THE GLOVER December 2011 - The Worshipful Company of Glovers

444 (Shoreditch)
Squadron Air Training
Corps
The Squadron continues to grow in
size; a recent recruiting programme
brought in fifteen new recruits. Seven
cadets attended a week-long annual
camp at RAF Halton and three
members of the civilian training staff
are going on to become NCOs and
officers with the squadron. The
squadron’s growing reputation for
shooting was recognised when it was
chosen to represent the Air Training
Corps at the annual Cadet
International Skill At Arms Meeting. A
donation by the Glovers’ Company has
enabled the Squadron to purchase
computers to create a flight simulation
facility at their headquarters in
Crondall Street.
Our links with the Squadron have been
strengthened by their support for the
Annual Banquet and our entry for the
Lord Mayor’s Show, as reported
elsewhere in this issue.
Cadets Marching alongside of the Glovers’ Brake
21st Artists Rifles
2011 has been a difficult year for the
armed forces as the implications of the
Strategic Defence and Security Review
(SDSR) are absorbed. The Reserve
Forces had their own review, The
Independent Commission to Review
the United Kingdom’s Reserve Forces,
AFFILIATED MILITARY UNITS
which reported in July. The section
relating to our affiliated Regiment
stated:
“The SDSR announced that the
Government would significantly
enhance Special Forces and increase
their capability. Accordingly, both of
the Special Forces Reserve units will be
retained and steps will be taken to
further enhance the output of
the Special Forces Reserve overall.
Modest changes will be made to the
organisational structure. As Reserve
personnel can fulfil a number of roles,
the Commission sees this as a valuable
opportunity to further develop military
capability, while integrating Reserves
into the Regular structure.”
The Regiment therefore continues with
its high level of training activity,
requiring a corresponding level of
commitment from its personnel.
In October the Artists Rifles Association
held its annual Reunion Dinner, where
the guest of honour was General
Sir Peter Wall who praised the
contribution of the Regiment and all
the Reserve Forces to the United
Kingdom’s defence capability.
HMS Cumberland
The June issue of The Glover reported
the sad news that HMS Cumberland
was to be decommissioned this year.
Despite a number of rumours, the
decision was not changed and the
decommissioning took place in June.
The Master and Renter Warden led a
group of fifteen Glovers and guests
who attended the ceremony in
Devonport Dockyard on Thursday 23
June. Many of us had sailed on board
Cumberland in recent years. Families
and guests were seated on the dockside
facing HMS Cumberland. A special
effort had clearly been made by the
ship’s company and the ship can never
have looked smarter in her twenty-two
years service with the Royal Navy. Led
by the Royal Marine band, the ship’s
company then marched into position
in front of the ship for the
Decommissioning Service which was
led by the dockyard chaplain who had
himself served on board HMS
Cumberland. A Guard of Honour was
inspected by Commodore Michael
Mansergh, a former commanding
officer. Captain Steven Dainton,
Cumberland’s last commanding officer
gave an address in which he outlined
the ship’s career. A warship, he said, is
just a lump of metal; it is people who
give it life and Cumberland was always
known as a happy ship. Many of the
crew extended their service on board or
asked to return. Captain Dainton told
his ship’s company to remember that
wherever they went in the Royal Navy
there would only be two sorts of
people, those who had served in HMS
Cumberland and those who had only
dreamt of doing so. Commodore
Mansergh reinforced those views when
he spoke of the difficulty of bidding
farewell to such a special ship and
the need to celebrate her 22 years
of successful service. Like Captain
Dainton he stressed the contribution
made by families and thanked the
ship’s affiliates, such as the Glovers’
Company, for their support. Finally
the ship’s Commissioning Pennant,
White Ensign and Union Jack
were lowered and the ship’s bell was
rung for the last time, symbolizing
that Cumberland was no longer
in commission and a very
moving moment.
A reception on board was an
opportunity to say goodbye to officers
and sailors who had helped us to
enjoy our visits to the ship and to
understand something of naval life.
The Glovers’ Company has always
been very proud of our association
with HMS Cumberland and members
of the Livery will be pleased to know
that the Court is seeking a new
affiliation to maintain our link with the
Royal Navy. Former commanding
officers of HMS Cumberland, now
serving in the Ministry of Defence, are
backing our request, an indication of
how much our support was valued by
the ship’s company.
THE GLOVER December 2011 Fifteen