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		THE CO & RSM HAVE UPDATED THEIR MESSAGES (as at 13 July 2008)

		. A Message From The Commanding Officer Lt Col TW Gray Commanding Officer 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Biography Lt Col Toby Gray took command of the First Battalion in May 2008. He was commissioned into the Coldstream in December 1988 and served in the Second Battalion in Cyprus as a Platoon Commander in No 3 Company (with the then LCpl Johnson – Now RSM). Since then he has been the Mortar Officer of the Second Battalion, the Officer Commanding Household Division and Parachute Regiment Centralised Courses, Commanded No 1 Company in Londonderry, Second in Command in Basra and Brigade Major. He is married to Andrea; they have 4 children, Madeleine (14), Reuben and Hermione (7) and Johnny (4). They are due to move to Aldershot in August. Col Toby is a keen sailor and is looking forward to the break from DIY in his home in Bath when he moves to Aldershot. Message from the Commanding Officer. To say that the 1st Battalion is in good nick is an understatement. The recent operational experience from the tour in Afghanistan, the manning level and the programme for the next 12 months all contribute to high levels of confidence and morale in the Army’s premiere light role infantry battalion. We know we are the best, the task is to inform others that we are indeed just that! We will achieve it by caring for and valuing our guardsmen and their families even better than we have done in the past, performing outstandingly on major training events and continuing to recruit fine young men who can add further lustre to our Regimental Capstar! We must be SMART! To me smart means fighting smart; being cunning, sneaky and focussed, impeccable turnout and bearing and planning all activities well in advance! Winning is what we are about; winning on TESEX, on the sports field and in the fight for recruits and retention. We will enjoy being who we are if we win! Every man has much to contribute to the overall team effort. From the Guardsman on the gate, carrying out his duty immaculately, to the identification of the enemy’s reserve location by the ISTAR Group enabling us to strike unexpectedly and defeat our enemies. Everyone playing their part to their best is crucial. The spectrum of what we do is broad and the demands placed on our people significant. ‘Treating others like wot we wanna be tret’ will help us to achieve this success. Blokes cutting about the battalion and 7 Coy, smartly dressed with a smile on their faces because they are enjoying being Coldstreamers is my aim. Lets make it happen! TW Gray Lt Col Commanding Officer

		A Message From The Regimental Sergeant Major (last updated August 2007, but see below for an addition to this message) Warrant Officer First Class A Johnson Regimental Sergeant Major 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Welcome to ShinyCapstar, this is just a quick few lines by way of introduction. My name is Andy Johnson and I am the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. As such, I have a number of responsibilities. Firstly, I am responsible to the Commanding Officer for the performance of the Warrant and Non Commissioned Officers of the Regiment, whether at Regimental Duty or Extra Regimental Employment. Secondly, I have a responsibly to the Guardsmen for the delivery of the highest quality leadership possible, through those same Warrant and Non Commissioned Officers. I also have the traditional role of maintenance of discipline, professional standards and reinforcing the 'moral component' (fighting spirit) of the Battalion. This web-site is a must for everyone with an interest in the Regiment. Here you will see the true face of the Coldstream Guards, warts and all. If you are a recruit in training, you can make enquiries through the site. If you're an old soldier trying to catch up with friends, you can do it here. If you're just interested in the Regiment or thinking of joining, then this web-site gives you everything you need to know. Remember, this Regiment has been defending the nation and defeating the Sovereign's enemies since 1650. We have a great deal to be proud of in our history and even today. the Regiment is the forefront of British Military Operations. You can read all about it here on ShinyCapstar. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT A Johnson WOI Regimental Sergeant Major Regimental Sergeant Major's / Sergeants' Mess Page Edited by WO1(RSM) Andy Johnson (last update 09 July 08) INTRODUCTION (this page is also displayed on ArmyNet) This page is intended to assist our efforts in creating ‘past and present visibility’ of Sergeants’ Mess and Regimental matters. For obvious security reasons, the information on this public site will be limited. Serving Mess Members should ensure that they are registered on ARMYNet in order that they can view my secure web-page. The ARMYNet page will contain a mass of detailed information of various classifications which will be of use to serving Coldstreamers. I intend to update both this and the ARMYNet site once every month, commitments allowing. The Battalion is now well and truly settled into Windsor again after our demanding tour of Afghanistan. The welcome home parade was unbelievable – quite the most emotional day that many of us have ever witnessed. The turnout and support from the people of Windsor, local Council and Police, families, friends, Association branches and tourists was most humbling. As we re-entered the gates of Victoria Barracks, there were hardened soldiers with tears streaming down their cheeks. It is something we will never forget and made us all feel as if we had really done our bit. Our collective thanks go to everyone who turned out for us on that day. After leave, we were straight into a rapid series of Spring Drills, providing street-liners for the Queen’s Birthday Parade, along with over a hundred associated fatigue men and the Queen’s Guard on the actual day. Quite a challenge to which