1977 JUBILEE PIMMS PARTY
In Divulje 1998 the Norfolk Editor was processing a soldier’s ‘Extension of Tour’ form for another 6 months of service in Bosnia. His name reminded me of the imminent disaster narrowly averted through nimble action by Maj Duncan Stewart TD, PMC of the Officers' Mess of 6 R ANGLIAN, at Warcop during Annual Camp, late in the afternoon of the 1977 Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Strangely, during 2 pints of Pimms the previous stifling Balkans evening, sitting on the sea wall below the Mess, alleged to be Tito’s Winter Palace, I had told of the 1997 Pre-Sports Afternoon Pimms Party.
The Regimental Chronicles record under the entry for Maj (now Lt Col) Miles Green: 'Pimms imbiber extraordinary at the 1977 Warcop Jubilee Camp Lunch Party prior to the afternoon Jubilee Sports to which the Sergeants' Mess were invited for their annual visit. As the Regimental Chronicler was the Officers' Team Manager he had spent some considerable effort in company with Lts Mike Alison and Richard Watson trying to nobble the Sergeants' Mess Team with ‘Special Pimms’ (80% gin!). All to no avail as the Sergeants' Mess won the competition! Miles had quietly supped, he says, only half a pint of proper Pimms but the effects were noted when he failed to release the cricket ball at the third attempt and lay to attention in the grass for the afternoon, awaking in the chill rain. It cost the Team Manager 43 Orderly Officer's Duties to persuade Maj Ron James to do the Long Jump in place of Miles. Returning to the Mess for tea after the sports, some officers walked, some were driven (on the bonnet of Company Commander Maj - now Col - David James' Stag car was how the chronicler returned) and some crawled. One officer, Brian Wright, almost drowned in 3" of ditch water on his crawl back to the mess.
At each Annual Camp we held a formal dinner night, dressed in scarlet Mess Kit, with Regimental silver and the Colours unfurled. In 1977 we had 4 sets of colours, one for each Rifle Company; Royal Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshires, Beds and Herts. After the sports, the PMC returned to the Mess and discovered Master Chef Cpl McCabe sparked out under the tables having emptied the tureens of the ‘lemonade’!
The PMC recalls: ‘I had left the Mess Staff with a fresh kettle of Pimms as a reward. According to the Regimental Policeman, LCpl Smith, a soldier with much service, the last thing LCpl McCabe said before hitting the floor was: ‘F*`~’/* fruit juice!’
Applying the quick thinking of his civilian occupation in finance in the City of London, Duncan found that ‘Pop’ Marshall, the Sgts Mess Chef, was in a state fit to prepare the dinner and with the bonus of some chefs called in from the local Guards Regt, we had a most successful evening.
New Battalion Colours were due to be presented so each morning there was Sword Drill for all officers. The morning after the Pimms Party saw some very wavery swords and some very ill officers and one, Brian Wright, was ordered to bed for three days.
Capt (now Maj) David Reed was 2IC B (Bedfordshire) Coy. He particularly remembers the Drill Sgt of the Grenadier Guards who had come to instruct on Sword Drill. Seeing the brilliantly executed ‘donkey kick’ of Lt (now Maj) John McCalfe, he asked if John had ever done drill before!
It is a tribute to their fortitude that the WOs and Sgts managed to consume all that ‘Special Pimms’ but still beat the Officers’ Mess team.'
The RSM was Maj David Spalding MBE!
In 1998, sending a ‘bluey’ to all concerned, reminding them of the occasion and asking for corrections, Maj Duncan Stewart TD, wrote:
'I am aghast that any young officer who had been associated with me should describe the four stands (not sets) of Colours as being ‘unfurled’. We are talking about Colours not Signal bunting! Colours are either cased or uncased. Unfurled indeed! Consider yourself bollocked.'
By way of recompense the Norfolk Editor sent Duncan a bluey containing 40 lines of ‘Colours, Stands, Uncased’.
The soldier in Theatre whose form I was processing was also a Cpl McCabe! In due course, his extension of service was granted.
B&C 101 Dec 03