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BATTALION NEWS (Visits, Old Faces, Presentations & Farewells!)
Wednesday 1st April 2009

News in Brief
The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy in ‘Planet Coldstream’ with a superb training program that keeps everyone busy. This, plus the evening activities that have been recently introduced and are available each Monday & Tuesday night to everyone. During these evenings Battalion personnel can look to do a wide range of activities from Diving to Biking, and from IT Training to the very popular ‘cooking club’ (where you can produce a three course dinner from a humble ration pack).

Visit of the GOC 3 Div
We have also been privileged to have a couple of VIP Guests paying visits to our humble home.
Firstly, the General Officer Commanding 3rd ( United Kingdom ) Division – Major General B White-Spunner CBE visited the Battalion and then had a quick chat with mess members of the Sergeants’ Mess,

see images below.

LE Dinner
Next the Officers’ Mess held a Dinner for lots of old faces from ‘Coldstream Past’. The Dinner was titled ‘The Quartermasters’ and Late Entry Officers Dinner Night’ and Major DP Hall MBE (Company Commander HQ Coy) had the glorious task of inviting past and present Coldstream LE Officers to the function. The event was a fantastic success and I was privileged (some say wallied, I say privileged), to be asked by Major Hall if I could get a quick snap shot of all these individuals who between them have decades of Coldstream experience and history.

The group shot is left, click to enlarge.


Those that attended the LE Dinner are shown below:
  · Major General JCC & Mrs Tessa Bucknall CBE
  · Brigadier JSS & Mrs Karren Bourne-May
  · Lieutenant Colonel Toby & Mrs Andi Gray
  · Lieutenant Colonel Graham & Susan Jones MBE
  · Major Peter Horsfall
  · Major Brain & Brenda Mather
  · Major Les & Janet Winter
  · Major Clive & Margaret Candlin
  · Major David & Shirley Marshall
  · Major Ray Watson
  · Major Ric & Heather Howick
  · Major Dave & Linda Hall
  · Major Tony & Tina Jasinski
  · Major Gary & Rosie Piggott
  · Major Nige Overton & Paula
  · Captain Wilf & Rita Pickles
  · Captain Clive & Carole Stevens
  · Captain Dixie & Sue Dean
  · Captain John & Barbara Todd
  · Captain Fred & Lynn Shorrock
  · Captain Mick & Terri Gadja
  · Captain Keith & Sandra Robinson
  · Captain Iain Wadley
  · Captain Billy Mathews
  · Captain Aide & Leanne Hunter
  · Captain Jez Thorpe
  · Captain Paul & Sue Downes

  · Also invited to the Dinner was WO1 (RSM) J Sheard & Natalie


Cpls Mess Farewell
Across the other side of camp, and at the very same time that the LE Dinner was taking place, the Corporals’ Mess were getting together to say farewell to the PMC of the Cpls Mess, WOII (CSM) MD Murphy. A group shot of the Cpls Mess is shown below, luckily enough I was there well before the ‘Bush-tucker trials’ started!

The group shot is above, click to enlarge.



Visit Maj Gen Bucknall
The Battalion was then privileged to have a visit from Major General JJC Bucknall CBE, who was kind enough to present Gdsm Allwood and Gdsm Whybrow with their Joint Commanders Commendations, received in the presence of the Battalion for outstanding bravery, valour and courageousness in the Battalion’s recent tour of Afghanistan .

Images from the presentation are below.

Maj Gen Bucknall then visited the Sergeants’ Mess for a quick chit chat and to say some very kind words to all mess members present. It was fantastic to see that General Bucknall remembered so many faces from when he commanded the Battalion in our armoured infantry role in Germany before being appointed Chief of Staff 1st (UK) Armoured Division in 1998.

Images from this event are below.





HQ Coy bid Farwell to the CSM
Headquarter Company paraded to say farewell to their Company Sergeant Major, WOII MD Murphy, who leaves the Battalion shortly after 22 years Colour Service with the Coldstream Guards. Major Hall (Company Commander) presented CSM Murphy with an excellent leaving gift, a framed CSgt and Warrant Officers Tunic Badge, which I am sure will hold pride of place on his wall.




CSM Murphy thanked all members of Headquarter Company and explained just how privileged he was to have been a Company Sergeant Major for soldiers that had so many skill sets. He explained that without the support given from all personnel in HQ Coy, the Battalion would not function.
Then, after wiping away his Irish tears, he presented HQ Coy with a poem that will hang in the hallowed halls of Headquarter Company for ever more.



Out with the old, and in with the new – the new Company Sergeant Major of Headquarter Company, WOII (CSM) G Gales, then spoke a few words to the Company. After testing the water by asking for volunteers for Barrack Guard, to which received a stunned silence, he wished the Company well, and dispersed them to their employment.

It has been a busy couple of weeks, with many visits and events.

ShinyCapstar would like to take this opportunity to thank WOII Murphy for the past, and the best for the future and wish WOII Gales good luck for the present.


25th Hastings Half Marathon
Some Coldstreamers recently ran the 25th Hastings Half Marathon, with 35lb in weight! read and see more here .....


Regimental Personalities
Images have been updated with new personnel in new appointments, see them here .....
 

and ...... DID YOU KNOW?

This Coldstream Guards Information poster was recently designed for the Regimental Recruiting Team, and you can download the image FREE OF CHARGE!

You can download a larger image at the ShinyCapstar flickr page (link below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24738183@N03/ 

  To get a larger image
  click on the link above
  click the image
  then click 'all sizes' (top left on the flickr page) to get various sizes
If you want an even bigger image, so you can print it out 'POSTER SIZE' then e-mail us at shinymessageboard@yahoo.co.uk.
 

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