Councillor Susan Carey, Chairman of Shepway District Council, Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Kent, Allan Willett and Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Kent Viscount de L'Isle
Tonight, Wednesday 23 March I am at the Ashford International hotel to receive an award on behalf of Shepway District Council.
Shepway is one of about 1,000 employers in the UK supporting their staff as reservists in the Armed Forces. The award is from SaBRE, (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers) and is presented by the Lord Lieutenant Allan Willett with his Vice Lord Lieutenant Viscount de L’Isle.
There are six other employers from Kent who also receive awards including Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Other awards this evening are the Lord Lieutenant’s Meritorious Service Certificate, Cadet of the Year Award and Duke of Edinburgh Badges. I am also delighted to see Alan Watson who is well known in my ward as booking clerk at Sandling station receive a 1st clasp to his Cadet Forces’ medal.
Brigadier Wolsey who is Commander 2 (South East) Brigade reminds us all that the Armed Forces have a large footprint in Kent and that service men and women, reservists and cadets are all part of Kent’s life. ‘ They need and deserve your support,’ he says.
Although frail in health the Lord Lieutenant has stood throughout the ceremony and chatted with each recipient (with me he asked after our former chief executive, Ron Thompson). He ends the evening by giving a speech which deserves a wider audience and it’s reproduced below.
“Your Worships, Brigadier Wolsey, Colonel Rolland, Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my happy task to share this ceremony with my Vice Lord-Lieutenant Viscount De L’Isle. We are here as The Queen’s representatives in Kent, not only to present these Awards, but to thank everyone here on behalf of Her Majesty and our County for their devoted service in – or support for – our Volunteer Reserve Forces and Cadets.
We are delighted to see many of our civic and military leaders and representatives of the education and business worlds here to honour our Territorials and Cadets. This is of course exactly as it should be, for the men and women and the splendid Cadets being recognised for their efforts are very special sons and daughters of our great Frontline County. And the Volunteer Reservists and Cadet leaders who serve Queen, the Nation and our County in uniform as well as holding down often demanding civilian jobs are truly what their forebears were called by Field Marshal Slim – Twice a Citizen.
Here we would like to thank Lieutenant Colonel Ingrid Rolland, Commanding Officer of 103 Battalion, REME, Captain Steve Brown of 133 Company, and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Ellis, of SERFCA, and their teams for organising this evening of celebration.
Tonight, as I speak, young Servicemen and Women from Kent are on active service in Afghanistan and over Libya. These are indeed extraordinary times for Kent’s Territorials and other Volunteer Reservists. In the past few years they have been employed on operational service on a scale unprecedented since World War II. Nationally, since 2003, no less than 24,000 reservists have deployed on or in support of operations.Others, although not deployed on operations, have nevertheless played a valuable part at home and in recruiting and training the next generation of volunteers. And I hope you will agree they all deserve the full support of the public.
Our grateful thanks too, to all our local authority representatives for the 100 percent, enthusiastic backing they have given to my call for the demonstration of support of all the Forces of the Crown and their families. Such support is, we put to you, not about politics, nor whether people are for or against the military action. It is about fellow-feeling for those who risk their lives, and for their loved ones left behind in our care. They all deserve our support and our heartfelt thanks.
On behalf of Her Majesty, we would also like to thank all the civilian employers who have demonstrated their understanding and support for staff serving in the Volunteer Reserves. Thank you for the support you have shown and the support we are sure you will continue to give.
The Lieutenancy of Kent is an ancient office, originally responsible for the County’s defence, and hence our strong link with the Armed Forces and Cadets which remains. The Lieutenancy’s aim is to provide a focus for County identity, unity and pride, give a sense of stability, recognise achievements, success and excellence – and promote service to others. This evening we are celebrating some very special people who are doing their bit to further all those ideals.
Last year was of course a special year for our Cadets, marking as it did the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Cadet movement. We are especially impressed by the excellent work being done by all Kent’s Cadet movements – Sea, Army, Air, and Combined Cadet Forces – represented by the smart, well-motivated Cadets receiving awards this evening. In all our Cadet movements Kent’s young people are acquiring self-discipline, teamwork, leadership, a sense of duty, pride in belonging to their units, and perhaps most important – good citizenship.
And that of course reflects on their adult leaders, who, for very little reward, are doing so much for youth – the future of our County. In thanking them let us say this: you are giving thousands of young people a head start in life, helping them to become more responsible members of society – and importantly, to become more employable. And we need more of you so that more can be done for more of our young people.
The very evident, unremitting pressure on resources in these difficult times does, we know, place great demands on the goodwill and dedication of many of those here tonight. But whatever the final outcome of the review of Reserves and Cadets, of one thing we are certain. The volunteer spirit in our great Frontline County will continue to flourish, whatever the future holds.
Our request to our civic, business and educational guests is: if you take away nothing else from tonight we urge you to pass on these points to your various networks:
- Our Volunteer Reservists and Cadet movements are doing a marvellous job
- Their service does wonders for individuals’ personal development and employability
- They are a great asset to our County and Nation –
- And they need – and deserve – the support of their employers, workmates – and the public.
Finally, we must remember that operational deployments continue. Reservists and Regulars from Kent are still on active service and we know that everyone here tonight, and the people of Kent, join us in praying for the safe homecoming of all our Forces.
Thank you all for coming here tonight. Your service and support is much appreciated.
God save The Queen!”
