230 members of the CCF and Pipe Band assembled in the Quadrangle after school on Tuesday 9th November to mark Remembrance.

The moving Service of Remembrance was conducted by Rev Louis Kinsey, who is well known to us through involvement in previous services. Prior to becoming minister at St Columbia’s Church of Scotland, Bridge of Don, Rev Kinsey served in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. Military involvement as a padre has included Op Telic and Op Herrick. He spent six months with BATUK, the British Army Training Unit Kenya. Other periods of service have taken him to Italy, USA and Germany. Rev Kinsey’s wife Sally is known to us through her work with Robert Gordon's Junior School and Nursery. Their sons Louis and Harry are Gordonians and were RGC CCF Army cadets.

The Inspecting Officer was Flt Lt Thomas Raeburn (Class of ‘09). Flt Lt Raeburn (featured in Pelican edition 31, page 14) is a Typhoon Pilot serving on 6 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth. He has recently returned from a four month deployment on Op SHADER flying a variety of missions in Iraq and Syria.  Leaving Robert Gordon’s College in 2009 he studied Economics & Management at Worcester College, Oxford and worked briefly in the London Banking sector. Joining the RAF in 2014 he completed Fast Jet training at RAF Linton on Ouse and RAF Valley. In 2017 he was awarded an 18 month Chief of the Air Staff’s Academic Fellowship at King’s College London specialising in contemporary conflict strategy and the military response to ‘hybrid’ warfare. He is now training to deploy to the South Atlantic as part of 1435 Flight based in the Falkland Islands. Following the parade, Flt Lt Raeburn laid a wreath at the College War Memorial. 

We were delighted that a limited number of guests could be invited this year. These included Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant for the City of Aberdeen Barney Crockett, former Lord Lieutenant for Kincardineshire Carol Kinghorn and husband Roddy, who are former RGC parents, Hon Lt Menbahadur Gurung, Gurkha Rifles (Retd) and Flt Lt Raeburn’s parents.

Numbers on parade reflect the tremendous interest in the CCF and in Piping and Drumming at this time. We are grateful to all the cadets and CCF staff who represented the College and for the part they played in this extremely impressive annual event. 

RGC Piper Rory M (S1) also played at The Gordon Highlanders Museum in remembrance of the service men and women past, present and future. His tribute can be watched on The Gordon Highlanders Museum Facebook page.

Wg Cdr DW Montgomery