Having been warned off at an early stage by Lt Col Hill that I would be taking over as PMC, I was very grateful for the insertion of the Sierra Leone tour to delay the inevitable. Most Battalion Officers deployed to West Africa (Op BASILICA) at one stage or another (in varying degrees of luxury - inversely proportional to their proximity to the Sir Ralph), as did the Mess CSgt in a new role as African Infantry instructor. At Benguema, CSgt Shelton had only a small change from his normal task of controlling groups of undisciplined, unruly, part-trained military personnel who had a fair degree of enthusiasm but little direction.
As a result of the operational tour, Mess life in Chester did not really resume until after Christmas, and Christmas itself was delayed by a rather neat Part One Order signed by the Adjutant. After a traditionally brief, compact, concise and succinct handover, I assumed the role of PMC in the New Year. The Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess visited very briefly, but time constraints played a part in limiting the festive welcome they could be offered. We look forward to the joint 2001 Christmas celebrations in Omagh being a more lengthy affair. Unfortunately Regimental tradition demands that on this occasion we must take our turn visiting the Warrant Officers and Senior NCOs and so we will be unable to demonstrate our full hospitality, but we shall try to cope manfully with our bad fortune.
General Edwin Beckett, the soon to be outgoing Colonel of the Regiment, helped us serve soldiers' lunch in February, and we served him a very fine beef dinner that night in the Mess. The foot and mouth outbreak that decimated cows in Cumbria shortly after involved many Officers (in a purely supervisory role). Much of the Mess decamped to Carlisle (Op PENINSULAR) although many Carlisle residents have repaid the favour by returning to Chester at some later stage. All of this took place whilst there were two major Company-level exercises ongoing; Officers were well represented in Jamaica and the Oman and so the Chester Mess was once again quiet.
The Battalion and Mess were more or less re-formed for Imphal Day, when the by now very outgoing Colonel of the Regiment bade us and our Ladies farewell at dinner. Having promoted many soldiers in the morning, his valedictory speech put the fear of sacking in the minds of many Subalterns and will provide Brig Duncan with a very secure line of departure from which to emerge when we first see him later this year.
The Summer Ball in July saw over 200 Officers and guests enjoy an evening supported particularly well by the Mess CSgt and his staff. The last of the Chester Balls was an effective farewell to the city and most of the paintwork in the Mess will be repaired before the Quartermaster has to hand the camp over on departure; doubly lucky as Capt Cantrell was the chief artist involved. Mrs Wagstaff and Georgina Padgett also showed their skills in the production of an outstanding mural of Omani dragons. We maintained professional relationships with the dodgem operators and overall had an outstanding night, largely due to the exceptional service provided by the RCWO, WO2 Stevens and her team, who have been consistently excellent throughout the whole year. At the by now traditional cricket match in late July between the Officers' and Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Messes, honour was kept by our side fielding only one ringer each: Officer Cadet Carr on loan from Sandhurst, and doubtless Cadet Sergeant Wyrill has a similar excuse. After some decisions from the umpires that clearly indicate their availability for future postings, we lost; apparently the left-over punch from the Ball scored more points than we did runs.
The Mess has lost Lt Col David and Elizabeth Hill and gained a new Commanding Officer: we welcome Lt Col Stephen and Amanda Padgett and look forward to seeing them frequently in the Mess in Omagh. Having seen the departure of a separate odd couple on posting, Harding Road gained another with the return of Majors Bruce and Crowley; we give them our blessing and wish them well for the future. Other new returnees are Maj and Mrs Ratcliffe, and Maj Newsome living in the Mess, as is the new Adjutant, Capt Reeves - Subalterns beware in Omagh, although a somewhat fatherly influence from a certain senior living-in Officer might continue to prevail. The old Adjutant moves with Mrs Bradbury to a re-show at Westbury (better luck this time) - we wish them both well.
Captains Wolfenden, Powers, Baker and Castle have left on posting and we have gained Captains Peck and Wickett (one of whom knows more about vehicles than the other). Lieutenants Carr, Grieve, Harrison and Smith have also arrived, although three of these chose to depart for summer leave in Cyprus, care of that lesser known tour operator: PCD. On occasion the Mess has lost an Officer but gained a washing machine with the departure of Capt Townend on his various adventure training and other expeditions. We leave the Padre, RMO and ATO behind and thank them for their contributions to Mess life: good luck for the future. Captains Hall and Whiter come with us; in a break with tradition the Chester Chamber of Commerce has received a copy of this issue of the White Rose in order that the various local hostelries can account for their undoubted drop in income when the Battalion leaves Chester.
Omagh will see a much bigger Mess, both in size of building and numbers of living in Officers. We look forward to the support and guidance of CSgt Thompson. It is probable that the Battalion's tour in Omagh will place an increased reliance on Mess (and family) life and this can only be to the good of the Mess: it is likely to be livelier and busier than in the past. That said, any events in Omagh will only follow an earlier exit from Chester, and this will be overseen by Maj Ratcliffe who will assume the role of PMC in September, after the same detailed, expansive, thorough and complete handover that I received. Good luck.