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Merry Christmas, St Georgians! The North Downs Branch of the Royal Society of St George held their annual Christmas dinner and carol singing at the beginning of December 2011. The UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels is privileged to work closely with the Royal Society of St George in their fundraising activities - on this occasion the beneficiary was the local RSPCA organization. (The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is just visible on the wall at the left of the photo.) The 'Mother Country' Chapter Members may have noticed that we've added a strapline to this website and other literature. We're now describing ourselves as 'The Mother Country Chapter of the Kentucky Colonels'. We were indirectly encouraged to do this by the Pomperoser, which, when the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels was founded in 2010 was kind enough to say how delighted they were to see a Colonels' organization established 'in the Mother Country.' We have now added the strapline because we believe that, in these troubled times, it is more important than ever that the peoples of the English speaking world family come together in friendship and fraternity. We trust members approve!
Thanksgiving Day+2 2011 Dinner Colonel The Baroness Cox of Queensbury was the guest speaker at the Kentucky Colonels Kent Command Thanksgiving Day+2* Dinner held in the historic Castle Inn in Chiddingstone, Kent. On this occasion we were joined by fellow Colonels from as far afield as New Zealand! Colonel Cox is Founder of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust for whom a collection was raised. She gave the gathering an inspiring speech on the heroism of peoples facing persecution in many countries of the world. Proposing a vote of thanks, Brigade Commanding Officer Colonel Stuart Notholt described Colonel Cox as a living example of the 'gallant faith' described so eloquently in the traditional Kentucky Colonels' toast. * Because the third Thursday of November is not a holiday in the UK, we hold our Thankgiving Day on the Saturday - hence 'Thanksgiving Day+2'.
Dinner in the Commons The Kentucky Colonels were well represented at an excellent tour of the Houses of Parliament followed by a charity dinner organized by our good friends the Knightly Order of St. George. Our host for the evening was Andrew Rosindell MP, who is seen above (centre) presenting a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen to Chevalier Simon McIlwaine GCStG, right. Also in the picture are Chevaliers Steve Nimmons and Mark Haley - we're proud to say all three of these officers of the Order of St. George are also Kentucky Colonels! Colonels celebrate Southern independence Colonel Baroness Caroline Cox from the House of Lords and Colonel Stuart Notholt, Commanding Officer of the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels were invited as official guests of the Government of South Sudan to attend the South Sudanese independence celebrations on 9 July 2011. The videoclip above, shot by Colonel Notholt, shows residents of the South Sudanese capital, Juba, celebrating in the streets just a few minutes after midnight on 9 July. Freedom has come to South Sudan after over half a century of struggle against the Sudanese dictatorship in Khartoum. Colonel Reagan unveiled The UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonel was well represented at the ceremony in London's Grosvenor Square to unveil the commemorative statue of Colonel Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States.
Speaker's House reception Above: Colonel Stuart Notholt, Colonel Baroness Cox and Colonel Steve Nimmons at the reception held on 15 June in the Speaker's House at the Houses of Parliament in support of Colonel Cox's Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust.
Colonels Meet Copts Members of the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels spent 5 June 2011 as guests of the Coptic community at their cathedral in Stevenage. “At this crucial time in the history of the Middle East it seemed very timely to spend some time with representatives of one of the oldest of Middle Eastern churches,” said Colonel Stuart Notholt, Commanding Officer of the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels. “After Israel, Egypt is probably the country most mentioned in the Bible and Egypt’s Coptic church has been a vibrant and vital part of Egyptian life since the third century.” Today, Egypt’s Copts, along with other religious minorities, face an uncertain future as Egypt’s new political structure takes shape after political upheavals of recent months. The centre at Stevenage provides a focus for the UK Coptic community, both for worship and at play – Coptic leaders joke that the Cathedral is actually a sports hall with a church attached. The centre is used for sport, conferences and educational purposes. “It was particularly encouraging to see young children being taught in the ancient Coptic language – helping keep the community very much alive,” said Colonel Notholt. “We’d like to thank the Coptic community for welcoming us so warmly and letting us share the day with them.”
Thanksgiving Day (+2) Dinner The Kent chapter of the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels held a very successful Thanksgiving Day Dinner on Saturday 27th November in the ancient Chiddingstone inn The Castle. Col. Stuart Notholt, Commanding Officer of the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels is seen above addressing the gathering.
A visit to the D-Day Map room Col. John Baber, left, explains the use of the historic D-Day wall map - in the very room in which the execution of the 1944 Anglo-American-Canadian Normandy landings was planned.
70th Anniversary of Battle of Britain remembered A delegation from the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels attended the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Britain at Capel le Ferne, Kent, on 11 July. They are seen here in front of the memorial to the airmen, including US citizens, who fought and died in that crucial air battle of 1940. We're going global! Kentucky Colonels are not just based in Kentucky. The Colonels are a worldwide fellowship of men and women working for their local communities. On the launch of the UK Brigade we received fraternal greetings from all around the UK, from the US, and from as far afield as Australia. In fact, Australian-based Colonel Stephen Michael Szabo says he was so inspired by the formation of the UK Brigade that he is hoping to do something similar 'down under'! That's fantastic news - and Antipodean Kentucky Colonels are invited to contact Col. Szabo to discuss the possibilities.
Fraternal greetings to Australian Colonels! Social and planning meeting The UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels enjoyed a successful inaugural event in London on 16 April 2010, with Colonels attending from all parts of the United Kingdom. Messages of support were received from as far afield as San Francisco, Australia, and, of course, Kentucky. The room was packed and we shall have to hire a bigger one next time. (It was, admittedly, a very small room.) As well as getting to know each other, the Colonels heard a report on the development of the UK Brigade and discussed plans for our future events.
Britain's newest Colonel Colonel Ian Tough - who received confirmation of his commission just a few days before our inaugural social gathering - is congratulated by Col. Jack Patrick (right) and Col. Stephen Nimmons (centre)
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The Mother Country Chapter of the Kentucky Colonels
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