Rem1	Rem2	Rem3	Rem4	Rem5	Rem6
Rem7	Rem8	Rem9	Rem10	Rem11	Rem12
Rem13	Rem14	Rem15	Rem16	Rem17	Rem18
Rem19	Rem20	Rem21	Rem22	Rem23	Rem24
Rem25	Rem26	Rem27	Rem28	Rem29	Rem30
Rem31	Rem32	Rem33	Rem34	Rem35	Rem36
Rem37	Rem38	Rem39	Rem40	Rem41	Rem42
Rem43	Rem44	Rem45	Rem46	Rem47	Rem48
Rem49	Rem50	Rem51	Rem52	Rem53	Rem54
Rem55	Rem56	Rem57	Rem58	Rem59	Rem60
Rem61	Rem62	Rem63	Rem64	Rem65	Rem66
Rem 67	Rem68	Rem69	Rem70	Rem71	Rem72
Rem72	Rem73	Rem74	Rem75	Rem76	Rem77
Rem78	Rem79	Rem80	Rem81	Rem82	Rem83
Rem 84	Rem 85	Rem 86	Rem 87	Rem 88	Rem 89
Rem 90	Rem 91	Rem 92	Rem 93	Rem 94	Rem 95
Rem 96	Rem 97	Rem 98	Rem 99	Rem 100	Rem101
Rem 102	Rem 103	Rem 104	Rem 105	Rem 106	Rem 107
Rem 108	Rem 109	Rem 110	Rem 111	Rem 112	Rem 113
Rem114	Rem115	Rem116	Rem117	Rem118	Rem119
Rem120	Rem121	Rem122	Rem123	Rem124	Rem125
Rem 126	Rem 127	Rem 128	Rem 129	Rem 130	Rem 131
Rem 132	Rem 133	Rem 134	Rem 135	Rem 136	Rem 137
Rem 138	Rem 139	Rem 140	Rem 141	Rem 142	Rem 143
Rem 144	Rem 145	Rem 146	Rem 147	Rem 148	Rem 149
Rem150	Rem151	Rem 152	Rem 153	Rem 154	Rem 155
Rem 156	Rem 157	Rem 158	Rem 159	Rem 160	Rem 161
Rem -162	Rem -163	Rem-164	Rem-165	Rem-166	Rem-167
Rem-168	Rem-169	Rem-170	Rem-171	Rem -172	Rem-173
Rem-174	Rem-175	Rem-176	Rem-177	Rem-178	Rem-179
Rem-180	Rem-181	Rem-182	Rem-183	Rem-184	Rem-185
Rem-186	Rem-187	Rem-188	Rem-189	Rem-190	Rem-191
Rem-192	Rem-193	Rem-194	Rem-195	Rem-196	Rem-197
Rem-198	Rem-199	Rem-200	Rem-201	Rem 202	Rem 203
Rem 204	Rem 205	Rem 206	Rem 207	Rem-208	Rem-209
Rem-210	Rem-211	Rem-212	Rem-213	Rem-214	Rem-215
Rem-216	Rem-217	Rem-218	Rem-219	Rem-220	Rem-221
Rem-222	Rem-223	Rem-224	Rem-225	Rem-226	Rem-227
Rem-228	Rem-229	Rem-230	Rem-231	Rem-232	Rem-233
Rem-234	Rem -235	Rem-236	Rem-237	Rem-238	Rem-239
Rem-240	Rem-241	Rem-242	Rem-243	Rem-244	Rem-245
Rem -246	Rem -247	Rem-248	Rem-249	Rem-250	Rem-251
Greg Crowley	Rem-253	Rem-254	Rem-255	Rem -256	Rem-257
Rem-252
Rem-258	Rem-259	Rem-260	Rem-261	Rem-262	Rem-263
Rem-264	Rem-265	Rem-266	Rem-267	Rem-268	Rem-269
Rem-270	Rem-271	Rem-272	Rem-273	Rem-274	Rem-275
Rem-276	Rem-278	Rem-279	Rem 280	Rem-281	Rem-282
Rem-283	Rem-284	Rem-285	Rem-286	Rem-287
Rem-288	Rem-289	Rem-290	Rem-291	Rem-292	Rem-293
Rem-294	Rem-295	Rem-296	Rem-297	Rem-298	Rem-299
Rem-300	Rem-301	Rem-302	Rem-303	Rem-304	Rem-305
Rem-306	Rem-307	Rem-308	Rem-309	Rem-310	Rem-311
Rem-312	Rem-313	Rem-314

David George Hester – Eulogy
It is a great honour and privilege for me to have been invited to talk to you today about George’s military career – I’ve been given about five minutes although most of you realise that even five hours would not be enough to cover the detail of such a marvellous comrade and friend.
