While some people may go away on holiday during the October half term or have long lay ins I was lucky enough to visit the Royal Hospital Chelsea and have a tour with one of the resident Chelsea Pensioners! It did mean an early start to get to the REME base and catch the coach along with several staff and a small handful of other cadets, but an opportunity that couldn’t or shouldn’t be missed!
In the morning we had a visit to the National Army Museum also in Chelsea which was interesting and definitely different especially for a group od RAF Air Cadets we did however manage to locate a helicopter and of course do some essential museum shop visiting! However the highlight came in the afternoon with our visit just down the road to meet the wonderful Alan who is a Chelsea Pensioner and some of the other pensioners.
Set in London on the banks of the Thames this large building with gorgeous gardens and grounds appears quite out of place in many ways. The dining room looks like a scene from Hogwarts and the chapel is as beautiful as any cathedral. Our small group of eight had a wonderful guided tour and the opportunity for lots of photos, but the best part of the whole visit was listening to the pensioners tell us about their journey and also being able to ask them questions. Did I ask any questions, yes, of course I did! I was delighted to hear that now they have ladies as well as gentlemen as residents plus they also have three Jewish members. There is a long waiting list to become a Chelsea pensioner with only 300 places for Army veterans at the Royal Chelsea Hospital.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief insight into my visit and you can continue to discover my adventures in other articles from my blog. Done forget to visit my CV too and see how some of the articles in my blog contribution to my CV, qualifications and experience.
