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ROYAL MARINES OFFICERS DINNER CLUB
Corps AdC
“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” So said Groucho Marx and I guess that I might have said the same of the Royal Marines Officers’ Dinner Club (RMODC). But I was wrong and in the next few paragraphs, I will explain why.
At first glance, the RMODC looks like little more than an excuse to drink, dine, and spin dits with oppos at a well-subsidised Black Tie event in central London each Summer. And it is precisely that. It does what it says on the tin – lots of Royal Marines Officers getting together for dinner. But, for Junior Officers tripping over regimental dinner invites, this in itself may not be enough.
What makes the Dinner Club genuinely different is the collection of people in the room. Unlike a Commando unit guest night, you’ll find multiple generations of combat veterans with unrivalled leadership experience gathered around you. Men who fought in the Falklands or Afghanistan sit alongside those who cut their teeth in the counterinsurgencies of Tanzania, Borneo or Aden. There’s little formality – no seating plan, no uniforms or medals, it is simply a case of grabbing a place and cracking on with whomever you’re sharing the table. And there can be very few places where a junior officer can access that breadth of experience and wisdom so informally.
Equally, for those approaching their end date in the Corps, it is a wonderful networking opportunity - a rare way to connect to retired officers with experience of a wide variety of roles in the commercial world as well as being a top-notch means of maintaining a lasting connection to one’s oppos and the broader Corps.
To attend the dinner, one must pay £20 annually to be a member and £70 for the evening itself.
For junior officers looking to broaden their professional network, gain an insight into the organisation through the experience of those who have served before it is not just encouraged – it is an investment in the future.
Corps AdC (Serving RM Captain)
A note from the Chairman
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As a subaltern in the latter part of the last century I was made aware of the RM Officers Dinner Club by an older officer within the mess of the unit in which I was then serving. I was curious until one of the older subalterns recommended that I give it a wide berth as it was a ‘rest home for the old and infirm’. I didn’t question his advice. Several years later and tempted by a different friend, I joined and attended my first dinner, immediately dispelling the vision provided by my erstwhile uninformed messmate. I was hooked. Meeting former colleagues from years earlier along with senior old boys who had exercised command of me and others in my early days and who, far from being the rather terrifying and austere individuals I may have thought them, were genial, warm and engaging dining companions. The club remains as stimulating today, hosting a broad array of Royal Marines officers past and present including reuniting members of previous YO batches.
How to sum up with Officers’ Dinner Club? Firstly, it does what it says on the label – it’s about dining. Secondly, it is without any formality beyond the need to don black tie: there is no seating plan, no rank separation nor any speeches (standfast a quick parish notice or two from yours truly); and finally, it is fun. Seeing old friends in a relaxed social atmosphere at any time is a reward but doing so in the splendid surroundings of a livery hall in Central London and enjoying a sumptuous menu accompanied by excellent wine is a joy. And its subsidised..! One of our members described the reception which precedes dinner as like ‘speed-dating on ketamine’ while another opined that dinner was ‘big-eats on an epic scale’. In short, it’s a blast and, with the right support, it will continue to grow and thrive. To enable that, we must continue to recruit new members, hence the attendance of representatives from the YO Batch under training however, there is possibly a Commando’s worth of officers who have never considered it and thus are unaware of the offer. We need to identify them and bring them into the fold. It’s quite possibly selfish for us to keep it all to ourselves! If you haven’t yet – join. You won’t regret it. See you on 19 June…
