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Captain Colin Jenkins
Late Grenadier Guards
by Nigel Jenkins
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Captain Colin Jenkins died on Saturday 23rd November 2024, aged 93, after a long illness borne with great fortitude. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Late Entry officer in the First Guards Club and he was very proud of this fact. Born in Staffordshire in August 1931, he had enlisted into the Regiment in 1949, aged 17, but he was quickly identified as being intelligent and good on paper, so understandably he went to work in his Company Headquarters. He was diligent and prospered; eventually, after two years as the ORQMS in Battalion Headquarters, he was appointed Superintending Clerk in October 1969. At that time, this most prestigious appointment was held by the senior, clerically trained WO1 in the Regiment and Regimental Headquarters was a busy, bustling place, the Superintending Clerk working closely with both the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel and Regimental Adjutant, two serving officers who were responsible (in conjunction with the two battalions) for the career management of all of Grenadiers at Regimental Duty. This was no small task as, at that time, the Regimental strength was about 100 officers and 1635 Other Ranks!
Colin was commissioned in March 1971 and posted to the 2nd Battalion as Families Officer, remaining in Caterham while the Battalion deployed first to British Honduras and later to Belfast. He left the Army in 1974 to work for De Beers in London, followed by Barclays International, in the UK and abroad. Latterly, the family settled in Poole. In the years after the Army Colin worked as a volunteer for SSAFA; in his spare time, he pursued his passion for snooker, table tennis, and moving house. It is estimated that from 1974 to 2023 the family moved home about 29 times, including a spell living in Havia, Spain from 1989 to 1996!
His wife Pamela predeceased him in 2022. They are survived by their three children – Teresa, Nigel and Karen. |
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