As you may know, Dents HQ is located in the small town of Warminster in rural Wiltshire. However Warminster is not just another countryside town, it’s actually an Army Garrison town. We are located just on the edge of Salisbury Plain, which is a large military training area, with many barracks scattered across it. In the town itself there’s Battlesbury Camp, and the Land Warfare Centre, so it’s the norm to see combat clad men and women walking around the town centre during the day. For many residents, you either come from a military family or you know someone who does, making Army life a huge part of our community.
It’s important to everyone in the community to support the soldiers, both locally and nationally, and at Dents we love to do our bit to help. I heard about Cayle Royce through my brother, who are both in the Light Dragoons and served together in Afghanistan this past year. Cayle was out on a reconnaissance mission, when he knelt on an IED after climbing out of a ravine. He was flown back to the UK, where for weeks he was in a coma in Birmingham Hospital. Royce lost both of his legs in the explosion, and sustained damage to his face and left hand. A very athletic person before, he has spent months at the Military Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court, where he has been recovering and adapting. Due to the severe damage to his left hand, a standard glove didn’t fit and we all know how cold it’s been this winter.
We usually don’t take on bespoke glove requests, as it is a long and expensive process requiring our experts to spend many weeks on them, time they sadly don’t have now. However due to the personal connection to Cayle’s story, our Chairman Robert Yentob insisted we had to do something. So when we received a picture of his damaged hand, Dents went into design mode and came up with a solution. Adapted from our shooting glove pattern, the leather mitt has a silk lining and cashmere cuff, the perfect combination to keep the cold out. Dennis from our Factory came up with the design and made both the mitt, and the right hand glove himself.
Above is a picture Cayle sent us, of him wearing his Dents gloves at home in Dartmouth. We’re very glad they fit him so perfectly, just like a glove! He’s been staying very active during his rehabilitation, trying his hand at hand-cycling and has recently been learning to sit-ski in Bavaria (where his new gloves came in handy!). We are so glad that we’ve been able to help with his recovery, and support those who have been injured serving their country.
