As we stand here in these beautiful and serene
surroundings on the banks of the River Lea, in the company of our revered
Troopie statue, our comrades and families and, of course, our memories, it is
worth reflecting on how we come to be here.
It is thanks to the generosity of Lord Robert Salisbury,
the 7th Marquess of Salisbury, that our most cherished icons, the Troopie
statue behind me and our Regimental Colours have a found a safe harbour here on
Hatfield Estate.
We are deeply grateful to Lord Salisbury and his wife
for their generosity – especially in times like these when artefacts and
institutions like ours are misjudged and denigrated.
There are, of course strong, historical family ties
between the Cecil family and the Rhodesia for which we fought and, in too many
cases, died.
Our capital city was named after the third Marquess of
Salisbury, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom no less than 3 times
and the Great, great, grandfather of the current Lord Salisbury. Cecil Square
also carried the family name. And it is entirely appropriate that the Troopie
stands in these grounds, as it once stood in Cranborne Barracks, because Cranborne is another of the Cecil family's titles.
The Cecil family had extensive land holdings in Rhodesia
and, unlike many, the fifth Marquess (grandfather of the current Lord Salisbury)
was a leading British supporter of the UDI government under which most of us
served.
But by far the most poignant tie to this place lies
with the late Lord Richard Cecil, the current Lord Salisbury’s younger brother,
who was killed in a contact while covering our war.
Lord Richard Valentine Gascoyne-Cecil was born on 26
January 1948. He was educated at Eton College and at the Royal Military
Academy, Sandhurst. After graduating from Sandhurst, he was commissioned in the
Grenadier Guards. After three tours of duty in Northern Ireland, which earned
him the honour of a mention in dispatches in 1973, he attained the rank of
captain. He left the military for a political career but subsequently became a
freelance journalist.
His military background and family connections led him
to Rhodesia in the 1970s where he reported for several newspapers (including
The Times and Time magazine). He also contributed reports to the British ITN TV
news service working alongside documentary filmmaker Nick Downie. During this period,
he spent time with the RLI and the RAR.
Lord Richard Cecil was nicknamed "Young
Winston" by fellow journalists because, like that great man, he was drawn
to the action, not averse to carrying a weapon and willing to get stuck in if
needs be – his background as a warrior and officer was never far away.
Lord Richard Cecil was killed in a contact with Zanla
guerillas during an RAR Fireforce callout on 20th April 1978. Many
of you will have seen the documentary, Frontline Rhodesia, that he was working
on at the time of his death.
Lord Richard Cecil was without doubt a remarkable man.
Major André Dennison, whose ‘A’ Company (2RAR) Lord Richard was with when he
was killed, wrote in his diary just days after Richard’s death:
“Rhodesia and A Company lost a very good friend in
Richard Cecil, and his death was badly felt by all. He had been in five
contacts with the Company and at all times had worked his way to the front,
despite theoretically being meant to hang back” (to document on film, the
action further forward).
In a similar vein was the comment made by Rhodesia’s
Foreign Minister, P K van der Byl, who said upon being informed of his death:
"Lord Richard was the finest young man I ever knew
and represented the best of everything that made the Englishman great, and
built the British Empire."
This description is echoed by many who knew him. A friend and
fellow Rhodesian officer who worked with Lord Richard in the war’s forward
areas during the weeks before his death, used these words:
“Richard seemed in many ways the quintessential
British officer, the personification of how we imagined that person to be,
holding many of those qualities that the Rhodesian officers themselves were
supposed to have, but which many did not. He was at once humble and retiring,
while at the same time exuding a quiet confidence in his ability to do what was
set before him. While he deferred to the experience of Rhodesian officers
junior to the rank that he himself had held while serving in the British Army,
we all sensed his calm and very professional determination to get things done.
We sensed his strength of character. He was gentlemanly, refined and resolute.”
May he Rest in Peace.
