The Battalion’s Football Trip to Monaco . 35 The Changing of the Presidential Guard . 36 ROW2RECOVERY Albert Medals Awarded to Grenadiers in PROJECT The Great War . 37 Killed in Action – The Aftermath . 39 by LCpl Scott Blaney A War Grave in South Africa . 40 Page 33 Book Review – ‘We Were Brothers in Arms’ . 41 People . 42 THE REGIMENT – Regimental Rolls . 46 ALBERT MEDALS OBITUARIES . 54 AWARDED TO GRENADIER GUARDS ASSOCIATION 58 GRENADIERS IN News from the Dining Club . 63 THE GREAT WAR Association Focus . 64 Branch Notes . 81 by Major PAJ Wright OBE Your Letters . 131 Page 37 DIARY OF EVENTS . Inside Back Cover The GRENADIER GAZETTE is published annually in March. EDITORS: Colonel DJC Russell Parsons and Major A. J. Green, c/o Regimental Headquarters, Grenadier Guards Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, London SW1E 6HQ (Tel: 0207 414 3225). All contributions to Regimental Treasurer. Email: [email protected] The opinions expressed in the articles of this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Regiment or the MOD. This publication contains official information. It should be treated with discretion by the recipient. © Crown Copyright Member of the Association of Service Journals Printed by Healeys Print Group, Ipswich 1 31060 Gazette 2014_SR v8_Grenadier Gazette 2011_v26 13/03/2014 09:20 Page 2 EDITORIAL in Aldershot for the next couple of years. It has been fully Foreword committed, along with Nijmegen Company, to the full range of ceremonial events, including the State Opening of by the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel Parliament, the Queen’s Birthday Parade and the Funeral of Baroness Thatcher. The latter was conducted in the face fter Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee of some public disgruntlement, but fortunately the Acelebrations, the London Olympic Games, and the ‘opposed ceremonial’ for which all were prepared never First Battalion’s hard but successful tour of Afghanistan materialised. As the First Battalion’s section of the in 2012, many of us sensed that 2013 might be something magazine makes very clear, however, the year has not only of an anti-climax. How wrong, from a Regimental been about Public Duties, but has included some fantastic perspective, we proved to be. training opportunities in, amongst other locations, the Early in the year the true nature of the Battalion’s final Falkland Islands and Brunei, which has done much to tour in Helmand became very apparent when the list of remind all ranks of what is expected of them as we prepare operational honours and awards was published. You will for the ‘contingency operations’ of the future. be aware that this included a posthumous Victoria Cross The centrepiece of the Regiment’s year was a combination for LCpl Ashworth in recognition of his extraordinary of three events which together made up ‘Her Majesty’s bravery – the first awarded to a Grenadier since 1944 Grenadier Day’, held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace when Major Bill Sidney’s courage in the face of the enemy on 26th June in glorious sunshine in front of over 4,000 of was similarly recognised at Anzio. This is the source of the Regimental family. Her Majesty inspected The Queen’s enormous pride to us all, as indeed were the other Company, presented new colours to Nijmegen Company, honours awarded to members of the Regiment for this and spoke to many members of the Regimental Association tour, including an OBE, a DSO and two MCs. The Queen who had gathered to celebrate the Association’s centenary, held what must have felt like a ‘Grenadier investiture’ on and all in under three hours. It was a wonderful day, marred 21st May, after which the recipients and their families – only by the absence of the Colonel due to ill health, for which including those of LCpl Ashworth – gathered for what felt Major Stephen Dehnel and his small supporting cast from like a very happy lunch in Cadogan Gardens. Regimental Headquarters deserve our whole-hearted It was with this tour as background that the First thanks for a job well done. Battalion has assumed State Ceremonial and Public Before the dust had settled from Grenadier Day, Duties in London, which it will fulfil from Lille Barracks planning switched to the year’s second great Regimental Lunch at Cadogan Gardens following a very Grenadier Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 2 