WWII Veteran and Chelsea Pensioner, Lt Col John Humphreys OBE DL, was today awarded the Thank You Liberators Medal.
Today Chelsea Pensioners and Royal Hospital staff attended a Drumhead Service of Remembrance for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Chelsea Pensioners and staff gathered together in the Great Hall on the last day of November to usher in the start of Advent with the first of the Royal Hospital’s annual Christmas traditions.
The Christmas Cake Ceremony has been a tradition for over 70 years, beginning in 1949, and is a symbol of the enduring friendship between the UK and Australia.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea has been celebrating the Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses ever since the first Chelsea Pensioners arrived back in 1692. It's a tradition that spans over three centuries! But this year was very different.
When lockdown was first on the horizon, the Royal Hospital wanted to find activities that would keep the Pensioners interested and occupied, without putting them at risk. The Army drill of pace-sticking was suggested and not only has it proved extremely popular, the Chelsea Pensioner pace-stickers held their own against serving soldiers when they visited Sandhurst for the annual pace-sticking competition. Due to the exceptional circumstances this year, the usual international event was replaced by the first-ever tri-services contest.
The Christmas period officially got underway today at the Royal Hospital, as the Chelsea Pensioners took part in the tradition of stirring in the ingredients for the Christmas pudding.
Christmas Cake donated by the Australian Defence Force as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the UK and Australia
Every year the Chelsea Pensioners are welcome guests on the Channel Islands, for a celebration of history, Liberation and reconciliation.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea celebrates the Ceremony of the Christmas Cheese, an annual event organised by the Dairy Council.