George entered the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion at Oswestry in January 1961, where he joined Colin Rhodes and many others from the Regiment, and met his future commander, Captain Dick Cunningham, who was serving at Oswestry on the Permanent Staff. George - or Dave as he was then known as - left Oswestry in April 1963 and joined the 1st Battalion at Shorncliffe, in time to take part in Public Duties. Initially serving in B Company, he then joined the Signals Platoon where, under the tutelage of people like Tom Creighton and Mick Tees, he served alongside Ross Pritchard, Doug Jones, Ray Nye, Brian McAvilley, Vic Murche, Dave Allaway and Harry Marjoram, amongst others; a group which melded together and stayed together for the next fifty years, and most of whom are here today to wish him bon voyage. Before the Battalion went to Aden in 1965, George was transferred to the Reconnaissance Platoon, where he once again came under command of Captain Dick Cunningham.
I think it is now appropriate to mention George’s name! When he was at Oswestry he was always known as ‘Dave’ but when he joined the Regiment at Shorncliffe he thought that there were too many ‘Dave’s’ in the Battalion, and he said at the time that ‘Dave’ was not original enough for him, and he felt that it was probably a bit common, making him sound more like a stand-up comedian! So he adopted the name ‘George’, which, of course, was not only his middle name but also the name of his father. This became a bit confusing, particularly amongst the officers, as Dick Cunningham continued to refer to him as ‘Dave’, the name he had known him as at Oswestry, and for many years most of the officers followed suit. It was many years later before I started calling him ‘George’, although I don’t think George ever noticed!
For some time George acted as Dick Cunningham’s batman although he rather relished being described more as a personal assistant, confidant or muse, rather than as a mere batman. It was not a particularly onerous task as Dick was probably the worst turned out Captain in the Battalion and George liked to keep him that way. He would wake Dick at Reveille with a cup of tea, persuade him to take the pre-breakfast Muster Parade while George ‘tidied’ his room, having a quick kip, before sauntering into the Officers’ Mess kitchen where he had a full breakfast – he always said that he preferred the food and atmosphere in the Officers’ Mess to that of the main cookhouse, although he was eventually lumbered when Dick Cunningham realised that George’s breakfasts were being charged to his mess bill! It was always interesting to note the rapport between George and Dick, particularly their backchat. I always remember a classic comment from Dick when he said “D’yer know, I’ve just seen Dave in the town, and guess what, he was wearing that new tweed suit of mine, which even I haven’t worn yet!” Yet, they always got on well together and George would later go out of his way to help support Jill Cunningham when Dick was dying of cancer.
George remained in the signalling and driving worlds for most of his army career and loved it, even cleaning his vehicle with Mr Sheen to wind up the erstwhile Captain Newman, the Mechanised Transport Officer! George could always be trusted, and when he gave his word one knew it would happen, even sometimes when it happened in reverse. There was the occasion at the Depôt when George said he was going home for the weekend but was told by Sergeant-Major Jimmy Lennox that he was now required for duty. Undeterred, George just went home as he had already promised his family that he would be home that weekend, and a promise was a promise, so home he went, and readily accepted the 7 days punishment for absence, which he received when he returned to duty on the Monday morning.
Sadly, George had no interest in promotion despite being extremely well qualified and easily able to handle it; selection for the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion was, after all, based on a young man’s potential to lead others. And George had plenty of that and could easily lead others, although not always necessarily in the accepted direction! He was a man of strong beliefs and ideas, and could be relied upon to suggest alternative and more inspiring ways of accomplishing a particular task or directive, despite the potential impracticality or inconvenience of some of his proposals. One was always very wary when he approached – a situation that the Foot Guards always best describe as, “Improperly approaching an officer” – and his requests were legion, and regrettably I received my last one on St George’s Day this year – inevitably, he wanted once again to persuade me to change the date of the Lewes Dinner, despite the fact that he knew it wasn’t in my gift anyway. It was generally fairly obvious that most of his suggestions were made ‘tongue-in-cheek’, and one could always sense that bubbling humour that was trying to break out of the somewhat earnest expression that he was attempting to project – but we always played the game according to George’s rules.
George had an enormous enjoyment of life – he had a most fabulous sense of humour - and a great deal of fun and wit - all of which were delivered for the betterment and enjoyment of all his comrades and other friends.
George Hester had a profound sense of comradeship and will be deeply missed, leaving a gaping hole in the hearts of his many friends. He was a regular participant at the annual Lewes Dinner and the St George’s Day Service at Chichester, and would always parade with his other comrades-in-arms, the ‘Faversham Five’ on the Remembrance Sunday Service and Parade at Whitehall in November. He had an undaunted pride and love for his Regiment and now, most regrettably, one has to witness the departure from this mortal coil of a great – genuine - larger than life - and immensely lovable Royal Sussex character – our own cheeky chappy and most revered and lifetime friend.