www.grengds.com • www.thegrenadierguards.com 31060 Gazette 2014_SR v8_Grenadier Gazette 2011_v26 13/03/2014 09:20 Page 3 EDITORIAL Grenadiers inspecting Grenadiers in London District. venture: a bicycle ride from Wellington Barracks to the Colonel Euan Houstoun who has done such a Battlefield of Waterloo, involving about 150 of the wider magnificent job as the President of the Association for so Regimental family and designed to raise money for the many years. We wish his successor well in assuming this Colonel’s Fund. This was a complex event, with many important role. And of course I would like to conclude by moving parts, and a tall order for the small team thanking the Editor of the Gazette and all its involved in organising it. It proved to be a spectacular contributors for their continued outstanding work. success, raising about £350,000 and drawing together Grenadiers of all ages, shapes and sizes in a manner that I have not experienced during my service. The atmosphere throughout was very special, as old and young of all ranks, retired and serving, together with family members and friends, covered over 250km (we were mostly on the continent) in under 3 days with one clear aim in mind: care for our wounded and bereaved families who have given so much on behalf of all of us. Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Holcroft and I cannot thank enough those of you who participated in this event or worked so hard to make it happen, or who gave so generously towards its vital cause. Finally, I would not want to miss the The Lieutenant Colonel and Regimental Adjutant get on parade for Her opportunity of recording our thanks to Majesty’s Grenadier Day. 3 31060 Gazette 2014_SR v8_Grenadier Gazette 2011_v26 13/03/2014 09:20 Page 4 REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS Regimental Headquarters n the Army, every year is a busy year! The same can be Isaid for Regimental Headquarters and 2013 was a relentlessly busy year and it came during a period of flux in the manning of RHQ: RQMS Steve Williams had replaced RQMS Johnny Walker who left for civilian life. Tony Johnson, our Admin Clerk left on promotion and his post was not filled until the Autumn, and LSgt Damian Bakewell was ‘in’ and ‘out’ whilst on resettlement prior to leaving the Army. However, we had been joined by Charlie Birch Reynardson and Major Stephen Dehnel who formed the Project Team for Wellington2Waterloo, Major Andy Green, Colonel Euan Houstoun and Major and Stephen also organized Her Majesty’s Grenadier Day. Grant Baker on Regimental Remembrance Sunday. The first few months started the build-up in planning for Her Majesty’s Grenadier Day (HMGD) in June and After the thrills and spills of the Queen’s Birthday the Wellington2Waterloo (W2W) Bike Ride in September. Parade, Her Majesty’s Grenadier Day was upon us – and HMGD was to celebrate the centenary of the Grenadier what a day it was! On a lovely June afternoon guests Guards Association whilst at the same time The Queen assembled to watch The Queen’s Company and Nijmegen was to inspect The Queen’s Company and present new Company, led by the Regimental Band, march onto parade. Colours to Nijmegen Company. W2W was a Bike Ride, The old Colours having been marched off, Her Majesty in aid of The Colonel’s Fund, from Wellington Barracks came out of Buckingham Palace to be greeted by a Royal to Waterloo (the battlefield not the station!). These were Salute. She then inspected the two companies and both major projects requiring the most detailed and presented the new Colours to Nijmegen Company, and intricate planning and whilst the Project Officers bore after meeting former Captains of The Queen’s Company the brunt of the work, all members of RHQ were heavily and sitting for photographs with Her Company, She then involved whilst also attending to the more routine work met members of the Association whilst making Her way to in a climate of reduced support. the Royal Tea Tent. Before retiring to Buckingham Palace In the midst of all this frenetic activity, the Regimental she joined Nijmegen Company for a photograph. Major Adjutant’s annual ‘trade test’ (Regimental Remembrance Stephen Dehnel and his hard-working team produced a Day, the Spring Trustees’ Meeting, Spring Regimental really splendid afternoon in which all parts of the Regiment Council Meeting and 1st Guards Club Dinner) came and came together for a most enjoyable reunion.