A really good idea!

I'm sure many readers watched the wedding of Prince William and his bride Catherine last week (they're now the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, among a number of other titles). I know there's been a brisk trade in 'Royal Wedding souvenirs'; but this seems to me to be an extremely good idea, both as a fund-raiser and as a memento of the occasion.

The tradition of the horseshoe as a lucky wedding charm is rooted in an ancient belief that metal wards off evil spirits. Others link the custom to St. Dunstan, a 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury and former blacksmith, who sent Satan packing after hammering a horseshoe into his foot.

St. Dunstan shoeing the Devil (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Billions were dazzled by the wedding and, now, many of them are clamouring for a souvenir. The regiment’s Facebook page is buzzing. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hughes says he has received requests from all over the world for a keepsake from one of the great days in modern royal history.

But they are out of luck. Because these horseshoes have all been earmarked for Daily Mail readers in exchange for a substantial contribution to the Household Cavalry Central Charitable Fund. [Details here.]

This is, of course, first and foremost a frontline military unit whose men are routinely in danger around the world. Their ceremonial duties are simply what they do between missions.

Most of those in the wedding parade had recently returned from Afghanistan and needed no reminding of their comrades who were too badly injured to take part, not to mention those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Military life is always hazardous. The fund provides badly needed support to all injured soldiers past and present and to the families of those who have died. That is why Farrier Major Wayne Freeman and his team of ten farriers are going to such efforts to ensure this brilliant fund-raising idea does justice to the noble cause it is serving.

Household Cavalry horses are reshod every few weeks, and normally the old shoes would be dispatched to a scrap dealer for recycling.

Since last Friday, however, every shoe has been carefully removed, tagged and logged by Farrier Major Freeman. It goes without saying that it is all being done with military precision.

Once the last wedding parade horseshoe has been detached - some time at the end of next week - the farriers will then take each one and reheat it in the furnace. When it’s red hot, it will be removed and cleaned with a steel brush to remove all imperfections. The farriers will then stamp each shoe with the wedding date - 29.04.11 - hammering every numeral by hand.

Each horseshoe will be lacquered and sealed in a box with a photograph of its horse and rider and a certificate of authenticity. As Royal Wedding souvenirs go, it beats anything bar a slice of the actual royal cake.

There's more at the link.

Kudos to whoever thought up this idea. It's one of the most original fund-raisers I've ever heard of, and for a very good cause. Now, if we could do a picture like that of St. Dunstan shown above, but this time showing a Household Cavalryman nailing one of those horseshoes to Osama bin Laden's devilish butt, while a US Navy SEAL holds him steady . . . I reckon it'd raise a million!





Peter