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Reunion 2011
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Three Bills , all KOSB .
Our reunions are held bi-annually , in 2007, our first one , we had 70 people sitting down to dinner , in 2009 the MDW we had 300 but that was a one off event . In 2011 we attracted 106 for the formal dinner which means an increase of over 50% .
The format was the same as usual with an informal meet at the Rugby Club at Park Hall ( formerly the Officers’ Mess ) . On Saturday 4 June it was a scene of small personal reunions as guys met others who had served with them as JLs often for the first time in many , many years . A great deal of laughter and some tall tales were told as the beer flowed but amid the frivolity were some quiet moments of reflection and introspection as many stood alone on the veranda looking over the remnants of the camp and recalling the immensely formative years they had spent there .
I also saw the odd glisten of a tear here and there as they recounted what an important step in their lives they had taken by joining IJLB and how much they owed to the holistic education they had received at Park Hall , an education for the mind , the body and the soul as one JL put it .
I’ve said in the past , and been criticised for saying it , that the most important thing I have gained from my involvement with the Association is the pleasure of meeting up again with those who shared that unique experience and the Reunion of 2011 reinforced that . I am constantly amazed at the variety of successful careers , both military and civilian , our members have pursued and all of them credit the JL experience with giving them the self confidence , self belief and self discipline to achieve their full potential in their varied personal careers .
The formal dinner started with another round of personal reunions before we moved through to the dining room and as I did so I noted that the Coldstream Guards had arranged (as usual ) for their table to be pre-stocked with sufficient wine and port to last the evening and most of the next day ! Most of us were in evening dress and suits but here and there were colourful splashes of tartan , the Leslie tartan of the KOSB , the Argyll tartan and , not to be outdone , one Scots Guards gentleman in Royal Stewart . We began with a minutes silence to remember those of our Association we had lost over the last year and to honour those young servicemen who had lost their lives in Afghanistan. Grace was said by our Association Padre , Rev Norman Setchall , unusually he had written a short poem which he recited recalling Junior service and what it had meant to all of us .
Ray Ironmonger
The dinner over , Ray Ironmonger , our Life President , made a short speech of welcome , with a welcome particularly to all the lads who had travelled great distances to attend , some from the USA, Norway and Spain. This was followed by an emotional speech from Mr . Ray Woodfine who served at IJLB as a Civilian Lecturer from 1962 – 1971 teaching English Language and English Literature . He recalled joining the Battalion and remembered many of the wonderful and inspiring Permanent Staff from that era . He mentioned the late Anne Bowen or Ma Bowen as we used to call her and the mention of her name drew a spontaneous and lengthy round of applause , a beautiful and touching moment .
At Hugh Norton’s request , Graham and myself had arranged a raffle , the proceeds of which went towards Hugh’s charity walk along Hadrian’s Wall in aid of Help for Heroes . One of the most sought after prizes being a signed copy of Robin Horsfall’s book “ Fighting Scared” which Robin generously donated .The raffle raised the substantial sum of £650 , and concluded with Graham auctioning a bottle of vintage port creating a battle of wills ( and pound notes ) between the Coldstream Guards contingent and Scots Guards which the Coldstreamers won by a short head , needless to say they promptly drank it !
With the exception of the Guards Regiments , all the old regiments are now pretty much gone , through disbandment or by amalgamation , and even their names seem to be being lost . I think that this emphasises the importance of this Association and the camaradie which it engenders . In addition , the usual regimental get togethers often raise old resentments and petty jealousies , no such undercurrents exist within the Association ,we gather simply to recall and celebrate those formative years and the intense training period that made us the people we are today , our commonality and mutual respect is strong .
Photos by Angela McKenna & Robin Maddison , Words by Ken Nicol .