the boys rose admirably. Since then we have slowed the pace a little with all of the companies rotating through adventurous training and satisfied soldier tours. We are using this opportunity to rebuild the Battalion and recover some ‘quality of life’ after last year’s hectic round of training and deployment. Our first formal sports afternoon takes place on Wed 09 Jul 08 as we formally reconstitute many of our teams and leisure activities. The Officers’ and Sergeants’ Messes will play each other at cricket on the 24th July and I’m sure that the Officers will do the gentlemanly thing and allow the Sergeants’ Mess to win! We currently have soldiers diving in Gibraltar and parachuting in the South of France. Two sailing expeditions have taken place since the Birthday Parade with more to follow. Thirty soldiers per week are rotating through the Guards Adventurous Training Wing up at Capel Curig in North Wales. All in all, life is pretty steady at the moment and we are resting ourselves prior to our round of public duties between 11 – 31 Jul 08. At the same time, the companies are steadily building their tactical skills by undertaking some low level skills training. Particular congratulations go to LCpl Cutts of No.1 Company who recently achieved a DISTINCTION on the Skill At Arms phase of his Section Commanders Battle Course. So, to a few specifics… SERGEANTS’ MESS The Mess enjoyed a great night at the Troop Ball on 14 Jun 08 and it was encouraging to see so many young Lance Sergeants and their partners getting fully involved and enjoying themselves. We are receiving a steady stream of new Mess Members at the moment due to an excellent run of results on promotion courses. Congratulations go to the following on their recent promotion: WO2 Plews CSgt Hutt LSgt Barnes LSgt Colborn LSgt Dawson LSgt Johnstone LSgt Walker.SP LSgt Wallace Congratulations also go to CSgt Brack on being awarded a Brigade Commander’s Commendation for his services in Afghanistan. The Mess is well and truly back in business with a whole range of functions lined up. Serving members can view the full diary on ARMYNet but some key dates at a glance are: Fri 18 Jul 08: Farewell dinner for WO2 Bri’ Dart and WO2 John Boisson: Suits (Ladies welcome) – Sit down at 1900 hrs Sun 20 Jul 08: Mess Barbeque – free for all Bn Mess Members and families (children welcome) – Trainers, shorts and t-shirts. Thu 24 Jul 08: Offrs v Sgts Cricket: Whites for teams, collar and tie (planters or jacket) for spectators. Fri 25 Jul 08: Friends of the Regiment Afternoon. Guests by invitation – all ERE welcome – uniform or suit. During this we will also present framed capstars to several people finishing their time at ERE. 01 – 26 Aug 08: Mess closed during Bn block leave MESS GUESTS Due to recent developments in Army Contract Services, as of 01 Jul 08, a small charge has been introduced for Mess Guests. Any person staying in the Mess at Victoria Barracks will incur a small Mess Bill. This is as follows: Military guests: 0.92 pence a day – Includes subscriptions and extra messing Civilian guests: £5.42 per day – Includes accommodation and three meals Military guests will clear Mess Bills prior to departure. Civilian guests will pay in advance or on arrival. At the point of arrival room keys and meal tickets will be issued. Guest rooms can only be booked via the RSM and are subject to availability. MESS APPOINTMENTS DSgt Treasurer: WO2(DSgt) Andy Jones PMC: WO2(CSM) Colin Pote PEC: WO2(CSM) Dickie Wright GOLD WATCH PRESENTATIONS On Tue 02 Dec 08, around 15 Coldstreamers will receive their 22 year gold watches from the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel. This will take place in the Sergeants’ Mess Victoria Barracks and should be a cracking afternoon. We probably won’t have too much to drink mind you as we are on the State Opening of Parliament the next day! COLDSTREAM SERGEANTS PAST AND PRESENT ASSOCIATION Membership of serving members is steadily improving with the recent surge in promotions to LSgt and some catching up with those ‘missed’ in the past. As a member of the committee, and on behalf of our President, I would like to appeal to all of those retired Sergeants’ Mess Members who are not members of the P and P to get in touch and come into the fold. A £5 yearly subscription is a small fee to pay to be a member of one of the most exclusive dining clubs in the world. You can e-mail your details, including present address, former service number and rank, along with full name, to this website, and the shinycapstar administrator will forward it to the committee who will get in touch with you to tie up the details. This year’s annual dinner is here in the Sergeants’ Mess in Victoria Barracks and already looks set to be a corker. Between 1430 – 1630 hrs on the afternoon prior to the dinner, there will be a Regimental briefing to bring all past members up to date with events and developments over the last few years, including weapon and equipment displays. The dinner takes place on Saturday 04 Oct 08. BLACK WEEKEND Just for any serving member who hasn’t heard yet – the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel has given permission for serving soldiers to wear their medals on their suits for the annual memorial parade on Black Sunday. No.7 Company wore theirs this year and it took the civilians and tourists aback to see such young faces boasting five or six medals each. AND FINALLY… That’s about all for now. I will update this as often as I can. If you are at ERE, please don’t feel cut off from the Bn – keep in touch and stay abreast of what’s going on. Finally, and specifically for those at ERE, if you do not have a copy of my ‘Ten Commandments’ you can access them on ARMYNet now – please read them and live by them. They apply to every Coldstream Warrant and Non Commissioned Officer, everywhere and at all times. All the best… ONE TEAM – ONE FIGHT Andy Johnson Regimental Sergeant Major 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards
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