Welsh Guards - Officers Service Dress Uniform Jacket

Description: The Welsh Guards Officers Service Dress worn by: Major Geoffrey Sage Close. Tailored by Meyer & Mortimer of 6 Sackville St., London. Dated October 1990. Includes belt. Missing General Service Medal ribbon and rank insignia. Tear to inner sleeve lining. Approx. 38 inch chest. 35.5 inches long from baze of collar to bottom hem, at the back. 22 inches pit to cuff. 29.5 inches shoulder to cuff. Photograph of Major Close on slide 2 is Not Included. Major Geoffrey Sage Close was born in July 1968. He was educated at Eagle House School, Berkshire, from 1977 to 1981, then at Wellington College, Berkshire, from 1981 to 1986, where he was part of the 2nd XI cricket team, 4th XI hockey team and the 1st X basketball team. He then studied University of Warwick, from 1987 to 1990. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History and Spanish. On 7th September 1990, Close commissioned into the Welsh Guards as a second lieutenant on probation, as a university candidate, and joined the 1st Battalion, stationed at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright, conducting Public Duties. On 18th June 1991, he was confirmed as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant, dated 7th September 1990, with seniority from 6th August 1990. In April 1992, the Battalion deployed to Northern Ireland and were stationed at Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly. From 18th December 1993 to 5th February 1994, Close sailed around the Carribbean. He later recounted his experience: It was with an enormous amount of luck and one very generous invitation that I was able to take time out from a very busy operational tour in Northern Ireland and go sailing in the Eastern Caribbean, invoking much envy from the Officers Mess. Within 24 hours of finishing the Milan Platoon Commanders Course last December in Netheravon, I found myself as a guest of Colonel Henry Hugh-Smith former Commanding Officer The Blues and Royals on board Taichi, a thirty-six foot racing racing cruiser built in 1981. Taichi was berthed prior to my arrival in Grenada having sailed up from Venezuela via Trinidad and Tobago five weeks beforehand. She now awaited with nervous anticipation the arrival of an extremely cumbersome six foot Welsh Guards officer. Needless to say I awoke the next morning with an extremely sore head much to the amusement of the rest of the crew! We set sail next day having had a brief glimpse of the island of Grenada, a sight for sore eyes after patrolling the wilds of Fermanagh for the last 18 months. The crew on board Taichi consisted of one retired and two serving Household Division officers plus one soon to be solicitor. A motley bunch indeed! We set a Northerly course with strong winds and a heavy swell working against us, the aim being to reach the British Virgin Islands by the middle of February where the boat would be laid up for a couple of months. However, our more immediate aim. Henry informed us. would be to visit as many islands as possible in the time we had available. With this in mind we made for the island of Bequia in the Northern Grenadines to be there in time for Christmas. I soon settled down to life on board being gently reminded of the basics of sailing. No sooner had I learnt to hoist the mainsail than I was presented with a more serious challenge, cooking. I had to come up with something more nutritious than baked beans on toast. It very quickly became apparent that the skipper's curry and spaghetti were to become our staple diet. We reached Bequia in time for Christmas having had a superb sail, albeit in waves reminiscent of the North Sea, but fortunately without the cold weather. To my surprise I managed to avoid the age old peril of sea sickness. A pleasant week was had by all, the highlight being on our arrival, when we were greeted by a very friendly Swedish yachtsman, who, seeing our White Ensign flying, was convinced we were all Greek royalty. Our social status now established, our interest turned rapidly to sampling the numerous varieties of local rum punch. Having recovered sufficiently from the Christmas fes- tivities we set sail once again. On this leg our destination was to be St Lucia in time for New Year. Two days later we arrived and duly welcomed in the New Year listening to an unusual rendition of Auld Lang Syne by the local reggae band. The next day, feeling slightly sorry for our- selves, we set sail, again on a northerly course with the ambitious aim of visiting the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and finally Antigua in three weeks. As our collective French verged on the poor side and was clearly not appreciated by some very reticent locals, we spent more time on the island of Dominica, undoubtedly the most beautiful of the islands we visited. Due to perfect sailing conditions coupled with glorious weather we reached Antigua well within the allotted time. Sadly, this was to be my last port of call before flying home. We all spent a fantastic ten days on the island where we were fortunate to witness the antics of the English cricket team both on and off the field. Also during the week I was fortunate to be able to attend a diving course. It was with much regret that I left Taichi at the beginning of February but the call of operational duty beckoned. So, with my sailing and culinary skills much improved 1 headed home. Finally, I would like to thank Colonel Henry Hugh-Smith for bravely inviting me to join him on board Taichi for what were two wonderful months! On 6th August 1994, Close was promoted to captain. The Battalion returned to England and was posted to Clive Barracks, Tern Hill, Shropshire.On 1st June 1995, Close transferred to a Special Regular Commission. In March 1996, the Battalion moved to Wellington Barracks, London, and started conducting Public Duties. In December, Close was posted to the Platoon Commanders Division, Warminster. On 22nd September 1998, Close transferred to a Regular Commission. On 30th September 1999, Close was promoted to major. In the autumn of 1999, Close was appointed as Company Commander of Headquarter Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. On 29th November 1999, Close commanded a Guard of Honour found by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards for the Hungarian Chief of Defence Staff. On 1st May 2000, Close retired from the Army, and was appointed to the Reserve of Officers. After retiring from the Army, Close went to work in the City.

Price: 94 GBP

Location: London

End Time: 2024-12-17T18:45:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 36.83 GBP