We know they fought for us. The world is what is now owing to them, and it could be worse.
They are called heroes. Some of them are still alive and a lot more died on the battled field.
Brave men indeed.
Whilst you can argue on the necessity of war, God forbid should you question the courage of the men on the front line. It is not every one who is cut for combat. Who is really? When you’re covered in mud, wounded, rifle in hand ready to kill, there to survive with one thing in your mind” Will I ever get back home?”
When the whistling bullets fly past your ears and kill your brothers, you may curse politicians but then again the lives of your people depend on your guts and courage. Literally.
Humans – humans just like us, but then again heroes. So it is with the same feeling of gratitude and pride that Mews of Mayfair hosts a yearly Armistice Lunch in celebration of our veterans.
Here’s one of them and a prose he kindly sent to us after the lunch.
Biography
Name: Craig Allen DOB: 15DEC62
Service history
1979 -1982 Army Apprentices College – Harrogate, study for degree in Comms Engineering, Computing and Electronics.
1982 – 1983 1st Armoured Division (Germany), battlefield exercises 1 after the other, during this time I spent 6 months in the
Falkland Islands plus a short tour in Canada.
1983 – 1985 NATO I was post to a secret location underground somewhere in Europe, satellite tracking and maintaining comms worldwide for NATO.
1985 -1986 Catterick Garrison for further education to senior level.
1986 – 1988 Short post to Chelsea Barracks followed by a Home office design, build, train and implement a full U.K. wide secure mobile comms system at the School of Signals in Blandford.
1988 – bought myself out to go to a computer company who had head hunted me.
Prose from Craig Allen
“I just arrived back 17:01
Seems like less than 35 minutes ago, I was suited and booted and all poppied up arriving at F.B. Way and less than 13 hours ago that I woke up, yep, there are 2 X four o’clocks in one day.
Myself and Ted attended the annual Remembrance day lunch hosted and posted and paid for by others at the delightful Mews Restaurant and Bar on Lancashire Sq.
The banter was good and points were scored over years served, cap badges worn, battle fought, comrades lost and a brethren became as one.
Ding ding, time to move up to the restaurant reserved and the drink flowed and the brethren grew stronger and the salmon and the steak consumed slowly as the conversation competed with the flow of wine (let it run over your knuckles).
Speeches were said and donators (mostly of wine), were thanked and then the first stood up from nowhere and thanked and told a joke.
That joke from a 90 years old was like a rotten old pin holding back lock gates on a bulging mass of water. I speak metaphorically, the joke was a blinder but the pin went POP and all the POP’s stood standing there and reeled the puns off one after the other.
Money cannot buy that, the staff were great, they had as much fun watching us gang of heckling brothers as we enjoyed their friendliness and courtesy. Tricks were played out, jokes were told, numbers exchanged amongst “see you next year’s.
Ted my friend has a bad back, I have a bad knee and I try to avoid people – we hobbled across town where I had sworn him to allow me to pick up my fix of Japanese food in Piccadilly (and it’s a long long way to go (my story I told, I can ad-lib)). 4 feet and 20 toes, all unused to dressing smart and walking were screaming at us…………. HOME, NOW.
And so I headed home, home, home, food dropped started the bath as I tugged at my tie and kicked off my manacled shoes. Belt came off as the shopping was housed in the fridge and the suit was crumpled in a corner.
You pretty well know the rest and I am now waiting for the bath to fill the flat with vapours and to cool down to that point where the soft extremities squeal and the toes whisper ahhhhhhhhhhhh but nothing compared to the band of Brothers and the staff from top down who made such a bond and such a perfect day.
We will remember them.”
Craig Allen is one of many veterans we welcomed at Mews on 11.11.11 and each one of them is a unique individual.
Come and discover some of the most sought after wines with our Master Sommelier Vincent Gasnier to perfect your wine experience – as well as collection – including the rare Pedro Ximenez 1979 with chocolate fudge!
For more information or to reserve a place please call
