I was delighted to receive an invitation to attend an event
at TS Black Swan, home of the Sunbury and Walton Sea Cadets to mark the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Although I have seen the Queen
on a number of occasions, I have never been introduced to her before, so I was
looking forward to being able to have a chat with her, and wish her a Happy
Birthday. I did actually speak to her once, many years ago, but I don’t think she heard me, as
she was being driven past me in a car at the time.
It did seem rather remarkable, that given all the
invitations she must have received, she would choose to come to Shepperton to
spend a few hours on her birthday. So
remarkable, in fact, that it wasn’t true. I had misunderstood – her birthday
was being celebrated at the Black Swan in her absence. Nevertheless, there was a busy programme of
events this evening, including the
raising of the colours, the lighting of a beacon in honour of the Queen’s
birthday, and a demonstration of some drills. I was accompanied by a small
group from the Rotary club, including Gill, Ken, Doreen, Tony, Janet and Peter Matthews as we arrived at the clubhouse, which is hidden down the
end of Penny Lane, near Walton Bridge.
Unit HQ
It was a chilly evening and we were glad of the chance for a
drink inside the clubhouse (which I think is correctly called the Unit HQ),
where I met Gail Cramp, chairman of the Sea Cadets. What I hadn’t realised until now, was just
how much the Sea Cadets appreciate the support we have given them over recent
years. On a wall was a ladder showing the progress the Unit has made towards
their ultimate goal of rebuilding their HQ.
Shepperton Aurora Rotary is included in the list of major donors.
Boat on the river
Soon it was time to go outside, where the Unit has a Parade
Ground alongside the river. Here various dignitaries gathered ( e.g. The High Sheriff of Surrey, Mayor of Spelthorne, local councillors, me) to witness the
raising of the colours and lighting of the beacon. Unfortunately I had
forgotten to bring my gong, which made me feel a bit left out, as all the other
dignitaries, resplendent in their chains of office, were shown to the front
seats, whereas I had to sit a couple of rows behind.
The front row - where I should have been
The lighting of the beacon wasn’t quite what I had expected.
Before the event I had in my mind a vision of a beacon being lit on top of a
hill, forming part of a chain across the country, each within sight
of the next one. What a grand spectacle that would have been. The reality, however, was a little less
dramatic, although no less public-spirited. Whilst there were indeed hundreds of beacons
lit that evening, they tended to be in the middle of communities, outside
churches, schools and such public places; in fact anyone who wanted to light a
beacon could apply for permission to do so.
The mayor's hair seems to be on fire
In this case the beacon was gas lit, so lighting it was very
easy, and was accompanied by a rendition of Happy Birthday from the 100 or so
people present. Following speeches from the High Sheriff of Surrey
Elizabeth Kennedy, and Spelthorne mayor Mark Francis, we were treated to a
demonstration of marching from the cadets as they performed intricate drills
without appearing to put a foot wrong. The drills had a naval sound to them, as
cadets were instructed to turn ‘inboard’, ‘outboard’, ‘fore’ and ‘aft’. We
learned that the Unit has had great success with drilling, having won National
competitions. On the face of it, they just appeared to be marching back and
forth, but in fact they were following very precise orders and I didn’t see
them put a foot wrong.
The High Sheriff addresses the throng
It was an enjoyable evening, and I think we were all
impressed with the Ship’s Company. All the adult organisers were unpaid
volunteers, and the young people were certainly trained in Naval disciplines to
a very high standard. It was also nice to hear that they were planning to
change the name of their Unit soon to incorporate ‘Shepperton’ into the title.
Marching hither...
....and marching thither
Birthday celebrations
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