Ultra - 005

Well, that's all folks! For 2011 at least... but what a year it's been. On the whole a busy and interesting season for the Garrison with lots of positives, although some undoubted difficulties along the way. For me, the most satisfying thing about the year was the way the group worked together to put on a broad range of events, from small one and two gun events, to much larger shows like at Tilly and the Victory Show; from the Ops Room at Goodwood, to the combined anti-aircraft display at the National Army Museum; from the 21-gun salute for the royal wedding, to the 1812 Overture at Leeds Castle.  It's this flexibility that really makes the Garrison something special. And, with the acquisition of an 18-pounder and the 49-pattern battledress, our range of historical offerings is growing ever wider.

New Year's resolutions? Well, not so much resolutions as ambitions, but it would be great to get another working gun-tractor at Larkhill, so we can have two full sets on call. It would also be good to arrange more events (such as the NAM) that integrate the guns and searchlight. Finally, I'm looking forward to getting up to Yorkshire next year to support some events arranged by the 69 Regt. The Yorkshire mob are constantly travelling south to participate in Garrison events down here, and it's hightime that we repaid the favour and put in some miles to help support their local scene.

The calendar for 2012 is filling up fast, and promises another good spread of events, both large and small. As soon as these are confirmed, details will be posted to the Garrison website. In the meantime, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all at Garrison Central.

Ultra - 004

Saturday saw a large contingent of Garrison members turn up to the National Army Museum in London to put on a series of anti-aircraft displays. This was the first public outing for the 3.7" AA gun, and despite a few minor teething issues, everything went remarkably smoothly. The last display of the day, in the darkness with the gun working in conjunction with the searchlight, was particularly spectacular.  Also quite evocative, as this was quite possibly the first time a 150cm carbon-arc searchlight had lit up the skies over central London since 1945...

Photos and a report will be added to the Garrison website in the near future.